Howdy from the Great State of Texas!

[R Sauter]

My name is Ray Sauter and my Baptist experience is sordid to say the least. I was raised Roman Catholic, came to faith in Christ in 1981 but did not affiliate as a "Baptist" until I graduated high school, went into the Navy, and was baptized at an Independent Baptist Church while going through training in Millington, TN. From there, I got it with both barrels including KJVO, Ruckmanism, and Bob Jones style Legalism! I got my first Scofield Bible as well as Larkin's "Dispensational Truth" and learned the "dice it, slice it" approach to biblical interpretation. I learned how to preach on the streets and argue with Oneness Pentecostals and Church of Christ "Water Dogs!"

When I went out to the fleet in San Diego, I got involved in another Independent Baptist Church and learned all about Jack Hyles. I continued to preach on the streets and learned how to "Lead People to the Lord" using Romans road and a quick "1, 2, 3, Repeat After Me" approach to "soulwinning." I think I must have gotten hundreds of people to pray and accept Christ as their Savior and likely thousands more when I became a Bus Captain! No doubt I could stretch that number to the tens of thousands had I went to Hyles-Anderson College. Rather than Hyles-Anderson, I chose instead to attend and graduate from the "Back Room Bible Institute" at my Church with a Biblical Studies degree which took me the next 20 years or so to unlearn! The "Cracks" started to form shortly after my graduation in 1989 when the "Sumner Articles" came out and I attended a "100% for Hyles" rally up in Santa Clara, CA. Finally met the man, got him to sign my Scofield Bible and was not too impressed with the experience to say the least! God was no doubt calling me out of that circus but it took another 14 years before I finally "Surrendered" to this calling in 2003 while I was attending the "Model IFB Church" up in Lancaster, CA.

From there I attended a non-denominational Bible Church across town where they preached out of the NASB and had a "Rockin' Praise Band." I kept my King James Bible but went to the guitar center, bought a Fender Stratocaster, and joined the worship team! I learned a great deal from that Church but it was now time to move back to Texas before my kids turned into teenagers and I would then be stuck out on the "Left Coast!" I found a good BBFI Church just outside of Houston and they reminded me that not all IFB Churches were bad. I also attended a few good (and some really, really bad) SBC Churches.

I got away from the Lord for a while when my first wife decided she no longer wanted to be married to me. Tried to run from God but God would not let me! Reaching back to my time in the Navy, I believed that God had called me to serve as a missionary in the Philippines but I had some other ideas and when everything came crashing down, God brought this beautiful Filipina lady back into my life! Since I wouldn't go to the Philippines, the Lord brought the Philippines to me! I now have a huge extended Filipino family where everyone is looking up to me for spiritual leadership! I am now in a conservative SBC church with a predominantly Filipino congregation. I serve as a deacon and teach the adult Sunday school class and play my Stratocaster with the worship team. I am also pursuing a MA in Theological Studies and plan spend as much of the rest of my life serving him wherever he will have me!

[BrotherTony]

7 hours ago, R Sauter said:

My name is Ray Sauter and my Baptist experience is sordid to say the least. I was raised Roman Catholic, came to faith in Christ in 1981 but did not affiliate as a "Baptist" until I graduated high school, went into the Navy, and was baptized at an Independent Baptist Church while going through training in Millington, TN. From there, I got it with both barrels including KJVO, Ruckmanism, and Bob Jones style Legalism! I got my first Scofield Bible as well as Larkin's "Dispensational Truth" and learned the "dice it, slice it" approach to biblical interpretation. I learned how to preach on the streets and argue with Oneness Pentecostals and Church of Christ "Water Dogs!"

When I went out to the fleet in San Diego, I got involved in another Independent Baptist Church and learned all about Jack Hyles. I continued to preach on the streets and learned how to "Lead People to the Lord" using Romans road and a quick "1, 2, 3, Repeat After Me" approach to "soulwinning." I think I must have gotten hundreds of people to pray and accept Christ as their Savior and likely thousands more when I became a Bus Captain! No doubt I could stretch that number to the tens of thousands had I went to Hyles-Anderson College. Rather than Hyles-Anderson, I chose instead to attend and graduate from the "Back Room Bible Institute" at my Church with a Biblical Studies degree which took me the next 20 years or so to unlearn! The "Cracks" started to form shortly after my graduation in 1989 when the "Sumner Articles" came out and I attended a "100% for Hyles" rally up in Santa Clara, CA. Finally met the man, got him to sign my Scofield Bible and was not too impressed with the experience to say the least! God was no doubt calling me out of that circus but it took another 14 years before I finally "Surrendered" to this calling in 2003 while I was attending the "Model IFB Church" up in Lancaster, CA.

From there I attended a non-denominational Bible Church across town where they preached out of the NASB and had a "Rockin' Praise Band." I kept my King James Bible but went to the guitar center, bought a Fender Stratocaster, and joined the worship team! I learned a great deal from that Church but it was now time to move back to Texas before my kids turned into teenagers and I would then be stuck out on the "Left Coast!" I found a good BBFI Church just outside of Houston and they reminded me that not all IFB Churches were bad. I also attended a few good (and some really, really bad) SBC Churches.

I got away from the Lord for a while when my first wife decided she no longer wanted to be married to me. Tried to run from God but God would not let me! Reaching back to my time in the Navy, I believed that God had called me to serve as a missionary in the Philippines but I had some other ideas and when everything came crashing down, God brought this beautiful Filipina lady back into my life! Since I wouldn't go to the Philippines, the Lord brought the Philippines to me! I now have a huge extended Filipino family where everyone is looking up to me for spiritual leadership! I am now in a conservative SBC church with a predominantly Filipino congregation. I serve as a deacon and teach the adult Sunday school class and play my Stratocaster with the worship team. I am also pursuing a MA in Theological Studies and plan spend as much of the rest of my life serving him wherever he will have me!

Welcome, Ray! It's great to have you here! I know your testimony, as we're old friends from several different forums. You know mine as well, I believe. Like you, I was so thankful when the Lord led me away from the "frozen chosen!"

Blessings, my friend, and Merry Christmas to you and your dear wife and family!

[Napsterdad]

Greetings, Ray! There are some interesting parallels between your early story and mine. I too was raised Catholic. I actually got saved while stationed in Millington, TN for TD "A" school in late 1980 while attending Bellevue Baptist Church through the bus ministry offered on base. I was subsequently baptized there on Feb. 1, 1981. I backslid quite a bit after my transfer, but finally rededicated my life to the Lord in 1995. What a wonderful change that made in my and my family's life. We are blessed.

Welcome aboard, shipmate! Good to have you here. Any friend of Tony's is bound to be a friend of mine.

[R Sauter]

36 minutes ago, Napsterdad said:

Greetings, Ray! There are some interesting parallels between your early story and mine. I too was raised Catholic. I actually got saved while stationed in Millington, TN for TD "A" school in late 1980 while attending Bellevue Baptist Church through the bus ministry offered on base. I was subsequently baptized there on Feb. 1, 1981. I backslid quite a bit after my transfer, but finally rededicated my life to the Lord in 1995. What a wonderful change that made in my and my family's life. We are blessed.

Welcome aboard, shipmate! Good to have you here. Any friend of Tony's is bound to be a friend of mine.

I am kicking myself to this very day for not going to Bellevue! I attended Southside Baptist Church instead and was quickly informed that Southern Baptists were liberal apostates and that it was a good thing they were there to set me straight on the matter! 

There were some genuine pieces of work who brought their buses and vans to the front gate parking lot every Sunday morning! The United Pentecostal Church was most notable for me - scary doctrine but very pretty girls!

Military life as a Christian certainly was a challenge. I was an AT going through the AFTA program in 1982-1983.

As you can see, my views on the SBC have changed although I do not have many kind words for the likes of Andy Stanley, Stephen Furtick, Beth Moore, or Rick Warren. I am definitely a BFM 2000 kind of guy.

[Napsterdad]

1 hour ago, R Sauter said:

I am kicking myself to this very day for not going to Bellevue!

Military life as a Christian certainly was a challenge. I was an AT going through the AFTA program in 1982-1983.

The preaching of Adrian Rogers was great, but the discipleship at Bellevue was lacking. I didn't grow much there. I believe the church was just to big.

I first went to Millington for AT "A" school in '78 - '79 but got dropped and sent to the fleet as a striker after getting into trouble. Wrong place at the wrong time kinda thing. While serving on the USS Coral Sea I did my TD courses, extended for 1 year 3 mo. and they let me go back to school. For some reason the Assistant Air Boss took a liking to me, which helped. God was all over that, although I didn't know it then. 

Edited December 1, 2023 by Napsterdad

[R Sauter]

3 hours ago, Napsterdad said:

The preaching of Adrian Rogers was great, but the discipleship at Bellevue was lacking. I didn't grow much there. I believe the church was just to big.

Discipleship is often a problem in both big or small churches. You either do not have enough knowledgeable and experienced people or those with the knowledge and experience simply do not have the time between family and work obligations. This is a problem we are dealing with at our church.

Many of the big "Mega-Churches" have a good number of "Professional Christians" doing everything and therefore neglects to involve the membership in the work of the ministry aside from sitting in the pew with your mouth shut and your pocketbook open! Such members therefore feel they do not have to study doctrine and theology for themselves because they have the "Paid Professionals" to ask about whatever. I believe a properly balanced Church will involve their members in the work of the ministry as well as giving proper teaching and instruction in the word both from the pulpit as well as in small group settings.

I am guessing you went TD in order to stay off the big ships but things didn't work out so well for you? I went through the AFTA program and got my "Rent a Crow" though my involvement with the Church kept me from doing as well as I should've. But it did keep me out of the E-Club and turning into an "Alky" like some of my friends. Never was on a Carrier. Spent my time with Helo Squadrons which sent detachments onboard destroyers and frigates which I truly enjoyed.

 

[Napsterdad]

2 hours ago, R Sauter said:

I am guessing you went TD in order to stay off the big ships but things didn't work out so well for you? 

I went TD because it was all Shore Duty, but I also liked the idea of working on flight simulators. After A school I was stationed at NAS Corpus Christi and got to do exactly that. Loved it. But they disestablished the rate so I then transitioned to ET. While I enjoyed my work on Flight Simulators, most of my favorite experiences were on Sea duty. My second and last ship was the USS Ticonderoga, the first Aegis Cruiser.

[HappyChristian]

Welcome  aboard

[Pastor Matt]

Welcome to OB, thank you for sharing your testimony with us