by Linzy Slayden
Has someone ever left such an imprint in your life that it made them unforgettable? A mark larger than life? An imprint that made you yearn to be a better person?
Our Fellowship family lost one of our beloved this month. A special man. A man whose legacy will far outlive even the youngest of us. A man who touched our lives in ways never shared. He was an immense influencer in the Lord’s work in many ways, and places, and over many generations.
Long before I ever met him personally, I knew Dr. John Rawlings was a great man. His reputation and preaching went before him. The Lord used him in a remarkable way.
His life and legacy left such a great impression that we will be able to share a little bit of his philosophy from this point forward. Love Jesus, win souls, build churches, and don’t quit! I think that pretty much sums up his outlook on life.
An emptiness is felt in the lives of many today. A space only as large as the man who filled it. But the memories are even larger. The impact even greater. He was loved and he will be missed.
I could speak of dignity and honor of this man, but since dignity and honor is only the effect of another more basic attribute, it is this attribute of which I now write. I don’t know what to call this in modern language, and that’s probably best, because it is better observed and described than spoken in word.
It is that heart of a soldier of the cross to stand up and move forward.
It is that spirit burdened with the call of God that presses some men to stand and build and rebuild with vision.
It is that inscrutable strength dwelling in the soul of a special person to swim to the top instead of drown in the current.
It is that force of life in some people which causes them to go on, looking ever forward, while others stand confused.
We hold his memory and remember his words to keep going forward and win this world for Christ. Don’t stop. Make your life count.
He was never finished until the day he saw his Lord face to face.
Legacy, heritage, grace, and determination that worked in him will rise and work in others for the glory of the Lord.
By God’s grace there are great preachers among us, but, oh how many more we need, and how much more we need a revival of gospel confidence and the power of God in our preachers and churches.
Dr. John Rawlings is with the Lord. We who remain should thank God for his 99 years of life and the long and honorable service of a mighty man of God and pray that God might continue to bless our Fellowship and the world with such great men.