Giants in the Land

Last week we passed a huge milestone as two great men in my denomination retired on the same day.

The day was more significant to me because both are family. My father, Norman G. Wilson (left), retired after 33 years as speaker on "The Wesleyan Hour" radio broadcast. By God's grace, he has preached the gospel to millions upon millions of people on six continents of the globe.

My uncle Earle L. Wilson also retired after 24 years as a general superintendent in our church and over 50 years of ordained ministry as a pastor, college president and spiritual leader.

When you're around great men every day, it is easy to take for granted the wisdom, stature, and spiritual power that they have been given. Moments like these clarify the scope of their achievement and value of their gift to the kingdom. I'm blessed to be part of this family and this church.

I was ordained to preach the gospel 21 years ago, and in 21 more years I will be close to the age these men are at retirement. As I enter the last half of my ministry, I'm reflecting on the lessons from these two faithful lives.

Do One Thing

Dad is a preacher, and he has done that consistently and well for some 50 years. He was, in fact, the only person ever hired by the denomination (as opposed to a local congregation) only to preach the gospel. Over the years, various management tasks were added to his responsiblity as General Director of Communications for the church. But he saw himself as a preacher first. He still does.

Earle has been a leader, as anyone who has seen him chair a meeting or speak to a large group can tell you. He moves people. Don't confuse that with being an administrator or manager. (I'd hate to show you some of his garbled emails!)

Each man knew his calling and stayed strictly within it. This is the key to effectiveness in any realm, especially the kingdom.

What is the gift you have been given? What can you do best to advance the cause of Chrsit?

Do that, and don't quit.

Seek Kingdom over Self

My father has been an author and international radio speaker for over three decades. If he had chosen to use that platform to enrich himself, he could easily have done so. Some of the wealthiest people in the church are media preachers.

Yet my dad has been content with his (extremely modest) denominational pay, and the copyrights of most of his books are held by the church. Ignoring the advice that we editors so often give to writers, he has been concerned only with getting the message out, never with building his reputation, protecting his rights, or garnering royalties.

This is one reason he has enjoyed such a long and influential ministry--he has been willing to seek first Christ and his kingdom.

Persevere

You won't complete 50 years of anything without a few battle scars. That is true also of serving Christ, as Paul or John or Peter could also testify. Some of Dad's war stories seem humorous now, after 30 or 40 years, but they they were painful then.

We would like to believe that our moment of greatest effectiveness for the kingdom will coincide with our moments of greatest personal comfort, acclaim, or reward. That's not necessarily true. In fact, it is more likely that our greatest moments of triumph and pain will occur together--as they did for Jesus.

To finish well, you have to finish. To finish, you have to persevere.

Know Your Moment

Both my father and my uncle said "yes" at the right moments. Dad was offered "The Wesleyan Hour" as a part-time job while pastoring a large congregation. It would have been easy to say, "I'm too busy here in the local church to take on any other chores." (Many large church pastors do that today, which is one reason we often have difficulty filling denominational leadership roles.)

But Dad knew when to say when, and he moved from what was one of our most prestigous pulpits at the time to an even greater place of service.

It's also important to know when to stay. Frankly, many people urged my uncle to retire four years ago. He refused, believing that the next four years would be a critical time to exercise leadership. He was right. His replacement by another person of great spiritual stature would have been unlikely four years ago. This was the time.

Discerning which opportunities to take and which to leave alone is no easy chore. It requires vision, focus, and intimacy with Christ. Pursue these, and the yes/no questions become easier.

Remain Faithful

I am proudest of the fact that there is not one ethical or moral blemish on the record of either of these two men. They have had their detractors--even opponents--but no one can lay a charge of improper conduct against them. Here is the definition of holiness: purity leads to spiritual power.

Thankfully, there is grace for those who fail. I revel in it. Let's all aspire to the spiritual authority that comes from a holy life. This is the fuel for effectivness in ministry.

I have perhaps 20 years of ministry remaining, and I don't know for sure what they will bring. I do know what will characterize my effort, however. I will do one thing, do it well, and keep doing it as long as God allows me.

That is my heritage, and I trust it will be my legacy as well--a lifteime of serving Christ.

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