From: "lien lie" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Harapan terakhir??? dear family in Christ, the family has lost a dear brother, but they have gained a dear brother in heaven. this is a very moving interview by our dear bill bright, founder of campus crusade for Christ. please take a moment to read it. love in Christ, kk <><
http://cbn.org/700club/features/Bill_bright_a_slave_for_christ.asp Bill Bright: A Slave for Christ By The 700 Club "Jesus is closer to me than I can express. He's more dear to me than I describe." We mourn the loss of one of the greatest Christian evangelists of our time, Bill Bright, the founder of Campus Crusade for Christ. In honor of his dedication to the Lord, we wish to share with you this special interview. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BILL BRIGHT (Founder, Campus Crusade for Christ): As a believer we can't lose. When we die, we go to be with the Lord in heaven, which is beyond anything our minds can comprehend in its beauty and magnificence. To be with the Lord is something that we should never, never, avoid any longer than necessary. MICHAEL LITTLE (CBN President): But you're on oxygen now because of the... BILL BRIGHT: Pulmonary Fibrosis, for which there is no cure, the doctors say. MICHAEL LITTLE: What does that mean to you when the doctors say there is no cure? BILL BRIGHT: Well, when the doctor told me that I was faced with a horrible death, I would choke, I would go through agony, I said, 'Well, praise the Lord.'He couldn't understand that, even though he's a believer. As believers we should never fear death. Every day we have the sufficiency through Christ indwelling us to face whatever problem. Now, there is nothing that we will face that He's not with us. MICHAEL LITTLE: So there had to be a moment where you had to tell your wife and your family. What did they say after learning that the doctors are saying, 'The end is near'? What was that moment like? BILL BRIGHT: I have a wonderful, wonderful, beloved wife, Vonette, who walks with the Lord. And we feel the same way. This is one of the greatest blessings and challenges of my life. Instead of waking up every morning with fear and anticipation of something evil, every day is an exciting development. I don't know what's going to happen. MICHAEL LITTLE: Does the prognosis from the doctor, does that cause...? BILL BRIGHT: Of course, I've thought more about heaven than in the past because I'll see it much sooner than planned, but it certainly hasn't been a damper on my enthusiasm. MICHAEL LITTLE: You say that with such genuine laughter. BILL BRIGHT: Well, it's appealing. Jesus is not only my Lord, my Master, my Savior, my King, but Vonette and I signed a contract with Him in 1951, 50 years ago, in which we became slaves of Jesus. That was our commitment. Whatever He wanted us to do, everything I owned, ever would own, I put on the altar. I've been a slave for 50 years, and this is very liberating to be a slave. MICHAEL LITTLE: You've talked often, in certain in your writing, about this contract. What was in that contract, though? What was so important? BILL BRIGHT: Total irrevocable surrender to be a slave of Jesus. Philippians 2 speaks of Jesus, God the Son, that God-man becoming a slave, He became a man. The God-man. Paul speaks for himself. Romans 1:1 "as a slave of Jesus Christ. this letter is from Paul, Jesus Christ's slave, chosen to be a missionary, set out to preach God's good news. Peter refers to himself as a slave, and so on. So I couldn't think of a better, higher calling than to be a slave to Jesus. And Vonette agreed. About 24 hours later after we signed that contract in which we relinquished everything we owned, ever would own -- our past, present, future -- God gave me the vision we call Campus Crusade for Christ, a vision to help take the gospel to the whole world. MICHAEL LITTLE: Go back to the words "the surrender to be a slave." That's not being used in the pulpits in America very much. BILL BRIGHT: In Mark 8, Jesus said, 'If any man come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. If any man confess me before man, him I will confess before my father in heaven. But if they deny me before men, him I will deny before my father in heaven." And again, and again, and again, the Scripture calls us to absolute, total, irrevocable surrender. MICHAEL LITTLE: Talk about family life for a minute. You and Vonette have two sons, Brad and Zach. BILL BRIGHT: Yes. MICHAEL LITTLE: You've been involved in ministry. You've been all over the world. You've been implementing evangelistic campaigns. You've been raising up young people throughout the nations to be workers with Campus Crusade. But, what's it like for them as sons of Bill Bright? BILL BRIGHT: Well, thanks to their mother, Vonette, they have both on different occasions referred to me as their best friend. Their mother is the primary reason for that I'm sure. I was gone about 85 percent of the time, but they helped make the decisions. Even when they were little boys, Vonette and I would meet with them and say, 'Now, here is what I feel God wants me to do, but we're doing it as a family. Whatever God does in and through me you have an investment in. What do you think?' Of course, as they grew up, their views continued to be very.. MICHAEL LITTLE: How young were you asking them to give into it? BILL BRIGHT: Oh, I don't know. If I recall correctly, maybe the youngest one would've been 5 and the older one would've been 8, maybe even younger than that. And to my knowledge, neither one of them once said they felt cheated. Zach is now a Presbyterian minister, and Brad is on our staff working. MICHAEL LITTLE: A few years ago you received the Templeton Prize for your accomplishments in the world of religion. What did you say at that time to your sons? BILL BRIGHT: I said to them, 'You are the largest and are partly responsible for this honor. Had you been in rebellion, I would've never been able to do what I did. So everything that God has entrusted to me in terms of success you have an investment in and you deserve a part of the credit.' I believe that. They have been vital parts of my life from their birth. I'm in touch with them on a regular basis day after day. MICHAEL LITTLE: Doctors have told you, you have pulmonary fibrosis. This is not something that can be cured. There is not a medicine. There's not a physical solution. There's not a shot. And so it seems to indicate, since 'Well these are the final days,' do you ever feel like maybe after all of these years of ministry that you've been abandoned? BILL BRIGHT: Oh no. No. Anything but. As a matter of fact, I view this challenge, this experience, as one of the highlights of my life because as believers, we need to know how to live in the power of the Holy Spirit, be fruitful for our Lord, live holy lives. Then we need to be able to teach people how to die. I think that is a privilege that God is giving me. MICHAEL LITTLE: At this rather unique point, you have such a stupendous optimism. Do you feel something unusual about the presence of the Lord in your life? BILL BRIGHT: Oh yes. He is closer to me than I can express. He's more dear to me than I describe. MICHAEL LITTLE: When you're gone from this life and there's a need for a place to bury you, there's a marker, a tombstone, what do you want on that tombstone? BILL BRIGHT: Vonette and I have talked about this. My preference is to be buried in an unmarked grave. Galatians 2:20 says, "I am crucified with Christ." But Vonette didn't think that was a good idea, and we've decided, we both agreed, that we'll do with a tombstone with our names "Bill and Vonette Bright, slaves of Jesus, and add the references of his own, Philippians 2:7, where he is referred to as a slave, and Romans 1:1, the other passages where the disciples were slaves of Jesus. Doing that is the highest privilege anyone can anticipate. Proverbs 17:22 A cheerful heart is good medicine GOD LOVES YOU, - YULI. AN - EFESUS 3: 14 - 20 " FOR THIS REASON I KNEEL BEFORE THE FATHER FROM WHOM HIS WHOLE FAMILY IN HEAVEN AND ON EARTH DERIVES ITS NAME. I PRAY THAT OUT OF HIS GLORIOS RICHES HE MAY STRENGTHEN YOU WITH POWER THRU HIS SPIRIT IN YOUR INNER BEING, SO THAT CHRIST MAY DWELL IN YOUR HEARTS THRU FAITH. AND I PRAY THAT YOU, BEING ROOTED AND ESTABLISHED IN LOVE, MAY HAVE POWER, TOGETHER WITH ALL THE SAINTS, TO GRASP HOW WIDE AND LONG AND HIGH AND DEEP IS THE LOVE OF CHRIST, AND TO KNOW THIS LOVE THAT SURPASSES KNOWLEDGE - THAT YOU MAY BE FILLED TO THE MEASURE OF ALL THE FULLNESS OF GOD. NOW TO HIM WHO IS ALBE TO DO IMMEASURABLY MORE THAN ALL WE ASK OR IMAGINE, ACCORDING TO HIS POWER THAT IS AT WORK WITHIN US, TO HIM GLORY IN THE CHURCH AND I CHRIST JESUS THRUOUT ALL GENERATIONS, FOREVER AND EVER. AMEN. 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