Thirty three years ago today (June 15th,
1980), in Cedar Park, Texas, I was rescued! Rescued in the truest sense of the
word! I was born again by the grace of God! And I can never get over just how
marvellous that experience was! Oh, it wasn’t really the experience as much as
the fact that the Creator of this universe, had saved ME! I knew Jesus came to
save the “world”, but 33 years ago this evening was when He actually was
allowed to save ME!
It was just at the close of the Sunday
evening church meeting at Hilltop Baptist Temple in Cedar Park, when I heard
the pastor plea with everyone to make sure their soul is truly born again. He
had preached on Unsaved Church Members and how church, baptism, good works,
positive thinking, etc, could never change anyone’s eternal destiny. Only the
perfect and finished efforts of the Son of God, in our place could actually be
enough to make up for all the wrongs of anyone! He preached from Matthew
13:24-43 about Tares and Wheat. Over and over the pastor explained how that
tares look like wheat, and feel like wheat when touched, and can easily fool
almost anyone into thinking they really are wheat… until, they grow up and they
have no fruit! They never were wheat! And they are only good for burning!
And then he pleaded for everyone to make
sure THEY were wheat – that they were really born again into the kingdom of
God! He commanded people that they had to be saved from the wrath to come. That
there was no other way out. That if a person did not get their sins forgiven in
total, they would one day perish, and spend eternity in a lake of fire, with
the devil and his angels, because that is what we rightfully deserve because of
our sinfulness!
I remember sitting in the middle of the
crowd of about 250 people and wishing I could go up and take Pastor Jack’s hand
and let him kneel with me in prayer and help me trust the Saviour to cleanse my
every sin, and be forgiven. But as the hymn “Only Trust Him” was sang, I was
torn. Torn between knowing I was not good enough to ever be in God’s presence,
and yet knowing there was a doorway, an opportunity to get forgiven. Why not
take it? If the God of heaven has made a way to be saved from my sin and its
punishment, why not take it? But I was 17 years old, and that meant that I was
more worried about what people would think of me, than what God would think.
Looking back, I can’t believe I stood there, during the singing of that Hymn
and actually held onto the back of the pew in front of me. I remember bowing my
head and thinking to myself, why is this so hard? Why is it so hard to move out
of this crowd and go up front? I remember thinking about how wonderful it must
be to know that all your sins are washed away and are forgiven and are actually
completely forgotten by God! And yet I stayed there, in the midst of that
crowd.
And then the singing ended. Silence. I was
surrounded in the midst of a crowd of people, and there was silence. And it
felt awful. Then the pastor seemed sad. He said he knew more people needed to
quit playing the game of Christianity, and get really saved! He then asked
everyone to bow their heads and pray with him as he asked God’s blessings on us
all as we headed home. When he finished praying, the crowd erupted with joy and
conversations that only Christians have at the end of a good church meeting – rejoicing
in the fact that the truth had been preached, and that hearts were melted. You
see, while I was debating and struggling with my “image”, there were several
people who actually HAD gone forward to the front of the church and knelt and
pleaded with God to forgive them and give them the gift of eternal life like
Jesus promised He would! But I had not. I stood there and watched the crowd around
me slowly melt away and move towards the doors, and my heart began to beat like
a piston! I knew I was definitely headed for hell. I had just missed my chance
to get saved. And I knew that if I got into my car, that I might not make it
safely home that night! And it was then that I saw John Cranford! I had gotten
to know John in the teen Sunday School group. He was one of the class teachers.
And I nearly ran over to him and just blurted out, “I need to talk to you”! He
asked, “What’s wrong?” I just simply responded, “I am not saved. I am still
lost!” He looked at me and then said, “Then yes, we DO need to talk! Come on
over to the house and we will get it settled.” My heart was still beating a
mile a minute, but I had some hope.
I followed him over to his house and walked
into his home and he sat us both down at his kitchen table. His wife was so
nice and fixed us some Iced Tea and brought out some muffins and I just anxiously
waited. I couldn’t wait for John to open his Bible. John waited till his
children were finished getting their snacks and headed on out of the kitchen
before he started talking with me. He asked me why I thought I was not saved. I
told him, because I am only a faker. I have blended with everyone at church
now, and I can act like everyone around me when I am at church,… but I have
never been born again.
He asked me how long I had been coming to
church. I said, about 7 weeks now. Before that I had not been to any kind of a
church in years, and I told him that up to coming to this church, going to church
to me was stupid. But THIS church was different! This church was Bible only,
and “that Book” spoke always right to my heart! He said that was the Holy
Spirit talking from the pages of the Bible, and that I need to obey whatever
the Bible said to do. I agreed.
He then started showing me Scripture after
Scripture about why I am separated from God and that my separation would result
in me being eternally separated from God in the lake of fire! He went over
basically all that I had just heard from Pastor Jack. I patiently listened, but
inside I was screaming, “GET TO THE GOOD PART!” I wanted to be saved!
He finally got to John 3:16, and Romans
10:13, and Titus 3:5, and asked me what I wanted to do. I said, “All I want to
do is get the gift that God had purchased for ME, and walk out of this house a
new person! But I don't know HOW” He asked me if I was willing to just firmly
believe what God says in His Bible. I said yes. He then said, “Then just ask
God to forgive you and make you His child!”
I bolted out of my chair and knelt on the
floor next to that kitchen table and started crying like I hadn’t since my dad
left my mom when I was 12 years old! I asked Jesus to forgive ME for all MY
sins. I asked Him to come into my heart and save me, and make me a child of
Almighty God!
When I finished, and looked up at John, he
was smiling the biggest kind of grin that only a Texan can have!
I stood and he hugged me and then called
for his wife to come in and asked me to tell her what just happened! I smiled
and told her I was now forgiven, and it felt great! Like a real, massive burden
had disappeared off my back. I was so, so excited that it had worked!
I couldn’t wait to get home and tell my
Mom! I thanked John and his wife and then drove home. It was almost midnight by
this time, but my mother was still awake, but in bed, with a book in her hand.
I knocked and then came in and then jumped on her bed and announced, “MOM! I
got saved tonight! And you need to get saved too!” She looked at me and started
crying and we hugged, and then she said “I am already born again Craig” I said,
“No way!” She said, “Yes, but I just have not been living like it.”
Oh I was so happy that night.
And you know what? I still am!
Thank you Lord for saving MY soul! Thank
you Lord, for making ME whole!
Thirty three years ago today!
