HEROES OF THE FAITH One Minute talks for UCB Radio

HEROES OF THE FAITH

Radio talks by Pastor Paul

JOHN WESLEY

John Wesley is my all time hero of faith. As visitors walk through the main entrance to the Museum of London, they pass by a huge bronze sculpture in the shape of a flame. Inscribed on this sculpture is a facsimile of John Wesley’s journal dated May 24th 1738. Wesley, an Anglican clergyman was nearly 35 by this time. He had tried to live the Christian life in his own strength without any assurance of salvation, but on that day, very near to where the sculpture is, he heard the words of Martin Luther about the change that God works in the heart - by faith in Christ alone - and finally he found it. He went on to share that wonderful message by travelling 250,000 miles all over Britain preaching the gospel for the next 50 years - and through him, many others also put their faith - in - Christ alone.

FRED SQUIRE

One of my personal heroes of faith is the not so well known British evangelist Fred Squire. From the 1930’s to the 60’s many people in the UK and abroad, came to Christ through his ministry - which also included some outstanding miracles of healing. During World War II Fred was involved in sending relief to churches in occupied Europe. After the war these contacts with the continent led him to offer these devastated churches the possibility of sending young people to England to train for the ministry. That’s how, in 1947, Fred Squire, by faith - founded IBTI, the International Bible Training Institute in Burgess Hill, Sussex. Fred died of cancer in 1962 – still believing in divine healing by the way - and because of him, there are ministers and missionaries who are serving God all around the world today. Through them, Fred Squire’s ministry and legacy of faith and vision lives on!

JIM & ELIZABETH ELLIOT

In the 1950’s Jim and Elizabeth Elliot served as missionaries in Ecuador. Jim heard about the Auca (OW –CA) Indians deep in the rain forest who had a reputation for being extremely brutal and had never had contact with the outside world. In 1955 Jim, along with 4 other missionaries began to make contact with the tribe by flying in a light aircraft and lowering gifts to them. Eventually the missionaries landed and set up camp. A small group of the Indians came to meet them quite happily but within days, 10 warriors arrived and all 5 missionaries were martyred. After his death, Jim’s wife Elizabeth decided to stay. Through her work, the tribe was brought to faith in Christ and is still a Christian community today. What heroes! For Jim and Elizabeth Elliot, sharing the good news of Jesus was more important than their own safety or even their own lives! 150

KING DAVID

We first meet King David when he was a just fresh faced young lad who looked after his father’s sheep. But he became a courageous fearless warrior, an outstanding leader, a real man’s man. It seems like he had got everything – on top of that he was a talented musician who wrote great lyrics, he was a brilliant organiser, he was handsome and women loved him – it’s sickening and I can’t relate to him because I can’t compete with him in any way – except in one thing - his humanity. He was very talented - but he was not perfect - I can relate to that! Yet God said that he was a man after His own heart or a man who had a heart that sought after God. Now that’s something I can learn from David and I really want to be a man after God’s heart like him! How about you?

CORRIE TEN BOOM

Some years ago I was sitting in the back of a pastor’s car in Orange County, USA. As he was driving, his wife was sitting in the front, and she was saying how Corrie Ten Boom was then living in California. She turned to me and said “I would miss my husband’s funeral for the chance to meet her!” During World War II Corrie Ten Boom’s family had sheltered Jews in their house in occupied Holland. In 1944 the family was arrested and Corrie and her sister Betsy ended up in a concentration camp where their Christian witness was a great encouragement to the other prisoners there. As Betsy was dying there in the prison camp, she said to Corrie “There is no pit so deep that God is not deeper still.” When Corrie was released, she spent the rest of her life sharing that message of hope and teaching about the power of forgiveness.

BILLY GRAHAM

I was in the Earl’s Court Arena at a Billy Graham meeting on June 16th 1966 when Cliff Richard was invited to come forward to the microphone. This highly successful, confident young man seemed slightly nervous, but he boldly proclaimed that he had become a born again Christian. Billy Graham’s gift for winning souls was matched by his gift for winning friends. He was the confidant of Presidents and had the respect of countless celebrities including Sir Cliff, and other people in high places including the Queen - but he never compromised the message of the gospel. His often repeated phrase in preaching was: “the Bible says.” His whole life has been devoted to proclaiming the God of the Bible, the truth of the Bible and the Bible’s message of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ and because of that, millions have heard - and countless thousands have come to faith through his ministry.

DIETRICH BONHOEFFER

Over the entrance to Westminster Abbey, are the statues of ten, 20th century heroes of faith who also became martyrs. The group includes Dietrich Bonhoeffer the German Pastor who courageously resisted the Nazi’s from the very beginning. Two days after Hitler became Chancellor in 1933, Bonhoeffer spoke on the radio warning people not to be deceived - and his voice was the first to be raised against Hitler’s persecution of the Jews. In 1938 Bonhoeffer went to America but he quickly decided this was a mistake, and returned to Germany saying: “I will have no right to participate in the reconstruction of Christian life in Germany after the war - if I do not share the trials of this time with my people.” He was executed on the orders of Hitler just before the end of the war in 1945 but his legacy of righteousness and heroic resistance of evil, lives on to this day.

FANNY CROSBY

Not many people know that Bing Crosby was a distant relative of Fanny Crosby the famous 19th century American hymn writer whose lyrics for Blessed Assurance and To God be the glory are still sung around the world today. Fanny, who became blind soon after she was born, wrote the words to almost 9,000 hymns over a period of 50 years. She could have been very rich but she said: “from the time I received my first cheque for my poems, I made up my mind to open my hand wide to those who needed assistance.” She gave to the poor and worked in Rescue missions for the homeless and destitute – regarding that as her real ministry. Fanny set a goal of winning a million people to Jesus through her hymns, and whenever she wrote a hymn she prayed it would bring women and men to Christ. That prayer is still being answered!

WILLIAM CAREY

William Carey the 18th Century pioneer missionary was a self-confessed plodder. He said “I can plod - I can persevere” and this stood him in good stead for his future work. He was just a poor shoemaker but after his conversion he began to teach himself New Testament Greek, then Hebrew. In 1792 he opened a missionary society declaring: “Expect great things from God – attempt great things for God.” Carey took his family to India where they endured great hardships – he personally contracted malaria, one of his sons died of dysentery and his wife became mentally ill. In all of this William plodded on. Over the next 28 years he translated the Bible into all the major languages of India and although he could count only 700 converts out of all the millions of India, William Carey laid a foundation that has inspired many others to attempt great things for God ever since.

DANIEL

In Sunday school many of us learned about Daniel in the lion’s den. As a young man Daniel took a stand - in a way that was wise beyond his years – he graciously requested not to eat food that was unclean according to his faith. After a long career as a valued interpreter of dreams and high official for King Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel also served with great distinction when Darius the Mede conquered Babylon. Out of jealousy other courtiers hatched a plot to trap Daniel by advising the king to publish a decree that no one could pray to anyone for 1 month except to the King himself. Knowing the consequences, Daniel fearlessly did what he always did - and continued to pray 3 times a day. That’s how he ended up stopping the mouths of lions. It’s not just a Sunday school story - Daniel was truly an uncompromising hero of faith.

DOCTOR LUKE

Luke was part of Paul’s apostolic team and in his spare time he worked on writing his gospel and the book of Acts. Being a doctor he was trained to work with accurate facts. He was totally open about how he had researched and personally spoken with key people in the events he recorded. Luke may not have been an evangelist or teacher of the calibre of Paul, but he worked within his gifting - and what a gift that is for us living 2,000 years after the events! If it was not for Dr Luke we would not have most of the Christmas story, or 19 of the parables including the Good Samaritan, and the Prodigal son, or 6 miracles including the healing of the 10 lepers. Also thanks to Luke we have the only record of the 1st century church - what a hero Luke is for recording all of that for us!

DORCAS

When I was teenager, one of my favourite stories in the book of Acts was the raising of Dorcas from the dead through the ministry of the Apostle Peter. The impressive thing about Dorcas is the way in which she was so sorely missed by her friends when she died. The reason for that was that she had worked tirelessly to help others - especially poor people who could not repay her. She made clothes and many other articles for people in Joppa and inspired others to work with her. People like Dorcas who live to serve and selflessly give of their time and talents, often at their own expense - expecting nothing in return - are the salt of the earth. There’s not enough heroes like that in the world, but maybe this could be the day that more of us could join the ranks of the Dorcas brigade.

JOYCE

Joyce is one of my heroes of faith. Joyce is housebound and really the only time that she gets out is to go to her frequent hospital appointments. The rest of the time she is at home – yes people come to see her because she is good company, but those times are fleeting. Other times Joyce is alone and she spends many hours praying – oftentimes in the middle of the night because she can’t sleep because of pain or discomfort. When our family had a big problem that went on for 18 months I turned to Joyce knowing that she would pray – and she did – and lots of prayers were answered - until finally the day came when that particular problem was over, the breakthrough came and the victory had been won. Thank God for unsung heroes around the world like Joyce who are faithful intercessors – they achieve more through prayer than anyone knows.

ERIC LIDDELL

The classic 1981 film, Chariots of Fire features the story of Eric Liddell and his refusal to run the 100 metre race on a Sunday at the Paris Olympics in 1924 but he went on to win a gold medal for the 400 metres instead. This made him famous, but a year later he set out to do what he felt was far more important by going as a missionary to China. He used his sporting skills and his scientific training, to be a teacher – while at the same time sharing the gospel and his Christian values with his pupils. During World War II Eric was imprisoned in an internment camp by the Japanese invaders of China, but even there, he just kept on doing what he always did - inspiring young people until he died of a brain tumour in prison in 1945. Eric Liddell was truly a modern day hero of faith.

EDITH CAVELL

Just across from the entrance to the National Portrait gallery in London is a memorial to the First World War heroine, Nurse Edith Cavell. Edith had already established a nursing school and managed 3 hospitals in Belgium so when the war began, she and the nurses she trained, cared for wounded soldiers of all nationalities including German. Her faith inspired her to protect life, even at the risk of her own. She also helped 200 allied servicemen in Occupied Belgium to escape to Holland. Within a year this was discovered and she was sentenced to death by the German authorities. The day before she died she wrote these words: Standing as I do in view of God and eternity I realise that patriotism is not enough. I must have no hatred or bitterness towards - anyone.

FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE

Florence Nightingale is one of my heroes of faith. Perhaps the most succinct and telling summary of her life is to be found on the Memorial to the Crimean war in Istanbul, Turkey, which bears this inscription: "To Florence Nightingale, whose work near this Cemetery a century ago relieved much human suffering and laid the foundations for the nursing profession.” Nurse Nightingale achieved great things in her 90 years but her faith in Jesus Christ was the real lamp of her life. She was compassionate and broadminded and although her own faith was clear, she was against discrimination of any one regardless of their denomination or religion. When a dying prostitute she was nursing expressed her despair Florence told her: "Oh, my girl the real God is far more merciful than any human creature ever was - or can ever imagine.”

GEORGE WHITEFIELD

George Whitefield. As a teenager I was fascinated by the way in which the broadcaster David Frost commuted between America and Britain on a weekly basis to present his TV programs on both sides of the Atlantic. Long before that, 230 years ago, George Whitefield was conducting a transatlantic ministry on journeys by sea that took 12 weeks at a time to preach the gospel. In his lifetime Whitefield preached at least 18,000 times across Britain and America often with tears streaming down his face to crowds of up to 20,000 people. He would often end with these words: “Come poor, lost, undone sinner, come just as you are to Christ” - and they did, in their thousands. If you haven’t done so yet, you can come just as you are to Jesus today.

CHARLES SPURGEON

Charles Spurgeon at the age of just 22 was the most famous preacher of his time. To house the crowds who wanted to hear him he rented Surrey Garden Music Hall in London which held 12,000 people. On October 19, 1856 the place was full, with 10,000 more outside. A few minutes after 6pm someone shouted, “Fire! The galleries are giving way! The place is falling!” Those outside the building blocked the exit of those fighting to escape. Spurgeon attempted to calm things down but in the end 7 people died and 28 were seriously injured. Spurgeon was so devastated by these events that he nearly gave up the ministry. What a loss that would have been - but by God’s grace he came back. If you feel like giving up – wait on the Lord, and He will renew your strength.

APOSTLE PAUL

The Apostle Paul. Like all of our heroes of faith Paul worked extremely hard and achieved great things in his lifetime. We can easily run away with the idea that he was quite a steely character, not easy to get along with and a bit hard on others. So when I say that Paul was actually a very loving person that may come as a shock, but think about it. Who wrote 1 Corinthians 13? And what about when the apostle said goodbye to the Ephesian elders? They kissed him and wept uncontrollably – they loved him dearly because they knew he loved them. The source of Paul’s love was Jesus – Paul loved Jesus because of the way Jesus had changed his life and that made him a hardworking, determined but loveable and loving person at the same time.

ELIZABETH FRY

Up to 2016 the paper £5 notes had a picture of Elizabeth Fry on the back. There is a reason why she is so honoured. Born in 1780 her mother was a member of the famous Barclay banking family. At the age of 18 she was deeply affected by hearing an American preacher and determined to make a difference in the world. She married at 20 and had 11 children but she did not let that stop her. Just one year after the birth of her 8th child she visited Newgate prison in London where the conditions shocked her so much that she started to help the women there. That was the beginning of 32 years of pioneering work which led to many prison reforms. She also helped the homeless & started a school of nursing. - True heroes of faith - put their faith into action.

ISAAC WATTS

Soon after the 2017 General Election, Tim Farron resigned from being the leader of the Liberal Democrats. He explained that it was because remaining faithful to Christ was incompatible with being party leader - and he quoted a hymn by Isaac Watts who is one of my heroes of faith. Isaac Watts who was born in 1674 is known as the Father of English hymnody and rightly so. We still sing many of his wonderfully anointed lyrics today, such as: Joy to the world, O God our help in ages past, and When I survey the wondrous cross. Tim Farron chose to quote from that hymn to explain why he was leaving. He said “I love my political party - so to quit - it would have to be for something - so amazing - so divine that it demands my soul - my life - my all”

JOHN BUNYAN

In England 1660, John Bunyan did not take his opportunity to run away when he heard that he would probably be arrested for preaching the gospel. So he ended up serving 12 years in Bedford prison which although very hard for his young wife with 4 small children, was a Godsend for us. Bunyan was far from idle in jail and wrote a large number of books including Pilgrim’s Progress and the hymn “Who would true valour see” based on that story. Bunyan portrayed the Christian life as a great adventure - and he was right – Pilgrim started his journey of faith by coming to the foot of the cross and having his burden of sin fall from his shoulders. Have you started that greatest journey of all yet? If not, Bunyan’s picture of Pilgrim at the cross is the starting point.

COUNT ZINZENDORF

In 1722, Count Nicolaus von Zinzendorf at the age of 22, offered asylum to a number of persecuted Protestants from Moravia and Bohemia and allowed them to build the village of Herrnhut on his estate in Germany. Within less than 5 years there was conflict between the Moravian people so Zinzendorf personally visited each home for prayer, and finally called the men of the village together to study the Scriptures together which brought about a wonderful reconciliation and revival. From this, the community committed themselves to continuous 24 hour prayer. That was the beginning of a Prayer meeting that lasted 100 years and from that many in the community were called to go out as missionaries. Zinzendorf’s generosity and spiritual leadership resulted in a legacy of pioneering missionary activity the effects of which, continue to this day.

BEAR GRYLLS

Bear Grylls is a real man’s man - a modern day action man hero but he’s not ashamed of the gospel. I read a story about him recently which makes him a real hero in my eyes. A young Christian guy was at an event where Bear Grylls was appearing and asked him for a selfie. Bear not only agreed to that but then proceeded to spend quality time chatting with the young fellow. That speaks volumes about the man. In a day and age where everyone is in a hurry and where so called celebrities are just self-centred egos on legs Mr Grylls had no hesitation in being available. Probably in those few minutes that young man got the equivalent of months of discipleship. After all that is the mission of the church – to make disciples and we can only do that by spending time with people - like Jesus did.

ROBERT RAIKES

I went to Sunday school from being knee high to a grasshopper and have many fond memories of those times. One such memory is when we did a drama about the origins of Sunday school and I played Robert Raikes – one of my heroes of faith, who started the movement in 1870. He was revolutionary because he provided education for boys living in the slums of Gloucester teaching them to read - with the Bible as their textbook, before education was available to all. There were the usual prophets of doom who resisted and complained but by 1831, Sunday schools in Great Britain were attended by one & a quarter million children, something like 25 percent of the population - many of whom had their lives set on the right track because of it. Thank God for people like Robert Raikes who just get on with their vision.

ESTHER

Queen Esther was instrumental in saving the lives of thousands of Jewish people during the reign of her husband King Xerxes in Persia 486BC. The way she went about it is incredible – she was a really cool cat. When Hamman had tricked the king into publishing the edict against the Jews, she began with prayer and fasting and then risked her life by entering the presence of the King uninvited. Thank God he was pleased to see her and asked her what her request was. She simply invited him and Hamman to a feast and even when they came to it she did not rush in like most of us would have done, she issued another invitation and it was between the 2 events that everything unravelled for Hamman. Esther saved the day by keeping her head when Hammon lost his.

BASILEA SCHLINK

Basiliea Schlink was the co-founder and spiritual leader of the Evangelical Sisterhood of Mary in Germany. As a young woman she had learnt with horror of the Nazi extermination of the Jews and she dedicated her life among other things, to seeking forgiveness and reconciliation between Germans and Jews. Basiliea once said: “God wants His wonder-working power and glory to be revealed before all the world. This happens through people who have faith in Him. He is waiting for this to happen through you too. There is a risk-taking element about faith. Dare to put your confidence in Him in a hopeless situation. Then you will be honouring God, bringing joy to His heart and magnifying His name in the sight of others. This in turn will enrich your life and make you happy, and the miracles you experience will strengthen your faith.”

DWIGHT MOODY

Dwight L Moody was a successful evangelist in America and Britain but he was humble enough to listen to others. Two women who supported his ministry were concerned that he seemed “to lack what the apostles received at Pentecost,” and in 1871 he agreed to pray with them regularly. Out of this he says, “I began to cry out as I never did before. I really felt that I did not want to live if I could not have this power.” In 1877 Moody said: “In some sense and to some extent, the Holy Spirit dwells with every believer; but there is another gift, which may be called the gift of the Holy Spirit for service. God has a great many children that have no power and the reason is, they do not have the gift of the Holy Ghost for service.”

SMITH WIGGLESWORTH

Smith Wigglesworth is one of the most outstanding evangelists of all time. Under his ministry thousands were saved and healed. Smith prayed and the blind would see, the deaf were healed, people came out of wheelchairs, cancers were destroyed and 14 people were raised from the dead. Without realising it, 4 people had a big influence on his life. At seven years old his grandmother took him to a revival meeting where he was born again. But he was uneducated and when he tried to testify he burst into tears because of his inability to speak. Three old men came and laid hands on him. Smith said, “The Spirit of the Lord came upon me and I was instantly set free.” We may feel insignificant - but the things we do for others can have a great far reaching impact.

KATHRYN KULMAN

Kathryn Kulman was one of the most outstanding evangelists of her time with crowds flocking to her miracle healing services from the 1950’s to the last one in 1975. But all of that very nearly didn’t happen because in 1938, Kathryn secretly married a preacher who had divorced his wife to be with her. It ruined both of their ministries and eventually in 1948 they were divorced. According to her own testimony, Kathryn wept before God and repented of her great sin and vowed to serve God as a single woman. After that her ministry was restored. She often said: “The world called me a fool for having given my entire life to One whom I’ve never seen but when I look upon that wonderful face of Jesus, I’ll have just one thing to say: “I gave of myself - the best I knew how.”

William Wilberforce

William Wilberforce became MP for Hull when he was just 21 years old. He became a born again Christian 4 years later and about 2 years after that, he began campaigning, along with others, for the abolition of slavery. In 1789 he introduced 12 resolutions in the House of Commons against the slave trade, but it took another 44 years of campaigning before the Slavery Abolition Act was finally passed on July 26, 1833, which effectively banned slavery and freed all slaves in the British Empire. Three days later William Wilberforce died. This is one of many examples of how true Christians have changed the world for good. Heroes of faith never give up – that’s how they reach their goal.

George Muller

While Charles Dickens wrote about poor children in Victorian England, George Muller did something about it. In 1836 he and his wife opened their own home to care for 30 orphan girls and over his lifetime Müller cared for over 10 thousand orphans and opened 117 schools giving Christian education to more than 120 thousand children. He never appealed for funds - instead he prayed - and saw around 113 million pounds in today's money come in. On one famous occasion the children had given thanks for their breakfast but there was no food. As they finished praying, a baker knocked on the door with bread for everyone and a milk cart had broken down in front of the orphanage, so the milkman donated it all to them. More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of.

Mary Slessor

Mary Slessor was born in Scotland in 1848. Her father was an alcoholic, and they lived in the slums of Dundee, but her mother was a devout Christian and very interested in missionary work. Mary was a strong character and wanted to walk in the shoes of David Livingstone so after training in Edinburgh she set sail for Nigeria at the age of 28. She quickly learned the language and made friends wherever she went, teaching and standing up for women. One of the many great things she did was to bring an end to the practice of killing twins which the tribes believed were conceived by evil spirits. Most of all she preached Jesus and left a legacy in Nigeria that lives on to this day which is a testimony to her courage and hard work done in the name of Jesus.

Lord Shaftesbury

This is Pastor Paul Hodgson with one of my heroes of faith. Lord Shaftesbury was a contemporary of Charles Spurgeon who described him as the best man of the Age and a man most firm in his faith in the gospel. Over many years Lord Shaftesbury campaigned in Parliament for many reforms – such as the treatment of the mentally ill, child labour, miners’ conditions, education, housing and animal welfare. All of this came out of his strong evangelical Christian faith - which came not from his parents who were distant and quite cruel to him as a child, but from the family housekeeper Maria Millis, who showed him Christian love, telling him Bible stories and teaching him to pray. This formed the basis of his work for the poor and disadvantaged. Maria Millis is not famous like Lord Shaftsbury, but that sweet woman made all the difference to him and to us today.

Augustine

Augustine is considered by many to be the most important thinker of early Christianity. In 386AD he was in conflict about his sinful lust-filled life - but on reading Paul’s letter to the Romans he was convicted of his sin and wept his way to God. After that, he wrote his famous Confessions, and we have over 5 million of his words. He wrote this wonderful prayer:

“Lord Jesus, our Saviour, let us come to You.

Our hearts are cold; Lord, warm them with Your selfless love.

Our hearts are sinful; cleanse them with Your precious blood.

Our hearts are weak; strengthen them with Your joyous Spirit.

Our hearts are empty; fill them with Your divine presence.

Lord Jesus, our hearts are Yours; possess them always and only for Yourself.”

John Newton

In 1773 John Newton had become an Anglican clergyman and he wrote the hymn Amazing Grace to go with a sermon he was about to preach about all that God had done in his life, including his shame at having been the captain of slave ships. It is amazing how that song - which has been recorded by Elvis Presley and countless others, seems to resonate with so many people. But the sad thing is - so many, will not receive that amazing grace - because there is only one way to experience it - by believing in Jesus. As the apostle Paul said, It is by GRACE you have been SAVED, through FAITH. GRACE is the gift of God and when we receive His GRACE - through faith - then we receive the ultimate gift of salvation.

My wife

In June 1989 I married Rosario – a lovely Spanish lady who had grown up in a Catholic family and had become a born-again Christian through the witness of her boss at work. I first met her when I went to preach for the church that was twinned with our church here in the UK. At our wedding service in Spain, she chose to speak the words of Ruth to me, “Where you go I will go, your people will be my people.” After 27 years of faithfully keeping that promise, Rosario was suddenly diagnosed with cancer - and died within 6 weeks but during that time she faced it all without a word of fear or complaint. For me she represents all those who are walking faithfully with God today. Keep doing that to the end and you too, will be a hero of the faith!

Billy Graham - 2

Dr Billy Graham went to be with the Lord at the age of 99 in February 2018 and the world lost one of the greatest evangelists of all time. He had preached to over 200 million people in 185 countries. His Crusade ministry began in 1947 and continued until his 417th Crusade in New York in 2005.

I have a dear friend Peter, who is a retired Police Officer. Back in 1984 during Mission England, he was Billy Graham’s driver. As a thank you, Dr Graham treated Peter and another police officer to dinner - and Peter testifies to the fact that Billy was just the same in private as he was in public. He didn’t spend the evening talking about himself, instead he wanted to know all about their families and their experiences in the Lord. That is the sign of a true man of God.

Nick Vujicic

Nick Voy-a-chich was born in Australia in 1982, but it was a great shock to his Christian parents because he had no arms or legs. They did a wonderful job of bringing him up - but as a child and then particularly as a teenager, he experienced prejudice and rejection, disappointment and depression to the point where he seriously wanted to end his own life. Jesus met with him and since then Nick’s life and testimony has touched millions of people through the books he has written and as he has travelled around the world sharing his story. So, whatever you have to contend with today - or in the future – remember how Nick became an overcomer and better still, remember that Jesus has promised “To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne.”

Catherine Booth & William Booth

Catherine and William Booth were married in 1855. Together they travelled around the country sharing the gospel. One day Catherine Booth walked up the aisle at the end of a morning service and told her husband that she wanted to “say a word.” She explained that she had been disobeying God by her silence.” Although William did not like the idea of women preachers, he invited her to speak that evening, and it was powerful and well received. In 1865 they started a Mission in the poorest part of London which became the Salvation Army. William Booth later wrote: "the best men in my Army are the women." Women and men working together has been one of the greatest means by which the Salvation Army has been able to grow its work around the world - to this day.

Charles Finney

Charles Finney the great American evangelist who was instrumental in the salvation of hundreds of thousands of people in the USA and also here in Britain. Finney knew the importance of powerful intercession and he was soon joined by Daniel Nash. While Finney preached, Daniel would be on his face in prayer, and God answered! Nash died in 1831 but the year before that, was the beginning of the Third Great Awakening followed by another revival in 1857. Finney was involved in both. The Fourth Great Awakening during which around a million people were brought to Christ, is often called the Prayer Meeting Revival since it was birthed out of prayer meetings around the country. This time not just one, but hundreds of men and women paved the way for it by their intercessions. That’s what we need to do again today.

David Wilkerson

As a young married man, David Wilkerson was the pastor of a small church in Pennsylvania. In his bestselling book: The Cross and the Switchblade he tells the story of how he would watch TV late every night just to relax and unwind, but one day he wondered what would happen if he spent those 2 hours praying instead. So reluctantly he advertised the TV in the local newspaper, and it sold straight away. During one of his nightly prayer times he felt called to go to New York to help a gang of boys who were in court on a charge of murder. This led to what became a ministry to young people all over the world called Teen Challenge. Turning off the TV was the beginning of a ministry which has touched the lives of millions! 150

Hudson Taylor

For four years I lived in Barnsley, Yorkshire. I soon discovered that James Hudson Taylor was born there in 1832. At the age of 21 he felt called to go to China and spent the next 51 years reaching out with the gospel in that land. In 1865 he started his own inter-denominational ‘China Inland Mission.’ By 1888 there were 341 missionaries across China. After his death in 1905 the CIM became the Overseas Missionary Fellowship, OMF International, which has over 2000 missionaries serving in Asia today. He said “I myself, am not especially gifted, and am shy by nature, and when I was weak, He taught me in my helplessness to rest on Him. All God’s giants have been weak men who did great things for God because they reckoned on His power and presence with them.”

Joseph

Joseph had a dream - but the mistake he made was to tell others about it. This, plus his father’s display of favouritism towards him caused Joseph to be sold as a slave into Egypt. Any lesser person would have become bitter but he showed that he was determined to be the best slave that he could be and because of that attitude, he was promoted to the highest position in Potiphar’s household. Then, when he was thrown into prison for a crime he had not committed. he once again showed a good attitude and became an exemplary prisoner which led to him eventually being promoted to the highest position in Egypt after Pharoah. The Beatitudes or beautiful attitudes in Matthew’s gospel promise us spiritual blessings if we, like Joseph choose to live them.

Richard Wurmbrand

In 1944, the Soviet Union occupied Romania. Richard Wurmbrand who had once been a diehard atheist with communist sympathies, had become a born-again believer six years before. He denounced government control of the churches and began a ministry to oppressed believers as well as to the Russian soldiers occupying his country. In 1948 he was kidnapped by the secret police and suffered eight and a half years of horrific torture. He was warned not to preach again but because he did, in 1959 he was imprisoned and tortured again. Afterwards he wrote the bestselling book Tortured for Christ. He said “To believe in Him is not such a great thing. To become like Him is truly great.” He also said “Hate the evil systems, but love your persecutors. Love their souls, and try to win them for Christ.”

An Unnamed hero

He is an unnamed hero because I can’t remember his name but he made a big impression on me personally. The first time I went to the USA was with 2 friends. We were all in our mid-twenties and had the opportunity to attend a very small conference at East Hill Church in Gresham Oregan, which had grown from 23 members to over 2,000 in a few short years. During that time we were given hospitality by a very kind brother and his wife. One afternoon he took us to see his elderly father. We had a very pleasant conversation about the things of God and as we got up to leave, the old gentleman said: “Young men!” – He had our attention. “Young men keep the faith!” I still have every intension of doing just that!

Peter Waldo

Peter Waldo of Lyons in France was a rich merchant who was converted around 1175. He began living a radical Christian life, giving his property over to his wife, and the rest of his belongings to the poor. Waldo began to preach and teach publicly, based on his ideas of simplicity and poverty, notably that "No man can serve two masters, God and mammon. His followers, known as Waldensians spread the message using the first translation of the New Testament in French from the Latin. They were excommunicated in 1184 and when the bishop of Lyons also rejected them, the group left the region and began spreading the message all across Europe which continued for centuries in one form or another. Peter Waldo was one of the forerunners of the Reformation over 300 years before the event.

Jan Hus

Jan Hus of Prague was ordained as a priest in 1401 and was a professor at the university. His preaching and writings gained great popularity as he condemned the man-made traditions of the church. Hus was condemned to death and just as he was about to be burned at the stake in 1415, Hus is said to have prophesied that in a hundred years, God would raise up a man whose calls for reform would not be suppressed. Which indeed happened when Martin Luther began the Reformation in 1517. Thank God for heroes like Jan Hus who stood up for the truth of God’s word when it would have been easy to stay silent. We could learn a lot from that in our own day and age when the gospel message is being compromised in many different ways.

Felix Manz

When the Reformation had taken hold in Switzerland there were a group of Protestants who became known as the Anabaptists who wanted the church to get back to its New Testament roots. Among other things they advocated being baptised as believers by full immersion. This evoked strong opposition from the leaders of the Protestant movement at the time who persecuted them harshly in order to stop them. Felix Manz was one of the leaders of the Anabaptists who was appropriately put to death by drowning. It would have been much more appropriate if they had listened to what the Anabaptists were saying. It would have transformed the church instead of just reforming it. It’s not too late for the church today to get as close as possible to the ethos and the practices that we see in the New Testament.

John Wycliffe

John Wycliffe the Master of Balliol College, Oxford was a powerful preacher and the forerunner of the great Reformation doctrine of justification by faith saying: “Beware of seeking to be justified in any other way than by His righteousness.” He put great emphasis on Scripture and initiated the translation of the Latin Bible into English which was completed around 1382. The message was carried by Wycliffe’s preachers, who went out two by two, barefoot, wearing dark-red robes and carrying a staff in their hand, preaching the gospel. Today the Wycliffe Bible translators are continuing the work of Wycliffe himself with the goal of translating the Bible so that by 2033, 99.96 percent of the world’s people will have at least the New Testament in their own language. Let us pray for that goal to be reached.

Enoch

I love walking a praying. Apart from being healthy and good to be in the fresh air, walking helps to concentrate my mind. But even more than that, there is a sense of walking with God while I’m walking and praying. My hero today is Enoch who became the father of Methuselah, the longest living person in history. Enoch devoted himself to walking with God. He did this for 300 years and then one day, as he was walking and talking with God he walked into heaven itself. The book of Hebrews says: “By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.” God likes walking with those who want to walk with Him.

William Wilberforce

George Muller

Mary Slessor

Lord Shaftesbury

Augustine

“Lord Jesus, our Saviour, let us come to You.

Our hearts are cold; Lord, warm them with Your selfless love.

Our hearts are sinful; cleanse them with Your precious blood.

Our hearts are weak; strengthen them with Your joyous Spirit.

Our hearts are empty; fill them with Your divine presence.

Lord Jesus, our hearts are Yours; possess them always and only for Yourself.”

John Newton

My wife

In June 1989 I married Rosario – a lovely Spanish lady who had grown up in a Catholic family and had become a born-again Christian through the witness of her boss at work. I first met her when I went to preach for the church that was twinned with our church here in the UK. At our wedding service in Spain, she chose to speak the words of Ruth to me “Where you go I will go, your people will be my people.” After 27 years of faithfully keeping that promise, Rosario was suddenly diagnosed with cancer - and died within 6 weeks but during that time she faced it all without a word of fear or complaint. For me she represents all those who are walking faithfully with God today. Keep doing that to the end and you too, will be a hero of the faith!

Billy Graham - 2

I have a dear friend Peter, who is a retired Police Officer. Back in 1984 during Mission England, he was Billy Graham’s driver. As a thank you, Dr Graham treated Peter and another police officer to dinner, and Peter testifies to the fact that Billy was just the same in private as he was in public. He didn’t spend the evening talking about himself, instead he wanted to know all about their families and their experiences in the Lord. That is the sign of a true man of God.

Nick Vujicic

Catherine Booth & William Booth

Charles Finney

David Wilkerson

Hudson Taylor

Joseph

Richard Wurmbrand

An Unnamed hero

He is an unnamed hero because I can’t remember his name but he made a big impression on me personally. The first time I went to the USA was with 2 friends. We were all in our mid-twenties and had the opportunity to attend a very small conference at East Hill Church in Gresham Oregon, which had grown from 23 members to over 2,000 in a few short years. During that time we were given hospitality by a very kind brother and his wife. One afternoon he took us to see his elderly father. We had a very pleasant conversation about the things of God and as we got up to leave, the old gentleman said: “Young men!” – He had our attention. “Young men keep the faith!” I still have every intention of doing just that!

Peter Waldo

Jan Hus

Felix Manz

When the Reformation had taken hold in Switzerland, there were a group of Protestants who became known as the Anabaptists who wanted the church to get back to its New Testament roots. Among other things they advocated being baptised as believers by full immersion. This evoked strong opposition from the leaders of the Protestant movement at the time who persecuted them harshly in order to stop them. Felix Manz was one of the leaders of the Anabaptists who was appropriately put to death by drowning. It would have been much more appropriate if they had listened to what the Anabaptists were saying. It would have transformed the church instead of just reforming it. It’s not too late for the church today to get as close as possible to the ethos and the practices that we see in the New Testament.

John Wycliffe

Enoch

young ministers forum

HEROES OF THE FAITH One Minute talks for UCB Radio