I Believe in Biblical Holiness

I want to discuss a misconceived subject – the subject of holiness. The ironic element of this whole discussion is that the subject of holiness is highly misunderstood the most, in Holiness churches.

Allow me to begin by saying that I believe in Biblical holiness. That is, I believe in holiness as the Bible teaches it, and I believe in it to no other extent. After reading this blog, some will accuse me of not believing in holiness; some will label me a compromiser. However, I am a Bible preacher, and I am not concerned with the labels that men may attach to me. The above verse, Hebrews 12:14, is one of the most misunderstood verses of the whole Bible, especially in Holiness churches. I encourage you to read the entire post before establishing a conclusion, and feel free to contact me if you wish to discuss any area of disagreement.

About thirteen years ago, I heard a Holiness preacher expound on Hebrews 12:14, which reads, “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.” This preacher, after reading the verse, made this statement – “Now, the Bible did not say ‘Follow peace with all men, and Baptist,’ but it does say, ‘Follow peace with all men, and holiness.’” In this man’s mind, holiness is a denomination. It is a group of churches. In his mind, if you go to a Baptist church, or a Methodist church, you cannot possess holiness, because you do not go to a Holiness church. Although this man is a great man, he is wrong on this issue. You can go to a Holiness church, and be just as unholy as you can be. When the Hebrew writer says, “Follow peace with all men, and holiness,” he is not referring to your attendance of a Holiness church.

I have heard other Holiness preachers use this verse to preach a strict adherence to “holiness standards.” To them, holiness is a standard. It is a dress code. It is a rulebook. It is abstaining from worldliness. I have heard Holiness preachers, after reading the above-mentioned scripture, begin to preach their standards as the plan of salvation. Listen to me closely. We are not saved by keeping anyone’s list of anything. Keeping a list of “standards” will not get you saved, or keep you saved. Dressing a certain way will not make you holy. You can dress modest, with no jewelry, no make-up, and so forth, and be as lost as you can be. Let me go further. When a person makes their way to an altar of prayer, and they ask the Lord to save them, believing on His word, they are saved when they rise from the altar. They are so saved that if they begin to keep a certain set of standards, it will not make them any more saved than what they are. We are in a sad condition when we preach that doing certain things will make us more holy than what the blood of Jesus can. As far as I’m concerned, if you preach this mess, you are not preaching the word of God. You have departed from the gospel long ago.

You may say, “Brother, don’t you believe in living right, and having standards?” I absolutely believe in living according to the Bible. However, living according to the Bible does not save anyone. I do not live by the Bible to try to be saved; I live by the Bible because I am saved. I am not “more saved” because I live a certain way. The word, “holy” means “pure; free from sin.” There is only one thing that makes clean and pure – the blood of Jesus Christ. I am saved by the blood of Jesus; I am kept by the blood of Jesus; I cannot add to the blood of Jesus. The blood of Jesus, according to I John 1:7, is the only thing that “cleanseth us from all sin.” Living a certain way won’t cleanse. The blood cleanses. That, my friend, is Biblical holiness. Man is filthy in his sin, but when he comes to Jesus Christ, the blood of Jesus cleanses him from every sin, without exception. Yes, it is certainly true that a genuine conversion will produce holy living. I am not negating that. But I am negating any act of “living a standard” in order to be saved.

I’ve heard it all. Some Holiness preachers take this verse, Hebrews 12:14, to say that you must keep certain standards to be saved. I am not taking cheap shots at anyone, but I am declaring real situations – real places I have been – to illustrate a point.

I preached years ago for one crowd that believed that holiness meant that men should abstain from wearing a necktie. If you preach that it is a sin to wear a necktie, you are not preaching the Bible. And, to call yourself a preacher, you are shaming the rest of us. Biblical holiness has nothing to do with whether or not I am wearing a necktie. It is a sad day in Holiness churches, when we think that taking a necktie off (or putting one on, for that matter) makes us more spiritual. Their idea of the necktie is that a person must be proud if he wears one. If you really believe that wearing a necktie is a result of pride, then PREACH AGAINST PRIDE. You have Bible verses that are against a man being proud. Preach the Bible. And leave it at that. If a preacher preaches against pride, and I am sitting in the congregation, the Spirit of God can convict me if I am proud because of my necktie. Just preach the Bible.

Years ago, I got acquainted with the bunch that spray-painted their belt buckles. It’s laughable, but I’m not joking. This bunch started out preaching against jewelry, and from there, they started preaching against wearing anything that shines. That’s outright stupid. When we are more concerned about shininess of the belt buckle than we are the lostness of the soul, we have hopelessly strayed from the Great Commission. We have forgotten our purpose of reaching for lost souls, pulling them out of the fire. I am in no way associated with the spray-painting bunch. That is not my crowd.

Several years ago, I was at a Holiness campmeeting. Bro. Leon Buzzard, a great man of God, was talking about the “Super-duper Holiness bunch.” He said that he had been acquainted with the crowd that preaches against wearing sandals, or any type of shoe that reveals the toes. I wonder if this crowd has read Mark 6:9, where Jesus commanded His apostles, “But be shod with sandals.” That’s right; Jesus COMMANDED his disciples to wear sandals. In Acts 12:8, the angel of the Lord told Peter, “Bind on thy sandals.” I agree with Bro. Don Rich, who said, “I have more Bible for wearing sandals than I do for wearing the shoes I’ve got on.” If you think it’s a sin for a person to show their toes, go preach that gospel in foreign lands, where people don’t even have a pair of shoes of any kind to wear. If wearing open-toed shoes, or sandals, is a sin, then it’s a sin in every instance, in every age, in every country, without exception. When I am at my home church, sometimes I play the bass guitar. When I am playing the bass, I am sitting on the platform. We have several ladies that get up on the platform to sing. After the service is over, I cannot tell you what kind of shoes any of those ladies wore. When we are having church, the type of shoes that people are wearing is the furthest thing from my mind.

As you can tell, this mess can go on and on. Let me just bring out a couple points to conclude. First, it is noteworthy to understand that liberalism is wrong. Preachers become liberal when they fail to preach the entire word of God. They omit parts of the Bible, and as a result, become liberal. However, the ultra-strict bunch has forgotten that it is EVERY BIT AS MUCH A SIN to ADD TO the Bible as it is to TAKE AWAY FROM the Bible. As for me, I intend to stay with the Bible. I don’t want to omit parts of it; nor do I wish to take away from it.

Secondly, if you need rules and standards, there are plenty of those in the Bible. You’ll have a full-time job just trying to do what is actually in the Bible, without adding to it. The Bible says, “Owe no man anything.” How are you doing with that? You mean you’ll send me to hell because my belt buckle shines, and you’ll turn around and disobey the Bible and be indebted to someone? The Bible condemns those “whose God is their belly.” Don’t preach about my shoes and my necktie if you’re as big as a gas stove. My point is not to tell you that you’re going to hell if you weigh a certain amount or have a debt. My point is to show you that there’s a lot in that Bible. There’s plenty to do without adding to it. Let’s work on doing what it actually says, and throw this nonsense out the door.

It is my prayer that I can reach my hands into the fire of hell, and pull lost souls out. If someone comes to church where I am preaching, I am not concerned about their necktie, their shoes, their belt buckle, their short-sleeve shirt, the length of their hair, how much jewelry they are wearing, or whether or not they have a television. I’m concerned with getting them to Jesus. Whatever they’re doing that’s wrong, we’ll teach them later. What they need more than anything is Jesus. They need the blood to cleanse them of their sin. And, when they rise from the altar after repenting of their sins, they are just as clean and holy as Jesus Christ Himself, because Jesus imparted His righteousness to them. This is holiness, and without it, no man shall see the Lord.

God Has Been Moving in Pekin, Illinois!

The hand of God has been present in a great way during my stay at the Pentecostal Lighthouse in Pekin, Illinois this winter, especially in the past few weeks. Every Sunday in recent weeks we have had a consistent flow of first-time visitors. One lady has been coming to every service for nearly three weeks. Two Sundays ago, she prayed; then testified that she had come back to the Lord that morning! This past Sunday, her sister, as well as her sister's family, visited us in service.

It is so good to see fresh faces in the congregation. More importantly, it is good to see the Spirit of the Lord moving in the lives of people. I am expecting greater things than these in the coming services!

R.A. Torrey's Prescription for Revival

I can give you a prescription that will bring a revival to any church or community or any city on earth. The prescription is as follows:

First, let a few Christians (they need not be many) get thoroughly right with God themselves. This is the prime essential. If this is not done, the rest that I am to say will come to nothing.

Second, let them bind themselves together to pray for a revival until God opens the heavens and comes down.

Third, let them put themselves at the disposal of God for Him to use as He sees fit in winning others to Christ.

That is all!

This is sure to bring a revival to any church or community.  I have given this prescription around the world. It has been taken by many churches and many communities, and in no instance has it ever failed; and it cannot fail!

*By R.A. Torrey

A Ministry Made of Gold - A Tribute to Rev. Eugene Saylor

I Thessalonians 5:12, 13 – And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; And to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves.

Having been acquainted with Bro. Eugene Saylor for several years, I count it a privilege to be asked to pen my deep thoughts of respect concerning him. Ministries of great men are often greater than our perspective of them, and the ministry of Bro. Saylor is no different. Although I knew Bro. Saylor’s ministry was great, I did not grasp its depth until I sat down to write this article. Bro. Saylor’s ministry was a great ministry because it was God’s ministry. Truly, it was God that wrought the work, and it is God that receives the glory. However, as all workers in God’s great vineyard know, while it is God’s work, God’s people are His tools, His instruments, and His weapons. Bro. Saylor was a great tool in the hand of God for a great task.

His Works
“Esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake.” That is the commandment of Paul the apostle concerning our attitude toward them who labor among us. So, my reflections of Bro. Saylor begin with his works. All who knew Bro. Saylor are sure that Bro. Saylor’s heart was in the prison ministry. Miles traveled, hours of visitation, days of writing letters to inmates, messages preached in correctional facilities, and prayers for inmates that ascended to the throne are all proof of this preacher’s great burden for the lost within prison walls. Prisoners who seldom or never hear from their family or friends often heard from Bro. Saylor. Perhaps his greatest ministry in the prisons was not revealed in the taking of a text but in the making of a friend. Bro. Saylor was friend to friendless. Bro. and Sis. Saylor have not been blessed with children of their own. However, they have been blessed with many who call them “Mom and Dad.” This kind of relationship began with Bro. and Sis. Saylor befriending the outcasts of society, tirelessly laboring to bring them, not just into the Saylor family, but into the great family of God.

Bro. Saylor’s ministry was not limited to the prisons. Often, he and Sis. Saylor visited churches across the nation, proclaiming testimonies of the work of God in their ministry. Sis. Saylor’s singing is always certain to bring glory to Jesus Christ. Whether she is singing Too Much to Gain to Lose, I am Blessed, or No One Ever Cared for Me Like Jesus, you are sure to hear a song sung by an anointed servant whose goal is to edify the church and glorify the Christ. Her testifying and singing was followed up by Bro. Saylor’s anointed preaching. His ministry within Holiness churches throughout our nation always proved to be uplifting to the saints. His good spirit always drew us to his words while declaring the truth. I remember messages preached by Bro. Saylor. I remember him preaching one message in Kentucky concerning The Power of God. How could I forget when he preached a messaged entitled, Pass the Salt? Bro. Saylor was a great friend to the prisoner and encourager to saints of God.

His Words
Bro. Saylor was a man whose words, whether in or out of the pulpit, whether in or out of the prisons, were seasoned with salt. In the pulpit, Bro. Saylor spoke the truth of the gospel without compromise. He did not water down the truth. I remember hearing him talk once about the doctrine of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, referring to their movement as the “Witchtower.” Of course, they refer to their prominent publication as the “Watchtower.” Bro. Saylor did not water down the truth for anyone’s false doctrine. His messages in the pulpit were seasoned with prayer. When you heard him preach, you can be sure that God heard him pray. He was a dedicated man of prayer and the Word.

Perhaps Bro. Saylor’s words outside the pulpit had the most influence on my life. I have spent a significant amount of time with Bro. and Sis. Saylor over the past few years. I have been to their home. I have visited them while they were on the road. I have had precious fellowship sitting across the table from them. We have shared laughs. I have been with them at disappointing times in their lives. Over all the years I have known Bro. and Sis. Saylor, I can honestly say I cannot recall EVER hearing Bro. Saylor complain. Even when I knew his body ached with pain, he had a smile. This is convicting to me! I feel that I have been through far less than Bro. Saylor, but I have complained far more! Bro. Saylor’s words were never words of complaint! Through the years that I have known Bro. and Sis. Saylor, I have never heard Bro. Saylor say one negative remark about any minister, any Christian, or anyone else! What a record! As I honor Bro. Saylor for his words, what he didn’t say is just as commendable as what he did say! When he did speak, it was words of edification and encouragement. When he didn’t speak, often he just smiled.

His Worth
When we speak of great mysteries of the gospel, we think of the mystery of the godhead, or the mystery of the coming of the Lord, or the mystery of godliness. The mystery that continues to boggle my mind is the mystery of man’s worth to God. David was amazed at the thought that God was even mindful of him. I am still amazed that the Father would even give me the time of day, but He did much more than that. He sent His only begotten Son to pour out His blood upon Golgotha’s hill. God commended His love toward me, that even when I was a lost sinner, Christ died for me! Even when I was lost, I had great worth to the Father.

No doubt Bro. Saylor was of great worth to the Father. Of course, I understand that Bro. Saylor was who he was by the grace of God. However, Bro. Saylor’s ministry was valuable to the kingdom of God. I want to look at a few things that determine value. First, something is valuable when it is rare. Books that are no longer printed, clothing that is no longer manufactured, furniture that is no longer constructed, cars that are no longer in demand, and styles of houses that are no longer built are worth something because they are hard to find! Men like Bro. Saylor are not everywhere. The Bible says twice that Daniel had an excellent spirit, but the scriptures do not even declare it once about anyone else. Although I am sure there are other men in the scripture that had a good spirit, Daniel was definitely one of a kind. And although there are many men in Holiness churches that have a good spirit, Bro. Saylor was definitely one of a kind. Men with his burden, his spirit, his determination, his passion, his prayer life, and his humility are not found in every Holiness church.

Not only does rarity produce worth, but an item’s difficulty or inability to be replaced produces worth. I have items that did not cost me a dime. They were given to me. However, they are worth so much to me because if I lost them, there is no way I could ever replace them. Bro. Saylor’s shoes will be difficult for any man to fill. It will certainly take the Lord to call someone to fill his shoes and carry on a ministry like Bro. Saylor’s. Bro. Saylor was called by God to a ministry that, in terms of monetary gain, costs rather than pays. Plainly put, many ministers today are not interested in a ministry that does not come with an offering. Bro. Saylor, a man willing to pay to preach, will be very hard to replace.

Lastly, an item’s material determines its worth. Some items are worth more than others because of what they are made of! Allow me to talk about what Bro. Saylor was made of. God called Bro. Saylor to prison ministry. Anyone who has ever done any jail or prison ministry at all knows about the prominence of “jailhouse religion.” There are many who get religious in jail so God will get them out, but they have no real experience with Jesus Christ! Knowing about the presence of “jailhouse religion” has stopped many preachers from even trying to reach people in jails or prisons. You may never witness to anyone in jail because you’re afraid that if they pray, their conversion may not be real. Know this – Bro. Saylor didn’t let “jailhouse religion” stop him! Bro. Saylor was willing to see many phony conversions to witness a few real ones! Praise God for men made of steel who refuse to let false gospels keep them from declaring the true gospel! Bro. Saylor had physical battles. I remember when he had problems with his voice. The doctors told him he would never be able to talk. So, what did he do? He continued to preach! Look at what this man was made of! Sickness in his latter days did not stop him from working for God. Bro. Saylor, in his latter days, worked in spite of his sickness. He didn’t call in sick; he crawled in sick! I remember when his vehicle caught on fire. Do you think this stopped him? Bro. Saylor kept working for God. Some men’s ministries are massive structures, made of wood, hay, and stubble. They look good, and they are fairly stable…until the fiery trial comes. Bro. Saylor’s ministry was made of the finest, most valuable gold. Fire doesn’t destroy gold; it just makes it stronger! The same flames that destroy wood, hay, and stubble only purifies the gold. Bro. Saylor’s ministry was made of gold. It stood the fire. Like Job’s fiery trial, Bro. Saylor has proven that when He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

No Plan B

They say you should not "put all your eggs in one basket." Well, I guess I've disregarded this. Everything in my life and in my eternity hinges on Jesus Christ. If He sinks, I'm done. If Jesus Christ goes down, gets defeated, dies, or loses a battle, I'm gone for good. I have no plan B. No back-up plan. Nothing to fall back on. It may appear to be a gamble, but I've risked everything on the success of Jesus Christ. If I die, and some other religion is right, I'm doomed. With me, it's all or nothing.

As foolish as it may seem to the natural mind, I will lose no sleep tonight as to my future, either in this world or the world to come. I am safe in the hands of Jesus Christ. He has a perfect track record. He is undefeated on the battlefield; He defies the laws of nature; He heals when doctors say they can do no more; He supplies the needs of His children when everyone around them is broke; when there's no trail, He blazes one! Yes, I've put everything in Jesus Christ, and I'll lose no sleep tonight over the condition of my soul or my future.

God Almighty is very organized; He has great plans for mankind. First, there is the plan of salvation. God sent His only begotten Son into the world to save sinners. By believing in the finished work of Jesus Christ, we can have salvation. Notice Romans 10:13 - "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." PERIOD. There's no back-up plan following that verse. If calling upon the name of the Lord doesn't work, man is hopeless. BUT IT WORKS! Calling on the Lord Jesus Christ, believing His Word - that is the plan that has never, not one time, failed. I can preach to the lost man concerning calling upon Jesus. I don't need Plan B. Salvation by the blood of Christ can save the most wretched, vile sinner that has ever been.

Not only does God have a perfect plan of salvation, but He has a plan for ministry. He chose twelve apostles, and sent them to the lost sheep of the house of Israel in Matthew chapter 10. He gave them the message - "As ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand." No other message is given. The message of the kingdom - that Jesus Christ is king - will never fail. I have no other message on the back burner. I have nothing else to pull out of the hat. If this message fails, my ministry is gone. But, I am not worried about that. The Lord not only gave His disciples the message, he gave them provision. "Take no money." "Take no scrip." He would be their sole provider. Friend, I am not waiting for the U.S. government to supply my needs. The Lord Jesus Christ called me; and whom he calls, he equips. You say, "What if that plan fails?" It has never failed yet. From the apostles in the book of Acts to George Mueller, Jesus Christ has been faithful to His people.

Yes, everything I am, everything I have, everything that is coming my way - I've entrusted it all to Jesus Christ. There is nothing that could bring more peace than that.

Ruins and Remains

Hebrews 12:27 - "...that those things which cannot be shaken may remain."

Walk with me. I'd like to take you to the future. Let's look at the world after the Lord Jesus Christ comes. First, I want to show you some things that have been destroyed as a result of His coming. Look here! Here's a pile of rubbish. It was a massive structure before the Lord shook it down. It is the destroyed temple of atheism. People absolutely worshipped atheism. Atheists were so strong on their views that there is no supreme being to worship; yet they WORSHIP their idea of atheism. They even took up offerings and gave to their silly cause. Atheism had quite a crowd at one time, but it ended in one moment's time. When the Lord came, atheism ceased.

Oh wait. Look to our left. Here is a structure diminished to nothing. It is a mosque. Yes, a Muslim temple. They were so militant. They were such fighters. They wanted to conquer the world. Now, at the coming of Jesus Christ, they lie conquered. Their most extreme and radical jihadists could not defeat Jesus Christ and His army on white horses.

Here's a building that couldn't stand the shaking - A Planned Parenthood building. An organization that stood for no other purpose than to assure every girl to her "right" to an abortion. But, along with all other murderers, they could not stand at the coming of the Lord. The United States government couldn't keep this wicked organization from going under. Pro-choice leaders had quite a following - of course, until Jesus came and shook it off its foundation.

Let's make a turn here. We'll walk down BROADWAY. It takes us to what is known as the "Twin Cities." These two cities have been destroyed down to a pile of ashes. The names of these cities are Sodom and Gomorrah. They stood as a tribute to homosexuality and everything connected to it. Sodom and Gomorrah had a growing army to protect it. Though Sodom and Gomorrah mobilized its forces to destroy America, America did not fight against them. Rather America fought on their behalf. America passed a Hate Crimes Act, giving Sodomites extra protection. But when the Lord came, Sodom's armies or America's, were helpless against Jesus Christ. These wicked armies didn't even survive so they could charge Jesus Christ with hate crimes. Now, they will have to stand trial in the court of God Almighty.

Time will fail me to tell of the Casinos, the government buildings, banks, hospitals, businesses, kingdom halls, Mormon temples, Catholic churches, Hindu temples, and all the other structures that man trusted in - now destroyed at the coming of the Lord.

But there are a few things that survived the shaking at the coming of the Lord. Let's leave the ruins of Sodom and Gomorrah and make a U-turn on BROADWAY and head to the STRAIGHT AND NARROW WAY. This road leads to a city that still stands. It is called Zion. They refer to Zion as "the city of the Great King."

As we enter Zion, look at the gate - it still stands completely intact. The gate is called "Salvation." Salvation is the only way into this city. Jesus Christ is our salvation - our Saviour. Others have tried to get in some other way, but have all failed. You must come in by the gate. Our salvation is sure; nothing can shake it out of its place.

Oh, look! Here's a massive structure still standing. It is called "The Church." It is not associated with any organization - just Jesus Christ and those bought by His blood. Yes, this building has been attacked down through the ages. But, when the people who assembled in this building were attacked, they just multiplied and grew. Many have fought against the church. But, their armies are in piles of rubbish and ruin. At the end of all things, the church still stands. In Revelation chapter 6, men say, "The great day of his wrath is come; Who shall be able to STAND?" In Revelation 7, we find the answer in verse 9 - "A great multitude, which no man could number...STOOD." Who is this multitude? Revelation 7:14 defines them as those who came out of great tribulation, and washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb. It is the church! The tribulation couldn't destroy them. The antichrist couldn't shake them. Man's government couldn't intimidate them. What a group to be a part of.

Now here's quite a sight! It is a small building. One might have thought that the shaking would have rocked this building to its destruction. But it stands without a trace of damage. It is a library. A library? Yes, a library. Surely, a small library like this wouldn't have much to offer. Let's go in and see what's in here. There's a bookshelf with only 66 books on it. They could not be shaken. They are God's Word, and they are the only books remaining after the coming of the Lord. They have been attacked through the ages. Down in Sodom, they had a library of philosophers, politicians, and even their own "bibles." But they are all destroyed now. This is the only library that remains. God's Word has not been, and will not be shaken.

Leaving the library, let us look to the city square. Yes, it is the palace from where the King reigns. The palace, the courts, and the King of kings all remain. The King and His laws have been attacked from every angle. But the attempts of this world to destroy the King and His laws were feeble.

Friend, let us not dwell in the world, which will be destroyed by the coming shaking; but let us dwell in Zion. It will remain when the world comes tumbling down.

God's Word is Supreme!

The Holy Bible, King James Version, is the Word of God in the English language. It is superior to all other holy books. It is higher than all other philosophies. When any man's words contradict the Bible, the Bible is ALWAYS RIGHT, and those who disagree are ALWAYS WRONG. God's Word is the most beautifully written book. It contains the best poetry; it reveals the most practical wisdom; it clearly reveals man's sin problem, as well as God's solution in Jesus Christ. Besides all this, it is the only book that is RIGHT! If you believe everything you read, you better stick with the Bible!

The Bible is superior to the Koran because it IS the written Word of God. It is superior to the Book of Mormon because its geographical landmarks actually existed. It is superior to the evolution textbook because it is filled with facts, not a bunch of words like "approximately," "perhaps," "could have been," "possible that," and other indefinite wordings. The Bible is the ONLY source of absolute truth. God Almighty is clear, concise, and definite when He speaks.

You may disagree with God's Word, but know this: God's Word will be the last word! God's Word will be final and forever!