It came to pass when the time was come that he should be received of, he steadfastly set
his face to go to Jerusalem and sent messengers before his face and they went and entered
into a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him and they did not receive him because
his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem and when his disciples James and John saw
this, watch this, they said, Lord wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven
and consume them even as Elias did but he turned and rebuked them and said, ye know
not what manner of spirit you are of for the son of man is not come to destroy men's lives
but to save them and they went to another village.
That little story is what I want to start my sermon with and it's an unusual sermon
tonight but the title of the sermon is this, do you understand faithful words Baptist Church?
That's the title of this sermon and it's a little bit different of a sermon but do
you understand faithful words Baptist Church?
You see I think there are a lot of people who think that they understand faithful words
Baptist Church and they don't.
I think there are a lot of people who come through the revolving door of faithful words
Baptist Church and they think that they know what faithful words Baptist Church is, they
think they know what we represent, they think we know what we are but they don't.
They don't really understand faithful words Baptist Church, they don't really comprehend
what it's about.
And here we see James and John, great men, preachers, soul butters and they were following
Jesus Christ, they were part of his church, the first church of which Jesus Christ himself
was the pastor and they were a little bit confused, they lacked a little bit of understanding
about what Jesus Christ was about or why he was there or what that church was about because
even at this point they were confused about what kind of spirit they were of.
I mean here's Jesus preaching to them, teaching them and yet they thought that because these
Samaritans did not receive them or make ready for them that they ought to call fire down
from God and destroy them, they were a little bit confused and Jesus cleared up their confusion
by saying the Son of Man is not come to destroy men's lives but to save them and they went
to another village.
Look at John 14, this is an introduction to the sermon.
John 14, verse 9, I have several points tonight but right now this is the introduction.
John 14, verse 9, the Bible reads, Jesus saith unto him, I'm sorry, verse 8, Philip saith
unto him, Lord, show us the Father and it suffices us.
Look at Jesus' answer, Jesus saith unto him, have I been so long time with you and yet
hast thou not known me, Philip?
He that hath seen me hath seen the Father and how sayest thou then, show us the Father.
Now look, here we see Philip confused, Philip misunderstanding things, Philip who walked
and talked with Jesus Christ, a little bit confused, you see, let me ask you this question,
have you been so long with Faithful Word Baptist Church and yet you don't understand Faithful
Word Baptist Church?
Now that's the question I want to ask tonight, I'm going to explain it as I go, but you see,
Faithful Word Baptist Church is not a one-dimensional church and you might have noticed that, we're
not just all about hard preaching, we're not just all about soul-willing, we're not just
all about prayer, we're not just all about encouragement, we are about all of these things,
we're not just all about memorizing the Bible and knowing the Bible, but we are about all
of those things together.
You see, let me start out by saying this, number one, and turn to Matthew 12, number
one, if you don't go soul-willing, then you don't understand Faithful Word Baptist Church,
that's point number one.
Don't talk to me about Faithful Word Baptist Church if you've never been soul-willing with
Faithful Word Baptist Church.
Let me say something right now, if somebody said to me, oh I've tried Faithful Word Baptist
Church, I'd say, have you been out soul-willing with Faithful Word Baptist Church?
Because if a person has attended this church, but has not found soul-willing with this church,
have they really tried Faithful Word Baptist Church?
The answer is no.
I mean, I remember when I was in Sacramento, California, and I was going to a good fundamental
Baptist independent soul-willing church, and I remember I had somebody come to that church,
I talked them into it, I tried to get them to come, and finally I got them to switch
from a liberal church to a regency Baptist church, the church I was going to, and this
person went to that church for six months, Sunday morning only, they came, they listened,
they heard on six months, and at the end of six months, they said I tried it, and it wasn't
for me.
I said, you didn't try it.
I said, you didn't go on Sunday night, you didn't go on Wednesday night, and most importantly,
you did not go out soul-willing.
I said, you've come for six months and you didn't try it.
I said, do me a favor, try it for two weeks by actually going Sunday morning, Sunday night,
Wednesday night, and being out on soul-willing.
Then you tried regency Baptist church, I told them.
And I have changed one, I'll say the same thing right now, if you don't go soul-willing
with faithful word Baptist church, you have not tried faithful word Baptist church, you
don't understand faithful word Baptist church.
It's a fact.
You see, faithful word Baptist church is soul-willing.
That's who we are.
Now that's not all we are, but that's who we are.
This is a soul-willing church.
And I'll tell you something, I've been pastoring now, this church, for two years and almost
nine months, and let me tell you something, nobody has ever gone to this church for any
length of time without becoming a soul-winner, period.
It's true.
You know it's true.
Everybody, every single person who's come, you know, that didn't just come and go through
the revolving door, they became a soul-winner, and that's a fact.
Everybody in this church is a soul-winner.
I mean, that's what faithful word Baptist church is.
Hey, that's what sets us apart from other churches.
That's why I started this church.
Not to be like every other independent fundamental Baptist in America, but to be a church that
is in one accord, with one mind, striving together for the faith of the gospel.
Together, in one accord, with one mind.
That's what the Bible says that the local church is supposed to be.
And that's what faithful word Baptist church is, and if you don't understand that, then
you don't understand faithful word Baptist church.
Have you been so long with us and you don't understand what we are and who we are?
I mean, thank God you do, because you've stayed with us.
You must be a soul-winner.
Because, look, if anything, if anything, I preach soul-winning too much.
I mean, nobody can accuse me of not preaching it enough, but I don't know if you really
can preach it too much.
You know, and that's not all we are, but I'm going to tell you something.
Soul-winning is the purpose of this church.
You want to know what faithful word Baptist church is?
Faith is the human instrument, defined faithful word Baptist church, the human instrument
by which every door in Phoenix, Arizona, and surrounding areas will be knocked, and the
gospel presented from a King James Bible.
That's the definition.
If we were to put it, we need to call, I don't know, when is the new Merriam-Webster dictionary
coming out?
Have we missed the cutoff?
Have we missed the deadline?
I want somebody to look it up in the dictionary under F for faithful word Baptist church, and
say noun is pronounced faithful, you know, word, and it's going to have a little upside
down E for word, Baptist church noun, definition number one, the human instrument whereby the
gospel will be preached to every house in Phoenix, Arizona, and surrounding areas.
Definition number two, well, I'd be there.
Anyway, the point is, that's what this church is about.
And people, they hear the preaching, but they don't get the soul in it.
They missed it.
It's the truth.
Look down at Matthew 12, 30.
He that is not with me is against me, and he that gathereth not with me, scattereth
abroad.
Mark this down.
If you don't gather with faithful word Baptist church, then you're not with faithful word
Baptist church.
Did you hear me?
If you don't gather with faithful word Baptist church, are you really with faithful word
Baptist church?
I don't think so.
And I'm the pastor.
I don't think you are.
Unless you gather with faithful word Baptist, then you're not really with faithful word
Baptist church.
I mean, if you don't gather with Jesus, you're not with Jesus.
Jesus said, if you follow me, I will make you fish as a man.
He didn't say I might make you fish as a man.
I'll make some of you fish as a man.
I'll make an elite, small group within the church, fish as a man.
He said, no, if you follow me, you will be a fisher of men.
And I'm talking about man, woman, boy, girl, fishers of men.
And so ask yourself this question.
If you don't gather with faithful word Baptist church, are you really with faithful word
Baptist church?
Because he said, he that is not with me is against me.
Because he said, are you with me?
And then he defines with me in the next part of the verse as gathering with me.
Okay.
So really what I take, look down at the bottom.
This is what I take from this verse.
Being with me equals gathering with me.
I think that's what Jesus said.
You know, being with me is gathering with me.
Okay.
Being against me is scattering wrong.
So the person who's not part of the solution is part of the problem.
You thought that was a poll from Winston Churchill.
Actually it's a poll from Jesus Christ in Matthew 12 30.
If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem.
If you're not gathering with me, you're scattering wrong.
You say I'm neutral.
Impossible.
Nobody's neutral.
You're either helping or you're hindering.
You're either gathering with or you're scattering wrong.
That's what the Bible says.
Look if you would at Philippians chapter one.
Philippians chapter number one, verse 14.
And again, let me just keep repeating it quickly.
Do you understand?
I mean, do you understand people?
He said, I don't know if I understand.
You know, if you want to understand thing for that search,
go to the nursing home before the date.
And then you will understand.
And I'll get to that in a minute.
But look at Philippians chapter one, verse 14.
The Bible reads, and many of the brethren in the Lord,
waxing confident by my bonds,
are much more bold to speak the word without fear.
Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife,
and some also of good will.
The one freaks Christ of contention, not sincerely,
supposing to add affliction to my bonds,
but the other of love,
knowing that I am set for the defense of the gospel.
What then?
Notwithstanding every way, whether in pretense or in truth,
Christ is preached.
Now, what does he mean here?
Well, first of all, he's talking about people that are saved.
He starts out by saying,
many of the brethren in the Lord, right, in verse 14.
So we're talking about people that are saved
who are preaching the gospel.
They're part of the church.
They're preaching Christ of contention, not sincerely.
So basically, I'd say they're part of the program,
but they don't really understand.
There's some that they're not understanding.
You know what I mean?
Because they're not preaching it out of love.
They're not in it because of love.
They're in it because of envy, it says.
Look at verse 15.
Stride, envy, contention, not sincerely,
supposing to add affliction to my bonds,
but the other of love,
knowing that I'm set for the defense of the gospel.
You see, there are many people who,
if they walked into our church on a certain Sunday,
they would hear me preaching
and foaming at the mouth about sin, right?
I mean, one of those sermons
where I'm just ripping up on the TV
or ripping on alcohol, ripping on worldliness,
ripping on the rock and roll music,
ripping on all this stuff,
and they would sit there and they would love it.
And they'd say amen to that.
And they would love that.
And they'd say, preach it, brother. Amen.
Come on. That's good.
Go get them. Amen. That's right.
But then you start talking about soul and anger.
You start talking about loving people.
You start talking about going to the ghetto
and rolling up your sleeves, knocking those doors,
and reaching out to the poor and winning them to Christ.
That same person clams up.
You listen to me? It's true.
They love the strife.
And brother, I know what strife is.
They love the contention,
and I know what contention is.
But you know what?
If they don't have the love, they're not sincere,
they don't understand people who are Baptist Church.
You know, I mean, you can go to the most phony churches in America.
Are you listening to me?
I mean, you can go to the most phony church
that will tell you salvation is by works,
and they'll preach a heresy.
They'll get up and scream about drinking and stuff.
I mean, have you ever heard of the Holiness Pentecostal Movement?
And they'll preach on standards,
and they'll preach against sin,
and they'll foam at the mouth,
but when they die, they're going to go to hell
and they don't even know Jesus Christ as their Savior.
They're like the Pharisees.
The Pharisees were the separated ones,
but they weren't even saved.
And so you have to understand
that faithful word Baptist Church is about love.
And I mean, I can get up and preach,
oh, drink each wicket, amen, amen, amen, yeah.
Oh, the TV's wicket, amen, amen, amen.
Oh, this is wrong, this is wrong, this is wrong.
Hey, shut up with your amen
and go out soloing with me
and have some love,
because it's not just up here destroying and tearing down.
Hey, we're here to save men's lives.
And if you don't understand that,
you don't understand faithful word Baptist Church.
I mean, if you don't understand
going out knocking the doors and soloing,
what good is it to preach against drinking?
What good is it to preach against TV?
What good is it to preach against the way
people dress that's wrong
if we're not going to purify ourselves
so we can be filled with the Holy Spirit
and bring the Gospel to the lost?
That's why we do what we do.
It's not just, I mean, look,
if we just want to be so separated,
we could just go be a Buddhist monk or something, right?
We could live off bread and water,
we wouldn't have ATV, no rock and roll,
we'd have no movies, no drinking,
and we could just go,
why don't we just go to some monkery somewhere?
What do they call the stupid things?
Monastery.
I mean, hey, why not check into a monastery?
Why not go to a cloister?
Why not become a hermit somewhere?
Right?
I mean, let's go to some convent somewhere.
Let's go stare at the wall all day
and pray for ten hours
and we could meet ourselves with a whip
like the Buddhist monks do
and like the Catholic monks do.
Why is there so much in common
between the Catholic monk and the Buddhist monk?
Oh yeah, because they're both worshipping Satan.
But the point is, hey, look,
I'm not trying to go just be
how separated I can be.
Hey, I want to purify my heart
and cleanse my hands
so I can draw an eye to God,
so I can be His servant
to bring the gospel to the cross.
Don't miss the point of what we're doing.
And so,
I say, if you want to understand
faith-forward scriptures,
go to the nursing home
and watch Brother Dave, you know,
visit the bedside of a man today
who was, you know, paralyzed
and messed, stuck in bed, and messed up.
And when we walked out the door,
I don't even think Brother Dave heard him.
He said, I love you guys.
He said, thanks for coming.
I love you guys.
You know, and we're coming
and bringing him the gospel,
bringing him the Bible,
bringing him soul,
bringing him preaching,
bringing him the hymns,
okay, in the nursing home.
Look, if you want to understand
faith-forward scriptures,
go to the nursing home
and love somebody
and bring him the gospel.
Go out door to door
and bring him the gospel.
Go with us out in the heat
and in the sun
and when we're baking in the heat
and the sweat's pouring down
and we have blisters on our feet
and we say, let's keep going slowly
because we're a weak one.
We're a weak one.
That's what faith-forward Baptist Church is.
And if you don't understand that,
you don't understand this church.
You say, oh, faith-forward Baptist Church
is that loud, screaming preaching?
That's not what this church is.
Because, see, if faith-forward Baptist Church
is all about the preaching,
you know what that would mean.
That would mean it's all about me.
And faith-forward Baptist Church
is not all about me.
It's about the people
that you're sitting beside as well.
I have faith-forward Baptist Church
and faith-forward Baptist Church
and Faith-forward Baptist Church
Faith-forward Baptist Church
People who don't understand our church will not continue to come to our church forever.
They won't.
Because if they don't understand it, and I heard a friend of mine say this, you won't
take a stand until you understand.
You know, you're never going to take the stand until you understand.
And so people aren't going to sit there and come to this church and come to this church
and come to this church and come to this church and come to this church and just not
understand it.
Because if you don't understand it, you don't like it.
There are two kinds of people in this world.
Those who love it, dear, and those who hate it.
You know what I mean?
And there's probably nothing in between.
And the people who love it understand it.
People who hate it probably don't understand it.
Or they're just wicked.
You know, one or the other.
Or maybe they just don't understand it.
You know?
Maybe they're good people.
Maybe they're nice people.
They don't understand our church.
They may not understand.
And here's the thing.
Anybody who's been at this church for a long time knows one thing.
They know that whenever visitors come to this church, and sometimes they say this, we're
looking around for church.
I always tell them the same thing.
Whenever they say, like, we're just kind of, you know, we're just visiting, just looking
around at church, I always tell them the same thing.
I say, hey, let me tell you about all the other good churches that I know in this area.
And I begin to list churches in this area that, you know, that are soul winning and
King James only.
You know, are they just like us?
Hey, nobody's just like us.
You know, that's why we go here.
Okay?
All right.
But the point is, you know, I'm not saying they're just like us.
I'm not saying that even that these are the greatest churches in the world or that they're
not the greatest.
I'm just saying these are the churches in our area that are soul winning, King James,
Bible-type churches.
And I get the list.
And I tell them, well, look, if you're...
Because, look, that's what I would want somebody to do for me.
If I was visiting the area and I was trying to find a church, I'd want to know where all
the good, so I can try them all.
I always say, well, try them all.
I say, here's a good one.
Two miles down the road, you know, Brother Nick Minerva.
I said, independent, fundamental, King James, only two miles from here.
And I say, and then you got over in, you know, 35th Avenue Baptist Church up in Phoenix.
You know, there's another one over more on the west side.
And then I know another King James Bible-sowing church.
What's that one?
Royal View and Chandler, Royal View Baptist Church.
And then over in Guildworth, Desert Gateway Baptist Church.
And I tell them about these other churches.
And I'm going to say one negative thing about them.
I just say, these are good churches.
Because, you know what, I strongly believe this from the top of my head.
And my wife said, why do you do that?
Don't you want them to come here?
I said, you know what, if they can't tell the difference between all the other churches
out there and this church, then they'd probably be happier at that church than this church.
And I said that to her.
I've said it to you.
I've said it to everybody.
I'll tell everybody.
I have a list of churches on our website, the church directory to help people.
And it's very incomplete.
I need to work on it.
But just to tell people about good churches across America.
In case you all want to find a good church in the area.
A church that I know of.
They've sold one in the King James Bible.
Preaching Baptist churches.
And under Arizona, you'll notice all the churches I just listed, they're listed under Arizona.
As options on my church directory.
They're listed as other churches.
Why?
Because you know what?
If they want to go there, they can go there.
They can love it and go there.
And some people are probably better off over there.
I'm not saying that our church is better than those churches.
Don't get me wrong.
But let me tell you something.
Our church is different than those churches.
I'm not saying that we're better.
And don't go away saying, oh man, Pastor Anson thinks that his church is so much better than
his church.
I don't think that at all.
That's not what I'm saying.
But I will say that our church is different.
Nobody can argue with that.
That this church is different than all those churches that I listed.
And if somebody can't tell the difference, then maybe they'd be happier than one of those
other churches I listed.
And if you're sitting here right now and you're saying, you're preaching to me because I don't
like this church.
Well then, look.
I just gave you the list.
Get on the internet and the list is there.
And you've got the list.
Because look, this church is different.
Nobody can walk away and say that Pay for a Baptist Church is just another independent
fundamental Baptist church because it's not.
And you know what?
Those other churches.
I recommend them to people.
I'm not dissing them.
Okay?
Because I just told you I recommend them to people that are looking for a church.
All I'm saying is that this church is different.
And if you can't tell the difference, then go ahead and go there.
I see the difference, which is why I started this church.
The people who've been here for a long time, they know the difference.
They see the difference.
Okay?
And so, look.
Is this church meant to lift up faith for a Baptist church?
Not necessarily just to lift up faith.
Although I think it's a great church, it ought to be lifted up as a great church.
Okay?
Now, I'm talking about myself.
I'm just talking about the people here.
Great church.
But you know, it's not so much to lift up Pay for a Baptist Church as much as to help
you understand Pay for a Baptist Church.
Some of the things we do, people don't understand why we do it that way.
But maybe this sermon will help you to understand Pay for a Baptist Church.
Sometimes, I preach really hard on St. Eugene.
Why don't you walk?
Sometimes, that's my purpose.
I'm not reaching hard on St. Eugene.
You want to get the leaven out.
You know what I mean?
We don't need the leaven in this church.
We don't need, oh man, I'm going to grow faster.
This church, it's growing fast enough.
Be patient.
It's growing fast enough.
It's growing.
And you know, it's going to grow more.
I believe, and don't tell me this church is always going to be small because we're preaching
right.
No.
This church will be big.
You watch it get big.
Over the years, it will get bigger and bigger and bigger.
But let me tell you something.
It's not going to change.
And there are a lot of people who come here that they don't like hard preaching on sin
and worldliness and stuff.
They need to go because we don't want them infecting us with all their wickedness.
Get them out.
Get the leaven out.
And there are other people who come and they'll say amen to the hard preaching all day long.
They love it.
But they don't go soloing.
They don't understand Pay for a Baptist Church either.
And so my question to you tonight is this.
And really what I'm asking you is, are you faithful?
Do you understand Pay for a Baptist Church?
Are you faithful for a Baptist Church?
Or do you just attend Pay for a Baptist Church?
You know, I don't just attend Pay for a Baptist Church.
I mean, I am faithful for a Baptist Church.
And you are.
I hope you are faithful for a Baptist Church.
I mean, it's not just somewhere that we attend.
It's part of who we are.
Right?
I mean, it's part of who we are.
It's not just we just show up there and that's where we go.
No, we are part of Pay for a Baptist Church.
I'm a part of it.
You're a part of it if you understand Pay for a Baptist Church.
Well, let's bow our heads in that prayer.
We're out of time.
Father, we love you and thank you for our church dear God.
I love this church.
I pray that all those who do not understand Pay for a Baptist Church would begin to understand
it.
And Father, thank you so much for the wonderful people that you brought into my life.
I could have never imagined that I would pastor such great people.
And it's just amazing what you've done here dear God.
I just love the people here.
I love the enthusiasm and the unity and the scolding and the zeal.