Something to Think About
Writer Author Jerry Lee Kay Sr.
Christian Article
:
Christianity
- Fiction No
This is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. (1 John 5:11).
Many years ago, one of my great-uncles sent for me. He was 87 and been a pastor 70 years and he was as Godly as any man I have ever known. My Uncle Roscoe was a Spirit-filled preacher of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. He built more churches that are still in operation than any living minister in the denomination of which he was ordained. He was well known and loved by many. He was known as "The Country Preacher". I went to see him shortly before he left for home to be with his Creator and Lord. He was in the hospital so I went to pray for him. When I walked into his room I asked how he was holding up, that I had come there to pray for him. He said, "Come close to me son, I need to talk with you!". When I got really close, he reached out and pulled me down to his bosom and he started praying for me! Petitioning God to let his mantle fall upon my shoulders. The ironical thing about this story is that he knew I was not an ordained minister of his faith. Even so, he asked me to preach his funeral. We spent several hours talking, however I was mostly listening, until his strength gave out and I was ask to leave so he could rest.
Funeral time came and there were several hundred people there. About a hundred were Ministers of his denomination, some of which were the hierarchy, and most were hot under their sanctimonious collars, each in his own mind were offended that they were not chosen to eulogize this precious man of God.
These fellows started quizzing me, one by one, about who I was and was I an ordained minister of their faith. My answer to all was a simple no. They then came one by one, asking if I was of this denomination or that denomination. I answered, "Yes.", to them all. One ask if I was Methodist. One ask if I was Lutheran, one-Presbyterian, Nazarene, Pentecostal, Episcopal, Catholic, you get the picture! My answer to all was yes. Dearly Beloved, I may as well poured gasoline on a raging fire, Amen!
I noticed one stood back grinning from ear to ear, an ordained minister of like doctrine. Well known, he was the pastor of a very large church in the Houston area and even has a building named after him at a large theological university of that denomination. He is my second cousin and I love him.
After about two hours of all this mess he came to me and asked me to go for a ride with him. I agreed, so we left in his brand new high dollar Buick, (with his name engraved on the dashboard). When I got in the car I thought he was going to give me the third degree because he was the one most of the family thought should be the one to preach the funeral.
He is a very polished educated man, tall and handsome, with silver hair that makes him very distinguished. Was I afraid of him? A resounding no! He sensed that, and broke the ice by saying, in a deep south accent, "Sonny Boy, is ye skeered?". We both broke out in a big laugh and he began to set me at ease. It seems as though he already knew our uncle wanted me to preach his funeral and was not offended in the least. (Boy,what a relief). He told me he had followed my ministry from the beginning from afar. He knew that I had given up my credentials from another denomination because they tried to prevent me from working with an independent group of missionaries and building a church that didn't carry their brand. He knew I had attended bible college and was a devout Christian, and no matter what happened, he was there for me. Glory to God!
He said, "I do have one question for you. What is it that you are calling yourself these days?". I gave him the same answer I will give you. "If you ask me, I am Christian. A man of many flavors. The educated folks call me eclectic."
The funeral went fine. I asked my cousin to sit on the platform with me to make closing remarks and say the final prayer. After the services most of the ministers came, apologized, said what a beautiful service it was. They all said, "We should not have been worried. We should have known if Roscoe chose you to conduct his funeral, you had to be a good man." But to this day Beloved they still only know, I am Christian.
Christ is never proved to be alive from the dead, nor to be Lord, by doctrinal statements. Your statement of faith may include the fact that you believe Jesus died and rose again, ascended to heaven and is at the right hand of the Majesty on High, but how are you going to prove your statement?.... What has God given as the evidence of that?
You may believe it. You may be willing to lay down your life for that faith. You may state it with tremendous emphasis and yet you are not thereby proving it. You will never prove anything by saying: 'I believe with all my might that this is the case!' You will never prove a thing by standing up and declaring it as something which you believe. You will never prove a thing by saying: 'I believe in all the fundamentals of the Christian faith!' and calling yourself by some name which indicates that you believe in the inspiration of the Bible. Nothing is ever proved in that way.
Reducing the whole matter to these two points - that Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead and is Lord of all - you have still to prove your statement after you have made it. If you have appealed to the fact that the Word of God says so, even then you have proved nothing.
Your proof can never be by argument, because what argument can build up argument can pull down, and what logic can construct logic can destroy.
How, then, are you going to prove this is so?.... Matthew says it best, "By their fruits, ye shall know them" again "For the tree is known, by his fruit"
By the expression and manifestation of His risen Life, that is all - but it is a mighty 'all'!
That signifies that you are the embodiment of the thing which you declare.......that besides the doctrinal statement there is the living expression.
Thus the resurrection and the lordship of Jesus are bound up with this expression which is called the 'testimony'. The testimony is not a system of truth.
It is that extra factor to the statement and presentation of truth which is the power of a Life which conquers death.
How, then, will you prove that Jesus has conquered death?......The proof of it will be a death-conquering Life.
That expresses itself in you..... Amen!
God Bless You
Jerry K
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United States
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jerryleekay@suddenlink.net
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