Pastor Ralph “Yankee” Arnold
I got back. I thought I'd just check some of my emails. I had sent out one letter. [I was] just excited about all those things, that, you know, the things the kids are doing when they go on Friday night soul-winning. And I get excited about, you know, some people giving some money for the college, so the college kids can have their bills paid. Sometimes they wonder how things are going to work out. And it increases their faith. And so, I get excited about that. And the thing about night school, I get excited. I get excited easy, about a lot of things. But no, there's some people who don't get excited about anything.
But anyway, I sent the letter out. But I did get one letter back. And this was a letter that I got back. [I] thought I would just share it with Ya. It says:
"Brother Yankee [Now this is from the pastor of an independent Baptist church]. We love you, but must tell you that the only exciting news from Florida Bible College, would be that you have repented of your apostate church state position; and was teaching the truth at FBC, that Jesus is to be the sole head of our churches, and that you had also repented of your Hyles-style easy-believism that is devoid of true repentance."
Now isn't that wonderful to come home to? And this is from the pastor of an independent [Baptist Church]. All those people that said they trusted Christ as their Savior. And he said: "that easy-believism!" Well what would you rather have . . . hard-believism?
[Do] you know what this is? It's a pen. But that's too easy to believe. Believe hard! When the Bible says: "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." Even those that are not educated. Even children. Do you think it was something they should be able to understand? Then, what preacher has the right to make it hard, though when God made it easy? He did the hard part. All we have to do is accept it. They're trying to make more out of the word "believe," than BELIEVE.
Because you see, they've got to get people to change their lifestyle, to stop all their bad habits, and their sins, and so forth. I know where he's coming from. I've preached in a lot of Baptist churches all over America. And there's a lot of them that just don't get it. They believe that you have to turn from your sins and so on, to be saved. This is why they can't just explain the Gospel to somebody and have them trust Christ as Savior, because they've gotta give them (you know) the whole buffet. They gotta let 'em know: "Now this is the desert. And this is the salads. And this is the meat and potatoes. Now, you have to eat all of this, and that's going to take awhile."
When I want somebody to get saved, I just tell them what they need to do to get saved. I'm not trying to give them a theological discussion and all the aspects of all the, you know: Bibliology, Angelology and Soteriology, and Christology and Physiology. I'm just trying to tell 'em how to go to Heaven. Now, there's a lot of things we should know, a lot of things we should do, as a child of God. But to become a child of God, it's just BELIEVE that what He said is the truth. He said something and can I believe that? He that believeth hath everlasting life. Well, when do you have it? Well, when you believe it. Well, how long does it take to believe something? If you tell a story, and when they get through telling the story, that made sense—hearing the Word, they believed. How long does that take? Well that's too easy. Alright, well, who has the authority to make that hard?
So, yes, I have a problem with certain things. I hope while he's preaching today that he'd get the hiccups . . . lol. During his whole sermon . . . lol. Now, I'm saying that out of Christian love, because I would just love to hear that he did it . . . lol.
I got another letter. Do you remember that I mentioned to you just a while ago, that I was going to ride this Zipline. And so we went an hour and a half down into the jungles. I didn't know that it was that far. But anyway, we went. And they cancelled out another part, so, there was only six of us on the whole bus. And there were about seven cruise liners that had docked there, and everybody had cancelled out. Everybody cancelled, except six. And me and Betty and Treena was three of them. There's just something feisty about us. We don't easily give up.
So, down into the jungle we went. And when we got there, they put these harnesses on us, and they take us up to the top of this no man's land. And we had four different zips, or five, something like that. I'm glad that I know where I'm going when I die . . . lol. But we did get some personalized attention, because we were the only six, and they had that many helpers. And so each one of us had our own personal attendant. But anyway, I got a chance to start talking to the guy who was the head of it. His name was Gavin. Gavin. He was from Belize and so we kind of started talking a bit.
So were standing there and getting ready to go. And I says: "Where are you going when you die?" He probably should have been asking me that question . . . lol. I said: "Where are you going to go when you die?" He says: "Well uh, well I uh, uh." I said: "You hesitated, that means you're not sure." And he wasn't sure. And I says: "Well I know I have eternal life. I know that I'm going to Heaven when I die. I'm ready to go!" So they hook me up to the thing. He says: "How do you know?" I says: "I'll tell you after while when we get through." This is going to put the fear of God in you, 'cause he was going to go with me (he hadn't been there in a long time). But anyway, we had a lot of fun. When it was all over with I explained the Gospel to him and he accepted Christ as his Savior.
And we went into the little shed there, and was talking to a couple of the people behind the counter. And he had mentioned somebody's name and I thought that name sounded familiar, that I think I know that guy." And anyway, he had asked the lady behind the counter: "Do you know blah blah blah?" She said: "Yeah, I know him." And so I thought, "There might be a connection here." This is an hour and a half down in the jungle. I mean off the beaten path, way down in there. I says: "Have you ever heard of Greg Stier and Dare 2 Share?" [She says] "Yes, I have!" I says: "Do you know where you're going when you die?" And she was hesitant. And I said: "You hesitate, that means you're not sure." Because usually if they know, they know; when you're not sure you hesitate, trying to figure what's the best way to answer to get out of this.
And so it didn't take long. And the thing that got her is a little statement that I use every once in a while. I said: "Did you know that God loved you so much, that He would rather die than live without you?" Then, I mean, it just did something, that one statement, she just started welling up with water in her eyes. And I says: "He loved you that much, that He was willing to die to pay for your sins, so that you could have eternal life." And I went through and I explained, and I says: "The 'Gospel' is the 'Good News' that He will give you as a free gift, everlasting life, if you should simply BELIEVE that what He did, He it for you." I says: "Can you handle this?" She smiles and she says: "I can handle this." Just like that, "I can handle this." I says: "Will you believe it?" She says: "I believe it." It was so neat. It was just so neat. It's just certain ways and things that you say, you know, that sometimes it catches a person.
Well, we got back and I saw I had an email from Gavin. He says: "Hi Doc." (He calls me Doc) How are you doing? It was with great pleasure to meet with you and your family, as well [as] the knowledge that you openly shared with myself and the people. Everywhere I go now, that's a question that I ask. Where do you go when you die? And the conversation becomes endless. And he says: "Well Doc, in the next couple days I'll be seeking the law of rules and regulations regarding some conversation we had. He's even talking about maybe wanting to come to college. I don't know. But he says, "Now," he says, "That's all he talks about."
Now, I spent just a few minutes explaining the Gospel to Him. But it's simple enough so that he can share it with somebody else, and somebody else, and somebody else. Now, I believe that there are a lot of preachers who will never have the joy of this, for the simple reason, they gotta make the Gospel so hard and complicated that they won't share it. I can share it with anybody at any given time, and it makes sense, and they trust the Lord. And I've seen their lives change. When they simply believe it. I didn't try to change anybody's life, but I've seen it happen, 'cause I know that the power of the Gospel works on people.
In this verse I wanted to share with you. Look there in verse 4, where it says in 1st Thessalonians chapter 2, in verse 4: “But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust...” with that easy-believism. The Gospel should be presented in such a way that it's easy for people to understand it. If they can understand it, they can believe it and trust Him. But when you make it hard and complicated, that's when you gotta work on 'em. You gotta work on people. You've gotta make sure that they're willing to stop all their bad habits, and cut out all of their sins, and be willing to turn from their sins. They gotta really mean business for God! You see, God said they don't have to do that. That's not required.
I'm talking about just telling a person what's required. And it's Good News to say: "Look, it's free." But if you tell them: "You gotta stop all your bad habits," that's hard! That's hard for people to stop. Can you stop all of your sins? Have you? Now, don't answer . . . lol. I've thought about becoming a Catholic and opening a little booth, so ya'll can confess . . . lol. It would really enhance my sermons . . . preparation. I could use more of you for illustrations . . . lol. But anyway. That the Bible says that, “we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts.” So God has given to us a message that will work. And work it will!
Now turn in your Bible to Romans to chanter one. I had just one guy that came by, and he was waiting on us. And so, it didn't take long before I asked him if he knew where he was going when he died. He didn't have a clue. So after I talked to him for awhile, he trusted Christ as his Savior. You say: "How do you know he trusted Christ?" 'Cause he said that he did! There's some people that don't ask. They never ask anybody because that would be a work of the flesh. Fiddle-faddle. If I want to know if you've trusted Christ as your Savior, I ask you: "Have you trusted Christ as your Savior?" And you could say: "Yes." Well then, I didn't save you. All I did is ask you a question. You said you were saved. So, if ten people said they trusted Christ as Savior, who am I to question whether they did or they didn't? "Well they may not have meant it." Well then let it be on them, not me, I didn't lie, they did. Are you understanding me?
Watch the rest of the sermon if you'd like...
