A milestone offers me the opportunity to give witness to God’s faithfulness. Fifty years ago today, I surrendered to Jesus Christ, actively received his salvation and indwelling Holy Spirit, and committed my life to serving him. This after six months of resistance following a sermon of invitation I heard in Seattle in January of 1970. The problem was pride, conceit, self-sufficiency, and fear within me, preventing me from trusting God with my life. But the pursuit was on, and finally I just gave up because God wouldn’t let it rest. I was in high school at the time, and new Christian friends came out of the woodwork to support my new faith. My appetite for reading the Bible was voracious, and I read the whole thing in six months (yeah, I ended up skipping Ezekiel because I just couldn’t get it the first time). From then on, through difficulties and triumphs, disappointments and serendipities, God has remained true to his Word, steadfast in love, and patient in correction.
I share this today because I want “young people” to know that the invitation to surrender to Jesus holds great import for your life, and that the Christian faith, which has stood the test of time historically, also is proven to be durable and strong and true enough to last your lifetime. My parents thought it was a fad and phase I was going through (and it’s true, there was a powerful surge of the Spirit in 1968-1970 that birthed a renewed charismatic movement), but this “phase” has lasted fifty years and appears to be going strong.
God has not always felt present—I have had a couple of “dark nights of the soul” during that time period—but I have only learned that God is pouring out blessing every day and some days it’s just hard to see. But that’s okay, so long as I do not lose heart or doubt God’s motives and purposes.
“The Spirit helps us in our weakness and intercedes for us…” (Rom. 8:26). “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in your weakness,” (2 Cor. 12:9). “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you” (Rom. 8:11). These are Scripture verses that make my heart sing.
God is good. What God does is good. My goal in life is to align myself to God’s will and Way in gratitude for what he has done for me.
Thinking back on significant influences, I remember an InterVarsity Christian Fellowship four-screen slide show that toured college campuses in the early 1970s, called “Lord, Lord!” — a challenge from Luke’s gospel (6:46), “Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say?” It knocked my socks off when I first saw it at Stanford, and I have remembered it ever since. You’ll hear why! I was unable to acquire the video, but here is 14 minutes of the soundtrack. The voices you hear are John Stott, Samuel Escobar, and Tom Skinner. The folk singer is Linda Rich.
Why Do You Call Me Lord, Lord?
Many thanks to Scott & Donna Wilson for retrieving this recording from the IVCF-2100 archives.
Mary Holder NaegelI —
Thanks be to Our Sovereign Lord God Almighty for you, your witness and testimony.
Over forty-seven years ago my family immigrated to the U.S. As a nine/ten year old accompanying my teenage sister together attending an evangelistic service of praise in worship during the 1970’s Jesus movement, I went forward accepting the invitation, prayed the sinner’s prayer and received the free gift of eternal life in Jesus Christ. “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23) I’ve ever since not ceased in my ongoing prayer life and devotional relationship with God to be continually in the Lord’s presence. (Coram Deo)
I, too, read the Bible over and over again reflecting upon Scripture from childhood youth, many times through the New Testament books especially. I have never been the same all throughout this blessed life with, in, through and by the Spirit. I was also involved with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship (IVCF) at Columbia. And as a young husband and father, I found myself going forward and serving as a prayer evangelism counselor and intercessor a number of times at various Billy Graham gatherings and Promise Keepers conferences and other evangelism events.
May you and I/we continue to grow in Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit for the glory of the Lord, continuing to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God. As we in faith seek the Lord’s face, gratefully in the grip of grace, I/we remain
❤ Still in One Peace ❤
Reblogged this on Rev.Espiritu.net — The Rev. Rex Espiritu's blog for Leadership and commented:
Giving Thanks to the Lord for the ministry of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship (IVCF) through the challenges of undergraduate studies in collegiate years past….