I Fought the Good Fight - Rev. Scott Graham - UPCI General Secretary

[Music] i searched the world but it couldn't fill me man's empty praise treasures the faith but never enough [Music] then you came along it put me back together and every desire is now satisfied here in your love [Music] oh there's nothing better than you there's nothing nothing is better than you no there's nothing better i'm not afraid to show you my weakness and flaws [Music] he's the god of the valley there's not a place there's not a place your mercy and grace won't find me again oh there's nothing better than you there's no [Music] is [Music] see if there's nothing in this world if you turn more into dancing you give beauty for ashes you turn shame into glory you're the only one who cares is you're the only one [Music] [Music] there's nothing better than you lord there's nothing nothing nothing nothing right you're the only one you're the only one [Music] we feel your presence in this place we welcome [Music] can't control [Music] [Music] is [Music] cause all you are if you meet me here again [Music] so we feel your prayers [Music] my weakness [Music] let your glory up here i'm not enough [Music] [Music] is [Music] is [Music] will you be here again [Music] will you be here again meet me here again [Music] is [Music] the lord is in this place is is is you come will you meet me here again cause all you are that's what i really want will you meet me here again [Music] [Music] jesus jesus oh [Music] unless you come will you meet me here again [Music] me [Music] they are some of the most oft-quoted words of the apostle paul they are commonly used when we offer words at a funeral over a faithful saint of god we will reflect on the life being memorialized and will embrace the life summary which paul employs of his own passage for i am now ready to be offered the great apostle said and the time of my departure is at hand i have fought a good fight i have finished my course i have kept the faith i'm hard-pressed to find a more desirable epitaph than this i fought a good fight i've kept the faith i finished my course please tell me what more a man could want than to be able to have those words spoken over him at the end of his earthly journey i chose my battles wisely i didn't fight just every fight because not every fight's a good fight but when i found something of value that was worthwhile fighting for i buckled in and i fought with everything i had i fought a good fight i fought with a death grip on my faith nothing and no one could tear this truth from my fingers when others abandoned it i kept it when it was politically incorrect to cling to it i kept it in spite of the ridicule and when it cost me something in possessions or relationships i kept it nonetheless i kept the faith and i didn't run for just a little while i didn't stop when the pathway was steep and rocky i didn't get discouraged just because i got weary even when others seemed to have a smoother journey i just kept going i didn't stop one step before the end of my assignment i finished my course i fought with patience i kept with passion and i finished with perseverance i ask you again what could be better than that life summary may we all do as well but the thing that captures my attention today is paul's audience it's natural for old men to speak to one another about such things but paul is not discussing his life with his peers he is doing so with his protege the words in our text as you well know are directed to a young preacher one paul has invested in one he has mentored one into whom he has poured life lessons that scriptural truth and it is to that one that paul makes this declaration and it just hardly seems necessary to me i mean why would paul need to defend his spiritual legacy to timothy timothy had no doubts i assure you that when i stood by my bishop's bedside at the close of his journey timothy a dugus did not have to validate his life to me he didn't need to offer some expression of his standing i knew who he was i knew what he had done there would have been no reason for him to exert his waning strength describing to me his spiritual accomplishments and yet paul is investing a portion of his final inspired letter to chronicle to a young man his fight his faith and his finish but in another sense i suppose it is only natural that when a man reaches that point he looks to the generation that is coming behind him he realizes as he's invested his life into something that means more to him than life and it is only natural to consider what will become of it when he is off the scene i want to be very clear i don't feel like i'm anywhere near about done but it requires only basic mathematical skills to look at an actuarial table and understand where i am in life this very service has had two preachers a young one and the other one and i am the other one i accept and realize that i have more sunsets behind me than i have before me i've preached more messages than i will yet preach there's more of past tense verbs regarding my service in his kingdom than there is of future tense verbs and when i realize that it does something inside of me i want to see a generation that follows me do even more than i've ever done tonight i want to express to a generation of timothy's that i want you to preach greater messages than i've ever stood to a pulpit with i want you to reach more people than i ever did or ever will i want you to build bigger church congregations than i ever saw i want your passion after god to eclipse mine when i reflect on my life i wanted to reflect on yours i don't believe paul made his expression to timothy to provide definition of his own life but to shape the boundaries of timothy's life timothy when you see what i fought for fight for those same things timothy when you see the faith that i kept against all opposition keep that same faith timothy when you see the pathway that i finished make that same commitment to finish yours i preached tonight and i'm highly honored to do so for the same reason in the course of this conference we have all reflected on 75 years of the history of the united pentecostal church and i'm grateful it is right and proper and enriching to celebrate names like goss and urshan witherspoon and chambers and haney and volga and a host of others too numerous to list men who invested their lives into the work of the kingdom within the framework of the united pentecostal church international but if we end this week and we in this conference virtual though it may be with nothing more than a warm feeling about our heritage i do not believe we will have completely accomplished god's purpose for this meeting i have the unique privilege tonight to preach to the gossas and the ursians and the witherspoons who are still doing their algebra homework i preached tonight to the chambers and the hanies and the vulgars who are still dreaming of a driver's license i preach to great young people who have a passion to do great things for a great god and i want to be very clear the ubc i need you the upci believes in you the ubci loves you thank god we've grown but we still have to grow thank god for every city reached but there are still unreached cities thank god for every country we've reached but there are still unreached countries we have not yet seen god do everything he wants to do with us and so it is natural that we would turn our attention to the youth of this movement to high school students with a burning desire to fight the good fight to young adults with a deep commitment to keep the faith the young preachers who don't know where their courses may lead just yet but who are determined to finish them just like paul did to those tonight i want to take you to a place where john meets george to get to that place we must journey over a century back in time let me introduce you first to john john parr john was born in litchfield grove a suburb of london as the youngest of 11 children born to a milkman the majority of his siblings died before their fourth birthday upon leaving school he took a job working as a butcher boy and then as a caddy at north middlesex golf course and then like many other young men at the time he was attracted to the british army as a potentially better way of life one where he could at least get two meals a day and a chance to see the world at only five foot three in height john joined the fourth battalion of the middlesex regiment as a professional soldier in 1912 at only 14 years of age claiming to be 18 years in one month to meet the minimum age requirement he became an infantry scout with a fork middlesex regiment his role was to ride ahead of the battalion with a detachment mounted only on bicycles and to detect the enemy or points of military note and then return with all possible speed to notify the battalion commanding officer of what lay ahead on the outbreak of the first world war in early august 1914 the fourth middlesex regiment was mobilized and was among the first army units of the british expeditionary force to cross the english channel into france with the imperial german army invading belgium and france at that moment parr's unit took up a position near the town of mons approximately eight miles away from the rest of their forces on august 21st 1914 john parr and another cyclist were sent to the village of oberg just northeast of mons and just over the border of belgium to locate where the germans were while doing this they encountered a patrol from the german forces doing the same thing john volunteered to remain behind and to hold off the enemy while his companion peddled furiously back to carry the report while buying time for the message of the germans advanced to be delivered parr was killed in exchange of rifle fire thus becoming the first british soldier to die in world war one ironically called at the time the war to end all wars that's john now let's meet george george edwin ellison george was born in the city of york in northern england on august 10th 1878 his family later lived in leeds he first joined the british army as a regular soldier in 1902 by 1912 he had left to engage in the backbreaking work of mining coal in the early 20th century sometime just before the outbreak of world war one he was recalled to the army joining the fifth royal irish lancers and serving from the very start of the conflict he fought in that battle of mons in which john parr was killed george ellison however survived that contact conflict and several others as well in fact he was still faithfully serving when the armistice was signed at 5 45 a.m on november 11th given the rather primitive nature of communications authorities knew that it would take some time to get word to all the troops and so in that it was 11-11 they decided to declare the cessation of hostilities would occur at 11 a.m and that simple decision proved tragic for george who was on patrol in the woods on the outskirt of mons yes that same place where john parr was killed 9 30 a.m just 90 minutes before the guns fell silent george was shot and killed by a sniper while he was on his final patrol thus becoming the last british soldier killed in world war one these two deaths are separated by four years of absolute horror and bloodshed but one need not travel to diverse remote barren battlefields to honor these two war heroes in fact one need not travel to two locations at all they can both be found in one place saints emporium military cemetery in belgium these quiet grounds near the twice reference town of mon enshrine in honor the remains of some 230 british soldiers who gave their lives to fight off the kaiser and the forces of the german alliance among them john and george but even there one need not traverse all across the hallowed grounds to locate the two of them for accidentally nobody planned it but perhaps providentially john and george are buried but 15 feet apart and facing one another you can stand in one place and look to your left and see john you can look to your right and see george there the first british soldier to fall in the conflict is buried facing the last british soldier to fall in the conflict the one who began the struggle is entombed looking toward the one who ended the struggle if you'll allow me just a little liberty this evening i think these two graves must undoubtedly speak to one another i think george must speak to john john must speak to george and say my generation set the bar we showed you what devotion looked like we demonstrated just what it might cost to advance this cause we marched out somewhat ill-prepared but we were more than willing to do anything our commander required i died before this was finished but i gave my all and now george i have some questions for you when you finish your battle when they play taps for you when your tombstone is erected just across from mine will you still love this cause like my generation loved it are you willing to die for what i died for are you still wearing the uniform do you still follow orders did you still withstand the enemy like my peers did yes i know you likely have some new weapons you probably had some new procedures and it's entirely likely i might not have completely fit in or felt completely comfortable with all the new methods of combat but i just want to know if the core values we fight for that consumed and still beat in my heart are they still in yours and did the passion that leaked from my wounds still flow from yours i have to think that before that sniper bullet took george's military career to an end just an hour and a half before peace was to arrive i have to wonder if george didn't answer back from his grave to john and say i want you to know every time i looked at your sacrifice i was challenged to fight on i never passed your grave without gratitude for what you did and how you started this conflict i know that my generation is a debtor to the price you paid and i want you to know sir i am committed to finishing this thing i will not quit i will not surrender you can count on me i will ensure that your sacrifice elder was not in vain what a place to stand between john and george and yet that's where we are tonight between those who gave their all at the outset of the battle and those who will still be fighting with the incomes to pass between rose and know that you're faint on one side by those whose battle is finished and faithfully gave their all and you're flanked on the other side by a generation who will bring this thing to victory to look one direction and see the multitude of those who testify with paul that they finished their course and to look the other direction and see 35 000 at youth congress who are still on their courses to hear the voice of our elders speak and ask a younger generation who now serves some very salient questions do you still love what we loved will you live for what we died for are you still obeying the voice of your commander have you kept the faith and to hear the echoes of thousands of consecrated young people all across the upci who answer back with passion we love what you gave us what you believe is precious to us we still believe there's one god and that his name is jesus we still proclaim the apostolic message what simon peter delivered what you picked up what you gave to us we are still giving to the world we look at john we see brush harbors we look at george we see p7 clubs we looked at john we see harvest time we looked at george we see podcasts we looked at john we see cassette tapes we looked at george we see digital streaming services but i want to remind everybody of something else please hear me right now here's the good news john preached acts 2 and john 3. george still preaches jacks 2 and john 3. john believed in separation from the world george is still demonstrating separation from the world john was driven by the great commission george is still driven by the great commission the tombstones look just alike they denote membership in the same army and they testify to equal sacrifice standing between john and george we are flanked by profound commitment on both sides i want you to hear me tonight there are no bounds to what this present generation of apostolic youth now fighting in the conflict can be and do but george you younger folk i encourage you you need to meet john their stories must not be swallowed up by the passage of time as i pass between the rolls i pause at the stone of jack yance who after serving at the upci headquarters as the director of home missions now north american missions at an age when retirement made more sense at 65 years old he left his job at headquarters to go to chicago to plant another church stop with me momentarily if you will at the grave of werner larson missionary to colombia who when his wife died on the mission field he built her casket with his own hands and dug her grave and buried her himself so that he could stay there to carry on what god had called him to do the stories are too many to tell tonight but please please george don't hurry past john's grave without pausing to take note please pause there a minute and hear the preaching of n.a ocean go for a plane ride with benny to merchant feel the anointing as myrtle ewing would sing witness the humble worship of c.m beckton as he rolled across a general conference platform in humble worship experienced the passion for truth and evangelism from a gerald magnet as he twirls that finger in the air those and a thousand others are the john pars that started this conflict but you see john you need to know that george ellison is still fighting too there are stories on the other side too john the elders i encourage you to meet george over here is 22 year old cali dibs from appleton wisconsin she was won through her local p7 club and then sacrificed because she knew if it hadn't been for sheets for christ she'd have never made it to the church so she purposed she was going to raise more money for she for christ than any young person in wisconsin and callie became the real mccoy that year then she went on an ayc trip overseas and it so gripped her that she has now applied for a teaching job abroad just so she could spread the gospel and be involved in missions between john and george between werner larson and columbia and cali dibs from appleton who is going overseas on her own mission their commitment to missions beyond our borders reflect on each other over here please see them john take a look at george over here a couple of high school seniors from jackson missouri zoe freeman and hunter reese zoe is from a troubled home she lives with her grandparents she heard about a p7 club didn't even know what it was she was just in junior high at missouri youth convention and she heard about it and though she was only at junior high some would say what could she do i'll tell you what she did she went back to her junior high and started a p7 club and then when she moved on to high school she started one there having turned that one over to somebody else hunter reese came into that high school p7 club his freshman year he came with his girlfriend he was a self-proclaimed atheist and only came to roll his eyes at these nuts that believed in jesus but when it was done he had a lot of questions for zoe so she invited him to a wednesday night youth service and then the sunday services pastor tells me it is possible he was coming more to see zoe than to meet god but she wouldn't date him because he wasn't in church zoe taught him a home bible study in the spring of their sophomore year he attended missouri youth convention and on thursday night he told the youth pastor he wanted to be baptized there was one only one option so they went to the swimming pool the hotel and there they buried him in the name of jesus christ so this young man who came to mock them is now becoming one of them and just a couple months later he went to missouri youth convention and there he was baptized with the holy ghost and now this past fall now their junior year zoe and hunting hunter are team leading the p7 club now recognized as a formal club in their high school with all the rights of any other club in fact his pastor told me hunter is such a brilliant young man he has been the go-to guy that has carried all of their online streaming and tech needs during this pandemic pastor brown reports to me that they are integral to his church and they have totally turned the things around in their youth group no neither one has started a church just yet like brother yance did but they looked at his grave and they saw his commitment and they said we can't start a church yet but we can start a p7 club at our high school no they don't get any christmas for christ money just yet but they are raising and i want somebody to hear me this generation is finishing the fight that this generation started don't despair about george george still loves the truth george still lives holy george still believes this gospel 75 years of sacrifices confront this generation so george if we seem a little protective of the upci it's only because we know what was given by john and john if we seem a little excited about the future of the upci it's only because we know what's being given by george and i got good news for you tonight young people hear me as you listen to the last few moments here the master already knows the date of the ceasefire and it's not going to be my mutual agreement of two sides there was only an armistice sign at the end of world war one no victor just we decided to stop fighting but i promise you in this conflict young man that you're in your father has already declared who the victor is going to be and you're on the side that is going to be the champion this church his church is a victorious church and john and george are both going to win if the elder can see and trust the consecration of the younger and if the younger can be compelled and guided by the consecration of the elder if george could stop by john's grave and say i know what you gave and i'm going to live worthy of that and if john can look at george and say i trust you i believe in you you're doing great things tonight my comfort is to tell the youth and the young adults of the upci that we believe in you there is a place that'll work for you you matter you are vital but the call tonight and the challenge tonight is to tell the youth and the young adults you must not measure your kingdom commitment by your peers but by the legacy of profound sacrifice that is buried in the very fabric of this great organization over the next 75 years there must be continued generations of missionaries and church planners and evangelists who are just as dedicated to the work of god as john was whose stories will be told a generation from now george we're going to be talking about you so young man i posed the question to you what will you do with 75 years of history of the united pentecostal church behind you what will you do with innumerable sacrifices that have been made to bring us where we are young lady what will you give can you place your life on an altar and serve him passionately and serve him first will you start a p7 club will you teach a home bible study will you go on an ayc trip will you answer god's call to be a preacher and build the church for decades to come can you follow his call to be an engineer or a businessman or a laborer or a professional and bless your local church as a faithful saint of god i ask you a simple question when you see the sacrifices that have been made by those that came before can you lay your life alongside theirs and say my commitment matches theirs george john's life and john's death called you to an altar tonight 75 years of the upsize history depends on your willingness to mirror the sacrifices that have made it what it is and so in your home or in your youth room or in your church or wherever you're watching this there has to be an altar you know why because john always had an altar you want to know why werner larson had that kind of commitment in colombia he had an altar you wonder why brother johnson 65 years old said i got to start another church you had an altar you want to know what's going to shape and compel and drive your life you got to have an altar so i'm asking you i know this is a different way to have church it's a different way to have conference you're watching a screen and we're not there in person but i plead with you let your response be measured not by the media but by john let your response be measured not by the methodology but by the sacrifice of those who came before us and i plead with you where you are right now to move from your chair move where you are even if it's nothing more than just getting down in front of that chair and getting on your knees but could you take a quick look over at john's grave and say i'm george and i have to live in a way that measures up to what he gave i'm asking young people all across north america and around the world that may be watching the altar is now the kingdom needs you the united pentecostal church needs you and i plead with you to move and set up an altar where you are this moment and pray that your life would do honor to all those who came before us because the world and the united pentecostal church is waiting on go ahead [Music] [Music] go reached george let george pray prayers like john prayed go ahead and make commitment like john made go ahead and do what your elders did and give your life to him [Music] [Music] [Music] here in your there's no place i'd rather be no place i want more [Music] no place i'd rather be this is where i want to be [Music] no place i'd i want more i want more

Channel: The United Pentecostal Church Sri Lanka

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Id: WYJYy3LI5TE

Length: 43min 16sec (2596 seconds)

Published: Sat Oct 10 2020