My wife Linda and I live in the heart of East Texas, in the small town of Golden. The Lord has blessed us with six children. Our oldest son is married, and the other five still live at home. We are in fellowship at Golden Bible Chapel. How thankful we are for that precious group of believers!
I was blessed to have grown up in a loving home with my parents and two sisters. As far back as I can remember, we went to a little Baptist Church where the gospel was clearly preached. I made a profession of faith when I was nine years old, but I never really had assurance of salvation.
Even at a very young age though, I had a desire to preach; so at the age of fourteen, I preached my first sermon (it was about seven minutes long). Still, I had no assurance.
A few years later I met Linda, who introduced me to the assemblies. I knew all the right words to say, and convinced the folks there that I was a believer. Linda and I married in January of 1977. I was speaking some at the little assembly, but still I didn’t have peace. One night a visiting preacher was speaking at the chapel. I can only remember one thing that he said in his sermon, “If we could look into one another’s hearts, it would scare us to death.”
At that moment, I realized that God could see what was in my heart. A few days later, I was reading 1 John 5:12, “He that hath the Son hath life, he that hath not the Son hath not life.” I told the Lord that if I hadn’t been saved as a boy, I wanted to be saved right then. Oh, what assurance I had!
Soon after that, I met Leonard Lindsted. How I thank the Lord for that dear brother, as well as other godly men who discipled me and encouraged me to study the Word. What a blessing it was when I was invited to go along with some of them to hold gospel meetings! The Lord had placed a desire in my heart to be in “full-time work,” but it was not until August of 1997 that He led us into that area of ministry. He has given us many opportunities to work with children at Vacation Bible Schools and at camps. We have also had the privilege of visiting many small assemblies. What a joy it is to meet other believers of like precious faith!
And what a joy it has been to share the gospel. But such work is the portion of every believer, not just those in “full-time work.”
The story in 2 Kings 7 gives us a beautiful illustration of sharing the gospel message.
The Promise
There was a great famine in Samaria. The Word of the Lord came through the prophet Elisha in verse 1, “Tomorrow about this time, shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel.” And in verse 16 the promise is fulfilled. The people went out and spoiled the tents of the Syrians.
God’s Word is filled with promises. There are the promises of the first coming of our Saviour, which were fulfilled at His birth. And there are the promises of His return. In 1 John 2:25, we read, “This is the promise that He hath promised us, even eternal life.” But the promise that I would like to look at is in Psalm 126:5-6, “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.” We are not seeing many souls saved because our eyes are dry. How long has it been since we shed tears for the unsaved? If we sow in tears, we will reap in joy.
Verse 6 speaks of the precious seed. The seed is the Word of God. “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” (Rom. 10:17). God promises that He will bless His Word. His promise to the one who sows is that he will rejoice, bringing his sheaves with him. What a wonderful thing it is to see someone pass from death unto life and become a new creature in Christ! May we go forth sowing that precious seed.
The Provision
The Lord made the host of the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots and horses. They left their tents and fled for their lives. When the four lepers came to the Syrian camp, they found an abundance of food, silver, and gold.
Just as God made a wonderful provision for these starving Samaritans, He has made provision for those who are starving spiritually. In John 6:35, Jesus said, “I am the bread of life; he that cometh to Me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on Me shall never thirst.” The price has been paid. “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 Jn. 1:7). Christ took our place on Calvary’s cross. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31).
The Proclamation
The lepers said one to another, “We do not well; This is a day of good tidings.” They proclaimed these tidings, so that the whole city was saved from starvation.
Luke 2:10 tells us of the “good tidings of great joy.” The birth of Christ was proclaimed by the angelic host to lowly shepherds. What a glorious message it was, “For unto you is born this day, a Saviour which is Christ the Lord.” We must proclaim the good tidings of our blessed Saviour. Let’s not put it off. “Behold today is the day of salvation.” “The Lord is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9).
What a privilege you and I have to be stewards of the grand and glorious gospel! Colossians 1:15 says that Christ is the image of the invisible God. The invisible is made visible in the person of Jesus Christ. 1 Timothy 1:17 speaks of the invisible and only wise God. No one could see Him. No one could approach Him, but 1 Timothy 3:16 says, “Great is the mystery of godliness; God was manifest in the flesh.” God became man so that He might take our place on Calvary’s cross. He has come into the world to save sinners.
We need a renewed vision of hell. We must realize that precious souls are dropping into a lost eternity. May we spread the good tidings of Jesus Christ, a gospel which is simply glorious and gloriously simple! “The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few.”
May we spread the good tidings of Jesus Christ, a gospel which is simply glorious and gloriously simple!