THE CROWD WAS
WRONG!
By Pastor Max
Solbrekken, D.D.
Below is one of the messages I preached in Arima, Trinidad during the February 1970 Black
Power Uprising. Rev. Patrick
Ryan, General Superintendent of the Pentecostal Assemblies of the West
Indies had invited me to Trinidad in the belief that we would plant a Church there.
As we had done previously, I pledged to pay the TOTAL EXPENSES for my Team and the Crusade – hotels, meals, advertising
in newspapers, on radio and TV and thousands of handbills!
The Solbrekken Evangelistic Association of
Canada also offered to underwrite Rev. Patrick Ryan’s salary for ONE YEAR so
that he could begin at once to build a congregation with all the new converts
we expected to reach!
Suddenly,
News Reports were everywhere that the Black Power Uprising had gathered a CROWD of 20,000 to 30,000 and were
marching against Dr. Eric Williams and the Government. All Caucasians (Whiteys) were staying indoors and I was
advised to do likewise. An Evangelist
by the name of David Terril (whom
I do not know) had been preaching in Trinidad, but had suddenly folded
his tent and returned to the USA.
I spoke to
the co-operating Ministers thusly: “I
did not come here to hide. I came to preach the Gospel so that a Church may be
established in Arima for the glory of God. I am not afraid of the ‘Black Power’
and the Crusade will go forward as planned.”
Rev. A.W. ROWE, District Superintendent of the PAON in Newfoundland and
Spirit filled Hutterite Pastor Terry
Miller of Manitoba had accompanied me there. Besides Patrick Ryan, we were
joined by Rev. Turnel Nelson of Woodruff,
Rev. Allister Alexander of Morvant, Rev. Marcus Roberts of Port of Spain, Rev. Timothy Brown, Assistant Supt. of the Pentecostal Assemblies and many
other Ministers.
About five
thousand people attended the premier service! Rev. Dennis White, President of the Pentecostal Bible College led
the singing. I donned my white suit which
had been tailored for me in India (1966)
at the cost of $17.00. My comment was:
“I want to be a good target should they have any plans to eliminate me.”
My message was titled: ‘POWER’~ Not Black Power,
White Power, Brown Power, Yellow Power, Money Power, Student Power, but Holy Ghost Power! It was a tremendous
meeting and no one moved a finger to oppose us as the POWER of GOD fell upon
the crowd and the Revival swept the area and continued all week with great Signs, Wonders & Miracles. Many new
souls were won for Christ’s Kingdom! Rev.
Patrick Ryan founded the Church and apparently that Church is presently one
of Trinidad’s great churches. All glory to God!
The CROWD of Black Power leftist rebels WAS WRONG and people of Trinidad &
Tobago rallied behind Prime Minister Eric Williams, and Democracy won the day!
THOU SHALT NOT
FOLLOW
A MULTITUDE TO DO
EVIL!
The Crowd
has always been wrong and is it is still wrong! The Bible has always been right
and is right today! The Word of God says: “Thou
shalt not follow a multitude to do evil.” (Ex. 23: 2) As we look back
across the pages of history we can readily see that in many instances when the
time came to make the right decision in a mob atmosphere, the CROWD WAS WRONG!
From the crowd who called for the crucifixion of
Jesus of Nazareth to the crowds who
called for the blood of the martyrs in Rome’s Coliseum in the time of Nero, to
the multitudes who hailed Adolf Hitler
as the Great Deliverer of Europe, until recent times when the Red Guards and their murderous Communist thugs rampaged through the
streets of Mainland China in a purge
of torturing, killing and brainwashing, you would have to agree that the CROWD WAS WRONG!
The Bible warns:
“Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil.” (Ex.23: 2) Better advice was never given to
mankind!
Just because others are doing certain things does not
mean that you must follow in their footsteps. To the contrary, let the Word of
God and your conscience lead you since a healthy conscience will be permeated
by the Holy Spirit to understand right from wrong!
Here is how
young minds have been perverted: In some countries, ungodly, atheistic university
academics have used their position of authority to brainwash young people’s
minds with subversive ideas that had the potential to cause them to intimidate their
leaders, disobey law and order and even kill those who disagreed with!
I WARN TODAY’S YOUTH: Do not become involved with the pot
smoking, drug taking crowd of loose living leftists of the permissive and
perverted crowd! Beware of so-called intellectuals who are filled with rage,
hatred and pride ~ They will harm you.
They will hurt you. They will do you wrong. Do not trust them!
DARE TO BE A
DANIEL!
Stand
up for Jesus Christ and the Holy Bible. Don’t let anyone deceive you. If they
do not believe in God, our Saviour Jesus Christ and His Word, you cannot afford
to believe them! Stand for truth and righteousness regardless of cost! Do not
become fearful, allow yourself to be intimidated or bought off by the
influences of unrighteousness which is overwhelmingly present in this wicked
and sinful world!
Here is a
beautiful Sunday school chorus that still thrills my soul: ‘Dare to be a Daniel, dare to stand alone,
dare to have a purpose firm and dare to make it known.’ Take a look at
Daniel’s triumph. A plan had been devised by men who hated Daniel so a decree
was made that: “If anyone should ask a
petition of any God or man for thirty days except to King Darius, he should be
cast into the Den of Lions.” (Dan. 6: 7)
Besides
being a ‘man of God’ Daniel was also the wisest and most efficient man in the
Kingdom, nor was there any fault found in him. (Dan. 6: 4) On only one point
could these wicked, hateful, heathen enemies of Daniel accuse him; the worship
he gave to the true and living God of Heaven!
Three times
a day Daniel would fall upon his face before his open window and give glory to
the Eternal God. When those who envied and hated him had laid the trap to
destroy him, found him worshipping the Lord they demanded that the new law be
carried out. And Daniel was cast into the den of lions!
Here is the truth I wish to stress:
Even though Daniel knew that the new law had been enacted, he did not deviate
from his position of a true worshipper of Almighty God. Knowing that he would
be cast into a den of lions did not deter him from his devotion to God and from
his prayer life!
SOMEONE MAY BE
THINKING:
WHY DIDN’T DANIEL
PRAY SECRETLY?
As genuine
Christians, we cannot hide our relationship to God from our fellowmen! Jesus
demands public confession from His followers. He said: “Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of Me and of My words in this
adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed,
when He cometh in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” (Mark 8:
38)
“Whosoever shall confess Me before men, him
will I confess also before My Father which is in Heaven. But whosoever will
deny Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father which is in Heaven.”
(Matt.10: 32, 33)
Here is
Daniel’s response in the face of death: “Now
when Daniel knew the writing was signed, he went into his house, and his window
being opened in his chamber, towards Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three
times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.”
(Dan.6:10)
My prayer is: “O’ God, let the uncompromising
loyalty of Daniel in the face of so great a danger be an example to us today in
our Christian walk!”
The CROWD in Babylon obeyed the King’s decree, but Daniel stood alone
and God vindicated him. There is a saying: When in Rome do as the Romans do, but I say to you ~ Live as a true Christian everywhere and
also in Rome; Never compromise your stand for Christ regardless what others do!
The crowd will take the road of least
resistance. The crowd will take the broad downward road. The crowd will always
compromise the truth and look for some way to cut corners. The crowd hates the
teachings of Jesus Christ and despises the straight and narrow way of the
Gospel! The crowd is deceived by the allurement of the world, the flesh and the
devil and has been made captive by the Wicked One “at his will.” The crowd has been blinded by the lust of the
eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life! (2 Tim.2: 26; 1 John 2:
15-18; John 12: 40)
Some time ago a major advertising company
used this slogan, ‘MILLIONS CAN’T BE WRONG’. The inference was that because
millions of people purchased their product that was proof that their product
was the best and that the crowd was right! Let me give you a Scriptures that
disproves that theory: “There is a way
that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”
(Prov.16: 25)
It may
seem like the right thing to do to follow the crowds, fads and temperaments of
society, but in order to be a strong and effective Christian in God’s Kingdom
you must stand true for what you know is right.
It may seem right to do what others are
doing like lying, stealing, hating, cursing, watching pornography, smoking,
drinking alcohol, abusing drugs, gambling, frequenting discotheques, indulging
in adultery, fornication, incest, sexual perversion or committing graft and
violence through rape, abortion or murder!
If you
could, however, talk with the thousands who are dying of cancer in the lungs
due to cigarette smoking or to the multitudes of drunkards on Skid Row or to
the great numbers of victims of broken homes due to violence, criminal
activity, drunkenness, gambling or drugs you would realize that it is not smart
to follow the crowd!
Study the
life of MOSES,
the great ‘Jewish Law Giver’! The
Bible says: “By faith Moses when he was
come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; choosing
rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures
of sin for a season.” (Heb.11: 24, 25)
Moses could
have become Egypt’s Pharaoh, but turned his back on earthly majesty, pomp and
power to identify with the Hebrew slaves and the Lord God Jehovah. May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you, my
friend! Ω
