Men Of God Part 4

Well, like I promised on my last post, this time I'm listing some of my favorite deceased preachers.

Curtis Hutson - I'm a long time follower of Curtis Hutson. What can I say about this man of God that hasn't already been said? He was a dedicated preacher, evangelist, father, writer, and Christian. I've listened to many a sermon that he has preached over the years. I wish I could have listened to him in person but I didn't have the opportunity. He passed away in 1995. My favorite Curtis Hutson sermon is, "None of These Things Move Me."

Lester Roloff - I can remember my mother listening to Lester Roloff tapes many years ago when I was just a young boy. He was one of those preachers that told it like it was and didn't back down or apologize. He led many a lost soul to Christ during his years of ministry and helped many a poor and destitute person straighten their life out. I always enjoyed listening to his broadcasts and sermons because he always had such wonderful singing before hand. We need more men like Preacher Roloff. My favorite Lester Roloff sermon is, "The Mule Walked On."

R.G. Lee - considered one of the best orators of all time, R.G. Lee preached the Bible with authority. If you listen to his sermons you will find his very matter of fact delivery style appealing. You won't hear a lot of yelling, screaming, or beating the podium but you will hear him at times changing his voice in order to get his point across. You can find an example of this in his most famous sermon (and my favorite of his), "Payday Someday." I have probably listened to this sermon a dozen times over the past year alone. I love the part where he says, "I introduce to you Ahab, the vile human toad who squatted upon the throne of his nation—the worst of Israel's kings."  You can actually watch him preach it at THIS link.

Check out Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 of the Men Of God series.

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To have the passion of Paul

If you know me in the least then you know my favorite Bible hero (besides Jesus) is the Apostle Paul. I have very rarely preached a sermon or taught a Sunday school class without mentioning Paul in some way. Just a glance at my bookshelf will reveal over a dozen books written about this great Apostle.

Yesterday during my lunch break I was sitting outside in my Pathfinder studying the Bible. I was reading Acts chapter 20:16-38, where Paul is bidding a tearful goodbye to the church at Ephesus. I couldn't help but get a lump in my throat and a tear in my eye as I read those passages of Scripture. I could just see the scene unfold before my eyes. My, how the people loved Paul and how he loved them. There was so much passion in his words. Not only was his passion for the people apparent but his passion for the Lord Jesus Christ was dominant in the conversation. Chills ran down my spine as I read his words in verse 24: "But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God." I know all of the labor and strife was going through his mind as he testified of his love for Jesus but yet none of those things moved him.

I re-read the above Scripture last night during our family altar time and once again my eyes misted over. I can't get the thought out of my head that Paul must have had twice the amount of passion in his heart for Jesus than I do. I began to wonder if I could have withstood all of the perils that Paul did in his time? It seems that nowadays people make any excuse in the world to stop following Jesus. We wear our feelings on our sleeves just waiting for someone to hurt them. I see so many church members with a chip on their shoulder sitting there just dying for someone to knock it off. Lately I've seen several church members leave the church over getting their feelings hurt. Unlike the Apostle Paul, we let everything move us. Oh, if we only knew what it was like to really have a desire and passion to follow Jesus the way Paul did. I want that passion in my life. I am making a resolution today to push all of my selfish desires out of my heart and try to have more love for other people and for my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I'm not going to let anything move me.

Listen to a wonderful sermon by Curtis Hutson - None of these things move me.

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