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THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE WAS PUBLISHED IN THE PATHWAY OF TRUTH, MAY 1974. THE
EDITIOR OF THIS PAPER WAS ELDER GUY HUNT.
08/23/1941 ~ 12/22/2018
Elder Devon Harris
I wish to share with you my experience along the path that the Lord allowed me to travel while He was leading me to His Church. I have been very stubborn and slow to learn. I thank the Lord for His kindness and patience toward me while He was firmly leading me to His Church.
I will not presume to speak for my wife, since who can know the heart of another except the LORD? I would say the Lord has been gracious to me by providing me with a good wife. She has followed me each time that I changed my church membership. She encouraged me many times to find a place of worship. She did not know where to go either, but she knew that we should be worshipping the Lord publicly.
I was reared in a Missionary Baptist Church from birth. As a child of twelve or younger, I knew in the back of my mind that only God could cause eternal life. I thought Grace was being preached, since the preachers talked much about being saved by grace and not of works. After I became an adult, I realized that they were not preaching Grace, although they used the word grace. They claim a person receives eternal life when he believes in Christ, thus making the act of believing a condition of eternal life. The difference between Grace and this is very subtle to the natural mind. If their claim is correct, then man is the cause of eternal life and not God. "Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made." Gen 3:1 What an Awful thing for the creature to claim preeminence over his Creator. This is not to be critical of Missionary Baptist people personally as there are many that I love. I only point to error of doctrine. I am sure that many of the Lords children are among their number, but they are not being fed a diet of pure Grace.
In the spring of '68, I was given a printed sermon explaining election. This was my first serious encounter with this doctrine. After much thought and Bible study about this doctrine, it seemed to overwhelm me with its importance by magnifying God. After this, other errors of the Missionary Baptists began to come into view. By the fall of '68, the Lord had caused me to become so dissatisfied with my church membership that I stopped attending. I visited from time to time at other churches, but could find no satisfaction.
In the fall of '70, I met an independent Baptist pastor by means of a radio sermon. He did a better job than I was used to in expounding Grace. I was impressed to visit his congregation. During my initial conversation with him, he indicated that he believed the doctrine of election. Because of this and the friendliness which the pastor expressed toward my family, we became members of this congregation. As time went on, it became obvious that the pastor did not really believe election, because he was ashamed to make it part of his messages from the pulpit. Each time that I brought up election with the pastor or the members, they became agitated. During this time, the Lord caused me to see the error of instrumental music, Sunday schools, choirs and all other organizations not authorized by scripture. The end of our membership came in May of '73. Again we found that pure Grace was not being preached.
After withdrawing, we were very discouraged and entertained the thought that the Church of the Lord as laid out in the New Testament had disappeared from this part of the earth. Due to comments made to me by other people, I rejected Primitive Baptists as the Church of the Lord. I considered visiting a Primitive Baptist Church during the summer of '73 but the thought always left me. Late in the fall of '73, I read a copy of the "Baptist Witness." From this reading, I could see that I had been a Primitive Baptist in doctrine for some time and did not know it. I began to plan a visit to a Primitive Baptist Church. I have enjoyed each worship service and am happy that the Lord has provided me a church home. I thank the Lord, that He does not move over to his childrens place, but brings his children over to his place, since His place is the place of spiritual blessings.
In closing, I am sure that you have noticed the mention of doctrine several times and doctrine is very important, but it is only important as it magnifies and glorifies CHRIST the LORD. All power and blessings are found in Him alone. May His Great Name ever be praised!
Devon Harris
I have added the following information since the original publication.
We were baptized in April 1974 by Elder I.G. Heaven, Pastor of Mt. Olive Primitive
Baptist church . The meeting house is located in Cullman Alabama.I was ordained as a minister at the same location in November 1976,with Elder Guy Hunt Delivering the Charge. I was pastor of the Tuscaloosa Primitive BaptistChurch from November 1976 until July 1977. We remained members at Mt. Olive until we moved to North Carolina during July of 1977. I served as Pastor of Angier Primitive Baptist church from February 1978 until December 2005. We have been members of Angier Primitive Baptist since our move from Alabama.
OBITUARY
08/23/1941 ~ 12/22/2018
Glenn Devon Harris, 77, passed away on Saturday at his home. He was a native of Cullman, Alabama and the son of the late Ollis Harris and Zonie Stevens Harris. Devon was a loving husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and long-time pastor of Angier Primitive Baptist Church. He was known as “Elder Devon” to many. Devon served in the Air Force and worked for IBM for 40 years.
Devon is survived by his loving wife, Julia Diana Harris; son, Steve Harris and wife, Stephanie; grandson; Steven Harris and wife, Allison; granddaughter, Christina Councill and husband, Matthew; great granddaughters; Josie Harris, Vera Councill; great grandson, Luke Harris; brothers, Prentice Harris, Larry Harris, and Rickey Harris.
Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, 12/26/2018 at 11:00 AM at Angier Primitive Baptist Church with burial to follow in the church cemetery.
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