YOU and GOD

Under a blanket of white, fresh snow on Christmas morn, the sleepy village woke as church bells rang in honor of the Christ-child born.

Beside the tracks, white-framed, the old home-place still stood where 7 girls and 7 boys once gathered firewood.

Long since were gone, forever past, those glee-filled days when children laughed, half-wild with Christmas craze.

Not much remained the same. The well was gone, no pets now came to meet you as you sauntered up the lane.

The old pair, still there, with furrowed brow and frosted hair, wait in silent gaze, and for the world and all—have little care.

Children and their little ones return once more this Christmas Day, to eat and reminisce and let the cousins play.

The time flies and soon the happy Day is past. With pain we learn anew that Life—and Death—is fast.

The gifts we gave and got become a reason for a prayer of thanks for this glad season.

Together, one time more. The hours, oh so few; yet worth the work and toil that many hands must do.

Someday, maybe one day very soon, the family Christmas choir will sing its final tune.

Then wait to gather once again—next time to sing around the Throne—and in the Home, of Christ the King!

(Anthony Slutz, 1997)

Merry Christmas to all our family and friends, far and near!!

Anthony & Ellen Slutz

Those words were not spoken by someone who had just won the lottery; or by someone who had just gotten promoted to a coveted position after years of hard work; or by a parent, reconciled to an estranged child after years of waiting, hoping, and praying; but by an 8-year-old bus kid two weeks ago at church, following the children’s Christmas program. With exuberance that could not be contained, he said with all of his little might, “This is the best day I ever had!”

Were his parents there to watch him sing the Christmas carols with the children’s choir? No, nor were any of his family members. Was he excited that he had gotten a chance to be “Joseph” in the annual reenactment of the manger scene? Not so. Or, did he get to play a special musical number on an instrument? Or say two or three lines of a poem by himself? None of the above. It was just that this little bus kid, not used to any special treatment, day in and day out, was part of a Christmas celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ—with songs, mirth, treats, presents, and goodwill spread generously around, to all present. The joy welled up in the little lad’s heart in wave after wave, until he could hold it in no longer, and, finding his teacher, he let it out: “This is the best day I ever had!”

Well, that teacher shared the moment in the midweek prayer and praise service, so that all who were present were touched deeply by the thought that just a bit of love, kindness, and praise spread all around—out of a heart of goodness and thanksgiving to our great God—can make a world of difference to a child who may never see much of God’s grace at home, in the neighborhood, or at school. But in God’s house, on the Lord’s Day, with His people gathered to commemorate the birth of the Savior of the world—well, it was enough on that special Sunday to cause a child to burst forth with, “This is the best day I ever had!”

I am deeply grateful for those bus workers who, over weeks and months, called and cultivated the contact that eventuated in that 2^nd grade boy riding the bus to church on that special Sunday. May God increase their tribe in a world where their kind has become almost an oddity!

I am deeply grateful for Sunday School teachers and church-time workers who planned, prepared, and presented a lavish helping of God’s love and grace, kindness, and goodness to every child in attendance on that Sunday, even as they do every Sunday.

For teachers like Shirley and Barb, who showed up for 40 years, Sunday after Sunday, to give God’s Word lovingly to 2^nd graders; and Beth—who, for 40 years and counting, has shown up to dole out His love to 2- and 3-year-old little ones, no doubt remembering that Jesus said “Suffer the little children to come unto me, for of such is the kingdom of heaven.”

Name after name is flooding this grateful pastor’s mind right now. But of course I cannot begin to list them all. Faithful servants of their Creator Savior, whose lives were so transformed by the Lord Jesus Christ that they have selflessly given themselves to a lifetime of serving Him through serving His, beginning with the littlest and often the least amongst us; so that, on any given Sunday, one of those tykes just might say, “This is the best day I ever had!”

“Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the kingdom. And whoso’ shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.” (Matt. 18:4,5)

The world at large is now into the “spirit of Christmas,” which can mean multiple things—from gift-giving and parties to special musical cantatas and candlelight services to Christmas eve and morning around the Christmas tree, to mention just a few.

But, I have been thinking about the Holy Spirit of Christmas. God’s Spirit, the Holy Spirit, has always been a central figure in the Christmas story. We learn in Matthew 1:18-25 that Jesus was conceived in Mary’s womb by the Holy Spirit even before she had “known” her husband Joseph. Then, again, in Luke 1, when the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary to announce to her that she would give birth to the Messiah, the angel answers Mary’s question as to “How?” by affirming: “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.” (Luke 1:35).

The Holy Ghost was present and at work before, during, and after the birth of Christ, and He is still at work today in the hearts and lives of each follower of Jesus, for “the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given us.” (Romans 5:5) Since that is true, everything we do during this Christmas season should be governed by the love of God, which has been planted in us the by the Holy Spirit. “Everything” includes:

(1) Our Greetings. Seems so simple. Greetings in person, with a salutation, or over the miles through a card or an email. Reviewing the New Testament, one finds that in almost all of Paul’s epistles he encourages saints to “Greet them that love us in the faith,” (Titus 3:15) or some such greeting. Christmas lends itself to special times of cordial and Christian greetings. We may have, in our culture, replaced the “holy kiss” with a holy hug or handshake, but let us never cease to take opportunities to greet the brethren!

(2) Our Gatherings. Israel, as a people of God, were commanded to gather several times a year for worship. These gatherings often required arduous trips to Jerusalem for feasts. Special songs were sung as entourages to the Holy City were made by groups that sang along the way (Ps. 120-134). Then, after the New Testament church was born, God’s people gathered weekly—and often several times a week—for fellowship, doctrinal instruction, prayer, and strategizing on missions and ministry (Acts 2:42). Believers are commanded to not forsake these gatherings. At Christmas time, we have special commemorative and celebrative gatherings, focused upon the Advent of our Messiah to this world in the form of an infant. It is well that we gather with family, friends, and flock in the spirit of love to perpetuate the music and message of Christmas, with His light shining in our hearts and homes in this darkened world.

(3) Our Giving. What blessed opportunities to give in the spirit of our Savior, who gave Himself a ransom for our sins; and in the spirit of His Father, who gave His only begotten Son. Paul told us that Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35), and Jesus taught His disciples that they should give, encouraging them that when one does so in the right spirit, they will receive immeasurable blessings. (Luke 6:38) The Christmas season affords us unique opportunities to give in the holy spirit of Christ-like giving. “What can I give Him, poor as I am? If I were a shepherd, I’d give Him a lamb. If I were a wise man, I’d do my part. What can I give Him? I’ll give Him my heart.” (Rosetti)

(4) Our Glorying. As we weave our way through commemorations and celebrations at Christmas time, it is well that we take to heart Paul’s admonition: “Whether ye eat or drink, or whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (I Cor.10:31) And also, “But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.” (2 Cor. 10:17) Christmas is, first and foremost, about Christ. It is not about what we get (or give), about pageants or performances, or about parties or parades. It is about the incarnation (enfleshment) of the Creator of the universe, God taking on human flesh, made in our likeness, yet without sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Cor. 5:21).

“Thou are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for Thou has created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created.” (Rev. 4:11)

Bible-believers are following the events in the state of Israel with heightened interest, observing as always history past and present through the lens of scripture. As a pastor I have been musing about what and when to pen some thoughts on the subject. Until I do, I offer, with permission, the following article written by a friend, Pastor David Oliver, pastor of Ashley Baptist Church in Belding, Michigan, as a column for a local newspaper in his county. His thoughts reflect what I and other pastors who preach and teach the Bible as the inspired Word of God believe.

Although it has been over thirty years since I visited the nation of Israel, my memories of the experience remain vivid. In addition to touring many cites significant to the events in the Bible, I also visited Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center in Jerusalem. Visitors walk through numerous rooms displaying photographs, videos, and artifacts chronicling Nazi Germany’s systematic effort to exterminate the Jewish race. Before we entered the final room the guide leading my tour excused himself from the group. While he visited Yad Vashem regularly, he wanted personally to avoid this last display. He found it distressing. His departure made me a little apprehensive as to what to expect. I entered a dark room with a single, small glass case in the center with a beam of light shining down upon it. Inside the case was a tiny child’s shoe. There was nothing else. This was a somber reminder that of the six million Jews killed in the Holocaust, one and a half million were children.

Many may have concluded that with the defeat of Nazi Germany, and the exposure of the horrors of the Holocaust, antisemitism would be irradicated. But it has not been. Antisemitism predated the Nazis, and it persists today.

On October 7, Hamas terrorists unleashed a coordinated surprise attack on Jewish people in Israel, killing over 1400, included children and babies. Additional atrocities such as kidnapping and rape were carried out, motivated by hatred of the Jewish people.

The global response has not been universal condemnation. On the contrary, from Muslim countries to civil rights groups supposedly opposed to racism, to students on American college campuses, and even some elected representatives in the U.S. Congress, people have defended the acts of terrorists, and attacked Israel’s right to exist.

While this is all sad and troubling, for students of the Bible this should not be surprising. In Revelation 12, the Apostle John sees a vision of a dragon. There is no need to speculate about who this dragon represents. He is identified as the devil. (v. 9) In this vision the dragon endeavors to devour a child a woman is about to birth. Again, there is no question about the identity of this child. It is Jesus Christ, Who after dying for the sins of the world and being raised from the dead, “was caught up unto God and to his throne.” (v. 5) But Satan’s hostility is not over. Verse 13 says the devil persecutes the woman. The woman that brought forth the child in Revelation 12 is the nation of Israel. The man Christ Jesus sprang from the Jewish race. (Rom. 9:5) The Bible calls Him the King of the Jews. (Mt. 2:2) Satan is anti-Christ and anti-Israel. Antisemitism comes from the devil himself.

God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34), and He loves the world (Jn. 3:16). Yet at the same time, the Bible makes plain that one race has been chosen of God, blessed, and made to be a blessing to the world. (Gen. 12:2, 3) It was through the nation of Israel that the word of God came (Rom. 3:2), and even more importantly, the Son of God, the Savior Jesus Christ. And so, the devil hates Israel. From wicked Haman in the book of Esther, to Adolf Hitler, to modern day Hamas terrorists, those seeking the destruction of Israel are doing the work of Satan. And those who sympathize with them – those who hate the Jewish race – share the sentiment of the devil.

The Jewish people need the prayers of Christian people. They also need the gospel. The Bible teaches us that someday the Jewish Messiah will come again to deliver His chosen people. When He does, He will “pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and supplications; and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced…” (Zech. 12:10) When Christ returns “all Israel shall be saved.” (Rom. 11:26) The fiercest efforts of the devil and his followers will never succeed in eliminating Israel, nor stop that great day of deliverance from coming.

“Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it….” (Song of Solomon 8:7) The wise man spoke of love’s unequalled power, much as did the Apostle centuries later, writing that “now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” (I Cor. 13:13)

Any pastor worthy of his calling would testify freely to this truth. I once read the testimony of a young father who said he was saved as a young boy but got away from the Lord and ended up driving a beer truck in Lynchburg, Virginia. One day, as he was driving his truck on a delivery, he passed Dr. Jerry Falwell, pastor of Thomas Road Baptist Church, who waved at him with a friendly smile. “It broke my heart,” the man said. “We had just had a boy; my wife had said, ‘We’ve got to get in church.’ I believe the Lord would have killed me if I didn’t. Dr. Falwell, by waving, showed me, for the first time, some love. We went to church, and I rededicated my life to the Lord.” The power of love.

The late Dr. Howard Hendricks, professor for half-a-century at Dallas Theological Seminary, once described how love lassoed him as a young “hood” growing up on the streets of Philadelphia: “Walt found me playing marbles on the street. That Sunday school teacher got involved with me, and beat me in every game we played. I lost my marbles early in life, but when we were through, I wanted to follow him anywhere he went! He found 11 of us on the street; 9 of us are in full-time service today. He never got past the 6^th grade; I couldn’t tell you one thing he said. But I know this, he loved me!” The power of love!

Simple things. A missionary once served on a field where the custom was to sit on the floor, something this devoted missionary was not used to. One of her loving pupils sensed what she needed and sat down behind her, supporting the back of the teacher with her own body. But the pupil realized that the teacher was not committing herself with sufficient weight to get the benefit of the offered help, so the girl whispered, “If you love me, lean hard.” A simple gesture, but proof of a caring heart. The power of love!

Attorney David Gibbs told of a U.S. senator who had opposed everything Christian and had a glaring disdain for pastors. One time, Gibbs had a delegation of students visiting the Capitol, and he had arranged for them to meet their senator. Gibbs’ nemesis heard they were coming and tried every way possible to not be present when they arrived. But, alas! The delegation arrived earlier than expected, and the senator was there when they got to his office. He got into a heated exchange with Gibbs, accusing him of hiring actors to harass him. Gibbs said, “I wouldn’t pay a kid 5cents to meet you!” At that point, a little girl tugged at the senator’s coat and said, “I’m not an actor. I just wanted to give you a gift because I love you. I saved my money for a year to come give this gift to you.” Gibbs said that, at that point, the senator lost it. He voted with Gibbs on every issue impacting Christians for the next 10 years. The power of love!

“…but the greatest of these is love.” (I Cor. 13:13)

Missionary Ron White served his Savior faithfully and fervently in active duty for the best part of 60 years, mostly in Japan. He and his wife, Odessa, headed to Japan as ambassadors of our Lord soon after graduation from college, having raised a marginal amount of support to couple with their full load of faith. They would serve in Japan for three decades, until God chose to call Odessa to Himself for her reward and rest. Ron continued serving solo as a “missionary to the world” and encouraging young missionaries, in particular, to start Bible Institutes and plant churches while training national leaders. 

As a pastor for 40 years at Thompson Road Baptist Church in Indianapolis, it was my privilege to invite Ron to lead in our annual faith-promise world-missions conferences on several occasions. He never failed to leave us stronger in faith, sharper in vision, and deeper in commitment to world missions than when he came.  Ron has suffered some physical setbacks that have sidelined him from his itinerant missions ministry. But his life, labors, and legacy are written indelibly on the hearts of believers around the globe who benefited from his indominable spirit; his insightful, soul-stirring preaching; and his singularly blessed skills on the keyboard, through which God set souls singing wherever Ron was ministering. 

Though our church has supported the Whites since the late 1960s, it was in a conference in the late 80s or early 90s when I first met him.  In our 10^th annual faith-promise conference, I discovered that he could not only preach but also play the piano. Our church supported (and still does) a rescue-mission ministry, Good News Ministries, that at that time had a shelter for homeless families.  I remember arranging housing for Ron, who attended this particular conference without Odessa, in the homeless family shelter of Good News. Little did I realize that Ron White would become one of my missionary heroes. Had I known then how highly I would come to esteem him for the Lord’s sake, and for his selfless missionary endeavors, I would have done whatever I could to provide him with housing other than in a homeless shelter. It was clean and comfortable, and we appreciated their hospitality, and Ron was grateful for it. But as I look back, I marvel at the humble graciousness the man of God displayed as I assigned him housing for the week with the homeless.  That was Ron White.

Born in 1941, he grew up in a humble, broken home in West Virginia and was for the most part reared by his grandmother. His mother, overcome with the thought of having to care for a child she had not anticipated having at that juncture in her life, was not exactly overjoyed at his birth.  When asked what she wanted to name her baby boy, Ron’s mother in exasperation said, “Oh, I don’t care, name him whatever you want to!”  The doctor who delivered her child had Ron as a first name, so he named the infant Ron White.

As a lad, someone invited Ron to church, and his first Sunday there happened to be the pastor’s last Sunday.  He had arrived in town about a year earlier, but after a year-long spiritual drought, with no conversions and very few attendees, the weary pastor was ready to “throw in the towel” there.  The discouraged pastor had just closed the door and was walking down the steps when he saw a 12-year-old boy sitting there. “What do you want, son?”  he asked. “I want to be saved,” Ron said. The pastor led the lad to Christ and, although he left his church discouraged, he will be “clipping coupons” through eternity.

Ron would grow up in another Baptist church near his home, the church “coincidentally” where Odessa and her family attended.  Ron and Odessa became childhood sweethearts and would eventually attend Tennessee Temple Schools.  As a teenager, Ron responded to a missionary message to support missions by going forward at the invitation and telling the preacher, “I don’t have anything to give, but I want to give myself.”  And now you know the rest of the story!

He fell in love with gospel music at the church and was captivated by the piano.  He never had a piano or lessons, but he would position himself so that he could see and study the techniques of the church pianist.  When he had the opportunity to try playing on this beautiful musical machine, it was immediately apparent that he would make not just a good but a gifted pianist.  The church bought and had delivered a piano to the home of Ron, where he lived with his mother and stepfather.  When Ron saw it, he was thrilled, but his exuberance was short lived. When the stepfather came home and learned that the church had bought it and given it to Ron, he ordered it out of his house, saying that there would be no piano in his home.  Not long after that, Ron and Odessa would enroll as students at TTU, where he would soon accompany a university singing group that regularly traveled with Dr. Lee Roberson, the school president and pastor of the Highland Park Baptist Church. Interestingly, Odessa was also a participant in the ensemble that sang.

Ron and Odessa and two or three other missionary couples were used of God to establish four churches in their first term in Japan as missionaries—a feat almost unheard of then or any time thereafter.  He would also found the Kansai Independent Baptist Bible Institute, where Japanese young men and women were trained for ministry, all of them being required to learn to play the piano. That Institute is thriving after more than 50 years of doing what it was established to do.  Scores of its graduates serve in not only Japan but several other countries as church planters and educators. 

At one of the churches planted during that first term in Japan, a businessman passing by—who hoped to learn some English—heard a group of believers singing “What a Wonderful Change in My Life Has Been Wrought Since Jesus Came into My heart.”  That dear soul stopped upon hearing that line and thought, “I have never had any change in my life that was wonderful.”  He slipped into the service, was gloriously saved, later attended KBBI, and was trained for ministry.  Ellen and I visited the church in Osaka that he founded and was pastoring when we were there in 2009. It is one of the largest (if not the largest) church in Japan, with beautiful modern facilities.  Pastor Ogawa’s sons serve alongside of him in this exciting work.

Ron White—teacher, church planter, missionary statesman, musician—is a man of God whose touch upon the hands and hearts of multitudes in the 20^th and 21^st centuries may not result in any biographies or books. But his memory has been etched upon the minds of co-workers, converts, and church members wherever he ministered.  We have read the book he is still writing—the living epistle, known and read as the life and labors of Ron White, along with his loving wife, Odessa, faithful, fruitful follower of His Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, to whom Ron would humbly beg us to give all praise, honor, and glory.  Amen. (Ron, with Odessa by his side until she was graduated to glory after a five- or six-year battle with cancer, planted or helped to plant 97 churches in Japan and was instrumental in starting three Bible colleges around the world).

“You can only do two things with your life:  give it away or throw it away. But you cannot keep it.” (Ron White, October 2003)

“You’re the best Christian that somebody knows; if you don’t go, who will?” (Ron White)

(This post, originally published in February, 2021, is reposted today in honor of Dr. White’s 82^nd birthday, which was yesterday, Dec. 4^th Happy Birthday, Ron!)