[0:00] The Lord has impressed me to preach a very generic sermon today. We'll see if it hits all of us.
[0:14] 1 Corinthians 4, 1 and 2, after which Sulong will sing for us before the sermon. 1 Corinthians 4, 1 and 2.
[0:26] Let a man so count of us as of the ministers of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required in stewards that a man be found faithful.
[0:43] I have an unglamorous sermon today. Maybe it's because of this age of superheroes and glamorous actresses and rock stars.
[0:56] Just being faithful is not very glamorous, is it? But it's worth a whole lot more than all those other things put together.
[1:06] All of us know that in the Bible it says one day the Lord will say to certain ones, Well done, thou good and faithful servant.
[1:21] Enter into the joys of the Lord. And there's not a Christian worthy salt that doesn't want to hear that from the Lord at the end of the way.
[1:31] He didn't say, Well done, thou successful servant. He said, Well done, thou faithful servant.
[1:43] There are a lot of us that can't do a lot of things. Everybody can be faithful. But I was reading here and it sort of hit me.
[1:57] He didn't say it's a good thing if you're faithful. He said it's required. And the first thought that hits me is not, He's going to wring our necks if we're not.
[2:16] I don't think you ought to read the Bible with that thought. This is going to get me in trouble. Now some of it will. But the first thought that hits me is how many blessings of God do we miss because we're not faithful to Him?
[2:34] That's what we ought to think. How much are we missing and losing out on when we just take a verse like that and ignore it? It's required.
[2:47] And steward is that a man be found faithful. Steward is a person in charge of somebody else's goods. We're in charge of the Lord's work. So in that way we're all stewards.
[3:02] But faithful people don't get a lot of ink. You let a wife murder her husband or her babies and it'll be on the news for a month.
[3:13] But no one knows about the thousands of wives that are faithful to their husbands. To their families.
[3:24] Keeping the home running. They don't get any publicity. And it's same about the faithful men as well.
[3:35] Toiling day after day to make a living. Getting up and going when they don't feel like it. Working when they're tired or hurt.
[3:48] You let somebody run a car into a crowd and that's the headlines forever. The good folks don't get any publicity.
[3:58] God's going to give it to you one of these days. First shall be last and last first. With all of my heart I believe that those of us out front are going to step back.
[4:14] And those back there in the pew that never get any recognition are going to get the first recognition. May not get it on earth but you get it one of these days. I want my church to be a church that's alive.
[4:35] Nobody wants to go to a dead church. I want revival this year. I want this to be a year where we're revived and we stay revived.
[4:48] I don't think it's going to happen until everybody's faithful. I don't think God gives great blessings to churches unless he at least can count on them to be faithful.
[5:02] The main words in this text are ministers. Ministers of Christ does not mean preachers.
[5:13] The word ministers means servants. Attendance. Attendance. Serving a superior. It's what that word is and we're all ministers.
[5:23] We're all servants of God. And then the next word is stewards. Persons who manage your whole property for somebody else. We're all stewards of God's property.
[5:35] Another word is faithful. Worthy of confidence and reliable and dependable. Unswervingly loyal to duty. To the area in which we owe allegiance.
[5:49] One of the areas that I owe him allegiance to be faithful in is preaching. I owe God. God. When 11 o'clock comes on Sunday morning.
[6:03] 630 on Sunday night. Or about 630. I'm supposed to be standing here. With something from him to tell you.
[6:16] I have to be faithful to that. It's my job. One of my jobs. But whatever your job is for him. He expects you to be just that faithful.
[6:29] And let me shock you. Anchoring 18 inches of your pew. Is your job. It's your job.
[6:43] You might have other jobs. But. It's your job. Did you know that. Jesus toiled and toiled for three years. To try to get a church going. Got 120 people that were faithful.
[6:55] They didn't do much. As a church. Because they didn't have enough faithful people. We're studying in Sunday school.
[7:05] John 6. We're going to come to verse 66. Here soon. And most of his crowd. That he'd gathered up to that point. Left him. He couldn't keep people faithful.
[7:18] But after Pentecost. When that 120. Prayed for 10 days. For a powerful. Infilling of God's spirit.
[7:29] And they got that. And got revival. They tore that town up. You have filled Jerusalem.
[7:40] With your doctrine. 120 people. And then later on. They've turned the world upside down. But you know why?
[7:53] Because it says. Over and over and over. In those early days. They were all. With one accord. In. One. Place.
[8:03] One Baptist preacher said. That's the last time. A Baptist church. Ever had every member. In his place. Now maybe that's not true.
[8:15] But. We're living in a day. Folks. When everything. Distracts us. And pulls us away. And church is just. On a sideline. Somewhere. It's one of the things.
[8:26] We do. If it all works out. Well. If we ever get the mentality. That church is the very reason. I'm on this earth. And to serve God.
[8:37] Through it. And I'm going to be. A faithful part of it. And all of us get there. We're going to turn this place. Upside down. But God's not going to.
[8:48] Pour out that kind of power. Till we do. I'm sure of that. And I believe. That's why he wanted me. To talk to you about a. An unglamorous. Subject. This morning. I'm going to give you.
[9:00] Two or three points. And go to the house. All right. Does that sound like. Phil kid. That's the only thing. That'll sound like. Phil kid. Why is faithfulness. Required.
[9:11] The word is required. It's not suggested. If God requires. Something of me. And I fail him. At that. I'm going to displease him.
[9:22] And I'm going to lose. Somewhere down the line. It's going to cost me. That's the way it is. And when he comes back. And he says it over and over. I'm going to reward them.
[9:33] According to their works. Every man. Is going to get rewarded. According to what he's done for me. So we're going to lose something. If we're unfaithful. And in charge.
[9:43] And in pledge. Why then. Are we to be faithful. Number one. Because God's faithful to us. He's going to show up. When you need him.
[9:55] He always has. When he says. I will never leave thee. Nor forsake thee. He never has. He might be late getting there. Or it seems like he is.
[10:10] I've told you before. This thing is old now. And passe really. But when that poem came out. And that picture. Of those tracks. And it's called footprints.
[10:24] The first time I saw that. And read it. It really did something to my heart. Lord. Why is it that. I see two sets of footprints. You and walking beside me.
[10:35] And yet. In the hardest times. Of my life. There's only one said. Did you forsake me? And the Lord said. No my child. That was when I was carrying you.
[10:49] Man. That just tore me up. When I first read that. I still get a blessing. Out of it now. He's faithful to me. I sat there last night.
[10:59] Trying to think. How good he's been to me. I can't think of a time. That he let me down. I can think of all kinds of times.
[11:11] I let him down. One reason. Number one reason. We ought to be faithful to him. Is because he's faithful to us. He's faithful to us. Do you know that I looked.
[11:24] And quickly found 30 times. Where it says God and Jesus is faithful. Just in the New Testament. Did you know that in Revelation 19.
[11:34] 11. His name is faithful. How many human beings. Do you know that you could say. Well you could call him faithful. Now you could name him that.
[11:46] They named Jesus that. What kind of an ingrate. Would feast at his table. Day after day.
[11:57] And not ever wash the dishes. Or mop the floor. Like your husband. Yeah. Yeah.
[12:09] I guess I got. I guess I got the meddling right there. No. You remember when we raised our little girls. They always jumped up at the end of the meal.
[12:20] And got the place cleaned up. Now that was good training. And all kids. We all run all to be trained. To do their chores around the house.
[12:32] But it was also. Because. Dad and mom provided that meal. Mom cooked it. And a grateful person.
[12:42] And a grateful person. That eats from the table. Day after day. Is going to show that gratitude. And so they ought to do it.
[12:55] Lisa. It should have been done. It was right to do. Because. Those you're serving. Bless you. You see. I wish we could get that mentality.
[13:06] Toward him. God has had faithful servants. All through this Bible. And he made a point of. Point them out. Moses was faithful.
[13:16] In all God's house. Three times it said that. David is faithful. First Samuel 22. Four. Hananiah. He was a faithful man. Nehemiah 7.2.
[13:27] He feared the Lord. And was faithful. Isaiah. Jeremiah. Daniel. Dozens of others. Timothy. Was faithful in the Lord. First Corinthians 4.17. Faithful Abraham.
[13:39] That's what they called him. Was faithful Abraham. Paul called all these men. That worked with him. Faithful. Every one. At one time or another. Tychicus. Epaphras.
[13:49] Onesimus. Silas. Luke. Barnabas. Paul said. God counted me faithful. Putting me into the ministry. Jesus said. Antipas was my faithful martyr.
[14:00] I guarantee you. There are hundreds in the Bible. Who could have been called faithful. Can you be called faithful? John wrote to Gaius.
[14:11] In one of his letters. Thou doest faithfully. Whatsoever thou doest. No greater compliment. Could be made. After all of that. And all the people.
[14:21] That he's had serve him. Do you think he's going to give us. A spirit blessed. Effective church. If we're unfaithful. You've all noticed.
[14:32] How churches in general. And our church in particular. Are not quite as. Excited. And effective. As we once were.
[14:44] We've lost some faithfulness. This is a. Basic word. In Christianity. Read the seven letters.
[14:56] Jesus wrote. To seven churches. The only place. You'll find in this Bible. Where Jesus. Wrote. Letters. To a church. You read those carefully.
[15:07] And see. How he's. Honoring. Faithfulness. And challenging. When it's not there. That's what he's looking for. Well.
[15:20] That's why. We ought to be faithful. God's faithful to us. And so have other people been. Number two. Where's faithfulness required? What. What do we mean by being faithful? Where? Where? Number one. At church.
[15:32] Church. He's not. Going. This is a smart. Elec. Statement. Here. I wrote. Here. Churches.
[15:44] Cannot run. On spare time. And pocket change. You think about that. I also wrote.
[15:56] He said. I'll be there. If two or three are gathered together. But it won't offend him. If there's two or three hundred. There you go. Right? Just because he said.
[16:08] I'll be there two or three. You don't have to come. I don't know what our mentality is. But. Most of us think. Everything will go just fine.
[16:18] If I'm there. When I can be. And I'm not there. It'll go on all right. It won't go on as well. It won't have the power to have. If you're here.
[16:30] You're going to lose something. If you're not here. You lose his words. Like grounded. And settled. And on a rock. And not weary. And well doing. Many other things.
[16:40] That describe the church. Do those words describe you? Are you grounded. And settled? Another guy.
[16:51] Smart aleck. Like me. Said. If absence makes the heart. Grow funder. Most of my members. Love their church. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
[17:01] Yeah. Yeah. Terrible. One preacher said. We reward them. And buffet them. And coax them. And tantalize our church members.
[17:13] To do what they would do anyway. If they loved the Lord. See. I'm not the only smart aleck in the ministry. Now let me get pointed here.
[17:25] If there are 20 choir members. Signed up in the choir. Every time the choir assembles. There ought to be 20 seats filled. And every time the choir practices.
[17:37] There ought to be 20 seats filled. I mean every time. Because that is one of your duties to God. You ought to be there brother. There's no excuse not to be.
[17:50] If you. If you. If God knew you'd be faithful. He'd make it possible for you to be there. Look at me. Look. I am 76 years old. And I hardly ever admit it.
[18:07] You won't either when you get there. Do you know that a guy. That gets in his mid 70s. Doesn't always feel.
[18:19] Like a 25 year old. Did you know that. Did you know that. I've got a bunion on one of my feet. And I have a shoe that I wear.
[18:31] With an X cut with my pocket knife right there. And I'll never. I'll never let you know when I'm wearing those shoes. I have gotten to be an old man.
[18:45] I have seen old people wear shoes. And they've cut notches right on their bunions. To relieve the pressure. Have you seen that. I've got shoes like that.
[18:58] I don't think my wife even knew it. Because they're black shoes. And I've taken a black marker. And colored everything that shows.
[19:08] So that you can't tell it. Unless you get down and look. I mean look. We. We're not spring chickens anymore.
[19:21] We're really not. When's the last time that you came to church. And I wasn't up here. When I was supposed to be. I mean when.
[19:36] You say well. God sure has blessed you with good health. You always feel good. Oh really. You say. Oh I see. No that day when you felt bad.
[19:47] And you stayed home. I felt bad. And I came on. And I'm not bragging about me. I'm just saying. I take this thing seriously. Do you take it seriously?
[19:59] Now don't hold me to this. Ten years from now. Okay. I don't know what it's going to be like. 86. I hope I'm like my dad. At 86. He's still going strong man.
[20:10] Like a steam engine. I think I will be too. Right. Gene. Yes. She has cut down. That's my nurse there.
[20:21] One of my nurses. She has cut down though. Promising me I'll live 30 years. She quit that. For the longest time. You got 30 more years. I asked her a while back.
[20:33] Do I still have 30 years? Well. Sometimes. Sometimes you just got to do it man.
[20:45] You just got to do it because it's right to do. You got to have the mentality. I don't feel like it. But my church needs me to be faithful. I don't know how many times in these years. Here comes a visitor in.
[20:56] Boy. What are you doing here? Well. Jack Parr. He invited me. Where is he? Oh boy. He's not here today. Now I used a name from my past.
[21:10] He would always be there. So I used somebody that didn't fit. How many times? Be here. You never know when it's going to be.
[21:21] Somebody's going to come. And it's going to either hurt or help them. Because you're here. You don't know. You don't know. Your church needs you to be faithful. Jesus said.
[21:35] Why call me Lord, Lord. Do not the things which I say. It's a good question. Now I'm going to really get somebody mad. Not only be here.
[21:48] But bless God. Be here on time. Or early. I got here a little early this morning.
[22:00] There's two people sitting in this auditorium. The newlyweds over there. I don't know when they got here. But they got here early. And they're always here on time.
[22:15] I've never seen you. Mary Lynn and Jeff. Come parading down the aisle. 15 minutes after we started. Now anybody can do that.
[22:27] You know. You know. If you're always 10 minutes late. You don't know how to fix that. Start 10 minutes earlier. That's not rocket science. Is it? I think I'll tell this story again.
[22:41] I don't. It's been a long time. We had a woman in our church. In St. Louis. You could put her. Her picture. In the dictionary.
[22:52] Beside the word late. She's never been to anything on time. Never. Never. Her daughter grew up in church.
[23:04] Got married. We're having her wedding. And I said. Where's Judy? Well. She's not here yet.
[23:14] The mother of the bride. We can't start this thing. She's supposed to be seated first. The time for the wedding came.
[23:28] Where's Judy? She's not here yet. 15 minutes after the time. This little boy. With his wonderful wedding.
[23:40] Suit on. His. His marrying and burying suit. I had to trot out.
[23:50] In front of that big crowd. And say. Ladies and gentlemen. I'm sorry that the wedding has been delayed. We're waiting for the mother of the bride. Everybody. And everybody burst into laughing.
[24:05] They all knew. They. They. Didn't surprise anybody. I don't know if Judy's still alive. But I'll guarantee you.
[24:16] If she died. Her corpse was late. At the funeral. I've said. I've said many times.
[24:28] Judy. Why don't you start earlier. I try to. Pastor. I just. I think I'm going to make it. She hadn't made it yet.
[24:40] I imagine. St. Peter was standing there. Saying. Where's Judy? Now you're not that way. Are you?
[24:52] Come on. Did you know. Did you know it's really. A slap in the face to the Lord. When you just drag yourself around. Did you know it really is?
[25:06] When the fullness of time was come. God sent his son. Right on time. And the. And the. And the.
[25:16] And the angels. Didn't go to. Have to go to the shepherds. And say. Well he's not here yet. Hang on. I'll let you know. When he gets here. And you're going to be in a great tight spot.
[25:31] One of these days. You're going to say. Help me. And he's not going to say. I'll be there. But I'll be late. It's a slap in the face.
[25:45] When you can't. Get your sorry carcass. In place. Where you ought to be on time. And I'm telling you. I'm. I'm a stickler for this. And all these people. That lead singing up here.
[25:56] And get this thing started. I've told them. If I drop dead somewhere. At 10 o'clock. You announce the song. And sing the stinking song. And get started.
[26:07] There have been two or three times. When the pianist wasn't there. For some reason. And. And. Brother. Brother Greg. Was sitting here. Wondering what. Joe Greg's always here. What we're going to do. I just marched up here.
[26:18] And say. All right. Turn to such and such. We're going to sing it. Acapulco. Let's go ahead and start. We're not going to stand around. Waiting for some piano player. Doesn't have enough character.
[26:29] To be here. Thank God. That was years ago. You have no idea. Who I'm talking about. And Lisa's not the piano player. In my Sunday school.
[26:40] And the one we got now. Is always on time. Getting myself in trouble here. But I'm telling you.
[26:51] It's bad. It's bad. Today. And I don't know who you are. But today. I'm sitting here. And we're ready to start. And I'm thinking. Oh my goodness. We don't have anybody here.
[27:02] Everybody must be sick. And we went ahead and started. And those of you.
[27:13] Who are programmed. To come in. Ten minutes late. You got here. I'm just asking you. To reprogram. Start earlier.
[27:25] You can. I believe it's disrespect. To the church. And to the Lord. I just believe it is. I got this joke somewhere.
[27:36] A boy took a blonde girl. To a baseball game. She didn't know anything. About baseball. But she was late. And he couldn't get her ready. Except.
[27:48] Kept staying in front of the house. Honking a horn. She finally comes out. They drive like a maniac. To get to the game. Got there. In the seventh inning.
[28:01] Sat down in their seat. In the seventh inning. And she said. I'm so sorry. I'm late. I'm so sorry. I made this late.
[28:12] That's all right. He said. She said. What is the score? He said. It's nothing to nothing. She said. Praise God. We didn't miss a thing. Thank you. But preacher.
[28:36] I was sick. Don't get me started. You weren't that sick. I'll guarantee you. You'll get well about down here quicker. And you will stay at home.
[28:48] Now if you're late up in the hospital. Like. Like Tom Petrick is today. Fell on the ice. And broke four ribs. And. He's up there barely can't breathe.
[28:59] I'll. I'll give him a pass. Okay. But you be sure you're laying down somewhere with four broke ribs. I have learned man. I learned it so many years ago.
[29:10] Just tell the devil. I don't care what. I'm going to be at church. And you won't get the sniffles. Lisa. When you. When you're growing up. You may not remember it. I do. But so many times.
[29:21] One of you little girls would be sick as a horse on Saturday night. So many times. It never fazed us. We didn't plan for you to stay home the next day. We plan for God to heal you or something.
[29:33] And sure enough. Over and over and over. Sunday morning you get up. Feeling good. It's fine. Everything's okay. If you make that commitment. God will help you to keep it. Try it and see.
[29:47] Try it and see. Can you imagine Jesus saying. Well. I can't make it to Calvary today. I've got a headache. Come on.
[29:57] Where else now we're supposed to be good stewards and faithful at home. Faithfulness starts at home. It says in pastors and deacons requirements.
[30:08] They're required to rule their homes well. To teach their children. To have them know what chores mean. And what the rules are. Don't you think that meant in faithful to the church.
[30:20] Isn't that part of the rules? If we'd start early and train our kids and hold ourselves to the right standards. We'd have faithfulness built in.
[30:32] We have seven people in Bible college. Six of them came out of faithful homes. Is that just a coincidence? No. No it's not.
[30:46] Joshua said as for me and my house. We're going to serve the Lord. And he was a great grandfather when he said it. Well.
[30:57] At home. Where else? I'm hurrying. In the world. You're a bad testimony. You do hurt your church. You ought to be faithful out there. You ought to be the same person out there as you are here.
[31:11] Did I tell you one time when I was a pastor in Fort Smith, Arkansas. I was knocking doors one day. And I knocked the door. And I said I'm pastor of Grace Temple Baptist Church.
[31:24] And he said oh really. He said come on in. I'm looking for a church. I said well praise the Lord. Where do you work sir?
[31:35] He named a place. And I said how about that? One of our men works there. You probably know him. He said no. And I said yeah. It's John Smith.
[31:45] Whatever his name was. And he clouded up and almost rained on me. He said John Smith is a member of your church. I said yeah.
[31:56] I was all excited. He said I won't be coming to your church. I said why? And he said John Smith has got the filthiest mouth and mind of anybody at our company.
[32:15] What could I say? What's the next thing you say? Man I'm sorry. I didn't know that. But I'm going to tell him what you said.
[32:26] Yeah. Be faithful out there folks. Somebody's watching you. I don't know how many times. I'm in these towns around here where sometimes we'll go to meetings you know in other places.
[32:41] I'll be in one of those towns in some store and just minding my own business. Somebody will pick me on the shoulder. You're Brother Stark aren't you? What have I been doing?
[32:53] What have I been saying? Have I been fussing at my wife? I didn't know anybody there knew me. Somebody's going to know you. Be faithful out there in the world.
[33:05] You're supposed to be a representative of Jesus wherever you go. God blesses good faithful testimonies before the world.
[33:15] If we have a half a dozen smokers it hurts our church. If some people love the world and people know it. Your music sounds like the world and the places you go for entertainment.
[33:27] It's worldly. It hurts our church. James said don't you know that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
[33:39] I don't want to be an enemy of God. If several of us are overweight. Let me go on to the next point. If we're gluttons that's going to hurt our church.
[34:01] Doctor said to this fellow. Follow this diet. I want to see three fourths of you back here in two months. One lady said I only weigh on days when everything's gone bad.
[34:17] I figure if the day's shot already I might go away. That sounds like me. I stay as far away from those. Paula Sue's got a.
[34:28] She has got a scale in the floor of every bathroom. Everywhere I go there's a scale. I'm not going to get on it. I'm walking around the thing if she puts it in the middle of the floor.
[34:50] The doctor asked one fellow. Why are you so fat? He said doc look. You don't know but everything makes me fat. I could get fat on embalming fluid. I could too.
[35:03] Are some of you like me everything you know that you eat? Some people can eat. And never. It never shows.
[35:14] Not me and Chris. I'll tell you that for sure. One person said one time. You can be a glutton and not be overweight.
[35:26] Bless God. Now I know that Greg Borner is a glutton. Sucker is a glutton. Now I hope you enjoyed that because I won't preach on my sins anymore for six months.
[35:49] I want revival in 2017. I really do. I want this thing to pick up and I want people to get out of their car and feel some kind of a spirit. I want folks to come in that door and just be overwhelmed.
[36:03] I remember when I was not even an independent Baptist and I visited a great famous independent Baptist church. And when I walked in the door I felt something.
[36:15] I mean when I walked in the door I just felt like I ought to be quiet because God was in here. Now believe it or not we've had people to come here and tell us that they felt that here.
[36:27] I want them to feel it in 2017 every time we come. But God told me it was required in folks that they're faithful. I'm not going to bless unfaithful people like I bless faithful people.
[36:42] The reason the church blew up like it did into 100,000 members in the early days because they were all with one accord in one place. How do you get 50,000 people faithful every time you meet?
[36:56] Some of them had to be dragging a leg brother. Some of them had to be carrying a bath bag with them. You can come in unless you're in a hospital.
[37:08] Or have a contagious disease. God understands. But we let little things keep us out. Partial.
[37:19] Partial is going to be in our missions conference this year. Missionary in Australia for all these years. I sent him over there in probably the late 70s, early 80s when we were in his church.
[37:34] And he had heard me preach this stuff for years. And they got over there on the field. And he said the first day. We had our new church.
[37:44] You know, we put flyers out. First service. And we get up. What's the boy's name? David. David was sick. And Betty said, I don't want to miss, but David's sick.
[37:58] I've got to keep him home. So she kept him home. Of course, when I got home after church, he was doing fine. Until the next Sunday morning, we woke up and David's sick again.
[38:11] Throwing up. And Betty said, honey, it's the second week in our church and I'm not going to be able to go on Sunday morning. David's sick. Happened three times. And partial told me a light came on in my head.
[38:27] That's what pastor's been preaching. He said, Well, la, dee, da. And he said, Betty, next Sunday, you and David are going to church if he's in a wheelchair.
[38:47] And she said, yes, sir. Next Sunday morning, David's sick. Partial said, get his clothes on him. Tell the devil to hit the road.
[39:00] By the time we got to church, he was okay. And we've never missed another service. Now, it works. That's just one example. He'll keep you home with some kind of an illness if you're vulnerable to that.
[39:16] Tell him to hit the road. Good night. I want revival in this year. I want this church to be something again. I want exciting, moving, growing church rather than a dead church.
[39:27] Don't you? It's impressed me that on me that the starting point is getting everybody faithful. Because God requires it. And if we don't do it, he says, okay, you're losing something.
[39:39] I'm finished. Curtis Hudson, preacher that's gone to heaven now, told a story about a lady in his church down in Atlanta who was very image of faithfulness.
[39:55] She's the only one in her family that was. She had an unsaved sister that spent her time making fun of her. And she constantly, quietly, and carefully told her she loved her and witnessed to her.
[40:08] She said, didn't do any good. One day the sister had some sort of a seizure and was rushed to the hospital.
[40:22] And the doctor says, I don't know what this is, but this woman's dying. This lady called a pastor, frantic. And pastor rushed to the hospital.
[40:33] She was under an oxygen tent. Back in those days, they used oxygen tents. He said, she looked dead. The nurse said, she's almost dead, but not quite. She's barely alive.
[40:46] She can't even speak. And the pastor prayed, Lord, how can I communicate with this woman? Help me to know how. His eyes fell on her hands.
[40:59] And the thought hit him. Can you wiggle your finger? She wiggled her finger. And he said, I want you to listen very closely.
[41:13] And he gave her the gospel. And he said, your sister has feared this day. And has been on her face day and night praying for you to get saved.
[41:31] And tears came in that woman's face. He said, will you receive your sister's Jesus right now?
[41:42] If you will, wiggle your finger. And she wiggled her finger. And he taught her what to say and the prayer to pray. And that finger just kept wiggling.
[41:57] And she died with her finger wiggling. Curtis Hudson said, she's probably the only woman there to win to heaven with her finger. But the pastor said, I didn't win her.
[42:12] Said it was the faithfulness of that sister that kept that woman's soul out of hell. I mentioned Larry Parsley. His wife, Betty. We were in our church one time.
[42:24] I was a pretty new pastor then. St. Louis, been in the South all my life. And I didn't know anything about families. I didn't have anybody saved in the family. And I'd had two or three people to say, Pastor, pray for my family.
[42:36] I'm the only one saved in my family. One Sunday, I decided to ask. I said, how many of you? We had about 100 people there. And I said, how many of you? You're the only saved person in your family. And I was shocked.
[42:48] I mean, half the crowd seems like raised their hands. And Betty Parsle was one of them. And I said, I picked her out.
[42:59] I said, Betty, tell me about this. And she said, well, Larry got saved. We didn't go to church. We were married. We didn't have anything about church.
[43:10] And Jim Greenacre was a co-worker of Larry's. And he finally got him saved. He said, he got me saved. When we went to our family, they didn't have anything to do with it. They're the Catholic.
[43:20] They wouldn't talk to us. And she started weeping, standing in that church weeping. And she said, I don't know what I'm going to do if my mother goes to hell. My mother's a wonderful, sweet woman.
[43:31] And I love her. And all my sisters. The whole family's going to hell. I said, Betty, look. I'm new at this.
[43:42] I don't know much about a whole family being lost. My whole family was saved. But I know God loves them. And I know if you'll be faithful to him and keep on praying for them, God can do anything.
[43:55] And not long after that, they were called to the mission field. And they went to Australia. And Betty crying because she couldn't witness to her family anymore. And I said, Betty, you be faithful to God.
[44:09] Keep on praying. They came up here. This is many years later. I left the church while they were in Australia. We had them here. How many years ago was that? And we took them on. Five, six years.
[44:21] They were here. Betty Parcell was sitting right there. And I walked up there and said, Betty, what about your mother? Did she ever get saved? And she said, oh, pastor, yes. While I was in Australia.
[44:31] Yes, sir. She got saved. And all my family got saved. After mama did. Now, isn't that amazing? Isn't that wonderful? She did what she's supposed to do.
[44:45] God took care of the rest. If you have a lost loved one that won't get saved, how faithful are you in your trust? Hmm? You have a job.
[44:57] You faithfully do it. I'm finished. Let's bow our heads, please.