Bible Doctrines to Live By - Thinking Back Looking Forward

By Joel McGarvey
Published: January 22, 2007

The Apostle Paul, in a vision, saw a man of Macedonia calling for help. Without hesitation he responded, assembled his team and set sail. Twenty-five years ago, another “call” was heard; in faithfulness a team was assembled and a ship called Bible Doctrines to Live By, Inc., was launched. No, there wasn’t a vision as such, but the call was no less real. At first the team consisted of a man and his family, along with a few who agreed to pray. Over the years that team has increased; some joined the team and others departed, but the purpose and message has remained virtually unchanged. Paul’s missionary journeys took him across many lands, countries and waters.

Often people in churches think of missionaries as only those who travel to foreign countries, crossing cultural barriers and oceans. While this may certainly be one type of missionary service, the reality is that the U.S. is, in itself, a neglected mission field in desperate need of the Gospel. It is to these people the ministry of BDTLB and Crossroads Crusades set sail. In the past twenty-five years, while concentrating on the U.S., it has also been the privilege of the BDTLB ministry team to reach beyond these borders to Great Britain, the Philippines, Tanzania, Australia and more. But it has been primarily to the people of the U.S. that BDTLB has sought to spread the glorious Gospel of the Grace of God.

In this issue of Truth Aflame we rejoice and reflect upon the twenty-five years of ministry the Lord has given to Bible Doctrines: Crossroads Crusades, D.V.B.S., and most recently, Cowboy Lee’s Adventure Camps. Many will be able to look back over the years and recall a message, book or tract that has been used of the Lord to transform their lives. Of course, nothing is able to transform a life like the life-changing power of the Gospel. The Apostle Paul discovered that it was the Gospel that was the “power of God unto salvation” (Rom. 1:16). In great power, the Gospel transformed the life of Paul from a persecutor to a proclaimer of the Lord Jesus Christ. And it has, since the beginning, been the goal of BDTLB to be a dispenser of that glorious Gospel of the Grace of God.

There are some who may read this article and wonder what reflections I would be able to offer since I joined the staff less than a year ago. While it is a fact that I became a member of the staff only in June of 2005, I have been associated, in some manner, with the ministry for most of the years Bible Doctrines has existed. Please allow me these lines to address and reminisce about my long association with BDTLB and Evangelist Lee Homoki.

I recall the first time I ever heard of Lee Homoki. I, like so many others, thought he was of Chinese or Japanese descent. It was announced that Lee would be a speaker in my home church in Altoona, PA. That Sunday I was expecting a short man with black hair, perhaps resembling Bruce Lee. I can still recall my surprise when this tall Caucasian stepped out of the prayer room and moved toward the platform. But I can honestly say, I was immediately taken with his preaching, both in style and content. This was no ordinary speaker. While it may sound a little self-serving, I can honestly say that I have always enjoyed listening to Lee proclaim God’s Word.

Then, in the early 1980’s, I was the Associate Pastor in a church in Michigan when again I came in contact with Lee. It was following his stroke that he came to the church to speak on a Sunday evening. It would be the first time he had preached a sermon since his recovery, and though his speech was slowed, the message was no less on target. As I listened that evening, his ministry and message once again impressed me. Soon after that, I would have the privilege to become more closely tied to Bible Doctrines and this link continued until it became a staff position last year.

As one who has always believed in evangelism, I was more than willing to assist the ministry of Bible Doctrines in any way I could. I recall several occasions working well into the evening as a volunteer stapling, folding, and trimming Truth Aflame or some other publication for mailing. In the early days, even the mailing labels were put on by hand. These “work nights” were often very hectic, at times seemed very disorganized, and yet very fulfilling. Often we would take a couple of people from our church (Kent City, MI) to help with whatever needed to be done. It can be a real blessing to simply volunteer one’s time to the work of the Lord - a blessing that lasts far longer than any monetary gain.

For many years my brother Pastor Timothy and I traveled the Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Wisconsin area in a musical ministry known as the Joint Heirs. After hearing us sing, Lee asked if we would be willing to sing in his crusades as time and distance permitted. As a pastor, my participation would naturally be limited, but I agreed. That began a relationship that took our singing ministry, along with Crossroads Crusades, all across the U.S. as well as to the Philippines, Curacao and Great Britain. Often, on a Friday, we would travel to where Lee was holding a Crossroad Crusades, sing that evening, again on Saturday evening, and then drive most of the night in order to be back in the pulpit for Sunday morning’s service. It was always a pleasure to meet pastors, their wives and families (some for the very first time), and to make friends with the folks in the church. Many of these acquaintances are folks that I see now in my travels around this country. Often we will sit and renew friendships while reminiscing about the past. What a privilege it has been to have a part in sharing the Gospel with folks around the country, and around the world. It has been a real blessing to see young and old come to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. It was a real honor, even as an unofficial member of the BDTLB team, to stand in front of a Bible Institute class in the Philippines and teach a course on evangelism and church doctrine, just as it was to stand with an interpreter in the church in Curacao and share the Scriptures to a class of teenagers.

I recall with great fondness our time spent in Great Britain traveling through England, Scotland and Wales, singing songs of praise and worship followed by Lee’s messages. The folks of England were generally very reserved, sitting quietly and taking in the music and message. I recall a service in Scotland where some of the men wore their fancy Sunday clothes: kilts. The church didn’t seem as rigid as some we had been in previously and we felt a little more at ease. We took lots of pictures. Our guide, Pastor Henry Hudson, informed us after the service that our picture taking had been a little offensive to the people. We apologized and had a wonderful evening service with the folks there. Although they were quite reserved, and what we may call “proper,” it had little affect upon Lee and his preaching. It may be difficult to believe, but even those who are quite reserved can be moved to offer a hearty “Amen.”

Lee is a student of church history and we were in the land of the Wesleys, Spurgeon, Knox and other great theologians of the past. Wherever we traveled, Lee was able to recount a story of a struggle these men had endured for the sake of the Gospel. We learned of men being banned from their own church, as was the case with John Wesley who was forced to preach the sermon of his own father while standing on a burial vault in the church cemetery. Here was a man of God who suffered because of his stand for the Gospel. To hear of that in Wesley’s life, and in the lives of others, ought to move us to contemplate our own willingness to boldly stand for and proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We read in Scripture of the stand taken by the Apostle Paul: he was beaten, mocked and left for dead on several occasions. The Scripture comes to mind, “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2 Tim. 3:12). The Apostle Paul and those of the Reformation had a commitment and a willingness to stand against all odds for the sake of the Gospel. I ask myself the question, “What about me?” Am I willing to take a stand that could lead to my own death for the sake of Christ? What about you? What are you willing to sacrifice to faithfully serve the One who died for you?

Paul wrote to the Church of Rome, “I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise. So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” (Rom. 1:14-16). The Apostle Paul sensed a debt that moved him to be ready to preach the Gospel of the Grace of God without shame. He was not ashamed of the Gospel because he knew what its power had done in his own life, and he had seen it at work in the lives of others. Do we have a sense of that same debt in our lives nearly two-thousand years since the death of Christ? It is a sense of that debt that serves as the driving force behind the ongoing mission of BDTLB. In the same manner that the Apostle was not ashamed of the Gospel, BDTLB has always stood, and continues to stand without apology, for the simple Gospel of the Grace of God. One only needs to read Paul’s words of testimony to the elders at Ephesus to catch a glimpse of the urgency and singleness of the purpose he felt. “But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24).

Over the years it would have been easy to shift the gears of BDTLB and move into other areas, or get involved with organizations. This may have attributed to the expansion of the ministry, but at what cost? There are many organizations involved in the printed page and evangelistic endeavors. With many of these, we could have shared much in common, but the key is “much.” BDTLB has not sought to be large at the expense of its faithful stand for the Word of God. That same singleness of purpose that directed the life and ministry of the Apostle Paul has guided the ministry as well. In an age of compromise, BDTLB refuses to go along and continues to cling to the fundamentals of the faith without apology. The writer of Hebrews states, “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching” (Heb. 10:25). We could debate the writer and the “day” that is mentioned, but the one thing we cannot debate is the urgency of the moment. As the day approaches, the text states man is to adhere to the truth without wavering or compromise (Heb. 10:23). The Apostle Paul felt that same urgency concerning the end of the Church Age and instructed the Church to “redeem the time.” “Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time” (Col. 4:6). (Notice also Eph. 5:15.) With great care and wisdom, the believer is to conduct (walk) his life with the unsaved (without) in mind - not wasting his time but rather being wise, buying it up (redeeming) for the Savior’s sake.

This has been the direction of BDTLB in the past and will continue to be the direction in the future - avoiding the trends of the day, which quickly pass away, and remaining true to the Word of God and the Word rightly divided. This was the foundation upon which Lee began and built this ministry and it will continue to be built upon that same foundational philosophy in the future.

As I sit and think about BDTLB over the years and my association with it - past, present and future - I must say that it was that foundation, upon which the ministry was built, which drew me to it. In an uncanny way, Lee and I share many thoughts in common (that scares me, too). I have appreciated the manner in which we have been able to labor together over these many years, and now this past year in particular. We share a common vision, a common goal of reaching lost souls to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are unified in the manner best suited to accomplish that goal. Neither of us is ashamed to call ourselves a “Fundamentalist” in faith and practice.

Three years ago Lee asked me help him in a new endeavor, which was actually the combining of two existing ministries of BDTLB: DVBS and the Crossroads Crusades. For eight weeks, I traveled from my home in Pennsylvania to wherever Lee was to conduct a VBS. There I conducted a Bible conference for the parents of the VBS kids along with any others who chose to join us. What a blessing it was to minister to the kids and adults over those weeks and to see many say yes to Christ. But in the afternoon hours, while Lee and I worked and talked in his motor home, it was then that I became convinced that an itinerant ministry was what the Lord was calling me to. We had previously spoken about the possibility and had been praying about it for about six months; but those weeks were used of the Lord to show me His plan for my life. Lee and I sat together and reminisced of the past days of travel and ministry, and of some of those whom we had met with along the way.

We discussed the world and its politics and actually arrived at a solution for all the ills of society. But seriously, we discussed the sad state of the church and how it has drifted away from the purpose to which God had called it. Together we could agree that much of what is currently taking place in the church, in the guise of worship, is very superficial and lends little to the true spiritual and Biblical grounding so desperately needed. Several years ago, it was written that in today’s church it is no longer what you know that is important but how you feel. Sadly, many in the church today are ignorant of what others in the church have died for, but they feel good. Sermons are no longer instruction in the Word but lessons geared to seekers, seeking a positive emotional lift from the daily burdens of life. And it is to these that the ministry of BDTLB goes forth as missionaries to the lost and hurting of America and the world. But the answer is not found in a fluffy sermon but rather in teaching the Word of God and sound doctrine. And that has been and is the very heart of the purpose of Bible Doctrines To Live By.

As I reflect upon my past association with Lee and BDTLB, I do so with great pleasure in knowing that it has been used over these past twenty-five years to reach many lost souls for the Lord Jesus Christ and to instruct many more in good, sound, solid doctrine.

Today we are in the midst of a shifting wind at BDTLB. I have come on board as the Associate Director, but the plan is for me to begin assuming more and more of the ministry’s leadership. No, Lee is not retiring, he is merely shifting gears and will spend his time doing what he loves best: writing and being Cowboy Lee. He will be a full part of the ministry for as long as he desires. But as the shift takes place, there is one thing our readers and supporters can be assured of: our past will not be forgotten, but, rather, it will be the foundation upon which we continue to press on into the future. There is an old saying that states, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” BDTLB is not broken! There is no agenda to bring BDTLB out of the dark ages and into the modern arena. The Word of God was first penned more than 2,000 years ago and is just as applicable, just as understandable, just as beneficial today as it was then.

I thank the Lord for the opportunity He has given me to be a part of this ministry over the years, as well as a friend, and now partner of Lee Homoki. It has been my joy to minister together with Lee over the years, and now to look forward to many more years on the trail ministering together for the Lord Jesus Christ.