I could Not Do It
By Pastor G. Reckart
Copyright 2009 All Rights ReservedPastor G. Reckart
3-7-2009
I started in the Ministry in 1972. I had been a Sunday school teacher of teens, a youth service leader, started Soul Patrol on the streets of Millville, New Jersey, and preached a few times before I stepped out to evangelize. The year 1972 was a good year. It was God ordained.
I evangelized in Florida around many of the Apostolic churches then existing. A night, two nights, a week-end revival, all week revivals, along with teaching. These were the days of real Holy Ghost power. People would come screaming out of their seats to the altar. Many were filled with the Holy Ghost. We had baptisms every week, with most being brought to the water between 11pm and after midnight. We baptized in ponds, phosphate pits, lakes, and streams. The harvest was so beautiful. It was a time when holiness preaching was not all that necessary. These Churches had not yet drifted toward liberalism.
I remember one sister asking me if I was going to start a church somewhere. My heart had felt that prick and burden to do so in Plant City, Florida. So, in 1973 I rented a store front at 111 Evers Street. This was indeed destined to be a 111 Apostolic beginning. My wife made a huge 20 foot banner with the words: "Marvel Not Ye Must Be Born Again". It was suspended from the 16 foot ceiling to stop the horrible echo. It was not long till the building was full of people and the power of God moved mightily. Many miracles and healings were done by the name of Jesus. Demons were cast out. Souls were delivered. Holiness was preached.
It was here I got a revelation. The Sister who wanted to know if I was going to start a Church, well she lived in the town. But she decided not to come because I did not believe in women preachers and she was one. So she took her family elsewhere. Sad case here. In just a few years from then all her children were out of church, backslid, and she also was gone. The whole family went into the world of sin and so far as I know none of them has ever come back. I have thought about this case over the years. Here she was telling me that she had prayed to God for months that he would send a man of God to her city. And when God did that, she rejected the man God sent because his message did not agree with her. What a price she paid! How many more I have seen pay a horrible price for rejecting the Man of God.
It was at this time in the mid 70s I saw a drift among Oneness Pastors. It was toward worldliness. I saw hem-lines come up, splits appear, finger rings appeared, televison came into homes, long sleeves nearly disappeared as men and women went short sleeve. The worldliness was so evident: BUT I COULDN'T DO IT!
I was told the times were changing. That we had to modernize with the times. That we could not hold on to standards because people would not have them any more. That the strong preaching would no longer be loved and people favored well designed sermons instead. That churches that did not have dinning halls and recreation buildings would no longer be the choice of those families with children and youth. That if we did not have hobo night or fall festival at halloween time, people would go where they did and have fun. That if I continued to preach against playing golf and going to football and baseball games, I wouldn't have anyone left. And as I saw so many Oneness indeed follow these trends I would bow my knees at the altar and cry to the Lord my God: I CANNOT DO IT!
Oh it hurt over the years to see families leave and give up holiness. To see husbands get angry over giving tithes and stop coming and forbid their wife to put any money in the offerings. I cannot tell you how many times I have heard the threat: "we will run you out of town." I have often wondered: "Lord is it worth it?" Is it worth trying to continue in an area where the Church members seem to nearly all be rebellious over one thing or another? Believe me I have had to put up with a lot of male and female rascals in my life time. But when I looked at lost souls, my own soul weary and tired, I cried to the Lord my God for strength and said: "I CANNOT DO IT, I CANNOT QUIT!"
I was told how to grow a large Oneness church. Let the people do what they want. Do not preach against sin. Do not name sin. Preach sermons that excite people and make them laugh. Preach on subjects that are not controversial. Stay away from prophecy this is an area where to much division can occur. Do not name other groups from the pulpit. And do not preach holiness standards. Mind the platform brigade only and set standards for them, but do not enforce them when they are not on the platform. And the music, let a little up-beat rock n roll come in and jazz it up. But I Could not do it. I was told: Pastor Reckart if you do not allow people to have Christmas, have New Years, have Easter, have St. Patrick’s Day, have Valentines Day, have Halloween, you will kill your church. I looked all about me at Oneness pastors in organizational churches who kept taking more and more of my people. I saw them grow leaps and bounds as I struggled. And I saw right away the growth was not because of a holiness and separated church, but because of liberalism. I fell on my knees before Jesus my God. I cried unto the Lord. "Jesus, if this is what it takes to have a large church, I cannot do it."
The years have come and gone, I have seen many come and go. I have observed the flow of thousands of souls from church to church in modern Oneness religious groups. As each new generation arose I saw more and more they were not the Apostolic people I once knew in years past. I saw a new generation of people whom I knew not. I look at them boasting of their growth and their mega churches, and when I looked for saints among them I did not see any. And I asked myself is this what you want? Is this what you want to Pastor? Do you want to tear down all the walls? Do you want people who worship with their lips but their hearts are far from God? And I turned my face to the wall and cried: Lord Jesus, I cannot do it.
As I observe more and more of the old-timer Apostolic Pastors dying and going on, I see we are not duplicating ourselves. It is not because we do not have a clean and anointed message. It is not because we do not have the Truth. And it is not because we do not love others. It is because the hearts of many have waxed gross. And because iniquity is abounding, and all about us there is lawlessness in the Churches, it is a perilous time. So my eyes fell upon the missions field. And there I saw hunger. I saw a desire for a move of God and his power. I saw souls willing to follow the old paths. And I said to Jesus my God: "Lord, I can do that."
Here it is 2009 and this year many more will go back into the world from churches that bridged the gap with their worldliness. As I plan yet another revival, another effort for a move of God, to reach more souls, and to find willing hearts: I have no regrets that over the years I have said over and over many times: I Could Not Do It!
Today I look at my son, his wife, and his children: all the beauty of holiness. I look at my daughter and her husband and children, all the beauty of holiness. I look at church members who are faithful, the beauty of holiness. And yes, holiness is a fence. It is a protection that can come to the people of God no other way. I am glad when my grandchilden see me they know there is a holiness papaw that has stood the test of time all because in my heart and soul, when sin and worldiness demanded welcome in the church; I said to Jesus my God, I COULD NOT DO IT!
Pastor G. Reckart
That certain sound