Sailing Toward the Son
OUR DESTINATION THE NEW JERUSALEM WHO'S YOUR CAPTAIN
by
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CHAPTER 15: DRAWN TO THE SAVIOR PAGE 201
THE GOSPEL REAFFIRMED
We paid our respects to our father, did our best to show love and support for our mother, and after several days headed back to Miami. The trip up was uneventful, but the ride back was for me the beginning of a life-changing experience. My brother Jerry's wife Laura was a Christian and on the way back home the conversation about death, and life after death, began to be discussed. Certainly, the pastor who preached my dad's service proclaimed the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the resurrection of the dead. Laura, reaffirmed the gospel with us and all of us individually began to talk about what we believed and our own personal experience regarding religion. None of us at that time knew much about Christianity even though we all claimed to be Christians. I don't remember what the others said about their own experience with God, but I do remember what I said about mine. I shared with them that in the early 50’s, I was about ten years old when I went forward at The Convention Center in Enid. It was during an evangelistic meeting just for children sponsored by the Churches of Enid and the Enid Board of Education. Believe it or not, every child in Enid's Elementary Schools was allowed to go to this particular meeting with parental approval. Christian values were highly promoted in the early 1950’s all across our great country. The schools even provided transportation to and from the convention center. It's more than likely that the majority of the members on the Enid School Board were Christians at the time. It may not be in keeping with the way some have interpreted our Constitution, and certainly later with the Johnson Amendment, but what they did was in keeping with the "Great Commission" commanded by our Lord. I remember thinking I was saved. I had given intellectual assent to the fact that Jesus was God's Son and that He died on the cross for my sins. However, I was not aware of feeling any different or experiencing any transformation or change in my character or behavior after the decision. I was told that I was saved and I accepted what I had been told.
IF A MAN DIES, SHALL HE LIVE AGAIN?
However, after we got back to Miami and settled into the mundane activities of everyday life, I continued to reflect on the loss of my father, and the fact that we all must face death someday. The question kept surfacing in my mind, "If a man dies, shall he live again?" This was Job's question (Job 14:14 KJV). I also recognized that I claimed to believe in the God of the Bible and that He sent His Son to die on the cross for all my sins. When I was ten I repeated a prayer and asked Jesus to forgive my sins and come into my heart and save me. This is the message I had been taught and this was the message I said I believed. When you're ten years old and someone tells you that you will go to heaven when you die if you believe in the Lord Jesus, that's "good news." But, I had no assurance, no confirmation that this was in fact the truth. I discovered a very important principle. It's one thing to say you believe in a certain thing when it doesn't cost you anything. But it's a totally different thing when you decide to commit your life in following the teachings of the One you claim to believe in. I wanted to get right with God, but I wanted to make sure that the God I served is the One true and living God. I wanted if possible to make sure in my heart and mind that Jesus was the Son of God and my personal Savior. When it came to choosing to live the life of a Christian, I wanted to make sure I was on the right path.
How can I be sure that this gospel is the truth? If God is real and He can be known, I would like to know Him, so I was determined to seek Him with all my heart.
Perhaps He will reveal the truth to me. I decided to start where I was. I'm an American. I live in a Christian nation, so I decided to begin my search within Christianity. I asked myself this question, do I believe there's a God, or do I believe there is no God? The fact is I have always believed in the existence of a divine being and I have always thought the Bible was His Word to man. But now that I'm getting serious about my commitment and not knowing much about the Bible, I felt I needed more information.
ASK AND YOU SHALL RECEIVE
Not knowing where to start, I decided to pray to the God I didn't know. The primary focus of my prayer consisted of three requests. Number one: “God, if you exist, and I believe that you do, reveal yourself to me.” Number two: “God, if the Bible is your Word to man, reveal this to me.” Number three: “God, if Jesus Christ is your Son and my Savior, reveal this to me.” I prayed this prayer for many weeks.
The interesting thing about the process I was involved in was that the more I prayed, the more people confronted me with the good news of the gospel. Most of the time they would simply exalted the Savior and shared a personal experience as a Christian. Now, before I started praying consistently, I do not recall anyone telling me how to get saved or inviting me to come to a Bible study or anything like that. After I began to pray it seemed like Christians were coming out of the woodwork, pointing me to the cross.
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About the Book
The author takes us back through the portals to the past, to glimpse the pioneer spirit of his grandparents who settled in Oklahoma Territory in 1893. He tells of the German/Irish influence on his family and the cultural changes over the years. He interprets his experience from a conservative perspective and encourages us to follow the Constitution. He tells of the war years in the 40’s in Oklahoma, and his teen experience in the late 50’s in Florida. He talks about his family, football, and marriage, his children and his vocation. We learn about his love for adventure, free-diving, and spearfishing in Florida and the Bahamas.
In the midst of material success, he recognized there was something missing in his life. During this period, he had a spiritual encounter with the Lord. He received Jesus Christ, as Lord and Savior, and his life direction changed. He tells how he continued his education as he pastored churches in Texas and Florida.
He tells of the crisis when his wife of 20 years left the family and filed for divorce. He talks about the pain of rejection for him and his children, and the challenges of raising children in a one parent home. Nine years later, the Lord brought a wonderful, godly woman into his life. They have ministered together for over thirty years and plan to continue as God leads.
The author takes us on a pictorial journey that includes educational trips to the Holy Land and mission trips to South Africa. As he closes the portal, he reminds us that we are all “Sailing Toward The Son.” Our final destination, The New Jerusalem, will be ours if we place our faith in our ship’s “Captain.”
About the Author
In the midst of “Blue Collar“ success, having purchased a home, four new cars, and two boats, the author tells of an interruption in his quest for the temporal, to begin his search for the Eternal. After the death of his father, he began to reflect on the seasons of life, and in particular what happens to us when we die. Is there life beyond the grave? Is it possible to know the truth? Like Job who asked, “If a man dies, shall he live again, ...?” (Job 14:14 KJV) Seeking truth, he began to search the Scriptures, and through them, tells of a personal encounter with The Holy God. Through faith in God’s Son, (Yeshua Hamashiach) Jesus Christ, his life immediately changed. Ministry became his priority, and for the next three-years, he and his family were in church as often as possible. Jesus had transformed his life, and he wanted others to find the same peace that he had found. God had called him to preach the gospel, and after much prayer and soul searching, he surrendered to that call, and enrolled in Southwestern Theological Seminary in Ft. Worth, Texas, Graduating in 1977.
He spent the next four years on staff at a church in Ft. Worth. Over the years, he continued his education as he served. By God’s grace and a lot of work, he earned his first Doctorate in 1997.
Jack holds two Degrees from Southwestern Seminary and a Bachelor’s from Mary-Hardin Baylor University. He did graduate work at Baylor University in Psychology and Counseling. During his pastoral ministry in Florida, he earned his Doctoral Degrees at Jacksonville Theological Seminary where he served as an Associate Professor. Moving back to Texas, he became Director of JBTS-Houston Bible Study Center while serving as Pastor of a local church.
The author has ministered for over 40 years in 8 churches, with multiple ministries in Texas and Florida. He believes that time is running out for this Age of Grace and that Jesus Christ’s return is imminent; however, for Pastor Jack, the most important question is not when Christ returns, but are we ready to meet Him when He comes. The signs are here now!