Volume 12 Homeward Bound Number 05

Our Twelfth Year

“For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” (I Corinthians 3:11)

Modern Evangelistic Malpractice

By Rev. Franklin D. Coleman

I’ve noticed a curious problem today in the evangelical (and fundamental) world; one that
poses sobering questions for the church and for the individual believer. To get to the point, a great
army of personal soul-winners has been mobilized to reach the world for Christ. They are earnest,
zealous, enthusiastic, and persuasive. To their credit it must be said that they are on the job.
Statistics show that they rack up an astounding number of conversions. Everything seems to be on
the plus side.
But the problem is this: The conversions don’t stick. The fruit does not remain. Six months
later there is nothing to be seen for all the aggressive evangelism. The modern technique of soul
winning has produced stillbirths.
What is behind all this malpractice in bringing souls to the birth? Strangely enough it begins
with the valid determination to preach the pure gospel of the grace of God. We want to keep the
message simple, uncluttered by any suggestion that man can ever earn or deserve eternal life.
Justification is by faith alone, apart from the deeds of the law. Therefore, the message is “only
believe.”
From there the message is reduced to a formula. For instance, the evangelistic process is cut
down to a few basic questions and answers, as follows:
“Do you believe you are a sinner?”
“Yes.”
“Do you believe Christ died for sinners?”
“Yes.”
“Will you receive Him as your Savior?”
“Yes.”
“Then you are saved!”
“I am?”
“Yes, the Bible says you are saved.”
At first glance the method and the message might seem above criticism. But when taking a
closer look we’re forced to have second thoughts and to conclude that the gospel has been over-
simplified.
The first fatal flaw is the missing emphasis on repentance. There can
be no true conversion without conviction of sin. It is one thing to agree
that I am a sinner. It is quite another thing to experience the
convicting ministry of the Holy Spirit in my life. Unless I have a
Spirit-wrought consciousness of my utterly lost condition I can
never exercise saving faith. It is useless to tell unconvicted sinners
to believe on Jesus; that message is only for those who know
they are lost. We sugarcoat the gospel when we de-emphasize
man’s fallen condition. With that kind of watered-down
message people receive the Word with joy instead of with deep
contrition. They do not have deep roots and though (continued on page two)

Homeward Bound Ministries – P. O. Box 3351 – Milford – Connecticut – 06460

(203) 449-6190 – john@HomewardBoundMinistries.Org
 Homeward Bound Ministries – Volume 12 – Number 05.

Modern Evangelistic Malpractice (continued)

they might endure for a while they soon give up all profession when persecution or trouble comes
(Matthew 13:21). Many have forgotten that the message is repentance toward God as well as faith in
our Lord Jesus Christ.
A second serious omission is a missing emphasis on the Lordship of Christ. A light, jovial
mental assent that Jesus is Savior misses the point. Jesus is first Lord, then Savior. The New
Testament always places His Lordship before His
Saviorhood. Do we present the full implication of His
Lordship to people? He always did.
A third defect in the message is the tendency to keep the
terms of discipleship hidden until a decision has been made for
Jesus. Our Lord never did this. The message He preached included
the cross as well as the crown. He never hid His scars to win
disciples. He revealed the worst along with the best and then
told His listeners to count the cost. We popularize the
message and promise fun.
The result of all this is that we have people believing without
knowing what they believe. In many cases they have no doctrinal basis for their
decision. They do not know the implication of commitment to Christ. They
have never experienced the mysterious, miraculous work of the Holy Spirit in
regeneration.
And of course there are others who are talked into a profession of faith
because of the slick salesmanship techniques of the soul winner. Or some that want to please the
personable young man or woman with the winning smile. And some that only want to get rid of this
religious interloper who has intruded into their privacy. Satan laughs when these conversions are
proudly announced on earth.
I would like to raise several questions that might lead to some discussion and possible changes
in the strategy of evangelism.
First of all, can we generally expect people to make an intelligent commitment to Christ the
first time they hear the Gospel? Certainly, there is the exceptional case
where a person has already been prepared by the Holy Spirit. But,
generally speaking, the process involves sowing the seed, watering it,
and then sometime later reaping the harvest. In our obsession for
instant conversion we have forgotten that conception, gestation, and
birth do not happen on the same day.
A second question, can a capsulated presentation of the gospel
really do justice to so great a message? Wouldn’t it be wise to give
people the full presentation as it is found in the Gospels or in the New
Testament?
Thirdly, is all this pressure for decisions really scriptural?
Where in the New Testament were people ever pressured into making a
profession? The practice is justified by saying that if only one out of ten
is genuine, it is worth it. But what about the other nine disillusioned,
bitter, perhaps deceived and on the road to hell by a false profession?
And I must add this: Is all this boasting about conversions really accurate? We’ve met the
person who seriously tells you of ten people they contacted that day and all of them were saved. A
young doctor testified that every time he goes to a new city he looks in the (continued on page three)
Homeward Bound Ministries – P. O. Box 3351 – Milford – Connecticut – 06460 2
(203) 449-6190 – john@HomewardBoundMinistries.Org
 Homeward Bound Ministries – Volume 12 – Number 05.

Modern Evangelistic Malpractice (continued)

phone book for people with his last name. Then he calls them one by one and leads them through the
four steps of salvation. Amazing enough, every one of them opens the door of his heart to Jesus. I
don’t want to doubt the honesty of people like this, but am I wrong in thinking that they are extremely
naive? Where are all those people who are saved? They cannot be found.
What it all means is that we should seriously re-examine our streamlined approach to
evangelism. We should be willing to spend time teaching the gospel, laying a solid doctrinal
foundation for faith to rest on. We should stress the necessity for repentance, a complete about face
concerning sin. We should stress the full implication of the Lordship of Christ and the conditions of
discipleship. We should explain what belief really involves. We should be willing to wait for the Holy
Spirit to produce genuine conviction of sin.
If we do this we’ll have less exorbitant figures of so-called conversions, but more genuine cases
of spiritual rebirth.

Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit John Payne

“Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the
blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word
against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever
speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him,
neither in this world, neither in the world to come.” (Matthew
12:31-32)

The other day while I was teaching a question

came up as to why this sin against the Holy Spirit is
not a sin against the Son of God. Generally
speaking, all sin is a sin against God, God in the
concept of the Trininty, the Three-in-One. In
that They are inseparable, when you sin
against One, you sin against Them All.
This is speaking of sin in a general
nature. In the matter at hand here,
though, Jesus is making a very specific
distinction. Many take these two verses,
Matthew 12:31-32, out of context and build their
understanding of and teaching about it without fully
looking at all that Jesus is saying.
Notice that Jesus begins these two verses with the
word “wherefore”. This word means: “for what?”, or
“why?”, or “for what or which cause or reason?”. What Jesus is
about to say then is a conclusion or a follow up to what had just
gone on in the immediate verses before. And, what happened in the
verses just before verses 31 and 32? The Pharisees has just ascribed
the power with which Jesus had cast a demon out of a man to Beelzebub, the prince of devils (Satan),
rather than to God the Holy Spirit. This, in truth, is blasphemy of the highest order.
It is noteworthy in scripture that Jesus does not often repeat things twice. When He does it is
extremely important that we pay close attention to it. (There are even a couple points (continued on page four)
Homeward Bound Ministries – P. O. Box 3351 – Milford – Connecticut – 06460 3
(203) 449-6190 – john@HomewardBoundMinistries.Org
 Homeward Bound Ministries – Volume 12 – Number 05.

Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit (continued)

in the Gospels that He repeats three times!) Here Jesus tells us twice that blasphemy against the Holy
Spirit will not be forgiven men. It is interesting to note here that this is the same accusation that the
Pharisees will make against Jesus and condemn Him to death for it!
Now, as to why this is a sin against the Holy Spirit and not a sin against the Son, I will try to
explain for you. The key is understanding just what is the that will not be forgiven and it is made clear
by Jesus in verse 32. Try looking at it this way. This sins of “speaking against” that Jesus is
describing in these verses here are not blasphemy of the person of Himself or of the Holy Spirit, but
rather of the office and of the work of Himself and of the Holy Spirit. Jesus means that the things the
Pharisees are saying are not being taken by Himself and the Spirit personally as individuals, but
against their positions in the Godhead,
their official authorities as Messiah,
Redeemer and Son of God, as for Jesus;
and Creator, Comforter, Indweller,
Anointer, Convictor of men, and so forth,
as for the Holy Spirit.
The meaning in this passage then
cannot be that the unforgivable sin is
blasphemy against the person of God the
Holy Spirit because blasphemy against the
person of God the Father and the person
of God the Son is exactly the same sin.
The blasphemy that Jesus is referring to
here is directed against the office or the
operation of the Holy Spirit. So, whoever
denies or comes against the office or the
operation of the Holy Spirit, this mans sin
cannot be forgiven. And, the primary work of the Holy Spirit here on earth is to call men to Jesus
Christ, to convict them of their sin, for them to repent of that sin and to be saved. Therefore, a sin
against the Holy Spirit of this type cannot be a sin against Jesus Christ (or the Father for that
matter!).
I’ll just spend a moment with an explanation on the example of all this from the passage under
discussion. Jesus is anointed with the Holy Spirit in the fullest measure (see Luke 4, in fulfillment of
Isaiah 61). Jesus here describes this sin of blasphemy in the presence of the Pharisees because this is
exactly what they had just done. It is also a record for the rest of us, to warn us all. The Pharisees had
just accused Jesus of being possessed by Beelzebub! Jesus had just performed a miracle by the power
of the Spirit. The Pharisees’ accusation was a blasphemy against the Holy Spirit and not against
Jesus. How is this the blaspheming of the Holy Spirit instead of Jesus? The answer is found in Jesus'
response to them. Jesus said, “But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is
come unto you.” (Matthew 12:28) Because Jesus had cast the demon out by the power of the Spirit, it
was then the Spirit that had done the work and then the Pharisees had blasphemed the work and
operation of the Holy Spirit rather than that of Jesus. The Pharisees were calling the Holy Spirit the
Devil! Now, if they deny the power of the office and authority of the Holy Spirit, then He, the Holy
Spirit, is then helpless to bring these men to salvation through Christ, and therefore the sin will be
forever unpardonable. They will die and enter eternity unforgiven.
I hope this explains how the Pharisees’ blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is a sin against the
Holy Spirit and not against the Son (or the Father).
Homeward Bound Ministries – P. O. Box 3351 – Milford – Connecticut – 06460 4
(203) 449-6190 – john@HomewardBoundMinistries.Org
 Homeward Bound Ministries – Volume 12 – Number 05.

THE GREATEST TEXT IN THE BIBLE - John 3:16

By Dr. Harry A. Ironside
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)
WHY do so many people think this is the greatest text in the Bible? There are other wonderful
texts that dwell on the love of God, that show how men are delivered from judgment, that tell us how
we may obtain everlasting life,
but no other one verse, as far as
I can see, gives us all these
precious truths so clearly and so
distinctly. So true is this that
when the gospel is carried into
heathen lands, and missionaries
want to give a synopsis of the
gospel to a pagan people, all
they find it necessary to do, if
they are going to a people that
have a written language, is to
translate and print this verse,
and it tells out the story that
they are so anxious for the
people to hear. If they do not
have a written language,
invariably one of the first
Scriptures that they are taught
to memorize is John 3:16.
I have a slip of paper sent to me by my friend, Allan Cameron of China. In those odd characters
this same message is written, and that message put into the hands of the Chinese has often been used
to lead a soul to Christ. Not immediately, of course, for he does not understand it all at once, but it has
led him to ask upon what authority is this statement based, and so eventually he is led to the Lord
Jesus Christ.
Many Truths in One Verse
How many truths are wrapped up in that one verse! In the first place, there is the personality of
God, "God so loved." A God who can love is a person. We had a woman in the United States who
invented a religion a few years ago, and she said it was all love, and yet she said that God is
impersonal. But that is not possible. Just imagine falling in love with a cloud, or thinking that a cloud
is loving you! It is something utterly impossible; you cannot do it. Behind love there must be a person
with a warm, loving heart. "God so loved."
This Chinese translation which my friend Cameron sent me, says, "God so passionately loved
the world, that he gave." It was a divine passion, a heart in heaven throbbing in loving sympathy with
men in all their trials and difficulties here on earth. What a wonderful revelation that is, and it is all
wrapped up in this one verse. (continued on page six)

Homeward Bound Ministries – P. O. Box 3351 – Milford – Connecticut – 06460 5

(203) 449-6190 – john@HomewardBoundMinistries.Org
 Homeward Bound Ministries – Volume 12 – Number 05.

THE GREATEST TEXT IN THE BIBLE - John 3:16 (continued)

Then there is the truth of the divine Fatherhood. This God so loved men "that he gave his only
begotten Son." There cannot be a son without a father. If God gave His Son, God Himself is a Father,
and that is a revelation the pagan world never dreamed of.
Then again, there is the lost condition of mankind. God gave His well beloved Son, "that
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." An unsaved man is in grave
danger. You, dear unsaved one, are in grave danger of being so utterly lost that you may be banished
from the presence of this God of love forever, and yet He it is who has provided a means whereby His
banished ones may return to Him. God gave Him up to
a sacrificial death on Calvary's cross for all men, "that
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have
everlasting life."
The universality of the offer of mercy is also
here. It is a "whosoever" message, and what does
"whosoever" mean? A gentleman came one time to my
former home city and took an entire week for a series
of lectures on John 3:16. During that time he labored
every night to prove that the world that God loved was
the world of the elect, and that "whosoever" was simply
the "whosoever" that God had chosen from the
foundation of the world. No wonder it took him a week
to try to make out that kind of a thing. Any child can
see the difference between a doctrine like that and that
which is revealed in this text. Any one of school age
knows the meaning of "whosoever."
You may have heard the story of the old
Scotchman who had been brought up with the idea that
God had predetermined just so many people to be
saved, and all the rest were created to be damned. He
felt that he ought to be willing to say, "O God, if it is
Thy will to damn me, I do not want to be saved"; but he
did want to be saved, and was in the deepest agony of
soul about it. But still they all said, "If you are not one
of the elect, you cannot be saved."
One day he was out in the field plowing, when
he found a piece of paper with a large text on it. He
tried to spell it out, but he was not very good at
reading, and so he read s l o w l y: "For--God--so--
loved--the--world--that--he--gave---his---only---be-got-ten---Son--that--who-so-ever." He wondered
what that meant, but as he did not know, he passed on to the next part. "That--who-so-ever--be-liev-
eth--in--him---should--not--perish---but--have---ever-last-ing--life."
"Man !" he said, "here's good news for somebody. God so loved the world, that he gave his only
begotten Son, that who-so-ever! I wonder who is meant by that word. Here is somebody who can have
everlasting life, elect or not elect." And while he was pondering the question, he saw a lad going by
with a bunch of books under his arm. He called to him, "Here, laddie, can ye read ?" "Aye, that I can,"
he replied. "Well, will you read this?" (continued on page seven)

Homeward Bound Ministries – P. O. Box 3351 – Milford – Connecticut – 06460 6

(203) 449-6190 – john@HomewardBoundMinistries.Org
 Homeward Bound Ministries – Volume 12 – Number 05.

THE GREATEST TEXT IN THE BIBLE - John 3:16 (continued)

Wanting to impress the old man with his great ability, the boy read like a race horse;
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish, but have everlasting life." "O laddie, laddie, don't read it so fast; read it again, and
read it slowly so I can get every word, and be careful with that long word," said the old man. And so
the boy read it again. "Does it really say there that somebody can be saved by just believing?" the old
man asked. "What does that long word mean?" "Oh," said the boy, "whosoever means you, or me, or
any other body; but there goes the bell, I have to run," and away he went.
The old man stood there, and read it again, "For God loved the world, that he gave his only
begotten Son, that you, or me, or any other body believeth in him, should not perish, but have
everlasting life." "Man !" he said, "that's good news for a sinner like me; I don't need to find out
whether I am elect or not," and he dropped down between the plow handles, and there confessed
himself a sinner for whom Jesus died. He took God at His word and his soul was saved.
One Text a Whole Week
One of the earliest stories I ever heard about D. L. Moody was one with which some of you are
familiar. When he was in Great Britain, he met a young Englishman by the name of Henry

Moorhouse. One day Moorhouse said to Moody "I am thinking of going to America."
"Well," said Moody, "if you should ever be in Chicago come down to my place, and I will give you a
chance to preach."
Now although Mr. Moody was not two-faced, he was merely trying to be polite, for mentally he
was saying, "I hope he won't come." There are so many people, you know, who want to preach,
although God never meant them to, and Mr. Moody was not quite sure of Mr. Moorhouse. He was
rather taken back one day when, just before leaving for a series of meetings, he received a telegram,
"Have just arrived in New York. Will be in Chicago on Sunday." "And now," thought Moody, "I am
going away, and I told him he could preach here." So he said to his wife and to his committee, "Here's
this young Englishman coming; let him preach once, and then if the people enjoy him, put him on
again." (continued on page eight)

Homeward Bound Ministries – P. O. Box 3351 – Milford – Connecticut – 06460 7

(203) 449-6190 – john@HomewardBoundMinistries.Org
 Homeward Bound Ministries – Volume 12 – Number 05.

THE GREATEST TEXT IN THE BIBLE - John 3:16 (continued)

When Moody returned, he said to his wife, "Well, what about that young preacher?"
"Oh," she said, "he is a better preacher than you are. Why, he is telling sinners that God loves them."
"He is wrong!" said Moody, "God doesn't love sinners." "Well," she said, "you go and hear him." "Why,
is he still preaching?”, asked Mr. Moody. "Yes, he has been preaching all week and has taken only one
text, John 3:16," was her reply.
When Mr. Moody went to the meeting,
Moorhouse got up, and said, "I have been hunting and
hunting all through the Bible, looking for a text, and I
think we will just talk about John 3:16 once more."
Mr. Moody always testified that it was on that night
that he got his first clear understanding of the gospel
and the love of God. Think what it meant in Moody's
life, and in the lives of tens of thousands who were
reached through his ministry, to know that God loves
sinners. Are you one of those who has been saying, "If
I were only a little better, I could believe that God
loves me?" O dear friend, hear it again: "Sinners Jesus
will receive; Sound this word of grace to all, Who the
heavenly pathway leave, All who linger, all who fall."
"This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all
acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to
save sinners; of Whom I am chief." (1 Timothy 1:15).
Just Like African Boys
I remember when I was a boy, going to a
missionary meeting. A missionary was there from
Africa, and was showing us a whole lot of curious
things, and then he said, "Now boys, I want to tell you
the kind of gospel we preach to the people in Africa.
How many good boys have we here? A lot of us
thought we were good, but our mothers were there
and so not one of us dared hold up his hand. "Well,"
said he, "not one good boy here; then I have the same
message for you that we have for the heathen in Africa; God loves naughty boys!"
"My," I thought, "he is getting all mixed up," for you see I had heard people say, "If you are
good, God will love you." But, dear friends, that is not true. God is not waiting for you to be good so
He can love you; God loves sinners, and has proven His love for them by the gift of His Son, the Lord
Jesus Christ. "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the
propitiation for our sins." (1 John 4:10) Instead of waiting for people to be good, "God commendeth
his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8) Do you
believe it, dear friend?
The difficulty is that men have this wrong idea about God, and are always trying to make out
that they are better than they are. "Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a
faithful man who can find?" (Proverbs 20:6) You will find people down in the depths of sin, but they
are always ready to compare themselves with other folk, saying, "I am as good as (continued on page nine)

Homeward Bound Ministries – P. O. Box 3351 – Milford – Connecticut – 06460 8

(203) 449-6190 – john@HomewardBoundMinistries.Org
 Homeward Bound Ministries – Volume 12 – Number 05.

THE GREATEST TEXT IN THE BIBLE - John 3:16 (continued)

they are." But God has no message and no blessing for men who are trying to justify themselves.
As long as you try to make a good name for yourself, God can only condemn you; but when you come
into His presence and confess yourself a lost, guilty sinner, God has a message and a blessing for you.
"God so loved the world", a wicked, corrupt, and ungodly world, and you and I belong to it. ."As in
water face answereth to face, so the heart of man to man" (Proverbs 27:19) God's Word declares that
"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the Lord search
the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of
his doings." (Jeremiah 17:9-
10) Yet, knowing all the
wickedness of which my
heart and your heart is
capable, God loves us and
gave His Son to die for us.
My ! What a gospel
this is; what a message to
bring to poor, needy sinners!
We do not come to men, and
say, "Turn over a new leaf;
quit your meanness; give up
this, and give up that." We
do not ask any one to give
up; we ask you to receive the
gift of God, and when you
receive that gift, "the things
of the world will grow
strangely dim in the light of
Christ's glory and grace."
A lad tried to preach on John
3:16 one day. He was asked to give his testimony, but thought he had better get up a sermon. He
divided his text into four heads: God loved. God gave. I believe. I have. Could you make a better
division than that?
A Girl's Horror of God
A little girl who lived in Luther's day had been brought up with a perfect horror of God. She
thought of Him as always watching her, taking note of every wrong thing she did, and just waiting to
visit judgment upon her. Her parents could not get that fear out of her mind. Her father was a printer,
and was working on Luther's first German Bible. One day she was in his shop, when just a comer of
one of the sheets of the Bible caught her eye. She looked at it, and as she read it, her whole attitude
toward God changed, and she said, "Mother, I am, not afraid of God any more."
"Well, my dear," said the mother, "I am glad of that, but why are you not afraid of God?"
"Oh," she replied, "look what I found, a piece of the Bible, and it says, 'God so loved, that he gave.'" It
was just a part of two lines. "Well," her mother said, "how does that take away your fear of God ? It
doesn't say what He gave." "Oh, but if He loved us enough to give anything, I am not afraid," said the
child. And then her mother sat down and opened up the whole truth to her. (continued on page ten)

Homeward Bound Ministries – P. O. Box 3351 – Milford – Connecticut – 06460 9

(203) 449-6190 – john@HomewardBoundMinistries.Org
 Homeward Bound Ministries – Volume 12 – Number 05.

THE GREATEST TEXT IN THE BIBLE - John 3:16 (continued)

People are stumbling over the simplest things. Take, for instance, that word believeth. You
would think that was plain enough for anybody, but all my life I have heard people say, "I have always
believed, and yet I am not saved." It does not say, "Whosoever believeth the Bible, or creeds, or even
the gospel story," but it does say, "Whosoever believeth in him." What is it to believe in Him? It means
to put your soul's confidence in Him, to trust in Him, God's blessed Son. When in Toronto, I picked
up a copy of a broad Scotch translation of the New Testament, and the first thing I noticed was that
this word believeth is not found there at all. Instead of believeth there is the Scotch word, lippen, and
it means to throw your whole weight upon. This is the way it reads, "Whosoever lippens to Jesus
should not perish, but have the life of the ages"--the life that runs on through all the ages.

Just Lippen to Jesus

One day Dr. Chalmers spent hours with a poor, anxious soul, trying to lead her into peace, but
she could not understand what it was to believe, and finally he had to leave her. On the way home he
had to cross a creek with a shaky old bridge over it, and as he was feeling his way across in a very
careful manner, one of his parishioners who saw him, called out, "Can you nae lippen the bridge?"
Immediately he said, "That's the word for the old lady I have just left," and he went back to her, and
said, "I have got the word for you, can you nae lippen to Jesus?" Lippen?" she said, "is it just to
lippen? Aye, I can lippen to Him. He will never let me down, will He?" "Yes, that is it," he replied, "He
will never let you down." Have you been struggling, trying, working; have you been promising and
trying to give up this and to do this, that, and the other thing? O dear friend, hear it, "Whosoever
lippens to Jesus shall not perish, but have everlasting life."

Another "Whosoever"

But now notice the

alternative. They who trust in
Jesus will not perish, but what
about those who do not trust in
Him? There is another
whosoever. In Revelation 20,
where we have that solemn
picture of the last judgment, we
read, "I saw a great white
throne, and him that sat on it,
from whose face the earth and
the heaven fled away; and there
was found no place for them.
And I saw the dead, small and
great, stand before God; and the
books were opened: and another
book was opened, which is the
book of life: and the dead were
judged out of those things which
were written in the books,
according (continued on page eleven)
Homeward Bound Ministries – P. O. Box 3351 – Milford – Connecticut – 06460 10
(203) 449-6190 – john@HomewardBoundMinistries.Org
 Homeward Bound Ministries – Volume 12 – Number 05.

THE GREATEST TEXT IN THE BIBLE - John 3:16 (continued)

to their works. And the sea gave up, the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the
dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and
hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in
the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." (Revelation 20:11-15) Listen to it, sinner, whosoever in
the day of judgment "was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." Who are
found written in the book of life? "Whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have
everlasting life." There they are, those who believed, and those that did not believe; those who
received the gift of God, and those who spurned the gospel, trampling under foot the grace of God.
They stand in the judgment as poor, lost, trembling souls to hear their dreadful sentence. You may be
saved now without money and without price. "There is life for a look at the Crucified One, There is life
at this moment for thee; Then look, sinner, look unto Him and be saved, Unto Him who was nailed to
the tree." Look, sinner, look to Jesus just now and be saved.
Dr. Harry A. Ironside c.1931

It Is Finished
He was crushed under the weight of His cross. He had been beaten, bruised and bloodied
beyond recognition. And to add insult to unimaginable injury, He was forced to carry the cross upon
which He was to be crucified; the cross to which He was to be nailed for our sins. Who knows just
how far He got before its weight became too much for Him to bear or His injuries overwhelmed Him?
Simon of Cyrene, over one thousand three hundred miles from his homeland, perhaps here for the
great feast, was compelled, was forced to carry the cross for this Man, the Messiah, to the place of the
skull, Golgotha.
Once there He was stripped of
his clothes and He was nailed to this
rough, rugged cross. He did not
resist, He lovingly submitted to this
final indignity, even asking His
Father to forgive the men who drove
those spikes into His hands and His
feet. It was a point between Heaven
and earth from which He surveyed
those who remained to see Him, to
hear Him in His last moments. Most
had fled.
Three short years, from
obscurity, to fame to infamy. Each
step of the way planned out in the
most precise of detail since the
foundation of the world and carried
out in the deepest of love for man, the pinnacle of His creation. You could have almost heard the
teardrops from His Father falling upon the earth that day as His only begotten Son was made the
perfect offering for sin and man’s final redemption price was paid in full.
Remember all of this the next time you are about to put your hand to a willful and
premeditated sin and call yourself by the name of Christ. An attempt to shame you (continued on page twelve)

Homeward Bound Ministries – P. O. Box 3351 – Milford – Connecticut – 06460 11

(203) 449-6190 – john@HomewardBoundMinistries.Org
 Homeward Bound Ministries – Volume 12 – Number 05.

It Is Finished (continued)
or perhaps anger you? No. This is simply to remind you of what this God-man did in love for you so
that you no longer have to do what you are about to do. Perhaps you might never take such a
decision so lightly ever again.
Or maybe you forgot. He suffered, died and rose again in fulfillment of prophecy, according to
the plan and foreknowledge of God that the power of Satan, sin and death would be forever broken in
your life. These three, that had held dread sway over the sons of Adam since the day in the Garden
when man first fell through disobedience, no longer have any power over you because this Son of God
said “it is finished” on the cross of Calvary.
Those three precious words now ring throughout eternity like a liberty bell proclaiming
freedom to all those who will stand up to Satan and be free indeed. Ringing first throughout the
grave, alerting all those who had died in faith awaiting the promise of the Redeemer long before. The
graves of many of these faithful men and women breaking open could not contain them, walking the
streets of Jerusalem and seen by many on the day the Mighty Maker died upon that cruel cross. And
heard since that day by all those who have read the account of the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ.
That’s you and me. For those of us who have both heard and believed and have chosen to follow Him
in love and obedience it is finished indeed!
John Payne

God Cannot Please Sinners

In my meditations early this morning, I re-read a sermon by Charles Finney entitled "God
Cannot Please Sinners". I had read this a number of years ago and this morning the power of it shown
through more clearly than in the past. I have always highly recommended Finney, being one of the
few authors I do in any way support and promote. I
have provided here the last paragraph of that sermon.
I do not think that any man alive today has heard from
a pulpit more passion for the lost than you will read
here. It grieves my heart that there are few men who
will stand for the Truth (as did he) in these times. I
hope with all my heart that you will hear and feel in
your own spirit the passion for lost sinners that passes
from these words to your soul and mind, all to the end
that you will become a fervent soul winner for Christ
and His Kingdom.
Further, in my time spent with Him this
morning, He impressed upon me that everything in
this world, in all of history, all that happens to come
into ours and other people's lives has been done so as
to bring us to a knowledge of salvation and after that
having been so accomplished in our own lives that we will reach out to others as well. There is
nothing more important in this life than connecting with God through His Son Jesus Christ in the
salvation of our soul. It is vital that we become His. Just as we need air, water and food, without Him
we perish indeed.
If you would like a copy of the entire sermon, please either call or email me and I will send it
directly to you. Without additional comment, I leave you with this awesome paragraph.
John Payne
(continued on page thirteen)

Homeward Bound Ministries – P. O. Box 3351 – Milford – Connecticut – 06460 12

(203) 449-6190 – john@HomewardBoundMinistries.Org
 Homeward Bound Ministries – Volume 12 – Number 05.

God Cannot Please Sinners (continued)

“Sinners should not follow their feelings, but obey the voice of conscience. In other cases,
where sinners find their feelings opposed to their better judgement, they will often set down their
foot, and resist the current of their feelings. They will say, I am not going to be carried away, and
throw up the reins to my feelings, I must exercise
my judgment. I must act like a reasonable being.
But oh, on the subject of religion, how perfectly
men give themselves up to their wicked hearts.
Sinner, you ought this moment to come forth
promptly, and act like a man, and say you will
not go another step in the way of death. Why
throw up the reins, and give loose to passion?
Why drive with such furious haste to hell? Why
suffer yourself to be carried hither and thither,
by every gush of feeling, and by every breath of
emotion that passes over the surface of your
soul? Why, sinner, if you do not exercise your
reason; if you do not listen to the voice of
conscience; if you do not gather up the reins, gird
up your loins, and address yourself to the work of
your salvation like a man; if you do not make up
your mind to resist the whole tide of your carnal
feelings, and put yourself under the clear blaze of
heaven's light; and when conscience gives forth
its verdict, unless you will promptly obey, you must die in your sins; and now will you here, in the
house of God, while your character and danger are before you; while mercy waits to save, and death
brandishes his weapon to destroy, while heaven calls, and hell groans; while the spirit strives, and
Christians pray, will you have the moral courage, the decision of character, the honesty, and
manhood, to resolve on immediate submission to Jesus Christ?”

Are we in tune?
ʺHas it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are
automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each
other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So one
hundred worshippers meeting together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart
nearer to each other than they could possibly be were they to become ‘unity’ conscious
and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship. Social religion is
perfected when private religion is purified. The body becomes stronger as its members
become healthier. The whole church of God gains when the members that compose it
begin to seek a better and a higher life.ʺ
A.W. Tozer-
Homeward Bound Ministries – P. O. Box 3351 – Milford – Connecticut – 06460 13
(203) 449-6190 – john@HomewardBoundMinistries.Org
 Homeward Bound Ministries – Volume 12 – Number 05.

How Shall We Escape

“How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation.” (Hebrews 2:3)
Indeed, dear brothers and sisters. How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation. Jesus
the Christ, Who God the Father has chosen to speak to us in this time has revealed unto us the way
out of this life alive in order to spend an eternity with Him. Oh how precious then are His Words,
Words of life, eternal life. And oh so many reject, neglect and avoid them at the expense of their
eternal future.
The Greek word here translated “escape” means: to flee out of, flee away, to seek safety in
flight. The truth is that there is no safety, no safe place for us to flee if we neglect, or as the Greek here
implies “to be careless of” this great salvation.
Go back to verse one of chapter two here in this marvelous Epistle to the Hebrews. It begins,
“Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any
time we should let them slip.” What a warning for you and for me. A warning that for many goes
unheeded. Have you heard?
Have you heeded?
Quite a while ago
somebody placed a little
Gospel tract in my hand. On
the one side were printed
these words: “What must I do
to be saved?” Below these
were written God’s answer
from Acts 16:31, “Believe on
the Lord Jesus Christ, and
thou shalt be saved.” Then it
said, “ Turn over,” and I
turned it over. On the other
side of this little tract was
written this question, “What
must I do to be lost?” and
following this was the answer
in just one little word:
“Nothing.” Absolutely
nothing! You and I do not
have to do anything in order to be lost. We are already lost and if we do not do something about it,
and do it quickly, we will be forever lost!
I repeat, “How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation?” All that is necessary to be
lost today, for all eternity, all that is necessary to bring upon our own heads the awful wrath of
almighty God for our casual and contemptuous treatment of the Gospel proclaimed by the lips of and
purchased by the atoning death of His Son, all that is simply required is to neglect it.
The remedy for both you and me, indeed for all mankind, is that we answer the call that Jesus
has proclaimed from Calvary’s hill. The salvation He has provided for one and for all is freely offered.
We need to accept it for ourselves and surrender to Him and then go forth in obedience and share it
with others that they too may escape. Let not us or anyone we know be lost due to neglecting so great
a salvation!
John Payne

Homeward Bound Ministries – P. O. Box 3351 – Milford – Connecticut – 06460 14

(203) 449-6190 – john@HomewardBoundMinistries.Org
 Homeward Bound Ministries – Volume 12 – Number 05.

Scandal!
A couple weeks ago a man resigned his position as Police Commissioner here in the town I live.
There is nothing newsworthy about this in and of itself. I have known this man since moving here in
August of 1997, almost eleven years now. I have always had
the deepest respect for him and love him dearly. He was the
Pastor of the church I attended and began to serve in once the
Lord began to open doors of ministry for me. This man
pastored that church for twenty one years before resigning to
take up the position of Chief Executive Officer of a local non
profit dealing with troubled and abused youth, a job he has
done exceedingly well. He is also on the State’s Ethics
Commission and been on the board of the United Way and
the Red Cross. He has always been very involved, has
exceptionally served his community and is generally well
liked. He has a lovely family, a wonderful wife filled with the
Holy Spirit who has lovingly supported her husband and two grown children.
This all seemingly began to unravel with the story behind his resignation. Feelings of regret,
shame and anguish from my own sinful past overwhelmed me as I read the newspaper accounts of the
actions that led to this mans stepping down from the post he has held for the last eleven years. This
now possibly jeopardizes his career helping the young people which he is so passionate about. A night
out in a local bar and restaurant, becoming intoxicated, embracing a woman who is not his wife,
vomiting upon himself and a policeman, a police officer
preventing him from getting into his own
car and then driving him home. He
was caught on security cameras in
the restaurant and then made
public through a Freedom of
Information Act request by a
local newspaper, and caught as
well on the street by the public
who snapped pictures with
cameras and cell phones and other
sordid details. Scandal, a genuine
local scandal.
Brethren, we have all seen in the
public press and on television the disgraceful events of famous
televangelists and national religious leaders. Jimmy Swaggart. Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker. Robert
Tilton. Ted Haggard. We wag our heads and think our thoughts but when it happens to somebody in
our own town, a religious leader that we personally know, it is somehow different. For me it came
sharply into focus.
The matter is simply this. When you are a servant of God in a very public position, a position
of public trust, there comes along with it accountability before both God and man. When you sin
publicly there is always forgiveness from God but the stigma remains. You have sullied and soiled the
reliance you have been entrusted with and though God may once again place confidence in you there
are those in the world around you who will only see you as tainted goods, covered with mud. God is
so merciful, unlike men. The Bible says, “The LORD is merciful and gracious, (continued on page sixteen)
Homeward Bound Ministries – P. O. Box 3351 – Milford – Connecticut – 06460 15
(203) 449-6190 – john@HomewardBoundMinistries.Org
 Homeward Bound Ministries – Volume 12 – Number 05.

Scandal! (continued)
slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for
ever. He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as
the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the
east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions
from us.” (Psalm 103:8-12)
It is so very important, for the sake of the work that God
has entrusted us with, that we who have been called by Him to
serve, that we walk in humility, walk circumspectly, walk in
holiness, walk in the fear of God, that no blame can be laid at His
feet or shame be brought to His Name before men. It is simply
that important. I pray for this man, his wife and family. I know
that many in town are laughing at him and mocking him for what
he has done. I know the shame he, his wife and children will face
around town from neighbors and passersby. From this day
forward much of what he has done will be forgotten and when he
is seen on the street he will be remembered not for the thousands
of lives he has touched over the past thirty years, including mine and my son Christopher’s, but for
this one incident he will be thought of.
“A good name is better than precious ointment.” (Ecclesiastes 7:1) This is a warning to all of
us who serve God whether we are pastors, teachers, evangelists or other leaders in the public eye. We
must be constantly aware that our common enemy Satan is out to destroy us and in due course the
work of God. The Bible says, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring
lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” (I Peter 5:8) Forewarned is forearmed! The
Word also says, lest we be overly confident, “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed
lest he fall. There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful,
who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make
a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” (I Corinthians 10:12-13) I constantly teach this. As
our enemy comes and presents us with temptation to sin
and drag us down, God has promised never to allow us to
be tempted beyond our limit of endurance. This means
that we will never be tempted beyond our ability to say NO
to the temptation. This also means that when we are
tempted to sin that if we do fall it is because we either
willfully chose to do so or we forgot the other half of this
verse. The latter half says that God always provides a way
of escape, a way out of the temptation so that we do not
HAVE to sin.
So, dear brethren, when we find ourselves in such a
situation as my friend in this article, we are without excuse
before God. There is no necessity to shame Him before men. We must always be aware WHO we are
in Christ as well as WHOSE we are (and that is Christ’s!). As an ambassador representing both the
King and the Kingdom of God we have an awesome responsibility to live holy here in this life before
men. Jesus says, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and
glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16) The apostle Paul also warns us, “Let not
then your good be evil spoken of.” (Romans 14:16)
John Payne
Homeward Bound Ministries – P. O. Box 3351 – Milford – Connecticut – 06460 16
(203) 449-6190 – john@HomewardBoundMinistries.Org
 Homeward Bound Ministries – Volume 12 – Number 05.

Ur of the Chaldees
Home of Abraham

Ur was an ancient city in southern Mesopotamia in what is modern day Iraq, located near the
mouth (at the time) of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers on the Persian Gulf and close to Eridu. It is
considered to be one of the earliest known civilizations in world history. Because of marine
regression, the remains are now well inland in present day Iraq, south of the Euphrates on its right
bank, and named Tell el-Mukayyar, near the city of Nasiriyah and south of Baghdad.
The site is marked by the ruins of a ziggurat, still largely intact, and by settlement mounds.
The ziggurat of Ur is a temple of Nanna, the moon deity in Sumerian mythology, and has two stages
constructed from brick. In the lower stage the bricks are joined together with bitumen, in the upper
stage they are joined with mortar. The Sumerian name for this city was Urim. At one time, circa
2300BC, it was the largest city in the world with an estimated population of about 65,000. Below are
pictures from the archaeological site as well as a satellite photo of Ur as it appears from approximately
1,600 feet up, courtesy of Google Earth.

Homeward Bound Ministries – P. O. Box 3351 – Milford – Connecticut – 06460 17

(203) 449-6190 – john@HomewardBoundMinistries.Org
 Homeward Bound Ministries – Volume 12 – Number 05.

Homeward Bound Ministries – P. O. Box 3351 – Milford – Connecticut – 06460 18

(203) 449-6190 – john@HomewardBoundMinistries.Org
 Homeward Bound Ministries – Volume 12 – Number 05.

Homeward Bound is published by Homeward Bound Ministries, Post Office Box 3351, Milford, Connecticut,
USA, 06460. Homeward Bound is a teaching ministry attempting to edify the body of Christ, prepare men and
women to serve in the Great Commission and furnish articles of timely interest and content relevant to our day
and the issues we face in our daily walk with Christ. We invite you to write to us and ask questions regarding
the Bible and matters of faith, and submit articles, testimonies or other pieces for publication that glorify God.
Thank you for taking the time to read this issue of Homeward Bound!
 2008 Homeward Bound Ministries

Homeward Bound Ministries – P. O. Box 3351 – Milford – Connecticut – 06460 19

(203) 449-6190 – john@HomewardBoundMinistries.Org