This is the full version of the letter that was sent to the Pensacola News Journal by Bill Lollar. On 8-17-95 the Pensacola News Journal ran a 200-word cut down version of this letter and titled it "Not a true revival" (that was the Pensacola News Journal's title) not Bill Lollar's.
As a pastor, I have also personally prayed (as many others have surely
done) that God would visit us again as He did in the Great Awakening under
the preaching of Jonathan Edwards and other godly men. I want the real
thing--the type of spiritual awakening spoken of in the Brownsville church
ad--and it did not bother me in the least that God might begin such a work
in another denomination. So...with an open mind and prayer for discernment,
I attended the service at Brownsville on a Wednesday evening several weeks
ago.
I do not believe that Pensacola is experiencing a true revival of God...maybe
a revival of Pentecostalism, based upon emotion and experience, but not
a genuine movement of God's Spirit. The awakenings of the past have always
been based upon the plain preaching of the Word of God, which produced
great conviction of sin in the lives of those who sat under such preaching.
Although emotional excesses (loud crying, laughter, moaning, etc.) may
have abounded in the personal experiences of many during these revivals
of the past, it was because sinners were fearful of the wrath of a holy
God and seeking salvation from hell. The focus was not upon one's experience
or even on the Holy Spirit, whom some have referred to as the "shy person
of the Trinity." His purpose is not to draw attention to Himself, but to
Christ and the work accomplished on the cross in behalf of sinners. The
name of Jesus Christ was hardly mentioned the evening I attended Brownsville
Assembly, which is very curious to me since "there is no other name given
among men whereby we must be saved."
The Brownsville meeting seemed clearly obsessed with the Charismatic
"phenomenon" referred to as being "slain in the spirit." Everything in
the service that night was preparatory to and subservient to this unusual
ritual, which one would have a difficult time defining and supporting from
the Bible. The evangelist even mocked his would-be critics, saying that
he would spend a few minutes looking at "Three Rules for Daily Living"
found in Paul's letters to Timothy, so that no one could accuse him of
not basing his message on the Bible. He thought it was funny...I was saddened
at such a de-emphasis of God's Truth.
I also noticed that there was a lot of "coaching" going on prior to
the invitation. Visitors were told that they needed to have an open mind...that
they might not receive anything from the Lord on the first night...that
they needed to wait patiently on the Lord even if it meant staying until
three in the morning...that they should react without thinking about it
(the evangelist called this "immediate obedience to the Holy Spirit" and
gave an object lesson to demonstrate what he meant), and that not everyone
would necessarily fall down as a sign of God's work in their life. Add
to this mixture an upbeat, loud and hard-driving rock tempo with repetitious
words which went on and on, plus the factor of physical and mental exhaustion
which sets in after four or five hours (much less night after night), plus
the pent-up expectation of witnessing or participation in the "miraculous"--it's
a recipe for deception and misrepresentation.
I would challenge the pastor and/or evangelist to put the rock band
and the excellent vocalists on hold for the next week or two, as well as
eliminate the "slain in the spirit" stuff. My guess is that the crowds
will dwindle and the meeting will be closed due to the missing "entertainment
factor" which right now is drawing curiosity-seekers better than a Garth
Brooks concert. I will continue to pray that God might send revival to
our city and nation. We need to start preaching the Word of God with boldness
and, in His sovereign timing, God will send true revival. It will be unmistakably
focused on Christ and His atoning work, rather than the sensationalistic
experiences.
Sincerely,
Bill Lollar, Pastor
Grace Heritage Baptist Church
Pensacola, FL