By Foy E. Wallace, Jr.
Number One Gospel Sermons, page 180

(A series of gospel sermons preached at Nashville Road Church of Christ in the NUMBER ONE Community between Nashville and Gallatin, Tennessee, February 5 to 26, 1967. By Foy E. Wallace, Jr. In the sermon on February, 26: The Story That Never Grows Old, brother Wallace told the following story).

An incident occurred in rural Texas years ago, the story of which I remember. The denominational preachers in a small town proposed a “union meeting” in which all of them in the town would take alternate turns to preach. There was a certain Gospel preacher in the town who had not been consulted on the arrangement. When he heard about this meeting, he called on the other preachers, requesting his turn to preach and asking to have a time assigned to him. He was informed that an agreement had been made by all that the subject of baptism would not be mentioned—they had agreed merely to “preach Christ” and say nothing about baptism. To their surprise, the Gospel preacher promptly accepted the conditions, agreeing to preach without mentioning the word baptism. A night was assigned for his sermon, and he announced in advance the subject: “What Must I Do to Be Saved?”

Knowing the convictions of the Gospel preacher, people in the area wondered how he could preach on that subject under the restriction not to mention baptism. They came from the necks of the woods and forks of the creeks all over the area to hear his sermon.

He preached with much animation and eloquence on salvation and the love of God that brought salvation to man through Jesus Christ. Reaching the point of the question, “What must I do to be saved?” he turned to Mark 16:15-16 and read the words of Christ: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and [doeth that thing I promised not to mention] shall be saved.” He then read Acts 2:38: “Repent ye, [and do that thing I promised not to mention] for the remission of sins.” And he read every verse in the New Testament on baptism, calling it “that thing I promised not to mention.”

It is a strange thing that denominational people will detour around such a plain and positive command, so simple to be understood and performed, so easy to accept and obey—and so much emphasized in the New Testament. When Philip preached Christ, he preached the kingdom of Christ, he preached the all-prevailing name of Christ, and he preached baptism into Christ:

“Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ unto them…But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women” (Acts 8:5-12).