Born in the Heart of God

A SERMON OF FAITH

I am concerned about some of the things that have been said and will be praying that this bunch of people will rally behind you. (looking at Keith) What this dear brother needs is just about double everything that has been presented to you tonight (Budget '84). I am especially concerned about that Wagoneer (Jeep Tow Vehicle) and that travel trailer he is pulling around. But by the grace of God, he is going to lose that trailer one of these days. I know what I am talking about; I have been in and out of motor homes, trailers, and that sort of thing and know what I am talking about. It's an unbelievable asset to have your family with you. I went 11 years and left a wife and three girls at home and would go off for two weeks and come home for a week and go off for two weeks and come home for a week and I'd be preaching in my local vicinity that week and get on an airplane and go again. My two oldest girls grew up with Daddy gone most all the time. Our last girl was in the 6th grade whenever my wife and daughter started traveling with me. If I had it all to do over again I would do anything next to robbing a bank in order to get the equipment I needed to take my family with me.

And without embarrassing him, (Keith) without casting a reproach on the previous provision of God I am going to bluntly say it. What he has is terribly inadequate, terribly. And if there are any of you that are able to help him, you pray about it and see what God says to do.

Folks you cannot imagine, only another evangelist knows. Melvin Wise knows; Ted Moody knows the mental and emotional strain. Not a whole lot of mental strain on us, because you've got to be about half crazy to be an evangelist to start with. But there is a tremendous amount of emotional strain on you. When you are having to worry about your equipment, afraid it is going to break down, and all that sort of stuff; it really does make it even that much more difficult. And I am praying, I've already been praying sitting on that front pew right over there that God's Spirit would move on somebody's heart that has the capacity to do it. I'm talking about lots of money. What are you going to do with it? What are you going to tell Jesus when you get to heaven and you've got all that savings account, all those investments, and all that money and Jesus looks at you and says to you, “Did you not hear what I said. Lay not up treasures on this earth." Now, that is the greatest and most wicked sin of Southern Baptists, laying up treasures on this earth. Most Baptist churches don't have enough building and their staffs are underpaid. Most evangelists are struggling and straining to get by and it is all because of the stinking, sorry good for nothing financial goof offs that make up our church services Sunday after Sunday. You folks at Ash Street are probably not going to show up in the morning cause you are seeing a little idea of what it is going to be like. I'm serious, God meant it and yet there are millions of Southern Baptist dollars in individual accounts in banks across America. People sitting on their nest egg cause they don't have faith enough to trust God to take care of them, and men like Keith Fordham running around here second class trying to struggle to do the work of God and hustling to promote a budget that ought to embarrass any well thinking Baptist. If you don't understand that, you've got a problem.

Little thinkers are big stinkers. You're welcome!

We rinky dink around with the work of God and then ask God to bless it. I don't wonder why God says, "Not me, I am not about to bless it. It embarrasses me." I'm serious. Much of what we do embarrasses God, second rate and second class. I've never seen God sponsor a flop, never in my life. Well is Keith a flop? Not yet. But I am going to tell you one thing, I've seen a lot of men stay by it 10, 12, 15 years and finally their nervous system can't take it any more. They don't mean to throw in the towel, but they do. Do you know what everybody else does? Criticize him. Make fun of him. And they don't know what he has been going through for the last 12 or 15 years. They don't understand the pressure that finally broke him, and the reason the pressure broke him is because a bunch of Baptist said, "God bless ya." I've never swallowed a "God bless ya" and it settle my hunger. Never. You're welcome! I've never put gasoline in my truck with a God bless you. I've had people say, "I am there in spirit." I said, "Spirit  foot, I want you."

There are three things I've got to have to make it in evangelism; God’s grace, my grit and your greenbacks. What are you preachers looking at me so spiritual for? I am tempted to get off on a tirade on faith. Most of what we call faith is nothing but what we call experiential knowledge. Faith doesn't have anything to do with it. It is experiential knowledge; you've come to a conclusion. NO, folks I urge of you, Oh, please take into consideration that you are put into this world by a Sovereign God, saved because of Him. Everything you have, God gave to you not to sit on, but to use for His glory.

Our church was deader than a hammer two and a half years ago, so dead; I put my house on the market. I was not going to live in a town that did not have a live wire church. I was going to find a town with an on fire church, somewhere. I had revival there while we were without a pastor. In nine of the Sundays I preached, you can't believe some of the stuff I told them. One was this. We had $60,000 in the checking account, several $100,000 in other accounts, sitting there running 600 in Sunday School on a good day, deader than a door nail. I said, "Brother if I was your pastor I would have one committee that was more outstanding than any other. Call it the spending committee. We would get together every Monday morning. We would decide how we would get rid of the money we took up the day before."

Folks why do you think God sends money into your hands? To take care of my family. That's how ignorant you are spiritually. Let him that stole, steal no more. The Bible says let him that stole, steal no more working with his hands that good thing that he may have to give to them that need it.(Eph. 4:28) You don't work to provide for your family. So you guys swallow your pride; you don't take care of your family. You know how hard I work? Tell God how hard you work without Him; see if you have your job Monday. You might get a pink slip; I pray you'd get it. I pray you get laid off and have four blowouts on the way to work Monday. You'll find out where your strength comes from in a hurry. God enables you to work in order that you might give to the cause of Christ. When that money is brought in here, the tithe belongs to the Lord and the local church, not Oral Roberts, Sam Cathey, Jimmy Swaggert or any other itinerant evangelist; it belongs to the church. Don't put a dime of your tithe in my offering. If I know about it; I'll give it back. Your money belongs in the church. Why did God say to bring it in? To put it in the bank and make money? No, to use it in the Kingdom. God starts opening up windows of heaven. If you give it to the cause of Christ, you would have more than you know what to do with it.

Just maybe somebody, who could take care of Keith Fordham's travel needs, is here. At First Baptist McAllen, Texas, a man gave Jim Bob Griffin a motor home. (Looking at Keith) If nothing else, get rid of that dumb Wagoneer. I had one and put four transmissions in it. Every friend I've got that had one, Keith, had trouble with that quadratrac transmission. Don't you feel good, son? Haven't I encouraged you? Well I am not as bad as Ed Vallowe. He told the men at my first banquet that I would not make it in evangelism. He said, "I'll give him 18 months." This starts year 18 for me....I pray God's blessings on your work and pray that people will understand that this is as much a Biblical ministry as anything else that is going on. And that you will make a sizable contribution to the Keith Fordham ministry....⁶⁷