The Powers of Darkness vs. the Power of the Gospel

“But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them” (II Cor. 4:3,4).

There are numerous ways in which Satan attempts to blind the minds of the unsaved. Perhaps his most effective means is through organized religion. Sadly, countless souls have gone to a Christless eternity because they were led to believe that, if their good works outweighed their folly, they would go to heaven. But let’s be clear from the outset: The good news of salvation is vested in a person, and that person is the Lord Jesus Christ. The only way to receive the forgiveness of your sins is by believing Christ died for your sins and rose again (I Cor. 15:3,4 cf. I Thes. 4:14).

In my case, Satan used my own pride and self-confidence against me to keep me in darkness. But God was going to shine the light of the glorious gospel into my heart and teach me a lesson I would not soon forget, as we are about to see. I’ve often said that God glories in diversity. If you stop to think about it, no two conversions to Christ are the same. Each believer’s testimony is as unique as a snowflake.

Here’s one example! William was born in a log cabin in Ames, Iowa in 1862. He was named for a father he never met, his father who didn’t return from the American Civil War. He lived in utter poverty as a young man and, when he was ten years old, William and one of his brothers were sent to an orphanage in Davenport, Iowa because his mother was unable to provide for them. William never finished school, so he struck out on his own at age fifteen, working at a number of odd jobs for the next few years.

At age eighteen, he was noticed for his prowess at baseball and was given a tryout by a team later known as the Chicago Cubs. After an impressive tryout, William made the team thanks to his incredible speed, which made him an extremely valuable player. For the next five years he played big league ball. During this time, William became a brash man who was given to hard living and hard drinking.

Then one day in 1887, after leaving a Chicago saloon with some of his teammates, William stopped to hear a group of gospel singers. The singers were a part of the Gospel Wagon from Pacific Garden Mission. They shared the gospel with him and invited him to services at the Mission. He visited the Mission that day and returned frequently when he was in town. Then one night he went forward, believed the gospel, and his life was changed.

Four years later, the call of the Lord proved to be stronger than the roar of the crowd for William, as he walked away from his sports career and devoted himself to full-time Christian ministry. After working for various ministries, William conducted an evangelistic crusade in Garner, Iowa in 1896 where 268 people were led to Christ. “The Baseball Evangelist” was off and running. And from that time on, William Ashley Sunday, or Billy Sunday, was never without invitations to preach.

His evangelistic campaigns were conducted all across the U.S. and it was said that he shook a community when his crusade came to town. The Lord used his electrifying preaching style, as thousands upon thousands trusted Christ. One of his popular mottos for his crusades was: “Get Right with God. Do It Now!” He fervently preached Christ, exposed sin, and warned against the dangers of hell. Many literally fainted at the horrors of hell described by Billy Sunday. God used Billy Sunday in a tremendous way, as He can anyone with a willing heart.

Confidence in the Flesh

“As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one….There is no fear of God before their eyes” (Rom. 3:10-12,18).

My wife Vicki and I, unknown to each other at the time, attended the same Sunday school class growing up. We had some of the same teachers in different years and were both taught all the stories in the Bible—from “in Adam, all have sinned” to the story of Calvary, how Christ died for our sins—but it was like water running off a duck’s back. I didn’t see the truth nor did I desire to see it. I was living in darkness and happy to dwell there. Little did I realize the peril I was in at the time.

Vicki and I were introduced to one another and married in the late Sixties. Shortly after we began the journey called married life, I was hired by Mine Safety Appliances Company of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In addition to providing all types of safety equipment for the mining industry, they also produced hard-hats for construction workers and firemen. Like most young couples, we were seeking the American dream, to have our own home and raise a family. I quickly worked my way up through the company, making the dream a reality.

Like the Apostle Paul, I had a great deal of confidence in the flesh before I was saved. I was self-confident, ambitious, and felt I could take on anything life handed me. With that type of attitude, in the world, you tend to go places. The problem was it nearly took me to the point of no return, spiritually speaking. Before I knew it, I was given a supervisory position on the second shift, in the injection molding department. I counted this a real accomplishment at the time because I was chosen ahead of others who had far more seniority than I had. But what I counted gain for me then, I clearly see now was loss for Christ.

When you work the second shift, as a supervisor, you are pretty much your own boss, which was perfectly fine with me! It was my responsibility to keep all the hydraulic injection molding machines running smoothly and make sure the twenty or so workers put in my trust did their jobs correctly. I was mechanically inclined and enjoyed working with people, so this was right up my self-confidence alley. But God was about to bring me down from my self-constructed ivory tower, so much so that I had to look up to see the bottom of the barrel.

About a year later, the plant manager called me into his office to let me know that he was transferring a first shift employee named Joe Grill over to my shift. Since daylight was the primary production shift, this usually meant there was some type of a problem with the employee that they really didn’t want to deal with. Normally it was someone who was unable to keep up with the cycle of the machine, which created all kinds of time-consuming problems that were often difficult to correct.

A week later, the plant manager, true to his word, introduced me to Joe. Afterward, I took him to his machine and showed him how to place the inserts in the mold for the run that evening. As I was standing there watching him work on the parts coming out of the machine, Joe said, “May I ask you a question?”

I said, “Sure (my first mistake—at least, this was my thought at the time), what is it?”

“Do you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior?” I never answered, but the first thought that crossed my mind was that now I know why they transferred him to second shift: They didn’t want to hear it and neither did I. It wasn’t enough that I had to navigate through personnel issues and quality control problems; now I had a religious fanatic on board to deal with every night.

Seeing that Joe was such a good gate operator, I put him on jobs that required perfect timing to catch the gate (my second mistake). The “gate” is the time between the mold opening, removing the part, and the mold closing again. These particular jobs were sensitive to humidity and changing temperatures in the plant. You see, injection molding machines operate under extreme conditions: extreme hydraulic pressure, extreme water temperature to heat the mold, and extreme temperatures to melt the plastic. It was not uncommon for me to stand at a machine for two or three hours to correct a problem with a part that wasn’t forming properly.

Of course, Joe saw this as an opportunity to share Christ with me. Under the circumstances he had me as a captive audience. Joe was a fundamental, independent Baptist, so he wasted no time getting to the heart of the matter. He took me down the Roman road beginning with Romans 3:23—”For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”

“Paul,” he said, “you’re a sinner and the only way you can be saved from your sins is by trusting Christ as your personal Savior.”

I responded with the typical response of the natural man. “Joe, I’m not the bad guy you think I am. I’ve never murdered anyone, I provide for my family, don’t kick cats, and would be the first to stop to help someone with a flat tire along the road.”

“That’s all well and good,” Joe said, “but none of those things will save you or get you to heaven.” He knew the Scriptures like the back of his hand and immediately quoted Romans 3:12—”There is none that doeth good [before God, he added], no, not one—which includes you!”

A few days later I found myself at his machine again, trying to resolve another molding problem. This time Joe made sure I understood that the Bible says, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 6:23). “Everyone looks forward to receiving his wages,” he said, “but this is one payday you will regret for all eternity if you die in your sins.” He told me that those who rejected Christ would experience eternal separation from God in the lake of fire, after the Great White Throne Judgment.

Joe wasn’t overbearing with the gospel but he never missed an opportunity to tell me and others about the Savior. I distinctly recall having one conversation with him where he said, “I’m concerned about you, Paul, and want you to know that God loves you.”

I replied, in no uncertain terms, “Joe, don’t worry about me. I’m fine. I’ve got everything under control.”

He said, “Someday God is going to show you that you’re not in control of everything in your life.” Little did I realize that He was going to teach me that lesson sooner than later.

A few weeks after this conversation, Joe approached me at the beginning of our shift and asked if I could give him a ride home after work. I reluctantly agreed (my third mistake), knowing full well that he was going to deliver a major discourse the entire way to his house. To make matters worse, this was the middle of winter, it was snowing outside, and Joe lived in a remote location out in the country, which meant this was going to be a long, slow ride home. If you have ever traveled through Pennsylvania, you are well aware that the back roads are narrow and have curves that leave you with the feeling that you’re coming around to meet yourself. This is the state where the famous “Horseshoe Curve” is located. But there is one more characteristic that’s also notable: steep grades which normally aren’t protected by guardrails. Most times they put a little cross at the side of the road if you go over the edge.

Well, as I expected, two minutes after we got into the car, Joe started down a new section of the Romans road. I began to wonder how long this road was. He quoted Romans 5:8 & 9 from memory—”But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.” Joe went on to say, “Paul, Christ died for you. He shed His blood for you! You see, it is not by works of righteousness that we have done, but according to His mercy He saves us from the judgment to come. But you have to believe that Christ died for your sins and rose again.” He concluded with, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Rom. 10:13). Finally, we arrived at his house. As he was getting out of the car, he said, “I am going to pray for you that God will somehow get your attention so you will see that your eternal destiny is at stake.”

When he closed the door I said to myself, “Hallelujah! Now I can finally have a quiet ride home”—or so I thought.

God Has Unique Ways of Getting Our Attention!

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord” (Isa. 55:8).

It was still snowing lightly and the roads were absolutely treacherous. As I was making my way home, I came to a blind curve in the road. When I entered the curve, which was on a downward grade, I could see the reflection of emergency lights on the trees, but was unable to see what was up ahead. As I slowly came around the bend, I could see a car had spun out on the right side and was teetering on the edge of the cliff. On the other side of the road was a State Trooper’s car and a tow truck behind it, with a cluster of lights shining on the scene.

Since the road was glare ice, I immediately began pumping the brakes to slow down and try to stop. However, instead of slowing down, the tires lost traction on the ice and the car started to slide sideways, while at the same time picking up momentum on the downward slope. If I continued at the angle I was sliding, I would push the car over that was dangling off the edge of the road, with the driver still in it, and also take out the State Trooper’s car.

When the State Trooper and tow truck driver saw what was about to happen, they both started running. Everything I did to try to bring the car out of that spin only made things worse. To complicate matters even more, the car seemed to be picking up speed like a sled going down a hill. Just before impact I took my hands off the steering wheel, threw them in the air, and yelled, “God, help me!!” To this day I cannot say exactly what happened, but this I do know: Just before impact, it was as if the finger of God pushed the front end of the car straight, allowing me to slide between the two vehicles without hitting either one.

Stunned, with my hands still off the steering wheel, I was facing a new problem. Now I was the one heading for the cliff. I believe it was Albert Einstein who said that he believed the fastest thing in the universe was the “speed of thought,” and I’m inclined to agree with him. After a split second, I came to my senses and decided that, just before I felt the right front tire hit the berm, under the snow, I would cut the tires to the left and slam on the brakes. Thankfully, it worked. The car abruptly stopped and the back end slid around, leaving me pointed straight down the hill again. I never did get out to see how close I came to the edge, but it couldn’t have been more than a foot or two.

I sat there staring straight ahead, literally shaken to the core. The question that kept racing across my mind was, “Why did I call on God? Maybe I do need Him!” Mark these words and mark them well, He got my undivided attention that snowy night!

The next thing I remember was the State Trooper pounding on the window. I rolled down the window and the Trooper, who was holding onto the door handle to keep from falling on the ice, asked me if I was okay. I’ll never forget the next thing he said: “That was some piece of driving son. It is nothing short of a miracle that you made it between us without hitting one of us!”

I said, “Thanks,” but as I was rolling up the window I remember saying to myself, “It wasn’t me!”

The Hour of Decision

“But to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness” (Rom. 4:5).

For the next three or four weeks after the Lord got my attention, I listened carefully to everything Joe had to say from the Scriptures without letting on that I was paying attention. It was during this time I came under deep conviction that I wasn’t right with the Lord. Many of the things I had learned back in Sunday school served to confirm what Joe was saying from the Scriptures, which caused me to ponder whether perhaps all this was true.

I pause here for a moment to say that, if you are a Sunday school teacher, always remember that your labor of love is not in vain in the Lord. In many cases, only eternity will bear out the fruit of your labor. I know, for example, two of my Sunday school teachers passed away before my conversion, so they never knew what a profound impact they had on my life, and I am sure Vicki would say the same.

God had brought me to a point in my life where I knew I needed Him. But how was I going to break this news to Vicki? I was sure she was going to think her husband had lost it! Up to that point, we had never talked about spiritual things, prayed together, or even gone to church. Unable to bear up any longer under the weight of my sin, I decided one evening that when I got home, I would tell her what was happening in my life.

It was about one o’clock in the morning when I opened the front door to find her sitting on the living room sofa crying. I sat down beside her, put my arm around her, and asked, “What’s wrong?!” Although I had seen her cry before when she wasn’t feeling well, this was different.

Her reply took me completely by surprise. She said, “We’re not right with the Lord. I’m so afraid He is going to return in judgment, and then what’s going to happen to Jodi [our baby girl]?” She too remembered what she had been taught in Sunday school, which the Lord used to bring her under conviction. After I shared with her what was on my heart, we both sat there crying together. While I had worked myself into a frenzy as to how to break the news to her, the Lord had already gone before me to prepare the way.

We went to bed that night determined that in the morning we were going to seek out someone to explain to us how to be saved. We agreed the next day that we would go see Pastor Weldon Causseaux, the Baptist pastor who had married us. Both Vicki and I held him in high regard because he had always taken a personal interest in us. He had also shared the gospel with us during our marriage counseling sessions, but at the time it fell on deaf ears. He vividly told us about all that Christ had accomplished for us on the Cross. Since the work was already finished on our behalf, all we needed to do was believe that Christ personally died for our sins, was buried, and rose again (I Cor. 15:3,4 cf. I Thes. 4:14). He shared how our sins were put to Christ’s account and how His righteousness would be put to our account the moment we believed.

After Vicki and I trusted Christ, Pastor Causseaux had us pray to thank God for the eternal salvation we now enjoyed in Christ. In that moment of time, the burden of my sins was lifted and I felt like a new man. Indeed I was a new creature, in Christ. Weldon shared with us that, in all his years of ministry, he had led many a lost soul to Christ, but this was the first time he led a couple to the Lord on the same day. “Apparently,” he said, “the Lord has something very special for you two in His service.” And Joe, of course, was like a kid in a candy shop when he learned of our conversion to Christ!

If you are yet in unbelief or if you’re trusting in religious works to get you to heaven, it is our sincere prayer that this personal testimony will bring you to Christ. In Him is life, and life more abundantly!

How I Came to See Paul’s Gospel—A Personal Testimony

The Early Days

It wasn’t long after we trusted Christ that my wife Vicki and I became actively involved at the local Baptist Church. We sat under the ministry of Pastor Weldon Causseaux, who led us to the Lord. This proved to be a very profitable time for us spiritually, as we learned all the fundamentals of the Christian faith.

During this time, Pastor Causseaux asked me to serve as the Youth Leader of the assembly. The youth group was primarily composed of senior high students, most of whom knew and loved the Lord. Accepting this position turned out to be a major turning point in my Christian life. Later I became a member of the Board of Deacons, which gave me the opportunity to fill the pulpit occasionally in the pastor’s absence and assist him in other areas of the work. We were one of the more conservative American Baptist assemblies in the area and therefore, when Pastor Causseaux accepted a pastoral position in the south, we called a Bob Jones University graduate as our new pastor.

For the most part, the family members of our young people attended the assembly as well, so when the kids went off to college, they returned home during the summer months and faithfully attended the young people’s meetings. To their credit, most Baptists are very dedicated to their local assemblies and Baptist teachings. We had some great discussions at these youth meetings, where I quickly learned how insightful young people can be. While they never questioned the foundation of Baptist teaching or traditions, they did want to discuss what they perceived to be inconsistencies.

As Baptists, we were taught that it was our responsibility to carry out the Great Commission, which, of course, always took us back to the four Gospel accounts. One of the questions that troubled them at the time was the Lord’s statement in Matthew 15:24:

“But He answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

Furthermore, our Lord instructed His disciples to confine their ministry only to the nation Israel and not go into the way of the Gentiles or into any city of the Samaritans (Matt. 10:5-6). “But we’re Gentiles! Where do we fit in?” This particular question of our young people prompted me to approach the pastor about the matter. Their inquiry, which I really didn’t have a good answer for at the time, became my inquiry.

I asked the pastor in his office one day if it seemed to him to be terribly inconsistent, as Gentiles, to be going back to the four Gospels where the house of Israel always seemed to be in view. I will never forget his response. He said, “You shouldn’t be overly concerned about such things. It is more important to win lost souls to Christ.” In other words, he didn’t know, and his actions made it clear that he wasn’t interested in looking into it. I certainly agree that the salvation of lost souls is extremely important, but his response left me with an uneasy feeling because I was interested in learning more about the Word of God.

“And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover” (Mark 16:17,18).

On another occasion, I inquired as to why the supernatural sign gifts did not follow those of us who believed if we were working under the Great Commission—signs such as healing the sick, speaking in new tongues, taking up deadly serpents, and drinking any deadly thing with no harm coming to us (Mark 16:15-18).

I distinctly recall the pastor saying that possibly the reason I didn’t have these gifts was because I did not have enough faith, to which I responded, “That may be true, but what about all of those believers who have been faithful? Why is there an absence of these supernatural gifts in their lives?” To this I got a shrug of the shoulder, along with a suggestion that I took things far too seriously!

To me, it seemed that the teachings we were following were not consistent with the Scriptures we were proclaiming. Sadly, those who hold to an Acts 2 position leave themselves wide open to Pentecostalism. In fact, the very pastor who was reluctant to answer my questions departed from the Baptist faith and became a Pentecostal.

Called By His Grace

“Who has saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began” (II Tim. 1:9).

It was around this time that I began to sense the Lord’s call to enter the ministry on a full-time basis. His prompting was so obvious that it actually scared me. I really wrestled with this decision; imagine it, telling the Lord He surely didn’t mean me! I “reasoned” with Him that there were so many other capable men who were far more qualified than I would ever be. To assist in my denial that the Lord could use me in this capacity, Satan caused a wave of depression to sweep over me. But the Lord continued to make it perfectly clear to me that this was His will for my life.

After weeks of sleepless nights of trying, with Satan’s assistance, to talk myself out of it, I heard a message delivered by a godly pastor who had been in the ministry for many years. It was as if he was speaking directly to me. I remember his words to this day:

“Young man, perhaps God is calling you into the ministry but you have convinced yourself that you are unqualified. After all, there are men with college and seminary degrees who are far more capable. That may well be true, but the majority of them are unwilling to stand for the truth of God’s Word. God is looking for men who are willing to stand for the truth. Accept His call today; you will never regret your decision.”

I sat there astonished at his words. If there was one thing I was more than willing to do, it was to stand for the truth! It was at that moment I knelt in prayer and submitted myself to the Lord’s calling. The pastor was right; I have never regretted that decision. This all took place back in the early Seventies, during the recession, when everyone sat in long lines to purchase gas. It was the worst of times in that it was nearly impossible to sell a house and find work, but the Lord went before us to remove all the obstacles that appeared to be in the way.

Even though I was perplexed about Baptist doctrine, I inquired at Bob Jones University and Lancaster School of the Bible for information on enrollment in their ministerial courses. As I was making arrangements to attend one of these two schools, Mrs. Margaret Waldrop, a good friend of the family, called to suggest that before I made a final decision, I should visit the Berean School of Bible and Theology located northwest of Pittsburgh. Unknown to me at the time, Mrs. Waldrop was a grace believer who knew the school was a grace school, but she simply left the matter with the Lord for me to find out on my own. Great move!

Since the school was nearby, I contacted them to set up a meeting. It was agreed that we would meet on a Friday evening. That Friday, Vicki and I loaded the kids into the car and dropped them off at Grandma’s. As we headed north that evening, it was pouring rain. I mean a torrential downpour! A little over halfway to the school, the engine began to sputter and then stalled as I drifted to the side of the road. I turned off the headlights and tried to start the engine. To my surprise, it started. Sure that I had dodged a bullet, I put the car into drive to continue the trip, only to have it stall again. After two more failed attempts, we knew we were stranded. Satan, who gladly assisted in my denial before I accepted God’s calling, now was doing everything in his power to hinder me from ever going into the ministry. Had it not been for the grace of God, he might have accomplished his objective.

If you are thinking this trip sounds eerily similar to the one before my conversion, you would be correct—another car, another back road, another State Trooper. Since we were out in the middle of nowhere, the only option we had was to wait for someone to stop. We didn’t have cell phones back then!

About an hour later, a Pennsylvania State Trooper pulled up behind us with his lights flashing. He was very helpful and assisted me in trying to get the car started, but to no avail. Once we concluded our attempts were futile, the Trooper called a tow truck to have the car towed to an area garage, and then gave us a ride to the police station. Vicki and I ended up spending the evening at the police station, waiting for a family member to give us a ride. Needless to say, we never arrived at the school that night.

The next day we learned that, when I filled up the gas tank the night before, we had also gotten water with our gas. As you know, combustion engines don’t run well on water! After we picked up the car, we planned another meeting at the school for the following week, this time in the afternoon. What happened next is unbelievable, but true.

On the day agreed upon, I made another trip to visit the school. On the same stretch of road where we stalled the week before, a car coming from the other direction drifted into my lane. The driver was looking at something on the passenger seat and not paying attention. Of course, the rule of thumb is never to swerve into the other driver’s lane, simply because when he becomes aware of what’s happening, he’s naturally going to swing back into his own lane. When it was apparent we were going to hit, I swerved my car off the road to avoid a collision. Thankfully, I made it across a drainage ditch without rolling over and proceeded into a field. This all took place at the exact same spot where I broke down a week earlier.

Once I got the car stopped, I sat there nearly paralyzed by what had just transpired. My first thought was to turn around and go home. I concluded this was apparently not the right time to enter the ministry. In fact, I started to pull the car out of the field, headed for home, but abruptly stopped for some unknown reason. It’s difficult to explain, but I was suddenly overcome with the sense that this wasn’t the right thing to do. As I sat there, it occurred to me that the Lord wouldn’t hinder me from going into the ministry, but Satan most certainly would! From that point on, as determined as he was to prevent me from entering the ministry, I was just as determined to honor God’s calling into His service.

An Interesting Exchange

Upon arriving at the school I met with Pastor David Caslander, the Founder and Administrator of the Berean School of Bible and Theology. Little did I realize at the time that Brother Caslander was a Berean with a knowledge of Paul’s gospel and the Word, rightly divided. After exchanging a few pleasantries, Pastor Caslander and I sat down to discuss the ministerial course of study that the school offered. After reviewing the school’s doctrinal statement and curriculum, we had a general discussion of the Scriptures.

Since the school was fundamental and dispensational, I shared with Pastor Caslander the questions that were on my mind. To my amazement, he pointed out that the solution to all of my problems in the Scriptures was to rightly divide the Word of truth. He showed me the importance of Paul’s apostleship and message, sharing that Paul is the apostle to the Gentiles and that we, being Gentiles, must turn to his epistles for our doctrine, position, walk, and destiny as members of the Body of Christ (Rom. 11:13; I Cor. 14:37).

I noticed that the school’s doctrinal statement said there were no ordinances to be practiced today. Of course, everyone knows there are two ordinances to be observed in the Church: water baptism and the Lord’s Supper—or at least that’s what I had been taught. When I asked Brother Caslander about the plank, he wisely tried to avoid the question, hoping that I would first come to see Paul’s distinctive ministry before he had to address the subject. When I pressed the matter he gave the following response:

“We agree that water baptism was an ordinance when it was being practiced, but the question is this: Is it to be practiced today? You see, when the Apostle Paul received further revelations about the Cross, we learn that Christ has blotted `out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His Cross'” (Col. 2:14). He explained how ordinances were the rules and requirements of the Law of Moses, and how the Scriptures are clear that we are no longer living under the Law, but rather we are living under grace today (Rom. 6:14). Consequently, he said, water baptism is not to be practiced today. The Lord’s Supper, he added, never was an ordinance and is to be observed in the administration of grace as Paul instructs us in I Corinthians 11:23-26.

To say that Pastor Caslander had to help me up off the floor would probably be an understatement. I had heard all types of things about baptism, but this was a first! Being a dedicated Baptist I mounted a defense that I now look back on as being feeble at best. Brother Caslander handled the discussion in a Christ-like manner and graciously asked me what I believed about water baptism. I responded: “We believe that we are to follow in Christ’s footsteps and be water baptized as an expression of faith. He’s our example!” Pastor Caslander shared with me from the Scriptures why that is impossible today, which made perfect sense.

After he dismantled my argument on that point, I said, “We know water baptism isn’t required for salvation today, but surely you believe it’s an outward sign of an inward work of grace.”

Brother Caslander replied, “I can show you that water baptism was required for salvation under the Law as an expression of faith, but you cannot show me where it wasn’t required” (Mark 1:1-5; 16:15,16; Luke 7:29; Acts 2:37,38; 8:35-37). “May I challenge you with this, Paul: Can you show me from the Scriptures where baptism is merely an outward sign of an inward work of grace, as you say?”

I was sure I could, but after fumbling through the Scriptures I said to him, “I will have to get back to you on that one.”

“Brother Sadler, I leave you with this: The question you need to answer for yourself is, are you going to continue to follow the traditions and commandments of men or are you going to base the ministry God has called you to on the Word of God?” (Mark 7:13). “The choice is yours!”

Being a Baptist at heart, I remember saying to him that these things just could not be, at which time he encouraged me to study to see if these things were so, reminding me that Paul’s gospel was the answer to my questions. It was obvious to me after I left that I had been in the presence of a man who was well equipped in the Scriptures. After sitting under his ministry for three years, I have always felt that Pastor Caslander is one of the few theologians that we have in the grace movement.

Upon arriving home, I contacted our pastor to set up a meeting with him the next day. I was sure he would have the needed ammunition for me to convince Pastor Caslander how far out in left field he was. When I asked pastor where I could find the passages that stated water baptism is not required, but only an outward sign of an inward work of grace, his answer wasn’t what I expected. He said, “There are no such passages in the Scriptures that I know of.” I must say, at least he was honest. He proudly added that this saying had been a well-worn tradition handed down to us through the generations. His reaction to my question made it very clear that I had absolutely no right to question Baptist tradition!

While I still have the greatest respect for our Baptist brethren, especially for their evangelistic efforts, the pastor’s response set me on a new path. Pastor Caslander’s challenge now took on a new meaning. It seemed he was correct that I was following the traditions and commandments of men and I wasn’t even aware of it. After weeks of study, the Holy Spirit brought me to the conclusion that Brother Caslander was right, at which time I submitted myself to the gospel of the grace of God. It was like experiencing the joy of salvation all over again!

For the first time in my Christian experience, the Bible became a new and living Book that really could be understood. Being thrilled with my discovery, I was sure my Baptist friends would be as excited as I was about this new-found truth! After all, it was the key that unlocked the Sacred Secret. To my surprise, I found myself on the outside looking in, as it were. I was told in no uncertain terms, “If you preach this grace message, you’ll never have a church, nor will you ever amount to anything in the Lord’s work.” Sadly, I had become their enemy because I had told them the truth! I viewed this as another of Satan’s attempts to discourage me from entering the ministry.

We sold our home that we had built three years earlier and moved the family to the school’s campus. While it was a long drive, I was able to keep my job at Mine Safety Appliances Company during the years we attended school. My wife and I both enrolled at the Berean School of Bible and Theology (now closed), although for some time thereafter Vicki remained a Baptist at heart. She refused to accept my new-found teaching, but was willing to attend Bible school, saying that she felt that the Lord would lead us through me.

It was about a year later that she came to see the wonders of God’s grace and was freed from the traditions and commandments of men as well. We both have since been staunch defenders of the revelation of the Mystery that was first committed to the Apostle Paul (Rom. 16:25; Col. 1:25-27).

After graduating from Bible school, we accepted our first pastorate at Grace Christian Church in Independence, Kentucky. After a two-year tenure, we received a call to pastor the Falls Bible Church in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. We had the privilege of being there for nearly ten years and will long remember the faith, hope, and love of this beloved assembly. In September 1987, I accepted the presidency of the Berean Bible Society, which, as you know, is a national/international grace organization for the promotion of the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the Mystery. This year, by God’s grace, will be my 24th year at the helm. Most humbly I say, to God be the glory, for great things He has done!

I sincerely pray that this testimony will be used of the Lord to encourage you always to have an open mind and an open heart to God’s most precious Word. If you do, He will direct your steps in the pathway of righteousness for His name’s sake. May God give us the courage to stand up against those who would rob us of the truth of Paul’s gospel!

“For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ” (Gal. 1:10).