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Monday, January 29, 2018


 Dr. A. Ray Stanford
A
"Master Soul-winner"

View this 26 minute video

Ray was born in Winter Haven, Florida and passed into glory on
May 21, 2012 at the golden age of 95. 

Ray speaks on
"SOUL-WINNING"
Ray trusted Jesus Christ as a grown man and never attended Bible College for formal training. Ray was a polished shaft that the Lord used to drive the point home as to the clarity of the Gospel. (Isa_49:2,  And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me;).
Although Ray was more like an uncut diamond, I considered his loving presentation of the Gospel for the lost and his compassionate challenge to the believer to win souls, brighter than any man I have ever met.  
I worship no man, but I recognize the value of those things I learned from those who has greatly enhanced my Christian life. Through his life, he has trained many thousands on his specialized techniques of winning people to Christ.
This 26 minute opening only contains his introduction to his hour long message where he tells the Jim Tingen Story to over 1500 screaming teenagers at the Christian Youth Ranch Summer Conference in Hollywood, Florida back in the early 70’s.
I'm very thankful to Ray for many pictures and for permission to write the book on the Jim Tingen Story. Outside of the Gospel, hearing Ray Stanford tell the Jim Tingen story was the most powerful story I had ever heard. It was a story that ran the limits of emotional highs and lows, tears and laughter, and suspense as great as any drama presentation I had ever encountered. It was used as a tremendous training tool on what it means to have a burden for souls, how to witness, and what sacrifice is all about.


“During the Dare 2 Share Revolution Tour, we decided to use a true story, the story of Jim Tingen. This story absolutely blew the teenagers away. Almost 50,000 teenagers were motivated to share their faith during this tour and were deeply impacted by the Jim Tingen story. Around 5,000 teenagers came to Christ during this tour as well. One of the big reasons I am doing what I’m doing today at Dare 2 Share is because I heard the Jim Tingen story when I was a teenager.”
                                                                                    —Greg Stier, Dare 2 Share


After watching the video, please feel free to make a comment about what Ray meant to you. Only complimentary comments are requested as I would like to forward them to his wife, Susan, his son, Lee, and two daughters, Jane and Patti.

Yankee
yankee@yankeearnold.com


Thursday, January 4, 2018

            CALVINISM CORRUPTS THE CHARACTER OF GOD
                                                               By Dr. Ralph “Yankee” Arnold



The attributes of God are reflected through Biblical Doctrine. Doctrine reflects the attributes of God. To err in Doctrine is to err concerning the character of God. Therefore all doctrinal errors are attacks upon the character of God. The Gospel of Jesus Christ reflects every attribute of God.
Calvinism seeks to destroy the very heart of God’s character.
T stands for the....       Total depravity of man           IT IS A LIE
U stands for..........       Unconditional election           IT IS A LIE
L stands for..........       Limited atonement                 IT IS A LIE
I stands for...........       Irresistible grace and             IT IS A LIE
P stands for the.....      Perseverance of the saints      IT IS A LIE
If it is a lie, then it calls God a liar.
If Calvinism is true, then God did absolutely nothing to save those who went to Hell. They were unloved, unwanted, and lived without purpose. This would mean they were created without value, lived without meaning, died without hope, and were created to be eternally alone and doomed for punishment without light. Their destiny was totally determined before they were born.
How could a holy, just, righteous, compassionate and loving God ever justify his actions to the believer and to the unbeliever? If Calvinism is true, there can be no justifications for God’s actions. 
“God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.”  (Romans 3:4) 
The Lord must be justified, when he is judged by the unjust. Man must not be able to find error in the righteous judgments of God.
Calvinism strikes at the very heart of God’s character. Calvinism corrupts man’s view of God.
Here’s the truth: “Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.”  (Mark 10:21) And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.  (Mark 10:22)
Notice that though he was lost, Jesus loved him while he was lost; Christ showed the lost man that he lacked one thing--perfection. He used the sin of coveting to prove he did not keep the law, and concluded with the statement that it was impossible for a man to save himself, but possible with God. The man walked away lost but loved. If the man was lost, Jesus said he could have been saved. If he was saved, it is evident that he did not persevere in the faith - which way was it?  
The real test of a Calvinist who truly believes in the saints persevering in the faith after they are saved, must preach “Turn from Sin” (stop being bad) and “Make Christ the Lord and Master of your Life” (start being good). Then they proceed to use their magnifying glasses to see if you are a genuine believer by using their expertise in determining your qualifying works. This is why most become judgmental, critical, and prideful with an egotistical attitude.
The teachings of Calvinism offer no advantages in reaching the lost. It is the killer of godly motivation.
The teachings of Calvinism offer no advantages in growing strong Christians. Their own uncertainty of salvation being brought into question by their failure in daily performance greatly hinders their spiritual growth. 
Omniscient
God knows everything and His knowledge is complete. This is called His omniscience. 
Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.  (Isaiah 40:28)
Dost thou know the balancings of the clouds, the wondrous works of him which is perfect in knowledge?  (Job 37:16)
Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.  (Psalms 147:5)
For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.         (1 John 3:20)
O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!  (Romans 11:33)
Omnipotent
God is able to bring to pass everything that He chooses. He has no external limitations. His only limits are those He places upon Himself. The book of Job (42:2) says that He can do all things and that nothing can restrain him. 
I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee.  (Job 42:2)
Genesis 18:14 simply asks, “Is anything too hard for the LORD?” The answer is “no.”
Omnipresent
God’s omnipresence speaks to the fact that He is present in all places at all times. While God is in Heaven, He is also present in every place. 
The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.  (Proverbs 15:3)
Am I a God at hand, saith the LORD, and not a God afar off?  (Jeremiah 23:23)
Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD.  (Jeremiah 23:24)
Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?  (Psalms 139:7)
Immutable
By nature, God is absolutely unchanging. For this reason, the attributes He possessed before the creation of the world are the same ones He has today. 
Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.  (Psalms 90:2)
For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.  (Malachi 3:6)
Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;  (1 Timothy 6:15)
Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.  (1 Timothy 6:16)
Holy
Though all the attributes of God are important and dependent on one another, the fact of God’s holiness seems to be the one He wishes us to put emphasis upon. When God revealed Himself to man (Moses, Job, Isaiah, Mount of Transfiguration, etc.) each encounter mentions His holiness. Isaiah called God “the Holy One” more than 30 times. 
Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at his holy hill; for the LORD our God is holy.  (Psalms 99:9)
Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he?  (Habakkuk 1:13)
Righteous
God’s holiness is manifested in His righteousness. Because He is holy, He is righteous. This attribute of righteousness is the way His holiness is expressed when dealing with men. Many verses declare His righteousness (Exodus 9:23-27; Psalm 129:4; 145:17; Jeremiah 12:1; 1 John 1:9)
Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful.  (Psalms 116:5)
O LORD God of Israel, thou art righteous: for we remain yet escaped, as it is this day: behold, we are before thee in our trespasses: for we cannot stand before thee because of this.  (Ezra 9:15)
The LORD is righteous: he hath cut asunder the cords of the wicked.  (Psalms 129:4)
Sovereign
God in his sovereignty chose to give man a free will. This is what makes Him free to do what He knows is best for us. Though He is in complete control, He has also given us a free will to obey or reject His leading. The first verse of the Bible says that God does what He chooses to do. The entire first chapter shows God’s authority and sovereignty over His creation. The Bible is full of passages that show God leading or commanding people to do certain things. Man’s freedom of choice justifies God’s choice of results.
Love
This is one attribute that people love to embrace; it is the fact that God is love. This word embodies for us His mercy, grace and loving-kindness. 1John 4 tells us that God has love, that He is love, but also what is love. (John 3:16)
Merciful
God’s mercy has been defined as God not giving us what we deserve. We, as sinners, deserve eternal punishment away from His presence, yet in His mercy He has chosen to offer us a way for salvation (Ephesians 2:4) says that God is merciful. 
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  (Romans 5:8)
The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.  (Psalms 103:8)