The Home Missions Director Was Afraid Of Twenty Words
The Home Missions Director Who Was Afraid Of Twenty Words!
I sat eating supper at the steakhouse with the Home Missions Director and the District Superintendent.
“Brother Ballestero, we have a total of ten Home Missions churches in our state that we want you to preach a week’s revival at, and we will pay you $700 a week. We have visitors and new converts that we don’t want to scare off. So here is a list of twenty words and phrases we don’t want you to say while preaching in these Home Missions Churches.” The Home Missions Director said while handing me a piece of paper.
I scanned down the list…
Adultery
Fornication
Homosexuality
Gay
Lesbian
Alternative lifestyle
Abortion
Pre-marital sex
Babies out of wedlock
Lust
Immoral
Jewelry
Rings
Immodest apparel
Short skirts
Men’s apparel
Hell
Damnation
Abomination
Trinity
I looked up from the list wanting to see the Superintendent’s reaction. He put his head down and cut another piece of steak. Without a smile or word, I pushed the list back to the Home Missions Director and shook my head from side to side.
The rest of the meal was finished in near silence.
That’s when this scripture came to my mind…
Isa. 30:10 Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:
Apostolic Expository Series
Christy Ballestero (My Beautiful DIL)
http://marciaballestero.com/
Pastor Anthony & Kim Ballestero, New Destiny Worship Center, Clearwater, FL (My Son)
Pastor Bryan & Christy Ballestero, Temple Of Pentecost, Raleigh, NC (My Son)
James Groce Blog – "Toward The Mark"
Kenneth Bow Blog
Kingdom Speak Podcast
Philip Harrelson – "The Barnabas Blog"
Verbal Bean Ministries
Holy Ghost Radio
The Ballestero Blog 
Wow! Thank you pastor for being steadfast! How can these so called spiritual leaders claim to be genuine PENTECOSTAL, Apostolic, Holiness minded men?
Keep preaching it straight!
Dennis Morris
July 12, 2019 at 12:36 pm
God help Us !!! Let The Preacher preach
Without fear or favor!!!!!!
Barbara Henson
July 12, 2019 at 12:42 pm
It’s been a long, long time since $700 was an acceptable offering for a week (or a weekend) of revival services. I wonder how this district has “progressed” in the meantime.
Johnny King
July 12, 2019 at 1:19 pm
Sadly, it wasn’t all that long ago. Regardless, I would have accepted the money and preached and ignored the money factor because Home Missions has a soft spot in my heart. (My parents started six churches. My wife and I started one, and three of my children have as well.) I only rejected the offer because of his attempt to control and limit the preached word. God has allowed me to preach over 1,100 revivals, so I have an idea how to reach for a sinner by now.
Martyn Ballestero
July 12, 2019 at 2:07 pm
Thank you sir for your stand and commitment to the truth of the Word of God.
Winston C Roach
July 12, 2019 at 1:45 pm
Elder, what a shame to attempt to shackle the preacher by some who are supposed to preach the same thing. Thank you for standing for the unadulterated truth.
David Sheppard
July 12, 2019 at 3:54 pm
That is near unbelievable and truly sad. Worse is it seems a pretty accurate temperature of modern pentecostalism, just as your father prophesied.
Don and Lori
July 12, 2019 at 7:50 pm
Any preacher I have in my pulpit has complete liberty to follow the Holy Ghost. That man wanted a puppet instead of a preacher. Sad.
Peter Connell
July 12, 2019 at 7:59 pm
That’s sad.
I read Jeremiah 23 right before I read this post.
unionpentecostalchurch
July 13, 2019 at 5:22 pm
Shocking! (II Timothy 4–I am thankful you are not an “itching ears” teacher or preacher! Hallelujah!
Sandra Runkle
July 13, 2019 at 11:43 pm
WE love you Elder. You’ve always helped our home missions church (6 years old) and we never told you what to not preach on! Shame on them. Don’t ever stop being Apostolic.
Kelly Holland
July 14, 2019 at 12:49 am
Bro. Ballestero I just want you to know that I am 25 years old and have had the Holy Ghost since I was five years old, I have been around the apostolic church all my life even though my parents backslid when I was 5 and never came back, I have felt the call of God to the ministry as long as I can remember, and when I heard you preach for the first time in Carrier MS, at bro Strain’s 11th anniversary service last year and since then you have been and still are my absolute favorite preacher, I have listened to every message of yours I can get my hands on and have even told my Pastor Tony Spell that you are one of my favorites, witch he agrees too! But I want you to know that I also remember a time when church wasn’t about caring about your feelings but caring about your soul! And from the heart of a young preacher living in the untoward generation I just want you to know that I will not bow and I will not bend and I will stand up for doctrine witch includes HOLINESS OR HELL I will preach against sin while loving sinners, I will preach against the world while reaching inside of it to bring out as many souls as I can, I will love a backslider while reminding them they need to get back home, I know you may look at this generation and worry but if a young man who means nothing to you, can encourage an elder, a true pillar of the faith, than let me just say, we won’t all conform, we won’t all water it down, when the day comes that I will take up the mantle and take the burden off the shoulders of great men like you and my pastor, I will never change it from the way that You all brought it to us, because there is only one Gospel, One truth, and this is it, I don’t know if you will even see this, but thank you so much Bro. Ballestero! I love and appreciate you!
Jacob McMorris
July 26, 2019 at 10:45 pm