Steven L Anderson

“And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:” Ephesians 4:11-12

The church is intended to be a place of teaching, fellowship, and worship for born-again, baptized believers. Many churches have instead become geared toward unbelievers. Some pastors will preach the plan of salvation every Sunday morning rather than getting into the deeper truths that saved Christians need to learn in order to grow. The purpose of church is to perfect the saints and edify the body of Christ. As a pastor and teacher, I’m supposed to teach and build up people who are already saved.

Years ago, I had a guy write a complaint about me on a visitor card and then bolt away after the service. He wrote about how he couldn’t believe that I didn’t even give the plan of salvation during my sermon and questioned whether I was even saved. This guy literally thought I should be giving the Gospel in every service, but what about feeding the flock?

“Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.” Acts 20:28

You’ll hear people say that they’re leaving a church because they’re not being fed. They are right to come to church expecting to be fed spiritually because the Bible teaches that a pastor is supposed to feed the church.

I’m not going to gear my sermon toward a visitor that walks in who may or may not be saved. Instead, I’m going to finish my sermon and try to catch that guy afterward and give him the gospel. If I don’t do it, I’ll have someone else from our church talk to him.

As a pastor, I’m also supposed to “do the work of an evangelist,” which is what I’m doing when I knock on doors or preach a salvation message in a school. I go where the unsaved people are and try to reach them with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. When I’m preaching in church, though, my role is that of pastor and teacher.

When I prepare a sermon, I’m not thinking about the unsaved visitors who might show up that day. I’m thinking about feeding the saved church members that make up most of the congregation. I’m thinking about the saints who come to church to be edified and perfected.

More souls will be saved in the long run when the flock is being properly fed. As people grow spiritually, they will do more soul winning in the highways and hedges. Not only that, but when they are properly trained, they will approach unsaved visitors at church and give them the gospel one-on-one, which is how we reach unsaved people who visit our church.

Here is a sermon on "Contemporary Churches" to go along with this article

When people come to the church office asking for money, I ask them where they went to church on Sunday. If they name another church, I tell them to go ask that church for money. If you have an account at Bank of America, you don’t walk into Wells Fargo asking to make a withdrawal. The truth is, most of these people don’t go to church anywhere, and there are certain criteria in the Bible about who we are supposed to help.

“For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.” 2 Thessalonians 3:10

“Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” James 1:27

“As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.” Galatians 6:10

Our first priority should be members of our church who have a genuine need, especially the widows and the fatherless. Even the widows have to meet certain criteria as outlined in 1 Timothy Chapter 5.

The Bible does not teach that we should give away free money to every drug addict and whore that shows up on a Tuesday asking for money. These people have despised God’s commandments, despised chastity, and despised the institution of marriage. They are wasting what little money they have on lottery tickets, cigarettes, and worse. They go from church to church asking for money yet lack the character it takes to show up and even sit through one church service.

Recently, I had someone contact me a few hours before a church service asking for financial help. I told her what time church started and that I would talk to her afterward if she attended the service. She showed up for the service, and as soon as I started preaching on sin, she got up and walked out.

These lazy bums don’t want to hear what the Bible says, but they want God’s money. They want to use our church as an ATM machine when they don’t even have an account here. If you can’t stand the Bible and can’t stand preaching, then you should go somewhere else looking for money instead of a church.

With all of the government programs and charities available, people in the United States are not financially destitute. If they were really that hungry, they would be willing to sit through the service. These people need spiritual help more than financial help, but unfortunately, most of them are not interested in hearing the Word of God.

You can take your personal money and help whoever you want, but when I put my money in the offering plate, I don’t want it to go toward buying more drugs for a drug addict. Our church helps people all the time, but the Bible says we are supposed to “consider the cause of the poor,” not just indiscriminately hand out money.

“The righteous considereth the cause of the poor: but the wicked regardeth not to know it.” Proverbs 29:7

Here is a sermon to go with this article.

Guyana is the only English-speaking country in South America

The 40 Day Revival at New Testament Baptist Church is fast approaching, and Evangelist Garrett Kirchway from Faithful Word Baptist is already there in Guyana doing a great work. Brother Garrett and Mrs. Neo Kirchway are staying in a studio apartment, which they have rented for the whole month. After they leave, Brother Matthew Stucky from Verity Baptist Church will be staying there, followed by any other preachers that go down there after him.

Guyanese Pastor, Ram Angad, and Brother Garrett Kirchway have already preached in two public schools located near the church. The first school had 200 students, and the second school had 350 students. Hundreds prayed to accept Christ after hearing a thorough presentation of the Gospel, so no doubt, many of them understood and got saved. Not only did 550 students and several teachers hear the plan of salvation, but they each received a preaching flash drive loaded with 28 key sermons from Faithful Word Baptist Church.

The most important part of Brother Kirchway’s sermon in the schools was of course the Gospel message, but he also gave them a short pep talk about working hard in life and applying themselves to their studies. ”Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might;” This is the part that the teachers appreciate for obvious reasons and will hopefully help us to be invited back in the future.

Pastor Ram and Brother Garrett also did some soul-winning in local neighborhoods, but the soul-winning is more house to house there than “door to door.” In Guyana many of the houses are surrounded by metal fences and gates, so the way that you get the attention of the people inside is by standing out in the street in front of the house and shouting out, “Inside! inside!” The people then come out and hear what you have to say. People are very receptive there so soul-winning in Guyana is very fruitful.

One of the preparations they are making for the upcoming 40 Day Revival is building a new baptistery, so that baptisms can take place at the church during the revival. The baptistery is larger than what they were using before at another location and will make baptizing converts easier. The new baptistery is made of concrete and will be overlaid with tile.

Click here to make a donation and help finance the 40 Day Revival in Guyana.

Here is a partial video of Brother Garrett preaching at one of the schools.

“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;” 2 Thessalonians 2:3

I’ve been talking a lot about how Pastor Ram Angad lost support for associating with me, but this isn’t just about one missionary. It’s a clash of two different ideologies. Anyone who starts preaching that the rapture will be after the tribulation gets ostracized because there are people out there who have an agenda to keep the truth hidden on this issue.

“Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.” Psalm 119:104

I want to watch the false doctrine of a pre-tribulation rapture fall in my lifetime. Of course there will always be people that preach every false doctrine, but my goal is that it will fall among the people that matter. We need to take the battering ram of Matthew 24, the battering ram of 2 Thessalonians 2, and the battering ram of Mark 13, and defeat this doctrine.

I find that when I explain the post-tribulation rapture to the people in the pew, they have no problem embracing this doctrine. It’s the people in the pulpit who have a hard time facing it. The reason is that the pre-tribulation rapture is the more popular doctrine.

I’ve talked to pastors who agree with me that the rapture will take place after the tribulation, yet they are nervous about officially switching over to the post-trib position. They don’t want to eat crow because they’ve been preaching pre trib all these years. Not only that, but if word gets out that they are no longer pre trib, they’ll be kicked out of the pastors' club. They will no longer get the preaching engagements, and if they are missionaries, they will lose their support. These preachers need to ask themselves whether pleasing men is more important to them than pleasing God.

“For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.” Galatians 1:10

You also have a choice to make. You can go along to get along, or you can take a stand for what you believe. Sticking to the pre-trib rapture is a classic example of just going with tradition and not making the Bible your final authority.

Here is a sermon on Bible Prophecy Foundations.

Click here to watch “After the Tribulation.”

A couple of years ago I preached a sermon called "AIDS: the Judgment of God" that brought the wrath of the Sodomite community down on our church. They went on a campaign to attack our church in many different ways, and one of the things they did was call down the list of the churches that we recommended in our church directory and complain about our church being so harsh to the "LGBT community." This prompted several pastors to write to me and tell me that they wanted to be removed from the directory because they did not want to be associated with that type of preaching.

The same week I received an email from Pastor Chris Corrigan of Sligo Baptist Church asking to be removed from the directory without stating a reason. I wrongfully assumed that he was one of the pastors who had a problem with my preaching against the Sodomites, and included him in a blog post listing pastors who had discouraged me during that time of persecution. It turns out that he was asking to be removed because of an unrelated incident that had happened in his church where someone who listened to my sermons online had been causing problems. The timing was coincidental, and I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions and lumped him in with the others who stated why they wanted to be removed. I apologized to Pastor Corrigan for my mistake.

Another moral of this story for those who listen to my sermons is that you should try to be a blessing in your local church and not go in there expecting it to be identical to Faithful Word Baptist Church. If you want to go to FWBC, then move to Phoenix and go to FWBC. If you attend a different independent fundamental Baptist church, then you should respect that pastor's authority and get on board with the program of that local church. Don't just march in and start handing out copies of "After the Tribulation." Focus on what you like about the church and the things you do agree with, and let that church be a place for you and your family to grow, and thrive, and serve the Lord. Over time, you can be a positive influence in that church, but make sure you have the right attitude and are not filled with pride. Also keep in mind that you are not the pastor of the church.

Here is a blog post on 3 Ways to be a Bad Church Member.

Here is an old sermon from many years ago that I preached called "Too Puffed Up for Church."

In churches that have “faith promise missions,” they hand out cards, and people pledge to give a certain amount weekly, throughout the year. I’m not against churches that do this, but I don’t personally believe in it because I wouldn’t want someone to invoke the wrath of God when they fail to keep their promise.

People have a tendency to break financial vows even when they make them in church. This used to bother me when I went to a church that had a faith promise missions program. I remember there would be two figures in the bulletin. There was the total promised and the total collected, and those two figures were always different. The promise was always a little higher than what was actually coming in. They would make it sound like getting 75 percent of what was promised was good, but I remember being nervous about it. It always made me think of Ananias and Sapphira.

“But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet. But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things. And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him. And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in. And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much. Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out. Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband. And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.” Acts 5:1-11

When I decided to relocate to another state mid-year, I didn’t forget about my faith promise. I added up how many weeks were left in the year and paid off what I still owed. God didn’t tell me I had to make that promise to begin with, but since I had, I needed to keep it. I could have mailed the offering in each week, but I didn’t know how my job was going to go at my new location, so I just paid it off in advance to be on the safe side. I was poor in those days, but I scraped up the money by selling some stuff before I left.

That’s great if you can give sacrificially to legitimate missionaries on a regular basis, but don’t be too quick to make a vow to God. Whatever promises you make to God, you had better keep. Better yet, don’t make a financial vow at all.

“When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.” Ecclesiastes 5:4-6

Here is a sermon to go with this article.

“Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.” 1 Corinthians 6:18

Fornication is defined as a man and a woman sleeping together before marriage. This sin is condemned throughout the Bible, especially in the New Testament. We are all sinners, but not all sin is equal. The Bible teaches that fornication is so serious that it can get you thrown out of the church.

“But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.” 1 Corinthians 5:11

“…Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.” 1 Corinthians 5:13b

If you are saved and sleeping with someone you aren’t married to, you need to repent of that sin. If you are living together, and you’re not married, then you are living in sin. If you plan to keep coming to church, your options are to get married or stop living together.

The Bible teaches that we should only have physical relations within marriage, so if you aren’t married yet, you need to deny that ungodly lust and wait until you get married to enjoy the benefits of marriage. If you aren’t ready to marry the person you are dating, then you shouldn’t be sleeping together. Have some self-control and respect for your body!

“For this is the will of God, [even] your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God:” 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5

People who commit fornication for the first time often do not end up marrying that person but go on to be with person after person. Our bodies were not designed to exchange bacteria with hundreds of different people. In fact, there are infections people can get that are not considered STDs per say but are virtually unheard of in people who got married as virgins and have had only one partner. I realize that people die and their spouse can remarry, but sleeping with more than a few people in your lifetime is very unhealthy. In fact, the Bible calls it filthy.

“And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:” Revelation 17:4

Even if you are in a monogamous relationship, fornication is still wrong. Remember the story of Dinah in Genesis chapter 34?

“And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her, and lay with her, and defiled her.”

“And they said, Should he deal with our sister as with an harlot?”

So many women today are in relationships where they would like to get married, but the guy won’t marry them. These jerks need to do the right thing, but the women are also to blame. Unfortunately, the old adage still holds true: Why buy the cow if you can get the milk free?

Here is a sermon to go with this article.

“But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.” Matthew 5:32

The Bible clearly teaches that if you divorce your spouse and marry someone else, then you are committing adultery. People will sometimes misunderstand this concept and assume that they are living in a perpetual state of adultery if they’ve been divorced and remarried.

They’ll wonder if they are still married to the first person in God’s eyes, but that is not the case. The Bible teaches that once you remarry, it would be an abomination for you to go back to your former spouse—even after your current spouse dies. The only couples who are supposed to be reconciled are people who have gotten divorced but have both remained unmarried.

“When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house. And when she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another man's wife. And if the latter husband hate her, and write her a bill of divorcement, and giveth it in her hand, and sendeth her out of his house; or if the latter husband die, which took her to be his wife; Her former husband, which sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after that she is defiled; for that is abomination before the Lord: and thou shalt not cause the land to sin, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.” Deuteronomy 24:1-4

“And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband: But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife.” 1 Corinthians 7:10-11

As a pastor, it is my job to preach against the wicked sin of divorce. I want to try to prevent people who have not already made that mistake from ever going down that road. Not only that, but if you are on your second or third marriage, I’m not trying to tear you down for your past sins. I’m warning you not to divorce your current spouse. Stay with the person you are married to right now because whoever you are currently married to is now God’s will for your life.

People have accused me of being a fraud because my parents are divorced and have both remarried. Since when is it the child’s fault when his parents get divorced? The only reason these people even know that about my parents is because I have mentioned it from the pulpit. Obviously, I am not trying to keep it a secret.

I’ve forgiven my parents, and I’m not mad at half of our society that gets divorced, but I’m not going to downplay divorce or stop preaching against it. God hates it, and it destroys families. If you have committed that sin in the past, you ought not be offended when you hear preaching on the subject. Don’t you want the younger generation to avoid the heartache and punishment you have experienced? Even if you don’t have children with you in church, I would think that you would want your current spouse to hear preaching that will give him or her a reason to stick with you through the bad times.

Here is a sermon to go with this article

My sister and brother-in-law were recently approached in Walmart by a man carrying an NIV who asked them if they were familiar with the “Church of God.” After they responded that they were Baptists, he proceeded to announce that God is also female and that the Bible talks about a “Heavenly mother.” At first, they thought the female he might be referring to was Mary or maybe even “Shekinah,” but it was something even weirder.

They rebuked his strange doctrine with scripture and schooled him on some other things including the Bible version issue. They tried to give him the gospel throughout the discussion, but he kept going to back to the female God thing. They challenged him to show them that from the Bible, and he took them to Galatians 4:26.

"But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all." - Galatians 4:26

This seemingly intelligent, well-spoken young man actually believed that "Jerusalem" in that verse is God and felt that he had successfully proven that God has a female persona. The guy’s beliefs defied logic, and my brother-in-law even got him to admit that he believed only people who go to his church will go to Heaven—a textbook sign of a cult. The cult member also admitted to believing that Old Testament saints like King David burned in Hell until Jesus visited them after the crucifixion and told them how to get out.

He denied the simple truth of John 3:16, stating that you also have to also keep the Passover and Sabbath to be saved. Admittedly, that part of the discussion was kind of a moot point since the guy believed in a female God, but at least they hit him with several verses in an attempt to get through to him.

Apparently, a couple of verses in Galatians that mention "Jerusalem" are the basis of a cult called World Mission Society Church of God, which was founded by a man in Korea who they believe was the second coming of Jesus Christ! If you’ve ever wondered how Jim-Jones style cults recruit people, apparently, they might approach you while you’re out shopping.

Poor people in third world countries often fall prey to bizarre cult leaders and antichrists, but it’s surprising that a seemingly educated American was worshiping a woman in Korea as God! He said that Jerusalem IS a woman and that she lives in Korea. At one point, he even had the audacity to say that she is God's wife! This already brainwashed person was not interested in hearing the Roman’s Road.

We aren’t the only ones out there proselytizing, so we need to try to reach people before someone else does. Unfortunately, there are gullible people all over the world who might be just as receptive to joining a cult as they would be to getting saved.

“The simple believeth every word: but the prudent man looketh well to his going.” Proverbs 14:15

Here is a video to go along with this story

Day 2

Pastor Ram Angad recently requested that the city grade the street where the church building is located. This would normally take a long time, but they somehow pushed it through immediately, so it is nice and smooth for the 40-day revival. Instead of having to rent a tent every year for $2,400, Brother Angad is hoping to purchase or make one that he can use year after year. He also decided to buy some lumber to build more pews since the price of renting chairs is going up this year. The men of the church have been working on the new baptistery, which is looking good and is almost complete.

Saturday was their regular soul-winning time, and Brother Kirchway got to preach the “soul-winning charge” before they headed out. Brother Kirchway’s team knocked four doors and got three people saved, which goes to show how receptive people are there. Neo’s team got two people saved, so it was a fruitful morning.

Brother Garrett’s impression of the people of Guyana so far is that they are a shy and humble people. Interestingly, they seem to know a lot of Bible, meaning they can quote some of the salvation verses, but they are usually not saved. Many of them have just never heard a clear presentation of the Gospel.

“And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.” Acts 8:30-31

Day 3

On Sunday, Brother Kirchway spent some time at another church, Foundation Baptist Church. He had already been asked to preach in their evening service, but that morning when he met with the pastor, the pastor requested that he share his testimony and preach during the morning service. During the testimony, Brother Kirchway mentioned that he has a passion for soul winning and wants to go soul-winning every single day while he’s there. A couple of children came up to him after the service, expressing an interest in soul winning with him. Their parents don’t go to that church, so Brother Garrett was thinking that maybe he could try to meet with the parents and check their salvation and maybe arrange for the kids to go out soul-winning with him and his wife Neo.

After the morning service, the pastor and his family took Brother Kirchway to lunch at Pizza Hut. Brother Kirchway really appreciated that and had a great time of fellowship with this dear family. He told them all about what happened to him in Botswana, and the pastor asked him to talk about that in the evening sermon since he wants his congregation to be prepared for future persecution.

Both the morning and the evening services went very well. Brother Kirchway made a lot of contacts and various preaching opportunities were set up for the next week. One of the young men in the church talked about his hospital ministry where Brother Kirchway will be able to preach in the lobby. Another opportunity will be preaching in a Christian club that meets in a high school during lunchtime. They told Brother Kirchway they wanted him to preach hard against fornication and alcohol to the Christian kids there.

“Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.” Isaiah 58:1

Here is a link to Garrett preaching in a public school in Guyana on his first day there

“I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not.” 3 John, verse 9

Brother Garrett Kirchway, who is currently on a missions trip in Guyana, was looking for a church to attend on Thursday night since a lot of churches have a Thursday night service. He found out about an IFB church pastored by Joshua Rhoades and gave Mr. Rhoades a call to ask for directions.

Brother Garrett had given his first name and said that he was looking for a church to attend that night. Rhoades, an American missionary in Guyana, was apparently suspicious of an American wanting to visit and questioned Brother Garrett further about who he was and where he was from.

“My name is Garrett Kirchway, and I’m from Arizona. So far I've been going to New Testament Baptist Church, and on Sunday I was at Foundation Baptist Church.”

“Do you have anything at all to do with Steven Anderson?”

“Yes, that’s my home church.”

“Well then you wouldn’t even be welcome here.”

What in the world! Joshua Rhoades has never met me or Brother Garrett to have anything against us personally. Obviously, he must be aware of some doctrinal differences, but so what? A Hindu or Buddhist would obviously be welcome to attend the church, but a fellow Baptist with doctrinal differences is not? I can’t help but wonder what he has against us. Is it my position on the post-trib rapture or the hard preaching against Sodomites?

What is the scriptural reason to not allow Garrett to even visit his church? Is Garrett a drunk? No. A fornicator? No. An idolater? No. What could he have possibly done to offend Pastor Rhoades? He hadn't even spoken with him or met him!

Perhaps Joshua Rhoades preaches another gospel? It kind of looks that way, unless his doctrinal statement was a careless copy and paste from another church. The following is a quote from the salvation section of the doctrinal statement on Missionary Joshua Rhoades’ website:

“…It involves repentance (a change of mind concerning sin and a turning from it) and faith in Jesus Christ’s finished work on the cross of Calvary…”

Even the repent-of-your-sins-to-be-saved crowd normally welcomes those of a different stripe, so could it be that this guy is offended by my preaching against the homos? One of the most common reasons other pastors won’t fellowship with me is that I have said that no homo will ever be allowed in our church. Even many of the more mainstream independent fundamental Baptist churches have something in their bylaws that allows them to kick out Sodomites, so it’s strange that so many take offense to me just saying it out loud.

I wonder if Sodomites are welcome to visit Joshua Rhoades’ church? All I know is that Brother Garrett Kirchway, a soul-winning Baptist missionary, is not.

Here is a sermon that covers SCRIPTURAL reasons to not allow someone to attend church (drunkenness, fornication, etc.)

Bro. Kirchway ready to preach to a classroom at Charleston Secondary School

Brother Garrett Kirchway asked Pastor Ram Angad what kind of sermons he wanted him to preach during the 40-Day Revival, which officially starts on January 25th. Pastor Ram said he would like to have some sermons on end times prophecy, apostasy, false religions in the area, eternal security, and laziness.

Day 5

Brother Kirchway worked on his sermons for part of the day while it was raining, but when the rain let up, he went out soul winning in the neighborhood where he is staying. This area, which is considered affluent, wasn’t as receptive as other neighborhoods he has been to, but he was still able to get two people saved. Later, he went out with Pastor Angad to buy some lumber for the new church pews.

Day 6

Pastor Angad had set up an appointment the night before for them to preach at a secondary school in Georgetown. The principal seemed to have a great attitude over the phone and told them they would be preaching to around 600 students. When they walked in that morning, things had changed. The principal had a totally different demeanor, and it seemed like she didn’t even want them to be there. Thankfully, Pastor Angad was able to talk her into letting them preach to at least some of the students.

The principal talked to a supervisor who was very excited about letting them preach to his group of students. Pastor Angad and Brother Kirchway ended up with an audience of about 50 students total from two different classrooms. When Brother Kirchway was setting up the camera to video tape the assembly, the principal told us that would not be allowed. They were able to snap a few photos even though they didn’t film the presentation (see photo above).

They preached the Gospel to those 50 kids, and both the students and their supervisor seemed very receptive. The supervisor seemed to be enjoying it and even pulled out his iPhone and filmed some of the presentation. Brother Kirchway estimated that around 35-40 of the kids raised their hand indicating that they wanted to be saved before he led them in a group prayer. Hopefully, many of them understood and believed. On the way out, each student was issued a sermon flash drive loaded with key sermons.

Brother Kirchway asked Pastor Angad why he thought the principal had changed her mind about having them speak to the entire school, and he said that she was a devout Seventh Day Adventist. Maybe she had talked to someone and found out that Baptists do not believe the same way as Seventh Day Adventists about salvation.

“Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.” Romans 3:28

Here is a sermon exposing the Seventh Day Adventists

Pastor Roger Jimenez has a great soul-winning training seminar on video.

Foundation Baptist Church has a hospital ministry, and on Day 7 Brother Garrett Kirchway got to work in that ministry. It was Brother Kirchway and two other guys, and they preached the Gospel at two different hospitals.

Here’s how they do it there: First they pass out tracts to everyone sitting in the waiting area, and then someone preaches a Gospel message to the group. After that, they have an invitation where they ask for a show of hands of people who aren’t sure they are going to Heaven. Those who raise their hand are given the opportunity to be dealt with in a more personal way with an even more thorough presentation. Eight people were willing to come forward and listen to the Gospel that day, and three of those eight people got saved.

After that, Brother Garrett Kirchway and Pastor Ram Angad from New Testament Baptist Church went door-to-door soul winning in Pastor Ram’s neighborhood, and they got two more people saved. Later that evening, Pastor Ram put up some banners advertising the 40-day revival, while Brother Kirchway worked on preparing sermons.

That night they had the Wednesday night church service. Pastor Ram is showing Pastor Jimenez’ Soul Winning Seminar on Wednesday nights, and the people are really enjoying it. I am always glad to hear about churches using that course since it is such an excellent resource for learning to present the Gospel in a thorough way. It also has a lot of practical tips for being polite out soul-winning that you may have never even thought about.

Pastor Jimenez of Verity Baptist Church in Sacramento has been soul-winning every week since he was a kid, so he really knows his stuff. If you haven’t watched the videos yet, I encourage you to take the time to watch them—even if you are already an experienced soul winner.

A lady that Pastor Ram and Brother Garrett won to the Lord out soul-winning showed up to church on Wednesday night, which was a blessing. I definitely look forward to the updates from Brother Garrett each day, and I’m excited about what God is going to do through his preaching during the 40-day revival.

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” Matthew 28:19-20

Click here to watch Pastor Jimenez Soul-Winning Seminar.

Click here to help finance the 40-day Revival in Guyana.

“Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.” James 4:2-3

The Bible teaches that we should be unselfish in our prayers. When we pray for others and pray according to God’s will, God is going to give us what we need in addition to answering our prayers. Job and Solomon are two examples of people in the Bible who prayed unselfishly and were greatly blessed for it.

“And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.” Job 42:10

In the above verse, we see God turning things around for Job and greatly blessing him as a direct result of him praying for his friends.

We also have a great example of an unselfish prayer in 2 Chronicles 1:

“In that night did God appear unto Solomon, and said unto him, Ask what I shall give thee. And Solomon said unto God, Thou hast shewed great mercy unto David my father, and hast made me to reign in his stead. Now, O Lord God, let thy promise unto David my father be established: for thou hast made me king over a people like the dust of the earth in multitude. Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people: for who can judge this thy people, that is so great? And God said to Solomon, Because this was in thine heart, and thou hast not asked riches, wealth, or honour, nor the life of thine enemies, neither yet hast asked long life; but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou mayest judge my people, over whom I have made thee king: Wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee; and I will give thee riches, and wealth, and honour, such as none of the kings have had that have been before thee, neither shall there any after thee have the like.” 2 Chronicles 1:7-12

Instead of asking for something for himself, Solomon asked for wisdom and knowledge, so that he could do right by others. This pleased God so much that he also gave Solomon riches and honor. Sometimes when we pray, God will give us things that we didn’t even ask for because the Holy Spirit steps in and intercedes for us.

“Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” Romans 8:26

When we pray for someone else, God is more likely to answer that prayer than when we pray for ourselves. When we do pray for ourselves, we should ask for wisdom, so that we can help others. If we are unselfish in our prayers, God just might bless us more than we could ever imagine.

“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21

Here is a sermon on prayer.

The health and wealth prosperity gospel is a lie. Prosperity preachers teach that if you serve the Lord, everything is always going to go well for you. A lot of times because we are reacting to that lie, we lose sight of the fact that God will bless our obedience. With every false doctrine, there’s usually some truth mixed in. The truth of the matter is that God will reward and prosper us in the end, but we have also been called to a life of suffering and affliction.

“Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.” Psalm 34:19

Jeremiah’s life is a perfect example of this. In Jeremiah 40 we see the aftermath of the fall of Jerusalem. They besieged Jerusalem for a long time. They killed all the princes. They put out Zedekiah’s eyes. The city is destroyed, the houses have been burned, and the Chaldeans have taken over.

After the battle is over, they took captives of all the important people in Jerusalem. Jeremiah was among those captives, but Nebuzaradan, the captain of the host, actually lets Jeremiah go. Look what it says in verse 4:

“And now, behold, I loose thee this day from the chains which were upon thine hand. If it seem good unto thee to come with me into Babylon, come; and I will look well unto thee: but if it seem ill unto thee to come with me into Babylon, forbear: behold, all the land is before thee: whither it seemeth good and convenient for thee to go, thither go.”

Nebuzaradan basically told Jeremiah if you want to come to Babylon, I’ll personally take care of you and make sure you have what you need. Or if you don’t think it’s a good idea to go to Babylon, stay here. God miraculously worked in the hearts of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuzaradan, and others in order to bless Jeremiah.

“When a man's ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.” Proverbs 16:7

Jeremiah had been through a lot of hard times up until this point. He spent a lot of time in prison. One of the times he was in a pit of mire that was literally like the hole of an outhouse with no food to eat. In Jeremiah 40, Jeremiah is at that point in his life where he’s paid his dues and things are finally turning around for him. He has money and freedom and gets to live wherever he wants.

God will prosper us for doing right, but what the health and wealth preachers leave out is all the trials and heartache along the way. We need to understand that there’s a timeline: First there is suffering; then we are blessed.

Job is another great example of someone who was afflicted for awhile but was blessed in the long run:

“So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: “Job 42:21a

“Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace.” Psalm 37:37

When you live for the Lord, you’re going to be blessed in the end. Eventually, you’re going to prosper. It may not seem like it right now, but someday when you look back at your life, you’re going to be able to say, "Jesus led me all the way."

“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” Galatians 6:9

Here is the sermon on Jeremiah 40 that covers this subject

Calling all Techies and End Times Prophecy Buffs:

Framing the World Productions is putting on an exciting contest called the After the Tribulation Remix contest. What we want you to do is take the bonus footage from the original After the Tribulation documentary and make your own new documentary. We want you to re-edit it, revamp it, and create your own unique documentary.

Here are the official rules for the contest:

1. Start by purchasing the new edition of After the Tribulation, which includes both the DVD of the film and the companion flash drive with the bonus material. You can purchase one of these sets on Framing the Word for 39.99.

2. Edit your own film using the material from the USB flash drive. The flash drive contains extended interviews, sermons, etc. Your new film will be entitled “After the Tribulation Revisited.”

3. Your entry must be 45 minutes or longer including the credits, etc.

4. We want you to use footage that we did not already use in After the Tribulation. No more than 10 percent of what you use can be footage that has already been used. We want you to take advantage of the bonus material, so that your movie will feel like a totally different movie.

5. You can add whatever material you like from your own sources. You can make your own graphics and include your own news clips and archival footage. You can also use footage from the Book of Revelation series. You can also add your own background music. Don’t use rock music or Christian contemporary music (CCM). Use classy music if you want to win.

6. Don’t upload huge sections of the uncut USB footage to YouTube. Edit the material into your movie, and then upload your entry.

7. When you upload your entry to YouTube, be sure to upload it as: “After the Tribulation Contest Entry-Your Name.”

8. The deadline for contest entry is March 15, 2017. If there is no acceptable entry by March 15th, we’ll extend the deadline to April 15th.

9. The contest will be judged by Paul Wittenburger and me. We will determine which video we like best--It’s totally based on our whim.

10. The winning entry is going to be released on DVD and we’ll print at least 1000 copies of that DVD. Not only will you get the honor of having your DVD distributed, but you’ll get 100 of those copies plus a flight to Phoenix, Arizona to visit Faithful Word Baptist Church. That’s right, we will fly you out to congratulate you in person.

If it’s a domestic flight, meaning you live in the United States, we’ll give you two tickets, so that you and one other person can visit. If you live overseas, we will pay for just the one ticket to fly you out. If someone from Phoenix wins, we can fly you to another city to visit another awesome church.

11. There is also going to be another “viewer’s choice award.” Whichever entry gets the most thumbs ups on YouTube will receive an honorable mention and 100 dollars.

12. Many will enter. Few will win. “For many are called, but few are chosen.”

I know there’s a lot of talent out there, so I look forward to seeing what you come up with. Even if you don’t win, you are putting a version of the documentary out there and helping to spread the truth of God’s Word.

Here’s the video where I discuss the rules of contest in a little more detail.

Brother Garrett Kirchway and his wife Neo are still on that exciting missions trip in Guyana, but their permanent move to Malawi is fast approaching. We are excited about officially starting the church there in April. Many souls were won to the Lord last time Garrett and Neo were there, and those new converts are eagerly awaiting the Kirchways' return.

Malawi on Same-Sex Marriage

I mentioned a while back that the Sodomites tried to spread a rumor that we are banned from Malawi because of my position on “gay marriage.” (Again, I don’t really talk about fag marriage, anyway—I talk about Romans 1 and Leviticus 20:13)

The following excerpt from Wikipedia discusses the fact that same-sex marriage has been banned in Malawi:

“On 17 April 2015, The Marriage, Divorce and Family Relations Law came into force and banned all same-sex marriages and unions. While the law was praised for raising the minimum age of heterosexual marriages from 16 to 18, it was at the same time condemned for the exclusion of homosexual couples and for its language stating that one's gender is assigned at birth. The new law does not allow people who have undergone gender reassignment surgery to marry someone of that person's prior gender and also draws comparisons of gay sex to rape and sexual harassment.”

Malawi on Immigration

The Malawi government also prohibits homosexuals from immigrating, putting them in the same category with prostitutes. The following is an excerpt from the Malawi government website regarding their immigration policy:

Part I - IMMIGRATION GENERALLY

4. Prohibited immigrants

(1)Subject to this Act, the following persons shall be prohibited immigrants and their entry into or presence within Malawi shall be unlawful

(g)any prostitute or homosexual, or any person, male or female, who lives or has lived on or knowingly receives or has received any part of the earnings of prostitution or homosexuality, or has procured men or women for immoral purposes;

36. Aiding and abetting unlawful entry

(2)Any person who commits any fraudulent act or makes any false representation by conduct, statement or otherwise for the purpose of facilitating or assisting the entry of himself or any other person into Malawi, contrary to this Act, shall be liable to the penalties prescribed in subsection (1).

Deportable Offenses in Malawi

Interestingly, sodomy is listed under deportable offenses:

12. Incest, sodomy, bestiality, indecent assault or any unnatural offence

Although the Malawi government no longer arrests their own people for committing homosexual acts, they aren’t exactly Sodomite friendly either. They consider sodomy an “unnatural offense,” they don’t let homos get married, and they certainly don’t want any more of them moving into their country. In light of these facts, I doubt the Malawi government will be surprised that, as a Christian pastor, I am also against sodomy.

Here is a sermon on Garrett's time in Malawi

“As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country.” Proverbs 25:25

It’s always great to hear from Brother Garrett Kirchway who continues to provide glowing reports on the work they are doing down in Guyana. He said he had a great time of soul-winning on Saturday with New Testament Baptist Church. Not only did they see seven people saved, but it was also a blessing to hear how excited they are about what they’ve been learning from the soul-winning seminar.

There was even a role-playing exercise before they headed out door knocking. Two people got some practice giving the plan of salvation in front of the group during that time. Other people were talking about writing out their own presentations, incorporating the techniques they learned from watching the seminars. Pastor Ram Angad has been emphasizing soul winning, so the people in the pews are getting fired up about it as well.

I cannot stress enough the importance of leadership by example in this area. Show me a soul-winning church, and I’ll show you a pastor who goes out soul winning. Show me a pastor’s wife who makes time to go soul winning, and I’ll show you a church where many of the women go out and knock doors as opposed to just the men.

“The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.” 1 Peter 5:1-4

As some of you may know from listening to his sermons, Brother Garrett Kirchway likes to stay physically fit. He gets up early in the morning to walk while it is still dark, so he got some interesting footage of cattle sleeping along the street just before sunrise. He also found a local gym and was pleased to discover that it has six squat racks. The gym is not air conditioned, but to Garrett Kirchway, that’s actually a plus. Haha. We don’t worry much about persecution on the mission field since Garrett is a force to be reckoned with. Of course, ultimately our trust is in the Lord for our safety.

They’ve been working hard every day at getting the auditorium ready for the 40-Day Revival. Some nights they stay as late as midnight since there are only a few days left until the special services begin.

Click here to see the video update on days 8-10 from Brother Kirchway

My personal PayPal account was shut down last week. You may remember hearing that PayPal shut down the church’s account about six or seven months ago, but they figured out that I’m the pastor of FWBC, and now they’ve shut down my personal PayPal account as well.

The only thing that I was using my personal account for was to sell my piano books. For a while now, Paul Wittenberger has also been selling the books on his website, Framingtheworld.com, so I’m going to just let him sell the books exclusively there instead of setting up another way to accept payment here on my blog.

I actually had to refund all of the recent orders because of the way my PayPal account was permanently suspended. I refunded all the money and just redirected all those people to Framing the World to purchase the books there.

This course is very user friendly. I’ve literally sold thousands of these books and given away hundreds, and all of the feedback I’ve received has been very positive. In fact, I’ve never had one person complain about or criticize any of the books. If someone didn’t like them, I honestly haven’t heard about it.

This course is designed to be self-guided, so you don’t have to know how to read music or hire a piano teacher. This easy, yet fast paced course will have you ready to participate in a church service after completing Book One. You will start out from day one playing real hymns in the key in which they were written.

Book One

Book One is designed for an absolute beginner. I’ve seen people with no prior experience pick up this book and start playing Nothing but the Blood on the first day. If you are an absolute beginner, Book One might take you around six months to master, but it contains everything you need to play 12 different hymns. I even made some companion videos, which I posted on YouTube, to help you through Book One in case you have any questions or just want to hear how the songs are supposed to sound.

Book Two

Book Two takes you to a higher level of skill and proficiency. It builds on the first book, and gets you playing with a fuller, more complex sound.

Book Three

Book Three takes everything you learned in Books One and Two and shows you how to apply it to other songs in the hymnal without needing any sheet music. The goal of the book is to get you playing directly from the hymnal.

If you already know how to play the piano and just want to learn how to play hymns, you still need to start with Book One. Otherwise Books Two and Three might not make any sense to you. You might blow through Book One in one day if you are a good piano player, but it is foundational for the rest of the course.

Click here to purchase Book One or the entire course on Framingtheworld.com

The great thing about Guyana is that Muslims and Hindus there are often open to listening to the Gospel. The pastor of New Testament Baptist Church, Pastor Ram Angad, was raised Hindu but received Jesus Christ as Saviour as a teenager. Now God is greatly using his ministry, and I am praying that many more Guyanese people will be saved through our soul-winning efforts down there.

They had two great services on Sunday, which was Brother Garrett Kirchway’s 11th day in Guyana. Brother Kirchway is enjoying Pastor Angad’s dynamic preaching, and the church building is looking great with all the work they’ve been doing. 30 wooden pews have been built, and the baptistery is now finished. As of Tuesday, the 24th, the men in the church were still working late into the night—even in the rain--to finish extending the metal roof on the shed.

They came in just under budget on the materials for the new pews and roof extension, so the project was a success. Not only did they save money by not renting chairs and a tent, but they will have more permanent seating to accommodate more people as the church grows.

On Monday, Brother Kirchway went soul winning, and three people got saved including his taxi cab driver. The rest of that day he worked on his sermons.

Brother Kirchway has 14 important messages he is planning to preach during the 40-day revival, and he is almost done preparing them. One of his goals during the revival is to motivate people to read the Bible more and do more for the Lord, especially in the area of soul-winning.

Aside from the initial startup costs, the total cost per night of the 40-day Revival will be around 240 dollars. This includes providing dinner for 200-300 people as well as the cost of transporting them in vans. The neighborhood around the church has a reputation for being a rough area at night, which is why they are offering to give people a ride home after the service as opposed to having them walk. The first six days of the revival are already paid for, so they are hoping that money continues to come in, so that they don’t have to scale things down during the revival.

New Testament Baptist Church is offering prizes for those who bring the most visitors to the revival services, so lots of people are being invited. They will be giving out Bibles and other small prizes, but Pastor Ram has said that he would also like to buy four bicycles to give away. A lot of people in Guyana have never owned a bicycle, and I guess 400 people showed up once during a past promotion for the chance to win a bike.

Click here to donate to the 40-day Revival and help make it a success.

Church Should be Geared Toward the Saved

Lazy Bums Wanting Money from Our Church

Update: Garrett Kirchway in Guyana

Peer Pressure to Preach Pre-Trib

My Apology to Pastor Chris Corrigan

Why "Faith Promise" Missions Can be Dangerous

Flee Fornication

Staying Married to Your Current Spouse

CULT - World Mission Society Church of God

Garrett in Guyana: Days 2 and 3

Missionary Joshua Rhoades Won't Let Garrett Even Visit His Church

Garret in Guyana: Days 5 & 6

Garrett in Guyana: Day 7

Praying Unselfishly

Truthful Prosperity Preaching

After the Tribulation Remix Contest

Malawi Government's Position on Homosexuality

Garrett in Guyana: Days 8-10

Where to Get the Complete Church Piano Course

Garrett in Guyana: Days 11-13