Minister to Minister Part 1 – Gene’s testimony

( Introduction of Gene) I realized that here was a man who had a word from God. A mutual desire of those for us to get together, he and I, and we spent a record of three days last week together, and we thought this meeting would be profitable.

The only thing I know to tell you is that I believe Gene Edwards is a man who has won the right to be heard and has something to say from a direction where very few have been. You will hurt, you will laugh, you will cry, you will be enraged, and you will lose sleep. And God only knows what will come of our time together, but it’ll be significant. Helen, we welcome you. Glad you’re here. This is Mrs. Edwards. I’ve asked Gene to share tonight, His testimony. Part of sharing things he’s never publicly shared before. And I respect the fact that he’s willing to do, to bear his soul with you, because I think you and I need to know where he’s been, and I think we will hear him more decisively as we hear his testimony tonight. Gene, we have the tapes in 45-minute increments. So, if every 45 minutes you could breathe while we turn over the tape and try to be through by 10, if we could. Gene Edwards, welcome, Gene Edwards. Welcome, buddy.

(Gene speaking) Thank you, Jack. I have already received a lot of razzing for this suit I’ve got on. But we’ll be speaking where I have, I don’t really know how to begin talking with you. It’s funny, I haven’t seen too many Baptist preachers in a long time, and I’m thrilled to be here, but I keep thinking historically about what’s happening here, and I am very interested in history. I am in fact I’m spend my whole life looking at it, and historically, what is happening here is there a group of men now, this is not, not could this have been said 500 years ago, we have men within the organized church, and we have a man present who is not in the organized church, and, according to history when this conference is over according to the trends of history, you’re supposed to take me out and stone me when this day is over, or burn me at the stake, and that’s about the only thing I can think of or I stand up here. I hope you understand what I mean by that, I think you do. You’ve studied early Baptist and Anabaptist history, and the only reason I’ve got a little hope that I won’t be burned at the stake is because of our own history as Baptists and because I used to be a Baptist pastor and a Baptist evangelist.

I’m going to probably lose you some this weekend because there’s such a gap between our two mental processes, and don’t hesitate to stop me if you just plain flat get lost, but there’s going to be some to be probably some rearrangement of both vocabulary along the way, and some filling in some communication gaps. Don’t hesitate to ask a question.

I think I’m going to try to do it this week, and at Jack’s request, I’m going to give my testimony tonight. Tomorrow morning, I’m going to try to talk to you about how we got in the mess we’re in, and then I am going to talk to you about things as they probably should have been, how they should have been in the second, third, fourth century, how they should be today rather than how they are in the light of how we got in the mess we’re in. Then you’re going to have to decide for yourself, and that’s really what I’m here for, to give you more equipment for your own personal decision, and there will be many different decisions that come out this weekend. Many different decisions and many different directions, and down toward the very end, try to save the best for the last.

I’m going to give you my personal judgment on what you and I and all of us should be doing in these days for what I would call a return to, a rediscovery of, a rebirth of, a restoration of a full experience of the Lord Jesus Christ and a full return to body life or church life, styled after the first century. And before I get started, does anybody want to ask any questions? I’ll do this every few minutes.

All right, now, you have your chance. I don’t know how to start this. I don’t know how to do this. Y’all, I’m going to read a passage of scripture just like Baptists do. Is it all right if I poke fun at you? Say amen, a little louder than that. All right, is it all right if every once in a while, I just really just whack at you? Is that okay? Will you let me do that? Will you then be gracious after I’ve done it?

This passage of scripture, I’m not even going to tell you where it is. It’s in Corinthians, that’s good enough. For momentary right affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison. While we look not at things which are seen, but we look at things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Prayer:

Oh Lord Jesus, cover this meeting and give us all grace to fellowship before you. Amen.