The Church of the Nazarene needs more voices of holiness pastors to sound the alarm to the people. I call upon all Nazarene pastors who cherish the truth of God’s holy word, who love their denomination, who love their people, and most of all, who love the Lord Jesus Christ, to speak the truth. Here is one of those voices. Thank you brother Kirby for not being silent.
Charles Kirby, Charles Kirby Ministries
http://www.charleskirbyministries.com/
Our Mission: Charles and Bess Kirby have spent 56 years in pastoral ministry, pastoring some of the fastest growing and largest Nazarene churches in the denomination. The last 19 years were at Lake Gibson church in Lakeland, Florida that experienced incredible growth under their leadership. It is obvious God had a plan for them from the beginning in 1961 to resurrect, restore and bring healing to declining churches across America. Every church they have pastored has needed restoration. That has been their ministry from the beginning. Click here for highlights of their ministries.
A Sad Time For The Nazarene Church
The bones of Phineas F. Bresee, founder of the Church of the Nazarene in 1908, are rattling in his grave in Los Angeles. The doctrine of Scriptural holiness he had preached as the pastor of the First Methodist Church of Los Angeles he was inspired by the Holy Spirit to bring to the new church. The doctrine and the new church spread like wild-fire across America. Scriptural holiness has been the distinguishing doctrine of the Nazarene Church from the very beginning until now. However, compromisers and liberal preachers are doing all they can to destroy the foundational roots that have guided the church through the years.
It guided my parents into the church in 1944 during a revival with the silver-tongued orator, Dr. L.B. Hicks as the evangelist in what became our home church, the First Nazarene Church in Jackson, Tennessee. I preached my first sermon from that pulpit on March 28, 1957, 60 years ago this past March. I have been a career Nazarene pastor for 56 years, pastoring churches across America, the last 19 years at Lake Gibson Nazarene in Lakeland, Florida. It has been an incredible journey for Bess and me!
During this journey of a lifetime, I have been faithful to proclaim God’s Word without fear or favor, and remain true to the doctrines of the Church, including the fullness of the Holy Spirit in every believer’s life through the experience of entire sanctification and Scriptural holiness.
Dr. Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky, states, “For some time now, it has been increasingly clear that every congregation in the nation will be forced to declare itself openingly on the issue of same- sex marriage. That moment of decision and public declaration will come to every Christian believer, individually. There will be no place to hide, and no place safe from eventful interrogation. The question will be asked, and invitation will be extended, a matter of policy must be decided, and there will be no refuge.”
Ladies and gentleman, I never dreamed the day would come when I would be forced and directed by the Holy Spirit to write these lines about my denomination. But that time has come and I cannot be silent! An indication that our moral resolve is weakening, and we are questioning our moral responsibility and leadership as Nazarenes occurred on the floor of the Nazarene General Assembly this past June when 97% of the delegates voted to remove the word “Perversion” from the Nazarene Manual statement on human sexuality as related to homosexuality. Since when did this behavior cease to be a perversion? Our overwhelming action on this appears to be indicative that we have lost our moral courage as a church, and are now more concerned about not offending someone.
Perhaps the most alarming and disturbing action associated with all of this also occurred during the past General Assembly when leadership of the Nazarene Church permitted for the very first time an exhibition of the rainbow flag and the LGBT letters…worldwide symbols of the homosexual movement. Click HERE to see the Nazarene Church web site that is sponsoring the booth. Allowing for the appearance of the rainbow flag and the LGBT letters in full display at an exhibition booth at a Nazarene General Assembly may have seemed innocuous, but it is not. If anything it was naive and foolish, and a betrayal of trust, and I cannot be silent!
I have told general church leaders the past few years that the Nazarene Church was in serious trouble and in a state of decline, but to no avail. I have based the fact of that statement on the response I have received from viewers to my messages from the worldwide web aired from the pulpit of Lake Gibson Church. It has been overwhelming when I have preached against the culture changing the Church rather than the Church changing the culture, and being Biblically correct rather than politically correct.
The only thing that can save us is a mighty move of the Holy Spirit to fill every pulpit in the church until preachers will experience the powerful anointing of God’s Spirit, to be bold in proclaiming the truth found in the Word of God without compromise…a modern day Great Awakening!
Dear God, please revive Your Church!
Charles Kirby
