by: Guy Beaumont
Hebrews 13:7
The Bible tells me that I’m to remember those who have spoken the Word to me. It also says to follow their faith while considering the end of their conversation.
There are those who are against the principle of following men and that we should ONLY follow Christ. Well, that’s silly……and unbiblical. 1 Corinthians 11:1, Philippians 4:9, and a plethora of other verses teach us to follow man as well as the fact that God has always put men in leadership for us to …wait for it…FOLLOW!
I’m grateful for the men I chose to follow. I’m extremely picky about who I allow to influence me even still today. I learned so much from so many of them. I’m honored that I was able to know some personally and others through listening to or traveling to hear. Jack Hyles, Tom Malone, Lee Roberson, Harold Sightler, John R. Rice, Lester Roloff and Curtis Hutson are a few of the men who’ve influenced me along with many others. Many seasoned men who are preaching today and have been for over a quarter of a century are also men I follow. Many of these men I know and have known personally, and some I studied, read their books and heard them on audio or video.
In sports, work and politics, we don’t put much “stock” in a novice. We’d rather see them trained by a veteran. Unfortunately, in our independent Baptist churches, there seems to be a desire for the complete opposite. I have preached along some veteran preachers and have had them preach for me. I never thought I needed to be heard. The best thing I could do is say, “Ditto” to what they said. There are simply no new preachers that need to be heard more than the old, seasoned ones.
I’m 43 and have been pastoring for almost 15 years. I started the church. I didn’t raise any support or have any families start with me. That’s not a knock on any who have, I just didn’t feel led to do it that way. I haven’t “arrived,” nor am I nationally known. I’m a nobody. I like that. Since I’m a nobody, I still try to surround myself with wise veteran men of God for influence. Early in my pastorate, I gathered about 25 videos of the men I mentioned earlier along with a few others. Each Wednesday night church service, I showed one of the videos of these men preaching. I wanted the folks I pastored to connect what I was preaching back a few generations with seasoned men.
I’m not a trail blazer. Trail blazing involves a new path. The path has already been worn down and walked on. I am simply staying on that old path; the good path.
I have learned so much from these old independent fundamental Baptist preachers. Allow me to share with you a few of the principles that I learned and also saw firsthand.
1. Their undeniable love of God.
It showed in their schedules. It showed in their ministry. It showed in their marriage. It showed in their time. It showed in their sacrifice. It showed in their devotion. It showed in their prayers. It showed in their faithfulness. It showed in their tear-filled preaching. It showed in their holiness. I’ve never met a preacher who loved God who didn’t live a separated, holy life. You knew that they knew God.
2. Their unquestionable separation from the world.
I’m not sure why separation bothers so many today. Is not separating a better option? With 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; James 4:4; 1 John 2:15; Jude 23b; Titus 2:12 and a litany of other verses, how is this even a discussion or a complaint? Many say that there have been things preached that aren’t biblical. Okay, then don’t practice them. Use your individual soul liberty. Fretting, blogging and getting all upset over some “silly” standards preached just seems very immature and not worth being upset about. In the almost 14,000 IFB preachers, I doubt any of us could mention more than 1% of them where we heard something unbiblical. In a school, chapel, conference or night bus, we heard some “ripping,” but in all the messages, it’s a small scope. We’re making mountains out of molehills.
These stalwart, old-school preachers weren’t worried about public opinion when it came to being and living holy. I’m glad they erred on the conservative side. I liked their “leanings.” I like that they traveled in suits, smashed tv’s, ripped on the movie theater, dancing, playing cards, petting and necking (always loved that one), long hair on men, pants on women, bubble gum, mixed bathing (another one that horrified me), biscuits or whatever. It told me they stood for something. It taught me they were concerned about the slightest compromise entering their life, family or ministry. I appreciated it. It never angered me even if I didn’t agree with every detail. Today’s young preacher just isn’t as separated from the world as these men were and some men are. It’s just something worth pondering. Read about the self denial practiced by the Wesley brothers, George Mueller, Whitfield, Edwards and others. We all ought to be ashamed at our lack of separation, self denial and cross bearing. I don’t mock high standards. I respect it.
3. Their insatiable love of truth.
They had a love for souls that hasn’t been matched! I’ve watched them witness to people everywhere. I watched Bro. Hyles go door knocking in Cabrini Green. I watched him love on people when he thought no one was watching. I could share personal stories from many of them. These men had God’s blessing and power to build great churches where thousands upon thousands entered weekly. No one had a greater obsession to reach the lost than those old, independent Baptists. That’s who the leaders of today learned it from. Thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, were called to full-time service under these pillars of faith.
They had a love for preaching the Word that spanned generations. Volumes of their Bible messages are available for us. We can instantly think of titles of messages that transformed us. (I know it’s the Holy Spirit Who transforms for you nit-picky people – context!) Today’s hip, relevant, pop culture, cool sermon-giver couldn’t hold their water. These men were learned scholars, but gave the Word faithfully and accurately to the simple folk. They fed all ages the Word, not just baby boomers, Generation X, millennials or some other weird evangelical jargon. They weren’t consumed with a style or type. They just followed the Bible’s instruction, “Preach the Word“. Today’s men fight over silly topics like expository or topical. Did Jesus preach expository? I digress… Just preach the Word! They did, no doubt about it.
By the way, separation is a Bible doctrine. Hard preaching is in the Bible. Negative, unpopular preaching is in the Bible. If you don’t preach that, you aren’t committed to preaching the Bible.
I have preached through books of the Bible. I’ve covered about 12 so far. Took us 2 years to go through 1 Corinthians. I also preach expository and topical. The style is a nonessential. I just focus on preaching the Word as these men have taught me.
These men were well read. Tom Malone could quote Shakespeare and had a huge library that his fingerprints were all over. Reading the “Twilight” series or books by compromisers or apostates hardly compares to actual reading. These men had great libraries and encouraged us preachers to build our own. I’m grateful for that.
They had a love for unity. They were united under truth. If truth was compromised, there was no longer unity. I see most of the cry for unity today comes from those who have or are compromising. Most of the division today comes from those complaining about division and blogging topics to cause it. I can love them while choosing not to fellowship with them. I can warn others of their compromise. It’s very biblical. I thank God for those veteran saints who weren’t afraid to warn the sheep of wolves in sheep clothing or sheep in wolves clothing. Paul, who we all agree was an incredible preacher, was often involved in the most confrontation with the brethren. Interesting!
I’m ok with us not all being “cookie cutter” clones. I’m not ok when our brethren look like a “cookie cutter” clone of the evangelical crowd. That’s not us, and never has been us and you didn’t get that from us. If there’s so much wrong with IFB, you are free to move on and be something else. Just please don’t claim that you’re still one of us. You’re not!
4. Their copiable example.
They shared their methods. They shared their philosophies. They shared their detail. They wrote books about preaching, soul winning, Bible study, church work. They didn’t and weren’t hiding. I remember the hours that Bro. Hyles would spend meeting with people and always making them feel important. I remember when Tom Malone called me on my cell phone or when I sat next to him and he picked on others. I remember Bro. Fisher saying to me after he preached an amazing message, “You can preach that and do a better job than I did.” They wanted us to see them and learn.
I’ve tried to follow that example. For instance, I have two treasurers. In fifteen years, I’ve never touched the offerings. I strive to be “blameless.” We have regular annual business meetings. Every dime is accounted for. Those who want to accuse or find fault with any ministry will do just that. It didn’t deter the old guard. They pressed on.
Were they perfect? No! I never expected them to be. Pointing out their flaws never helped my ministry or life one bit. They were sinners, just like us. I followed them, but focused on the Saviour. I saw flaws and I learned from them. I just never saw the need to blog about them. Today’s preachers who constantly point to the failures of the past generations do so to lift themselves up, begin their own legacy or hide their own glaring flaws.
Paul said, “I fought a good fight” at the end of his life. The new preachers today don’t want to fight about anything. They want a tolerant, united, accepted view of whatever direction they choose as long as we agree on just the Gospel.
In 1922, a sermon was preached, “Shall The Fundamentalist Win?” That liberal preacher who denied the virgin birth and other items wanted the narrow-minded, intolerant, non-scholarly, unmoving and unchanging fundamentalist to be quiet. He said, “I do not believe for one moment that the fundamentalist are going to succeed.” He further said, “The first element that is necessary is a spirit of tolerance and Christian liberty.” He went on to express his concern for the next generation. Many young preacher today is calling for all preachers to be tolerant of their positions, dropped standards, casual attire in the pulpit and watered down music and separation. If President Bush wouldn’t take off his suit coat in the Oval Office because the men who’ve sat there before him, pray tell me sir, why you cheapen the pulpit with your skinny, faded jeans and untucked blouse? Hey, as long as your comfortable and relevant and there isn’t a Bible verse about it, why the big deal?
It’s worth fighting for. Everything we do and say is sending a message. What you allow now will only be taken further by your followers.
I too am concerned about the next generation. Fundamentalism did succeed back then. I believe it will continue to succeed not because of anything new, but because of what’s old…actually timeless-seasoned men who walked with God for decades, built great works, set an example and challenged us to stay on the same path they were on.
Back at the top, I referenced Hebrews 13:7.
The latter part of that verse says, “…considering the end of their conversation.”
I know the end of these men’s conversations. I see the churches and fruit. I still see it today. I’ll follow their faith; the old faith.
Guy Beaumont
Pastor
Harvest Baptist Church
Allentown, PA