Crazy Preachers
Bruce Haynes sings the song, The Preacher from the Black Lagoon. It is about a lad in Louisiana that is a huntin’, alligator fightin’, hard workin’, crawfish pie eatin’, and grape Nehi drinkin’ good old boy. He’s a man’s man, but they poke fun at him because he preaches that the Lord is comin’ soon and "every Saturday night like Jekyll and Hyde he turns into a preachin’ fool." Hence he is "known down in the bayou as the Preacher from the Back Lagoon." In the song the questions are raised, "Is he crazy? Is he right?" The evaluation is that "Someday, we’ll know the truth."
The old boy in the song is not alone in being considered crazy because he preaches the Word. Most preachers today who stick to the Word are called crazy or Funny Mentalists or some such other derogatory term. In that light, I can say that I can speak to this topic as a subject matter expert. I am eminently qualified, as many have given me an honorary D.D. (Doctor of Dementia) for the things that I believe and defend.
Acts 26:24 And as he thus spake for himself, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad. (KJV)
Indeed, I am in good company as the majority is seldom right, yet the majority has always considered the "minority" or non-politically correct preachers to be crazy. In fact, that maybe is how God separates the men from the boys. It is not easy to be a preacher at times. If you are a preacher and it is easy all the time for you then you need to check both your call and salvation. God has put His preachers in strange and not popular positions more often than not. Even their fellow "preachers", who desired the praise of men rather than God, persecuted them. I want to look at a few of the God called preachers. Yes, God called, not the Mama called and Daddy sent ones nor the ones seeking an easy career field.
One of the deacons at the church where I currently serve asked me if I wanted to be a pastor because of the prestige of the office since I was doing many of the ministries of a pastor right here. I laughed. Maybe in the 50’s and early 60’s there was some prestige to being a pastor, but for the most part that is gone unless you compromise and scratch the itching ears. I told him that it must be a sign of my insanity to see what I have seen over the past 27 years and still desire to pastor. I guess I am a glutton for punishment. Pastors are dropping out of the ministry faster and in greater numbers than ever before and I’m applying for a job. Yep, must be crazy, but let’s look at some other crazy men.
Isa 20:1-6
1 In the year that Tartan came unto Ashdod, (when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him,) and fought against Ashdod, and took it;
2 At the same time spake the LORD by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, Go and loose the sackcloth from off thy loins, and put off thy shoe from thy foot. And he did so, walking naked and barefoot.
3 And the LORD said, Like as my servant Isaiah hath walked naked and barefoot three years for a sign and wonder upon Egypt and upon Ethiopia;
4 So shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptians prisoners, and the Ethiopians captives, young and old, naked and barefoot, even with their buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt.
5 And they shall be afraid and ashamed of Ethiopia their expectation, and of Egypt their glory.
6 And the inhabitant of this isle shall say in that day, Behold, such is our expectation, whither we flee for help to be delivered from the king of Assyria: and how shall we escape? (KJV)
OK, how many of y’all are ready to jump up and be this object lesson to your people? Anyone want to be known as the Nekkid Preacher from Texas? Nope, did not think so. Some might question whether he was completely or partly naked. Well, the people were going to be like Isaiah and they were going to have their buttocks uncovered and most likely the front as well since that would have been even more shameful. Hmm, nowadays people go topless and show their butts without any shame so I reckon God would have to strip them completely to even get a slight blush out of them.
Most of us would have said, "Lord, can’t I just TELL them they will be naked and oppressed? Isn’t this a bit fanatical? People will think I am crazy. What will the boys down at the seminary or the girls in the ministerium think of me?" Not Isaiah, God spoke and Isaiah did so. Yes, he was crazy. Crazy about the Lord. Crazy about God’s Word. He was crazy in the right way! To be any other way would have been really crazy!!
Ezra 9:1-6
1 Now when these things were done, the princes came to me, saying, The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the people of the lands, doing according to their abominations, even of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites.
2 For they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sons: so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of those lands: yea, the hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass.
3 And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down astonied.
4 Then were assembled unto me every one that trembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the transgression of those that had been carried away; and I sat astonied until the evening sacrifice.
5 And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my heaviness; and having rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the LORD my God,
6 And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens. (KJV)
How many of us have been this distraught over our sins and the sins of God’s people? I dare say far too few of us!! Some might think that he was out of control and needed a Xanax. Psychiatrists would have been in line to shrink him. After all, was it really that bad to rip clothes and hairs and sit for hours in stunned devastation? So the leaders married some foreign women, what was so bad about that? Plenty was wrong as God had commanded against it and the ones who should have known better and been an example for the people were guilty and led the people astray.
God repeats in the New Testament that we are not to be married to unbelievers and yet we ignore His Word. Oh, that more preachers would hear of the sins of the people and mourn like Ezra and openly demonstrate their grief over the sins of the people! Get crazy! Drive home the horror of sin and the ruin it causes now and in the future. Let people know that sin is not a game. Ezra was crazy with grief because he was crazy about the Lord. Crazy about God’s Word. Crazy about God’s people. Crazy about obedience and crazy about sin! Preacher and people alike need to get just as crazy for the time is at hand!
Amos 7:8-17
8 And the LORD said unto me, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A plumbline. Then said the Lord, Behold, I will set a plumbline in the midst of my people Israel: I will not again pass by them any more:
9 And the high places of Isaac shall be desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste; and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.
10 Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, Amos hath conspired against thee in the midst of the house of Israel: the land is not able to bear all his words.
11 For thus Amos saith, Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel shall surely be led away captive out of their own land.
12 Also Amaziah said unto Amos, O thou seer, go, flee thee away into the land of Judah, and there eat bread, and prophesy there:
13 But prophesy not again any more at Bethel: for it is the king’s chapel, and it is the king’s court.
14 Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet’s son; but I was an herdman, and a gatherer of sycomore fruit:
15 And the LORD took me as I followed the flock, and the LORD said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel.
16 Now therefore hear thou the word of the LORD: Thou sayest, Prophesy not against Israel, and drop not thy word against the house of Isaac.
17 Therefore thus saith the LORD; Thy wife shall be an harlot in the city, and thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword, and thy land shall be divided by line; and thou shalt die in a polluted land: and Israel shall surely go into captivity forth of his land. (KJV)
Talk about a crazy preacher! While everyone else was singing, "God bless Israel land that I love" and looking at the motto, "In Golden Calves We Trust" on their money here was a Southern boy, Tekoa being in the Southern kingdom, telling everyone that God was not on their side and they were a fixin’ to get punished for their sins. Not only was he telling the people, he was telling the priests and told the King the same thing and added some definitely harsh personal assaults on the priest as well. Southern preachers are like that, yes they are! He even preached in the king’s favorite town where he worshiped his false god.
What brass!! How crazy can you get? He wasn’t even seminary trained like the priests and yet he contradicted all their smooth words that appeased the king. Not good for upward mobility to say the least unless you count going up the steps of a gallows! Telling the priest that his wife would be a common whore and his children would be slain and he would die in captivity is not listening to Andrew Carnegie! A lowly cowboy/herdman and a fruit picker totally crazy for God can confound the mighty and noble! A preacher crazy about God, His Word, His people, obedience and sin is someone too hot for the devil to handle! Lord, grant us more men like Amos!!!
Matt 3:1-12
1 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,
2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
3 For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
4 And the same John had his raiment of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.
5 Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan,
6 And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:
9 And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
10 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:
12 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. (KJV)
Now here is definitely a crazy preacher. He doesn’t dress for success. He has an odd diet and is not much for mingling in the proper social classes. I doubt he played golf. He is not even kind to the religious leaders. Worst of all, he preaches about repentance and Hell fire!!!! Doesn’t he know that you cannot attract big crowds with that kind of message? Where is his sensitivity and tact? Why he will just run off the seeker, not make him comfortable. Yep, he was crazy and yet Jesus Christ said that of men born of women there is none greater than this old John the Baptizer! Crazy about God and for God! We need more like him instead of the politicians that pass themselves off as preachers.
2 Cor 11:22-30
22 Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they Israelites? so am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I.
23 Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft.
24 Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.
25 Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;
26 In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;
27 In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.
28 Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.
29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not?
30 If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities. (KJV)
How crazy does this have to be? You come into a city and win people to Christ and then have to defend yourself as an apostle? The people liked the boys from Jerusalem for they were dressed in fine rainment and hung out with upper crust. Paul was not much to look at after all the beatings and the stoning. He had the scars to prove his apostleship. That is something we all need to remember. Christ will not look for our medals, diplomas and degrees. He will look for our scars!
Here is a man that was at the top of his game as Saul, the persecutor of Christians. If he were here today, he would have several doctorate degrees, be on TV and of course have written books. The Sanhedrin loved him and he had all the power he could want and he threw it all away and counted it to be manure! Amazing what conversion can do for you! He thought he was crazy about God, but he didn’t know what crazy was until that day on the Damascus road.
Anybody really want his ministry? Oh, he traveled to many places, but usually missed the sight seeing tour because he stayed in the local prison rather then the local Hilton. He did not have to work out, but he certainly got worked over. Anybody here this crazy for the Lord? We may get to be this crazy if the Lord tarries for we may see persecution in this country or may see some preachers kidnapped and tortured by terrorists since it is really a religious war we are in. Oh that if we do get to share in Paul’s crazy experiences that we will be able to sing in prison and glory in our infirmities like that crazy preacher did!!
We have had some other crazy preachers since God finished writing His word. Huss, Savanarola, and many, many unnamed preachers have died for the faith once delivered for the saints. There was even a fellow in the 1800’s called Crazy Lorenzo Dow. It seems that when Brother Dow was only four or five, he asked a playmate if he said his prayers every day. The playmate, obviously a good Baptist, said "No." Young Lorenzo stood up and said, "Then you are very, very wicked and I shall not play with you." Now some of ya are sayin’, "The child was demented" or "That’s a bit much isn’t it?" I reckon not.
Lorenzo grew up to be a mighty fiery preacher. Once when all but one family in a town abused him and threw him out of town, a flood came and the only house that was spared was the house of the family that treated him well. I don’t know if God sent the flood as a judgment on the town or God just spared that house during a routine flooding of the area. Either way, I suspect the folks in the town did some rethinking of their position on the Gospel, that family and Crazy Lorenzo Dow. They found out that it was them and not Lorenzo that was all wet. Lorenzo had the right idea as a child. He knew that no matter how much you want friends you must choose your friends carefully because they will affect you. Some will affect you for evil. It was better to be crazy for God than to be crazy for popularity or even friendship.
Billy Sunday was considered crazy. He would stand on pulpits, run on the backs of pews and even go into bars and pool halls to preach on top of pool tables. He was so crazy that the folks in the pool hall would listen and get converted. The folks in the stuffy churches found him embarrassing, but the bar owners hated him because he took away their business. He was crazy for God and His Word. He was crazy for souls!
One last fellow I would like to add to this list that few people know. He was my pastor, John Livaudais. He had a very prosperous ambulance business and was more than able to provide for his wife and nine children. Yes, he was fruitful as well as prosperous. He had what most men wanted and would never receive. He was highly respected in the area. He did not go to seminary because he never thought about being a preacher like his Dad. He was going to be a Christian businessman.
God left him do that for a season, but then God called him to preach. He sold the business and he doesn’t have the lifestyle he once had or could have had as his business grew. God has provided for him, but it was a crazy thing to do from most folk’s perspective. Since his family is from Louisiana maybe he is kin to the lad in the song. I have seen him cry over folks who have strayed from the Lord and cry for those who are in spiritual battle. I have seen him exhausted and yet make the hospital visit, preach the sermon, take that one more phone call. He has shared with me how he had just gotten to bed and then got a call that kept him out until early morning. It looks like he was crazy to trade what he had for the lifestyle that he now has.
Yet, I have seen him rejoice when a person comes forward to be saved or join the church. He gets excited about a baptism. He shouts, "Glory" when the Word gets a hold of His heart! He is an ’umble man replying when asked how he is doing with "Better than I deserve." He is a great preacher and student of the Word though men have not granted him degrees.
I was actually glad when he said he had not gone to Bible College. Here was a man who had to trust in God not his training and was not apt to be parroting the party line. So many men of God have been ruined by seminary turning the Word into a text book capable of being edited rather than the Word of God that is suppose to edit us. Pastor Livaudais is a crazy preacher. He is crazy about his Lord and God’s Word. He is crazy about God’s people. He is crazy about obedience and sin. I want his insanity to rub off on me as well!
1 Cor 4:9-13
9 For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men.
10 We are fools for Christ’s sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye are honourable, but we are despised.
11 Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwellingplace;
12 And labour, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it:
13 Being defamed, we intreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day. (KJV)
The apostles were crazy and made a spectacle to the world. The smartest thing they ever did was become fools for Christ’s sake. They lacked much of this world’s luxuries, but great was their reward in Heaven. Some may have thought this sermon was only for preachers. It is for all of the saints. We all need to be crazy for Jesus. Hopefully, this may have made you have a bit more compassion on your preacher. When you think he has gone crazy take your Bible and study. You may find the insanity catching and if the pastor is off base you can avoid carnal craziness by being crazy about the Lord, His Word, His people, obedience and sin. What this world needs is a few more crazy preachers and saints. Maranatha!!
