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Wednesday, October 14, 2015

A Tribute to the Memory of Dr. Curtis Hutson

DR. Curtis Hutson was a
"Gospel Driven Man"

Last week I received my copy of the Sword of the Lord. Within the Sword was a tribute to Dr. John R. Rice and Dr. Curtis Hutson. Boy did that take me back when I used to hear both of these men. Dr. Shelton Smith continues to uphold the Gospel of Grace.

Dr. Hutson was truly committed to the Truth of the Gospel. He took a stand even when he knew many of the brethren would take issue with him. He believed that salvation was free (grace) and not by works. He believed that a person had only to believe Christ died for their sins, rose again and trust Him alone as their only hope of Eternal Life. He believed that repentance was required for anyone to be saved. Repent meant to change your mind about saving yourself by your works (repentance from dead works Heb. 6:1) and simply trust Christ alone. He strongly believed that Christians (ones that are saved) should allow the Lord to be the master of their lives because they are saved, but not to be saved, stay saved, or to prove one is saved. Dr. Hutson printed thousands of booklets on the issue of Repentance and Lordship Salvation to help people understand how many good men have mingled (muddied) works into the Gospel of Grace. Dr. Hutson was a Gospel Driven Man. He was a master at weaving the gospel into his messages. He faithfully crafted the presentation of this message where either a little child or the most educated person could understand.

My great surprise
One year I was preaching at the Faith Bible Church for Pastor Lee Patton. Brother Dwayne Nichols of  the Liberty Baptist Church in San Antonio had brought his children from Liberty Baptist School for the meetings. I knew I had to keep the message simple for the little ones to understand. Little did I know that Dr. Hutson was in the pastor’s study listening to the message. I went home to Georgia to have a Surprise Sunday for our church. Dr. Hutson had received a copy of the message, called my wife and got a picture, and told her not to say a word to me. Saturday, I went to the mailbox and received my copy of the Sword of the Lord. I opened it and there on the front page was my picture and the message, “The Clarity of the Gospel”. What a surprise! What an honor! Four months later he wrote me that 43 people had read the message in the month of August and trusted the Lord. It's strange that a message that was designed for children was used to reach adults around the world.

HERE IS THAT LETTER THAT I WILL CHERISH ALWAYS.

Dr._Hutson_s_letter_to_me2


"Flame" in the Wind
 A Tribute to Dr. Curtis Hutson
By Ralph "Yankee" Arnold
What went ye out to see,
A reed shaken by the wind?
Not this man from Tennessee,
To the Spirit only would he bend.

O’ my friend, what went ye out to hear?
The Gospel of Grace made crystal clear?
Salvation by grace, tis the gift of God.
Rewards are earned, but rebellion the rod.

The eyes of God ran to and fro,
Seeking a man with a heart of "fire".
A burning passion to reach the lost,
And make this "blaze" the saints’ desire.

The Flame has died down,
But sparks shot up to descend.
Blown upon by the breath of God,
To produce more "Flames" in the wind.

The Sword of the Lord
was the power of the pen,
and Dr. Curtis Hutson was
the "Flame" in the Wind.

A living sacrifice on the altar was laid.
"Hot Coals" from the altar and Revivals were made.
O’ Lord, this offering was burnt up for Thee.
His reward shall be great, but his salvation was free.


A FRIENDLY ROUND OF GOLF

On several occasions, Dr. Hutson asked me to stop by the Sword of the Lord office in Murfreesboro to see if he would be able to join me in a friendly game of golf. We had casually talked about our golf game at various meetings and thought it would be great to play. Betty and I rented a motel room for the night, and toured the Sword the next morning with Dr. Hutson. About noon we decided to go at it. I left Betty at the motel and we headed to the course. I figured we would play a few holes and I would be on my way. Dr. Hutson said, “Since we did don't have time to warm-up, let's just take pars on the first 4 holes.” I thought, "he is 8 years older than I am", so this should be a breeze. Little did I know that this man not only knew the Bible, but he knew how to play golf. He played like a pro. He proceeded to give me a few lessons. Fifty-four holes later we walked off the course. On my second trip I had a strong determination to beat him. We played 18, then 36, then 48 holes. I had him by a stroke but he wouldn’t quit. It became so dark that I told Dr. Hutson, “We have to stop, I can’t see the ball.” The next hole he beat me by two strokes and said, “I guess we should stop.”


Dr. Ralph “Yankee” Arnold, President     Office phone  813-884-4328


4811 George Road Tampa, Florida 33634       www.floridabiblecollege.us