Brian Payne is the pastor of Lakeview Baptist Church in Auburn, AL, a dear friend, a former colleague at Boyce College, and one of the finest expositors in the Southern Baptist Convention. He just had his 5-year anniversary as pastor and his 35-year anniversary of coming to Christ. Brian was converted at a Truth concert during the song “Holy of Holies”—a song about Jesus as our High Priest from the book of Hebrews.
If you remember that era of Truth music, you will remember that song was huge. It was certainly huge in Brian’s life. Yesterday, the worship pastor at Lakeview did an extraordinary thing. He surprised Brian by bringing in former Truth member Russ Lee to sing “Holy of Holies” with the church choir–right before Brian was to preach Hebrews 9:11-12.
Russ Lee has never sung “Holy of Holies” before, and it is a difficult song to pull off. It was originally sung by Andy Chrisman. On the night Brian was converted, Jody McBrayer sang it. But Russ Lee was the singer who prayed with Brian to receive Christ at the close of the concert. So it was an extraordinary moment when Russ Lee walked out on that stage to sing with the choir. Brian was understandably overcome with emotion.
I don’t know how Brian preached after that, but he did. Watch Russ Lee and the choir perform the song in the first video and see the whole thing unfold. Then watch Brian’s masterful exposition of Hebrews 9:11-12, which is the second video.
If you live in the vicinity of Auburn, Alabama and don’t have a Bible-believing, Gospel-preaching church, you need to get to Lakeview.
