The Invitation
Sermon
Sermons On The First Readings
Series I, Cycle C
I don't know about you, but I love receiving invitations. They make me feel special because they are deliberate and have me specifically in mind when sent. Now, sometimes invitations can be disappointing, especially when they have a hidden catch like, "Come to the wedding, but don't forget a gift," or "Come on vacation with us and maybe you will want to buy a time share." Invitations quickly lose their appeal when there is an agenda hidden behind them. But generally speaking, receiving an invitation means someone has taken the time to think of you and wants you to be part of something special.
What is the greatest invitation you have ever received? Do you remember it? Well, there is an invitation which will beat your greatest one hands down. For there are invitations, but there is also The Invitation. The Invitation promises more than just a good time or a wonderful experience. The Invitation is filled with more joy, fulfillment, and hope than any person or setting could ever give you. There are no hidden fees or agendas, and it costs you nothing. The Invitation is what many of you have been waiting for your whole life. Sound too good to be true? Well, it's not, because this invitation is not of this world.
The Invitation comes from God through many sources, but today The Invitation comes through the prophet Isaiah. Obviously, there is nothing new about The Invitation. It is timeless. It was originally extended to the people of God as they wandered in the wilderness, trying to find the way. Soon they became so desperate that they were grasping at anything and everything which looked like an answer. Remember the golden calf and the invitation to follow Baal? So God clarified The Invitation often but never more clearly than through Second Isaiah. Listen to the clarion call:
Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you that have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; listen, so that you may live. -- Isaiah 55:1-3a
Since the period of the Israelites, The Invitation has been offered down through the centuries to those seeking to find the way: from prophets to peasants -- from Paul to Priscilla -- from mothers to monks -- from Augustine to Wesley -- from Billy Sunday to Billy Graham. Many servant followers have been the mouthpiece of The Invitation. Some have accepted The Invitation; others have rejected it. But The Invitation always stands, for it is the greatest invitation ever given to humankind.
Let me share with you for whom The Invitation is intended. The Invitation is for all who have been searching for meaning and fulfillment but have never found it. The Invitation is for those who have always desired so much more out of life. The Invitation is for those who feel empty, lost, and without hope. The Invitation is for those who continue to thirst and hunger for ultimate satisfaction. The Invitation is for those who have ever cried out, "What is the point of my life? Is there more to life than carpools, meetings, paying bills, and growing old?" For God's invitation is to experience an abundant life -- the kind of life which only God can provide. And The Invitation is officially extended to you today. So the question is: What will you do with The Invitation?
Maybe your first inclination is to wait for a better invitation. This is what the Israelites seemed to do throughout their history, much to their disappointment. So I don't recommend it. But if you insist on looking for a better offer, you will be in good company. You can always find those who are looking for better invitations, and you can always find what first appears as a better invitation. In fact, our whole culture is built around the desire for a better invitation. Advertisers make billions each year accommodating our desire for a better invitation. Therefore, we are an inviting culture.
We don't even need to leave our homes for our culture to invite and entice us. All we have to do is turn on the television or computer and go to the mailbox, and we will find invitations galore. When I returned to the pulpit from Atlanta some time ago, there were over 200 new e-mails on my computer. I wish I could tell you I had 200 close friends, but if the truth be known, eighty percent of those e-mails were advertisements -- each one promising a new and improved, a more exciting, wonderful life. They guaranteed a better belly, a better bottom, a better boat, and a better business.
Have you checked your mailbox lately? Have you seen the sacrifice of the trees? And for what? Junk mail and advertisements. And some are very slick with their invitations. I received one that was packaged in an imitation overnight envelope. Written upon it for all to see were the words, "Urgent delivery for Charles D. Reeb, open immediately." It got my attention! So I tore it opened and discovered a new, exciting, once-in-a-lifetime offer for a credit card!
What about those fancy catalogs? Did you know there are 10,000 plus companies in America in the mail order business? They mail out over 13.5 billion catalogs each year.1 And these catalogs are very inviting. Beautiful people without an ounce of fat modeling clothes, attempting to convince me that if I wear these clothes I will look exactly like them. Who are they trying to kid? Men in fancy garments doing yard work with not a drop of sweat on them and huge smiles on their faces, as if wearing that jacket makes you euphoric over yard work. Then there are the catalogs advertising all those cutting-edge gadgets and toys which are so essential to our existence on earth. For instance, I saw one catalog advertising a gizmo that will put "Caller ID" on your television screen so that you don't have to strain yourself getting out of the recliner to see who is calling. This is an essential household item.
Then there are the invitations on television. If you watch even a modest amount of television, you know that the answer to all your problems seems to be a new automobile. Pardon the pun, but cars are the new "vehicles" of salvation. There was an advertisement for a certain type of automobile which claimed that the car will not only transform, but transfix you. When you feel the leather seats, hear the state of the art stereo system, and sense the power of the engine, all of your problems will dissolve. You will be elevated to another dimension. You will ride in a state of complete ecstasy. But have you seen anybody smiling in traffic lately? Or is the new smile the lifted middle finger?
We cannot forget the fast food companies. Those dealers in grease spend over 50 billion dollars annually in advertising. All of us have had our mouths watered by the bigger than life hamburger on the television screen. Oh, and don't forget the large fries and soda. Just forget that a Big Mac has enough calories for two meals. They just "love to see you smile" as you respond to their invitation.
If you speak honestly to advertisers, they will tell you that their goal is to convince you that you cannot live without their product. And we're convinced! In fact, advertisers are so convincing that someone has said, "No one ever lost money underestimating the intelligence of the consumer." Another put it this way: "The only reason a great many American families don't own an elephant is that they have never been offered an elephant for a dollar down and easy weekly payments."
We are convinced that we cannot live without these invitations. In fact, some are so convinced that they pray each night before they go to bed:
Now I lay me down to sleep
I pray my Cuisinart to keep
I pray my stocks are on the rise
And that my analyst is wise
That all the wine I sip is white
And that my hot tub's watertight
That racquetball won't get too tough
That all my sushi's fresh enough
I pray my cell phone still works
That my career won't lose its perks
My microwave won't radiate
My condo won't depreciate
I pray my health club doesn't close
And that my money market grows
If I go broke before I wake
I pray my Lexus they won't take.2
Many people live in the illusion that they cannot live without more. And as long as there is money to be made from gullible consumers, our culture will continue to accommodate and perpetuate this illusion by inviting us to have more, purchase more, and obtain more. We have been convinced that the more we have, the happier we are. But you and I know this is one of the greatest delusions humankind has ever produced. For many people are making a good living but living poor lives. There are many people who have much but love little. There are many people who look slick, and appear to have everything they desire, but inside they are decaying and rotting because they have been sold a bill of goods that "more will make them happier." But no matter the invitations we have received in the past, there is nothing big enough, powerful enough, thrilling enough, or pleasurable enough to satisfy our deepest thirst and hunger.
Need examples? Consider Howard Hughes. All he ever wanted was more money, so he parlayed inherited wealth into a billion-dollar pile of assets. All he wanted was more fame, so he invaded the Hollywood scene and became a filmmaker and star. All he wanted was more sensual pleasures, so he paid handsome sums to try to satisfy his every sexual urge. All he wanted was more thrills, so he built and piloted the fastest aircraft ever known. All he wanted was more power, so, in secret, he dealt political favors so masterfully that two U.S. presidents became his pawns. All he ever wanted was more and more and more. He was absolutely convinced that more would bring him complete satisfaction. Unfortunately, history proves otherwise. In his final years, he was emaciated, colorless, and had a sunken chest. His fingernails had grown into inches-long corkscrews. His teeth were rotting, and all over his body were innumerable needle marks from his drug addiction. "Howard Hughes died believing the myth of more. He died a billionaire junkie, insane by all reasonable standards."3
How many similar stories do we need to hear before we will understand that the more thrills we seek the more we will find that thrills pass away? How many disappointments do we need to experience before we realize that material things do not ultimately satisfy? How many over-rated invitations do we need to accept before we understand that the answer to our problems and the key to our meaning and fulfillment does not come from anything the world invites us to receive but can only come from the "One who created us for himself."
This is God's plea to us through Isaiah: "Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy?" (v. 2). "Why do you eat out of dumpsters when I have prepared for you a free banquet of Ritz Carlton proportions? Isn't it about time you listened to my invitation? Isn't it about time you inclined your ear in my direction? Isn't it about time you allowed the wise words of life I have shared to become flesh within you?"
Some listen; others don't. For there are those who would agree that more does not make people happier, but they don't need God to convince them. They can find the answers on their own. For them, God is a crutch. They believe with Jesse Ventura that "religion is for weak-minded people." When God is mentioned, they protest, "I don't need God. I am the master of my ship, the pilot of my plane. I am smart and resourceful enough to handle whatever comes my way." This philosophy of life sounds noble in our individualistic culture but nothing could be more foolish, for we are not as strong and resourceful as we would like to believe.
A groom found out how foolish he was when he and his new bride stayed at the Watergate Hotel on their wedding night. The concerned bride asked, "What if this place is still bugged?" The groom said confidently, "Don't worry, honey; I'll look for a bug." He looked everywhere: behind the drapes, behind the pictures, under the rug. Finally, he said, "Aha!" Under the rug was a disc with four screws. He took out his Swiss army knife, unscrewed the screws, and threw the screws and the disc out the window. The next morning, the hotel manager asked the newlyweds, "How was your room? How was the service? How was your stay at the Watergate Hotel?" The groom suspiciously asked, "Why are you asking me all of these questions?" The hotel manager replied, "Well, the couple in the room under you complained that their chandelier fell on them."4
We think we know, but we have no idea. We think we understand, but we don't. When we fail to understand the truth, it can have a damaging effect upon us. And, more importantly, when we fail to sense our true need and understand the real truth about God, it can be a detriment to our very lives. This is why God says to us: "My ways are not your ways. My thoughts are not your thoughts. My ways are higher than your ways, and my thoughts are higher than your thoughts" (v. 9). "I know you better than you know yourself. I created you and know every hair on your head and every intricate line on your fingers. I designed you for the purpose of being in relationship with me. If you only knew, if you only recognized what you are capable of accomplishing if you would allow me to empower you."
Some of us still won't listen. So in desperation, God says, "What must I do to convince you that I love you and want what is best for you?" Then God put skin on and came to earth and loved us, taught us, was mocked for us, ridiculed for us, pierced for us, crucified for us, and then rose from the dead for us. Now, with scars on his hands, God reaches out to us and pleads, "Now will you listen to me?"
Perhaps when the invitation is put in those terms, we are more curious about what The Invitation truly offers. The text says that God will have mercy on us, abundantly pardon us, give us guidance, and make us "go out in joy and be led back in peace" (v. 12). But listen closely, for God might have other words for us: "Put away all those things you don't need. Quit pretending to be strong. I love you. I forgive you. I want to live inside you. I have a purpose for you. I want the best for you, and only I can give it to you."
Some time ago I preached to a youth group. At the conclusion of my message, a young teenager approached me. She was on the verge of tears. She said, "I have to find out if something is true." "What's that?" I asked. She said, "You mentioned in your talk that God loves me. Do you believe that? Because I don't believe anyone has ever loved me. My dad left me and my mother abused me, and I have gone from one institution to another. I've been sexually abused, neglected, and you are telling me that God loves me?" "That's right," I said. "God loves you!" She paused for a moment as tears began rolling down her cheeks. Then she said simply, "Well, if God loves me, then nothing else matters. If God loves me, that's all that matters."
Perhaps some of you reading this sermon feel like I am writing directly to you. Maybe you have accepted every invitation this world has to offer and it has been like salt water to your thirsty soul, making you thirstier than ever. Perhaps some of you have attended church your whole life yet never really have come to grips with the love of God. Oh, you have heard all about it before but never really allowed yourself to experience it. Perhaps some of you have accepted The Invitation before, but now your relationship with God is stale and you need to taste the fresh Bread of Life again. The good news is that God's banquet of blessings has been prepared, and you are invited! There is a place at God's table reserved for you. A special engraved invitation written by a pierced hand is yours. Isn't it time for you to accept it?
Come and receive God's forgiving grace. Come quench your thirst for forgiveness and acceptance. Come and feast on God's wisdom. Come and find nourishment for your soul, strength for your life, and purpose in living. Come! You're invited never to be the same again.
____________
1. Information shared with me by Dr. William L. Self.
2. Poem by Laura Goethel.
3. Bill Hybels in Leadership, Vol. X, no. 3 (Summer, 1989), p. 38.
4. David O. Dykes, Pastor of Green Acres Baptist Church in Tyler, Texas, www.gabc.org.
What is the greatest invitation you have ever received? Do you remember it? Well, there is an invitation which will beat your greatest one hands down. For there are invitations, but there is also The Invitation. The Invitation promises more than just a good time or a wonderful experience. The Invitation is filled with more joy, fulfillment, and hope than any person or setting could ever give you. There are no hidden fees or agendas, and it costs you nothing. The Invitation is what many of you have been waiting for your whole life. Sound too good to be true? Well, it's not, because this invitation is not of this world.
The Invitation comes from God through many sources, but today The Invitation comes through the prophet Isaiah. Obviously, there is nothing new about The Invitation. It is timeless. It was originally extended to the people of God as they wandered in the wilderness, trying to find the way. Soon they became so desperate that they were grasping at anything and everything which looked like an answer. Remember the golden calf and the invitation to follow Baal? So God clarified The Invitation often but never more clearly than through Second Isaiah. Listen to the clarion call:
Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you that have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; listen, so that you may live. -- Isaiah 55:1-3a
Since the period of the Israelites, The Invitation has been offered down through the centuries to those seeking to find the way: from prophets to peasants -- from Paul to Priscilla -- from mothers to monks -- from Augustine to Wesley -- from Billy Sunday to Billy Graham. Many servant followers have been the mouthpiece of The Invitation. Some have accepted The Invitation; others have rejected it. But The Invitation always stands, for it is the greatest invitation ever given to humankind.
Let me share with you for whom The Invitation is intended. The Invitation is for all who have been searching for meaning and fulfillment but have never found it. The Invitation is for those who have always desired so much more out of life. The Invitation is for those who feel empty, lost, and without hope. The Invitation is for those who continue to thirst and hunger for ultimate satisfaction. The Invitation is for those who have ever cried out, "What is the point of my life? Is there more to life than carpools, meetings, paying bills, and growing old?" For God's invitation is to experience an abundant life -- the kind of life which only God can provide. And The Invitation is officially extended to you today. So the question is: What will you do with The Invitation?
Maybe your first inclination is to wait for a better invitation. This is what the Israelites seemed to do throughout their history, much to their disappointment. So I don't recommend it. But if you insist on looking for a better offer, you will be in good company. You can always find those who are looking for better invitations, and you can always find what first appears as a better invitation. In fact, our whole culture is built around the desire for a better invitation. Advertisers make billions each year accommodating our desire for a better invitation. Therefore, we are an inviting culture.
We don't even need to leave our homes for our culture to invite and entice us. All we have to do is turn on the television or computer and go to the mailbox, and we will find invitations galore. When I returned to the pulpit from Atlanta some time ago, there were over 200 new e-mails on my computer. I wish I could tell you I had 200 close friends, but if the truth be known, eighty percent of those e-mails were advertisements -- each one promising a new and improved, a more exciting, wonderful life. They guaranteed a better belly, a better bottom, a better boat, and a better business.
Have you checked your mailbox lately? Have you seen the sacrifice of the trees? And for what? Junk mail and advertisements. And some are very slick with their invitations. I received one that was packaged in an imitation overnight envelope. Written upon it for all to see were the words, "Urgent delivery for Charles D. Reeb, open immediately." It got my attention! So I tore it opened and discovered a new, exciting, once-in-a-lifetime offer for a credit card!
What about those fancy catalogs? Did you know there are 10,000 plus companies in America in the mail order business? They mail out over 13.5 billion catalogs each year.1 And these catalogs are very inviting. Beautiful people without an ounce of fat modeling clothes, attempting to convince me that if I wear these clothes I will look exactly like them. Who are they trying to kid? Men in fancy garments doing yard work with not a drop of sweat on them and huge smiles on their faces, as if wearing that jacket makes you euphoric over yard work. Then there are the catalogs advertising all those cutting-edge gadgets and toys which are so essential to our existence on earth. For instance, I saw one catalog advertising a gizmo that will put "Caller ID" on your television screen so that you don't have to strain yourself getting out of the recliner to see who is calling. This is an essential household item.
Then there are the invitations on television. If you watch even a modest amount of television, you know that the answer to all your problems seems to be a new automobile. Pardon the pun, but cars are the new "vehicles" of salvation. There was an advertisement for a certain type of automobile which claimed that the car will not only transform, but transfix you. When you feel the leather seats, hear the state of the art stereo system, and sense the power of the engine, all of your problems will dissolve. You will be elevated to another dimension. You will ride in a state of complete ecstasy. But have you seen anybody smiling in traffic lately? Or is the new smile the lifted middle finger?
We cannot forget the fast food companies. Those dealers in grease spend over 50 billion dollars annually in advertising. All of us have had our mouths watered by the bigger than life hamburger on the television screen. Oh, and don't forget the large fries and soda. Just forget that a Big Mac has enough calories for two meals. They just "love to see you smile" as you respond to their invitation.
If you speak honestly to advertisers, they will tell you that their goal is to convince you that you cannot live without their product. And we're convinced! In fact, advertisers are so convincing that someone has said, "No one ever lost money underestimating the intelligence of the consumer." Another put it this way: "The only reason a great many American families don't own an elephant is that they have never been offered an elephant for a dollar down and easy weekly payments."
We are convinced that we cannot live without these invitations. In fact, some are so convinced that they pray each night before they go to bed:
Now I lay me down to sleep
I pray my Cuisinart to keep
I pray my stocks are on the rise
And that my analyst is wise
That all the wine I sip is white
And that my hot tub's watertight
That racquetball won't get too tough
That all my sushi's fresh enough
I pray my cell phone still works
That my career won't lose its perks
My microwave won't radiate
My condo won't depreciate
I pray my health club doesn't close
And that my money market grows
If I go broke before I wake
I pray my Lexus they won't take.2
Many people live in the illusion that they cannot live without more. And as long as there is money to be made from gullible consumers, our culture will continue to accommodate and perpetuate this illusion by inviting us to have more, purchase more, and obtain more. We have been convinced that the more we have, the happier we are. But you and I know this is one of the greatest delusions humankind has ever produced. For many people are making a good living but living poor lives. There are many people who have much but love little. There are many people who look slick, and appear to have everything they desire, but inside they are decaying and rotting because they have been sold a bill of goods that "more will make them happier." But no matter the invitations we have received in the past, there is nothing big enough, powerful enough, thrilling enough, or pleasurable enough to satisfy our deepest thirst and hunger.
Need examples? Consider Howard Hughes. All he ever wanted was more money, so he parlayed inherited wealth into a billion-dollar pile of assets. All he wanted was more fame, so he invaded the Hollywood scene and became a filmmaker and star. All he wanted was more sensual pleasures, so he paid handsome sums to try to satisfy his every sexual urge. All he wanted was more thrills, so he built and piloted the fastest aircraft ever known. All he wanted was more power, so, in secret, he dealt political favors so masterfully that two U.S. presidents became his pawns. All he ever wanted was more and more and more. He was absolutely convinced that more would bring him complete satisfaction. Unfortunately, history proves otherwise. In his final years, he was emaciated, colorless, and had a sunken chest. His fingernails had grown into inches-long corkscrews. His teeth were rotting, and all over his body were innumerable needle marks from his drug addiction. "Howard Hughes died believing the myth of more. He died a billionaire junkie, insane by all reasonable standards."3
How many similar stories do we need to hear before we will understand that the more thrills we seek the more we will find that thrills pass away? How many disappointments do we need to experience before we realize that material things do not ultimately satisfy? How many over-rated invitations do we need to accept before we understand that the answer to our problems and the key to our meaning and fulfillment does not come from anything the world invites us to receive but can only come from the "One who created us for himself."
This is God's plea to us through Isaiah: "Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy?" (v. 2). "Why do you eat out of dumpsters when I have prepared for you a free banquet of Ritz Carlton proportions? Isn't it about time you listened to my invitation? Isn't it about time you inclined your ear in my direction? Isn't it about time you allowed the wise words of life I have shared to become flesh within you?"
Some listen; others don't. For there are those who would agree that more does not make people happier, but they don't need God to convince them. They can find the answers on their own. For them, God is a crutch. They believe with Jesse Ventura that "religion is for weak-minded people." When God is mentioned, they protest, "I don't need God. I am the master of my ship, the pilot of my plane. I am smart and resourceful enough to handle whatever comes my way." This philosophy of life sounds noble in our individualistic culture but nothing could be more foolish, for we are not as strong and resourceful as we would like to believe.
A groom found out how foolish he was when he and his new bride stayed at the Watergate Hotel on their wedding night. The concerned bride asked, "What if this place is still bugged?" The groom said confidently, "Don't worry, honey; I'll look for a bug." He looked everywhere: behind the drapes, behind the pictures, under the rug. Finally, he said, "Aha!" Under the rug was a disc with four screws. He took out his Swiss army knife, unscrewed the screws, and threw the screws and the disc out the window. The next morning, the hotel manager asked the newlyweds, "How was your room? How was the service? How was your stay at the Watergate Hotel?" The groom suspiciously asked, "Why are you asking me all of these questions?" The hotel manager replied, "Well, the couple in the room under you complained that their chandelier fell on them."4
We think we know, but we have no idea. We think we understand, but we don't. When we fail to understand the truth, it can have a damaging effect upon us. And, more importantly, when we fail to sense our true need and understand the real truth about God, it can be a detriment to our very lives. This is why God says to us: "My ways are not your ways. My thoughts are not your thoughts. My ways are higher than your ways, and my thoughts are higher than your thoughts" (v. 9). "I know you better than you know yourself. I created you and know every hair on your head and every intricate line on your fingers. I designed you for the purpose of being in relationship with me. If you only knew, if you only recognized what you are capable of accomplishing if you would allow me to empower you."
Some of us still won't listen. So in desperation, God says, "What must I do to convince you that I love you and want what is best for you?" Then God put skin on and came to earth and loved us, taught us, was mocked for us, ridiculed for us, pierced for us, crucified for us, and then rose from the dead for us. Now, with scars on his hands, God reaches out to us and pleads, "Now will you listen to me?"
Perhaps when the invitation is put in those terms, we are more curious about what The Invitation truly offers. The text says that God will have mercy on us, abundantly pardon us, give us guidance, and make us "go out in joy and be led back in peace" (v. 12). But listen closely, for God might have other words for us: "Put away all those things you don't need. Quit pretending to be strong. I love you. I forgive you. I want to live inside you. I have a purpose for you. I want the best for you, and only I can give it to you."
Some time ago I preached to a youth group. At the conclusion of my message, a young teenager approached me. She was on the verge of tears. She said, "I have to find out if something is true." "What's that?" I asked. She said, "You mentioned in your talk that God loves me. Do you believe that? Because I don't believe anyone has ever loved me. My dad left me and my mother abused me, and I have gone from one institution to another. I've been sexually abused, neglected, and you are telling me that God loves me?" "That's right," I said. "God loves you!" She paused for a moment as tears began rolling down her cheeks. Then she said simply, "Well, if God loves me, then nothing else matters. If God loves me, that's all that matters."
Perhaps some of you reading this sermon feel like I am writing directly to you. Maybe you have accepted every invitation this world has to offer and it has been like salt water to your thirsty soul, making you thirstier than ever. Perhaps some of you have attended church your whole life yet never really have come to grips with the love of God. Oh, you have heard all about it before but never really allowed yourself to experience it. Perhaps some of you have accepted The Invitation before, but now your relationship with God is stale and you need to taste the fresh Bread of Life again. The good news is that God's banquet of blessings has been prepared, and you are invited! There is a place at God's table reserved for you. A special engraved invitation written by a pierced hand is yours. Isn't it time for you to accept it?
Come and receive God's forgiving grace. Come quench your thirst for forgiveness and acceptance. Come and feast on God's wisdom. Come and find nourishment for your soul, strength for your life, and purpose in living. Come! You're invited never to be the same again.
____________
1. Information shared with me by Dr. William L. Self.
2. Poem by Laura Goethel.
3. Bill Hybels in Leadership, Vol. X, no. 3 (Summer, 1989), p. 38.
4. David O. Dykes, Pastor of Green Acres Baptist Church in Tyler, Texas, www.gabc.org.
