Father’s Day Thoughts

Written Father’s Day, 2005, for the weekly church newsletter………………

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General Douglas MacArthur wrote, “By profession I am a Soldier, and I am proud of that fact.  But I am prouder to be a Father.  My hope is that my son, when I am gone, will remember me, not from battle, but in the home, repeating with him one simple prayer, ‘Our Father, which art in Heaven…..’”

We look forward to a record attendance, comprised of a great host of Fathers bringing their families to the House of God.

“But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!”  Joshua 24:15

TEN COMMANDMENTS FOR YOUR CHILD

1.       Thou shalt love thy child with all thy heart and soul and strength, but wisely in thy mind.

2.       Thou shalt think of thy child not as someone belonging to thee but as a person.

3.       Thou shalt regard his respect and love not as something to be demanded, but as something to be worth earning.

4.       Every time thou art out of patience with thy child’s immaturity and blunderings thou shalt call to mind some childish adventure and mistakes which attended thine own coming of age.

The Land of Beginning Again

Scattered throughout the notes and writings of my dad was found this poem by Louise Fletcher. He quoted pieces of it during phones conversations. He inserted lines of it in correspondence. He used it in sermons and lectures.

And, of course, I know why….

He longed – as many of us do – to be able to retrace the years and redo the things he did wrong and enjoy more the precious things taken for granted. It seems a bit unfair that we are not able to realize the intrinsic value of the truly important things until it is too late.

Well, that’s not entirely true, for today my dad is in that land of beginning again. No heartaches, no tears. No broken relationships to be lamented. No regrets and failures. He’s there and I’m going for I, too, have my regrets.

One day, like all of us, we will come upon that Land all unawares – I wonder if we will be prepared…….

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I wish that there were some wonderful place Called the Land of Beginning Again

Where all our mistakes and all our heartaches And all of our selfish grief

Could be dropped like a shabby old coat by the door And never be put on again.

 

I wish we could come on it all unaware Like the hunter who finds a lost trail

And I wish that the one whom our blindness has done The greatest injustice of all

Could be at the gates like an old friend that waits For the comrade he’s gladdest to hail.

The Snooze Button

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With the daily newscasts screaming the reports of the unspeakable acts of violence – murder, suicide, child molestation, rape, kidnapping, etc. – on top of the reports of the anguish and distress among the nations of the world, eruption of civil wars, terrorists on the loose and threats of nuclear attack made weekly on neighboring countries as well as the United States and Israel, it is astounding to realize that the church is asleep!!  We have been lulled to sleep by the powerful influence of materialism, comfort and ease and idleness.

St. Paul wrote to the church at Rome (Romans 13:11-12): “Knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.  The night is far spent and the day is at hand.”

Paul is crying out to us, “Wake up!!”  The answer to the problems of this storm-ravaged world is Christ the Lord, but this message cannot be sounded by a church that sleeps!

Again, St. Paul blows the trumpet when he says, “Awake thou that sleepest and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.”  Ephesians 5:14.

Don’t hit the “snooze button.”  See you in church.

Pastor Bill

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During my years in prison, my father wrote articles for his monthly church newsletter.  They each touched my heart, and those of the members of his church during that time; so much so that I want to share them with you.  May God continue to use the words of my father to minister through these pages and this medium.

Ole Bill’s Perspective – “Divine Disappointments”

Divine Disappointments often precede Divine Appointments!

Disappointments are ‘divine’ because they are the methods God uses to bring us face to face, in full surrender to the only one who is not a disappointment!  We try in our own strength to find and perform the will of God, but like Abraham going in unto the handmaiden Hagar only produced an Ishmael, which was a curse there and ever since!  Oswald Chambers reminds us of the important truth!  “Waiting on
God for His instructions, then obeying those divine orders implicitly produces the Isaacs of holy purpose in God’s grand scheme of redemption.”  Oswald Chambers underscored this great truth, “That our way is the way of the flesh and brings forth the Ishmaels’ of failure or second best, while obeying and waiting on God for the divine miracle, which truly happened in the loves of Abraham and Sarah when Isaac was born; that our God is glorified and the work of the kingdom is enriched beyond measure!”

So God lets us fall on our faces and this is ‘divine’, for it is His way of getting our absolute attention so He can really help us help others.  How many times did we fall as babies in our attempt to walk instead of crawl?  The mother eagle lets the eaglets plummet nearly to their death before breaking their fall by her powerful talons and wings.  Oh, how helpless and how powerless we feel when we have fallen short of the mark of God’s first and best plan!  Romans 8:28 kicks in which reminds us, “All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.”

August 13, 2001 (Part 1 of 4)

This was the second letter I received from my Dad during those days of lock-down in the Shelby County jail, but it was – and is – one of those incredible and wonderful works of art filled with all the love and encouragement that a father could pack into one after he had traveled some of the very roads I had trod.

He knew better than anyone what I was going through and what was facing me in the short-term as well as the long-term.  The short-term would not be pretty or enjoyable, but the reward, if I stayed true to God and followed His plan, would be something beautiful that would be nothing short of miraculous.

Even now, with Dad gone on to Heaven, this letter still speaks to me.  I hope it will resonate with you as well.

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Monday, August 13, 2001

My Dear Son –

I have written to you dozens of times – but just can’t get it on paper.  I bleed for you until there is no blood left.

I know I deserve all of this, but it doesn’t make it any easier.  After “preaching to others” I became a “castaway”.  I have lived with this torment, and will until my last breath.  Realizing that I have failed others – even my own family – has been more than I can bear.  (See?  Me, too!)

King David got caught in that powerful trap and fell to the bottom of shame and failure.  History states that he lived in a cave for years – so beaten and overwhelmed was he over his downfall.

Then he fell a second time, this time it was before the Lord!  The church and the world have been blessed ever since by the heartbroken cry of the 51^st Psalm.  Millions have found their way back to God by reciting the words of that prayer.  That prayer would never have been written had David not failed.  “Where sin abounds, grace doth much more abound.”  David rose above his failure and helped millions through the ages, but the cloud of sorrow and suffering remained with him until he died.

His enemies never forgave him.  The Psalms written after his downfall breathe with his torment caused by the “back-biters” and “wagging heads”.

His own son organized a rebellion and fought against his father – later dying hanging from a tree limb shot through with arrows.  David cried out, “Absalom, would God I had died for thee!”

David committed adultery and murder yet God forgave him – he served again, perhaps in a greater way than had he not failed.  But he suffered as a result of his sin until his death.

The sins of the parents are passed on to the children.  “The parents eat sour grapes and the children’s teeth are set on edge.”  So true!

Then the parents grieve and weep!  We cry loud and long, “I wish I had done things differently!  What was wrong with me?  Why did I do those stupid, foolish things?”

Sadly there is no going back.  What has been done is final and fixed forever!  At least in that sense of the word.

There are not only 12 steps in recovery, but also 12 promises.  (I had no confidence or appreciation for the 12 steps until one day during a lull at the Harbor, I found a little booklet in one of the desk drawers in which someone asked Dr. Bob – a medical doctor and co-founder of AA – where they got the 12 steps, and if he wrote them.  He replied, “No, neither Bill nor I wrote the steps…”  They asked, “Well, where did you get them, where did they come from?”  Dr. Bob – now an old man – replied, “For years in the early days of AA Recovery, Bill and I would sit for hours through the night reading the Holy Bible – the Gospels, Corinthians, the Book of James, the Psalms – we didn’t have to GET the 12 steps.  We already had them!”)

WOW!  Did that ever make a difference in my attitude and thinking!  (I was 2 years sober.)

Then I discovered that the church has accepted the 12 steps.  It’s called “Overcomer’s Anonymous,” and is endorsed by Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family.

Anyway, they hit me with that first step: We admitted we were powerless over alcohol and that our lives had become unmanageable.

The first step is the only step where alcohol is mentioned.  The other 11 steps tell how to get out of the trap.

Other groups have endorsed the 12 steps and leave only a blank where “alcohol” is written.  So it’s “powerless over _______.”

For years while in the ministry, I would go out in the woods or cemeteries and scream out to God for deliverance.  I would pray, “Deliver me or kill me!”  Neither would happen.

Years into recovery it dawned on me – “God only works through people – Human instrumentality!”  God used physical demonstrations of His power in the Old Testament.  The parting of the Red Sea, the Bread and Quail from Heaven, the Burning Bush, etc.  People still rebeled and went astray.

Then God said, “I’ve got to go down there among them and touch them and love them and die for them.

So we had Bethlehem and Christmas and a young man that gathered the crowds of simple, hurting, discouraged people around him and spoke to them in simple language that they understood.  About the fields of flowers and the changing of the weather.  He ate with them and touched them;  He healed and blessed them and entered into their sorrows and pain.  He taught them a new way of thinking and living…..then He died for them!

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For more of the Prodigal’s Mail, click here.

Go on to Part 2…

First Sunday in Heaven

Are Sundays different in Heaven? Is the worship sweeter? Is the presence of the Lord more real? Is the angel chorus more prepared to sing? Are the hearts and minds of the worshipers more attentive? Do they wear different clothes on Sundays up there? Is anyone ever late for the service?

I wonder because today is my father’s first Sunday in Heaven. And, for the record, I don’t think Sundays are any different in Heaven than any other day. I think the worship is always sweet and intense and on purpose. I think the Sunday-wear is the same as the everyday wear. The angel chorus is always perfect and is augmented by the host of the redeemed.

Sundays in Heaven are the same as every other day there for worship is a way of life and the very purpose of existence. So my father is right at home for worship was a way of life for him while he was with us. And now, unfettered by the cares of life, unencumbered by the frailties and imperfections of an earthly body, my dad is indeed in heaven for he is where he has longed to be for so very long – in the eternal and constant presence of Jesus.

Prevailing Prayer – Part II

“The effectual fervent prayer of the righteous man availeth much.”  James 5:16

In the Garden of Gethsemane our Blessed Lord, at age thirty-three, was so physically and emotionally engaged in soul travail that His Father actually dispatched an angel to strengthen him!  Luke 22:44 states, “And being in agony He prayed more earnestly and His sweat was, as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”

The cold, powerless worldly churches of today need to return to the prevailing, spirit-inspired praying of Apostolic days - the kind of prayer that will usher in a Last Days Revival that will turn church sanctuaries back into revival centers instead of banquet halls, theaters and rock concert arenas!

Prevailing Prayer – Part I

“The effectual fervent prayer of the righteous man availeth much.”  James 5:16           

     My precious mother, now with Jesus, practiced the lost art of ‘prevailing prayer!’  I heard her in her bedroom weeping and crying out to God for our family when I would come home from school in the afternoon as a teenager; for a period of time she was the only Christian in our home.  One night while my brother and I were sleeping, mother burst into our bedroom and through her tears exclaimed, “I’ve heard from heaven!  I’ve heard from heaven!”  She had been ‘God wrestling‘ in her bedroom and her faith reached all the way up to God’s mercy seat, for she told us through her tears, “The Lord has given me the assurance that all our family will be saved!”

     One by one our family surrendered to Jesus!  My brother David and I both answered the call to preach the gospel and today we are still preaching the ‘Way of Holiness‘ in jails and churches and wherever God calls us!  My father was saved in a little Wednesday night prayer service!  Mother and dad are both now with Jesus, and we’ll all be home together soon!  For it’s almost ‘Suppertime‘.

      As we witness the ominous signs of prophetic fulfillment on an almost hourly basis, many people have asked me, “Pastor, what can we do about it?  It’s all beyond our control!” 

“This is a Job for Superman”

“Help, Superman!” cries LOIS LANE, as she appears in the window of a twenty-five story building, with stairways and elevators a raging inferno of flaming destruction!  Two blocks away, CLARK KENT views the flaming building and with supernatural hearing and x-ray vision, KENT says to himself, “Good grief,  LOIS is trapped on that twenty-fifth floor and there’s no way the firemen can reach her in time!  Into this phone booth and off with these clothes…  THIS IS A JOB FOR SUPERMAN!  And so, faster than a speeding bullet, SUPERMAN sweeps LOIS LANE from the windows ledge and places her gently on a street far from the burning building and out of danger!  The echo of the cheering crowd reverberates through the tall buildings of downtown Metropolis, “THANK GOD FOR SUPERMAN!  THANK GOD FOR SUPERMAN!           

Jesus said in Luke 21:10, “NATION shall rise against NATION and KINGDOM against KINGDOM;

USS Laodicea – The Modern Day Church

Last week FOX NEWS carried the story of the USS INTREPID, one of the mighty aircraft carriers of WWII and Korean War fame, getting stuck in the mud while being towed up the Hudson River.  The Intrepid was involved in many strategic battles and logged an outstanding combat record winning many battle citations and commendations.  For the past twenty-five years she has been a floating museum taking on board thousands of tourists and history buffs to take photos and to just look and remember the glory days of this magnificent floating fortress.

     I remember well, our ship, the heavy cruiser, USS PITTSBURG CA-72 operating alongside the INTREPID while serving together with taskforce 77 with the 7^th Fleet during maneuvers in the Mediterranean Sea.  I remember seeing its massive flight deck filled with powerful jet interceptors constantly roaring off the catapults destined for far away objectives.  I remember the bristling guns and swirling radar units searching the heavens as well as the ocean floor for any signs of an enemy craft.  What a floating city with such destructive power waiting to be released on a second notice!  What reports of ‘victory at sea’ came from the INTREPID’S captain during those great battles.  But now, it’s unthinkable that this mighty ship is ‘STUCK IN THE MUD.’

     I THINK OF THE CHURCH

My Name Is Legion

   This of course was the account of Jesus confronting the wild man of Gadera, and asking him, “What is your name?”  The demons answered Jesus saying, “My name is Legion, for we are many.”  

This concerns me.  If demon possession was so prevalent in the days of Christ’s earthly ministry, then why should I not believe that in our day, with this current world population explosion (6.5 billion), that we are not facing a literal satanic siege from hell in our society!!  

Have you asked yourself why are there so many shocking, ghastly, blood-curdling murders filling the headlines and newscasts?  Crimes against little children – against women, crimes against nature!  It’s as though people are POSSESSED BY SOME TERRIBLE SPIRIT FROM ANOTHER WORLD!  

Yes, and that’s my point! 

What Matters Most To Jesus?

     I just finished reading a powerfully informative book entitled ‘REDEFINING CHRISTIANITY’ by REV. BOB DEWAAY, Senior pastor at Twin Fellowship Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, for twenty-five years.   
     His book is a challenge to the RICK WARREN concept of church growth and evangelism as outlined in Warren’s best seller, ‘THE PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE.’   
     Bob Dewaay underscores the irrevocable fact that Christ’s emphasis was EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE of this “Gospel-Marketing”, Mega-Church mentality that has infected the ranks of all denominations like an EPIDEMIC, until church leaders are bowing before the “GOLDEN CALF” of STATISTICS rather than really seeking the WILL OF GOD for their people which is found in II Peter 3:9:  “NOT WILLING THAT ANY SHOULD PERISH BUT THAT ALL SHOULD COME TO REPENTANCE.”  Through heart-felt repentance and faith in the Blood-atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ, the individual is “BORN AGAIN”  I Peter 1:23.  The apostle wrote concerning this experience in II Corin. 5:17;  “THEREFORE IF ANY MAN BE IN CHRIST HE IS A NEW CREATURE:  OLD THINGS ARE PASSED AWAY;  BEHOLD ALL THINGS ARE BECOME NEW.”   
     Beyond conversion there is the further work of heart cleansing called Sanctification, which is defined by Webster’s Dictionary as: “to make sacred or holy, to set apart to a holy religious use.  To MAKE FREE FROM SIN, to CLEANSE FROM MORAL CORRUPTION; TO PURIFY.”    
     Jesus prayed just eighteen hours before His death on the cross; “I pray not that Thou shouldst take them out of the world, but that Thou shouldst KEEP THEM FROM EVIL … SANCTIFY THEM through Thy truth, Thy Word is truth.” John 17:15, 17    
     So Christ’s emphasis was SPIRITUAL, NOT NUMERICAL, PHYSICAL or MATERIAL.  This spiritual experience is not only SOUL-TRANSFORMING, but REVOLUTIONARY and INCENDINARY!!   
     The apostles didn’t shoot for three thousand then five thousand on the Day of Pentecost!  Those crowds were the RESULT of their obedience to the command of Jesus in Acts 1:8; “But ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you and YE SHALL BE WITNESSES unto ME.”  SAMUEL CHADWICK writes: “Pentecost was its own advertisement!  At Pentecost the Holy Spirit set the CHURCH ON FIRE, and the WORLD CAME TO WATCH IT BURN!”    
     What mattered to Jesus when He addressed the seven churches of the Revelation?  It might be a shock to some of you, but He never once mentioned the SIZE of any of the churches!  But He DID mention their SPIRITUALITY!  To five out of the seven He commanded to “REPENT, or ELSE.”  I truly believe the formula holds true for OUR DAY!  Five out of seven churches need to REPENT to God for compromising the Word of God and allowing a statistical paralysis to render the Holiness Ranks tragically impotent!    
     No, Jesus didn’t mention numbers but what did matter to Him was their SPIRITUALITY or the LACK OF IT!   Furthermore, Jesus never minced words or soft-peddled the truth to make His listeners feel comfortable and content.  On the contrary He offended many and on numerous occasions had to escape from the crowd that was going to STONE HIM! John 10    
     Again in John 6, Jesus foretold of the price He must pay to purchase their redemption.  In verse sixty, they murmured, “This is a hard saying;  who can hear it?”  Verse sixty-six it says, “From that time many went back AND WALKED NO MORE WITH HIM.”  This is a far cry from the “Seeker-Sensitive” program that is so popular today!   
     He stated in Matt 7:14, “STRAIGHT is the gate and NARROW is the way that leadeth unto eternal life and FEW THERE BE THAT FIND IT.”     
     What did Jesus preach?  He preached the New Birth, Repentance, Heart Purity, Hell, Heaven, the Second Coming, the Judgment and the Power of Pentecost!  He preached on the subject of Hell more than He did on Heaven!  Hell is mentioned fifty-six times in the New Testament, so it seems the Lord is concerned about warning the human race about the awful fate that awaits Christ-rejecters!  This message is not designed to serve as an excuse for our apathy or indifference to the plight of the lost!  Truly the “fields are white unto harvest and the laborers are few.”  This is not an invitation for any church to be content in being small, for time is running out according to the glaring fulfillment of Prophesy, but we cannot compromise the message in an effort to glory in statistics;  failing to ‘preach the Word’ and even provide AN OPPORTUNITY for those sinful crowds to kneel at the Cross and experience that transforming friendship with Jesus that truly meets the DEEPEST NEED OF THEIR LIVES!      
     What matters to Jesus?  He died to save the world, but He also died to Sanctify the Church!  Heb. 13:12.    
Preachers, the way to get the world saved is to GET THE CHURCH SANCTIFIED!  That way we have something REAL to offer them when they do attend our services! Time is short. Don’t wait too long!

Yours for Revival, – Brother Bill 

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During my years in prison, my father wrote articles for his monthly church newsletter.  They each touched my heart, and those of the members of his church during that time; so much so that I want to share them with you.  May God continue to use the words of my father to minister through these pages and this medium.

Watchman, What of the Night?

“Son of Man, (MINISTERS) I have made thee a WATCHMAN unto the house of Israel (THE CHURCH).  Therefore hear the word at my mouth, and GIVE THEM WARNING FROM ME!!”  (Isa. 21:11) 

The following verse (The sentinel says: “Morning comes, and also the night.  If you will inquire, inquire; come back again.”) emphasizes the truth that if we (MINISTERS) fail to warn the people – then their blood will be on OUR HANDS!! (Mortal, I have made you a sentinel for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me.  If I say to the wicked, “You shall surely die,” and you give them no warning, or speak to warn the wicked from their wicked way, in order to save their life, those wicked persons shall die for their iniquity; but their blood I will require at your hand. Ezek. 3:17-18). 

So, the Nation and the Church cries out to us.  “Watchman, What of the Night?”  What are the present circumstances and position of the enemy?  Preachers, what do you SEE – HEAR – FEEL?  What is happening in our day that relates to God’s Word, and His Forecast of coming events? 

What Are the Present Conditions? 

1. The ACLU & American Atheist Assoc. are successfully removing prayer & Bible reading from our schools, and all religious symbols from our society!
2. As the modern Church, (Form of Godliness with no power) II Tim. 3:1-5, loses its voice and influence in the world, and spirituality declines – so does immorality increase!
3. 30 million click on to porn sites each month!
4. 54% of ministers frequent porn sites!
5. Ministers pray on the average of 3 minutes per day!
6. Sex crimes against children and women on the increase
7. Homosexuality and same sex marriage are increasingly accepted!
8. Drug and alcohol addiction on the rise.
9. WHO (World Health Organization) reports that the United States is the most unhealthy nation on the planet – with 70% obesity due to excessive eating disorders!
10. WHO reports that the United States has more diabetes – cancer – liver and bone disorders due to obesity.
11. “Wars and rumors of wars” enflaming the planet!  Jesus said, “But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified:  For these things must come to pass…. Nation shall rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom… earthquakes – famines …” (Luke 21:9-10) “And when these things BEGIN TO COME TO PASS, THEN LOOK UP and lift up your heads, for your redemption draweth nigh.” (Luke 21:28)
12. Jesus said, “WATCH ye therefore and pray always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.”  Luke 21:36
13. I would add to this list but I have run out of paper!

 “WATCHMAN WHAT OF THE NIGHT?”

“Watchman” Bill

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During my years in prison, my father wrote articles for his monthly church newsletter.  They each touched my heart, and those of the members of his church during that time; so much so that I want to share them with you.  May God continue to use the words of my father to minister through these pages and this medium.

When He Reached Down His Hand For Me

I remember as a child just six years of age accompanying my father to Pittsburg on a business trip.  I was thrilled to see all the sights of the big city, the tall buildings, the big trucks, and throngs of people everywhere. 

But my delight soon turned to FRIGHT as Dad parked the car and we started to cross the street in the middle of the block to a nightmare of traffic.  Fear must have covered my face, because Dad reached down and took my hand, and guided me safely across to the other side. 

My father was not an affectionate man, for I never remembered him ever touching me or holding me other than that one incident.  BUT I HAVE NEVER FORGOTTEN, NOR WILL I EVER FORGET THAT SPECIAL DAY IN MY LIFE WHEN I WAS SO AFRAID, AND MY FATHER REACHED DOWN HIS HAND FOR MINE!  Since Dad is gone now, and I am grown, my HEAVENLY FATHER has reached down His hand for mine so many times when I have been desperate and alone.  I have remembered the Psalmist David saying, “When my mother and father forsake me, then the Lord will take me up.”  Psalm 27:10

     So Dads, reach out your hand of love, forgiveness, and understanding to that son or daughter and make an everlasting memory for them!  Please do it in Jesus’ name.

                                          “As for me and my house we will serve the Lord.”  Joshua 24:15                      -Pastor Bill

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During my years in prison, my father wrote articles for his monthly church newsletter.  They each touched my heart, and those of the members of his church during that time; so much so that I want to share them with you.  May God continue to use the words of my father to minister through these pages and this medium.

Resurrection Day

With the commemoration of Palm Sunday – Passion Week and Resurrection Day fast approaching, we fix our attention on these powerful and meaningful events as they relate to our personal “SO GREAT SALVATION!”  Our finite minds cannot comprehend the colossal cost of human redemption! 

As the song goes: 

Why should He love me so,
Why should He love me so?
Why did my Savior to Calvary go?
Why should He love me so? 

Yes, Christ was born to die that we might live, and His love for us motivated every agonizing experience of His life right up to His ascension, where His angels announced;  “Why stand ye gazing up into Heaven?  This same Jesus which is taken up from you into Heaven, shall so come in like manner, as ye have seen Him go into Heaven”  (Acts 1:11) 

So get ready to commemorate the LIFE,  DEATH, and RESURRECTION of our Lord and Savior, and our soon coming King of Kings!                                                                                        

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During my years in prison, my father wrote articles for his monthly church newsletter.  They each touched my heart, and those of the members of his church during that time; so much so that I want to share them with you.  May God continue to use the words of my father to minister through these pages and this medium.

Resurrection Reality

With the commemoration of Palm Sunday – Passion Week and Resurrection Day fast approaching, we fix our attention on these powerful and meaningful events as they relate to our personal “SO GREAT SALVATION!”  Our finite minds cannot comprehend the colossal cost of human redemption!  As the song goes: 

Why should He love me so,
Why should He love me so?
Why did my Savior to Calvary go?
Why should He love me so? 

Yes, Christ was born to die that we might live, and His love for us motivated every agonizing experience of His life right up to His ascension, where His angels announced;  “Why stand ye gazing up into Heaven?  This same Jesus which is taken up from you into Heaven, shall so come in like manner, as ye have seen Him go into Heaven”  (Acts 1:11) 

So get ready to commemorate the LIFE,  DEATH, and RESURRECTION of our Lord and Savior, and our soon coming King of Kings!  

Pastor Bill                                                                                      

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During my years in prison, my father wrote articles for his monthly church newsletter.  They each touched my heart, and those of the members of his church during that time; so much so that I want to share them with you.  May God continue to use the words of my father to minister through these pages and this medium.

Stand Fast

So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by our letter. 
II Thessalonians 2:15    

     St. Paul sent a powerful warning to the church of the Thessalonians, regarding the “Day of the Lord” that was sure to come, but would be preceded by “A FALLING AWAY FIRST”… and the advent of “that MAN OF SIN REVEALED, THE SON OF PERDITION…”  (the Antichrist).This is a gripping chapter telling of the “Mystery of iniquity that doth ALREADY WORK, (verse 8) and of the introduction of the Antichrist, once the Holy Spirit is taken out of the way.” (verse 7)The Holy Spirit dwells in the hearts of the saints, (the saints – the body of believers), so this refers to the Rapture of the church. (1 Thess. 4:16-18)  “Caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord!”
     His coming is upon us!  The Middle East is a ticking bomb!  The nations that will play a vital role in the fulfillment of prophesy are IN POSITION for the final war!  (Armageddon)  But Paul stresses that it will not happen “EXCEPT there come a FALLING AWAY first!”
     Dear friends we are seeing this ‘falling away’ before our very eyes!  Paul wrote to Timothy listing the conditions characterizing the last days among which, he described the church as “HAVING A FORM OF godliness but denying the power thereof:  FROM SUCH TURN AWAY.”  (II Tim. 3:5)  That means, RUN!!!  Jesus warned that the final church age (Laodicean) would be rich and increased with goods, but “Lukewarm” and that He would spew them out of His mouth!!  (Rev. 3:16)                With the “Mystery of Iniquity” working overtime in these perilous times preceding the Rapture of the church, and the ushering in of the Great Tribulation, The church should be ablaze with faith, fire and evangelistic fervor – with revivals flaming forth with seekers finding His transforming grace in pardon and sanctifying love!  Paul said, “Therefore brethren,  STAND FAST and HOLD THE TRADITIONS YE HAVE BEEN TAUGHT WHETHER BY WORD OR BY OUR EPISTLE!!  (II Thess. 2:15)
     Bible Way Fellowship still sings the Spirit anointed hymns of the church of our heritage!  The Word of God is preached without fear of favor of men!  There is an altar in our church which symbolizes the foot of the cross, the “Fountain filled with blood drawn from Emanuel’s veins and sinners plunge beneath that flood LOSE ALL THEIR GUILTY STAINS!!  THE WAY of HOLINESS is preached as a second definite work of Divine grace – the CENTRAL MESSAGE of God’s Word!  There are seekers at the altar nearly every service with testimonies of His saving and sanctifying power.  If you long for those “Good Old Days” of  revival and camp meeting preaching and singing.  I’ll reserve a special seat for you on the fifty yard line!                                           
“Standing Fast”  -  Pastor Bill

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During my years in prison, my father wrote articles for his monthly church newsletter.  They each touched my heart, and those of the members of his church during that time; so much so that I want to share them with you.  May God continue to use the words of my father to minister through these pages and this medium.

Looking Up While Counting Down

     Jesus enumerated a list of signs describing the world conditions prior to His return, then made the powerful statement:  “AND WHEN THESE THINGS BEGIN TO COME TO PASS, THEN LOOK UP, AND LIFT UP YOUR HEADS; FOR YOUR REDEMPTION DRAWETH NIGH.” Luke 21:28
     If there was ever a time in the history of our nation that the Church of Jesus Christ should be sounding a WARNING and crying out an INVITATION  to “PREPARE TO MEET THY GOD” Amos 4:12, IT IS TODAY!
     With Israel in turmoil, and PREPARING FOR WAR after the threat of Iran’s Prime Minister, that he would wipe Israel off the map.  All of these recent events signal the fulfillment of prophesy involving ISRAEL!
     Yesterday, the terrorist organization of Hamas won the election in Palestine, putting them in power with a charter which states that Israel has no right to exist as a state, again screaming the truth that “OUR REDEMPTION DRAWETH NIGH!”
     I will continue to preach the ‘Signs of the Times’ and the “BLESSED HOPE AND GLORIOUS APPEARING OF THE GREAT GOD, AND OUR SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST, WHO GAVE HIMSELF FOR US THAT HE MIGHT REDEEM US FROM ALL INIQUITY AND PURIFY UNTO HIMSELF A PECULIAR PEOPLE ZEALOUS OF GOOD WORKS, THESE THINGS SPEAK AND EXHORT AND REBUKE WITH ALL AUTHORITY, LET NO MAN DISPISE THEE .”  Titus 2:13-15
     Our people are ‘LOOKING UP, while they are ‘COUNTING DOWN’.      
     MEET ME IN THE AIR!  - Pastor Bill 

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During my years in prison, my father wrote articles for his monthly church newsletter.  They each touched my heart, and those of the members of his church during that time; so much so that I want to share them with you.  May God continue to use the words of my father to minister through these pages and this medium.

The Birth Of A Child That Caused A Storm

     “Unto you is born this day…..A Saviour which is Christ the Lord.”  (Luke 2:11)      
     “Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked…was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children,…from two years old and under…”(Matt. 2:16)
     Imagine!  He, of whom was prophesied by Isaiah to be the “Prince of Peace”, (Isaiah 9:6) would cause such a STORM of death and upheaval!  But remember He said of Himself, “Suppose ye that I am come to give PEACE on earth?  I tell you, nay; but rather DIVISION;  For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three.  The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father, and the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother….”(Luke 12:51-53)    
     Truly He is the “Prince of Peace”, “therefore being justified by faith we have Peace with God, through JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD.”  (Romans 5:1)  But not only is He the “ROCK OF AGES”, but also the “ROCK OF OFFENSE”.    
     Here on the approaching birthday of our Saviour – A day of celebration called CHRISTMAS for hundreds of years;  Christianity is under siege by the spirit of the ANTI-CHRIST that seeks to rob us of the God-given right and privilege of singing Christmas carols in school pageants and on our courthouse lawns and wishing the entire world, MERRY CHRISTMAS!    
     “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called WONDERFUL, COUNSELOR, THE MIGHTY GOD, THE EVERLASTING FATHER, THE PRINCE OF PEACE! (Isaiah 9:6)      
     A child was born named Jesus, our Saviour and coming King, but BECAUSE OF HIS VERY NAME a storm rages across America and the nations of earth such as we have never seen in our lifetime.  Here in America groups like THE AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION and THE AMERICANS UNITED FOR THE SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE and state have fallaciously convinced educators that even the most rudimentary mention of CHRISTMAS (OR CHRIST) IS ILLEGAL!  These organizations thumb their noses at our nation’s heritage of respect and appreciation of Christianity.  THEIR AGENDA TO PURGE GOD FROM AMERICA IS A NATIONAL CRIME!    
     By the way, since Christmas day falls on Sunday this year, many churches across America are closing their doors in order to spend the day in family celebration!  Are we not sending a mixed message to this storm battered, war-ravaged world?  Is this not a choice between the material and the spiritual?  God will bless those homes that “SEEK FIRST the kingdom of God and His righteousness and ALL THESE THINGS  will be added unto you.”  (Matt. 6:33)           
     See you in church at 11:00 am Christmas Day, and by the way, MERRY CHRISTMAS!      - Pastor Bill 

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During my years in prison, my father wrote articles for his monthly church newsletter.  They each touched my heart, and those of the members of his church during that time; so much so that I want to share them with you.  May God continue to use the words of my father to minister through these pages and this medium.

Holiness Unto The Lord

Sound familiar to anyone?  We used to sing a song with that title;   

“Called unto Holiness Church of our God,
waiting the bridegrooms returning again;
Lift up your heads for the day draweth near,
when in His beauty the King shall appear.
Holiness unto the Lord is our watch word and song.
Holiness unto the Lord as we’re marching along.
Sing it, shout it, loud and long.
Holiness unto the Lord now and forever!”

As a young child I remember that inscription “Holiness unto the Lord” above the entrances of our churches and across the pulpits, or choir lofts – Remember?  Nearly every message was a declaration of “Glorious Freedom” provided by the vicarious death of the Lamb of God upon the hill of Calvary.

     I recently read a documentary by KEITH DRURY entitled, “The Holiness Movement is Dead”.  I was overwhelmed and heart-broken at his Oh, so accurate analysis of the paralyzed Holiness ranks.  He delivered his message ten years ago to the CHRISTIAN HOLINESS ASSOCIATION, which precipitated an earthquake of repercussions over this ten year period.  He told them, “The Holiness movement is dead!  The corpse is upstairs fully dressed, awaiting the funeral service.”  I add to this, “Fully dressed with a copy of the DOCTRINE OF HOLINESS folded neatly and placed in the inside coat pocket.”  I still believe the central message of the Word of God is:  “FOLLOW PEACE WITH ALL MEN AND HOLINESS WITHOUT WHICH NO MAN SHALL SEE THE LORD!” Heb. 12:14

     In these final hours of this dispensation, when we are witnessing not only threats to our nation from without, but a full scale assault by the mystery of iniquity that is turning our nation into a sewer, with its “click on” porn, homosexuality, same sex marriage, as well as sexual perversion indoctrination of our little children in the classroom without the parents knowledge or permission!  There are three thousand “Gay Clubs” on high school campuses across America with members (teens) marching with banners and shouting slogans.  Isn’t it time to counteract this blatant sin with, “BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART FOR THEY SHALL SEE GOD.”  Matt. 5:8 and “BE YE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.”  1 Peter 1:16

     I just concluded preaching a week of revival services at Bible Way Fellowship Church.  It seemed like a dream come true to see people seeking Salvation at an old fashioned altar of prayer Saturday night and Sunday morning!  To hear testimonies claiming SANCTIFICATION by the cleansing power of the blood and infilling of the Holy Spirit!  Praise the Lord forever!

Amen!  Amen!        -  Pastor Bill      P.S.  My arms are locked tightly around the pillars of the temple, like Samson of old.  And my prayer is; “May my life net more souls at the end, than it did across the former years!”

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During my years in prison, my father wrote articles for his monthly church newsletter.  They each touched my heart, and those of the members of his church during that time; so much so that I want to share them with you.  May God continue to use the words of my father to minister through these pages and this medium.

Are We Next?

On July 7, 2005, London was terrorized by exploding backpack bombs in their subway system killing fifty-six people and injuring seven hundred others.  Eleven days later the terrorists attempted another strike using the same backpack bombs – luckily, however, the bombs, failing to detonate, injured only one person, and caused only minor damage.  Needless to say London has been in a state of panic and disbelief with police investigators working around the clock to apprehend those responsible.  This terrorist attack in London has our own Homeland Security System in high gear with everyone asking the question, “ARE WE NEXT?  When and how will they try to hit our country again?” World Net Daily has been warning all of us for weeks that suitcase bombs (nuclear) are already in the US!!  And that Al-Qaida’s plan is to place these bombs in major cities; New York, Chicago, LA, Miami, etc… and detonate these simultaneously in an effort to kill four million Americans – two million children will be in their cross hairs, to avenge the war casualties in Afghanistan and Iraq!!Paul Williams, an investigative reporter, former FBI consultant and author of several books, including “Osama’s Revenge: The Next 911”, predicts in his book;  “A nuclear attack by Al-Qaida would be launched Before The End Of 2005!!!Dear Friends, if “911” did the damage to our country that it did – What will atomic explosions do to us?  With millions, not thousands being destroyed in those blasts!!  My personal belief is that we cannot sustain that type of damage without our other enemies pouncing upon us while we are knocked to our knees… I feel this is the beginning of the tribulation, but first Jesus will fulfill his promise to us in John 14, when He said, “If I go away, I WILL COME AGAIN AND RECEIVE YOU UNTO MYSELF, THAT WHERE I AM, THERE YE MAY BE ALSO…” It’s time people, for He stated in Matt. 24:7-8, “For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there shall be pestilences and earthquakes in divers places.  All these are the beginnings of sorrows.”  Jesus said in Luke 21:28, “And when these things BEGIN TO COME TO PASS, then look up FOR YOUR REDEMPTION DRAWETH NIGH”!!All of our best students of bible prophesy are warning us that Jesus could come ANY MINUTE!  Men like Hal Lindsey, Tim LaHaye, John Hagee, Jack Van Impe, and others are urging us to “wake up – stand up – pack up – look up, and let’s get ready to GO UP!!  Praise the Lord!  “Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus!”  Rev. 22:20                                                                                                                                                                   Pastor Bill 

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During my years in prison, my father wrote articles for his monthly church newsletter.  They each touched my heart, and those of the members of his church during that time; so much so that I want to share them with you.  May God continue to use the words of my father to minister through these pages and this medium.

Jesus Speaks on Forgiveness

From the cross Jesus cried, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”  (Luke 23:34).  Yet we find it so difficult to forgive others for so much less  than they did to Jesus!In Matt. 18:22, Jesus told the parable of the unmerciful servant who owed his lord an equivalent of  two million dollars!  He could not pay the debt, and threw himself on the mercy of the lord, who forgave him the entire sum!!  But as the servant went his way he met a fellow servant who owed him twenty dollars!  The fellow servant could not pay the twenty dollars any more than he could have paid his two million dollar debt, and, regardless of the pleadings of the fellow servant, he had him thrown into prison. The king heard about this and recalled the first servant, reminding him, “I forgave thee all THY debt.”  Then he had him delivered to the tormentors because of an UNFORGIVING SPIRIT!!  The disciples asked Jesus, “How oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him, until seven times?”  Jesus replied, “Until seventy times seven.” By this he did not mean, to forgive four hundred ninety times and then start holding a grudge of unforgiveness, but that forgiveness is to be a CONTINUING EXPERIENCE!  Just as water flows from a wellspring, so must forgiveness flow from our hearts to others!  For when WE stop forgiving – WE cease to be FORGIVEN, and we will be LOST!! (Mark 11:26) 

The following excerpt comes from a letter I received years ago from a man who attended one of my revivals conducted at Vineland, NJ: 

‘Dear Rev. Erickson, I am the blind man you met during our recent revival.  Your message on ‘Forgiveness’ impressed me so much that I finally have, by the Grace of God, been able to FORGIVE THE JAPANESE FOR BLINDING ME IN WORLD WAR II  !!’ 

Amazing!!  This dear man had been living in a prison of hate and unforgiveness for FORTY YEARS, until Jesus set him free!  His Spiritual Blindness was his greater need, for unforgiveness is SIN, and the soul that sinneth, it shall die. (Ezek 18:4) 

My precious mother wrote:

Forgiveness

It has been easy to lay my mistakes and my sins
At the foot of the Cross, and to find victory;
But the failure of others at times have evoked
A struggle beyond comprehension for me! 
This morning, I knelt at my Saviour’s dear feet—
Pleading His grace for my burden and pain;
And stooping, He whispered, “My child, I forgave
Thy sins and thy failures again and again!” 
The mercy of Christ, I beheld like a thread
Of lustrous gold in my life’s tapestry:
And through scalding tears, I whispered to Him,
“My Lord, I forgive, just as Thou forgave me!” 

My Dear Friend, I urge you to find the ‘Secret Place of the Most High’ (Ps. 91), and pour out your heart before him in repentance; For truly, He will forgive you for your unforgiveness – then pass on that forgiveness to that family member, that neighbor, that friend, that enemy…. Please do it today, for time is running out!  

God Bless You!
“We were born once to die…
We were ‘born again’ to live forever!” 

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During my years in prison, my father wrote articles for his monthly church newsletter.  They each touched my heart, and those of the members of his church during that time; so much so that I want to share them with you.  May God continue to use the words of my father to minister through these pages and this medium.