I believe this message – Who Influenced You? – is one of the most important sermons I have ever given. To reflect back on many of the people who God has placed in our lives. I mentioned in last week's message that I now see that from birth to this present time, God has inserted just the right persons to help me stay on the right path with him. Well, guess what? He has done the same for you.
I want to welcome everyone to your 24/7 week long, online church service. Let us emphasize no one is barred from this place. As I was dwelling over last week's message, I was overcome with emotion. Thinking back about a Mom that cared enough to pray and believe that her children would someday come to know and serve God. Mom had some faults but not believing in God wasn't one of them. Remembering that traveling priest, Father Berson and his faithfulness to travel from mountainside to mountainside to give us the simple lesson of Jesus and his love for us. And then, of course, my grandparents in Virginia. They were not regular church goers themselves, but Godly by example and made sure I attended the Methodist Church down the street where Jesus was preached from the pulpit.
What memories my friends. I also talked last week about Bro. Fred Norris, my first pastor after receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. I can still hear him say “You must be borned again.” I know I am repeating much of last week's message here. Such memories when brought to light do not go away easily, and thank God for that. I received so much from these vessels of love. Because of their willingness to share God with me, I can relate to Colossians 2:6-7:
“As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.”The key words in these scriptures for this message are “As ye have been taught.” I do abound with thanksgiving to God for all those who have taught me about Jesus. I will do as the scripture says, I will walk in him, rooted and built up in him. Can you relate to this, my friends? Think of those who have taught you. How faithful is God to have placed these people to guide and lead you in your walk toward and with God, through his Son, Jesus Christ.
We are talking about Godly influences in our life, aren't we? As you ponder on the relatives, friends, preachers and others who shared the love of God with you, I will continue with my remembrances. I'll never forget Bro. Ed. Shields. He attended the Free Will Baptist Church that Bro. Fred Norris pastored. Bro. Ed gave me one of my first opportunities to preach. We would go to the Detroit Rescue Mission. He always encouraged me to preach what God put in my heart. He didn't care if it was Baptist doctrine as long as it was Bible doctrine. I was thrilled when I gave my very first altar call and many people came forth to receive Jesus. And, when I looked back at Bro. Ed, he looked even more thrilled than I. I'm not sure that was possible, but he sure looked like it.
Another person in that same church that God used to shape me was Bro. Ron Reeves. Ron drove the church bus. At my mother's urging he would call my wife and me every Saturday night to see if he could pick up our kids for Sunday School. Now please understand, at that time we were not saved and certainly not serving God. We hated this religious guy calling every week. We did not want our children going to church every Sunday. But through Bro. Ron's persistence and Mom's urgings, we usually did let them go. I remember attending Christmas programs at the church only because our kids were involved. Looking at Bro. Ron, my heart was filled with hatred. One of the ways God showed me that I was really saved upon receiving Jesus into my heart (by way of a TV preacher), was when next I saw Bro. Ron Reeves, my heart was filled with love for him. That was way back in the '70s. We have been great friends ever since. But even better than that, we are brothers in Christ. Thanks, Bro. Ron, to you and to your family for being faithful. You are a blessing to our family.
Once again, my friends, this is not just about me. Who is coming into your thoughts now? Can you see how God has been with you since birth? These stories aren't just my stories, are they? Change the names and situations, and you will see that God has done the very same for you, hasn't he? You know, as I think of these men and women who have been faithful to impart God's word into us in their own special way, the word “faithfulness” comes to mind. I know God is pleased that those he put in our pathway were faithful to carry out his mission for them.
I have often preached as believers we are ambassadors of the kingdom of God. As we talk about these servants who have influenced us in our walk toward and with God, we see they were faithful in carrying out their work as ambassadors. Let's read II Corinthians 5:20 and see if this doesn't fit in here:
“Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ as though God did beseech you by us: We pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.”Now, admittedly those exact words may not have been used. But it is clear everything these influences put in our lives were designed to reconcile us with God. Is that not so, believer? This is also true for you, nonbeliever. God wants you reconciled to him and he has and still is putting persons in your life to draw you to him.
There are many others I could mention in this message – Mike “Hippie” Hamilton, who constantly witnessed to me. Pastor Harold Hamlin and his wife Jan whose faithful walk with Christ is an inspiration to me, Bro. David Collins who taught me that being an usher was more than just seating people. His knowledge of old and new testament always amazed me. To begin to conclude this message is so difficult for me. So many people keep coming to mind, but I have to cut this off somewhere, so here goes.
After leaving the Free Will Baptist Church, God led us to another church whose slogan was “We are a charismatic teaching center, family church and world outreach,” a full gospel church. God was leading us into a deeper understanding of his Word and truth. Pastor John Bulloch, who I have referred to many times in previous messages, was our new pastor. I will never be able to repay Pastor Bulloch for all he placed in me and our family. He taught us that living for God was not just a Sunday and Wednesday night thing, but a 24/7 daily walk. We learned in depth about the gifts of God. We were taught clearly how the Word of God (The Bible) should operate daily in our lives. Pastor Bulloch taught how much God loves us and how he is a present time God. God wants us to prosper and be in good health (as our souls prosper). Church and living for God became the center of our lives. Pastor Bulloch and his wife Sis. Pat became our mentors. I often saw the frustration on Pastor Bulloch's face as he saw that oftentimes his flock didn't grasp all that God desired for them. Pastor Bulloch taught the consequences of sin and the blessings of serving God. He fed us the Word. He was available when you needed him. He sometimes allowed me to preach for him when he was traveling or preaching somewhere else.. Did God put this servant in my life as an influence? Yes, he did and I am thankful for that.
All right, ladies and gentlemen. Do you get the picture? God loves you so much that to be sure you can find your way to him, he places people in your lives from birth to right now. My prayer is that someday in the future, someone will think of who influenced them toward God, and that someone would be me. Do you pray the same thing for yourself? My guess is that you do.
God Bless You,
Bro. Bob
Bro. Bob
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