(Read John 6)
“Because he was from Oklahoma, the Yankee great Mickey Mantle was my favorite person. Every year, when we started a new baseball season, we all argued over who got to be number seven — Mickey’s number,” my Oklahoman friend (B) told me. He holds a Doctorate in Ministry, is President of the Carolina College of Biblical Studies, and is an accomplished pastor. Sometimes overwhelmed by his theological wisdom, he sets me at ease with his country humility and graciousness.
“I was born and raised in Tulsa in a Christ-centered blue-collar home,” he continued. “Growing up with that experience is something for which I’m very, very grateful. At the tender age of six, I understood that I had sin in my life, and that separated me from God. I had heard the gospel many times, but in one particular service I sensed that I needed to respond. I never responded to the gospel before, but I was drawn by Jesus’ promise of life everlasting.”
Truly, truly, I say to you, the one who believes has eternal life.
John 6:47
John 6:47 is part of a longer passage in which Jesus teaches the people about the true source of eternal life. The phrase “Truly, truly” is a common expression in John’s Gospel that emphasizes whatever truth is being said. Jesus is teaching that eternal life cannot be achieved through our efforts, good deeds, or religious rituals but is only received by those who believe in Him.
“You said at six, you felt like your sinning separated you from God. That’s a pretty mature feeling to have as a six-year-old,” I questioned him.
“I had a child-level understanding of John 6:47 of Jesus making a promise that He would give life everlasting to me. And I believed it,” (B) declared. “It’s such a glorious feeling to have a sense that you’re free from sin. So, that was six,” he smiled. “A few months later, I was baptized.”
(B) gently responded to my questioning a child’s comprehension of the Gospel or coming to faith. “If a person grew up in a Christ-centered home like I did, I think they get exposed to the truth of right and wrong earlier. A person who didn’t grow up in church might have a view of right and wrong that is often skewed.” A world view of right and wrong, I thought to myself. “They might be slower at seeing the righteousness of God and the awfulness of sin. My parents didn’t shove it down our throats. We were exposed to the scriptures at home every day; it wasn’t just something my parents did on Sunday, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.”
(B) can pull out chapter, verse, and context from anywhere in the Bible without missing a beat. “My parents and our church encouraged the memorization of Scripture. “So even as a young elementary-age and junior-high-age boy, I probably committed several hundred verses of Scripture to memory.” During his formative years, sports were foundational to (B). “I played a lot of baseball. I was pretty good at throwing a ball really, really fast. The coaches made me a pitcher. Baseball was my passion.”
Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.
John 14:19
Our Plans. God’s Promises.
In our conversation, (B) and I talked a lot about promises. No more extraordinary promises exist than what Jesus provided in Scripture. When Jesus said, “Because I live, you will live also,” He promised eternal life. Since Christ is alive, those who believe in Him will also have eternal life. By believing in Jesus, we’re assured that we will never perish. Believing in Jesus means subjecting our inferior plans to His superior promises.
(B) continue to unfold his story to me. “After six years of working for a boss with a mentality that was his way or the wrong way, God opened the door for me to serve as an intern with one of my spiritual heroes. — Chuck Swindoll. I wrote Chuck, thinking I would never hear back, and two weeks later, I got a letter from them that said, ‘Hey, we want to offer you the job as an intern for a year if you want to fly out here and check us out, it’s yours to turn down.’”
In much the same way I grow from my exchanges with (B), he grew immeasurably from his year-long stint with Chuck Swindoll. “I had to pinch myself. That year was the best year of my life in some ways. In person, he is just like he is on the radio. He’s great. He always has a smile on his face, easy to laugh. God opened the doors for that to happen.”
That’s how God does it. He takes our plans and delivers them according to His promises and grace.
Eventually, God opened the door for (B) to come to North Carolina in 1989 to plant a new church in a quiet community known more for its spectacular golf courses than its beauty and scenery. “We were there for 14 years, and God blessed it all; they were really good to us, and we loved them.” Eventually, God’s plans took (B) and his wife further east to a growing Bible College 45 minutes away to be an adjunct professor. (B) explained, “You might be asking why in the world would you leave Pinehurst and a good job as Pastor to come to the Bible College in Fayetteville?”
“To me, the bottom line was if God could use the college, and maybe me as a little part of that, to disciple even ten men and women to serve Christ, that would be a really good investment in my life. We love it!” he smiled. Resonating like the warmth of a North Carolina afternoon, he continued, “We put the Bible at the center of everything we do. Jesus said he would build his church, not build Bible colleges. So, we understand our role is to train leaders to serve in the local church.”
(B) reflects the love of Jesus, whether in a public venue of strangers or the company of his close friends. I’ve only known him for a few months, but an authenticity about him tells me this is who he is to the core. Jesus told His disciples to love one another as Jesus loved them. Remember that Jesus washed His disciples’ dirty, dusty feet earlier in the Gospel of John. We must serve one another regardless of status, rank, and privilege. Taking the form of a servant is what it looks like to love Jesus.
“Sports taught me a lot. It taught me about winning and losing, being a gracious winner and gracious loser. And at a sports team level, you can’t win on your own. You have teammates; I couldn’t strike out the side every game. And so, I had to have eight defenders on the field with me to get ground balls, pop flies, whatever. And when we’re on the offense, I didn’t hit a home run every time I got to the plate.”
So then, many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that by believing you may have life in His name.
John 20:30-31
John only included a few of the many miracles that Jesus performed to focus his readers on the most important message: that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. He also wanted to show that Jesus’ resurrection was not a myth but an actual historical event.
(B) unpacked it further. “John 20 verses 30 and 31 are written for a person to have life everlasting. In John’s 21 chapters, he uses the word “believe” 100 times, and I tell my students here at the college, what do you think John wants his readers to get?” We both broke out in laughter. I wanted to raise my hand and answer, but (B) was on a roll. “This is Jesus making a promise. So what’s the condition for receiving the promise? Believe. I don’t have to do 67 good things. Just believe Jesus. He gives me life and starts working on me to make me more like Him.”
“So what’s your favorite Bible verse?” I asked.
Chuckling to himself, (B) replied, “Asking a Pastor what his favorite passage of Scripture is, it’s the one I’m preaching this week.” (B)’s education includes a Bachelor’s degree in Pastoral Theology, Master’s in Biblical Studies, Master’s in Divinity, and Doctorate in Ministry. Still, despite these lofty accolades, he has a loving, giving, and serving heart. “When we are filled with the Spirit, we have the power to live the Christian life and to accomplish God’s purposes in the world.”
Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.
Ephesians 3:20-21
Paul first prayed for others; then, He led him to a benediction. (B) explained, “When I live this, the God we have will do everything. He’s not a genie in a bottle, but He can do far more than I can ever imagine. I either have a big God and small problems or a small God and big problems.” How great is God that saved me? If he can do all that, how great is He!”
Mickey “the Mick” Mantle left his family in Oklahoma at 19. He had a career batting average of .298, hit 536 home runs, and drove in 1,509 RBIs. Mantle appeared in 12 World Series, winning seven championships, and holds World Series records for the most home runs, RBIs, extra-base hits, runs, walks, and total bases, and has the highest World Series on-base and slugging percentages. Chronic, painful injuries marked his career, and his life was stifled by carousing, alcoholism, and relentless fear of premature death.
Second baseman Bobby Richardson and Mickey Mantle were teammates on the Yankees from 1955 to 1966. They were very different personalities. Richardson was a quiet, devout Christian, while Mantle was outgoing and flamboyant. They shared a love of baseball, a commitment to winning, and supported each other through difficult times. Richardson has said that Mantle was “like a brother” to him. He admired Mantle’s talent and his competitive spirit. Mantle, in turn, respected Richardson’s work ethic and dedication to the game. After retiring from baseball, they remained close friends.
In his book, Impact Player, Richardson described his final conversation with Mantle just days before Mickey died.
The Mick asked Richardson to pray for him. Upon arriving at the hospital, Richardson told Mantle that as a young boy, he asked God to forgive his sins and received Jesus as Lord and Savior. Mantle immediately replied, “That’s just what I’ve done. I have received Jesus Christ as my Savior, and I am trusting in Christ’s death for me to take me to heaven.”
Richardson and his wife went back to visit Mickey for their last encounter. When asked by Betsy Richardson why God should let him into heaven, Mantle replied, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
Our big God with a capital “G” can do anything. (B) concluded, “God’s not limited or bound by us being great guys; if we make him available to us, he can get the job done. How great is He!” Just believe.
Key Applications:
- Recognize the importance of faith. John 6 teaches us that we must have faith in Jesus Christ for eternal life. We know we don’t understand everything but Believe in Him and His message. Put all things on Him.
- Is Jesus first in your life? Jesus calls us to follow Him, meaning we should be willing to put Him first in our lives and obey His commands. Pray each day this week that Jesus our Lord is first and foremost above everything else.
- Trust in God’s provision for your physical and spiritual needs, even in times of scarcity or difficulty.
Where else in your life can you live out the teachings of Christ? Look for next week’s Devotion.