What We Leave Behind

John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson, Adolf Hitler, John Wilkes Booth.
Neil Armstrong, Gen. McArthur, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln
Ed Rarick...
As you read that list of famous and infamous people, you might stop and ask, who is Ed Rarick?
Ed Rarick passed away on Saturday morning, 16 September, 2006. At 86, he had lived a full life.
He left behind his wife, children, grandchildren and an entire congregation of people that loved him.
The scripture states that we all face this time. We all have this appointment (Hebrews 9:27) with destiny and we cannot escape it.
So the question is, what will we leave behind?
Let's look at the list above.
John Dilinger and Baby Face Nelson were notorious bank robbers of the Great Depression, Hitler, if I have to tell you, was one of history's worst mass murders, and Booth assinated Pres. Lincoln.
Neil landed on the moon, McArthur liberated the Philippines, George is the father of our country, and Abraham worked to free the slaves.
It is what he left behind that matters
Ed was a man who lead others to Jesus. Who worked in a job, and raised a family. He helped to free men and women from the bondage of sin.
He didn't do what John Dillinger did.
And he isn't famous like Abraham Lincoln, you won't find his face on the next new penny.
He gained his remembrance, not by violence or great deeds, but by how he lived.
We like to remember Abraham, and George. We look up to them and admire their work.
We don't like to remember Hitler or Baby Face and we don't like what they did, but we know who they are. They also left something behind---a lot of hurting hearts, and empty homes.
At worship Sunday morning, each person that lead a part of our worship, at some point, said "I remember Ed...". And a lot of people sitting in the pews were too.
Our pews in our church are empty of several people who have left us because of death. As each one left, they left something behind. A child that grows into a young man that marries and young woman, who together they bring their children to service and start the cycle again. A woman who was hurting a year ago is now thinking of heaven, a boy who misses his mentor, a friend who prayed with him.
We all leave something behind. Either like John Dillinger, or like Ed Rarick.
So the question for us is this, what will we leave behind?

But in keeping with his promise, we are looking forward to new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home. (2 Peter 3:13)

They say you can't go home again, and I guess that might be true, but then who wants to? I look forward to my new home when I leave this home for good.
As I look out over the town where I live, I see quite a beautiful sight, the trees, the blue sky, you would think, why would you want to leave this?
Because, as you look closer you see trash on the street, potholes and rough roads, rundown homes, traffic congestion, air pollution, and other things. In other words, you see the world as you slowly age and it along with you. This is not a perfect world.
Home means family, warmth, protection, the hearth, the place to relax, to rest.
The question is do you want to go home? Do you look forward to home? Going to the best house, never made by human hands?

Until next time, on my front porch.

Then Peter said to them, Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ to remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

(Acts 2:38)

There it was, on the radio, a woman calling into a talk show on the local religious station, “and my daughter accepted Jesus into her heart”.
I am sure you have heard that expression more times than you can name, and so have I. And I just started to wonder about it….
“When they heard this, they were pierced to the heart. They asked Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what should we do?"
(Acts 2:37)
And Peter responded “Bow your heads and ask Jesus to come into your heart.”
Naw, he didn’t say that, I made that up. What he did say was this:
“Then Peter said to them, Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ to remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. “(Acts 2:38)
There seems to be a large difference here.
Now, before you go off and quote to me the following verse:
“Because if you confess the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. “ (Romans 10:9)
Then, as I heard the other night, just bow your head and pray...so forth and so on, I just don't read that in the scripture. What I read is
“What are you waiting for now? Get up, be baptized, and have your sins washed away as you call on his name.'(Acts 22:16
Now, we are not going to debate baptism, what the question is, “What must I do?”


And leading them outside, he said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? They answered, "Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you and your family will be saved." At that hour of the night he took them and washed their wounds. Then he and his entire family were baptized immediately. (Acts 16:33)
Hmmmm, believe, be baptized, call on the name of Jesus, and if you look more into the scripture, repent, confess; hmmmmmmmmmm maybe there is more to this than just a prayer? Think on these things.
Until next time on my front porch.