The Challenge of Not Fainting in God’s Work
In 2 Corinthians 4:1 the apostle Paul declared under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, “Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not.” The overall ministry of Paul was one of reconciliation. We read in 2 Corinthians 5:19, “To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.” What a wonderful ministry we all have in preaching the Lord Jesus Christ so mankind can be reconciled to the Lord! Paul not only stated this marvelous ministry that we all have but also declared, “As we have received mercy, we faint not.”
Many years ago when I was a senior in college, I was burdened by the Lord to start a church in Anderson, South Carolina. I knew as a freshman in college that the Lord had called me to be an evangelist. However, I felt that if I were going to spend my life with pastors, I should know the heart of a pastor; what better way to do this than by starting a church? Well, I did not know that you were supposed to have some financial support to do this. I just stepped out by faith! I had no contacts, no financial support, no families, and no building. I drove to Anderson and began to drive around seeking for the Lord to guide me, and He did!
I met a man, Mr. King, who owned the Shell Oil Company. He drove me around Anderson in his white Cadillac and pointed out buildings. He said to me, “You can rent this building for four hundred dollars a month.” I could not afford four dollars a month! I was a senior in college! Finally, I turned down every building he showed me because the cost of rent was too high.
The next week I received a phone call from Dr. Gilbert Stenholm. He told me, “Jerry, there is a banker in Anderson who called and wants to discuss with you the possibility of getting a building to start a church.” I could hardly believe it! So I drove to Anderson and met Mr. Woodson of the First Federal Savings and Loan. He said, “I like your spirit and attitude of wanting to start a church; therefore, I am going to let you use a building without paying any rent or electricity.” To say the least, I was overwhelmed.
Then he said, “Would you like to see the building?” I was so excited and exclaimed, “Yes!” So we walked out of the bank and across the street to a little pink building right beside the West Earle Pool Room. My heart sank to my feet. Of all the colors on a building, this one had to be pink! Then Mr. Woodson asked me, “Do you want to use it?” What could I say? I could not turn it down because I could not afford to rent anything else. I told him I would take it and thanked him. (The first thing I did was to get rid of the pink paint.) Well, I had a good friend make me a pulpit for five dollars. Then the Rescue Mission gave me some folding chairs. By the way, the building would hold only forty people. There were no classrooms and no bathrooms!
My wife and I began to go out and witness to people and invite them to our new church. I am from the hills of West Virginia and was not used to Southern ways. I had never heard of grits, sweet tea, fried okra, or blackeyed peas. Neither was I used to Southern people. Up North, if you invite a man to church, he will either cuss you out and tell you he will not come and slam the door in your face, or he would say, “Yes, I will be there!” . . . and he would be there. That is what I was used to. I was not familiar with what I call, “Southern ethical kindness.” My wife and I would invite people in Anderson to come to our services, and they would say, “Where are y’all located?” We said, “On West Earle Street beside the West Earle Pool Room.” They said, “What time does your service start?” We said, “Ten o’clock.” They said, “We will be there!” Bunch of liars! No one showed up!
For ten weeks I preached basically to my wife. She never raised her hand and never came down the aisle for any decision! On the tenth Sunday, I brought a good friend of mine and his wife, Bennie and Laura Moran. Bennie taught Sunday school at ten o’clock. At eleven o’clock, no one came, and I got so discouraged that I took off my coat and walked to the pulpit and said, “Well, I guess the Lord does not want me to start this church.” I said, “Bennie, do you know some place where we can eat?” He said, “Yes.” I was walking out of the church and had one foot in the church and one foot on the sidewalk when in walked two ladies whom my wife and I had visited the day before. I said, “Come on in, ladies, we are now ready to start our service.”
The first sermon I preached to my first “congregation” was John 3:16. Here was my outline:
- The Wonderful Fact. “For God so loved the world.”
- The Wonderful Act. “That he gave his only begotten Son.”
- The Wonderful Pact. “That whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
At the close of the message I had everyone bow their heads and close their eyes. I said, “If you would like the Lord to save you, would you raise your hand?” One of the ladies raised her hand, so I said, “Is there anybody else?” The other lady raised her hand as well. (By the way, I am one of few preachers who ever got a one-hundred-percent response in their first service!)
The two ladies were sitting on one side of the little room; and my wife and Bennie and Laura Moran were sitting on the other side of the room. I didn’t want to embarrass these ladies when I gave the invitation, so I looked over my wife’s head and said, “If you raised your hand and want to be saved, then come forward and we will have a lady take the Word of God and show you how you can ask Christ to be your Savior.” Both of these ladies were under deep conviction but didn’t come forward.
I thought for sure they would come back the next week, so the following Sunday I brought Bennie and Laura Moran and another couple, Tom and Linda Harper. Bennie taught Sunday school and Tom led the song service. However, no one showed up for either service. The evening service was supposed to start at 7:30; as the time drew near, however, no one came. I was so discouraged that I took my coat off. All of a sudden Tom said, “Jerry, get your coat on—here come some people!” I hurriedly put my coat on and said, “Where are they?” Tom grinned and replied, “I was just teasing you.” I was not in the mood for teasing! I took my coat off again; it was 7:28.
Suddenly Tom said again, “Get your coat back on—a lot of people are coming!” I replied in a firm voice, “Tom Harper, quit teasing me.” He said, “I am not teasing! See for yourself.” I looked out the door and saw what looked like a hundred people walking right toward our church. There were actually twenty-five, but to me it looked like one hundred! Those two unsaved ladies had come back and had brought their relatives and neighbors to the service. When I preached and gave the invitation, I said, “Tonight there will be no singing and no music. If you want Jesus Christ to save you, then stand up right now and come to me.” That night eight adults came and received Christ as their Savior, and that is how Fellowship Baptist Church in Anderson, South Carolina, got started. I learned a valuable truth that night that has stayed with me all of my ministry—it is always too soon to quit!
There are two main lessons I learned from this whole experience that I would like to share with you who are serving the Lord. First, there are blessings you will never experience if you give up and faint in serving God. Back to my story. . . . Many people began coming to our church—so many, in fact, that we had to move to a bigger building. We outgrew that one and purchased five acres of land and built a new auditorium. The countless blessings we have experienced continue to amaze me. We saw many souls saved and made many wonderful friends as a result of starting that church. I have often wondered what would have happened if I had left even a minute earlier that night. I would have missed those two ladies who were coming to the service!
Second, the Lord’s timing is always perfect; He’s never too early, and He’s never too late. In times of discouragement the Lord will intervene when we come to the end of ourselves. Little did I realize that the Lord was putting me into the treasure house of His blessings. When we moved to Starr, South Carolina, our neighbors Barnie and Annie Clark befriended us. They were two of the godliest, sweetest people I have ever known. Barnie was the greatest soul-winner I’ve ever met, and he took me under his wing. Annie helped my wife get a teaching position. They poured their lives into us, and I am eternally grateful for the impact they had on our lives. We would have missed all of this had we fainted too soon.
Perhaps someone reading this article is about to faint in the ministry. You have sacrificed, you have labored, you feel spent and want to give up. Proverbs 24:10 says, “If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.” The blessing of God may be just a step away; I would encourage you to continue in what the Lord has given you to do. It’s always too soon to quit!
Evangelist Jerry Sivnksty may be contacted at PO Box 141, Starr, SC 29684 or via e-mail at .
(Originally published in FrontLine • May/June and July/August 2009. Click here to subscribe to the magazine.)