The Sound of HeartCry Missionary Society

I first started listening to Paul Washer’s sermons some seven years ago upon a recommendation of a friend.  I went to HeartCry’s website and downloaded a six-sermon serious on what is the true gospel.  When I first listened to Washer, I was like many who became angry with him.  I was angry because I did not like what he said.  It was not that what he said was not true, but it was that I had not heard it before.  It was a time where I was wrestling with sovereign grace and a calling to missions, and God used those messages greatly to help me better understand and love the gospel of Jesus Christ which I treasure and long to share with others. 

It was a pleasure of mine to finally meet Paul at the True Church Conference and converse a little bit about missions, truth, church, and the glory of God.  While his messages on SermonAudio are topping the list as the most downloaded on their site, I suspect that many are not familiar with Paul Washer and even less familiar with HeartCry Missionary Society of which he is director. 

In this post, I am not going to give a personal recommendation of HeartCry though perhaps I should.  Rather, I want to simply provide their statement of faith, core convictions, and a wheelbarrow full of MP3’s (almost 100) for you to check out.  Anyone familiar with the Abstract of Principles will quickly recognize that their statement of faith is built off of it.  HeartCry emphasizes that they are not simply sending out missionaries.  Indeed they are, but they are doing more than that.  They are sending truth through missionaries, and it is the truth of God that HeartCry is passionate about.  They are a mission society that is equally passionate about theology as they are about missiology, and they weave the two together as skilled workmen of the Word and careful physicians of the soul. 

Below are the statements of faith and essential convictions, along with MP3’s and a couple of YouTube videos.  Most notorious of his messages is the one he preached a youth evangelism conference (I think in my home state of Alabama) where he was asked never to come back.  The entire video is available below.  Enjoy these messages and pass them on to others you think would benefit from them.

If you or your church is looking into partnering with a healthy, passionate, Reformed missions society, let me strongly encourage you to get in contact with the folks at HeartCry.  You can contact them by going here or find more information by going to their website. 

Statement of Faith:

THE SCRIPTURES. The Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments were given by inspiration of God, and are the only sufficient, certain and authoritative rule of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience.

GOD. There is but one God, the Maker, Preserver and Ruler of all things, having in and of Himself all perfections, and being infinite in them all; and to Him all creatures owe the highest love, reverence and obedience.

THE TRINITY. God is revealed to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, each with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being.

PROVIDENCE. God, from eternity, decrees or permits all things that come to pass, and perpetually upholds, directs, and governs all creatures and all events; yet not in any way as to be the author or approver of sin nor to destroy the free will and responsibility of intelligent creatures.

ELECTION. Election is God’s eternal choice of some persons unto everlasting life– not because of foreseen merit in them, but of his mere mercy in Christ– in consequence of which choice they are called, justified and glorified.

THE FALL OF MAN. God originally created man in His own image, and free from sin; but, through the temptation of Satan, man transgressed the command of God, and fell from his original holiness and righteousness; whereby his posterity [i.e. descendants] inherit a nature corrupt and wholly opposed to God and His law, are under condemnation, and as soon as they are capable of moral action, become actual transgressors.

THE MEDIATOR. Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, is the divinely appointed mediator between God and man. Having taken upon Himself human nature, yet without sin, He perfectly fulfilled the law, suffered and died upon the cross for the salvation of sinners. He was buried, rose again on the third day, and ascended to His Father, at whose right hand He lives forever to make intercession for His people. He is the only Mediator, the Prophet, Priest, and King of the church, and Sovereign of the Universe.

REGENERATION. Regeneration is a change of heart, wrought by the Holy Spirit, who makes alive those who are dead in trespasses and sins, enlightening their minds spiritually and savingly to understand the Word of God, and renewing their whole nature, so that they love and practice holiness. It is a work of God’s free and special grace alone.

REPENTANCE. Repentance is an evangelical grace, wherein the Holy Spirit makes a person aware of the manifold evil of his sin, so that he humbles himself with godly sorrow, detesting sin, and abhorring [i.e., hating] self, with a purpose and endeavor to walk before God so as to please Him in all things.

FAITH. Saving faith is the belief, on God’s authority, of whatsoever is revealed in His Word concerning Christ; accepting and resting upon Him alone for justification and eternal life. It is wrought in the heart by the Holy Spirit, and is accompanied by all other saving grace, and leads to a life of holiness.

JUSTIFICATION. Justification is God’s gracious and full acquittal of sinners who believe in Christ, from all sin, through the satisfaction that Christ has made. It is given not for anything wrought in them or done by them, but on account of the obedience and satisfaction of Christ, they receiving and resting on Him and His righteousness by faith.

SANCTIFICATION. Those who have been regenerated are also sanctified by God’s Word and Spirit dwelling in them. This sanctification is progressive through the supply of Divine strength, which all saints seek to obtain, pressing after a heavenly life in cordial [i.e., willing] obedience to all Christ’s commands.

PERSEVERANCE OF THE SAINTS. Those whom God has accepted in the Beloved, and sanctified by His Spirit, will never totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace, but shall certainly persevere to the end; and though they may fall, through neglect and temptation, into sin, whereby they grieve the Spirit, impair their graces and comforts, bring reproach on the Church, and temporal judgments on themselves, yet they shall be renewed again unto repentance, and be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.

THE CHURCH. The Lord Jesus is the Head of the Church, which is composed of all His true disciples, and in Him is invested supremely all power for its government. According to His commandment, Christians are to associate themselves into particular societies or churches; and to each of these churches He has given needful authority for administering the order, discipline and worship which He has appointed. The regular officers of a church are Bishops (or Elders) and Deacons.

BAPTISM. Baptism is an ordinance of the Lord Jesus, obligatory upon every believer, wherein he is immersed in water in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, as a sign of his fellowship with the death and resurrection of Christ, of remission of sins, and of his giving himself up to God, to live and walk in newness of life.

THE LORD’S SUPPER. The Lord’s Supper is an ordinance of Jesus Christ, to be administered with bread and wine, and to be observed by His churches till the end of the world. It is in no sense a sacrifice, but is designed to commemorate His death, to confirm the faith of Christians, and to be a bond, pledge, and renewal of their communion with Him, and of their church fellowship.

THE LORD’S DAY. The New Testament Church gives the example of assembling on the Lord’s Day (i.e. Sunday) for the reading and teaching of the Word of God, worship, prayer, and mutual encouragement – stimulating one another to love and good deeds. It is fitting to view the Lord’s Day as a celebration of Christ’s resurrection and the redemption of His people.

LIBERTY OF CONSCIENCE. God alone is Lord of the conscience; and He hath left it free from the doctrines and commandments of men, which are in anything contrary to His word, or not contained in it. Civil magistrates being ordained of God, subjection in all lawful things commanded by them ought to be yielded by us in the Lord, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.

THE RESURRECTION. The bodies of men after death return to dust, but their spirits return immediately to God – the righteous to rest with Him; the wicked, to be reserved under darkness to judgment. At the last day, the bodies of all the dead, both just and unjust, will be raised.

THE JUDGMENT. God has appointed a day, wherein He will judge the world by Jesus Christ, when every one shall receive according to his deeds: the wicked shall go into everlasting punishment; the righteous, into everlasting life.

Essential Convictions:

1.    Missions is an impossibility apart from the power of God. All men of every culture are born radically depraved, at enmity with God, and restraining the truth. The conversion of a man and the advancement of missions are an absolute impossibility apart from the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit in regeneration. Modern church growth strategies and many new mission methodologies often overlook this essential truth.

2.    A true Gospel must be proclaimed. The Gospel is the power of God for salvation (Romans 1:16) and the preaching of the Gospel is the great “means” and “methodology” of missions. The Gospel is, first and foremost, God in Christ reconciling the world to Himself (II Corinthians 5:19). It answers the eternal question of how a just God can rightly justify wicked men (Romans 3:26). It points to Christ alone, who bore the sins of His people upon the cross, was forsaken of God, and crushed under the full force of His just wrath against sin. The Good News of the Gospel is that through Christ’s death, the justice of God was satisfied, and salvation was won for a great multitude of people. This is evidenced by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead – “He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification” (Romans 4:25).

 3.    The Gospel transcends culture. The greatest need of all men of every culture is the clear proclamation of the Gospel. Men are saved through the Gospel and continue in sanctification through continued growth in the full counsel of God’s Word. Although differences in culture are to be considered, it is more important for the missionary to be biblically sensitive than culturally sensitive. A missionary was once asked how he preached the Gospel to a certain remote tribe. He declared, “I do not preach the Gospel to a remote tribe. I preach the Gospel to men!”

4.    Incarnational missions is essential. Although there may be some effective non-personal means of communicating the Gospel, there is no substitute for one man living among a people, teaching the Gospel to them, and living out his faith before them. God sent his own Son, and He became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:1,14; 3:16).

5.    Superficial evangelism is one of the great obstacles to missions. Non-theological preaching, entertaining skits, and Gospel films are no substitute for the biblical exposition of the Gospel. Inviting men to raise their hands and pray a prayer is no substitute for the biblical call to repentance, faith, and personal discipleship. Biblical assurance of salvation does not flow from a past decision or a prayer, but from the examination of one’s enduring lifestyle in the light of Scripture.

6.    Church Planting is the primary work of missions. There are many gifts and callings in the body of Christ, but all of them are to work together on the mission field with the primary goal of planting a biblical church. It is one thing to do mass evangelism and to boast of the numbers of decisions; it is quite another to establish a biblical church.

7.    True missions is costly. Amy Carmichael explained that missions is no more and no less than an opportunity to die. We live in a fallen world that is at enmity with God and opposes His truth; therefore, missions and suffering go hand in hand. Any advancement of the kingdom of Christ into the dominion of the devil will be met with warfare. There are many countries and people groups where martydom cannot be avoided. 

 MP3’s of Paul Washer (95):

HeartCry Mission Presentation 2006
2006 HeartCry Conference Session 1
2006 HeartCry Conference Session 3
2006 HeartCry Conference Session 8
Matthew 7:13-27 (the “shocking message” at a youth conference)
True Gospel – Man Apart from God
True Gospel – What Is the Gospel?
True Gospel – Conversion
True Gospel – Repent and Believe
True Gospel – The Narrow Way
True Gospel – Acceptance in the Beloved
Too Insense? Radical?
Assurance: Tests of True Faith
Regeneration and True Christian Unity
The Gospel: The Cross of Christ
I Am Under Obligation
Perseverance and Missions
What Is Real Christianity?
Particular Redemption and Missions
The Glory of God and Missions
The Vine and the Branches
No Greater Truth Than the Gospel Part 1
No Greater Truth Than the Gospel Part 2
The Glory of God in Marriage
The Glory of God in Ministering to the Lord
The Glory of God in Missions
The Glory of God in Moral Purity
The Glory of God in Motivation
Regeneration and Self-Denial
You Are Dearly Loved by God
The Greatest Text in the Bible
A Sermon That Has Angered Many – Examine Yourself
It Comes Down to Faith (Part One)
God Is a Rewarder to Those Who Seek Him (Part Two)
Faith Obeys (Part Three)
Childlike Faith (Part Four)
The Beatitudes – Clothed in Christ Part 1
The Beatitudes – Clothed in Christ Part 2
The Life Verses of Paul Washer
Way of the Master Interview with Paul Washer
Way of the Master August 10, 2006 Hour One
Way of the Master August 10, 2006 Hour Two
First Baptist Muscle Shoals 2004 Missions Conference 1
First Baptist Muscle Shoals 2004 Missions Conference 2
First Baptist Muscle Shoals 2004 Missions Conference 3
First Baptist Muscle Shoals 2004 Missions Conference 4
First Baptist Muscle Shoals 2004 Missions Conference 5
First Baptist Muscle Shoals 2004 Missions Conference 6
New Life Baptist Church 1
New Life Baptist Church 2
New Life Baptist Church 3
New Life Baptist Church 4
New Life Baptist Church 5
New Life Baptist Church 6
New Life Baptist Church 7
New Life Baptist Church 8
Courtship and Biblical Manhood Part 1
Courtship and Biblical Manhood Part 2
Central Baptist Church
2006 HeartCry on Prayer
Biblical Assurance 1
Biblical Assurance 2
Biblical Assurance 3
Biblical Assurance 4
Biblical Assurance 5
Clarifying True Biblical Salvation
Communion Service – A Solemn Assembly
Modern American Christianity
Obedience – The Pathway of Blessing
Offering Your Bodies
Our Ambition Is to Please Him
Peachtree Baptist Church 1
Peachtree Baptist Church 2
Peachtree Baptist Church 3
Peachtree Baptist Church 4
Peachtree Baptist Church 5
Peachtree Baptist Church 6
Pray and Not Lose Heart
Responsibility
What’s Wrong with American ‘Christianity’
What Is the Grace of the Gospel?
How Can You Have Assurance?
The Holiness of God
Practical Holiness
The Holiness of God (different)
The Joy of Giving It All Part 1
The Joy of Giving It All Part 2
The Meaning of the Cross
The Mercy and Grace of God
The Power of God
There’s Too Much Riding on Eternity
To Love the Word of God Part 1
To Love the Word of God Part 2
To Love the Word of God Part 3
To Love the Word of God Part 4

 

YouTube Video’s of Paul Washer:

Sermon Jams 1

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OY6F0pkArds]

 The “Shocking Message” (Full Length)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuabITeO4l8]

 Way of the Master Interview Part One (on TBN!)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAvEoWS1b-0]

 Way of the Master Interview Part Two

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nplD7JhJMOU]