Sentimental Religion
Introduction
It was December, the time when a lot of people have a problem remembering that Jesus is “The Reason for the Season”, even when church signs remind us. It was at the close of the morning worship service and I was speaking to our members as they came by me. Suddenly, I realized the line had stopped. I looked up and saw Lavelle and Mary Lou. I looked down and saw Daniel, their little grandson, who was somewhere between two and three years old. My attention and my imagination were arrested by the amused expression on Lavelle’s face and by the sheer joy in Mary Lou’s eyes, and her voice as she said, “Daniel has something he wants to tell you.”
I looked down at Daniel, then bending down to him, I asked what he wanted to say. I could only understand a word or two, partly because he was so animated. I heard the word “truck” and I heard something I did not understand, accompanied by Daniel’s upraised arm, which suddenly began waving around and around over his head. I looked up at this grandparents and Mary Lou explained that “Daniel has heard us talk about Dr. Sanders all his life. In the past couple of weeks he has heard a lot about Santa, and before we left for church this morning he told us he was going to tell Dr. Santa what he wanted for Christmas. He wants a truck, a tractor, and something that went round and round, like his arm was going. He wants a helicopter!” I asked Daniel Herring a couple of years ago if he remembered that and he said, “No sir, but I have heard about it often enough.”
When a two or three year old gets confused about Santa it is amusing, but when millions of people who profess to be Christians claim the are honoring the Christ of Christmas through the sales, functions, parties, decorations, and visits of the holidays, their confusion is not amusing.
A little girl, we will call her Amy, dies after a two year battle with leukemia, which included months in St. Jude’s, an amputation of one leg, and pain so intense that she prays to go to heaven. Her death touched an entire community, her school, and churches throughout the area. People were praying for Amy and her family. Then, after the funeral I drove by and saw the sign in front of her school. It read, AMY HAS EARNED HER ANGEL’S WINGS. I was sickened. This is the very buckle of the Bible Belt! Churches are all around the school. Our church, which dates back to 1867, may be the oldest, but not by much. The Gospel has been preached for generations here, and Sunday School teachers have taught the Word of God all during that time. And still there are people who think good little girls will become angels when they go to heaven? Still, there are people who believe you can earn salvation through good works or through suffering.
FLASHBACK. The radio DJ announces that he is about to play a new song by Marty Robbins. Yeah, I know. I date myself. But I could listen to a Marty Robbins or Jim Reeves a little more comfortably than some of the country singers around today. Anyway, as I listened to Marty Robbins sing, “My Woman, My Woman, My Wife”, I was really disappointed when I heard the words, “Lord grant her my share of heaven if I have earned any here below.” Often, people will go to the visitation at the funeral home when someone dies who has suffered a long time and, “Don’t you think she deserved to go to heaven?” The answer is no!
FLASHBACK. I was talking with a Jewish friend after my friend, Pastor Jim White had a heart attack and could not continue at the health club. My friend said, “Johnny, I am going to have to tell you what I always told Jim every Friday when he left. I told him to give ‘em hell. Now, I am going to have to tell you that.” I said, Phil, heaven is a gift. Hell is what you deserve.” We didn’t have to go through that every Friday.
I. JEREMIAH’S JUDAH SUBSTITUTED SENTIMENT FOR TRUTH.
A. They Had all the Basic Elements of Religion.
The people of Jeremiah’s Judah were very religions. They had the temple and they looked to it with pride. They looked to it for security. God could not destroy Jerusalem because we have “The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.” Not only did they have the temple, they had the priests and Levites who served regularly in the temple. They not only had the temple and the priests, there were prophets everywhere, telling the people what God would do and what He would not do.
B. They Had Religious Jargon and Ceremonies.
The people came to the temple for the great holy feasts and festivals, like Passover and the Day of Atonement. They brought lambs without spot or blemish to be sacrificed. They sang hymns, they gave offerings, they observed holy days, and sang of testified of their devotion. They abstained from the a lot of bad things, and kept the Law. Well, they kept the parts of it that appealed to them.
Let me read what God told Isaiah to tell their ancestors a century earlier:
“What are all your sacrifices to Me?” asks the Lord. “I have had enough of burnt offerings and rams and the fat of well–fed cattle; I have no desire for the blood of bulls, lambs, or male goats.
When you come to appear before Me, who requires this from you—this trampling of My courts? Stop bringing useless offerings. I despise your incense. New Moons and Sabbaths, and the calling of solemn assemblies—I cannot stand iniquity with a festival.
I hate your New Moons and prescribed festivals. They have become a burden to Me; I am tired of putting up with them. When you lift up your hands [in prayer], I will refuse to look at you; even if you offer countless prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood” (Is. 1:11-15, HCSB).
Listen to what God told Amos to tell the people of Israel, the Northern Kingdom a century and a alf earlier:
“I hate, I despise your feasts! I can’t stand the stench of your solemn assemblies. Even if you offer Me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept [them]; I will have no regard for your fellowship offerings of fattened cattle. Take away from Me the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. But let justice flow like water, and righteousness, like an unfailing stream” (Amos 5:21-24, HCSB).
God despised their worship. But, you may object, that was Israel, not Judah. Judah was worse. He told Jeremiah to tell Judah that she was more treacherous than unfaithful Israel.
C. They Had all the Symbols of Religion Without the Significance of It.
They met, offered sacrifices, sang hymns, brought offerings, and testified, “the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord” (Ch. 7), but God was neither pleased not fooled. Isaiah wrote that the people of Judah were guilty of the same sins that caused God to destroy Israel.
These people were religious but not faithful. They maintained a memory of religious things, but rejected their Creator. So, the Lord sent Jeremiah with this message:
Declare this in the house of Jacob; proclaim it in Judah, saying: Hear this, you foolish and senseless people. They have eyes, but they don’t see. They have ears, but they don’t hear. Do you not fear Me? [This is] the Lord’s declaration. Do you not tremble before Me, the One who set the sand as the boundary of the sea, an enduring barrier that it cannot cross? The waves surge, but they cannot prevail. They roar but cannot pass over it.
But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts. They have turned aside and have gone away. They have not said to themselves: Let’s fear the Lord our God, who gives the rain, both early and late, in its season, who guarantees to us the fixed weeks of the harvest. Your guilty acts have diverted these things [from you]. Your sins have withheld [My] bounty from you... (Jer 5:20-25, HCSB).
They were very religious but God said, tell them their worship stinks. If he demanded pure worship of those ancient Israelites, don’t you think he demands pure worship of us today. He wants to see “Justice flow like water,” and “righteousness like a mighty stream” (KJV).
II. JEREMIAH’S AMERICA OFTEN SUBSTITUTES SENTIMENT FOR TRUTH.
A. We Have all the Basic Elements of Religion.
We have all the elements of religion today. We have churches, pastors, missionaries and evangelists.
We bring our tithes and offerings, attend Sunday School, and participate in various ministries. My wife was surprised when a sixth grade girl from her school visited our church and asked if she could get a picture of her with the priest! She told her to put her camera away and never told her that I was not a priest.
B. We Have the Jargon and Ceremonies of Religion.
We have the structure and organization that one would expect in any religion. We are organized and we train people to honor the Great Commission. We win lost people to the Lord, we train new members, and provide an opportunity for worship and service. We worship, observe the ordinance of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. We perform marriages and we teach Sunday School lessons and schedule special studies and ministries. We talk about the great doctrines of the faith. We sing songs hymns of faith, hope, and love. We talk about salvation, sanctification, and glorification. We write about the trinity, security of believers, and the mode of baptism. In short, we are religious,
C. Many Today Have Substituted Sentiment for Truth.
1) Many are turning to pagan religions.
Islam is actively trying to convert America. Bill O’Reilly read an e-mail message and took the writer to task for referring to Islam as a pagan religion. O’Reilly spoke with the air of authority he often assumes when he announced that this is Islam, not a pagan religion.
Scientology has made inroads in Hollywood and a number of actors and actresses are hawking this false religion constantly. One popular actor wants to see a blend of Christianity and Scientology. Buddhism and Hinduism are gaining in popularity in America today.
I was attending a Louisiana Baptist Convention executive board meeting when the pastor of a large church asked, “Do you think we are living in the post-Christian era in America?” I found a couple of pastors discussion the question when I walked out into the parking lot. One said, “Yeah, and I will tell you when we entered the post-Christian era. It was in 1962 and 1963 when the Supreme Court took the Bible and prayer out of our schools. I pointed out that Francis Shaeffer claimed we entered the post-Christian era in 1935. We had those two horrible rulings because we had moved deeply into the post-Christian era. We have continued to move more and more into the post-Christian period of our history.
2) Many more are turning to various cults. Mormonism has convinced a lot of people that they are simply a mainline Christian denomination, but only a brief look confirms that it is a cult, even if we categorize it as a Christian cult. Jehovah’s Witnesses tout their New World Translation of the Bible, but they are not open about their intentional errors. For example, in John 1, the New World Translation states that the Word is “a” god. This is a dangerous translation.
III. MANY PROFESSING CHRISTIANS MIX TRUTH AND ERROR.
A. This Is True of Those on the Fringe Between the Truth and “Christian” Cults.
The World-Wide Church of God, especially when it was headed up by Herbert W. Armstrong, failed to meet the criterion for a mainline Christian denomination, yet thousands were deceived by the movement. The Quakers are admired for their passivism, but we should never be mislead by their peaceful lifestyle when they embrace works as a means of salvation. The Amish hold a special interest for a lot of people, and to many people, they are the very epitome of New Testament Christianity. What many fail to recognize is that they seek to earn God’s approval through their good works, abstinence from modern inventions like the automobile and the telephone. They are no threat to anyone, but salvation is not based upon any person’s good works, but the pure grace of God.
B. Many in Mainline Churches Substituted Sentiment for Truth.
1) Let me mention just a few examples. Remember little Amy? She was a precious child and she had reached the point that she was anxious to go to be with Jesus. It was a shame that someone would put up a sign that claimed that she would receive angel’s wings, or that she could earn her place in heaven. These are two serious errors, and the sad thing is that they associate with Christians and they are surrounded by churches. Somehow, they have failed to understand the truth.
Gary Ware told me about a lady who came into his office for an eye exam a number of years ago. The lady talked of her relationship with the Lord, using all the religious cliche’s you can imagine: Amen, Praise the Lord, Hallelujah. Then Gary closed the machine in front of her eyes and was surprised when he pulled out an eyelash implant. The pious charismatic woman began “cursing like a sailor.” I
Consider the ordination of homosexuals. It is a sad day when a homosexual activist like Chad Allen is chosen to play the part of slain missionary Nate Saint in the movie, “End of the Spear”, based on the book by the same title written by his son, Steve.
Many substitute human reason for divine truth. If we don’t like what the Bible says, give it a new meaning. Apply that to the use of alcoholic beverages, Sunday activities, divorce, or gambling and someone will be ready to jump in there and supplant the Word of God with the reason of man.
2) Now consider some practical applications. Americans are attracted by fads. Let me just mention a few: Promise Keepers claimed that feminists had feminized men and they wanted to encourage men to begin looking at things differently. Wives encouraged their husbands to get involved. Then others began to suspect that Promise Keepers feminized men in a different way. Men do not get together and confess their inner feelings to one another, women do. Rick Warren’s book, The Purpose Driven Life, has been incredibly popular. Three things concern me. First, There is no doubt in my mind that we would benefit more if we invested the same amount of time reading the Bible that some spend pouring over some book about the Bible. Second, we need to be very careful when a Christian book becomes extremely popular with the world, and this one has. Third, I really believe the church would be better off to emphasize Sunday School instead of other small group studies. My brother James told me their Sunday School classes are now called something like encounter groups.
3) Many Christians have compromised the Word of God. A good friend, Bob Moore, told me about a Lay Renewal program they had in his church. Bob mentioned a fellow member whom he saw in the parking lot after one of the services. Lester, a very quiet man, shook his head and said, “If there was a lost person in there tonight there is no way on earth he would know how to be saved.”
There are many professing Christians who do just about everything a lost person does, yet they claim to be a Christian. Many compromise their witness for the Lord by going to bars, cassinos, and parties that feature drinking, and questionable entertainment. Many Christian young women are much more concerned with the latest style than they are with modest dress. If you want to get some mother upset, just try to tell them the church expects their teenaged daughters to dress modestly on their mission trip. Reports that many church leaders are addicted to pornography are mind-boggling.
4) It is popular to be “spiritual” today, as long as you don’t seem too Christian. Spiritual to many people means anything religious. They seem more comfortable with “spiritual” than “Christian”. The author of some book was interviewed by radio talk show host, Laura Engles after he wrote a book in which he apparently claimed that those who like country music and read the Left Behind books are dumb or shallow. When questioned, he said, “I am a devout Roman Catholic and I prefer Roman Catholic theology to the Left Behind theology. I thank God that I do not feel that I have to go around defending Baptist theology. I simply believe that the Bible is the inspired, infallible, inerrant Word of God, the truth without any mixture of error. As I heard Dr. R. G. Lee say so many times, it is the miracle book of unity in diversity, of simplicity in infinite complexity. Someone asked me, “What do Baptist believe” about some issue. I asked, “What does the Bible say?” That is what we believe. I have no Baptist theology as such. I pursue the truth revealed in the Word of God.
Years ago, Francis Shareffer stressed that in post-Christian America, Christianity was only a memory to many people. By that, he meant that many adults who have no relationship with Jesus Christ still have a memory of what Christianity meant to their parents or grandparents. Many adults today remember hearing a little about God when they were small children, but do not know Him personally. Many others talk about God, but it seems obvious that they focus more on sentiment rather than truth.
IV. MILLIONS HAVE NOT COMPROMISED.
A. They Have Not Compromised Doctrinally.
1) They have focused on the essentials of the faith. Dr. Jimmy Draper listed for trustees the essentials of our faith, and then noted that there are many distinctives, but these are the essentials:
1. Salvation by grace, through faith, plus nothing.
2. Sufficiency of Scripture (2 Tim. 3:16-17)
3. The Lordship of Jesus Christ
4. Autonomy of the local church
5. Religious Liberty
6. Trinitarian view of God
7. The Great Commission
2) The battle for the Bible will not be over until the Lord returns.
With many people, the battle for the Bible is strictly a matter of truth. The Bible is the inspired, inerrant Word of God, the perfect Word of the perfect God. I am convinced that with many others it is a matter of politics. I cautioned a group of conservative believers once that they could expect to see a lot of conversions to inerrancy in the years ahead. A lot of people who had fought against any claim that the Scripture is inerrant, suddenly realized that they were losing out on their votes, so them move to a new position: “I believe the Bible is inerrant, but I just don’t want anyone to try to make me say so.” To which, on friend said, “Make you!?? Man, I consider it an honor to say it.” Based on those “conversions”, I cannot help but wonder if the real issue is not what position one takes on the Scripture, but who is in charge.
Now, let me share another observation. I have observed that when churches or denominations drift, they always drift to the left, never to the right. A move to the right is a correction of course. I wonder why that is? Is it possible that the prince of this world cooperates with those who drift toward liberalism?
B. They Have Not Compromised Practically.
1) A new movie tells the story of Nate Saint. The movie is based on the book by Steve Saint about his father, who was killed by the Aucas fifty years ago. Let me share a little of the Broadman Press release:
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--“End of the Spear,” a film opening in theaters nationwide Jan. 20, recounts one of the most extraordinary chapters in the modern missionary movement.
Yet it has become an unexpected example of the nation’s culture war, with an actor who is a homosexual activist playing its lead character.
The film’s release marks the 50th anniversary of the Jan. 8, 1956, killing of Nate Saint, Jim Elliot and three other American missionaries by spear-wielding tribesmen in the Ecuadorian jungle.
The story continued when one of the missionaries’ sisters, Rachel Saint, and one of their widows, Elisabeth Elliot, subsequently lived among the tribesmen, helping kindle faith among those who had cast the spears and others in the pervasively violent culture. Elliot chronicled her experiences in “Through Gates of Splendor,” which remains a classic among books on missions.
Nate Saint’s son, Steve Saint, who was 5 when his father was killed, has made regular visits to tribesmen over the years -– and found an amazing bond with the one who speared his dad, a man named Mincaye now in his mid-70s. And Steve Saint’s son, Jesse, and his family presently live among the tribe.
“When the killings occurred, it shook the entire Christian world and beyond,” Wayne Atcheson, admissions manager for the Christian Writers Guild, wrote in an e-mail to friends. “I was 13 and remember it well. Only God knows of the thousands who were influenced through their courageous effort, who committed their lives to missionary and full time Christian service. Only God knows of the millions who have come to faith in Christ through these men who were willing to risk and give their lives as martyrs....
“No doubt, this is the most powerful missionary story of the 20th century,” Atcheson wrote.
“If you talk to someone who was a believer at the time, it had the same effect as other events such as Kennedy’s assassination –- people remember where they were when they heard the story,” wrote Jason Janz, assistant pastor of South Sheridan Baptist Church in Denver, at SharperIron, his Internet weblog and forum focusing on “news and ideas from a Christian, biblical, fundamentalist worldview.”
“I heard someone at a missions conference say that the greatest flood of American missionaries to land on foreign soil did so after the deaths of these young men,” Janz continued. “... Who hasn’t heard Elliot’s motto, ‘He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose’?”
Janz, however, is among a number of Christians who have questioned the casting of homosexual actor and activist Chad Allen for the role of Nate Saint in End of the Spear.
Now, here is the thing that disappoints me. If the producers of that movie had been honest, they might have presented the deep faith of Nate Saint, his sister Rachel, and son Steve. Let me tell you what else they passed over. Elizabeth Elliot, widow of slain missionary Jim Elliot, told the story about the slaying of the five missionaries. Let me give you two quotes by Jim Elliot: “He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep gain what he cannot lose.” Here is another one: “Be sure when the time comes for you to die, all you have to do is die.” That is pretty heavy for such a young man!
There was an article about this movie on the Faith and Values section of the Monroe, LA daily paper. The writer interviewed a retired Church of Christ minister who claimed that the murder of the five missionaries divided Christians. That was news to me. I well remember the story but I never saw any evidence that it divided Christians. Of course, the fact that they were trying to reach this tribe with the Gospel might have created problems for a few denominations.
The author also quoted someone from Wheaton University, from which the missionaries graduated. This lady insisted that it did not generate much interest in the south because they were not from the south. That statement was about as much of a surprise as the one from the retired minister. I remember the account and I remember the interest of my friends.
2) Now let me tell you about a Christian who practiced what he preached. I was understandably impressed with many of the people I saw at the retirement banquet for Dr. Jimmy Draper. There were talented people there; very intelligent people, incredibly gifted people. Hey, I was impressed that Becky and I were among the more than six hundred people who were there for the celebration. I might add that there were some very impressive people there - from seminary presidents and professors, to Southern Baptist leaders from various states, to singers like Steve Green.
Against that backdrop, I suddenly recalled the one man whose mind impressed me more than almost any other I have known. I remember when Dr. Jan Mercer told me she would rank Dr. Henry Morris with the top five minds in America. She knew his work and she knew Dr. Morris personally. I don't know how he would have ranked with the top intellectuals in America, but Dr. H. Leo Eddleman ranked right at the top with me. He was the only person I have ever known who always made me want to sit and put him through a Q and A every time I was alone with him. In fact, I did that very thing a few times. One time I took him to my study and read prepared questions and taped his answers for one hour.
Dr. Eddleman told me about the translations he did for "a high level secret organization within our government" for several years. He was hand picked to go to Moscow to do translation and interpretation for Golda Maier (sp). Hoover said he had the best working knowledge of any non-Jew in the United States.
Dr. T. J. DeLaughter told me about going to Israel in the eighties and asking Baptists there if any of them remembered Dr. Eddleman. They told him he had been back recently and spoke the language like a native. When he was a missionary to Israel, he found an Arab who could not speak a word of English, and asked the man to teach him Arabic. In six months he was preaching in Arabic. I asked him a short time later, he was with me in a revival and I asked him how he kept up with the Hebrew. He said, "I am reading Sherlock Holmes in the un-vowelled Hebrew this week."
Some of the things Dr. Eddleman shared with me wondering if he had made up some of it one time. Then, I met Jim Allen, who told me he had been in Tokyo at the end of the Second World War and had seen General Douglas MacArthur every afternoon when he was driven through down town Tokyo between 4:00 and 4:30 so the Japanese could see that he was still there. He was their security.
I asked Jim if he knew Dr. Eddleman. He gave me a “knowing” look and said, “No, I did not know Dr. Eddleman, but we knew about him.” Jim had told me he was with Secret Service, but when I told him what Dr. Eddleman said about the “high level secret organization within our government,” he gave me another “knowing” look and said, “And I really wasn't with Secret Service either.”
Calvin Cantrell, former Associate Evangelism Director for the Louisiana Baptist Convention, caled Dr. Eddleman “a preaching machine”. I once listened to him in a revival in my home church and at the end of the week I could recall the outline of all six sermons. That is a lot more than I can remember about my sermons!
My son John and I picked Dr. Eddleman up at the airport in Monroe, LA, one evening and drove him back to Bastrop. I might add here that other than my brother Mike and the late James L. Yates, Dr. Eddleman is the only person who ever called me John instead of Johnny. As we approached Bastrop, Dr. Eddleman asked, "John, what kind of car is this?"
I said, "It's a Buick."
He hesitated and said, "I think I have a Buick."
Believe me, I knew what I was driving - I also knew what I wanted to drive! An automobile was what Mrs. Eddleman used to get him to the airport.
He never knew how amusing I found that statement. Amusement would soon become amazement. I am still amazed at the contrast between his values and those of many preachers of the Gospel today. I am reminded that Jesus had no place to lay his head. I believe Dr. Eddleman was manifesting the character and values of our Lord more than some people I have known. I certainly include myself among the latter group.
CONCLUSION. The purpose of the Gospel is to win lost people to Jesus Christ and then to disciple, or train those who receive Him by grace, through the faith He gives us. Every church needs a pastor who preaches the Word without compromise. I think we all agree on that.
Now, here is where the rubber hits the road. The church also need members who will not compromise, either doctrinally or practically. I think we can all agree on that as well, but have you stopped to consider whether or not you are that person? God not only expects you to walk in righteousness, holiness, and obedience, He equips you to do it. He has given you His Word to inform you, and He has given you His Spirit to guide you, to empower you, to correct you, to convict you, and to motivate you.
I heard someone many years ago say that the Catholic heresy is that the church tells people how to live and the Baptist heresy is that we tell people what to think. Both are right up to a point, but when you stand before the Lord to give an account, He is not going to ask you whether you were Catholic, Baptist, Assembly of God, or Methodist. If you are lost, your appoint is with the Great White Throne Judgment. If you are a born-again believer, you will stand before Him to give an account concerning the Gospel, the truth (sound doctrine), your works, and your obedience to God.
He is not going to ask you what preacher you admired, what religious program you watched on TV, or how many times you read the Left Behind series. I am convinced that a lot of people started doing religion by proxy when the early Christian talk shows first came to TV. People would watch Jim Bakker interview Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, or some athlete, and they would admire them and talk about the faith of these celebrities. It seemed as though they were saying, “I could never be like those people.”
I have a word of encouragement for you. You can be everything God wants YOU to be - not what He wants Joni Erikson Tadda or George W. Bush to be. He has equipped you, and is empowering you through the Holy Spirit to, in the popular slogan of the army, to be all you can be. You will never get there by admiring another’s faith, even though that may be just the motivation you need. You will never get there by substituting sentiment for truth. Rush Limbaugh used to stress that many people place symbol over substance, and that is what we do when we get caught up in the sentiment and forget the truth when one is dying of cancer or fighting for every breath. No one deserves salvation, either through his attempt at good works, or through suffering in the flesh. We are saved by grace, through faith, unto good works.
Open you Bible and trust the Holy Spirit to illuminate your heart and mind so you can understand it and apply it. You will need your pastor to preach the Word to help you with what you do not understand, but in the Holy Spirit you can make an application of it as well as any pastor of missionary. Sadly, today we have a lot of Christians who are reading Rick Warren, Beth Moore, or Henry Blackaby, as devoutly as they are reading the Bible. I am convinced that many people have spent more time with the Left Behind series than they did with the Bible. In fact, there are some people whose attitude toward those who disagree with them seems to make that statement.
It is the Word of God that will not return to Him void, or without accomplishing His purpose, not what Johnny Sanders, of Henry Blackaby says about it. We need to read good Christian literature, but when we get it between us and the Word of God we have committed a serious error.
God’s Word alone in inspired by the Holy Spirit, the inerrant Word of God. If you get your doctrine from the Word of God you will never let sentiment or superstition trump the Word of God. If you want to be a part of a miracle, if you want a miracle in your life, don’t look to some super saint, some Christian writer, or a television personality; go to the Word of God and humbly submit the Holy Spirit. He will make you exactly what God wants you to be, and believe me, that is miracle enough for anyone.