The Departure of a Giant SAYING “GOODBYE” TO MY MENTOR, DR. GENE PARISHER
By Byron Foxx Dr. Parisher in his study in 1974
Dr. Gene Parisher was a giant man physically, had a giant ministry, and made a giant impact upon my life. In the fall of 1980, I attended my first Sunday service at Bethel Baptist Church, Hampton, VA. That morning Pastor Parisher with his booming voice preached a vibrant Bible message. He gave a compelling invitation, and nine people received Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. That was my introduction to Dr. Parisher. God directed my steps. I was saved eight years earlier, and now the Lord was leading me to the next phase of my Christian journey. The Lord had now brought my “Ministry Mentor” into my life! Dr. Parisher immediately began to pour his life into mine. He gave me opportunities as a teenager. He directed me concerning Bible college. He also had a beautiful and talented daughter named Renee. I must tell you, she got my attention! Renee impressed me with her deep love for the Lord. God was directing me. I remember asking Dr. Parisher for Renee’s “hand in marriage.” We met in his office. He leaned back in his chair and began asking me a few questions. I wish I could remember several of his questions that day, but I only remember his final question: “When are you going to get her a ring?” I responded, “I’ve already bought it.” He laughed and said, “I guess you were rather confident that I would say YES!” After college, I remember picking up the receiver on a yellow rotary phone (It was 1983, before any phone was smart!), and it was him calling me. He said, “The deacons and I have met, and we would like for you to serve on the staff here at Bethel Baptist Church.” It was my great joy to serve as his assistant pastor/ music minister for eleven years. During
June 2017 | Vol. 3 | No. 2 Editor: Byron Foxx Managing Editor: Tim Cruse
that time, I heard him preach over 1,000 notable sermons! I’ve met many remarkable preachers, but my favorite one, besides my Lord Jesus, has always been my incomparable father-in-law, Gene Parisher. I want to share three things about my mentor.
messages with compassion.
He Was Ready - Himself “For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.”—2 Timothy 4:6
Dr. Parisher went into the hospital for the final time in late April 2017. I was able to spend a day with my mentor, but during much of his hospital stay I was out preaching meetings. He went under hospice care on May 8. God allowed me to join my family on Tuesday, May 9. When I walked into the room he greeted me with, “Hey, Byron!” We chatted, and for the next five hours I sat with him. At 6pm the Lord gently took my mentor to his heavenly reward. There comes a time when our mission on earth is complete. There comes a day when our task is finished, and the Lord says, “Come home my child. It’s better over here.” I remember Dr. Parisher saying, “It’s not just how you start that counts, it’s how you finish that counts, too!” I’m glad my beloved father-in-law finished strong!
The Apostle Paul was ready to meet the Lord, and so was Gene Parisher. As a teenager, Dr. Parisher trusted Christ as Savior, and shortly after that answered the call to preach. He served in the ministry for almost sixty years. He was ready to serve, and he was ready to meet the Lord! He Was Revered - By Others “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” —2 Timothy 4:7 In 1974 Dr. Elmer Towns wrote about the explosive growth that was taking place under Dr. Parisher at Bethel Baptist Church. The article reads, “…He preached to forty-seven that first Sunday; the Sunday school now averages over 900. The church has built twice in the last three years…” Throughout his ministry, God used him in radio ministries, missionary endeavors, youth ministries, a large Christian school, and a multitude of other ministries. When he retired as Pastor, he continued to preach and teach in many places. Most remarkable throughout his ministry were his sermons! His preaching was Bible-based, Christcentered, and dynamic. He was a strong preacher, but always delivered his
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He Is Being Rewarded - By the Lord “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.”— 2 Timothy 4:8
“We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.”—2 Corinthians 5:8 “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” —I Corinthians 15:55-57
BYRON FOXX is an evangelist, music publisher, songwriter, and the founder and president of Bible Truth Music.
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Some Suggestions for Becoming a Soul Winning Church By Dave Young on’t all of us want our churches to be soul-winning, growing churches? There are always exceptions, but it does seem that soulwinning, growing churches are pretty few. I think I know why. It is not just difficult to do - it is actually impossible to do on our own. God has to fill us with His Spirit and lead us and guide us and break our hearts for souls. He has to take the seeds we sow and He has to gives the increase. Could it be, thought, that we have so few soul-winning, growing churches because we aren’t sowing seeds? Because we have no burden? Is there more we could do? Perhaps there is, and here are some suggestions for getting started.
a serious investment of time in helping people to become disciples.
1. Just do it. This is really pretty simple isn’t it? We have to schedule soul-winning on a regular basis. We have to make it a priority and believe in it. We have to reach out to people and constantly look for opportunities to discuss the gospel. Years ago I was preaching with a pastor in a “hard” section of our country. After some persuasion on my part, he agreed we should go soul-winning but assured me that it didn’t work where he pastored. We went anyway, knocked on four doors, and had four in-depth conversations with one catholic family, an atheist, an agnostic, and a person who had no opinion either way. With a little sowing and watering, all four could have likely been won to Christ.
5. Organize outreach opportunities for your teens. Teens have boundless energy and love being together. So train them to care about souls and teach them how to present the gospel and lead people to Christ. Plan times for them to go doorto-door and schedule youth events with a gospel emphasis. Get teens praying for other teens in their community. Pray for the local public schools and encourage teens to always invite every teen they meet!
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2. Emphasize it. Talk a lot about soul-winning and schedule a weekly testimonial time so people can share stories about someone they were able to speak with and in whom they are investing. Continually teach people how to do it and take them with you as you do it. Pray often about it in your church. 3. Prepare for the fruit. Prepare to have people who don’t dress exactly “churchy.” Prepare for some shocking situations in marriages, homes, and backgrounds. Prepare to love people and all of their broken pieces. Prepare to be very patient as they grow. Prepare for
4. Use a weekly Children’s Program with an outreach orientation. We have been in churches that used Awana and we loved it. Our kids learned the Bible and grew spiritually as a result. We have also been in churches that used Master’s Club and our children profited from that as well. There are other really good programs and you should find one that works really well and advertise it to the community. An enjoyable program could become the very tool that God used to help you reach boys and girls and their entire families with the gospel.
6. Consider using a Reformer’s Unanimous program. When we are in churches that use an addiction recovery program, we almost always see obvious fruit in the church. It takes a ton of commitment and a lot of work, but the results are often amazing. 7. Start a van or bus ministry. Here is one sure way to get unsaved people to your church. Offer them transportation and bring them! It takes money and time, but it is money well spent. 8. Teach people to eat with “publicans and sinners.” Normal, everyday-kind-of conversations are often a paved highway to gospel ones. Having a neighbor over for coffee or a meal can open a gospel conversation. Eating with a co-worker can do the same. We will have to teach our church family
to present the gospel simply and clearly. We will likely have to teach them how to present the gospel apologetically too. The closer our culture gets to humanism and atheism the more we have to prepare to be “ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh” (I Peter 3:17). And beside, eating with “publicans and sinners” seems like a very Christlike thing to do! 9. Have a variety of “end-of-theservice” invitations available. Present the gospel and invite people to trust Christ. Invite those same people to “come forward” or “go backward” for prayer with a caring and loving and knowledgeable counselor. Set aside one room as an “inquiry” room where people can meet for prayer and counsel. Set up a table in a corner of the auditorium and call it a “prayer-station” and open it before and after every service. Have a well-trained worker there, and invite people to come to the table for prayer or to speak with someone about their spiritual needs. Be willing to invite “seekers” to coffee or even to a meal. Talk with them and witness to them. 10. Make follow-up a routine part of your church’s ministry. Do follow-up work as soon as possible. When a guest visits your church, reach out to them immediately. Use a text or an email or a short phone call. If they have teens, have the youth department reach out to them that very day. If they have children, have the junior church workers do the same. Have a definite plan for beginning discipleship and pair them with people who can most likely have the best influence on them and who can devote the best amount of time. If I were a pastor, there is no doubt that I would want to do everything possible to make my church a soul-winning, growing church. I know you want that as well. Let’s make it a matter of sincere prayer. May your church continually see people saved and added to your congregation.
DAVE YOUNG is an evangelist from Milton, Florida. Find out more about Dave’s ministry at evangelistdaveyoung.com.
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Seeing Great & Mighty Things A S E R M O N O U T L I N E F R O M J E R E M I A H 3 3 :3 By T. Kevan Bartlett
INTRODUCTION: What are these “great and mighty things?” In Jeremiah’s day it was the miraculous prophecy that God would one day return Israel to Jerusalem in great glory. At the time they were being overtaken by the most powerful nation (Babylon), under the threat of the most powerful King (Nebuchadnezzar) on earth. For us, the great and mighty things are the blessings God wants to give us if we will simply yield ourselves to Him. Our Heavenly Father knows what is absolutely best for us. He wants to give His best to us. Some of it, we cannot even comprehend. The great and mighty things are the priceless, awesome, indescribable blessings of living a life that is dedicated to God. This well-known passage tells us how to see them in our lives:
1. Ask “Call” It starts with a request. God does not force Himself on us. Just as He offers salvation; it is then up to us to receive it. He has wonderful blessings for us; but He waits for us to ask. Matthew 7:7–8 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 2. Ask the One Who Can Deliver “Unto Me” We do not ask hoping “somebody” will hear. We call on the Lord for He is able. Our prayers are singularly directed to God. Jesus gave us a model prayer which begins by addressing the Father, “…Our Father which art in heaven, hollowed be thy name.…” Luke 11:2
3. Expect to Hear from the Lord “And” indicates there is more. We are to ask the One who can deliver in full faith that He WILL answer! Our prayers should reflect our confidence and our trust in Him. The book of James instructs us to “Ask in faith, nothing wavering.” God wants us to exercise and demonstrate faith in Him—not just talk about it. Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. The priests at the Jordan River were told to carry the Ark of the Covenant across Jordan. They had to step into the water with the heavy ark on their shoulders. Then God parted the waters. Jesus, walking on the water, called on Peter to act in faith when He said “Come.” Peter had to step out of the boat before he walked on the water. Are you exercising or demonstrating your faith in God? What step of faith have you taken for the Lord recently? 4. Expect to See the Lord Work “I will” We KNOW that God is at work on our behalf. So, we can LIVE in light of that precious truth. Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: 5. Set Limits Aside “Shew thee” This wonderful Scripture is not only for the preacher, the missionary, the outgoing person, or the talented. Don’t limit God about the “great and mighty” things in your life. He wants YOU to experience the amazing works of grace and glory that He knows are best for you. Psalm 46:10a Be still, and know that I am God: Philippians 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. 6. God Wants What Is Best for You “Great and mighty things” His best for our lives is the “great and mighty things.” He is ready, willing, and able to display this in our lives for His glory. We can live confidently and victoriously as God puts on an amazing display through us. 2 Timothy 1:12b I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.
T. KEVAN BARTLETT is the senior pastor of Maranatha Baptist Church in Charleston, West Virginia.
Confidence in God’s ability is also confidence in God’s timing. Believe God, and let Him set the time table.
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The Lightning Bolt of Life MAKING THE MOST OF OUR SHORT TIME ON EARTH By Tim Cruse
cientists tell us that lightning flashes around the world some 6,000 times per minute. The Bible teaches us that, like a bolt of lightning, our lives appear like a flash and then we are gone forever. Our lives are, “A vapour, that appeareth for a little time and then vanisheth away” (James 4:14). The days of our years are, “Soon cut off, and then we fly away” (Psalm 90:10). We are as, “A wind that passeth away, and cometh not again” (Psalm 78:39). Away. Away. Away! We are here today and gone the next; never to pass through this life again. We only get one life to count for God. This is it. We will not get another. Away then with regret—wishing you were someone else, someplace else,
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doing something else with your life. If you are doing what God wants you to do, “Do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device [planning], nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the grave, whither thou goest” (Ecclesiastes 9:10). Give who you are, where you have been, and what is left of your life to that which never dies (1 Peter 4:12; 1 John 2:15–17). Determine to make a lasting impact upon your generation by doing the will of God and leaving a legacy of faith in action. Someone has said, “Life is like a coin; you can spend it any way you wish. But, you can only spend it once.” Life is short. We must invest the coin of our lives wisely.
Only one life twill soon be past. Only what’s done for Christ will last. —C. T. Studd
Life is also filled with storms. Remember that lightning flashes brightest in the darkest clouds. Do not forsake in the storm what God gave you in the sunshine. The lightning bolt of your life will pass quickly. May it also flash brightly for the glory of God and the good of others! TIM CRUSE is the senior pastor of the Shining Light Baptist Church and president of The Shepherd’s Place Children’s Home in Monroe, North Carolina.
Soul Winning RETURNING TO FIRST CENTURY METHODS By David Wood
omewhere along the way, a great idea was lost. During the 40 days between Jesus’ resurrection and His ascension, He gave His disciples instructions on how to build the church and win the world. He basically said, “Go...win...baptize... teach.” Those first-generation soul-winners could not be stopped. The Bible says they ‘turned the world upside down.’ Sad to admit, but by late in the 20th century, the term ‘soul winning’ had become so maligned that the church now pales in comparison to the excitement and joy known by those first Christians. Churches have become so enamored with other approaches and so sure of other methods that they have lost sight of God’s original intent. Very few pastors say they are completely satisfied with the outreach, or soul winning ministry of their church. They have a burden to see entire families, teenagers, senior citizens, and single adults walking the aisle every Sunday, yet this burden seldom ever materializes. They preach messages about being broken over the lost and the desperate need to share Christ. The congregation responds and several members even come to the altar. A wonderful feeling results, yet; within a few short weeks everything is just as it was before. What is the difference between the early Christians and those of today? Those early Christians knew that a strong soul winning ministry was vital for building—or re-building—a church
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as well as reaching the world. They followed three simple growth words: Add You win someone to Christ and add their name to the Lamb’s Book of Life. Multiply You train your convert to win others to Christ. Multiply Exponentially You train your convert to train his convert to win others. The model for church growth cannot be duplicated by some other method. You can’t win others unless you have been won; you can’t disciple others unless you have been discipled. In short; Jesus taught us 2,000 years ago how to get the job done. Is there any way to improve upon that method? Early in the ministry, I learned that “Inspiration Without Education Always Leads to Frustration.” As is true with workers in any other area of life, soul winners must be trained to win souls! They need training that will not only give them a plan to follow, but also the confidence that is vital for a clear presentation of the Gospel. How do these soul winners get this training? Much like a church needs a Choir Director, there is also a great need for a Soul Winning Director! Enter The Soul Winning Directors Institute (SWDI). The SWDI provides intense training that transforms your staff members and
laymen into motivated and equipped Soul Winning Directors (SWDs). We held our first SWDI in January of 1998. Since that time, scores of sessions have been conducted in several U.S. regions and in many foreign countries. Tens of thousands of Soul Winning Directors have been trained, representing thousands of churches in America and around the world. The graduates have returned home with a real, practical, two-year plan to start a comprehensive church-wide outreach strategy while producing scores of trained, productive soul winners. The results have been phenomenal! Please allow us to train a Soul Winning Director for your church...a staff member, a layman or yourself. We will train your volunteer in several intensive sessions. They will go out visiting “in the field” with a trained soul winner, and will return to your church as a motivated, equipped Soul Winning Director - a director with an initial two-year vision and plan to train scores of productive soul winners within your church! Check the date of the next SWDI and register online at dwministries.org/swdi or call us at 803-401-5752. Contact us today--let us share our three decades of experience with you as you also glean from successful ministries across America.
DAVID WOOD is an evangelist from Lexington, South Carolina.
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The Urgency of the Immediate By Charles Keen
An imperfect illustration: A rabbit and squirrel were being chased by a beagle. The squirrel ran up a tree and there sat the rabbit. “I didn’t know rabbits could climb trees”, said the squirrel. The rabbit replied “I never have before.”
So it is with Bible translation work. We may never have done it before, but we, like the rabbit, have no choice but to do it now, if we are going to make Christ known. There are over 6,000 people groups who have not heard of Christ; they have never sat in a church, enjoyed Christian music, seen a Bible, or read a verse of Scripture. I received my first Bible in 1947 as an eight-year-old bus kid in Akron, Ohio while attending the Akron Baptist Temple. In 1973, while pastoring the
First Baptist Church in Milford, Ohio, we became convinced the production of Scriptures was part of God’s preservation process and therefore should be under authority of the local church. It was then that we founded Bearing Precious Seed (BPS), and since then, under Pastor Duttry’s leadership, BPS has produced 175 million copies of the Word of God in 40 languages spanning 101 countries. Our materials include John and Romans, New Testaments and whole Bibles. In 1999, I learned that 6,000 nations Continued on pg. 13
MY DEAR LOVED ONES, Our journey of life has taken us down many different paths. However, there is a bond of love in our hearts that keeps us connected through the years. Because I love you so, I want you to know how we can all be together forever when our journey here is complete. The Bible, God’s Holy Word, teaches us that: Love, worth, hope, & purpose are all found in Jesus Christ. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) Our sin has separated us from God. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) Jesus Christ paid sin’s penalty. “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) Salvation is by faith in Him. “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” (Romans 10:9) Believing that He paid the penalty for your sin by His sacri ce on the cross and resurrection from the dead, call upon the Lord Jesus Christ right now. Ask Him to forgive your sin and give you eternal life. He has promised, “Him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out.” (John 6:37) “I want us to be together in Heaven” Please consider committing to The Hour That Makes The Difference | Bible Reading and Prayer, at least 15 minutes a day, 5 days a week, during the 12 o’clock hour (midday or midnight). “The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” (James 5:16)
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Continued from pg. 11
(one half of the world’s 3.4 billion) are Bible-less, at which time I resigned after a 35 year tenure as pastor of First Baptist Church, Milford, OH. I became a missionary, founding First Bible international (FBI), extending our Bible work in Milford to print not only for places where there was a shortage of Scriptures, but for places and people where there were no Bibles in their mother tongue. We have now finished our first project, the Mongolian New Testament. The Textus Receptus was our text and we are now working in the Old Testament from the Masoretic Text. Our need to translate and print for the Bible-less peoples led us to two shocking discoveries. (1) There were very few fulltime translators in the fundamental independent Baptist ranks, and; (2) No college among fundamental Baptists offered a degreed program to train Bible translators.
I believe “a need seen, is an assignment given” and I saw the necessity for translation training to truly carry out world evangelism. We genuinely want Christ known among the nations and to see God worshipped from some of every nation, kindred, tribe and tongue. To accomplish this goal, we must respond to the challenge, provide the place(s), raise the funds, develop the faculty and enroll the students into being Bible translating, church planting missionaries. The Bible and history have taught us that God does very little without the presence of His Word. If we are going to evangelize the rest of the world, we must send men and women with the written message! The key to success in evangelizing the world is to unite churches that are likeminded, develop a strategy, and raise the funds. With this vision, I believe we have within our ranks both human and
financial resources to build a quality School of Translation. Would you join a growing number of churches and Christians who have this vision? We have a passion to reduce the number of unreached people groups. We need to train men and women who have the call of God upon their lives, and equip them to go where the gospel has not yet been proclaimed.
DR. CHARLES KEEN is the founder of firstBible International in Milford, Ohio.