Grace After Rock Bottom | Larry Huch

Q: Your story is such a powerful testimony. Can you share a bit about your journey from addict to pastor and how you experienced God's redeeming grace?
A: Well, as I say in my book, the story begins in Columbia, South America when I was living there and smuggling drugs into the United States.

Now, it sounds funny, but I knew that something with God was missing from my life, I just didn't know how to find it. I had read these weird books and was told that cocaine and God were connected. I know it sounds strange. One day I was doing more and more cocaine, shooting it into my vein. I was so stoned that I didn't realize that I was missing my vein. I kept doubling the amount, over and over. Finally, on the fifth time, I hit the vein and immediately realized I was overdosing. But I said these words, “God, don't let me die until I find out what happiness really is.” I thought I'd looked for happiness in every place I could, from sports to education to drugs, but I'd never found anything that could fill that void in my heart.

When I got back to the United States from Columbia, I found out that I had been selling drugs to a narcotics agent for about a year and a half. There were seven federal warrants out for my arrest. I decided to flee the St. Louis, Missouri area and ended up in Flagstaff, Arizona. That's where I say that I ran from the long arms of the law to the strong arms of the Lord and ended up being invited to church where I met Jesus.

Q: What were some of the pivotal moments where you felt God calling you out of the old life and into His purpose?
A: When I moved to Flagstaff, Arizona, I was living in kind of the “red light” district, the bar district, the drug district. I was sitting on my porch one day, with long hair and needle marks in my arms. I saw this man walking back and forth, and I thought he wanted to come over and buy drugs. He finally comes over to me and he says, “I couldn't leave until I told you Jesus is who you're looking for.”

Now you have to realize that I'm a drug addict and a drug dealer, this was the last thing I expected him to say! I thought he was coming over to buy drugs, not tell me about Jesus. I didn’t know at the time, but he had also been a drug addict.

He invited me to church, and he kept inviting me to church with him. And I kept turning him down, but finally he came over and he kept coming over to the house inviting myself and the two girls I was living with.

Finally, he invited us to a movie called The Gospel Road with Johnny Cash and Chris Christofferson. I agreed to go to the movie with him, but only if he’d leave me alone about all this “Jesus stuff.”

At the end of The Gospel Road, it shows Jesus dying on the cross. But it also shows Him dying on the cross, but this time it's in the streets of LA. Then it shows Jesus dying on the cross, and this time it's in Times Square. And somehow in that I realized that Jesus, whoever He really was, died for people on the streets like me. So that night, by a miracle of God, at the end of the movie, the pastor did an altar call and asked people to come forward. To this day I don't know how it happened, I ended up coming to the front. Nobody came to me, I don't remember getting out of my seat, but myself and one of the girls that we were living together, we were at that altar, but we were hippies, we were drug addicts and nobody, nobody came up and prayed with us. Everybody walked past us and I didn't know what to do except I knew when I saw Jesus dying on the cross There was something real about it. And so I simply said God if you're real be real to me and at that moment I felt like a million pounds lifted off of my shoulders and I just began to cry uncontrollably. At that point Ron Burrow, who became my pastor, came up and said, “Son, God really touched you didn't he?” I pushed his hand away and I said, “Well somebody did.”

I didn't trust people. I didn't trust religion; I definitely didn't feel like I belonged in a church. Even though I wouldn’t go, my friends kept going back. Finally, they talked me into going back to church. That day, there was an evangelist there by the name of John Metzler. He was all slick with the three-piece suit. I immediately didn't like him. I was a hippie and a drug addict. I had long hair, no shoes, no shirt, and poncho earrings.

At the end of the service, he called people to the front to pray for knowledge and prophecy. He laid hands on them, and I saw them slain in the Spirit. I didn't know what that was! Everybody started praising God and speaking in tongues. I thought to myself, “This is the weirdest thing I've ever seen in my life!”

However, I couldn't deny I was feeling something on the inside. Everybody's lifting their hands, they're praising God and they're worshiping. So I lift my hands just a little bit and said, “God if this is real, I need to know.” I have my eyes closed and all of a sudden, I felt somebody touch my hand. It was the evangelist, and he said, “Come here son, God wants to speak to you.” He brings me to the front and I'm thinking, what in the world! He repeats to me everything I had just told God. In shock, I thought, that's exactly what I just said…maybe that's what everybody prays. He said, “You want everything that God has don't you?” And I looked at him I said, “Yeah, if it comes from God, not you!” John just smiled and laid his hands on me.

When he put his hands on me, it felt like a bolt of lightning went through me. People say I flew like five rows of chairs in the air, and it felt like I was just floating. Suddenly, I realize that John is standing over me and everyone around me is praying, and I'm speaking in tongues. And I had no idea what tongues were. I didn't want it to stop, and I didn’t try to make it stop! I remember hearing John say, “Lord, don't let him up until he knows this is the Holy Spirit!” I didn't know what it was, and I couldn't get up.

When I was finally able to get up, and I had to literally crawl back to my chair. One of the girls with me said, “What was that?” I had no idea what had happened to me.

The next morning, instead of doing drugs, I told my friend I wasn’t doing drugs that day because I still felt high from last night and I don’t want to do anything to ruin that.

For the next five nights we went back to that church for revival. John would call me out and say things like, “You're going to preach the Gospel around the world!” And all I can think is, what is this guy talking about? I'm a drug addict, I'm this, I'm that… But thank God, man looks on the outside, but God looks on the inside.

Q: How can those who feel stuck in their mistakes or past failures begin to embrace God's grace and move forward?
A: The Word of God tells us that we're to put our hands to the plow and not look back. I love the Scripture that says, those who are forgiven much loveth much (Luke 7:47). Which means, our past doesn't disqualify us from being used by God. In many ways, it qualifies us. We who were the worst of sinners so many times appreciate and love God so much more. Like King David said, “Lord, don't remind me, don't let me forget the pit from which I was dug.” To this day, 48 years later, I still remember what it feels like to be under the grace of God, and God reaching into where I was and pulling me up. So I say to people who feel stuck in the mistakes of their past, remember, Satan is the accuser of the brethren. God is the one who comes and sets us free from the past. When we put our hand to the plow, we reap the harvest of God's joy. His blessing is in front of us, not behind us.

A: How did your personal connection to Israel transform your faith and ministry?
A: My wife Tiz and I were pastoring a large church in Portland, Oregon. We were on television, and everything was going great. But I felt like something was missing. I wasn't being totally fulfilled, and I was ready to quit. I felt that there was something else that I needed experience in my life. I thought if I left the ministry and went into business, I would experience was I was missing. During that time, some friends of mine convinced me to go with them to Israel. I didn’t want to go because I though God was done with Israel, but regardless, I went.

A great friend of mine, Joseph, a brilliant Jewish believer, was taking us to Capernaum. When you get to Capernaum, you walk straight ahead and you go to Peter's house, where Jesus healed Peter's mother-in-law. But Joseph took us to another spot. It was the remnants of an ancient synagogue. And I remember seeing on the side of the entry to the synagogue this Hebrew writing. I asked him what the Hebrew writing said. He told me it was the names of the children and grandchildren of some of the apostles. As he started to walk away, I said, “These are grandchildren of the apostles? Were they not followers of Jesus?” I couldn’t understand why they were written in a synagogue. He said, “No, of course they were.” You see, I'd been taught the false doctrine of replacement theology. Joseph said to me, “Larry, Jesus never came to start a new religion. He came to graft us into the nation and the people of Israel.” Next to being saved and next to being filled with the Holy Spirit, this was my third most important spiritual experience. I felt the hand of God come on me and He said, “I'm going to teach you to reread the whole Bible, not through the eyes of a Gentile Jesus, a Gentile Paul, a Gentile Moses, but through the eyes of a Jewish Jesus, a Jewish Paul, a Jewish Moses.”

I remember telling Tiz when we got back to Jerusalem, that we were about to embark on a journey that is going to change our lives. That was the beginning.

Q: Why do you believe it's so important for Christians to understand and honor the covenant blessings tied to Israel?
A: Some of the first things I ask people are, do you believe God is a God of covenant? Does God ever break His covenant? God made a covenant with Israel and He says it is an everlasting covenant. If you look up the word ‘covenant’ in the Greek, Hebrew, and the word covenant means forever.

And so when we realize that God has not abandoned Israel, but he's made a covenant with us, we are part of that covenant forever. If you look at Genesis 12:3, it says, “…and I will bless those who bless the nation of Israel.” I believe in all my heart that understanding God's covenant, His everlasting covenant with the Jewish people, is the key to the latter reign. It's the key to the secret of the end time power of God, the end time transfer of wealth.

When you look at history, 325 years after the death of Jesus, and the resurrection of Jesus, there was in what's now modern day Turkey, the council of Nicaea. The council got to figure out how to pull the attention of the world and Christianity away from Jerusalem and have it focus on Rome. They decided, number one, let's blame the Jews for killing Jesus. Number two, let's change the Sabbath. And number three, let's say God has canceled the covenant with Israel.

When we realize that God is a covenant keeper and he's made a covenant with Israel and we are grafted into that, this is the key to where we’re going and what we're seeing. Right now, we're beginning to see the end time signs, wonders, and miracles.

Q: Can you explain how supporting Israel is not only a biblical mandate but also a source of spiritual blessing for believers today?
A: God never broke His covenant. Paul gives us a tremendous revelation that most Christians miss in Romans. He said, we are not the root. They are the root. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob are the root. We are the wild branch that's been grafted into them. We've been grafted into them. If we're going to see the harvest of everything Jesus paid for by His blood, we have to be reconnected to the root, and that root is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. That root is Israel, and that root is the Jewish people.

Ephesians talks about the one new man tearing down the wall. This is the tabernacle of David. The reason why the tabernacle of David saw so much power, anointing, and supernatural in the songs of Psalms is because there was no middle wall in the tabernacle of David between Jews and Gentiles. That's what Ephesians is talking about. He said the wall between Jews and Gentiles will be torn down, and the two will become one new man. The key to understanding this knowing that God says He will add to our faith, our faith in Jesus, our faith in understanding Him as the Messiah. Our faith will add to our faith through knowledge, the knowledge of the Torah, and the knowledge of the wisdom of the Old Testament. So when we begin to understand these things and read the Bible through the eyes of a Jewish Jesus, revelation begins to open up. It's not the truth that sets us free. It's the truth we understand.

Q: For those unfamiliar with the concept, what does it mean to align with God's covenant promises? And how can viewers start doing this in their own lives?
A: Well, this is exactly why I know God's linked us up with Daystar. Daystar has stood with Israel. The Promised Land is the land of Israel. It's not the West Bank, it's Judea and Samaria. This is why the Israelites are called Jews. They're not called West Bankers because they are from Judea and Samaria. So when we stand and align ourselves in supporting the nation of Israel, as Daystar has done, it once again ties us into Genesis 12:3. Remember, this is not a politician or a preacher or a rabbi. This is Almighty God saying, when you bless the nation of Israel, I will bless you. When we accept Jesus, as people who believe in Jesus and are heirs to the promises of Abraham, we become grafted in. We become adopted into the covenant promises of Abraham to the world.

So one of the keys is to start rereading the Bible through the eyes of a Jewish Jesus, through a Jewish Paul, through a Jewish Moses, through a Jewish Ezekiel and Revelations. It's not the truth that sets us free. It's the truth we know. It's the truth we understand. We own it and we begin to reveal it. One of the great rabbis of the world said in the ‘90s, the Messiah is ready to come, but something has to happen first. The eyes of the Gentiles will be open and they'll begin to understand some of the mysteries and the secrets found in the Bible. That's what's happening today.

Q: Your journey shows how God can use anyone for His glory. What encouragement would you give to someone who feels unqualified or unworthy to be used by God?
A: You know, when President Trump was getting ready to run again, I did a message on King Cyrus. One of the reasons I did that is, I found out that so many Christians weren't going to vote for President Trump because he'd been divorced several times and he's had this failure or that failure. In that message I compared President Trump with King Cyrus. King Cyrus was not a Jew, obviously not a Christian. King Cyrus was a king that God said, “Don't touch him. My hand is on him. I am going to use him. He will hear my voice.” King Cyrus was used to send the Jews back to Jerusalem to free the Jews so they could build the Second Temple. I believe President Trump is being used the same way, although he is a Christian, he is being used the same way by God to rebuild the Third Temple. I want you to look at who God uses. God does not use perfect vessels. He uses yielded vessels. He uses willing vessels. You look at everybody from King David to Moses to Paul to Peter. You name anybody in the Bible. These were not perfect people. When people think they aren’t good enough to be used by God, they need to understand that God is looking for yielded vessels. He's looking for earthen vessels that He can pour His anointing and His Spirit through. I really believe that in our weakness, He is made strong. If God can use someone like me that came out of the background I did, it's so obvious it's God that we can't help but give Him all the praise and all the glory.

Q: What advice or hope would you offer to those who have loved ones who are struggling with addiction or other strongholds?
A: There's a saying on the streets that says, once a junkie, always a junkie. The world says you'll never change. The world may say you won't change, but the word of God says who the Son sets free shall be free indeed! When somebody wonders if there’s any hope that God would set any of us free, you have to understand, heroin's strong, addictions are strong, my anger problem was strong, but greater is He that's in us than he that's in the world. The key is to ask Jesus into your life, but just don't ask Him to save you, make Him the Lord of your life. He's not just my savior, he's my Lord and my savior. And just like at the wedding supper, the key is whatever He tells you to do, do it because we serve a good God.

There's no end of this journey. This is something that when I first got saved, I was taught and something that I still believe in today; no matter how old I get, I've still got a role in changing the world.

Q: In your book, you talk about the spiritual warfare you faced on your journey. What practical steps can believers take to overcome their own spiritual battles?
A: You know, the Bible says we battle not with flesh and blood, but we do battle with principalities and powers and rulers of darkness in high places. Number one, ask Jesus to come to your heart. Don’t make him just your savior, make him your Lord and your savior. Number two, be in the right church. Be in a church that preaches and teaches the Word of God. Be in a church that encourages you to grow in the things of God, not to just stay on the milk but to go towards the meat. Be in a church that gets you involved with changing the world, not just filling a seat. I would never have made it if all I was to do is come on Sunday morning and fill a seat. The church that I got saved in, we believed in touching the world. We believe that every person in the body of Christ is a body jointly fit together, that they (you) have a purpose.

In Hebrew it's called tikkun olam, repairing a broken world. My job is not just to come on Sunday morning and sing and worship God. My job is to be the light of the world, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Look for people to talk to about the goodness of God. Look for ways that we can make a difference. Look for a ways that we can change the world, repair the world. Be around the right people, be around people who want to change the world. Religion will never change your life. But being used by God will not only change your life, but it will also strengthen you to help change the world and make it a better place.

Q: What role do gratitude and faith play in maintaining hope and moving forward after a life altering transformation?
A: You know, I always remind myself and I love to teach on David, where King David said, Lord, remind me of the pit from which I was dug. You know, we help with a farm, a kibbutz on the very land that David tended Jesse sheep. There's caves there that David sat and wrote Psalms in. There's smoke that they say came from a fires during David's time. And here's David who wasn't even considered to be a leader out tending his sheep. And when he becomes king, when he becomes the most powerful man in the nation of Israel, he said, Lord, don't let me forget where I came from. And I think that's so healthy. You know, I look at God allowing me to be a pastor or God allowing me to speak for Israel or God allowing me to be on the network like Daystar. And I think God, you truly do choose the foolish to confound the wise. Cause I never forget, not in condemning way. I don't feel condemned cause my past is behind me, but I am always so grateful that God would not only forgive me and save me, but He would take my life and use it to make a difference in other people's lives.

You know, there's a teaching in Hebrew that's called modayani, which means I give you praise. And it's the thing you say before your feet hit the ground when you wake up in the morning, before you start your physical journey, you start your spiritual journey by saying, I give you praise. God, I give you praise. I give you praise that I woke up today. I give you praise for the potential of this day. And I give you praise because you have a place in your plans for me today.

You know, the Bible says, don't worry about what you're going eat, where you're going to sleep, what you're going to wear, but seek ye first the Kingdom of God. God, what is it you're doing today?

That word righteous in Hebrew is stebkah. It means look for places to do acts of kindness, look for places to do acts of charity. And I really believe the key to staying strong is the higher God raises you up to be an influence in people's lives, the kinder and more gentle a person you need to be. People need to see the higher God lifts us up in being used to build His Kingdom, the more people need to see in our lives the kindness of Christ.

Q: As we close, what is one key message From Junky to Jerusalem that you hope every reader will take to heart?
A: I think it's easy that when the devil tells you you're not worth anything, God says you are so valuable to Him. If you were the only one who would receive His son, He would still send Him to give His life for you – that's not something to take lightly. We need to understand no matter how deep a pit we may have fallen into, and the Bible says there's none righteous, no, not one. No matter how deep a pit we fall into, His love for us is deeper still.

Understand that serving God is a journey. It's exciting. It's an adventure every day. Serving God is not religion. Every day we should ask Him, "What's next?"

As I get older, people ask me all the time when I think I'll retire. In ancient Hebrew, there's no word for retire. How can you retire from being a light in a world that's so full of darkness,? It is such a privilege to be used by Christ to make a difference. I can't wait to see what tomorrow will bring.

The ancient Jewish wisdom says, the moment before you were born, your soul stands before God, and God says, here's your destiny, now go fulfill it. Our destiny is never over until we stand back in the presence of God. So what I would say to every believer is, no matter who you are, no matter where you've started, God has a life that is exceedingly, abundantly, above anything you could ever ask or think.

When I was a kid, growing up in the hood in south St. Louis, I never dreamed that I would be a pastor, that I would get to teach the Gospel, teach out the love of God around the world, that I would be standing up for Israel with presidents and prime ministers. But no matter where we start, the truth is that God has a destiny for each and every one of us that is exceedingly, abundantly above anything we could ask or think!