Me with my lovely wife, Kathy:

Thursday, May 14, 2009

A Witness in a Needy Place:

Most days I read, or scan, Chuck Colson's Breakpoint commentary.
Today's http://www.informz.net/pfm/archives/archive_781649.html was about the late Jack Kemp. I confess I mostly thought of Kemp when I was slaving over my income tax forms. His proposals for simplifying the tax system always look especially good on April 14 or 15.

I knew he was a conservative who shared many values with Bible-believing Christians like me, but until I read Colson's commentary I was not aware that Kemp was a believer.

Here is part of what Colson had to say about this his friend:

The pastor, Rob Norris of Fourth Presbyterian Church, [Kemp's pastor] gave the main message, from Job 14:14: “Can a dead man live?”It was one of the clearest expositions of Scripture I’ve ever heard, powerfully presenting the Gospel—and all this being listened to by most of the power establishment of the city of Washington. Some of the commentators afterward said that there had never been such an overtly Christian memorial service in the National Cathedral.

Colson goes on to add: "Jack Kemp’s life was his witness. God used the death of one of the great public servants of our age for perhaps the most powerful witness I have seen in Washington."

I was struck by Colson's unequivocal praise of his friend's testimony, Pastor Norris's willingness to take an opportunity to present the Good-news that many preachers pass up, and by the apparent lack of such witness implied by the commentators' comments about the overtly Christian nature of the service.

  • All of us who know the Lord need to live our lives as witnesses for Christ.
  • Those of us who are privileged to stand and speak for the Lord ought to make the most of every opportunity.
  • And we need to pray for the spiritual condition of our nation.

I welcome your thoughts.

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