This is the full version of the letter that was sent to the Pensacola News Journal by Bill Lollar. On 8-17-95 the Pensacola News Journal ran a 200-word cut down version of this letter and titled it "Not a true revival" (that was the Pensacola News Journal's title) not Bill Lollar's.
Brownsville Assembly of God ran a sizable display ad in the Pensacola News-Journal in
July of 1995 announcing what they believed was a sovereign move of God's Spirit to bring
revival to Pensacola. On July 24th the paper did a front page story entitled, "Church
experiences divine 'refreshing,'" which highlighted this meeting.
As a pastor, I have also personally prayed (as many others have surely done) that God
would visit us again as He did in the Great Awakening under the preaching of Jonathan
Edwards and other godly men. I want the real thing--the type of spiritual awakening spoken
of in the Brownsville church ad--and it did not bother me in the least that God might
begin such a work in another denomination. So...with an open mind and prayer for
discernment, I attended the service at Brownsville on a Wednesday evening several weeks
ago.
I do not believe that Pensacola is experiencing a true revival of God...maybe a revival
of Pentecostalism, based upon emotion and experience, but not a genuine movement of God's
Spirit. The awakenings of the past have always been based upon the plain preaching of the
Word of God, which produced great conviction of sin in the lives of those who sat under
such preaching. Although emotional excesses (loud crying, laughter, moaning, etc.) may
have abounded in the personal experiences of many during these revivals of the past, it
was because sinners were fearful of the wrath of a holy God and seeking salvation from
hell. The focus was not upon one's experience or even on the Holy Spirit, whom some have
referred to as the "shy person of the Trinity." His purpose is not to draw
attention to Himself, but to Christ and the work accomplished on the cross in behalf of
sinners. The name of Jesus Christ was hardly mentioned the evening I attended Brownsville
Assembly, which is very curious to me since "there is no other name given among men
whereby we must be saved."
The Brownsville meeting seemed clearly obsessed with the Charismatic
"phenomenon" referred to as being "slain in the spirit." Everything in
the service that night was preparatory to and subservient to this unusual ritual, which
one would have a difficult time defining and supporting from the Bible. The evangelist
even mocked his would-be critics, saying that he would spend a few minutes looking at
"Three Rules for Daily Living" found in Paul's letters to Timothy, so that no
one could accuse him of not basing his message on the Bible. He thought it was funny...I
was saddened at such a de-emphasis of God's Truth.
I also noticed that there was a lot of "coaching" going on prior to the
invitation. Visitors were told that they needed to have an open mind...that they might not
receive anything from the Lord on the first night...that they needed to wait patiently on
the Lord even if it meant staying until three in the morning...that they should react
without thinking about it (the evangelist called this "immediate obedience to the
Holy Spirit" and gave an object lesson to demonstrate what he meant), and that not
everyone would necessarily fall down as a sign of God's work in their life. Add to this
mixture an upbeat, loud and hard-driving rock tempo with repetitious words which went on
and on, plus the factor of physical and mental exhaustion which sets in after four or five
hours (much less night after night), plus the pent-up expectation of witnessing or
participation in the "miraculous"--it's a recipe for deception and
misrepresentation.
I would challenge the pastor and/or evangelist to put the rock band and the excellent
vocalists on hold for the next week or two, as well as eliminate the "slain in the
spirit" stuff. My guess is that the crowds will dwindle and the meeting will be
closed due to the missing "entertainment factor" which right now is drawing
curiosity-seekers better than a Garth Brooks concert. I will continue to pray that God
might send revival to our city and nation. We need to start preaching the Word of God with
boldness and, in His sovereign timing, God will send true revival. It will be unmistakably
focused on Christ and His atoning work, rather than the sensationalistic experiences.
Sincerely,
Bill Lollar, Pastor
Grace Heritage Baptist Church
Pensacola, FL