Conversations with Fred -cont.
Part 2
Fred’s faith leads to his recent remark, “Everything that has happened to me has been for the good.”
One could easily ask, “How can terminal cancer be for the good?” Let us start by recognizing that the cancer itself is not ‘good’. However, Fred is all about furthering Christ’s kingdom. He explains the good that comes from his affliction (cancer) means there are more people in the Kingdom of Heaven. [See “What Good?” and see Romans 8:28-29]
The driving force in Fred is the question, “How can my life and my death influence others for Christ?” That is faith’s conduct in Fred’s life. He lives Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for the Jew first and also for the Greek.” Fred shares the gospel of Jesus Christ with everybody - he challenges everyone that believes to share the gospel with others. He understands the ETERNAL importance of being about ‘His Father’s Business’.
Last year in “Running Out of Time” we talked about the family reunion where Fred challenged each of us to ‘influence someone for Christ’ in the coming year. He regularly checked up on us during the year, asking for ‘progress reports’. At Christmas this year, he called each of us to account, in front of the rest of the family. He did not do that to embarrass anyone, but to encourage all of us.
The reality is, Fred embarrasses all of us. He really is not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ. Fred lives in a world where sharing the gospel is one of the single most important things one can do. A week does not pass that Fred does not share the gospel with someone. (I would say a day does not go by, but there are some days when his illness keeps him house-bound - even so, there is not a ‘Hospice’ worker that has met him that has not heard.)
His conduct is evidence of his commitment to his conviction that ‘The Good’ of reaching others for Christ is his duty, and privilege.
Fred has stated (and it is in other articles), that his life, his cancer and his death have been worth it if just one person comes to know Jesus Christ. Fred is not boastful, but I know of a few people that have made Fred’s cancer ‘worth it’ because they believe. Mom, being more pragmatic, will only say, “More than a few.” When I ask Fred if it is worth it, with a shy smile and a glint in his eye, he says, “Yes.”
Fred’s faith leads to his recent remark, “Everything that has happened to me has been for the good.”
One could easily ask, “How can terminal cancer be for the good?” Let us start by recognizing that the cancer itself is not ‘good’. However, Fred is all about furthering Christ’s kingdom. He explains the good that comes from his affliction (cancer) means there are more people in the Kingdom of Heaven. [See “What Good?” and see Romans 8:28-29]
The driving force in Fred is the question, “How can my life and my death influence others for Christ?” That is faith’s conduct in Fred’s life. He lives Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for the Jew first and also for the Greek.” Fred shares the gospel of Jesus Christ with everybody - he challenges everyone that believes to share the gospel with others. He understands the ETERNAL importance of being about ‘His Father’s Business’.
Last year in “Running Out of Time” we talked about the family reunion where Fred challenged each of us to ‘influence someone for Christ’ in the coming year. He regularly checked up on us during the year, asking for ‘progress reports’. At Christmas this year, he called each of us to account, in front of the rest of the family. He did not do that to embarrass anyone, but to encourage all of us.
The reality is, Fred embarrasses all of us. He really is not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ. Fred lives in a world where sharing the gospel is one of the single most important things one can do. A week does not pass that Fred does not share the gospel with someone. (I would say a day does not go by, but there are some days when his illness keeps him house-bound - even so, there is not a ‘Hospice’ worker that has met him that has not heard.)
His conduct is evidence of his commitment to his conviction that ‘The Good’ of reaching others for Christ is his duty, and privilege.
Fred has stated (and it is in other articles), that his life, his cancer and his death have been worth it if just one person comes to know Jesus Christ. Fred is not boastful, but I know of a few people that have made Fred’s cancer ‘worth it’ because they believe. Mom, being more pragmatic, will only say, “More than a few.” When I ask Fred if it is worth it, with a shy smile and a glint in his eye, he says, “Yes.”
Fred continued with, “The coming days are filled with hope.”
posted by Unchained Slave at 11:45 AM
1 Comments:
Hi David,
I don't think I would be embarrassed around Fred. On the contrary, I think my heart would rise to join him. My only trouble with evangelism is in breaking the ice, but after that I'm usually pretty gung-ho about it.
It sounds like Fred has been wisely preparing each of you to find your own voice for the Lord and His kingdom. Thus, as Fred's own voice begins to fall silent in the days to come it will never go out completely, like a candle that touches its flame to the wicks of several others before its wax can entirely melt. The flame endures; the vision goes on, and in this he would rejoice and we may rejoice with him.
Still I cannot help but feeling there is more. Fred is not finished yet, even if his final lessons are given through examples with fewer words. Let us pray and be attentive to them, and cherish them in the time that remains. And let us pray for him that he will have strength to portray them with excellence as the Lord intends.
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