There were two men, one named Templeton and the other Graham. Templeton was an on fire preacher for Christ, he built a ministry, and then doubts came into his mind because his knowledge of The Scriptures and theology was marginal. To remedy this, Templeton went to Princeton Theological Seminary, and there Progressive professors built on his doubt, and in the end Templeton fell away. Billy Graham was friend of Templeton, and in his letters to Graham, Templeton attempted to tear down his faith as his had been. Graham felt the weight of those doubts, his dark night of the soul had him in a forest where after studying Scripture exhaustively he bowed on his knees and declared that The Scriptures were literally God’s divinely inspired Word. What came next was an authority of preaching that would shake stadiums and lead to many souls being saved. Templeton tried to dissuade his friend Graham, to not avail, acknowledging Billy Graham was resolute in his beliefs. Templeton near his death in an interview spoke of how Jesus was a great moral giant of a man, and with tears said “And I miss him.” (Saving Christianity?, Michael Youseff). Such tragic words, Templeton gave up His Savior for intellectual superiority, “he had gained the whole world,” but “lost his soul.” (Matthew 16:26). These two men serve as a warning. When faced with the shadows of doubt, unbelief, and disillusionment, you can do as Templeton did, go to the houses of ‘learning’ and go down rabbit holes only to make the gulf between you and your faith expand, and ultimately shipwreck it even as it did Templeton or you can do as Billy Graham did, place your security in The Lord and his Word, trust even when the gnawing uncertainties try to eat you from within.
Templeton trusted the universities, the seminaries, to help him and they preached to him what Rich Mullins aptly said was hellian doctrine, “It sounded just like the wisdom That comes straight out of Hell.” Indeed, Mullins then said what Billy Graham did, “When we get back to what was written In the, in the Book of love.” (Higher Education, Rich Mullins). The Seminaries have the nickname cemeteries for a reason. They claimed Templeton, and they have claimed many others. Jesus our Lord did not operate as seminaries do, he went out and made disciples, in fact in His time it was unusual, “rabbis did not seek out disciples, disciples sought out rabbis. Jesus sought out disciples.” (Jesus The King, Timothy Keller).
The apostle Paul tells us the sum of wisdom is in Christ, “that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” (Colossians 2:3-4), that Scripture is God breathed, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work,” (2 Timothy 3:16-17), and our Lord Jesus alone said He is the truth, “Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6). The apostle rightly said count all things lost but knowing Jesus, “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ” (Philippians 3:8). Templeton did not do this, he listened to men with their doctrines, and traditions, which were demonic, “But the [Holy] Spirit explicitly andunmistakably declares that in later times some will turn away from the faith, paying attention instead to deceitful and seductive spirits and doctrines of demons,” (1 Timothy 4:1) and “Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men.” He was also saying to them, “You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition. For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘The one who speaks evil of father or mother, is certainly to be put to death’; but you say, ‘If a person says to his father or his mother, whatever I have that would help you is Corban (that is, given to God),’ you no longer allow him to do anything for his father or his mother; thereby the word of God of no effect by your tradition which you have handed down; and you do many things such as that.”(Mark 7:8-13). Billy Graham latched on to these Scriptures which contain The Truth, and he spent a life that impacted so many souls, leading them to Jesus. I have watched some of his crusades in black and white, and they still have power, still have authority, and the Holy Spirit’s anointing. Graham’s legacy is still serving The Lord and eternity long after he went home to be with Jesus in heaven! Templeton in contrast serves as a warning of the danger of trust false teachers and ivy league institutions to enlighten you in your hour of doubt. Like the learned Pharisees who killed our Lord Jesus, the modern pharisees of progressive, emergent, and liberal theologies try to destroy the true faith in people which is a literal, Scriptural, and is established on truth.
When you face your Garden of Gethsename, that period or moment of doubt, do as Billy Graham did, kneel and trust The Bible, that what it says is literal and true! Do not say said words of Templeton, “I miss Jesus,” having gained the world but lost your Lord! Nothing is as precious as Jesus, it is why Satan lays siege with doubts and uses ‘scholars’ in academia, the internet, and even churches to destroy your relationship with Jesus. The devil cannot undo Calvary, The Cross, and The Empty Tomb, but he can get you to turn your back on those truths if you let him. Do not let him! Trust The Scriptures! Trust The Lord! Trust is in spite of doubts, just like the exercises where you are to trust the person will catch you when you throw yourself back , you have doubts they will catch you, but then they do. Trust, also called faith does not require no doubt, it is a choice even with doubts as Billy Graham did in that forest with his bible! Amen.
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