Category: Cloud of Witnesses

Chuck Colson tells the story of Telemachus, a 4th-century Christian Monk.

This man lived in a remote village, tending his garden and spending much of his time in prayer. One day he thought he heard the voice of God telling him to go to Rome, so he obeyed, heading out on foot. Weary weeks later, he arrived in the city at the time of a great festival. The little monk followed the crowd surging down the streets into the Colosseum. He saw the gladiators stand before the emperor and say, “We who are about to die salute you.” Then he realized these men were going to fight to the death for the entertainment of the crowd Telemachus cried out, “In the name of Christ, stop!”

As the games began, he pushed his way through the crowd, climbed his way over the wall, and dropped to the floor of the arena. When the crowd saw this tiny figure rushing to the gladiators and saying, “In the name of Christ, stop!” they thought it was part of the show and began laughing. When they realized it wasn’t, the laughter turned to anger. As Telemachus was pleading with the gladiators to stop, one of them plunged a sword into his body. He fell to the sand. As he was dying, his last words were, “In the name of Christ, stop!” Then a strange thing happened. The gladiators stood looking at the tiny figure lying there. A hush fell over the Colosseum. Way up in the upper rows, a man stood and made his way to the exit. Others began to follow. In dead silence, everyone left the Colosseum.

The year was 391AD, and that was the last battle to the death between gladiators in the Roman Colosseum. Never again in the great stadium did men kill each other for the entertainment of the crowd, all prompted by one tiny voice that could hardly be heard above the roar, one voice that spoke the truth in God’s name.

You know, it takes something to be the only voice. It takes guts to be the lone man or woman, sticking out in a crowd. It takes heart to speak out when it’s easier to keep still. It takes courage to stand up when you’re standing alone.

“Like a city that is broken into and without walls 
Is a man who has no control over his spirit. (Proverbs 25:28 NASB)”

In Old Testament times, major cities would often be fortified with large stone walls surrounding them. The erection of these walls was no doubt labor-intensive, time-consuming and expensive. However, once completed these walls served as an effective deterrent to invading armies, since the walls could only be breached by large armies able to surround the city and mount an extended siege.

Many times our culture tries to teach us that manhood consists solely of machismo, and that self-control is for wimps. But clearly that’s not the case from God’s point of view. Think about it: how many men’s lives and families have been traumatized by lack of self-control? Whether it comes in the form of verbal, physical or sexual abuse of women and children, pornography, substance abuse or addictions of other kinds, the lack of self-control has wreaked havoc on our society.

At the same time, there is hope! Our walls can be rebuilt, but it will take time, effort, patience, resilience and willingness to accept help from others. We rebuild our walls one stone at a time, taking the many truths from God’s word that have been given to protect us and putting them in their proper place. What it takes to start is the realization that our self-control is worth the time, the effort and the fight to reclaim and possess. Self-control is a gift of God’s Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). Don’t let the enemy take away what God wants you to have.

Welcome to the fight!

When I first had the idea for Rubicon Ministries I never thought I would be writing an article that is to follow. Of course, thanks to Daniel Boone (it really is his name and he really is a descendant of the Boones) who shares the vision with me to encourage men to be all that they should be for God, we put a section on the website that we titled “The Cloud of Witnesses”, basing it on Heb 12. We have placed articles in this section about those who have gone on to be with the Lord but left behind a witness for all to follow. Those who gave their lives to Jesus Christ, paid the price, ran the race and finished their course with, I believe, a voice accepting them stating, “well done My good and faithful servant”.

I write this article today to honor such a person. His name might not have been known to the extent of being celebrity famous, but to me he was famous and a great witness in my and Bettye’s lives. Last Tuesday heaven received another amazing witness. His name was Joe Smith. Joe Smith was one of the first ministers to ever prophesy over Bettye and me. He was the first to pray for physical healing in my body. He was the first to teach me intimacy with the Lord Jesus, how God was a father and a good father and how we could go past the veil to be right there with the Lord.

Joe and his wife Katie were the first ministers my wife and I knew that were just real people with no pretense. They would stay in our home and were just down to earth but also spiritual leaders to us. He was the first one I ever heard about confessing the word of God and had tapes that my wife and I would go to bed listening to. He was a minister to mainly college students and young adults who were just coming out of college and getting married. This is when Bettye and I knew them the best. Joe and his wife saw the needs of this demographic and wrote books to help navigate and push them through so many areas of life that were coming at them. Joe and Katie produced books on marriage and spiritual warfare, raising the family, and management.

There are still so many sayings he would state that many of us to this day still remember. Such as, “We have freedom of choice but not freedom of consequences”, my favorite “Why is it we don’t have time to do it right the first time but we have time to go back and re-do it’? There were so many. But I titled this article, “What is a Witness?”, and I believe it is someone like Joe Smith.

Joe along with his wife Katie changed thousands of lives with their witness. As I look back at all the men of God that the Father used in my life, to grow me and mature me in the Lord, Joe was one of them and in so many areas he was the first to make a Godly imprint in me. The fact is that some of the foundations that were established in Bettye and me were by Joe’s faithful witness. Those truths still hold and keep me moving through this journey as a Christian. So what is a witness? It is someone who has given you a blueprint, someone who shows you how to read the blueprint and encourages you to walk it out, which builds a life in God that will keep you all your life. But it is also someone who helps you by showing you where the holes are and how to avoid them. A witness is one who, when they pass into the next phase of this journey, leaves a clear path that is worthy of following.

Joe passed away at the age of 80, still traveling and ministering God’s word. While Joe is gone on to be with the Lord, his words, books, tapes, and his life are still speaking which I believe is the greatest witness of all. They are still speaking to me about life with God that never stops, a life beyond the veil, a life that loves God no matter what. Joe was a man who, when coming to Jesus, came all the way. A life that gave it all to The Lord Jesus Christ and like the scripture states, put his back to the plow and never looked back. So when I look at the definition of a biblical witness in my life, I have Joe Smith as one of first and an amazing witnesse in my life. Thank-You Joe for being the man God called you to be and the witness that you were to Bettye and me. Thank you for being there and being you. We will always cherish your witness . You are now part of that great cloud of witnesses.