5. Haps Addison | Calvinism in Evangelism | Open Air Theology Conference 2024

Well, hello.

How are all of you? I'm so not a conference speaker. I'm an evangelist. Oh my gosh. There's like so many of you. Why don't we come before the Lord in prayer. Oh God.

Lord how I.

Tremble at your pulpit Lord. Lord, I I ask now Lord that your word go forth Lord that you be blessed and you get the glory. You get all of it Lord. I ask you calm my spirits Lord. And I ask now Lord that you get the soil ready for seed and water Lord that if there's People here that do not believe Lord.

We we ask Lord that you raise them from the dead. So now Lord We thank you. We praise you. And hallowed be thy name for the name of in the sake of your precious Son Jesus the Christ. Amen. So I was given the task of teaching and preaching on Calvinism in evangelism and.

I.

Want you guys to know that that Calvinism is just a nickname for the gospel. All right, so it's just just a nickname for the gospel. So it's Gospel and evangelism and that that if I can take one word to in cat in capulate Calvinism it would be monetism, which is a Greek word composed of two Greek words mono and and Aragon and and that means a One work, so it's the one work of God in evangelism.

And I'm very very very passionate about this very passionate about evangelism and the gospel going forth and For a lot of you guys that know By the grace of God, I started the first reformed men's discipleship home in the United States.

My whole discipleship program was mainly focused on The gospel and evangelism. I'm very very very passionate about that because I heard the gospel. I Was dead in my sins and trespasses. I Actually had a full-blown stroke because I was a heroin and speed addict that's why I can't use the left side of my body that will a.

Skinhead. Oh.

Just a horrible. I was just a horrible man, and I heard the gospel of Jesus Christ on a bed I was I couldn't move to the left side of my body and couldn't speak and I I heard of the gospel and it was like the lights came on and I I just can't explain it.

So I know that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation. I know it. I know it. You know, I don't have to pretty it up. I don't have to sell it. You know the gospel goes forth and conquers those who that it's supposed to conquer.

I'm not an Amway sell salesman, and it's not an Amway sells pitch. You know, it's not being a peddler of God's Word it's it's really having a love for God and a love for neighbor. I mean like really it really is and when I'd evangelize when I got better I wanted to share this with everybody now.

This is gonna be a really unorthodox sermon. I'm gonna tell you right now I did not graduate Ford's Theological Seminary. Yeah.

Huh shots.

But.

Here I would go out every single day and I would evangelize for about 10 to 15 hours a day. Sharing the good news. I was just so excited. So excited and it's just such a joy in my heart. I just wanted to share the gospel and I did this.

Every single day and what I started doing was as I started.

I.

Believed God's Word when he told us and he commanded us to go and preach the gospel to all of creation. I mean, I believe I I wanted to I needed to I had to it was like this itch. You know, the Holy Spirit is inside of me and he wants to testify of Christ and here I Just started bringing men home and I started discipling them.

And I baptized them in the name of the Father in the name of the Son in the name of the Holy Spirit teaching them to obey all that he commanded and My whole goal was not to turn them into a Calvinist.

I Wanted them to know Jesus Christ is their Lord and Savior. Because I know where I had been in life, and I know that I did not raise Myself from the dead. I Know that I did not do that because of the only one that did that was Christ.

He rose himself from the grave now. I I've never graduated high school Never went to seminary Never did nothing like this. But it was what was deposited into me because I just have an absolute love for God and neighbor now.

And and I didn't have that before I Never had that I was a skinhead All right, and let me tell you skinheads hate white people, too. I'd burn crosses. I was a gang member Drug addict hardcore heroin and speed all the time up until I was in my 40s.

I'm 51 now. Yeah, that's what he did. Not me. He did that All right. I mean he I I cannot take any credit in any of this at all. Me I know I know and let me tell you some all the men That I got off of the street.

They knew it, too. They knew it for a fact for a fact and To be honest, I was not a Calvinist at the time. I did not know reformed theology at all. But people kept calling me one. I thought it was a bad word or something.

You know, I was like What did I say to you, you know, I I didn't know it it's just you know, my brother had to let me know. He just graduated Westminster. Yes, he dips babies, you know, and I'm a deepwater Baptist, you know deepwater.

I mean Presbyterian deepwater Presbyterian.

The way.

But anyways, I would go and I would Decide. I mean I would go and evangelize day after day after day in the and I was in Southern, California. And you got to understand where I was living the normal temperatures about a hundred and fifteen.

Sometimes 119. I lived in the lower desert. All right, some of the worst streets in the United States and You know and it was exhausting and everything like that and there's a I want you to know that that.

There's a reason why I did it a certain way. There's a reason why I went out there and I was fulfilling the Great Commission because I was commanded to fulfill the Great Commission and I Found myself Scattering a lot of seed catching a lot of fish and Burning a lot of burial cloths and then I would teach others how to go and do the exact same thing.

Multiplication make disciples. I Didn't get them to make a name for myself or anything like that. I I just did it. We had no business cards. We had nothing. But I know that this one work of God that he did in me that he'll do in others.

I know it for fact I've seen it and We're gonna be going through some scriptures right here. And I I want you guys to know as we we go through these scriptures. So we dive through these scriptures these scriptures are what helped me Disciple men and the way God orchestrated this.

Pretty I mean, but the I is so amazing. Because this property that I lived at Belonged to my wife's grandfather who died who was a staunch atheist hardcore atheist straight hater of God. And I always found it absolutely amazing you find it amazing, you know like we can go through scripture and everything and you're looking at the scriptures you see in the scriptures at.

The the Creator.

Entered creation to teach his creation from his creation heavenly things and it's just. Twist your cat back. And so here when I all I had was this.

The Bible.

His Holy Spirit inside of me and I had this property and note that around me to help me teach unlearned men. Simple man any simple men here. Hallelujah, I was so glad not to see everybody looking like Schultz.

I was so scared. I Was like, oh my gosh. Here they took this picture of the Y Calvinism, you know. Conference and everybody's in suits and ties with their Baptist smiles on and I'm the only one with just a regular shirt on going.

Hey, you know. But here I I want us to go through three sections of scripture. That is really going to show the gospel in Calvinism. What you are to expect. What are you are gonna see. What you are going to experience and I want you guys to know.

Everything's gonna be okay. You might not see growth, but there's growth. We're gonna be discussing the farmer the fishermen and.

The gravedigger and.

This guys is.

How I have.

Discipled.

Hundreds in hundreds in hundreds of men personally discipled. And it was so awesome. I don't want to get all teared up. Get like Jeff or whatever, but I got I sent this sermon out. Well this what I wrote up to a few of my students over the years that have.

Now have their own ministries and now they I had by the grace of God I put them through college though. I never went put them through seminary seminary, but I've never gone.

And.

Now they have abortion mill ministries and in the fruit That came out of all of this It's only something God could have done. I mean the one work of God. Absolutely in in when they read it and they call me back up and they go.

I remember all of this. Thank you so much. Now we teach others this and We pass this torch on. That's why I started that school of apologetics to pass the torch. So if you guys can turn with me to mark chapter 4 It's the parable of the sower seed.

I.

Really really.

Need to tell you guys that These scriptures that I'm gonna Teach and preach to you guys and read to you guys right now has been an absolute blessing to me in hundreds upon hundreds of people. So we're gonna be starting off in Three that's mark chapter 4 verse 3.

Here now is the true and the living Word of God. Give ear to the reading of God's Holy Word.

Listen.

Behold a sower went out to sow and As he sowed some seed fell along the path And the birds came and devoured it. Other seed fell on rocky ground Where it did not have much soil and immediately it sprang up since it had no death of soil and when the Sun rose it was scorched and Since it had no root.

Hold on to that.

It withered away and.

Other seed fell among the thorns. And the thorns grew up and it choked it and it yielded no grain. And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain growing up and increasing and yielding 30 fold and 60 fold and a hundred fold.

And he said He who has an ear let him hear now. I find this absolutely fascinating, you know. Like when you go through scripture and everything. What I always find fascinating is when God he takes something a tangible.

Tangible something that they know all right, and then he brings that spiritual aspect to it. I mean like really just brings the story alive. And In my teachings when I evangelize and everything and disciple and trust me Evangelism there's no separation between evangelism and discipleship.

All right.

The.

Church where you go to church proper isn't to be evangelizing. They should be equipping the Saints to go evangelize.

So.

But here he says I.

I.

Just I love this. In 10 and when he was alone those around him with the 12 Asked him about the parables and he said to them to you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God. But for those outside Everything's in parable in parables so that they may indeed see but not perceive.

It may indeed hear but not understand. Lest they should turn and be forgiven. Well, that's off to a pretty awesome start right there. You know, that's it's this is for some to hear and see and then some not.

I mean right from the get-go 13 I love this. Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? The sower sows the word. Now, I I just I want to put a strong emphasis on this listen, this was one of the main focuses of my discipleship program because if you do not understand this.

Parable right here.

You won't understand Anything Christ said in public because he always spoke in parables in public if you don't understand this one right here. If the Holy Spirit doesn't illuminate you to really really look at this.

But what I found was fascinating.

Was.

This was all on my property and I'm gonna get to that. 14 the sower sows the word 15 and these are the ones along the path where the word is sown when they hear. Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them and These are the ones sown on the rocky ground.

The ones who when they hear the word immediately receive it with joy. Then they have no root. There we go again. No root in themselves. But endure for a while then when tribulation Or persecution arises on the account of the word Immediately they fall away and others are the ones sown among the thorns.

They are those who hear the word. But the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of the riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word and it proves unfruitful, but.

Those.

That were sown on the good soil. Are the ones who hear the word? And accept it and. And bear fruit. Thirty fold a hundred fold mean sixty fold and a hundred fold now. Go figure on my property. I had every single one of these.

Soils.

You can't make this up on one half of the property where my dorms were. Where? The men would live where I preach outside and teach outside every single morning. Lush, I mean lush. I mean, I'm beautiful Orange trees and grapefruit trees and lemon trees and I had a grape orchard and tell me about all that.

I Preach so many like this Bare fruit and you know that we are he is the vine we are the branches. I mean, I was having a blast, you know. It was just it was just so neat how I can I can take God's creation and as we're sitting there We could see it.

We could taste it. We could feel it. And I show them these Soils because on the other half of the property the property I lived on there's one other half. All right was all adobe clay. Nothing grows in adobe clay.

I've tried for 13 years. Nothing grows in adobe clay. It's hard as a rock. I.

Toiled it.

Prayed over it. I even brought some charismatics in one time. Maybe they could do something. No, no, nothing was happening. You know that's how I knew they were just full of it, but.

Yeah, I.

Figured if they couldn't put hair on my head, they couldn't put grass on the ground. So. But here I would I would actually show them I would take them through and I go like this net now watch Watch I am preparing you guys for evangelism right here.

Because.

Like I said, I did this every single day. I didn't wait till Sunday. I didn't have a church meeting on Wednesday. I didn't come to classes to learn how to do this. I Actually went out and did it and not just on a Saturday.

This was a daily thing and I saw the rocky ground. I saw I guys. So here's my property right here. All right, here's my property and I got this long stony hard.

Driveway.

And I would take the guys down the driveway and I would explain this prayer. Well everywhere I went 20 guys had about 20 25 guys that live with me. Some were mentally ill some were dying of cancer.

And.

Some I had a couple that were special needs it was absolute blessing, you know. And I would actually take seed with me. I also knew there was a whole bunch of birds in the tree by the way. He said they they always came down and in.

In the morning time they get all the bugs and stuff like that. And I would come down and spread the seed. Like this and then we turn around and walk back to the property and Then I stop and turn and the birds have already come down and taken the seed and gone and I go.

I go. This is this is the person that rejects God. That they completely reject God. Because I've been out in the streets and I have seen it. I have brought them into my home and I've seen it hundreds and hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of times and no reform theology or Or any.

I didn't read any but that's what I saw. That's what I experienced. When I found out later on that I was like wow, but these other couple soils right here. It was really really easy to see and the man that would come in my home.

They would see it and when we go out into the streets, we would see it out there that people that have a profession of faith and not a possession of faith. They hear the good news and everything they they can get or whatever.

They build a Jesus in their mind and take this type of you know, the gospel and it's just it's for a reason and Then I take him over to the good soil.

The.

Good soil and I go over here. We have good soil. You can see it. Put your hands in it over here. You're not gonna put your hands in. You can't even put a pick in it, you know, but you get the bad soil.

All right. I did not make these soils. I had no choice in making these soils and.

The soils.

Don't have a choice in what soils they are. Sorry. But again, if you don't understand this parable You're not gonna understand the rest of the stuff that Christ has said in this good soil. The good soil was only good soil Because the farmer came in and amend it.

You know what that means, right? Is he came in and prepared the soil beforehand? He got he fertilized it. The Word of God was planted in the soil. Now get this. I remember one time and I'm a fool. I'm a I just love talking about this one of my guys goes.

Don't farmers have to protect the seed. Yes, they do. That's usually why they put scarecrows up. I was I remember I told Jeff I got one of my guys goes is Jesus a scarecrow and I was like, I don't know that was awesome, but yeah, I like I like where your head's at, but yeah, I.

You know, he was mentally ill and stuff, but he got it. He was mentally ill and he got it. I I was trying to process it all at the same time. I you know, I was like this is taking me back but.

Here the.

You're in the father in the son's hand and nothing can pluck you from his hand. He's gonna nurture you and care for you and he is the one that is going to Develop you as he takes care of you and they all got it.

I've just shown them the soils and go look at the people that have been coming in. Look at when we go out here and they got it man. It was just like and it was just such a reverence and awe for God of what he has done and what he is doing.

I mean, it was just like you're like He is the great I am. And I'm the great I am NOT. That's what we all believed. 100 a lot of preparation a lot of nurturing and This is what you can expect when you go and evangelize.

I don't want your hearts to get broken. I don't want you to think. Oh, maybe I got to take a class on how to scatter seed. No, no, you just Skip along like Johnny Appleseed and just go do it, you know.

And you might not ever see it grow. I'm being real honest. You might not ever see it grow. You might be just the one that waters it you might just be the one that plants it. But brothers and sisters I can tell you this.

I know 100 for a fact That I have seen this. I was actually Blessed by the Lord to actually plant water and watch it grow. Not a lot of people get to do that, but I lived with them. Lived I like I lived it wasn't again.

That's something I did on Tuesday or once a month with the guys or anything like that. This is what I did daily daily for years and years and years. And it comes down to this one plants One waters, but only God makes them grow.

I Mean, it's just it's just the way it is. I just I man it was just such a beautiful. I had a palm tree at the end of our driveway and I go out here and go for those that are planted in the House of the Lord will flourish like palm trees and in their old age bear fruit the whole property and everything That the Lord had given me.

I can take God's scriptures and really go and go like this is what he said. This is what it looks like and they were eating this up like chocolate cakes. It was just such a blessing. Now we come to the the fishermen.

Very fond of this. I'd like everybody to turn with me to Luke chapter 5 1 through 11. Again, I taught all of this every single day and it was really really awesome. 5 1 through 11 on one occasion while the crowd was Pressing in on him to hear the Word of God.

He was standing by the lake of Gethsemane. I mean I Can't even say that word. Yeah, try saying that with no front teeth and He saw two boats by the lake. But the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets.

Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon's he asked him to put out. Put out a little from the land and he sat down and taught the people from the boat. And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon I Like this prayer.

You'll see why Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch. And Simon answered Master we toiled all night. Remember that to you.

And took nothing.

But at your word at your word, I'll let down the nets. And and when they had done this they enclosed a large number of fish and there were nets and there were nets breaking they.

Signaled.

To their partners and the other boats to come and help them and they came and they filled Both the boats so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it he fell down at Jesus knees Saying depart for me For I am a sinful man.

Oh.

Lord.

For he and all Who were with him were astonished at the catch of the fish that they had taken and so also were James and John sons as evity.

Who were.

Partners with Simon and Said to Simon do not be afraid. Here we go. From now on you will be catching men. When they had brought listen when they had brought their boats.

To the land.

They left everything and Followed him. There's a reason why I understand this maybe a lot more Than a lot of you. There's a reason why I understand why the deceptive the disciples of Jesus Christ.

Net.

Why they were fishing at night until the morning in chapter John chapter 21. And I understand why the disciples of Christ were terrified of the storm at the night At the night on the boat of Mark chapter 4.

And there's a reason why I completely understand.

The parable of.

The net in Matthew 13 with the casting of the net and the gathering of the fish Of every kind and Having to bring them ashore to separate the good from the bad fish. There's a reason why it's because I'm a fisherman and I don't mean a sports fisherman.

I don't mean catch and release. I Mean, I'm an actual Long shoreman. I was a longshoreman and I actually did that for a living. I Actually went and caught fish because that's what fishermen do. They don't play catch and release.

They pay catch and keep. And I fish in the most dangerous sea in the world the Bering Sea. I lived up in Dutch Harbor, Alaska. I've sailed to Japan. I've been I have caught more fish than Tyson seafood man, and I Designed my whole program my discipleship program around fishing.

That's why when you guys see me at the conferences probably tomorrow and stuff. I always got fish shirts on fish and fame salty crew everything like that and I Want you to know something? There's this a Quote, I think it's from Thomas Aquinas.

He said how beautiful is fishing? For when fish are caught they soon die. But what men are caught they soon live and I believe that 100 Because I'm an actual fisherman that went from being a fisherman to a fisherman.

I Understand why they threw their nets on the right side of the boat because I cast nets. I Understand why at. Like fishermen at the end of the age, you know. The fishermen when they come in and separate the good fish from the bad fish at the end of the age.

I know why because I did that. Every part of a job as a longshoreman I have done. And let me tell you before you can even enter in on a boat. You have to know everything about the boat. I mean a real fisherman.

And I'm not saying like, you know a lot of people that go lake fishing and that's cool and everything like that. But no, no, no. Wait, when you smell like fish six months after you just got done with your first season of fishing or second season of fishing.

Or whatever, you know, that's a fisherman. You work 20 hours a day. It's the most dangerous one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. I understand why Christ chose fishermen. You got to have your sea legs.

You're in all kinds of weather. And you got to know everything about the boat. You got to know everything in order for me to get on the boat. I know got to know the bow from the stern. I got to have complete and utter confidence get this.

A lot of people don't know this. But when you go real fishing row fishing. It's not the captain's not number one guy. The number one guy is the owners representative of the boat and then it's the captain and then it's the navigator and then it's the.

Well, sometimes I got first mates, but it's the supervisor that that was me. All right. And I worked my my way up and everything now. Pay attention when you go from being a fisherman. Catching fish and it's describing in here that we're gonna go catch men.

That's what we do and that's how I trained my men. Because when you're a fisherman and You take your fish on shore. You sell a darker sea than you've ever been before and when you're out in the Bering Sea, it's pitch black.

I actually understand why he says be the salt and the light in the world. Because you can't see nothing out at sea except whitewash. You got 50-foot swells all of nature all of creation wants to kill you.

I Understand why he picked fishermen to go be fishermen in a dark world. 100 100 and when it comes to fishing there there's patience. Because look at the same God That created the heavens and the earth on the second day.

On the fifth day put the birds and the fishes in it. I bet you the angels were going. What is he doing? You know and So when God places you in a certain place To fish for a certain thing, you know, you're gonna go catch fish go catch people and You're not seeing anything what I would do go go figure.

My property was right next door to a lake. You can't make this up. Right next door to it was called Lake Elsinore. There's a Riverside County. And so I would take my guys down there with I'd say hey, we're gonna go evangelizing.

I'm gonna teach you evangelism and we take them down there and they're where's the poles? I go get the buckets out of the back. Of our van. Yeah, I think I told you this before to get the buckets out of the back and I go.

This is called chum.

Open it up stinks really bad and I just sit there.

And.

We'd all just throw some in the water, you know, why are you throwing some in the water? Don't you see on the other side of the lake? That's where everybody's fishing and I go. Yeah. What does this have to do with evangelism?

And I'm like you're about to find out. Why are we doing this. We're compelling the fish. Those fish are gonna come over here. And we're gonna catch them and some will be good and some would be bad.

That's a fact.

That there's a reason why they separated the fish good fish and bad fish because there's good fish and bad fish. It's not rocket science. There's good fish and bad fish good soil and bad soil. Sheep's goats.

I mean. It's just really not rocket science. But here this is how I would train my guys to go and be fishermen and that's what we do. We would go and catch men. We wouldn't do catch and release. We weren't like the charismatics that have to throw a stick of dynamite in the water.

Now the fish come up. Call that hillbilly fishing. Oh, yeah. Sorry Jeff and I. Know how to trick a fish. Fish like alcohol and dr. Pepper go throw that and you'll get all the fish you want. You know, I I know how to fish.

I know how to fish so much I got a Real tattooed one of my guys. He.

He.

Graduated my home and I. He wanted to be a missionary.

To Turkey.

And he was Caucasian. It was. Now he goes all over the world and everything. But he got me this tattoo before he left and the reason why you guys can't see it. The pole is sticking out and this is the the end of the poles right here for a reason to always remind me that I.

Got caught and.

The pole facing out that you hold on to was me teaching people how to fish. He designed it and came up with it and I can tell you guys with the utmost certainty as being a fisherman I Have never talked to fish on onto a hook.

I never have I've tried I've sat there come on fishy fishy fishy. No, no, no, I've never caught a Fish like that. I've never Had a convince a fish That you know if you come on here everything's gonna be okay, you know I've never done that.

I Understand what these scriptures mean. All right when he says to go and catch men it's it's like this When it comes to Calvinism and evangelism when it comes to The gospel and evangelism There's one rod there's one reel there's one line there's one hook there's one gospel one gospel and by casting the rod and reel you are Unleashing the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Where is the power of God unto salvation? With a call to repent and believe. And that's why through proper discipleship It should always Always come with proper application. So I just just didn't teach them I showed them how to do this daily daily discipleship daily.