Will you pray with me? Father, I come before you now and I ask God that you move in this place

like only you can and that despite the messenger that your message will be abundantly clear,

that God your word will be heard and that the power and the truth of your word will accomplish

the purpose for which it's been sent.

In Christ's name.

Amen.

I'd like to start by thanking Dr. Patterson for inviting me here.

It is a true honor to be here.

We met for the very first time in person at the SBC convention last year after I spoke

at the Connect 316 conference. I was invited to speak apparently because I'm a recovering five-point

Calvinist. And I want to actually, on that note, speak today about a truth that led me away from Calvinism. Before I dive into this,

however, I am not so naive as to think there are not some Calvinists even in this very room.

And I want to just say a side note to you first. I love you. I really do. I've got family members,

my best friend is Calvinistic. I was Calvinist for over a

decade of my life. And so I am not an anti-Calvinist. I really am not. I disagree. I think I probably

feel about you, hopefully what you feel about me, that you're a well-intending brother, that loves the

Lord, and that just simply disagrees about a couple of passages in particular

and how we interpret those things we agree on most everything else we work together in evangelism

we stand arm and arm to reach the world with the gospel of jesus christ and and it's with that

spirit that i approach this topic in love for my brothers and

sisters. I remember waking up to my alarm clock and as a college student as a five-point Calvinist

at the time, and Adrian Rogers was on. And I remember listening to him first thing in the morning,

...