The Open Door

If the Wave Revivals are blessing everybody else as much as they are blessing me, then we have a convention full of happy folks right now! I just got home from preaching a revival meeting at the First Baptist Church of Thomaston where Bill Barber is the pastor. What a delightful church this is! No wonder I have had such a wonderful twelve years in my ministry in Georgia as executive director. There are no finer people on the planet than we have right here in Georgia, and the good folks at First Thomaston are outstanding examples of Georgia's finest.

The congregation consistently packed the sanctuary for the revival services that began on Sunday evening and extended through Wednesday evening. We had noon luncheons on Monday and Wednesday with well over 125 in attendance each day. In addition, I brought home the recipe for marinated carrots from the Monday noon luncheon. They were the best I have ever had! I even promised Janice that I would fix them for her so she could see how good they are. Knowing how I make a mess in the kitchen whenever I try to make something, she said, "No, you don't need to do that; I'll be glad to make them for you."

On Tuesday evening, heaven came down and glory filled our souls! The floodgates opened at the invitation time and a large number of church leadership came forward to make commitments of total devotion to Christ and His church. Two young boys were saved during the revival. Tyler was saved on Wednesday night and Evan was saved on Tuesday night.

On Tuesday night after everyone had come by to shake his hand and congratulate him on his wonderful decision, Evan came over to me, stuck his little hand out to shake my hand and said, "Dr. White, thank you for coming to our church to preach about Jesus." My heart melted right then and there. At once I realized that in that comment, Evan had stated the secret to revival. No revival can take place without the preaching of Jesus. No church can thrive without the preaching of Jesus. No conviction of sin can take place apart from Jesus. No growth in the Christian life can occur without a consistent focus upon Jesus.

"Jesus is the sweetest name I know, And He's just the same as His lovely name, And that's the reason why I love Him so; Oh, Jesus is the sweetest name I know."

As Evan spoke those words to me, my mind flashed back to an African village where I had preached the Gospel. The village was Njoro in Kenya, East Africa. About seventy people were saved that day. Before I left the village, one of the ladies of that village came to me, extended her hand to mine and said, "Thank you for coming to our village to tell us about Jesus." I'll cherish that moment as long as I live. One of these days I'll see that dear lady in glory.

Whether in a First Baptist Church in a beautiful Georgia town like Thomaston, or in a little village in the bush of Africa, the sweetest name that can be spoken is the name "Jesus."

The key to salvation, the key to Christian growth, the key to healthy churches, the key to revival is the name "Jesus!" Preach Jesus, church! Preach Jesus!