It
was probably 1977 and we were in the second year of our marriage. We had decided
to plant a new congregation and were having meetings on Sunday night in the local
YMCA in Sue’s hometown of Saint John, New Brunswick. At this time only Sue and
her mom were following the Lord. Her father, George, and her two brothers,
Peter and John, had not yet yielded their lives to Him.
One
day, Sue’s mom, Chris, informed us that John (aka Johnny) had agreed to attend
the next Sunday evening service. Johnny had not been to any of our services and
was living a decadent lifestyle, frequenting bars and nightclubs. We had all been
praying for him and were encouraged that he had decided to come.
On
Sunday afternoon as I was praying over the meeting that evening, I sensed the
Holy Spirit instructing me to ask Johnny to lead the time of praise and worship
that evening. My head had an argument with my heart. “But God,” I said, “he is
not a Christian, and what will people think who know him!”
However,
the deep sense in my spirit that I was to ask him to lead the “singing” that
night would not leave me. Finally, just before it was time to depart for the
service, I said to him, “John, how about leading the singing tonight.” I was
hoping he would decline but instead he enthusiastically replied, “Yes, I will
do that.”
As we drove to the service, Sue was sitting in the front next to me and John and his
mother were sitting in the back. As I drove, I noticed Johnny making a list of
songs that he would lead us in singing,
I opened
the service that evening with prayer and then announced that John Stubbs would
lead the praise and worship. I am sure that some people there almost swallowed their
chewing gum and some no doubt wondered, “Why is Eddie allowing this character
to lead praise and worship?”
Johnny
walked to the front, laid his list of songs on the podium in front of him and
led us is in singing a familiar hymn. He then moved on to the second song on
his list. But after leading us in singing the second song, everything came to a standstill. We all
wondered what was happening as he stood still, quietly staring down at his list.
Suddenly,
he lifted his head, walked out in front of the podium and said to the
congregation, “Before we go any further, I have to do something.” He paused for
a moment and then said, “I have to turn my life over to Jesus right now.”
Our fledgling congregation erupted in praises to God and many tears flowed as we led Johnny in a prayer committing his life to Jesus. Johnny then returned to the
podium and led us in singing that third song on his list that had frozen him in
his tracks. You could feel the life and power as he led us in singing, “I’m
So Glad I’m A Part of the Family of God.”
Johnny
was a dedicated follower of Jesus for the rest of his life. Just before he
passed away unexpectedly about 30 years later, I had a very somber talk with
him over the phone. Unexpected tragedy had struck his life. Without any sense that there
was a problem, his wife of 25 years, to whom he was devoted, had just left him
for another man.
His trust
had been shaken to the core, and he was wondering whom he could trust. He said
to me, “I just made a list of my friends, and I put Jesus at the top of the
list.”
A
few days later he died unexpectedly of a broken heart—a literal heart attack
that no doubt was instigated by the emotional pain and stress. I preached his
funeral and I titled my message, “John’s Best Friend.”
I told the audience, that included his unfaithful wife, about Johnny telling me that he had made a list of his friends, I told them that I did not know if any of them was on the list or if I was on the list. “What I do know,” I said, “He put Jesus at the top of the list.”
Jesus was John’s best friend. Is He your best friend?
Drs. Eddie and Susan Hyatt have been in the ministry together for over 50 years and have authored over 40 books and study guides, available on Amazon and their websites at http://eddiehyatt.com and http://godswordtowomen.org. They have recently launched The Hyatt Institute, an online, self-serve Bible and ministry training center that brings together everything they have learned in 50 years of following the Lord. Check it out at this link. http://hyattinstitute.com.
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