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If I Could Talk by Keith Cook
As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and established in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. Colossians 2:6-8
Have you ever wanted to meet a hero from the past. As children we all had bigger than life heroes. Singing Cowboy Roy Rogers, Television Heroes from my childhood - Daniel Boone, Zorro, Fictional Heroes like the Hardy Boys, Sherlock Holmes, and Sports Stars like Bart Starr, and Arnold Palmer all come to my mind.
I was fortunate to have met many of my childhood heroes and read all the books about my fictional heroes and because of the rise of DVD's I have once again been able to view all the old shows of my childhood TV heroes. Ah, life has been good.
On a spiritual note there are many men and women of God who have inspired me down through the years. Through the printed page I have read their stories, dreamed about exploits for God as stunning and spiritual as theirs, and been humbled by the realization that I would not be able to live up to their legacies of faith and dedication. God has been gracious to me in that I have learned that God does not want me to be an exact copy of other men and women of God. He simply wants me to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit as He directs my steps. My walk may never be chronicled in a New York Times best seller but I pray it will be published in the Heavenly Gazette.
But I could use a pep talk from time to time from some of my spiritual heroes. I have been rereading many of the old books I read during my early years of ministry. I have also recently published a suggested reading list for men and women going into or presently in full time ministry. (Email us if you want a PDF copy of this list)
It has been fun to relive the joys and struggles of the giants in the faith. Reading these from several more years of experience is giving me a whole new and refreshing experience with their inspiring stories.
Some of the pioneers of the faith that I would like to talk with:
1. George Muller - Man of Faith and compassion for orphans. I would like to ask him about how he kept his focus on trusting God, not man, while faced with day in and day out providing the physical needs of thousands of orphans.
2. J. Hudson Taylor - Pioneer missionary to China - It would be great to chat with him about what it was like to live in the culture of the Chinese, adopting their ways and yet still not loosing his vision to win them to faith in Christ.
3. Norman Grubb - Faith teacher and deeper life writer. The last time I talked with him, before he died, he encouraged me to continue to examine the deep mysteries of faith in Christ. I would love to chat with him again about the faith life and how to trust God in these modern times. Since I can't talk with him I can reread his inspiring stories about Reese Howels, C.T. Studd, and his classic the Law of Faith
4. Bertha Smith - If Miss Bertha was on the phone wanting to talk I am sure she would remind me that I needed to have all my sins confessed up to date. How I miss talking with her about holiness and purity.
5. Charles Spurgeon - Having sat in Spurgeon's desk and chair in London inspired me as a young evangelist. It would be great to talk with him about how he prepared, memorized, and preached such awesome sermons. I have a first edition of his life and works and autobiography in my office and they inspire me every time I see them to preach the word.
6. D. L. Moody - I really need to ask him how to train young men and women to impact this generation. He never backed down from an opportunity to inspire others to trust God and enter the ministry and founded the great Moody Bible Institute. I need some insight on having a training program and school that stays true to the calling of the evangelist.
7. Billy Sunday - What I would give to talk with Billy about how he came up with all his powerful and culturally applicable illustrations. He was such a lively preacher, very theatrical, yet very practical and Biblical.
8. William Carey - The question I would ask him is what was it like to be a pioneer in missions and to stand for his vision for God when everyone thought he was running ahead of God. He was a man of action. Once God spoke to him he quickly moved out in service. His work in India inspired the modern missionary movement and led Adoniram Judson, from America, to dedicate his life to rallying the American church into spending missionaries around the world to win the lost. He also inspired me to go beyond the shores of America and trust God to do the work of the evangelist worldwide.
9. Martin Luther - The question I would ask him is very obvious to me. I would like to know when he knew it was time to not stay in his present church and move out to start a new work based on his convictions and beliefs in the inspired word of God.
10. C.S. Lewis - To this theological giant I would like to ask how did you get such an understanding of the deep intellectual questions of your day? I would also ask how did his knowledge of the truth of God's Word help him in light of his loss of his wife? Did his questioning of God ever make him feel like God was disappointed in him or did he sense that God understood and wanted his faith and doubts to all be placed at His door?
These heroes of mine have lived the life I have only dreamed of yet I am growing to understand that God is writing a great and wonderful story in my own life. Each of us has a history with Christ. It is HIS STORY in us that makes us special and that gives our story the power to inspire just like these heroes of the faith.
One day each of us can pass down a legacy of trust and faith in Christ. It may only be known by a few but God knows. Who knows how God can use even a small act of service. God inspired one Sunday School teacher (Mrs. Binkley) to train boys up in the ways of God and out of that simple call to be a faithful Sunday School teacher came an encounter with a young man named J. Wilbur Chapman. She helped him understand Biblical salvation and he came to faith in Christ. He later became a famous evangelist and preacher who later in life inspired then Baseball Star, Billy Sunday, to follow Christ in a more powerful way. He became a very popular evangelist who inspired evangelist Mordecai Ham who inspired Billy Graham. Now that is a conversation for another day. Maybe I should desire to talk with Mrs. Binkley when I get to heaven and thank her because Billy Graham has inspired me.
May God inspire you through books, teachers, the Word, sermons and by those of generations past, heroes of the Bible and by Christ himself. May this inspiration result in many coming to know Christ in His power and fullness.
Daily Prayer Focus: Pray that God will continue to open your eyes, your ears, and your heart to know and to do His will.
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Copyright (c) 2007, 2009 Keith Cook - On The Go
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