How God Used a Hillbilly Preacher

By Pastor Jack H. Jones

The Bible is proven to be the world's bestseller, and rightfully so, because God is the author.

God wants man to be happy, healthy, and in harmony with him. There is no justifiable reason why the world, and especially church members, should be living with sickness and defeat.

Over the last sixty or so years, I have seen the increase in devastating diseases and the decline in true spirituality and the trend of church leaders toward a social gospel fulfilling 2 Timothy 3:5, "Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof."

All this moved me to put forth the Bible's resolution to these shortcomings and awaken the interest of many to seek and find this full salvation that Jesus purchased for all.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Covenant Books, Inc.
• Release date: Dec 20, 2023
• ISBN: 9798888517642

Book preview

Table of Contents

Title

Copyright

Foreword

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

About the Author

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How God Used a Hillbilly Preacher

Pastor Jack H. Jones

ISBN 979-8-88851-763-5 (Paperback)

ISBN 979-8-88851-764-2 (Digital)

Copyright © 2023 Pastor Jack H. Jones

All rights reserved

First Edition

All biblical citations were taken from the King James Version of the Holy Bible.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Covenant Books

11661 Hwy 707

Murrells Inlet, SC 29576

www.covenantbooks.com

Foreword

Why I Wrote This Book

April 20, 2021

As far back as I can remember, perhaps in the fifties, I began to see a departing from the faith that God gave unto the church. This faith is not cheap. It cost the man something—no, not just something—but all he is. He must die unto himself and the world, and God must become his all and all. He must be crucified with Christ, and until he is, he will not receive this anointing.

God made this power available to the church, particularly to the preachers. This power is to be their credentials and proof that God sent them. This power also was for signs to attract the poor sinner to God's power and love.

Doctors, lawyers, engineers, and all other trades must have some proof that he is what he claims to be. You must have a license even to drive an automobile. So shouldn't the minister who holds the highest office, ambassador for Christ, have some proof that God has sent him other than his word? Anybody can talk.

This loss and denial of the power of God in the church, and especially in the preacher's life, has caused great loss in the church of Jesus Christ and to the world.

Satan, the god of this world, is taking great advantage of this power loss. Satan is raising mediums, witches, sorcerers, wizards, and the powers of darkness seducing religious leaders to believe their healings and miracles are from the true God. Satan knows that these benefits and miracles are supposed to be in the church of Jesus Christ.

So many Christians are leaving the dead formal and powerless churches. They are being seduced into the false cults because these are producing healing and answers to their prayers. For this reason, I have written the truths in this small book to counter act this unbelief of the preachers and religious leaders of today and of all times until Jesus comes.

My prayer and hope is that God will use the true stories of this book to touch some hungry honest hearted man or woman to hunger for this power of the spirit and fire, to start a mighty reformation and sweep this younger generation into the church and the kingdom of God.

This generation is lost without hope because they have not heard the true New Testament preaching with the power of the Holy Spirit. They have had their ears tickled with high-sounding rhetoric and touching stories that produce passiveness and mistaken it for the Holy Spirit.

We need a real genuine Holy Spirit revival to save this nation and this younger generation.

In conclusion, I apologize for the anonymity of this book. I know how frustrating it is to read an article or a book and can't know who has done the writing. My reason for doing so is that God gets all the glory. I know something about the human heart that some will conclude that I have written for selfish aggrandizement or for monetary reasons, not so. This will cost me to publish the book. It is all for the glory of God and for the good that may be gained to the reader. I am very near ninety years of age and may not live to see the book's publication. I am too near the end of my earthly journey to lie, to tell false stories and lose my soul in hell. Jesus said, All liars will have their part in the lake of fire; and again: If a man gain the whole world and loose his soul, what has he profited?

All these things I have written from memory. All my associate ministers have finished their course, and I am the only one left. There has been no record or notes to rely on, not even a wife. She is gone also. I have written this book to give glory to God for giving me the ability and a sound mind.

Chapter 1

Life Growing Up

My story began in a small coal-mining town named Shelton, near Beckley, West Virginia. I was born there during the Depression years on September 6, 1931. I was born to George Dewey and Myrtle Maude Woods Jones. We became a large family of twelve (six boys and six girls) of which I was the seventh child.

My father was known as a jack-of-all-trades. He could lay brick, blocks, build, and make furniture. He could also do plumbing and electric. A lot of this rubbed off on to me. Of course, his main occupation was coal mining. Times were very hard in those days. However, due to my father's many skills, we made out very well. Dad, being born on a farm in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, was a great asset. He knew how to raise food of every variety. We raised our own meat. There were hogs, chickens, rabbits, and cows for our milk and butter.

Early spring, Dad took those of us older and big enough into the woods with all kinds of containers to collect sap from the sugar maple trees. We made our own syrup from the sap of those wonderful trees. Though it was depressing times, we had food of plenty.

The Tranquility of Those Days

As a lad, the only thing that I feared was the darkness and my father. He tolerated no foolishness and no disobedience. We were given daily chores. If they were done well enough, we had Dad's blessing; and if not, we got no supper and had to do the chores even if it got dark. We went to bed hungry.

I loved those days. The spirit of patriotism filled the land. All people loved one another. Hatred and violence were not known. We lived adjacent to what was known as Colored Town (the B lack race). Our relationship was very congenital. We played games together and even had organized teams. Everyone was not Christian, but all honored God and respected the Sabbath. Because of man's honor for God, God honored the people and kept sickness and diseases at bay. There was very little sickness in those days. I can remember only one case. Hordes from other nations began flocking into America, bringing their culture, customs, and strange religions. Protest against prayer and Bible reading until they were taken out of the schools and soon our younger generation were drawn away. Disobedience and sin offended our Holy God, and he withdrew his protection. The demons came into the land with many of the people with their strange gods; now, sickness and diseases have filled our land.

There was very little leisure time. Being a large family, we were kept busy in the fields, plowing the ground. We had two large fields. They were located about half mile from the house. Things were so different and wonderful in those years.

I joined the US Army in 1949. After serving one year, I was released on what was called, at that time, dependency discharge. Because of early release, I was required to serve five years in the army reserves. I received an honorable discharge in 1954.

Adverse times had befallen the family back home. My dad had become very ill. Multiple sclerosis had ravished his being, rendering him an invalid. Dad required constant care from the family. There were no agencies for support then, not even hospice. You were on your own and the mercies of God. I must pay full esteem and honor for my wonderful mother, who devoted her all untiring time to aid and supported my dad as he lingered on in this horrid condition for about six years. My dad deceased this life in the year of 1960 at the young age of sixty-four, leaving us only memories and a few pieces of beautiful furniture that he had made.

The long illness had taken its toll on the finances that Dad was able to acquire. With most of the adult children married now (we believed in marriage then and that it is a sacred institution by God). Most of us had left home for wherever we could find work. Home gardening had ceased. No more working the fields. The keeping and milking the cows, raising the hogs and chickens ceased. The syrup gathering, canning of fruits and vegetables ceased as well. My dear mother was left alone; of course, the children that lived near kept watch over her. Oh, how she did love the Lord.

I can see her now as she walked back and forth, her hands raised and tears of joy running down her face as she praised the Lord who saved her. At the age of ninety-seven years, she left this godless earth the same way. She laid a few days quietly as though she was gone, but then one afternoon, she raised her head, her face glowed, she gave the most beautiful smile and left with her Lord, whom she loved and served. We were convinced that she saw the angel of God coming for her.

I had long left coal mining. It was some of the hardest work that I have ever done. West Virginia coal mining is most difficult because the ceiling is so low. The height runs from thirty-eight to forty-two inches, so you are forced to be on your knees all day long or night. Needless to say, the mines are very dark, a darkness that can be felt. It was very damp, and sometimes you had to work in water.

I was now married and had two children—firstborn, a girl, Brenda Carol, and then a boy, Jimmy Howard. Having more than enough of the coal-mining business, I left both it and West Virginia for Baltimore, Maryland.

My older brother Elmer, who had served in the US Navy the full duration of WWII, served a little more than four years and was discharged and returned home. Being unable to find work after a few months, Elmer left and went to Baltimore, Maryland. There he landed a good job with the American Can Company. They manufactured all kinds of metal containers for liquids, juices, fruits, and vegetables, such as those you buy at the grocery store. Jobs were easy to find in the industrial cities since the war was recently over and many had lost their lives. It left a shortage of good men to fill these positions.

Elmer, my brother, knowing that work was hard to find back home, wrote to Mother to tell her that he had secured a job for me. No time was wasted, I had a future to gain and nothing to lose. My time in the reserves had ended, and now I was honorably discharged, and we were off to Baltimore, Maryland.

We bunked in with my brother Elmer until I was job secure. My first adverse encounter was to find a place to live for my wife, children, and myself. Folks weren't too eager to rent to newcomers to town, especially if they had children, and we had two.

Finally, we found a nice three-room apartment located on a second floor. The kitchen and dining areas were nice and large. I was only about four blocks from my brother Elmer's home. Folks carpooled in those days, so I was fortunate to join with my brother and his group.

My Encounters with Death

I was like most other boys raised in a quiet town, where folks were all like family. We cared for and looked out one for another, although our next-door neighbor apparently lost her mind and went from house to house, shooting other neighbors. She had shot three people, but none of them died from the shootings. The shootings awoke one mother's son. He came to the door and saw his mother lying on the walk, and immediately, he returned to the house and came out with his dad's rifle. The shooting lady had now returned to her house and was leaning on the gate, about thirty-five or forty yards away. He, being an