Jump Start # 3469

Hebrews 11:38 Men of whom the world was not worthy, wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground.

Paul Earnhart has died. He passed into the eternal last Wednesday. Paul was an amazing preacher. He was an encourager. He was a help. And, for countless in spiritual Israel today, we knew him as a friend. The tributes have poured in from so many who loved him, learned from him and were touched by his life.

If I could build a modern Mount Rushmore, I’d have the face of Paul Earnhart, along side of Dee Bowman on that mountain. But Paul would have none of that. He’d tell you immediately that he doesn’t belong up there. He’d remind you in his kind manner, that all honor belongs to the Lord.

Here are some things that impressed me about Paul:

First, he was a man of the book. As he preached and as he wrote, it was always about the Lord. His dress was simple. His speech filled with Scripture. There was nothing about him that would draw attention to him. It wasn’t charm, flash, or being cute in his nature. He’d tell you that he was just a common preacher. But the insights he brought and the way he opened Scripture, he put the Lord right before your eyes. He brought passages to life and made Christianity practical, possible and desirable. When you heard Paul preach, you just wanted to be good.

Second, Paul was a friend to preachers. He loved us. He was kind to us. And, in just a few words he could lift our spirits and help us in our work and our journey. Having Paul in the audience made most of us nervous, but he would be the biggest encourager. Just a couple years ago, we had a cancelation in our summer series at Charlestown Road. Our theme was specific and the topic was about older Christians. When looking for a fill in, we turned to bro. Earnhart. He voice was soft spoken but what he said was powerful and as I looked about, nearly everyone was taking notes. He emphasized finishing the race and never retiring from the Lord. Words spoken from a man who lived that way. Long after many have retired, Paul was preaching everywhere he could. He preached until the Lord stopped him.

Third, Paul was kind. His smile when you walked up to him just warmed your heart. He could say things in just the right way that would help you. He was truly a friend.

There are a few things that came to my heart when I heard of Paul’s passing.

First, we are blessed to have known him and been a friend to him. His model of preaching Christ, being humble, and doing good is something we will long remember. Our hearts have been strengthened by his life. There will be others coming along who never knew Paul Earnhart. A true giant in our times. What a blessing for so many of us to say that we heard him preach.

I have talked to old timers who said that they saw Babe Ruth play. That is something they always remembered. Among disciples, it will long be remembered that we got to hear Paul Earnhart preach. That will always be something special to us.

Second, the torch is being passed on to us whether we are ready for that or not. Those wonderful heroes that helped us are crossing the river to the other side. Robert Turner. Dee. Paul. Ed. Their writings helped us. They weathered storms and criticism and stayed the course. Dee once told me that it all came from Paul. Paul would tell me it all came from Sewell. But that generation has laid down their pens. Their voices are now nearly all silent. And, to those of my age, it falls to us. That’s scary. We cannot be what they were, but we must do what we can. There is a generation following us. We must set forth a path that points to the Scriptures and be the kind encouragers and helps as these spiritual giants were to us. We must work hard to set forth examples of Biblical preaching, encouraging and kindness. We don’t want to be the cause for some to quit. We don’t want to be too busy that we do not have the time for others. The torch is in our hands. We must wave it so all can see it.

Third, the glory of the Lord is what defines the life of Paul Earnhart. His love for the Lord showed in his preaching, his writing and his living. He truly loved the Lord. May we come to know and love the Lord that way. I love Paul Earnhart. We had a special conversation about a long ago forgotten preacher named Henry Fricklin. Fricklin was one of the last living pupils of legendary J.W. McGarvey. Late in his life, Fricklin lived with Paul Earnhart. We loved to talk about those things.

I love the Lord. Had it not been for Jesus, I would have never known this Paul Earnhart. Heaven shines a bit brighter the more we know people on the other side.

The world has little time or place for someone like Paul Earnhart. It didn’t for the heroes of Hebrews 11 either. But for you and I, there were giants walking among us and we got to know them. May we live well, do good, and help all. May we bring Jesus before the eyes of the world.

I a blessed to have crossed paths with Paul Earnhart.

Roger

Jump Start # 2808

Hebrews 11:38 “(men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground.”

Last Saturday I watched a video tribute to a great man of faith. I knew this man personally and was honored that he remembered me. A giant among scholars, known throughout the world as a first class historian, author, editor, but to most of us, simply a preacher of the ancient ways. His words were, “I’m seeking Zion,” which reminded all of us what we are about. His name was David. He had a PhD. But most of us simply called him, “Ed,” from his middle name. He passed away last week.

On his tribute video spoke some of the giants of faith in our times. Great gospel preachers. Each of them would deny that claim and simply like to be known as nothing more than servants of Christ. But each of them have preached to thousands of people worldwide and have kept the flames of pure N.T. Christianity burning brightly in a time and age when so many are crying for change.

As I watched that video, I was so thankful to not only know each of these men, but to be known by them. And, I realize from our verse today, that these men have not slept in caves, holes in the ground or wandered about in deserts, however, in many ways the world is not worthy of the wonderful sacrifice, enormous love, and unending dedication that each of them have to the cause of Jesus Christ. Cooperstown is the sacred home for Baseball’s greats, and in Hollywood, there is the “Walk of fame,” but among brethren, dear to our hearts ought to be the names of men who for decades kept us close to the book and moving in the direction of Heaven. A generation is passing through that doorway of death. Their work here is nearly done. We wonder who will fill these shoes that they have worn for so many years. Who will carry the torch to remind us that we are primitive Christians following that path first walked by those early disciples?

When you count your blessings, among them ought to be that you in your life got to hear noble preaching from men like Sewell Hall, Brent Lewis, Bob Owen, Paul Earnhart, Dee Bowman, and now on the other side, Ed Harrell. What a blessing these men have been. What good they have done for us. As they round third base and head for home, that heavenly home, this generation ought to be thankful to the Lord for them and grateful for their example and love for us.

There are some simple threads running through the hearts of all of these men. Humble, kind and seeking to strengthen the kingdom of Jesus Christ, is what you’ll find in their DNA. They aren’t famous as the world defines that vain word, but they are uniquely dear to the hearts of God’s people.

My life, my work, my heart has greatly been influenced by these men. I love them all. And, I’m saddened that a generation is now upon us who do not realize the good that these men have done. To many, these are a group of old men, which they are. But to Heaven, they are soldiers of Christ who helped a generation stay true to the Lord.

We owe it to them to thank them for their impressive and tireless work in the kingdom of Christ. We owe it to tell their stories to those who do not know them. Stories, not about them, but about how much they loved the Lord, preached His word and would not stop until the Lord called them.

One must wonder what shape the church would be in today had it not been for the powerful preaching and writing that these men did. Pouring their hearts out, night after night, all over the country and all over the world, they have left footprints that lead straight to the Cross of our Lord and on to Heaven. We do not worship these men. We do not hold these men as better than anyone else. They would not stand for any of that. But we can’t help but recognize a lifetime of good that they did.

And for this generation, we have been blessed to have our lives intersect, crisscross and be touched by the good that they have done.

God bless each of you. Heroes in my book.

Roger