By Dr. Franklin L. Kirksey | Pastor, First Baptist Church of Spanish Fort, Alabama
On the road to Damascus we see one converted from a self-satisfied persecutor of the church named Saul to a God-glorifying preacher of the gospel named Paul.
Rev. Edward Meyrick Goulburn (1818-1897), Dean of Norwich, said, "While never sacrificing truth or principle, yet, so far as truth and principle admitted it, the apostle wore the guise and spoke in the accents of the persons whom he addressed."
Rev. Charles Haddon Spurgeon recalls, "Mr. [J.] Hudson Taylor (1832-1905), founder of the China Inland Mission, finds it helpful to dress as a Chinaman and wear a pigtail. This seems to me to be a truly wise policy. To sink myself to save others is the ideal of the apostle. Never may any whim or conventionality of ours keep a soul from considering the gospel."
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ConclusionStan Guthrie, author of many books to include Missions in the Third Millennium: 21 Key Trends for the 21st Century, senior associate editor for Christianity Today and a regular commentator on Moody Radio said, "Good news is no news at all if it's not communicated."
Larry King of CNN's "Larry King Live" found himself wading through a sea of sentiments from sympathetic viewers after heart surgery. One package stood out from the others. In fact, it contained something he prizes most of all those received. It contained a leather Bible with his name engraved on the cover with a letter that stated:
"Dear Larry, I am so glad to hear that everything went well with your surgery. I want you to know God was watching over you every minute.
"Even though I know you question that, I also know that one day it will be revealed to you. My prayer is that you will remain open and that God will touch your life as He has mine.
"Once I was a disbeliever. When I could not fill my life with basketball, I would simply substitute sex, drugs or material things to feed my internal, shell-like appearance. I was never satisfied.
"I have finally realized after 40 years that Jesus Christ is in me. He will reveal His truth to you, Larry, because He lives.
"Pete Maravich,
"'Pistol Pete'"
Larry King received this package on Jan. 3, 1988, the day before Maravich died. Pete Maravich (1947-1988) was one of the youngest players ever inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Dr. Jerry Vines said, "I don't know how some Christians can go a lifetime without realizing the Lord Jesus brought them into this world and put them where they are so they might meet lost people and bring them to faith in Him. The ambition of our lives, the passion of our lives, the whole thrust of our lives should be to win people to faith in Christ, and that ambition changes our whole attitude toward life."
May we live for the gospel's sake.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
The Biblical Illustrator, ed. Joseph S. Exell, 1 Corinthians (London: James Nisbet & Co., 1886), p. 552
Warren W. Wiersbe,
The Bible Exposition Commentary / Old Testament / Wisdom and Poetry (Colorado Springs, CO: Cook Communications, 2003), p. 416
Jerry Vines,
God Speaks Today: A Study of 1 Corinthians (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1979), p. 142
The Biblical Illustrator, ed. Joseph S. Exell, 1 Corinthians (London: James Nisbet & Co., 1886), p. 554
The Biblical Illustrator, ed. Joseph S. Exell, 1 Corinthians (London: James Nisbet & Co., 1886), p. 561
The Biblical Illustrator, ed. Joseph S. Exell, 1 Corinthians (London: James Nisbet & Co., 1886), p. 559
The Biblical Illustrator, ed. Joseph S. Exell, 1 Corinthians (London: James Nisbet & Co., 1886), p. 553
The Biblical Illustrator, ed. Joseph S. Exell, 1 Corinthians (London: James Nisbet & Co., 1886), p. 560
Stan Guthrie, "Why Evangelize the Jews?" (Carol Stream, IL:
Christianity Today, Vol. 52, No. 3, March 2008
Available from:
http://www.pistolpete23.com/a_shooting_star_called_pistol.htm Accessed: 08/25/10
Jerry Vines,
God Speaks Today: A Study of 1 Corinthians (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1979), p. 143
Dr. Franklin L. Kirksey, pastor of First Baptist Church of Spanish Fort, Ala., is author of
Sound Biblical Preaching: Giving the Bible a Voice, which is available at
Amazon.com and
WORDsearchBible.com.
© August 29, 2010 All Rights Reserved
