Sam Fordham: Well hello and welcome back to Ask Dr. Fordham and this is our second bonus episode in which we're dealing with the book I Have Decided and so doing that podcast there in regards to that particular work and that is a guide, a manual for training decision advisors, and we talked a little bit about that last time, what that is and the the responsibility of it and those kind of things. As we move along though, again, I have decided by Keith Fordham that is available at Amazon.com, either in paperback form or in Kindle edition. And so there is that. Two parts to the book. The first is a guide for training decision advisors, and that goes through several aspects of it. And today we'll look at the first thing there to remember what preaching Christ can do. the importance of being a decision advisor, a deficit decision advisor spiritual preparation, the decision advising material and area, and then the decision advising procedure. And so what you need to do in and around the invitation time. but again, the the thing we'll deal with mainly today is what preaching Christ can do. And so in the book, there's a quote there. That you have that says if every church in America would proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ of Nazareth and give a public invitation, not only would there be a great harvest of souls, but a revival would break out that would sweep the country. And so that seems to be your expectation, Keith, for what what Keith Fordham: And the the reason I the reason I wrote that quote was this. The I was preaching revival out in Missouri and the pastor I was with said that the associational missionary had been to all the churches in his association, and that only 50% actually gave an invitation to accept Christ or to join the church. come forward invitation. Fifty percent did not. And I noticed through the years, the churches that I've been in, even in in inner city difficult churches, we've had people who were baptizing more than even in growth areas because they would proclaim the gospel and present an opportunity for people to accept Christ. I mean even on the Wednesday morning senior adult lunch at the RA Banquit whatever event they had, they always would present the gospel and give an invitation for p people to accept Christ and they naturally would have more baptisms. In fact, there in Indiana, the pastor at Evansville first church he he said Keith, a young man asked me why I had the most baptisms in our association year after year after year and I I told him just You need to give an invitation. He said, I'll challenge you for the next two months to give an invitation. And the young man did, Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night, and baptize ten people where the church hadn't baptized anybody in at least two to three years prior to that, just by him giving an invitation in the normal church services. So we need to get back to the basics. Sam Fordham: Hm. you know, I d I don't know. And in my education experience, I've encountered all sorts of professors, teachers and leaders and you know, sometimes there was a a bend towards giving an invitation or at least the idea that that needed to be done, but then I I experienced the exact opposite, saying that the only reason you had an invitation was to give the janitor something to clean up on Monday. the only reason Keith Fordham: Mm mm mm mm. Sam Fordham: to haven't and they wouldn't call it an invitation, they call it an altar call, as if you're calling people to do something separate from what God might be calling them to do. And so there's that there's that animosity towards giving an invitation. And and over the years I've tried to figure out, Lord, why why would any proclaimer of the gospel why would any pastor teach or preach and and and the whole point of teaching and preaching is to communicate what God would have us to do and Keith Fordham: Right. Sam Fordham: then not give someone the opportunity to do something about it. And people say, well, you know, the it it it doesn't need to happen in the church service. And I never will forget as a young man, a college student, I went to a college student service up on the north side of Atlanta and I'm not gonna call the name of the the fellow that preached that night, but his whole message was that the gospel is just like a Krispy Kreme donut. And and he and he went through how how Krispy Kreme donuts are so tasty and so wonderful and and so gooey and you know, and had to lick lick his fingers. He had one there on stage with him. And then he and then he made this comment he said, Well, you know, we we tell people how good it is, but then we don't ever give them the opportunity to eat one for themselves. And I said, Man, that's fantastic. All right, everybody, y'all have a good night. That was the end of his message. Keith Fordham: No invitation. Sam Fordham: No invitation. And and and you just so he he did that night what he had just told us that we ought not do. And and Keith Fordham: Yeah. Sam Fordham: and you know, now that's always stuck in my mind, so maybe the Lord's used it for that purpose, but I wonder 'cause there were thousands of of students in that room. Keith Fordham: Yeah. Sam Fordham: I mean, it was packed. And and and there was the opportunity to to say, All right, come and eat and Keith Fordham: That's right. Sam Fordham: and and and he just didn't do it that night. And so you know, there is a there is a system of thought that says, Well, we don't need to do but I think that really comes from wh where does that come from? I think that comes from people don't expect God to move. Maybe because they hadn't seen it. Maybe because they hadn't seen it in years, but there's just as a if if God doesn't move, if nobody does respond to the invitation, then I'm gonna feel bad and so I'm gonna quit giving an invitation. I don't know. There may be other reasons too. Keith Fordham: Yeah, it's foolish b because we cannot see people's hearts and ho God might be working on somebody that's ready to walk down the aisle at the first minute of the service and you never give them a chance and and they go home and then after a week or two the old devil gets in there and throws cold water on what the Holy Spirit's been doing on their heart and they end up not being saved ever. Sam Fordham: Well, let's let's go back to the book though. You've got some scripture there and in Isaiah fifty five, eleven, the Father says, So will my word be, which goes forth from my mouth, it will not return to me empty, without accomplishing what I desire. And the the purpose is there in King James Version, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. And you assert that Jesus Christ is the living word of God and that he came for a purpose. Luke nineteen, ten, you've got there, the the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. And so again Keith Fordham: And if Jesus is in us, then we're going to be going out to seek and to save that which was lost. Sam Fordham: E even as the Father has sent me, even so send I you. And so Keith Fordham: Yeah, that's right. Sam Fordham: you you assert there that the logic kind of for the invitation is since preaching since the preaching of Christ is God's word going out to save the lost, a public invitation should be extended. and that is that is the thinking there. and you talk about Peter on the day of Pentecost he gave an invitation and how do we know that? Because of the the in the Greek you know paracleo he's calling them to come and stand by him. But it says with many other words he solemnly Keith Fordham: Yes, right. That word exhort. Yeah. Sam Fordham: testified and kept on exhorting them. So he didn't just say, Come stand by me one time. He c Keith Fordham: That's right. No. Sam Fordham: he say if you're gonna be with us, come on again Keith Fordham: Come on. Sam Fordham: and again and again. and and not that the Coming would save them from a perverse generation. But again, if you are going to respond, respond now. Why wait? Keith Fordham: That's right. Sam Fordham: why why give the devil opportunity? last night we were leaving our our church and one of our ladies was getting ready to pull out of the parking lot and bless her heart, she she saw a tow truck coming. But his lights were on and she thought he had stopped. Keith Fordham: Mm. Sam Fordham: Well, he did not stop until he pulled out and and there was a collision. Thank God everybody was all right. He was paying Keith Fordham: Yes. Sam Fordham: attention and got slowed down enough not to hurt her. But again, it you know, it it creates a mess there. What a distraction. And Keith Fordham: Yes. Sam Fordham: and and you know, you you give people words of life and then you say, Okay, now I hope that you're going to respond before y what happens if you pull out and the tow truck doesn't stop. Y y you know, it just there is Keith Fordham: Well, you know, my Dwight Moody did that famous sermon the night of the Chicago fire, and he said, Want Sam Fordham: Yeah. Keith Fordham: you to think about it a week and come back and he said one of the biggest regrets of his entire life was that he didn't go ahead and ask people to accept Christ right then and there because many of those people that were in that service were killed in that fire and and went on into hell because Sam Fordham: And Keith Fordham: he didn't give that invitation right then. Sam Fordham: And and certainly God knows God knows people's hearts, but we certainly Keith Fordham: Yes. Sam Fordham: don't. we can't we don't have that perspective to see Keith Fordham: Yeah. Sam Fordham: and to know, and I would rather someone have the opportunity to to make it certain. evangelize Keith Fordham: Yes. Sam Fordham: to present the gospel. This is a definition you give, to present the gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit so that men are personally introduced to Christ and are offered the opportunity to repent of sin. receive Jesus as Savior, to trust, love, and worship and obey him as Lord. And so again, there's more to that just than the what people would call the simple gospel idea. is the gospel's not simple and even though it is a free gift of God it did not it was not free for him to provide it. the Holy Spirit you say uses the weapon of God's word, and decision advisors wield this divine weapon, that is God's word, during God's invitation. And again, w there is preparation. You you you want to have certain scriptures on hand in mind and in heart. Keith Fordham: Yes. Sam Fordham: and then of course there Romans ten seventeen, faith comes from hearing and hearing by the word of Christ, or the the word of God, as some translations say. you gotta you gotta quote here from a fella and Dawson Trotman. Soul winners are not soul winners because of what they know, but because of what they know and how well Keith Fordham: Of whom I know? Sam Fordham: they know him. Excuse me, because of who they know. Not what they know, but who they know and how well they know him. and how much they long for others to know him. And again this Keith Fordham: Another quote that is in the book that we don't have on the slide is that Manley Beasley used to say, if you get right with God, you'd have to backslide to keep from winning souls. And I think that's true. And that's why Sam Fordham: Yes. Mm. Yeah. Keith Fordham: revivals are so important. you cannot have a revival without people being saved. And the reason is as you pointed out in the last podcast, I always preach to the church in the first sermon, but I also preach to lost people. And in that same sermon through the years, not only do we have revival break out among the people on Sunday morning, but the lost people will be saved. we had a young man twenty seven years old, Charlotte, North Carolina, who came and he'd never been in church, not for a funeral, not for a wedding, not for any reason. He'd never ever been in church. But one of his workmates brought him And on the first hearing of the gospel, he came forward. Now it took him about thirty minutes to counsel him because Sam Fordham: Yeah. Keith Fordham: he just knew nothing. But he said, Sam Fordham: Right. Keith Fordham: Man, I need if what he's saying's true, I I gotta get this straightened out with God this morning. And Sam Fordham: Mm. Keith Fordham: so it was afternoon when he did, but he he he got Sam Fordham: Yeah, but still. Keith Fordham: he got saved. And and it was because we gave an invitation. So some people will respond on their first. Sam Fordham: It is it is amazing. And and I you know, there there's this mindset that some have that, well, if you believe somebody's gonna respond to an invitation, if you get them to come down, you get them to pray a prayer, which again, that is not what we're endorsing, but that that they are somehow saved apart from the working of God. And the fact of the matter is, God God the Father draws people. Keith Fordham: That's right. Sam Fordham: God the Son Said, if I be lifted up, I'll draw all men to myself. It's Keith Fordham: Right. Sam Fordham: he, he is doing the drawing. And you come to Revelation, the Spirit. so Keith Fordham: And the Prahad. Sam Fordham: God the Father, God the Son, God the Spirit. But there in that Keith Fordham: And the broad. Sam Fordham: Revelation it says the Spirit and the Bride say come. And so that's the church. And we ought Keith Fordham: That's the church. Yeah. Sam Fordham: to be inviting people. You say, Why? Well, well, we don't know if they can believe or not. the question you've you've got this in the book as well. The question is not if we can believe. we certainly can, you assert. The question is will we believe? And the only thing that keeps man from being saved is his unbelief. Not God's forcing Keith Fordham: Right. Sam Fordham: him not to believe, but his own unbelief. And there would be people that take issue with that, but I want to tell you something. I I I have told people again and again I I'm not a Calvinist. And then I found John Calvin's commentary on the book of Acts. And so I would say based on it, yeah, you can call me a Calvinist. But here Keith Fordham: That's right. Sam Fordham: here's why. he's sp particularly speaking of Acts two twenty-one. It says, And it shall be that everyone, and in the old King James, whosoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. And this is what Calvin said. Now He wrote his institutes when he was about twenty six or twenty seven years old. And frankly, I don't know a twenty six or twenty seven year old that doesn't think they know everything. but then you get older and you find out you don't. Some twenty years later he would write this commentary on the book of Acts, and so twenty more years in walking with God, studying God's word, serving God, seeing God work, this is what the the man John Calvin said, he said, Therefore, whosoever excuse me, therefore, howsoever Keith Fordham: Yeah, howsoever. Sam Fordham: man be swallowed up in the gulf of miseries and he's talking there about the things that people go through that God allows people to go through, horrible instances and circumstances, in order to cause us to search for him. and so he says, Therefore, howsoever man be swallowed up in the gulf of miseries, yet is there set before him a way to escape. We must also note the universal word whosoever, for God admitteth all men unto himself without exception. So who is it that God keeps from coming to him? Nobody is what Keith Fordham: That's right. Sam Fordham: that is what he just said. And by this means doth he invite them to salvation, as Paul gathereth in the tenth chapter of the Romans, and as the prophet has set down before, and then he quotes Psalm sixty five two, thou, O Lord, which hearst the prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come. Therefore, for as much as no man is excluded from calling upon God, the gate of salvation is set open unto all men. Neither is there any other thing which keeps us back from entering in save only our own unbelief. That's John Calvin on Acts two Keith Fordham: Yeah. And Sam Fordham: twenty one. That's that you know, that's fantastic. Keith Fordham: Well well well let me point out to you, you had to teach me because I was in in my time when they taught us Calvinism, they really didn't teach us the tulip, but th they taught us that John Calvin sent out evangelists to Brazil and to France every year, and many, many of them, and they gave public invitations. Sometimes they were secret public invitations, in other words, They would gather people in a cave and preach there and give them and others would be on estates because they led some of the upper crust people to Christ and they would have church out on the estates and they would give these invitations. However, Claude Brusson, who was one one of my favorite evangelists in France, he was a Huguenot, he Sam Fordham: The Huguenot. Yeah. Keith Fordham: he gave invitation and he would ask the people to go out in the middle of Main Street, get on their knees, and pray out loud a prayer. that he led them in that would last sometimes thirty minutes. And when he got through Sam Fordham: Yeah. Keith Fordham: not only were they saved and justified, they were discipled Sam Fordham: Yeah. Keith Fordham: and and almost sanctified before they got up off their knees because Sam Fordham: Mm. Keith Fordham: of the long invitation, public invitation, public prayer that he would have them to pray. So what I you had to explain it to me because I didn't understand about hyper Calvinism and and Sam Fordham: Mm. Keith Fordham: Spurgeon is the one who invented the term hyper Calvinism. He said there's more Pharisees among that bunch than any bunch on earth. But he they taught total inability. And that's what Sam Fordham: Right. Keith Fordham: the primitive Baptists teach, that you're not able to believe. But God's given everybody the ability to believe, and and as you just read from John Calvin, it's our wicked unbelief that keeps us from being saved. So every man's got the ability to believe. And then the the unconditional or or the unconditional election, man, what we just read, John Calvin did away with that one because the condition is Sam Fordham: Yeah. Yeah. Keith Fordham: you have to believe, and if you believe, then you're saved. And he never counted calling on the Lord. He counted that as faith, and faith is never counted as work. In Sam Fordham: Is a work. Keith Fordham: fact, faith is the opposite of work. Sam Fordham: Mm. Keith Fordham: Faith is totally like the Peyton there that translated the cannibals the Bible into the cannibal language. They had no word for faith, and so one day he had one of his Indian or Philip people that he came there from the New Hebrides Islands came in and sat down on a chair, put his full weight on that chair and and so Peyton said, What did you just do? He said, I put my full weight on the chair. And he he said, then I will translate the word faith as to put your full weight on. Sam Fordham: As full white. Mm-hmm. Keith Fordham: And so that does away with with that. And then the tulip limited atonement, boy, those passages you just read that Calvin said, the gospel is open to everybody. There's no limit on it. Yeah. Sam Fordham: I d the idea is a and but but again there there ought to be an expectation and no matter what Keith Fordham: Yeah. Sam Fordham: your persuasion is, there ought to be an expectation that if we let God's word be God's word, his promise that it would not go out, come back void, somebody's gonna respond. and Keith Fordham: That's right. Exactly. Sam Fordham: and we need to but we need to be ready when they do. And again, that goes back to the purpose Keith Fordham: Yeah. Sam Fordham: of the book. You know, the right question i is what must I do to be saved? when the per w when a person hears God's word it pierces their heart, they see how foolish they've been or whatever the case may be, like the Philippian jailer, what must I do? And of course the answer is not what we do, it's what God's already done. We just have to believe it, trust him. Keith Fordham: Believe, trust, faith, put our full weight on the Lord Jesus Christ, and we'll be saved. Sam Fordham: Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved and and also his household. and that's Keith Fordham: Yes. Sam Fordham: when God's glory comes and fills the inquirer's soul and decision advisor's heart. It is a fantastic experience that Keith Fordham: Yes. Sam Fordham: that we deal with there when it happens. And so that's that section. but I don't know if there's anything else you'd like to say in regards to it. Keith Fordham: Yeah, yeah, there there's two things. and and I think that Satan has blinded people that the word does not return void and that we are to be out trying to win men and women to Christ. the PCA Presbyterian Church of America, the USA, recently did away with their missionaries. they have missionary advisors left, but they did away with all their missionaries and For two hundred years they've had missionaries out there reaching people for Christ and that's heartbreaking. And then Sam Fordham: Mm-hmm. Keith Fordham: Southern Baptists, this thing of not giving the invitation and not having revivals. in twenty eleven the North American Mission Board did away with their Sam Fordham: Initiatives, yeah. Keith Fordham: initiative, evangelism department. Instead of having thirty five workers paid full time, they had one man paid him bought a hundred and ten thousand dollar salary and he really didn't give him money to travel on. I didn't think. Sam Fordham: Mm. Yeah. Keith Fordham: and and so here he was trying to take care of fifteen, sixteen million Baptists and and and train them in having revivals and you know he'd he'd been in Sam Fordham: How c how could one man do it? Mm. Keith Fordham: you can't do that. And plus he didn't even have a secretary. He had to go to somebody else to use their secretary. And you know, what I said in that meeting was we're fixing to spend fifty million dollars over the next ten years on church plants and I asked the question Ed Stetzer one of my favorite folks and he did all of our statistics for the Southern Baptist Convention for years. I said Ed what percent of baptisms in Baptist churches come out of revival meetings and he said between twenty-five and fifty percent. And then he said, You Sam Fordham: Good gracious. Keith Fordham: probably always thought it was vacation bible school that was the highest percentage. But he said vacation bible school's always been 10%, revivals 25 to 50 percent. And so I s I said, well what percent of these new church starts fail? And he said, well, eighty percent failed by the fifth year. And ninety percent fell by the tenth year. And so in my mind, I tried to figure it out. So I said I said, I'm gonna just use that low number, the twenty-five percent. We're baptizing three hundred and fifty thousand, four hundred thousand. I remember in nineteen seventy-two, I did so many revivals that year and and we had four hundred and fifty-five thousand baptisms. And and so I I made the statement if you follow your policy right now and you do away with evangelism, revivals and using evangelists, we will lose at least a hundred thousand baptisms a year. I was wrong. It was over two hundred thousand a year. And Sam Fordham: More than that. Man. Keith Fordham: in fact if you come up to this, I haven't looked at the latest statistics, but it wouldn't surprise me that that the fifty percent nearly is gonna be there. And instead of having three million more badists being nineteen or twenty million badists, we've got thirteen million Baptists and and Sam Fordham: Yeah. Keith Fordham: and the net fewer fewer churches. We got more clothes than we got than we have being started new. And without Sam Fordham: Opening. Yep. Mm. Keith Fordham: evangelism and a flood of new Christians, baby Christians coming in, you're not gonna have the churches. Because churches, even the one I I go to now, Harps Crossing, and we're one of the biggest supporters of NEM, by the way, but we we were started with a tent revival and we knocked on doors, you know, for weeks and Sam Fordham: Well, I n all all I know is is, you know, they were teach I I dabbled in church planting there at a seminary and Keith Fordham: Yeah. Sam Fordham: I was just perplexed because you you would have a church plant coming out of the seminary, you would have five professors' families, you'd have about ten families, men and and their wives out of the seminary to be able to start a church and and they were that so that that's really should have been fifteen churches being represented. Instead it was one and they weren't reaching anybody. Keith Fordham: Yeah. Sam Fordham: or or they would tell our church planners, you go in the first year all you do is build relationships and i you know, then then they'll they'll send in another family or two, not fund any of them, but not encourage them to be evangelistic. and then somehow expect a church to to happen at the end of a year. And and and and whereas if you had a a crusade meeting, revival meeting, whatever the case may be, Keith Fordham: Yeah. Sam Fordham: like the w the one we had the other week, we had a hundred and sixty eight people respond and go through counseling or go through decision advising and come out saying that I've ex asked Christ in my life for the first time this week. Hundred and sixty eight people. You could start you could start several average size churches Keith Fordham: Right. Sam Fordham: with a hundred and sixty eight people. Keith Fordham: Yeah, I and well it's just like Sam Fordham: Just Keith Fordham: I've helped several st churches start over my fifty plus years in the ministry and what they would do is they would have churches come for six to eight weeks prior to to the tent meeting and they would have backyard bible clubs, they would have teams going out knocking on door after door after door witnessing and I remember out here on the east side of Atlanta, just off of I twenty, the church they started there, they had a Jewish man donate the property and under that tent while we were having vacation Bible school in the morning in that tent and at night the revival services, we had eighty six people join the church the first week. And you know, had a great, great time. So Sam Fordham: Wow. Yeah. It's amazing what happens. we just let God's word do what it does and and give people a chance to respond. Encourage to know what they're doing. and so that's that's again the emphasis of the book, the emphasis of all those different things. next yeah. Keith Fordham: And also I let me make mention of this. You remember we traveled in a travel trailer you when you were much younger than you are today. And you would always ask the preacher would usually tell us on Saturday night, nobody comes forward in our church to make decisions in revivals. They just don't do that. And almost without fail, we have had the beginning of the of the problem there of they would flood the aisles Sunday mornings and you'd ask me, Daddy, is that preacher lying? And I I'd say, no, son, he's just forgotten that his Sam Fordham: Yeah. Keith Fordham: preaching, the Sunday school teachers teaching, the songs that's being sung, the witnessing that's being done, that all of that, God is used and Sam Fordham: is making the difference. Yeah. Keith Fordham: we reap off of that. Sam Fordham: Mm. Yeah. Well, Keith Fordham: Okay, buddy, is that about it? Sam Fordham: I I think so. I think so next time we'll come back and probably try to do the rest of that first section Keith Fordham: Okay. Sam Fordham: and pick up with, you know, what it means to be you know, how important it is, Keith Fordham: Yes. Sam Fordham: how to prepare spiritually, how to prepare you know, areas and physically Keith Fordham: Right. Sam Fordham: prepare and what, you know, what kind of mindset to have in this process. But until Keith Fordham: Okay. Sam Fordham: next time, we hope that y'all have a blessed and wonderful day. Keith Fordham: Mm-hmm. Ave me in.