How Will You Meet Jesus?
by Brother Johnny Campbell B.A.D.F.
I have seen saints die with a smile on their faces. I have watched them die with tears in their eyes. I have seen them die with a song on their tongue.
How will you die?
I want to die in Victory Lane
I know that we are in a race. Lots of preachers think its not a race they are in, but a demolition derby. You know, knock everybody else out that’s not as fast as they are, causing them to wreck.
Here are how some disciples were paid for following Jesus:
Philip was scourged, put in prison and then crucified
Paul was beheaded
Matthew was slain with the sword
James was beaten, then stoned to death
Andrew was crucified
Mark was dragged to death
Peter was crucified upside-down
Jude was crucified
Bartholomew was beaten and crucified
Thomas was speared to death
Luke was hanged
Barnabas was stoned
The last to die, with the only non-violent death, was John, although they tried several times.
When I read how these Christians died it makes me weep to think how these Christians suffered and died for their Faith.
I say, “What’s wrong with Johnny that I bear no scars?” What splendor in that they died in offering their bodies, beat and tortured for Christ.
In February 2004 Pastor John Kelley a Baptist preacher from Rhode Island was buried. He had been on a mission for God, planting churches in Baghdad. One minute he is passing out Bibles, then a second later he is facing Jesus. Oh, that’s how I want to die! On the battlefield, doing something for the sake of Christ!
I would not mind dying while preaching on a Sunday morning.
I would not mind dying while praying on my knees with a sinner. It would be great to meet God in that position, with a Bible in my hand.
Lester Roloff died in a plane crash with his Bible against his chest. What a way to meet God!
My mentor, Maze Jackson died doing what he loved best; preaching.
Remember the young seventeen year old girl in the Columbine High School shooting? She died saying, “I am a Christian!” She was killed from a gun shot. As soon as she answered, she was in Heaven. What a way to meet Jesus! testifying about his saving Grace!
My friend; What posture are you going to be in when you die? On your knees, preaching or being tortured while testifying?
I got to thinking that there are some ways that I don’t want to meet the Lord. He gave me this body. He gave it to me to live in. I want to magnify him with my life, and my body.
Think with me about some ways that I don’t want the Lord finding me doing with my body parts.
I don’t want to meet the Lord with Knocking Knees
| Daniel 5:6 (KJV) Then the king’s countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another. |
I don’t mind dying on my knees praying for some sinner, but not my knees knocking for fear that I am fixing to meet GOD.
I know that every knee will bow. Can you imagine how those rag head’s knees were shaking on 9-11, thinking they were going to Paradise and getting them seventy two virgins, and in an instant they were kneeling before a JEW! I know their knees were shaking. I don’t want to meet Him with knocking knees, but bended knees.
I have seen dying sinners whole body’s shake in convulsions, knees knocking, trembling out of control for fear of what was on the other.
I don’t want to meet the Lord Lying Down
| 1 Samuel 3:2 (KJV) And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see; |
Here is the pastor, sound asleep. I don’t want to meet the Lord lying down asleep. We have multitudes that are not standing for Jesus, but lying down on the job! Pastors, Evangelists and Deacons! I guess that’s why they call themselves lay workers. AMEN.
“Now I lay me down to sleep” is their prayer.
I say that if a lot of these “lay workers” (not all) spent more time visiting, instead of on a computer, we could get a lot more done. But, they are addicted to the PC.
You and I knew of preachers who preached against them until they got one of their own. So, now they are great! You say, “Why?” Because they are addicted, that’s why.
I don’t want to meet the Lord with a Stiff Neck
| Exodus 32:9 (KJV) And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people: |
Remember when Moses was coming down from the mountain, the children of Israel were making a golden calf. Then God told Moses, “I am fed up with these people. Moses, they are STIFF NECKED.” I know they had to be Baptists, because the Bible says that they were naked and dancing.
Stephen had the same problem – preaching to stiff necked people.
I do the same every week of my life. I meet this stiff necked crowd.
I don’t want to meet the Lord with Pooched Lips
| Matthew 21:15 (KJV) And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David; they were sore displeased, |
Look! The children were weeping with joy. But it says that some were “sore displeased.” If that ain’t a Baptist, I will eat your dirty socks! Upset, pooched out lips. You need a pacifier, don’t you you big tiddy baby. Always pouting about something — “well, they didn’t shake my hand. I’m going to quit preaching!” I say, “Go, get yourself an honest job!”
I don’t want to meet the Lord with A Pointing Finger.
You know, blaming everyone else why you can’t serve God! You can do anything that you want to do. But you like to point a finger at some preacher who says that you can’t serve. You like that to relieve you of your responsibility! But, Brother Finger, it does not relieve you of your accountability to God, You got that?
I don’t want to meet the Lord with Wandering Feet
| Jeremiah 14:10 (KJV) Thus saith the LORD unto this people, Thus have they loved to wander, they have not refrained their feet, therefore the LORD doth not accept them; he will now remember their iniquity, and visit their sins. |
They love to wander from church to church, never satisfied. They love to wander from campmeeting to campmeeting, looking for that special meeting. You know: running to and fro. I say, get somewhere and settle down. Stop wandering around. It’s never greener anywhere else. When I find green grass, it’s usually over a septic tank, covering up the manure. AMEN.
I don’t want to meet the Lord with Itching Ears
| 2 Timothy 4:3-4 (KJV) For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. |
Hey Preacher! Tickle us. Make us feel good in our sins! Please dont preach. If you do, let it be current events or prophecy. But, please don’t hit us where we live!
I don’t want to meet the Lord with an NIV “so called” Bible In My HAND
The NIV was written for queers. I can’t even stand to touch one. I cannot stand a pack of cigarettes in my hand either.
I had a Johnny The Baptist sign that was stolen in Resaca, GA. It was stolen by preachers from the Bible school there! Now that’s some education they are getting there, eh? I guess they could not find “THOU shalt not steal” in their Bibles!
I would like to meet the Lord with Gospel Tracts and a King James Bible in my hand. I want to lift up holy hands to JESUS.
I don’t want to meet the Lord with Alcohol On My Breath
R.G. Lee said that as bad as he needed hair, if he thought that one hair on his head enjoyed alcohol, he would pull that one hair out.
I don’t want to meet the Lord with Hatred in my Heart
I don’t want to meet the Lord with a Gossiping Tongue
I don’t want to meet the Lord with Eyes full of adultery, or Pride
I don’t want to meet the Lord with a Dancing Foot
You see GOD ain’t never made a dancing foot and a praying knee on the same leg.
I don’t want to meet the Lord with A Dirty Mind
I want my thoughts and the intents of my heart to be clean before my God.
How do you keep a clean mind? Praying and staying in His Book. Don’t ever let your mind to be idle, because it is the devil’s workshop. Paul said to give no place to the devil. That means don’t give him any time.
I have a message that I preach called “Thirty Minutes With The Devil.” Just listen to him, instead of saying “get behind me Satan,” and you will be like David of old – letting the devil talk to you even five minutes will destroy you, like David did Uriah and his wife Bathsheba. I want the Holy Spirit to help me keep my mind on things that are pure.
So I want to take every part of my body to be used for JESUS service.
What about you? Are you totally sold out, every part of your body? Can you say, “Come Lord Jesus. I am not ashamed. This body is your temple.”