Christian Living

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Larry Lilly's Letter Wednesday May 2, 2007

I read of a Seminary Professor, a very effective one, who one day in class drew an arrow on a blackboard, the arrow pointing downward. He then instructed the class:

"If you understand that, (the downward pointing arrow) you understand everything you need to know about what it means to be a Christian."

He dismissed the class and left the room.

Kelly Fryer thought to herself, "He thinks we're all going to hell."

The next time the class assembled the professor stated, "God always come down. There is never anything we can do to turn that arrow and make our way UP to God. God came down in Jesus. And God still comes down."

Wow. God came down to lift us up. He still comes down to us in our need, we are always in need.

Being saved at age 20 in an aggressive church and laboring with Jesus in the same type of church for 46 years now, I am always amazed at the outright attempt of many groups to find some way for folks to "come up to God" when the scripture assures us over and again that God comes down to us. I am even more amazed at groups who in years now gone, knew and practiced the going down to people with the message that would lift them up through faith in Christ, yet now waste time and money insisting that folks must get better and come to God.

The idea of reaching down can be touchy as too many emanate the odiferous musk of a long line of baggage camels. Ask any prisoner about many of the "Christian volunteers" and you will get the idea of people looking down long noses in the name of Christ and thus disgusting the very people they are supposedly trying to reach. The truth of God coming down in Christ is the principle of identifying with us and saying by attitude and action, "I am here to help you up, dressed in the same human clothes (Incarnation) as you."

My friend of many years, Dr. Lee Roberson, long time pastor of the Highland Park Baptist Church in Chattanooga, TN went to be with the Lord Sunday past. He built the church to over 50,000 members. He was 97 when the chariot swept down to carry him home. I met Dr. Roberson one time back the 60's and did not see him again for four years. I then walked up to him in a restaurant and he immediately said, "Well, hello Brother Lilly. Are you still pastoring here in this town? How is Joyce?" He went on like he had just read my bio. He will be missed. Doc loved classical music and the church reflected this love, yet when he came to preach in our much smaller churches, (When you have 50,000 members most churches are smaller) he would sit on the platform and enjoy the mountain banjos and guitars and tons of left nostril singing as though he was heaven. He really loved people and over many years of becoming close friends I never one time saw him act in a condescending manner. He told me one time as we flew back to Chattanooga that God did not save him to look down on people, God only commissioned him to tell the old story of Jesus and His love. Dr. Roberson was led to Christ in a humble little church by Mrs. Daisy Hawes, a dedicated Sunday School Teacher. He was fourteen.

When I think of the giants of the faith such as Dr. Roberson, I am appalled at what I call the "Peacocks" of the ministry who strut about seeming to have forgotten that God always comes down to do His work.

Larry Lilly Copyright © 2007 Use with Credit.

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