Joseph Willis & the Many “Isms” He Faced

by Randy Willis

Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. —Luke 14:23

And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins. He is not for ours only but also for the whole world. —1 John 2:2

When I founded Operation Warm Heart in 1991, I faced many challenges. Some on the streets of Austin, homeless and needy people, rejected the Gospel I was sharing. There were numerous reasons, but one stood out.

The one that shocked me most was: God has already decided who will go to Hell. He has already decided who will go to Heaven. Why should I do anything? It has already been determined by God.

I asked, “Where did you get that idea? The Bible says in 1 John 2:2: ‘And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins. He is not for ours only but also for the whole world.”‘

“The whole world is everyone,” I needlessly explained.

After further investigation, I discovered the source of their beliefs. They had heard it from the local Christian radio station, KIXL. Alternatively, some had gotten it from a TV preacher or two and even a few local churches. What was this belief called? Calvinism.

For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. —John 3:17

✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯

I started my own radio show on the same station as the Calvinists, KIXL. The show was titled “Operation Warm Heart Update.” I am pictured on the left below with my announcer, Doc Washburn. My 30-minute show aired at 10:30 am between Adrian Rogers and Charles Stanley. When I discovered that the time slot was available, I was ecstatic. I believed it was providential.

“Operation Warm Heart Update.” I am pictured with my announcer, Doc Washburn.

We never once entered into the Calvinism debate during my show. Our purpose was to reach the last, the least, and the lost, not to debate any “doctrine.” Although some said John Calvin would not be a Calvinist today, I could not have cared less. I wanted to know what the Bible said. I wanted to know what Jesus Christ said, not John Calvin.

What does the Bible say about why Jesus was sent to the world?

For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. —John 3:17

✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯

The Joseph Willis Institute for Great Awakening Studies

I was a charter member of the Board of Trustees for The Joseph Willis Institute for Great Awakening Studies. This institute was at Louisiana College, which is now known as Louisiana Christian University. I love this school. As a boy, I would visit my grandmother in the summer in Wardville, Louisiana, where my grandmother lived. We often drove through the campus. It was the shortest route to Lake Buhlow in Pineville. My grandmother took me there to swim.

One day after a board meeting, my fellow board member, Dr. Wayne Jenkins, asked to meet with me in private. Dr. Jenkins was a highly influential leader for the Louisiana Baptist Convention (LBC). He served for nearly three decades as the Director of Evangelism and Church Growth.

Dr. Jenkins wanted to know if Joseph Willis was a Calvinist. After sharing that he wasn’t, Dr. Jenkins explained that 16% of the churches in the Louisiana Baptist Convention were Calvinistic. He also said I would be shocked at how few people they baptized.

I said, “Brother Wayne, why should they do anything evangelistic? Their members’ destination was determined in eternity past by God, according to their beliefs.”

A letter from Louisiana College inviting Randy Willis to serve on the Advisory Board of the Joseph Willis Institute for Spiritual Awakening.

✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯

Are there some who are predestined to Hell? Are we a pawn on God’s chessboard of eternity? Has God, the God of sovereign choices, predestined some to be eternally separated from Him, i.e., Hell? Are we robots? Does God in Heaven force us to choose Him? Not hardly.

Does this contradict John 3:16 when it says: “Whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Yes.

Does it contradict 1 John 2:2 when it says: “And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins. He is not for ours only but also for the whole world.” Yes.

Does it contradict Revelation 3:20 when it says: “If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” Yes

Does it contradict the last invitation in the Word of God in Revelation 22:17 when it says: “And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.” Yes.

Well then, why not stop there? I asked myself. The answer is, I wanted to know where they are getting this from.

This was not some crackpot preacher or cult’s belief. It had been taught since the Reformation. According to them, it was not invented by Calvin in the 1500s or even by Augustine 1200 years earlier. Many Calvinists teach that it is from the very beginning of scripture. Is that true?

But I didn’t care when it began, although I don’t fault them for making that point. It is an incredible argument. There is only one problem with it. It’s not true.

Why was it an issue a mere 150 years ago? How did it “rock” my family’s world then? You know, the ones I was fetched up hearing stories about. It happened during my 4th great-grandfather’s ministry in the late 1700s to the mid-1800s. Now, it has become personal to me, although it never rocked my family’s world .

✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯

Another Calvinist said, “The sinner’s prayer has sent more people to hell than anything on the face of the earth.” Google that.

Really, I thought you said that was decided before the foundation of the earth. How could someone making a public decision to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior send them to hell? Someone should have told Billy Graham.

Sorry, W.A. Criswell, and D.L. Moody, you have been a part of sending people to hell because of altar calls, according to this Calvinist. They seem to know the hearts and minds of everyone who ever hit the “Sawdust Trail.” Oh my, one of them is me. Enough of my satire. Let’s get to the point.

✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯

The five points of Calvinism can be remembered using the acronym TULIP. It stands for total depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace, and perseverance of the saints.

This Calvinist view says God chooses who will be saved. Because people are dead in their sins, they are unable to initiate a response to God. In eternity past, God elected certain people to be saved. The saved people are called the Elect. God picks them based not on their personal character or merit, but out of his sovereign will. No “card-carrying” Evangelical can disagree with all of that. Or can they?

Predestination, according to Calvinists, is the doctrine that God in His sovereignty has chosen certain individuals for salvation before creation. Those not chosen by God are destined for hell. God even predestined that Lucifer and one-third of the angels would fall. This is according to another prominent Calvinist I recently listened to on YouTube. Lucifer, known as Satan and many other names today, was predestined to fall before he fell.

And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. —1 John 2:2

This debate is not new

This interpretation of Calvinism had a significant impact on my 4th Great-Grandfather, Joseph Willis. It led him to establish Spring Hill Baptist Church in 1841 near Forest Hill. It was the last church he established. He was 83. He was too old to take the reins of the church. However, he founded the church. He preached there in his later years. The famed enslaved Solomon Northup no doubt heard him preach Jesus.

The 5th Article of Faith for Amiable Baptist Church is below. Joseph Willis founded the church on September 6, 1828.

The 5th Article of Faith for Spring Hill Baptist is also below. Joseph Willis founded the church on August 8, 1841.

Established only 13 years apart by the same man and less than 10 miles from each other. That was still a “fer piece” in a wagon with a bunch of kids. It could be frigid cold or hot as “Hades” on many Sunday mornings in central Louisiana. Welcome to the South.

Why was the 5th Article of Faith changed? The answer is the interpretation of prediction and election in the scriptures.

Finally, at the bottom, I’ve included pages from W.E. Paxton’s book. Note that he refers to Joseph Willis’s diary as a source.

W.E. Paxton wrote A History of the Baptists of Louisiana in 1854. However, it was not published until 1888 because he died. As you can tell, I have marked my original copy of my rarest of books over the last half-century. I’ve done this while reading his book over many decades.

The following is from the Amiable Baptist Church Minutes (1828), near Glenmora, Louisiana, which I was allowed to copy. Please read the 5th Article of Faith.

Read the 5th Article of Faith in the above Amiable Baptist Church Minutes (1828). Now compare the 5th Article of Faith of Spring Hill Baptist Church (1841) below.

One of the founding members is a woman of “color” named Judy. I’ve never seen this before in the pre-Civil War Antebellum South. Also note the number of women.

This is a typed transcript of the Articles of Faith of Spring Hill Baptist Church. The church was established in 1841 near Forest Hill, Louisiana. The handwritten original one is too difficult to read. My secretary circled the words she could not make out. One of the founding members was a woman of color named Judy. I’ve never seen this before in the pre-Civil War Antebellum South. Also note the number of women. Both reflect the heart and mind of its founder, Joseph Willis.

Look at the above page of the Articles of Faith of Spring Hill Baptist Church (1841). One of the founding members is a woman of “color” named Judy. I’ve never seen this before in the pre-Civil War Antebellum South. Also note the number of women.

Solomon Northup was also a member of Spring Hill Baptist Church.

The above is a typed transcript I had made when I acquired the Spring Hill Baptist Church Minutes. The handwritten original one is too difficult to read. My secretary circled the word she could not make out.

The following is from my copy of W.E. Paxton’s original book, A History of the Baptists of Louisiana. Paxton wrote in 1854 on page 150 below of the storm caused by “unconditional election” in the Articles of Faith. It also mentions Joseph Willis’s friend, W.E. Ford, with whom he entrusted his diary before Ford’s death in 1854; whom by the way, joined the “Reformers.”

Ford allowed Paxton to copy Joseph Willis’s “notes” four years after his death in 1858. See below. Many early historians, including Paxton, wrote about Joseph Willis’s humility. He had been tried in a crucible of fire and never spoke of himself.

Pages from my copy of W.E. Paxton’s original book, A History of the Baptists of Louisiana.

It was the L in “Tulip, Limited Atonement” that Joseph Willis would take issue with at first.

And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins. He is not for ours only but also for the whole world. —John 3:17

According to John Calvin, limited atonement is the view that Jesus Christ died only for the sins of the Elect.

There are so-called 4-point Calvinists who don’t believe this. They are not considered hyper-Calvinist. Those who teach “Four Point Calvinism” believe Christ died for the entire world, not just the Elect. In other words, they reject limited atonement.

There are some so-called whiskey-Calvinists. They only believe in 1/5 of the TULIP acronym. They adhere to the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints, also known as “once saved, always saved.”

Limited atonement not only limits Christ’s shed blood on the cross to the Elect. It limits Jesus Christ’s love, mercy, and grace to the Elect only. The unconditional love of God is often rejected. Not all Calvinists believe either of these, but many Hyper-Calvinists do.

Is Jesus’s blood atonement for our sins on the cross of Calvary limited? Is Jesus’s love limited? Is Jesus’s mercy limited? Is Jesus grace limited? That’s what Hyper-Calvinists teach.

They declare your destiny was decided before you were born. Do you have to accept Christ through faith? Yes, but that is taken care of through the fourth letter of the acronym, “I”, irresistible grace.

If you are one of the Elect, God’s grace will become irresistible. Irresistible grace is the belief that God brings His elect to salvation through an internal call. They are powerless to resist this call.

But does the sovereignty of God mean what Calvinists teach? Not hardly.

✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯

Hopefully, we all believe in the Deity of Christ. Well then, what is God in the flesh, Jesus Christ’s sovereign will? We see Christ’s sovereign will in the Gospel of Matthew when He laments over Jerusalem.

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! —Matthew 23:37

Jesus says, “I wanted,” and “but you were not willing!” Jesus says I’m willing, but you’re not.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. —John 1:1

John, the Apostle, reveals that the Word (Logos) is a person, Jesus. And John does it in only four words: “The Word became flesh.”

Jesus is called the Lord of Creation in Colossians 1:16-17.

For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. —Colossians 1:16-17

Once again, Jesus says, “I wanted,” and also “but you were not willing!” Jesus says I’m willing, and you’re not. How can this be if Jesus is God in the flesh? How can this be if Jesus is the Lord of Creation? The answer is Jerusalem had a choice.

Do you want to know the will and heart of Jesus Christ, the Lord of Creation, concerning your salvation? Are you excluded from His grace, mercy, and love? Does His shed blood on the cross not include you? The answer to the will of Christ is found once again. As always, it is in the inerrant and infallible Word of God, the Bible. Read 2 Peter 3:9 below.

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. —2 Peter 3:9

Why does 2 Peter 3:9 not mean that everyone will be saved, since God’s emphatic will is clear? Why must we accept His substitutionary atonement for our sins on the cross of Calvary?

That, my friend, is His will too, according to the scripture. God wants all of us to be saved. However, He also allows us the choice to say yes, to say no, or simply to ignore Him.

Epilogue

Joseph Willis, along with his understudy William Prince Ford, and others established Spring Hill Baptist Church near Forest Hill, Louisiana. This occurred on the banks of Hurricane Creek in 1841. I worked cattle as a boy on the banks of Hurricane Creek. I trod and rode horseback every red dirt hog trail in those woods. The same ones, no doubt, my ancestor Joseph Willis, William Price Ford, and Solomon Northup traversed over a century before.

William Prince Ford bought the slave Solomon Northrup in 1841 at a slave market in New Orleans.

Joseph Willis entrusted William Prince Ford with his journals, as mentioned before, according to W.E. Paxton.

We all know God knows the end from the beginning. He knows who will accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. God, therefore, predestines believers to become like Jesus.

He does not predestinate people to hell. Who are the predestined of God? They are the “whosoever will” who accept Christ as Lord and Savior. Whosoever is you and me.

God is not confined by time and space. He created both. He is the great “I am.” Not, I was, or I will be. He knows the end in the beginning. God, therefore, predestines us because of his foreknowledge.

For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. —Romans 8:29

God foreknew everything before he spoke the universe into existence from nothing. Only God can create something from nothing.

He foresaw that I would accept Christ as my Savior at Temple Baptist Church. This happened in Clute, Texas, on a hot August night in 1958. That does not mean I did not have a choice.

Therefore, through God’s foreknowledge, He predestined me to be conformed to the image of His Son, Jesus Christ.

During an altar call by Pastor Bill Campbell, I walked to the front of the church. I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. I am so thankful for Pastor Campbell’s belief that an altar call would not send me to Hell. Some Calvinists declare this today.

They have a great fear. Someone might accept Christ as Savior during an altar call, but really is not saved.

For “goodness’ sake,” as mama used to say, you’re worried about this. You should be concerned, but not about that. Your belief is causing many to think that making a public decision for Christ is unnecessary.

Everyone Jesus called He called publicly, although some claim there is a possible exception of Nicodemus.

Calvinist believe our destiny to heaven or hell was decided long before we were born. How can an altar call alter that, according to their belief?

✯✯✯✯✯

Foreknowledge doesn’t mean I didn’t have a choice. But rather, He knew what my choice would be. Now, grant it, who can comprehend God’s foreknowledge? Approximately a quarter of the New Testament consists of prophecy. It all comes from God’s foreknowledge.

Oh, 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

God, the Father, Son, and Holy Sprint sees all eternity right now. Past, present, and future are before Him. He has no beginning nor an end. Who can wrap their mind around God’s knowledge? I can’t. But that doesn’t mean we need to try to box Him into our limitations. We don’t need to know or explain everything. On the contrary, the scripture explains our limited mental capacities.

For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. —1 Corinthians 13:12-13

Historical Background

As mentioned above, I lived near Longleaf, Louisiana, and Barber Creek as a child. As a teenager, I worked with my family on the open range owned by lumber companies. Many generations of my family have lived there since 1828, beginning with my 4th great-grandfather, Joseph Willis.

I would often ride my horse through his family’s neighboring property. This land was once William Prince Ford’s Wallfield Plantation. I did not realize the significance of his ancestor’s connection to Solomon Northup and William Prince Ford.

✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯

I got the idea for my novel Twice a Slave from my friend. The play Twice a Slave also came from my friend and fellow historian, Dr. Sue Eakin. I should add that it is a misnomer to list me as a historian in the same sentence with Dr. Sue Eakin.

Dr. Eakins contacted me after reading an article in the Alexandria Town Talk. The article reported that I had obtained the minutes of Spring Hill Baptist Church. The minutes had much information on two of its founders: Joseph Willis and William Prince Ford. And more importantly, to Dr. Eakin Solomon Northup

Ford bought the slave Solomon Northup on June 23, 1841, in New Orleans. He immediately brought him to his Wallfield Plantation. Just 46 days later, Joseph Willis and William Prince Ford founded Spring Hill Baptist Church on August 8, 1841. Ford’s slaves attended the church as well, as was customary practice in pre-Civil War Louisiana.

The plantation was located on Hurricane Creek, a 1/4 mile east of present-day Forest Hill, Louisiana. It was also located on the crest of a hill, on the Texas Road that ran alongside a ridge. In his book Twelve Years a Slave, Northup called this area “The Great Piney Woods.”

Ford was also the headmaster of Spring Creek Academy, located near his plantation and Spring Hill Baptist Church. In 1841, Joseph Willis lived and entrusted his diary to his protégé, William Prince Ford, according to historian W.E. Paxton. Much of what I write comes from this diary.

✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯

Ford was not a Baptist preacher when he purchased Solomon Northup and the slave Eliza (a.k.a. Dradey in my book) in 1841, as many books, articles, blogs, and the movie 12 Years a Slave have portrayed.

The first part of the Spring Hill Baptist Church minutes is written in Ford’s own handwriting. He was the first church secretary and also the first church clerk. The minutes reveal that on July 7, 1842, Ford was elected deacon.

On December 11, 1842, Ford also became the church treasurer. In the winter of 1842, Ford sold a 60% share in Northup to John M. Tibeats. Ford’s remaining 40% was later conveyed to Edwin Epps, on April 9, 1843.

It was not until February 10, 1844, that Ford was ordained as a Baptist preacher. A year later, on April 12, 1845, Ford was excommunicated for “communing with the Campbellite Church at Cheneyville.” But Ford’s later writings reveal that he remained close friends with his neighbor and mentor Joseph Willis.

Campbellite refers to churches that were based on Alexander Campbell’s beliefs, according to some historians. Disciples of Christ, Churches of Christ, and others came from this movement. Although Campbell rejected these titles. Campbellite was a derogatory term to him.

✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯

Dr. Eakin asked me if he would help her with her research on William Prince Ford. I was also a guest lecturer in her history classes at Louisiana State University at Alexandria on the subject.

As mentioned above, Dr. Eakin’s letters gave me the idea to write Twice a Slave. Twice a Slave was adapted into a dramatic play at Louisiana College (Louisiana Christian University today) by Dr. D. “Pete” Richardson (Associate Professor of Theater).

Dr. Eakin wrote me on March 7, 1984, “We had a wonderful experience dramatizing Northup. I think there could be a musical play on Joseph Willis. It seems to me it gets the message across far more quickly than routinely written material.”

She added, “A fictional novel based upon Joseph Willis’s life would be more interesting to the general public than a biography and would reach a greater audience.”

Those two sentences changed my direction and ultimately my life as an author.

Who is Dr. Sue Eakin

Dr. Eakins is best known for documenting, annotating, and reviving interest in Solomon Northrup’s 1853 book Twelve Years a Slave. At the age of eighteen, she rediscovered a long-forgotten copy of Solomon Northup’s book. It was on the shelves of a bookstore near the LSU campus in Baton Rouge. The bookstore owner sold it to her for only 25 cents.

In 2013, 12 Years a Slave won the Academy Award for Best Picture. In his acceptance speech for the honor, director Steve McQueen thanked Dr. Eakin: “I’d like to thank this amazing historian, Sue Eakin, whose life, she gave her life’s work to preserving Solomon’s book.”

The English actor Benedict Cumberbatch played William Price Ford (W.P. Ford) in the movie 12 Years a Slave. He is an acclaimed actor, but his portrayal based on the script was far from accurate.

Northup described Ford as a “Noble, candid Christian man”. He noted that Ford treated his slaves with kindness, acting as a protector and calling them his “fellow-mortals.”

Benedict Cumberbatch played William Price Ford (W.P. Ford) in the movie 12 Years a Slave.

Brad Pitt in the movie 12 Years a Slave.

Steve McQueen directed the movie 12 Years a Slave. Brad Pitt produced it. They were inspired by Dr. Eakin. Similarly, my inspiration to write the story of Joseph Willis in my novel Twice a Slave came from a “PS”. A postscript from Dr. Eakins sparked this idea. It may be found in the following letter.

I was also inspired to have the novel adapted into a play by this letter from Dr. Sue Eakins. Three Winds Blowing was the sequel to Twice a Slave. And thereafter, the floodgate of my “pen and paper” opened for over two million words.

Two additional letters from Dr. Sue Eakins follow.

circa 1860: William Prince Ford, a slave owner who first bought Solomon Northup in 1841. (January 15, 1803 – August 23, 1866)

Was Joseph Willis a Calvinist?

George Whitefield was a prominent figure in the 1700s during the First Great Awakening. But neither Calvin nor Whitefield influenced Joseph Willis as much as another preacher. And he was not a Calvinist.

It was Shubal Sterns who influenced Joseph Willis more than anyone else. Sterns had Calvinist leanings but began moving away from strict Calvinism.

Sterns believed in missions. He strongly believed in sending out missionaries and preachers to spread the Gospel. The Sandy Creek Association sent out 125 of them to established churches across the American colonies. These so-called Separate Baptists focus on personal conversion. Such was Joseph Willis’s belief.

Shubal Sterns began to adopt Arminian views on free will and the universal appeal of the gospel. Joseph Willis also embraced free will and the gospel’s universal appeal.

Sterns founded Sandy Creek Church in 1755. This was three years before Joseph Willis was born, less than a hundred miles away. Sterns was the pastor there until his death in 1771. Joseph Willis was only 13 when Shubal Sterns died. Even so, Sterns’s influence played a major role in Joseph Willis’s theology.

✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯

Notice how near Shubal Sterns and Joseph Willis lived and worked from each other. Also, notice the amount of land Joseph Willis would eventually be cheated out of because he was half-Cherokee.

✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯

Joseph Willis risked his life to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ in the Louisiana Territory. He later continued his mission in the dangerous “No Man’s Land.”

Who was Joseph Willis?

Joseph Willis courageously fought in the American Revolution with Francis Marion, “the Swamp Fox.” He was the first missionary to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ West of the Mississippi River. He was also the first church planter in this vast region.

Joseph Willis swam the mighty Mississippi River on a mule into the Louisiana Territory in 1798. In 1798, the Code Noir, the “Black Code,” ruled the territory. The penalty was either to be sold to the silver mines in Mexico or the death penalty.

It restricted religion to Roman Catholicism, forbidding the exercise of any other religion. The Black Code was in effect by law until the Louisiana Purchase on April 30, 1803.

In 1854, the Louisiana Baptist Associational Committee wrote in Joseph Willis’s obituary. They noted, “He proclaimed the Gospel in these regions before the American flag was hoisted here.” That would have been before April 30, 1803.

In January 1797, the governing authorities issued regulations. These made it mandatory for children of non-Catholic emigrant families to embrace Roman Catholicism. They also forbade the coming of any ministers into the territory except Roman Catholics.

Joseph Willis defied this terrifying rule of law. He traveled as far south as Vermilionville (Lafayette today), in the heart of Catholicism. His mission was to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

It almost cost him his life. He had to flee in the middle of the night from a mob, according to historian W.E. Paxton. Paxton said he became known as the “barefoot preacher” after his daring escape. Joseph Willis did not have time to slip on his boots to avoid being killed.

Prior to that, Joseph Willis helped establish Woodville Baptist Church near the Louisiana Territory in 1798. Paxton said that the country between Mississippi and South Carolina was “then infested by hostile Indians.”

In 1813, historian David Benedict wrote a significant book in Baptist history. It was titled A General History of the Baptist Denomination in America and Other Parts of the World.

Benedict wrote, “Joseph Willis…has done much for the cause.” Willis spent a large fortune while engaged in the ministry. He often did so at the hazard of his life, while the State belonged to the Spanish government.”

Napoleon Bonaparte acquired the Louisiana Territory from Spain on October 1, 1800. Before this acquisition, Joseph Willis was already preaching Jesus in the Louisiana Territory.

Joseph Willis also preached later in the Neutral Strip. This area is referred to as “No Man’s Land.” It was located between the Calcasieu and Sabine Rivers. The Catholic Church would not establish churches there for half a century after Joseph Willis did. That’s how dangerous this lawless area was with pirates, run-away slaves, and Texas outlaws. And no law enforcement to be found.

Do you feel led to preach Jesus? It’s a noble ambition. The noblest call on this planet. But I must ask you one question. Not what ism you believe, but rather, are you easily discouraged? Let me explain.

Joseph Willis lost two wives in only six years. At forty-five years old, he was alone with six children.

He felt called by God to venture west into a land full of uncertainty and danger.

Joseph sold everything and spent it all sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He would deliberately place himself in harm’s way to share this message.

Personal tragedies, prejudice, and rejection by his father’s family would have disheartened most men from their calling to preach Jesus.

Count the cost, my friend, but always realize God’s Holy Word, the Bible, promises you in 1 John 4:4: “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”

Always walk by faith. Never rely on what you see on TV or social media. Do not listen to any person attempting to cast fear into you.

May God richly bless you and yours. You have your “marching orders” found in Luke 14:23.

Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. —Luke 14:23

Choose your Destiny

Hell and Destruction are never full; So the eyes of man are never satisfied. —Proverbs 27:20

✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯

There are insatiable desires in man of appetites, recognition, money, and lust. Many are always wanting more, bigger, and better things. This is nothing new.

For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. —2 Corinthians 11:14

The eyes of man are never satisfied, the scripture records. Our restless heart that cannot find contentment in worldly possessions. We seem to be always seeking more.

Man has a hole in his heart. It’s a void, an emptiness. We can never fill it with relationships or money. Nor an endless array of entertainment, stimulants. Family and religion cannot fill this emptiness either.

Why? Only God can fill the “hole in our hearts.” Jesus Christ can and will satisfy that sense of longing and emptiness. We are designed—created—for God alone to occupy our souls: our heart, our mind, our will, our emotions.

For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. —Psalm 139:13

We need a personal relationship with the Lord of Creation, Jesus. This means a one-on-one connection with God in the Flesh. Jesus, the Christ of the Bible, fulfills this role. He alone can fill the longings of our hearts.

Millions try pills, drugs, and alcohol. History is littered with those who have taken this route. Some try education, career, family, and religion. My friend, only Jesus can fill the longing in our hearts. He alone can fill the hole in your heart—your soul —your mind.

Jesus loves you. He came to this earth because of that love. Jesus was beaten, and a crown of thorns was pressed into his head. His beard was plucked out. He was nailed to a cross naked. Shedding his blood, God’s blood for you and me.

His coat was gambled for. And dying high on that hill called Calvary—while his beloved mother wept. His disciples, who had witnessed His miracles, all fled—save one. Despised, mocked, and rejected, he prayed.

Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” And they divided His garments and cast lots. —Luke 23:34

All of this for you and me. That’s how much he loves you and me.

Do you want joy and peace, and a sense of purpose? Do you long to know why the Holy God in Heaven created you? Is his intent to jerk you up by the “nap of your shirt” and then condemn you with a smirk? Not hardly.

For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. —John 3:17

✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯

Is your heart broken? Have your dreams failed? Are you overwhelmed? Are you oppressed? Jesus said in Luke 4:18:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed. —Luke 4:18

Join me on the most extraordinary destiny ever offered to mankind.

This most extraordinary destiny ever offered to mankind.

You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, And cannot look on wickedness. —Habakkuk 1:13

The Lord God in Heaven cannot look upon sin, for He is Holy. Yet He loves us, sinful man, and has provided a way for us to be reconciled to Him. To spend eternity with Him.

This is the story of this most extraordinary destiny ever offered to mankind.

Let’s begin with the last invitation in the Word of God, which is in Revelation 22:17.

“And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.” —Revelation 22:17

Are you thirsty? Then come. Let him who hears come. And whosoever will, can come.

The invitation is to you—to me—to “whosoever will”—to everyone!

Bring your disappointments, failures, fears, and heartaches. The Holy Spirit says, Come to Jesus, our Savior.

God loves you. He wants to save you. He will save you. Come to Jesus, and drink the water of life freely.

Christ suffered, He bled, He died because He loves you and me. Listen to the still voice of the Holy Spirit, bidding you come to Jesus.

Don’t wait—come today! The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 6:2 today is the day of salvation.

The Ends of the Earth

Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. —Isaiah 45:22

All you ends of the earth” includes the Aboriginal people of the Central Australian desert.

All you ends of the earth” are those in darkest Africa.

All you ends of the earth” are the isolated tribes in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil.

All you ends of the earth” are presidents, world leaders, and kings.

All you ends of the earth” is the polished lawyer, the gifted doctor, and the brilliant college professor.

All you ends of the earth” is the prostitute. It is the drug dealer. It is the rapist. It is the thief. It is the murderer.

All the ends of the earth is me—and you. Come today!

Why a Bronze Serpent

“So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was if a serpent had bitten anyone when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived. —Numbers 21:19

Bronze represents judgment. The serpent is destructive, deceptive, and the most dangerous creature you will ever encounter. He is our adversary and the father of all lies. His name is Satan.

He does not appear with horns, a red cape, and an ugly face. Instead, he appears as an angel of light and says, what harm can what I offer do? No one will know. No one will be hurt.

It’s your body. You are in control. You can be your own god. You can be like god. No one can tell you what you can and can’t do. He is Satan, and he comes to destroy God’s most cherished and loved creation: You.

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. —John 10:10

✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯

Satan transforms himself into an angel of light. “Take a little cocaine,” Satan whispers. “It will make you feel good. No one will know. You’re not hurting anyone.”

The Greek term pharmakeia, in the Bible, is the root of the word “pharmacy,” in English. Pharmakeia is used in the New Testament (Galatians 5:20; Revelation 9:21; 18:23) to describe sorcery, witchcraft, and drug-related magic.

Jesus says, He has come that we may have life and have it more abundantly. Choose an abundant life in Jesus today.

You don’t need hangouts, hangups, or hangovers. You need a personal relationship with the Lord of Creation, who created the Universe and you. Jesus is His name.

In that relationship lies your future, your blessed Hope, your salvation, and your joy. And your Christ blood bought destiny. Choose your destiny today. It has already been paid for with Jesus’s blood on the cross of Calvary. But you must accept God’s free gift of eternal life. That is done through faith in Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection.

For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. —2 Corinthians 11:14

You and I have been bitten by sin, like the Israelite’s who followed Moses out of Egyptian bondage.

The Israelites had to choose whether to put their faith in God. It was a simple act of faith, but a life-or-death decision. We too face such a choice.

Those who looked lived.
Those who looked were healed.
Those who looked were made whole.
Those who looked were saved.
They didn’t wait until they were better people.
They didn’t have to touch it.
They just looked.

Jesus tells us in John 3:14-15 that this is a picture of Him being lifted up on the Cross of Calvary.

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. —John 3:14-15

The bronze serpent represented the people’s sin. According to the Scriptures, Christ was made sin for us.

Will you look to Jesus?—will you put your trust in Him?—the One who died for your sins.

Will you put your faith in Jesus?—the One who shed His lifeblood for you—and me.

My son Aaron Willis’s Automobile Accident

Some years ago, my eldest son, Aaron, was in an automobile accident. His back was broken so severely that the doctors said he might not ever walk again.

Several vertebrae in his lower back were fused. After that, he was able to begin the long task of healing from the spinal fusion surgery. He was encased in a rigid plastic back brace from his neck to his waist.

Later, his doctor agreed to let him briefly remove the brace and shower as long as someone was with him.

I was driving to pick Aaron and his brothers up for the weekend. Unbeknownst to me, his brother Josh helped him remove the brace as instructed by the doctor. Aaron could take a hot shower in his shorts. Josh was with him, but was much smaller than Aaron at that time. Aaron’s doctor approved all of this.

I began to exit to stop at the Austin post office on St. Johns, off Interstate 35, when a small but clear voice said, “You need to go now.”

I passed the post office exit. I drove as fast as possible to Wimberley, an hour away. I wondered what that warning was about.

There were no cell phones then. As I entered their mother’s home, I asked his mother where Aaron was. She said in the shower.

I ran to it, and the moment I entered the bathroom, Aaron said, “Dad, I’m dizzy.”

I stepped into the shower and placed my arms under his arms from his back. He immediately passed out.

I told Josh to help me move him to a bed while their mother called 911. His dead weight was more than I could have imagined.

We got him onto his bed without re-injuring his back. I knew if he had fallen, he probably would have been paralyzed.

I prayed as I followed the ambulance to the emergency room at Austin’s Seton Medical Center. I noticed the symbol on the back of the ambulance.

It was the American Medical Association’s (AMA) logo of a serpent wrapped around a staff.

The sign of healing medicine reminded me of the bronze serpent on the staff lifted up by Moses. Christians believe that’s where the symbol originated.

But, more importantly, it reminded me of Jesus being lifted up on a cross for my son. God’s son suffered in place of my son.

To this day, I cannot see that symbol without giving thanks to the Lord for that warning. I remember the shed blood of Christ lifted high upon a cross. It was for my sins, your sins, and the entire world’s sins.

When we arrived at the hospital’s emergency room, the doctors gave him intravenous (IV) fluids. They also gave him two bottles of Gatorade for dehydration.

The hot shower, combined with pain medication and dehydration, caused his blood to rush to his feet. This resulted in him fainting.

Look

Will you look to the One lifted up on a cross for you and me? Will you look to the Great Physician—Jesus—to heal you of all your pain, emptiness, and disappointments?

Will you look to Jesus? He took your place on the cross and died for your sins. Through Him alone, you can be made new, whole, and born again.

Choose

Jesus hung between two thieves (criminals) on a cross. One rejected Him, but the other put his faith in Him.

“Will You remember me when You enter Your kingdom?” one thief asks.

Jesus replied, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:43)

Both of those men were guilty of crimes serious enough to warrant the Roman death penalty. One put his trust in Jesus, and the other chose not to.

The question is, which thief on the cross are you? The one who said yes or the one who said no?

Now, there was the third cross that day. It was for another criminal named Barabbas, and he represents us.

Jesus was crucified on a cross meant for Barabbas—it was your cross—it was my cross, too.

Come

Come just as you are.

Will you say yes to Jesus—today?

There’s a Scripture that I love, and it explains things so clearly even I can understand.

If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart, man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation. —Romans 10:9-10

You can settle this question in heaven and on earth today. Say yes to Jesus. Accept His pardon, just as that one thief did on the cross. There are no prescriptive or mandated words. Praying is just talking to the Lord.

Open

Jesus said, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” — Revelation 3:20

Ask

Self-improvement will not qualify you for salvation, for God’s Word says, “There is none righteous, no, not one.” (Romans 3:10)

Comparing yourself to others will not work either: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)

We seek to commend ourselves to God. However, God says our good works are like filthy rags in His sight [Isaiah 64:6]. If we are ever accepted in the eyes of Holy God, it must be through Christ our Lord.

There is no other way for says in Habakkuk 1:13, “You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, And cannot look on wickedness.”

If you could be good enough to pay for your sins, think about this. Why did Jesus have to die for you?

Jesus bore your cross and my cross. He took our place on the cross. He shed His blood for our sins on that cross high on a hill for all the world to see.

The Just for the unjust. The Righteous for the unrighteous. The Godly for the ungodly The sinless Lamb of God for the sinner.

According to the Bible, we all have feet of clay and fall short of God’s glory. Our righteousness is described in the Bible as filthy rags. God’s grace (his undeserved favor) is available to us all. However, we must accept His gift of forgiveness. This gift was bought and paid for on the cross with Jesus Christ’s lifeblood. You can say yes to Jesus’s free gift right now.

Our greatest need is forgiveness. Christ came to forgive us, but we must accept that free gift. Jesus said in Revelation 3:20:

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. —Revelation 3:20

Jesus knocks, but you must open the door to your heart, to your life, to your future.

It’s not a prescribed list of words. In Luke 23:42, one of the criminals crucified with Jesus pleads, “Lord, remember me when You come into your kingdom. His heartfelt cry of faith from the cross saves him.

Jesus answers in the next verse with a promise. He says, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” The first person to accompany Christ to Heaven was this lowly thief on the cross.

Isn’t it time to decide which “thief” on the cross you are? Are you the one who put his faith in Jesus Christ? Or are you the one who rejected our Savior who gave His lifeblood for us?

The most famous 25 words ever written.

For God so loved the world. He gave His only begotten Son. Whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. —John 3:16

✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯

If these words are how you feel in your heart, then pray:

Heavenly Father,

I pray to You, asking for the forgiveness of my sins.

I confess with my mouth. I believe with my heart that Jesus is Your Son. He died on the cross at Calvary so that I might be forgiven.

Father, I believe that Jesus rose from the dead. I ask Jesus to come into my life as my personal Lord and Savior.

I turn from my sins and will surrender to your will throughout my life.

Your word is truth. I confess with my mouth that I am born again. I am cleansed by the blood of Jesus!

In Jesus’s name, I pray. Amen!

Reach out and touch Him today!

For she said to herself, “If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well. —Matthew 9:21

Epilogue: God’s Clock

But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. —2 Peter 3:8

The best place to start, I often say, is the beginning, concerning my writing. But God has no beginning. Nor does he have an ending. And on top of all that, He knows the end in the beginning.

God knows every atom throughout eternity. He knows every molecule. He knows every single minute detail. And He knows it all now —right now.

There’s no time with God. Time is His creation in which we are confined, but not God! Can anyone wrap their mind around that? I know I can’t, but the Word of God is clear on that.

God created, controls, and changes times and seasons, as stated in Genesis 1:14 and Daniel 2:21. He is the “Alpha and Omega,” existing outside of human time constraints.

But God has “put eternity into man’s heart.” Man can hope there is no eternity because of his rebellion against God, but he is without excuse.

Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end. —Ecclesiastes 3:11

And who can witness the miracle of birth and not believe in God?

And who can view the photos from the James Webb Space Telescope and say there is no God? Man has no excuse. Many cling to the notion that there is no God. They fear they are in big trouble because of their sin if there is a God.

I read once where the founder of Playboy could not get past his fear of death. Who could blame him since he rejected God’s Word and therefore God’s plan of redemption? The eyes of many men are never satisfied.

There are insatiable desires in man of appetites, recognition, money, and lust. Many are always wanting more, bigger, and better things. This is nothing new.

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse. —Romans 1:20

There’s no time with God! To God, there is no near or far; it’s all just here, it is present.

God said, “My name is I Am” in Exodus 3:14. Not, “I was,” And He didn’t say, “My name is I shall be.” He says, “My name is I Am.” I am, in the past. I am in the present. I am in the future. He is always just the same.

And all time is present with God. He looks at the beginning. He looks at the end. He looks at it all the way through. It’s all present with the Lord. All history is like that with God. To us, things happen one day at a time, but not God.

He observes everything in the present. This includes all that happens and the entire story of humankind. The Lord views it continuously, from beginning to end.

Now, with that rather long introduction, what is going to catch Him off-guard? When does God Almighty go into panic palace and start drinking Maalox? When is He not in control? You got it: never.

✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯

Perhaps you’re in panic palace today. Maybe your dreams have fallen apart. God seems distant to you. You once had religion, but perhaps not Jesus. You’re not sure whether the scripture above in Jeremiah applies to you. You’re not sure if you died, you’d go to Heaven.

You’re not alone. But you can be sure this very moment by placing your trust in Jesus. There are other words for this, such as faith, surrender, and belief. Let me, for a moment, share a brief story of a man who was in a “predicament.”

The man didn’t have any fancy words. He was not a churchgoer. He knew no Biblical doctrines. He had never been to a Bible study or done anything worth mentioning. He was at the end of his rope. He would soon die. He had received the death penalty for his crimes.

But he, for a brief moment, put his trust in Jesus.

✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯

Jesus hung between two thieves (criminals) on a cross. One rejected Him, but the other put his faith in Him.

“Will You remember me when You enter Your kingdom?” one thief asks.

Jesus replied, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:43)

Both of those men were guilty of crimes serious enough to warrant the Roman death penalty. One put his trust in Jesus, and the other chose not to.

The question is, which thief on the cross are you? The one who said yes or the one who said no?

Now, there was the third cross that day. It was for another criminal named Barabbas, and he represents us.

Jesus was crucified on a cross meant for Barabbas—it was your cross—it was my cross, too.

How did I come to know Christ?

I was headed to Temple Baptist Church with Grandma, and my owner’s manual: the Bible. It was Grandma Lillie Hanks Willis who first poured Jesus into me; sometimes, she even used words. That’s my dog Pedro wanting to follow me.

We attended Temple Baptist Church in Clute, Texas, every Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night. It seemed that everyone attended church in those days.

On a Wednesday night, my mother could not attend church. I walked to church from our home at 519 Coleman Street. My twelve-year-old sister Marjorie accompanied me. I was only eight.

I had no intention of that night being any different from any other. I cannot recall a word Pastor Bill Campbell said in his sermon. But I remember vividly another voice that spoke to my mind—my heart—my spirit.

It was not an audible voice. It was a still, gentle voice, tender but ever so clear, telling me to go forward and accept Christ as my Savior.

I recall my response to the Holy Spirit as if it were five minutes ago: “Lord, I am too shy. I would if my mother were here to go with me.”

I felt someone touch my left shoulder. My sister Marjorie was sitting in the back row with her friends. She could not see my face, for I was seated near the front.

She said, “I’ll go with you if you want me to.” I immediately stood and walked with her to the front of the church and made my decision public.

I know you do not have to have an experience like that to be born again. Nevertheless, I am grateful for that experience; it has never left my mind or my heart.