Finish Line Faith, 10: We can, we must, tell someone about Jesus

By Matt Proctor*

When I was a Bible college student, I accepted a part-time youth ministry position at a church in town. The preacher, Bob Ely, quickly became a trusted mentor. Bob was the definition of high energy, a dirt bike racer and a biplane pilot. He never walked; he just sort of bounced from one place to another, with a mischievous sparkle in his eye and a smile underneath his mustache.

One of my first memories of Bob was when I’d been working at the church for only a week, and Valentine’s Day was that Friday. I couldn’t afford to take my fiancée, Katie, to a nice restaurant, so I asked Bob if I could use the church office that night.

He said yes, so I set up a card table with a red tablecloth and a candle. I could afford a half gallon of ice cream, so I scooped out two Styrofoam plates of ice cream sculped them into heart shapes, lined them with Red Hots, and put them in the freezer. (Sappy? Yes, but cheap.)

That evening, I took Katie out to the darkened church and surprised her. As we sat there eating our ice cream by candlelight, guess who appeared at the office door with a guitar in hand? Bob never said a word. He just smiled, serenaded us with two love songs, and then disappeared into the night. It was hard not to like Bob.

He was a solid preacher. I remember one sermon he preached from Deuteronomy 31. He placed a pair of sandals by the pulpit and talked about Joshua filling Moses's sandals, succeeding him as a leader. Then Bob placed a pair of black dress shoes by the sandals and talked about John Martin, a long-time faithful elder who had recently passed away. He asked, “Who will fill John Martin's shoes?”

 It was a good sermon, but Bob did his best preaching one-on-one. He'd grab me and say, “Come on Proctor, let's go talk to some people about Jesus.” We'd hop in his red Mazda pickup go to the Dairy Queen not far from the church, and talk to the ladies behind the counter about Jesus. We went to living rooms, hospital rooms, the bleachers at kids’ ball games and talked with people about Jesus.

Bob kept a pair of muddy work boots in the back of his truck. He'd drive up Highway 43 to Chism’s farm, throw on his boots, and work out in the field alongside Jay Chism, talking about Jesus. Jay and Mindy Chism still attend that church.

Bob preached his best sermons in farm fields, on front porch swings, and over restaurant counters, and I was there watching, listening, and learning.

I graduated from Bible college and became the preacher of a little church in Carbondale, Illinois. I'd been there only nine months when I got a phone call telling me Bob's biplane had crashed. He was killed instantly.

 Katie and I drove back to Missouri for his funeral. That little church of 150 where I'd been the youth minister was crowded with over 300 people—lives that Bob had touched. As I sat in the pew listening to the funeral message, I couldn't help but imagine a pair of muddy work boots sitting there by the pulpit.

Who would take Bob's place? Who would fill his shoes?

I drove back to my ministry in Illinois. I helped a farm family put up hay, went to kids’ ball games, sat in living rooms and hospital rooms and on front porch swings. I visited the Dairy Queen three blocks from our church, and everywhere I went I tried to talk about Jesus. I can't help but think somehow Bob's ministry lived on in me.

Whose ministry lives on in you? Someone passed you the baton. Don't drop it. Tell someone about Jesus. Speak God's message. Take the apostle Paul's last words as a personal charge to you.

Preach the Word.

Especially for Caregivers

• Have you met new people or made new friends since you’ve become a caregiver? Which of them would you most like to tell about Jesus?—M.T.

Read: 2 Timothy 4:1-8
Pray: Help me to see and seize the opportunities to talk about Jesus with others, even during the challenges I’m facing today.

* This devotion is adapted with permission from a new book by Matt Proctor, president of Ozark Christian College (Joplin, Missouri) (c) 2024. Finish Line Faith is a 12-week study of 2 Timothy perfect for any group or Bible study, and this devotion gives only a taste of the down-to-earth encouragement it provides. Click here for information on ordering copies for yourself or your group.