I had a chance to do something that a lot of preachers my age never get to do today. I got to watch a man preach who spoke the words that were instrumental in getting me to Christ. It was after a Billy Graham crusade in 1971 that I gave my heart to God. It was a crusade that was surrounded by protests from a self proclaimed “hippie” culture and it was a crusade where Rev. Graham preached amongst boos from those protesters. When the protesters that night tried to take a small gathering to the stage, a group of “Jesus people” linked arms and caused the protesters to disseminate as their chant of “JESUS” caused the protesters to be overwhelmed and very powerless. They just sort of “disappeared” back into shadows.
“At a Chicago Graham crusade in the summer of 1971, Jesus People surrounded disruptive demonstrators, praying for them, and chanting the name of Jesus to drown out their blasphemies. Later in the crusade a young suburban Chicago discipleship-group leader, Ron Rendelman, passed along the message: “Tell Billy Graham the Jesus People love him.” – Christ Armstrong; Christianity Today
It was a violent time in America – under that 60’s banner of “peace” was tremendous hatred and violence in a generational war that this country had never seen before. I believe many young men and women were called from the midst of that conflict to become soldiers of the cross. I was one of them.
It was June 9 – 1971. My family and I took a church bus from Milwaukee to Chicago to attend the crusade. Looking back now, it was a defining point in my life. I had gone on from there to teach vacation Bible School to elementary kids during the summers and we went to Elmbrook Church where Stuart and Jill Briscoe were just taking over what would eventually be one of Milwaukee’s first mega-churches.
June 9th. Four years later – just four short years later… and to the day… I was having surgery to repair a broken neck which had almost and certainly should have taken my life. It is amazing what time can do – with it we can grow in Christ or we can travel away from Him – but He always has a way of bringing us back to the exact place in time where we first started.
I heard Billy Graham preach a fiery message this morning about the cross – and how it’s an offense to the sinner because it reminds them that they are going to hell unless they yield to it. The cross – in it’s day was filthy and wretched and symbolized one of the world’s most vile ways to punish, torture and take a man’s life. Isaiah said of Christ on the cross… there “is no beauty that we should desire him”. (Is 53:2) Contrary to popular belief, the crucifixion was so nauseating that only those who were hired or those who were vile could even bear to watch it.
It was not a place for public spectacle – and in fact the place of crucifixion was taken away from any public contact. To have a family member crucified was of the utmost disgrace and if you came to watch, you wouldn’t want to get close due to the smells of the bodily fluids and wastes and rotting; the screams of pain and terror and the cursing of the demonic spirits that had inhabited those soon to be lifeless bodies.
The Bible said that “There were also women looking on afar off: among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome; It was not a place where anyone would desire to be – and yet, Christ went there willingly… for us.
As I spoke about in the men’s conference about Nehushtan, I feel that you must link the old testament snake on the staff to the new testament’s account of the crucifixion.
A very important message on facing and admitting our sin. We must attend our own trial and we must bring all the evidence that will fully convict us. We must prove our own guilt. We must be found completely guilt with our confession. We must receive a death sentence because that is the wage of sin. Finally the crucifixion… we must watch Him pay our price. This should not be easy for you. It should be an offense. It should turn your stomach to the point of sickness. It is a cross experience that makes what He did, very personal. We can’t just continually come and bring a garbage bag full of sin in a darkened back room and tell Him to just take care of it.
Go to your concordances and realize that nobody worshipped at the cross except the Lord…. And He became the sacrifice… and we didn’t offer Him… He gave Himself because we were guilty and someone needed to pay a price. We need to again go to the cross not to offer Him – but to surrender our sins and to let Him offer Himself for us. And we need to witness it with a burning ache in the pit of our stomachs that will bring true repentance and Godly sorrow. It should never be portrayed as an “easy” place to go. It will cost you something.
I gave Him the rights to my life in 1971 – but didn’t live for Him. I begged Him to spare my life in 1975 – but I didn’t understand the price. I preached one of the longest recorded revivals in Wisconsin history, and in the midst, on June 9, 1985… 10 years after I should have died. Still I went from that place not fully understanding what it would take for me to get through this life without the ravages of sin. Here I am climbing to a mountain called “60” – and I pray each morning that I never get too far from remembering my best friend who died in my place. In a few months, June 9th will come visit me again as it does every year – and it’s my day for “inventory” and “reflection” and what will happen on that day will, I believe, be reflective on how I’ve proceeded to change my daily “reflections” and my time with Him.
The message of the cross is harsh. It’s uncomfortable. And it’s like someone buckling you in because of the amusement you’ve chosen to ride. The tighter the “snug” – the safer the journey.
It’s not just repeating the sinner’s prayer. It’s going to the cross and waiting there until He is finished. It’s watching every drop of blood fall to the earth and realizing that I am the reason He is there.
Worship with me today:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7Pk5YMkEcg&list=PLWtYAWkxYrSPPZXH3aVUxT1PtksaUlnSQ
Streetfire Ministries 