A Certain Sound — Manley Beasley

Greetings, friends. It's certainly a joy and a privilege to be back with you again this month. I would love to just settle down and really have a good talk with you this month. I need to do this for my sake.

I trust that it will not be boring to you. I just have so much on my heart, and you may know or may not know that this particular group is just a very special group to me, not because you really support my ministry by contributions to this tape ministry month after month, but I have just the chance to share with the same group over and over and over and over, and that means a great deal to me because it challenges me to do some study I otherwise would not do.

It also gives me someone to follow up my thinking with, and that's very good to me because in my way of thinking, I have to have an opportunity to express myself in a more private way than just in the pulpit from week to week, and another thing, I can share thoughts with you over this particular ministry, and it will enable me to just carry some thoughts through from one time to another, and another thing is that I believe this group genuinely prays for me.

I know I run across many, many, many friends across the nation as I travel across the nation that's in this ministry, and to all of you that I know personally, I send a special, very special greeting to you, and to all of you that I do not know personally, even more than that, I send a special greeting to you because you stand by us as if you just know me personally, and I just thank God for you.

You pray for me, and that is such a unique situation. I asked you a couple of months before we went to Europe in January and February to pray for that particular ministry over there, and, of course, I realize I have a number of pastors on this ministry, and I know those pastors have many, many, many burdens, and you're praying for your particular pastor, if you'll amen, and, of course, as I talk to you, I'm thinking about the many pastors that I have on this ministry, and I just praise God for you.

I really wish I could communicate to you today what's on my heart and my mind because I'm here in my office, and I'm talking to you, and I'm hearing a helicopter fly over on one side, and your car is passing, and I'm not real sure how much of the sound and all of that you can pick up.

I've been, for the recent months, sending you a message that was done in a meeting, and this particular month, it's going to be a little different. I'm just going to talk to you out of my heart after I discuss a number of things with you about what God is up to in my ministry.

And so you, not being used to that, you know, may not realize what's going on because I'm just going to preach out of right here in this office. Now, I want to really express what is on my heart. I look back over these years of sickness since 1970, and all at once I'm finding myself feeling extremely good.

And far as I know, with some limitations, I'm doing very well. I am strong, and I'm finding myself with ambition to do a great deal, you know, just get with it. And Marthie is able to travel with me, and that enables me to go more, and I'm doing a great deal more than I've been doing.

And I'm really enjoying it. I believe I've learned how to relax, you know, on the road, and I'm seeing more happen. In fact, I think I mentioned it on the last tape, last year was one of the greatest years of my life.

I don't know that I really had as many souls saved last year as I have had at one particular year in my life, but we had a good number, and we definitely had some great meetings. And so I just praise God for last year.

But with all of this wonderful, wonderful health that I'm enjoying, and I'm not saying it's wonderful beside yours, sitting there in that car or in that seat, but in fact some of you may even be running on your exercise because one man told me the other day, that's why you listen to me.

But anyway, I am faced with just a lot of challenges, and I have always been a person that wanted to be doing some things. Well, you know, I get some fantastic invitations in here, and invitations still continue to be one of my biggest burdens as to where to go and when to go.

And my, my, my, that is a burden to me right now. But back to the fact that I asked you to pray for this meeting in Europe. Now, last month I mentioned some of the things that God did, and possibly some of this will be in the same thing, but I want to put it in this context of me feeling well, and believing that I'm capable of traveling more, not just in America, but overseas.

Prayer for Missionary Opportunities in Europe

While overseas this time we had a number of countries represented. I believe we had 23 countries represented. We had people out of South Africa. We had people all over Europe. I forgot how many Eastern Black countries we had.

But the door again, and I know I mentioned this to you, has opened for us to go to Russia. And then the door opened for us to come to Poland. Now, I know I mentioned that also. Now, this thing with both of these places is no little matter.

And doors will open, continue to open. And this conference in Europe has just been blown apart by the glory of God. Already next year, already for next year, we have 100 people wanting to go already. And we have even started the brochure.

So it is incredible. And here I am with these invitations from Russia and Poland and South Africa, Hong Kong. And I'm faced once again with the fact of the needs of the world. You see, the Lord has to be a God that loves the world.

And we just have so little bit of the world here in America, and we are hearing so much. And I've always believed the way you receive is to give. And I'm taking this principle into my ministry in relationship to America and the rest of the world.

You know, I basically would want the idea, I want to be selfish because I have a real problem with selfishness. And I want to be selfish and just stick with America. And at my point in life, at this point, if God continued to bless, would be a very secure position for me.

But for me to surrender and move out would, wow, it would be a real challenge to me. It would be a challenge to me in the area of security financially. And it would also be a challenge to me in the area of security about health.

Because even though I feel great, I still rest, you know, with a very distinct habit. And I mean, I do it regularly every day. And just exceptions, well, I get off of that. And then I have to eat in a particular way.

And so I'm really faced with this thing. And it's a deep burden in my heart. Boy, I just really wish you would pray. And you pastors and Christian workers that have to go through these things, you know.

I wish you would really pray for me at this point. Because I just really do not know what to do, my friend. I realize some of you that I'm talking to a very close friend. And I just wish you'd pray. And I wish you that I do not know too well.

Just pray for me at this point. And if you even think you have some light, you know, we do not mind you writing and saying, Hey, I feel the Lord's given me some scriptures and stuff like this. We welcome that.

I know about every piece of mail that comes in here. I may not read every sentence in every piece of mail. But I know about the message. Every day I call into this office and get the messages. And I can't always remember everything that comes through here.

But I just would say this, that we do welcome a word from you. Now, you may realize that I'm just in a very informal way going along here and sharing with you my heart. And I want you to realize that.

I'm not trying to just really manipulate you. I'm just wanting you to pray for me. It looks like that I need to come to a decision as to how much time I can spend in America and how much time I can spend in Europe.

There are so many ramifications of this thing. Europe is already bigger than I can handle. And I wouldn't have to stop much in America at all if the Lord sent his man. There are several people that would be willing to come.

But none of these men are men who are willing to trust God, you know, in the sense of literally trusting God for their support. And, of course, I realize that this is a big issue here. And so we're praying about this thing in a deep way.

In fact, there's no way to get out of it. We're just having to really seek the face of the Lord. Now, I'm going to leave this area. I've just poured my heart out to you. I would say this, pray for the videotapes and the multimedia presentation of what we're doing in Europe.

Because we are having to put that together, and that's a big, big ordeal. And I really need you to pray about that matter. Now, I want to read a passage to you. And when I read this passage to you, I want to discuss just some things that are going on today.

The Purpose of Raising Awareness Through Scripture and Prayer

And as I discuss these things, I want you to realize that I am not trying to teach you just out of the Word of God, a point-by-point structural teaching about the situation. But my objective is to get you aware of some things, and then you allow the Lord to build in you by Bible study and prayer and experiences the sensitivity you need to cope with these areas that I'm going to deal with today.

And so, let's just pray that the Lord will really, really deal with you. Now, I've hit these things off and on through the years. And if you are a person that's listened to my tapes, you will have heard me probably say some of these things.

And that's almost the case in any message I bring. But I have to preach out of experiences. And I don't mean that I do not preach the Word of God, but I have to work with the Word of God until it becomes mine.

And so, I want to deal with some areas that are so obviously on the, not on the horizon, but on the scene today that are really causing the church some trouble. So, would you listen to the passage that I want to read to you?

It's found in 1 Corinthians 13, 8. And I'm reading out of the American Standard. And it says, If the bugle produces an indistinct sound, who will prepare himself for battle? Well, the King James said, If the trumpet produces an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself, you know, for battle and so on?

Now, here is what we want to say to you. It says also in the next verse, So also you, unless you utter by the tongue, speak that is clear, how will it be known what is spoken? For you will be speaking into the air.

Now, I realize that we're dealing here in relationship to another matter totally in the context. And I'm not trying to deal with this verse in the context. I am just wanting to deal with this verse in the light of our situation today in the world.

The Christian Battle for Spiritual Balance

Now, I suppose I saw something in Europe that blessed me as much as anything I've done. Back years and years ago, a great man of God by the name of F .J. Hagel told me. He said, Son, probably the most crucial battle in the life of a Christian, the most significant battle in the life of a Christian, is staying balanced.

I didn't think too much of that because I really didn't think it'd take too much to stay balanced. So I let it pass through my mind and I didn't, you know, I just really didn't put a lot of significance to it.

But years and years has passed now and now I'm confident that one of the most serious things that a child of God has to face is learning how to keep a balance in his life or in her life. Now, this passage says if there's an uncertain sound, how can we prepare for battle?

Distinguishing the Devil’s Uncertain Sound

Now, in this day and time, I feel that what the devil is doing, one of the things, oh, he's doing many things, but one of the strategies he has to defeat the children of God is to establish an uncertain sound so when the battle cry comes out, we will not be able to go to battle.

I think that's exactly what's going on in the world today. We're seeing a lot of people who it seems has a right heart but not a right head. Now, I realize that some people would feel that that is totally impossible in the Christian life.

But in my own understanding of the Word of God, it is possible to have a right heart before God but our minds be wrong. And the reason I say that is in history, we have great men and women of God that God has mightily, mightily, mightily used but you possibly would not agree with doctrinally.

But God has mightily used them. What about that great old Nazarene preacher that you probably would not agree with at all? Uncle Bud, what was his last name? But, you know, I've read after that old brother and my heart would just rejoice and I would be so blessed.

And for instance, Charles G. Finney. How many of us would really genuinely agree with him even in some very major areas but yet how God used that man? And Jonathan Edwards. Probably most of us would come nearer agreeing with Jonathan Edwards than any other.

But nevertheless, what I'm saying is that what I found that there's a possibility that, in fact, it's the only explanation I have as to why God and how God used these people because they had a right heart.

But there's some areas in their understanding about doctrine and such that I would disagree with. You see, now this brings up a lot of things and one of the things it brings up is the fact that, you know, God really blesses a person with a right heart.

And it's a righteousness that possibly is the basis of the real fellowship with God. And so what I am wanting to say to you, though, is this, that the devil is really trying to confuse people not only in the mind but also about the heart.

Because we're living in a day when you are hearing many, many trumpets. And that is bad if you do not know how to discern the sound of God as that trumpet sounds. But that sound, if not understood, if not responded to right, can also become a great problem to us.

I mean a great, great problem to us. And so it becomes an uncertain sound. And so it creates a real chaos in the Christian community. I do not say in the body of Christ. I'm not sure how much of a chaos it creates in the body of Christ.

Because the body of Christ, of course, are those who are saved by the grace of God, not according to our opinion but God's opinion. And I'm not sure how much conflict is in the body of Christ. In other words, I am saying that a lot of folk that are claiming to be saved, it's in the Christian community.

It's possible they're not in the body of Christ. But I believe even in the body of Christ that there can be some disturbance and so on and so forth, difference of opinion about Scripture and so on and so forth.

But nevertheless, there's a great deal of confusion on the scene today. Not only the confusion that would relate to the understanding, but there's confusion that relates to the heart, the rightness of a person.

And, of course, the rightness of a person in his mind depends on his understanding. But the rightness of a person in his heart depends on a number of things, and there's a number of things it does not depend on.

For instance, sincerity. You might just say, well, I'm sincere in what I'm doing. But sincerity is an element that involves righteousness or that is involved in righteousness. But you can be sincere and be sincerely wrong.

So some people are standing behind that and say, well, I'm sincere. And some say, well, I prayed and I did the best I understood to do. But nevertheless, righteousness in the heart depends on a proper look at Jesus, a proper response to Jesus.

And what I mean by that is all your reality from God stems from the fact that a person has actually had their eyes open to what there is in Jesus Christ and redemption and sanctification to a measure.

Not all the way, but to a measure. And they have responded by repentance and faith to that living Christ that's become sin for them. Now this matter, even this matter that we're talking about right now is such confusion in the world today.

Confusion About Salvation and Humanized Faith

For instance, this matter of salvation. You have a lot of confusion going around about salvation. And I don't know how long it's been going on. But I feel like this matter of salvation has been going on a long time.

Of course, Satan has always tried to get us to deny the deity of Jesus, the righteousness and the ability, the adequacy of Jesus Christ to save a sinner. But I think in the late 40s and early 50s, the devil changed and brought about a distinct change about this matter of salvation.

And I wish I could be listened to at this point very carefully. That is this, that Satan did not necessarily stop denying the battle that the deity of Jesus was an issue and all that. He didn't stop that area, but he added to that area.

And he may have, in the past 2 ,000 years, done this before. But I just see it. In my ministry, I can see where there came a change in Satan's mythology to confuse people about salvation. And I call it the fact that he humanized salvation.

And that means he started instilling in the Christians that the method to get a person saved humanized the way to get to Jesus. And you've heard me say this probably. But you can believe in all there is about Jesus, but you can humanize the way to get to Jesus.

For the continuation of this message, please turn the tape to side 2. It comes in under the name easy-believism. It comes in under the name of works for salvation. I've done this. I've done that. I've done this.

It comes in under the name of leaving out repentance and faith and it comes in under the name of what I call human faith. The statement was made by one of the outstanding leaders in the charismatic movement.

Signs, Wonders, and the Need for Repentance

Now when I say charismatic movement, I'm talking about a group of people. And he said that what we need today is signs and wonders to get people's attention and then let them come to Jesus, invite them to come to Jesus.

Now I know I've dealt with this before and so I want you to hear it again. Faith that does not spring from the Spirit and the Word of God, working in the heart of a lost person and seeing that Christ is the remedy for sin and seeing man is a sinner that needs that Christ, then my dear friends, that faith could easily be a very humanistic faith.

For instance, people are invited to come to Jesus because they see the miracles and signs and wonders that He's doing like was done in the days of the New Testament. And there's no repentance there. And what happens, these people are living in the same old sin.

And all of that stuff to me is a very confusing issue in this hour, a very confusing issue in this hour. And I realize, my dear friend, that many of us are confused about it. I'm asked all the time, well, Brother Manley, should I swing to this new method, to the new evangelism idea?

Should I go that way? Should I change my mythology? You see, I was reared, born and reared, enough back before 50 that I saw the old-fashioned mythology of having the two-week meetings, three weeks and four-week meetings.

And they would come into a church and preach until there would be a break. And boy, when that break came, then the glory of God would be everywhere. And sinners would be invited and dealt with and they would come, and they would come, and they would come, and they would come.

Now, we do not see that type of thing anymore. We do not see that mythology anymore at all. And we have drifted from one point to another. Till now, there's a great deal of confusion in the lives of people like myself.

And in the younger generation, there is no confusion at all because, my dear friend, they understand they're totally saved by the grace of God. And, you know, I wouldn't have difficulty with this crowd if I could see the holiness, the righteousness, the Christ living in their lives.

And I wouldn't have trouble with that if I could see when they got out in sin that God would correct them and deal with them. And I wouldn't have trouble dealing with this crowd if I saw that they had a deep love for the Word of God and a real assurance when they hit their storms.

They hit their storms and they've got to have a counselor. In fact, when I was a young man, there were not any counselors around. So when the old preachers and the old deacons and the old church members hit storms, they went out behind the barn or went in some room in the house or went out in the woods and they stayed there until they met with God.

And when they came out of that experience, it was what God said. And it was consistent in the Word of God. But in our day, we do not have that type of work at all. And so I'm just really, you know, I'm having a very difficult time.

And this has caused a great deal of confusion and I'm wondering if we're not hearing a bugle that does not have a very certain sound in this thing of salvation. Take a strong, hard look at this business of salvation.

Divine Healing and the Sovereign Will of God

And then there's other areas that's confusing to us today and that's causing us a great deal of confusion. And that is this, that we see some of our preachers that draw in the largest crowds in America and they're preaching that, you know, that you've got to have, the whole man has to be healed.

The whole man. The body, the soul, the spirit. And they're preaching this in such a way and they are exposing those that are healed in such a way that if you're not healed, you're full of the devil and that you're just not right with God and that you are a rebellious person and so on.

And so this really confuses, is confusing the issue and some of my friends are people like that and thousands and hundreds of thousands are being led astray. In a meeting recently, someone asked, a Pentecostal meeting, someone asked all the Baptists to identify themselves and I think 60 of the Baptists, of the people were Baptists.

Well now, it doesn't upset me that that was the case. It's just a tragic thing that we Baptists can not meet the needs of the people. Now I realize that some of these needs are, you know, physical and our basic practice now, I don't think our basic belief about healing and so on is, you know, just let the fellow that's sick go to the doctor.

But there's some of us that the doctors were not able to help unless by prayer and some of them prayed, of course. But I really do believe in divine healing and my wife has been just instantly healed of cancer and I have been definitely healed in some areas but some areas I have not been healed and, you know, I've worked with this idea about healing for the last few years.

In fact, the last 16 years and, of course, it's my conviction that healing is according to the sovereign will of God. But this thing is really causing a great deal of confusion in the world today. I mean just a great deal of confusion.

And so the battle is really on and a lot of our friends are falling into this. And the amazing thing about it, if they were not being misled and left to a state of confusion, it wouldn't be so bad, I guess.

But I wonder if there's not an uncertain sound. The bugle has given an uncertain sound in our day. And yet, on the other hand, we as Baptists, you know, just do not give Christians much hope if they get sick.

And I think we need to find a way to teach the truth that will be able to minister to that Baptist that is there with a real problem physically. The truth is there. It is there. That God will either heal that person or give them grace to act like he wants them back in that situation.

And as I said at the beginning of this discussion and talk, I was not going to try to establish preaching at this point. I'm just going to talk to you and fellowship with you around some things. And this matter of healing is one of those things that's just really, really, really causing a great deal of difficulty.

And I say that because I'm a Baptist. And I believe that the Lord has made provision for healing, but he does not heal everyone. But I do know that the one thing he does do, he gets glory out of everyone that will let him.

But we're having a difficult time coming to a state of understanding. And the crowd who believes that, boy, they'll all be healed, and the rest of us are full of the devil. My only answer to that particular crowd is that you can't follow any of them, not any of them.

I don't care who they are. You can't follow them six months and find a record where they have got the victory. So they blame the failure of healing on people's sins and people's faith and such like that.

But I can take the Scripture and prove that the Bible says according to a man's faith, so be it. So, you know, a person should have the victory according to their faith. Now, what I really am saying is there's a lot of sounds that are going forth that are uncertain.

And I'm sure we Baptists have our share of responsibility of sending forth an uncertain sound where we might be true to doctrine. We're not necessarily true to the practical aspect of experience and reality of that doctrine and so on.

And so there's a lot of uncertain sounds going forth. And it is really tough. And I trust that some way, somehow, that as I've just mentioned these two areas where there's so much confusion. My, there's 10, 15 more areas that are on the scene right now that's causing just as much confusion as these two areas.

Soundness of Heart and Mind in Spiritual Warfare

But what you and I as God's children must learn is to know the real sound of the trumpet. That's right. Because I'm going to tell you when we get our call to go to battle if we're not really, really genuinely there where we're sound and solid and settled then Satan is going to have a way to slip right into your life and, I mean, bombard you and beat you up and defeat you.

I think it's soundness of heart, righteousness, and soundness of truth, understanding that really equips us to resist the devil when he comes in. Now, if we have soundness of mind and not soundness of heart Satan will just walk in and defeat us.

And I believe that if we have soundness of heart and not soundness of mind that Satan has some measure of access to us and can literally defeat us. So what I'm saying is that we not only need a soundness of heart which is first and foremost but we need a soundness of mind and, you know, just really lay it out there.

Letting Christ Bring Glory Through Our Failures

Well, it's been just a real good experience for me today to talk to you. I've been talking sort of low and my voice has gotten hoarse on me but I've enjoyed it. It's springtime here in Ulis and the trees outside the office window are breaking out in resurrected life.

And, my dear friends, we serve a living Savior and just as sure as that sap in that tree is responding to the sun that passes overhead. I'll tell you, if you're saved by the grace of God the Holy Spirit within you will respond to the son of the living God and God the Father and something beautiful will come out of your life if you'll just let Jesus have his way in your life.

Just like that old tree outside my window. It's knobby. It looks awful. Oh, my, it's been through the storm this winter. It really has. But I'm going to tell you something in a few more weeks. My friends, I'll not be able to see that old knobby tree.

It will be covered with beautiful leaves and it will show forth the glory of the Father and you yourself can do the same. I'll tell you, I know we're failures but I know in our failures God takes that and turns it to his glory if we'll just let him.

And, oh, my dear friends, he'll make you a praise and honor to him. So I trust that today you will just let Jesus have his way and I trust that most of all the reason I brought up these two areas that's causing a great deal of confusion where there's some uncertain sounds is to some way, somehow pray that God will make us sensitive to know the truth when we hear it and respond to it and be people that are balanced to where when people see us they can say, listen, I can depend on that person and I can follow that person and that person will bring glory and honor to the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world.

Well, I haven't spent but about 30 minutes with you and talking to you about the things of God but it's been a good experience for me and I've enjoyed it and I pray that God will bless you today right there where you are bless you today pray for me as we go let me pray for you as you are there in that car or at home, or plane, or running, whatever, wherever Lord Jesus, have your precious way with my friends today use them for thy glory in Jesus' name I pray Amen.