WE HAVE ALL HAD INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE IN OUR LIVES: parents, older siblings, teachers, leaders, mentors, etc. Things that they said to us or did for us somehow left an impression on our lives and whenever we are reminded of them we pause to thank God that their paths crossed ours, in whatever stage of life it may have been.
Today I am reminded of some sad news I received 30 years ago on this day, or May 20, 1985, to be precise. I met that evening with two brothers in Christ with whom I served in ministry, and sometime during the first or second cup of coffee our host received a telephone call from Ohio. The caller gave him the news which he then relayed to us: our beloved Bible teacher had died, or “fallen asleep in Christ”, as the Scriptures euphemistically state it.
Victor Paul Wierwille (1916-1985) was an influential person in many of your lives, as he was in mine. He taught me that Jesus Christ is the only way. He taught me that the Bible has the answers that my heart was seeking. He showed me how the Bible interprets itself. He taught me that Christianity is not a religion, but a relationship. He taught me that God had put holy spirit within me and that I could perfectly praise Him by speaking in tongues (which I still do, even as I type these words). He taught me what it means to be a child of God and a member of the body of Christ. He taught me what the hope of our Lord’s return means to us, and much more. Personally, I am pausing to give thanks today for this man’s contributions to my life. God bless you.