“I have served God all my life. I have had a good life. You should serve God all your life! It is a good life!” Dr. J Boyd Lyons
As I sat down at a family gathering just a few weeks ago, I overheard my father give these poignant words to his grandsons. The words of a man who had served our Lord faithfully for 70 years. Only weeks before, my father was encouraging his church staff in Manila during an online meeting.
“I have served God all my life. I have had a good life. You should serve God all your life! It is a good life!” Dr. J Boyd Lyons Click To TweetAmazing…a warrior to the end.
Most people knew my father as Dr. Lyons, Pastor Lyons, Missionary Lyons. I just knew him as Dad. But what an example my Dad has been to me. What a privilege to be born into his family. From the beginning of my life, my father was a pastor. When I was just an infant, he chose to leave his home country and live out his life in a megacity, win souls, train preachers, plant churches, and model unselfish service to people around him.
Leaving home was an early choice of Boyd Lyons. He grew up on a farm in southern Iowa and left home to study at Baptist Bible College, Springfield, Missouri. Found my mother in college and they began a lifetime of ministry together. My father left his college hometown and moved to Syracuse, New York to plant a church. Church planting burned in his blood from his early days! Served in churches in the Southeastern United States and then pastored in Bartow, Florida. My brother, my sister, and I were all born in Bartow! Then, he left his home in Bartow, finished the Missions Course at Baptist Bible College, and moved to Manila.
Recently, I stood on the shore overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. As a four-year-old child, I have vague memories of standing with my father as we sailed under the bridge for the Philippines. All missionaries left for their fields on ships those days. My father shared with me recently his thoughts about that moment. A prayer was breathed to God, “Well, God, there’s no turning back now! I am completely in Your hands.” What faith! No survey trip, no video of where he was bringing his young family to, limited phone calls, not even a visa to enter the country! Just raw unbridled faith. Oh, I wish there was more of that kind of faith found in the hearts of young men today! Just a call, but, a call is powerful! A call to serve God can carry you for decades, even for 70 years of faithfulness! The call carried my father for all those years…the same call has carried me for nearly 40 years.
My father spoke with me about my call to ministry often. His words ring in my ears today. “Greg, follow what God calls you to do. Don’t listen to people who discourage you, just focus on what God wants you to do!”
Dr. J. Boyd Lyons led the Baptist Bible Church, Sta. Mesa, Manila for over 50 years. The church was founded by Frank Hooge, an iconic missionary who arrived in Manila just after World War II ended. The church celebrated its 70th Anniversary in 2019. Hooge led the church for 16 years until 1966 when my father became the pastor. I had the privilege of serving there as Interim Pastor and Senior Pastor for five years (1987-1992). Lyons led the church for over a half-century. More than 300 churches have been planted through Baptist Bible Church since its birth. What a heritage! Do the math, that is a new church plant every 90 days for 70 years! Incredible! Dozens of cross-cultural missionaries have been sent out. A Bible College was established by Lyons to train preachers. God used a farm boy to do some great things.
My Dad always gave God the glory. Lyons is one of the under-reported missionaries of his time. And that is how he wanted it. In an interview, after speaking to 600 pastors about giving to missions, he was asked, “How many churches have been planted through your ministry?” My Dad said, “I really don’t know. You know…I really don’t need to know. I’m happy to wait until I get to heaven to know that. I don’t want to get the ‘big head’ here on earth! I did it all for God anyway.”
There are many more stories about my Dad. Today, my Dad knows the fruit and impact of his life’s work. Dad is with Jesus…and with my Mom. I am blessed to carry his name and carry forth his legacy of service.
May Dr. J. Boyd Lyons’ life inspire you and those in your orbit of influence to give their lives to serve Jesus. The world is still so lost. The need for missionaries is greater than ever before. Dad would be honored to know that many would follow his example of unbridled faith!
Boyd’s son,
Greg
Click here to read BBFI Missionary Spotlight: Boyd Lyons from the Spring/Summer 2019 edition of the Baptist Bible Tribune.
