Does Doctrine Matter - Part 7 — Derek Melton

We're gonna continue this morning. The series that we've been up on now for seven weeks upon does doctrine matter. It's been my earnest prayer. And I done ran one off and he said anything yet and praise and worship leaders gone.

He must have forgot his Bible. Tim's a real blessing to us Church. He does so much behind-the-scenes stuff. I don't want brag about him while he's in here cuz he'd head swell up, but Tim's Tim's good boy.

You know, he really has a passion for Jesus. And when you'd be thankful for the gifts that God gives us. It's because sometimes whenever you're not thankful for things things can all of a sudden be taken away.

Then you'd be thankful for him, but it'd be too late. So we're going to continue in this this journey and again, it's been it's my prayer that. Then we start hearing the true doctrines of the faith that we don't shrink back and go.

Oh. That's gonna be dry and crusty that we have a vivid understanding of Doctrinal matters that doctrine is life and we're not talking about the dry crusty stuff that stuck in seminaries. We're talking about the oracles of God the very words of the Living God.

Doctrine as the Foundation of Christian Life

The foundations of the faith where we can build our lives upon that sure Foundation where the winds and tempests of life do not remove us from our steadfast devotion to Jesus Christ. Amen. And this morning last to the last two weeks, we've talked about the doctrine of Radical depravity and we're going to start today.

I'm going to launch into it. I will not conclude today, but we're going to talk about the doctrine of regeneration. We talk about regeneration and put that in layman's terms salvation. And so we're going to go to Romans chapter 6.

We're going to read that as well as first Timothy for these are foundational scriptures to this series. And then we're going to launch on forward and see what God would have for us this morning. The Bible says in Romans chapter 6 starting in verse 16 and you can read along with me if you would like.

No, you not that to whom ye yield your servants to obey His servants you are to whom you obey whether of sin and death or obedience under righteousness. But God be thanked that you were the servants of sin past tense.

Hallelujah. Past tense were not are were Servants of sin, but you have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine that was delivered unto you. Being then made free from sin. You became the servants of righteousness.

Turn over in your Bibles to first Timothy chapter 4. First Timothy chapter 4 in verse 16. We'll wait till the rustling of the leaves come to a halt. In verse 16 the Word of God says take heed unto thine self and unto the doctrine and Continue in them for in doing this thou shalt save both thyself and them that hear thee.

Doctrine matters. Friends doctrine matters. Let's pray father. Just come and reveal truth to us Father we know that you are the true revelator and father. Let our minds Lord comprehend and receive These truths of the Word of God.

Father open our minds that we may understand the scriptures. Enlighten our understanding father that we may discern Lord and know the truth of the Word of God. Lord that our hearts be quickened and alive By your grace and Lord God give us a hunger and thirst Lord God for the Word of God.

Lord that we would not Lord Be afraid of doctrinal truths Lord now when we shrink back, but Lord that we would understand Lord God that true doctrine father God Has your power released into it Lord God and Lord that it not only grips but changes our hearts our natures even our identities.

So Lord work through your word. Work through your word in the lives and the hearts of your Delight your children your people those that trust you and call upon your name and we give you the praise in Jesus name.

Amen. I want to clarify something that I've not clarified in this teaching and I've almost done so willful. I was written by a brother on the internet this week and he'll probably be listening even to this message and Asking if we are Calvinists.

Calvinism, Arminianism, and the Unity of the Church

No, we're not. But neither are we Armenians? We are Christians. I Don't filter doctrine through what two reformers wrote about four or five hundred years ago. But we preach the God the Word of the Word of God as though the God of the Word reveals it to our hearts.

And beloved we're not picking sides and I don't have to choose this side or that I'm born again. But the blood of Jesus Christ, I have the Spirit of God dwelling on the inside of me and friend. I don't need Calvin and I don't need Arminius to have doctrinal truth.

I have the Holy Ghost Amen, so I want to clarify that we are not preaching Calvinism. We're not preaching Arminianism, we're not going to get into those debatable issues. They've not been resolved in 415 or 20 years.

They're not going to be resolved today, but we're going to preach the truth of the Word of God. I'm going to quote Calvinists because what they are saying is right and I'm going to quote some Armenians because what they're saying is right.

It's true. It's the truth and listen those Armenians those Calvinists are my brothers in Christ and I'm not at war against them. But I I'm in covenant with them and beloved. There are things that men disagree on but it does not make them incompatible by nature.

We are born of the blood of Jesus Christ and we are not going to divide ourselves. We're going to stand united and beloved as long as you and I live in this body. We're going to know in part. You're not going to have the totality of the understanding of the colossal subjects of The doctrines of the faith of the Word of God your listen your mind is is very finite.

It is very limited. But yet the Word of God that we love and we hope fast to is not finite it is infinite and there is no way that your mind can completely fathom the Totality of the Word of God because your head would blow up.

You've not been created to have that type of understanding. There is a time coming when we will there is a day coming whenever we are made complete perfected when we leave these these sin-laden bodies and Enter into an inheritance that is incorruptible above it.

We'll know then all things fully. So anyway, having said that I'm going to go ahead and get turned over here. We're in part seven. We're going to talk about the doctrine of regeneration. We've talked about the sufficiency of the Word.

We've talked about our need for the doctrines of the Word of God. We spent a couple weeks camping out upon the sufficiency of the Word of God because there is a move In this day and time that we are living in to undermine the sufficiency of the scriptures that we have to modify.

The scriptures to be totally relevant to our culture beloved the Word of God is relevant to every culture and the Word of God should conform culture to the Word of God and not the Culture to redefine the Word of God.

You love it. We've got to be very careful not to err in this regard. Then we've talked about the depravity of man that you were born. With the stamp and the mark of Adam upon your countenance. You were born dead in your trespasses and sins not a little bit dead, but utterly dead.

Dead without God without hope even in the world, but today we're going to begin an adventure Into the doctrine of regeneration. I'm going to be turning to Titus chapter 3 so you can go ahead and get going in that direction if you would like.

Just flip over a few pages. From where you were there in Timothy. Again, I'm finding myself Whenever I sat down I spend a week praying. Before I even began to do a diligent study and research into the scriptures in regard to these doctrinal tenets and matters.

They're colossal. It's frightening to me to have to undertake such a Mammoth subject such as the doctrines of the faith. It is frightening. Because the the the colossals and the magnitude of what we're trying to introduce and to speak upon with only a certain amount of of time and you only have a certain amount of Ear that you're going to give this morning.

Because about the time that your backside starts hurting you're going to be thinking more about how much pain you're in than what's being said. But again, I spend a week in prayer and then I open my Bible and begin to spend hours in study to present these scriptural truths to you and I see the enormity of it and it is Overwhelming to me.

And so I want you as the people of God to be praying for me that God would work in me that God would speak to me that I might be able to give accurate discourse and instruction upon these hallowed themes of the Word of God and to have clarity that we might understand because you and I both know that as soon as Confusion comes in and misunderstanding that the enemy steals away the seed there's been so we need to have clarity.

We need the Spirit of God to reveal to us these truths. But of the doctrines of the Word of God the doctrines of the faith are within the reach of your understanding. Don't think for a moment that it takes a theologian in a seminary somewhere to understand a fact beloved.

I really believe that your common man such as you and I can understand the Word of God just as well. If not, probably a little bit better because we we don't make makes read something into it. That's not there.

We can just with the childlike faith absorb the truth of the Word of God and then begin to live it Amen without any argumentative spirit in regard to the Word of God. And so I'm going to try to lay before us these foundations.

Again, I want to reiterate. This is frightening to me because of the the enormity of it. But it is the cup the Lord's put in front of us. And with God's grace, it's going to become our blessing. It's going to become our blessing.

Regeneration as God’s Transforming Work

So here we are we find ourselves in Titus and we're in the third chapter and we're gonna start in verse 3. It says this for we ourselves also were sometimes foolish disobedient. Deceived serving divers lusts and pleasures living in malice and envy.

Hateful and hating one another. Does that ever creep back up in you sometime that hateful thing? Boy, it does me. I have to put my foot on it. Push it back down. I'm going to clarify something before we take another step forward.

There's always going to be a battle on the inside of you between the flesh and the spirit. Don't ever think that the flesh and the risings up the flesh are ever going to be tamed utterly in your life.

There always is going to be contention between the two. Ishmael and Isaac are always going to hate each other and there's always going to be enmity between. Your natural estate to a natural man the flesh man in the spiritual man.

The thing is though is that the body of sin is destroyed. You don't have to obey the natural man the natural voice the voice of the flesh any longer. We have victory through Jesus Christ the Spirit of God and the blood of Jesus Christ gives us victory over the flesh.

From time to time we may we may fail under temptation and a weak moment. But beloved it goes against the core of who we are in Christ Jesus. We hate it. We loathe it and we definitely are not going to entertain it as a lifestyle.

We're the born-again Reformed regenerated people of God. God has given us a new heart. But the Word of God goes on to decree and again and we see here is talking about what it's talking about our deformity.

It's talking about how we were alienated away from Christ. It's talking about our depraved estate, which we've talked about for the last two weeks before today but after that the kindness and The love of God our Savior.

Toward man appeared not by works of righteousness, which we have done. But according to his mercy He saved us by the wash washing of regeneration, let's say that with me regeneration. It's not so frightening.

Is it? Regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost. Which he shed on us abundantly. I Love the terminology which he shed on us. Oh, we didn't provide it for ourselves. Listen, we were so dead in our sins.

Listen when I was lost I was so lost. I didn't even know I was lost. I'm like on a camping trip walking in circles around thinking, you know Where camp is and you're just convinced, you know, what if you're just walking in circles lost you don't even know it.

Till nightfall and camps nowhere near. Amen, pastor Tim and I finally bought us a GPS. We once was lost but now we're found That by the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost, which he shed on us abundantly Through Jesus Christ our Savior that being justified by his grace.

We should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. I believe that the last two messages upon man's radical depravity sets the tone or That it's going to gloriously project the beauty and the wonder of the doctrine of regeneration.

And I've made mention the last two weeks. I believe that we should never forget who we were. That the backdrop of our depraved nature should really enhance the glory of Christ's salvation that he's clothed us with.

You know, I I am what I am and you are what you are by the grace of God. But let me tell you so that I don't forget for a moment who I was. Because beloved if I forget who I who I was I forget to be thankful For the Lord of glory that is crowned me with so great a salvation clothed me such with such a righteousness.

That's been imputed to me that I did not deserve in any way. Amen. One of the great Puritan fathers a guy that brother Vernon and I share a common interest in as a guy by the name of Stephen Sharnock and Sharnock was most noted for his writing upon the existence and the attributes of God and Vernon.

I both love to read that book and Unless you're interested in tough reading don't read it. It's tough, but it'll bless you if you do read it. But Sharnock said this that regeneration is a mighty and a powerful change wrought in the soul by the effacious working of the Holy Spirit.

We're in a vital principle a new habit the law of God a divine nature are put into Enframed in the heart enabling it to act holily and pleasing to God and to grow up therein to eternal glory. But it's the radical change of nature that God through his sovereign grace works in the heart of someone that's absolutely defiled by their inherited estate through Adam.

One of the things that we really challenge with when we're presenting the true gospel to young people is to get past seeing their personal sin to see the nature of Sin that grips them and holds them in bondage and in captivity.

Beloved we commit sin because we're sinners and God cast to come in and make the whole vessel clean. When Jesus saved you he did not come and make a better improvement to the old you. He didn't give you some a prison principle supply that you'll ever do this and do this.

You'll become a better person and folks will tolerate you a little bit better. No beloved he came in and gave you a brand new nature. That old stony heart of sin was plucked out according to Ezekiel and he gave you a new heart of flesh.

With new and right desires. It's not an improvement of the old. It's a doing away with the old and by the miraculous working of grace giving something that was never there before. That's regeneration.

There are certain historical documents lining out the tenets of the faith that have gone down through history. We've read a couple out of the Westminster Catechism. There's another article of the faith another Set of tenets that were that were penned.

They're called the canons of Dort and the canons of Dort give this does count something funny. So I'm like saying the canons of the dork, but it's not that it's canons of Dort. And so that group of godly men that had a desire to pin the true doctrines of the faith.

Knowing that there was going to be a demonic attack Against what is truth and what is not truth in the years to come and thank God these men did just that. But the canons of Dort said that God is this in regard to general regeneration that God penetrates into the inmost being of man.

Opens the closed heart softens the hard heart. Circumcises the heart that is uncircumcised. He infuses new qualities into the will making the dead will alive the evil one good the unwilling one. Willing and the stubborn one.

Compliant that was me the stubborn one. Compliant he activates and strengthens the will so that like a good tree. It may be enabled to produce the fruits of good deeds. Amen. Now blooded one of the greatest deficiencies in the modern church.

Repentance Versus Easy Believism

And you all have been here for a long time listening to me preach some of you like Phillips been here since the beginning of time. And one of the things that I've been harping about is the deficiencies that we have in our modern religious culture.

Upon instructing upon themes such as biblical regeneration. It's almost a term that's not even heard today in today's society of religion. Regeneration, what does that mean? You know, we today have this terminology about accepting Jesus.

I try to refrain from that number one because it's not biblical. The question is not whether you accept Jesus. The question is will he accept you? Come on, and but there will be no accepting of you until there's a thorough work of repentance in our hearts.

There must be repentance not a repentance of the flesh but a repentance by the grace of God. And we're going to talk about that today. But our religious culture my friend has adopted an easy Believism adopted a decision ism as a means unto salvation.

Whereby the whole work is contingent upon man. Man's ideas and not God and God's work of his sovereign grace. And I'm going to talk about a modern American evangelism a little bit and I'm doing this because all of us are called to do the work of an evangelist.

Beloved, I'm gonna Pat. I'm a pastor, but I'm an evangelist. You're a parishioner, but you're an evangelist. Every one of you listen you don't have to go from one corner of the country to the next preaching and meetings to be an evangelist.

The Apostle Paul said do the work of an evangelist. Every one of us are called into the ministry of reconciliation. Is that not true? But we need to check in to see if the practices that we are practicing as being ministers of the manifold grace of God if we're in line with the Word of God and so.

Most of you know real well that I'm not too high on modern Practices in the church that I believe that as the Word of God declares that we need to go and to redig the old wells. We saw in the last probably 100 years.

We've seen so many false false conversions and there's a reason for that. One of the things that we've seen influenced is our definition of success. And I believe that the idealism of the easy believism and decision ism.

That is that is so contingent upon. This is the whole foundation. They've used God as a means to another or some other expected end. Instead of God being the end in himself. Does that make sense to you?

This is the deal there. We give a gospel call come to Jesus for what you can get come to Jesus for what he can do for you. Are you with me instead of presenting and illuminating how depraved and how thoroughly wicked we really are.

Beloved if you begin to see that you're depraved if you begin to say that you're cut off from God. You're deserving of God's wrath. In fact, God's wrath is in store awaiting you beloved. You will run to Jesus to flee from the wrath to come if any of you have ever read into the historical writings such as the Pilgrims progress, you know that the motive for pilgrim leaving the city of destruction and headed towards the celestial city.

Is that he was fleeing from the wrath to come? Evangelists began to reveal the evangelist came and he preached a message of what the message of truth. Regarding how lost that he was and the judgment and the wrath of God that's upon all humanity.

That is without Christ. And beloved today we have all this stuff going on and I've been to those meetings come to Jesus he'll do this for you. He'll do that for you. And it's almost like that. We we were ten shekels in a shirt as Paris Reed had said in that famous message.

We'll sell out. And then two weeks later we find that same individual that came forward and made a decision. Still down at the bar drinking. He's still in jail on Sunday morning for beating his wife. His ankles are still bleeding because he kicked the dog the dog bit him.

He still has that nasty displacement. He still has that filthy sin riddled nature. He came to God as a means to get something. Instead of coming to God for God being the very end himself that we might inherit him.

Beloved what did Adam lose. Did Adam lose his financial his financial or monetary abilities. Did Adam lose? What what. Let me tell you what Adam lost. Adam lost God. Adam lost God. The work of Christ in the incarnation and the work of regeneration is to restore the creature and creator Relationship that we might be one and united with God once again.

Where we've been before separated from God because of our sin nature. Amen. And so we see These off offers that you can come to Jesus for as a means for a more financially secure life. Come to Jesus as a means to get a better job.

Come to Jesus. He'll help you quit that or quit that. The beloved it's inconsistent with true biblical doctrine. God is not our means to another end. God is our our end and he is not a means. Does that make sense to you all of us and beloved the reason that we Need to know this because there's going to be an opportunity in your life for you to do the work of an evangelist.

That's not just Tony and I job. That's your job to Love it read 2nd Corinthians chapter 5. He's committed unto us the people of God the ministry of reconciliation that whenever you are on your job that God in his providence has given to you and There's that man or that woman that it's in a position to where their life is Devastated then you have an open door to be able to do the work of the evangelist and to minister the truth of the Word Of God and to see God begin to stir God begin to work above it.

You're the one in that opportunity and not me. I'm not there. Tony Mac's not there. And we're doing what God's called us to do the work of evangelism to the open doors that God sets before us but you know why isn't it amazing that God puts you on your job Debbie and Then God puts you on your job brandy and is it an amazing that all those years that you've spent there?

You've never seen me there. Those hurting people that I've not had an opportunity to to reach into their life, but you have. So we need to have a biblical understanding of how we're to present the gospel of Jesus Christ to reveal the true need Of humanity the true need it's not just that we need to have a better financial life.

It's not just a need that we need to be a better husband, but we need to have a depraved heart Regenerated by the working of God's grace that we might be a clean tree through and through a clean river through and through Pure and undefiled before God by the working of regeneration by the Holy Ghost of God that we are made absolutely new.

You know friend. This is foreign today, but this was not foreign 150 years ago. This stuff was preached from the pulpit if you you're a student of the literature. That was that was printed back in the 1800s and beyond you will see with every man of God That wrote in regard to regeneration and salvation this the stuff that we're preaching is not foreign and new.

It's what it's from that you you read Augustine in the first century all the way through the Dark Ages all the way through the Reformation Years and you find a consistency upon the hallowed themes of regeneration the work of God's grace.

Regenerating the soul it being a work of God alone, but you read about man being totally lost totally depraved. And we then we see the gospel of Jesus Christ is the means to whereby by the Holy Ghost that we're convicted.

Over our sinful condition over our sinful hearts and that God begins to work in our lives to produce in us a repentance and a distaste for everything that we are that we've been. And I'm getting a little ahead of myself, but I know that when I was converted to Christ I remember that experience just like it was yesterday.

I remember that God Illuminated to my understanding into my heart. How filthy I was and I went from. I went from my number one fan to my number one enemy. Listen to me friend almost the point of loathing myself even to the point of despair and wishing that I was dead and It happened in a moment's time God began to work in my heart and to reveal to me my depraved heart.

My my my that I was just rotten through and through as far as my sinful nature. I was rotten through and through and God began to to give me a distaste for everything that I used to just run headlong into.

And to love. I used to love it. But I loved. I loved to live the lifestyle of sin. Even though there were certain penalties ascribed to it. I loved the lifestyle of sin but God's God stricken my heart and everything that I loved in a moment's time.

I Was near to the point of vomiting in regard to who I was and I'd never seen that before in my life. Well, the salvation is an amazing and miraculous thing. Regeneration is an amazing and a miraculous thing that God and I'm not saying that every experience is exactly the same because they're not.

They're not. Stacy's Salvation experience was greatly different than mine but you know what the result is the same that God took that old nature and Crucified it and gave her a new nature clothed her in righteousness.

But every every situation and every experience is probably going to differ. But I know there's one thing that's not going to differ. You're gonna see your sins. You're gonna see your sinful heart and you're gonna hate it.

Because if you don't you'll not have any desire to turn away from it. Say men with me, please.

Now I.

Made mention while ago that we must understand the purpose of redemption and the purpose of redemption is to restore the creature in the creek the Creator. Relationship what Adam gave away through transgression is restored through Jesus Christ now.

Are there benefits that are subsequent to regeneration? Of course, there are we all know we all taste of it. We all have Tasted of the goodness of God and the benefits that come with regeneration that beloved.

The most important thing is that the benefactor is the greatest gain. He was the greatest loss when when man fell and again one of the most Vexing deficiencies in modern Christianity is the failure to reveal to lost men How rock how really lost that they are how depraved they really are.

And it's impossible my friend to impress Upon lost men their need for Redeemer if they have not felt the depth of the depravity that is upon them and within them and Consequently my friend modern religion has altogether abandoned The preaching of the of the true gospel of Jesus Christ because it's offensive to people.

It's offensive to people. They begin to introduce new techniques that are more familiar with corporate marketing schemes and scams than biblical principles. And this has come into what we call the church and it's within these modern Ideologies my friend that a lot of our event Evangelistic approach lies and I use the word entombed because it truly is.

We offer a Jesus that's passionate about giving you your best life now without warning the people to flee from the wrath. That's to come. We boast in our numbers that have responded or made a decision.

But the whole the whole system is corrupt. The whole system is flawed and we wonder why the vast majority of the people never turn away from their sin. They never walk in obedience to Jesus Christ. They're never found in fellowship with God's people in the local church simply because their conversion is false.

It's wholly the work of man. It's wholly the work of emotion and it's also a work of propaganda beloved. Regeneration is wholly and completely the work of God in the life of the man of the woman that is dead in the trespasses and in their sins.

Now I'm not inclined at all to believe that that man can be Uncooperative with the grace of God and still be converted to some people believe there's something believe that that you can you can be completely Uncooperative with God's grace and you can still be regenerated or converted beloved.

That is not scripturally sound. It's not scripturally sound. Script mother the scriptures make it very evident that regeneration is wholly the work of God. Abounding and the lives that are dead in the trespasses and sins that beloved we must respond.

You must respond to grace. I remembered I told shoots and Tim this morning in our pastors meeting I remember that when God awakened me to how how dead I was in my sin. I didn't even know it. But there was a moment in time Where was quicken or something came alive on the inside of me.

It was a choose this day who you're gonna serve. Choose this day. Beloved I can choose to follow Jesus Christ and to walk away by God's grace from all that I have been all that I have done in the end to live and move and have my being in Christ or I could continue In that in that portion of swine food that I had been feeding upon my whole life.

You know, I my parents didn't even have any idea how bad I was. They didn't they'd have a clue what was really going on in my life. I was deceitfully wicked. Deceitfully wicked some of you understand that because you were the same the beloved I know this that God worked in my heart my life that I made a decision To turn away in the turn of Jesus Christ and to follow him as that invitation was before me.

The foundational text says this not by works of righteousness that we have done but according to his mercy. He saved us by the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost, which he shed on us Abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior not as terminology.

Not by what we've done. But according to his mercy that he saves us. It's the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost of the Holy Ghost, which he shed abundantly upon us. But what have you done in this matter?

What what portion of you is in this equation when God began to impress himself upon you that he began to awaken you under your condition. He began to reveal the sufficiency of Christ that he revealed your need for Christ.

But there came a pinnacle moment when you must say Lord I need you Lord come into my life Lord be my king be my all. There must be a response on the behalf of man. It's important that we see that there are folks out there that don't believe that.

You're going to possibly encounter them in your life and in your ministry. I'm gonna make mention of two theological terms. I'm not going to camp out there long. It's not too significant, but the meanings are significant.

The terms aren't the first term is is Monarchy ism. The second is synergy ism. And how many of y 'all ever heard those words before? How many y 'all have never heard those words before? You probably never hear them again.

They're theological. I want to explain them for just a moment. Monarchistic means it is the work of one person who exercises his power and in the case of regeneration It is God alone who is able. It is God alone who performs the work of regenerating the human soul.

The work of regeneration is not listen. This is this is monarchy ism that the work of regeneration is not a joint venture Between the fallen person and the divine spirit. It is solely the work of God.

So here it is. This is what monarchy ism means that God does everything. That man doesn't even have to give response. Man's not man's not even responsible to cooperate and to correspond and to call out to the Lord but the synergists.

Synergy is and believe that the work of the regeneration is holy the work of God. But that man is a free moral agent and that he must cooperate with the Spirit of Grace. And so again, I don't want to confuse anybody with weighty theological terms.

It's not the terms that is important. It is the truth that is important. But which is that the Bible supports is that monarchy ism is a synergy ism. Beloved. I believe that a synergy ism. The Word of God says in Romans 10 13 for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Beloved there has been a battle going on for hundreds and thought even thousands of years between those two camps and This let him battle if they want to. I don't choose to battle. I choose to stand on the side of truth.

I know by God's Word backs me up. I know by personal testimony and experience even in my life. Experientially that the Lord set before me a moment of time that choose this day who you are gonna serve.

The Lord I'll follow you and of course y 'all know my stupidity at that moment I put qualifications on God. So Lord, I'll follow you and I'll do anything that you ask me. But I will never preach in front of people and I'm never gonna sing in front of nobody.

Almost two years to the day I was doing both and feeling like a fool so beloved. It is the work of God regeneration. It is a miraculous work the beloved. It's also apparent that regeneration is contingent upon the lost man calling upon the name of the Lord.