1 00:00:01,290 --> 00:00:05,730 I'll never forget Vance Havner saying, If we 2 00:00:05,730 --> 00:00:10,270 serve such a dynamite God, How come so 3 00:00:10,270 --> 00:00:13,690 many of us are living firecracker lives? 4 00:00:14,090 --> 00:00:17,330 I think about his remark from time to 5 00:00:17,330 --> 00:00:19,590 time, And I chew on it for a 6 00:00:19,590 --> 00:00:21,950 while and confess my lack. 7 00:00:22,390 --> 00:00:25,330 There have been too many seasons in my 8 00:00:25,330 --> 00:00:27,970 own life Where I wanted to make a 9 00:00:27,970 --> 00:00:31,689 big noise for God, But only a pop 10 00:00:31,689 --> 00:00:34,410 of a firecracker was heard. 11 00:00:35,170 --> 00:00:37,590 I've known some men of God that, when 12 00:00:37,590 --> 00:00:40,290 you were with them, You knew you were 13 00:00:40,290 --> 00:00:42,170 standing next to dynamite. 14 00:00:42,510 --> 00:00:45,650 Two men come into my mind as I 15 00:00:45,650 --> 00:00:47,070 think about them now. 16 00:00:48,110 --> 00:00:51,270 Stephen Oldford and Adrian Rogers. 17 00:00:51,890 --> 00:00:55,830 Both these men had influence with men, Because 18 00:00:55,830 --> 00:00:57,770 they had power with God. 19 00:00:57,770 --> 00:00:59,810 Now, why was that? 20 00:01:00,070 --> 00:01:03,150 They both were gifted differently, Even though they 21 00:01:03,150 --> 00:01:05,150 both were well-known preachers. 22 00:01:05,650 --> 00:01:09,010 Adrian Rogers was walking dynamite. 23 00:01:09,350 --> 00:01:11,570 When he entered a room, there was always 24 00:01:11,570 --> 00:01:13,530 an explosion of interest. 25 00:01:14,090 --> 00:01:16,970 The last time I saw him was at 26 00:01:16,970 --> 00:01:20,090 the dedication of a library At the Oldford 27 00:01:20,090 --> 00:01:21,090 Center in Memphis. 28 00:01:21,850 --> 00:01:23,850 There was just four of us in a 29 00:01:23,850 --> 00:01:24,290 room. 30 00:01:24,290 --> 00:01:29,730 Ted Rendell, Henry Blackaby, Adrian Rogers, and myself. 31 00:01:30,430 --> 00:01:33,350 Adrian turned his back to the other two 32 00:01:33,350 --> 00:01:35,830 men And threw his arms around me in 33 00:01:35,830 --> 00:01:36,690 a bear hug. 34 00:01:37,090 --> 00:01:39,810 He was eaten up with cancer and looked 35 00:01:39,810 --> 00:01:42,670 frail, But he mustered up all his strength 36 00:01:42,670 --> 00:01:45,470 to almost pull me off my feet So 37 00:01:45,470 --> 00:01:48,530 he could bring my face up to his. 38 00:01:49,010 --> 00:01:51,590 He hugged me for a long time until 39 00:01:51,590 --> 00:01:53,270 it became embarrassing. 40 00:01:53,270 --> 00:01:56,070 I didn't know it at the time, But 41 00:01:56,070 --> 00:01:58,490 that was his way of saying goodbye to 42 00:01:58,490 --> 00:02:01,050 me, For he died a few weeks later. 43 00:02:01,690 --> 00:02:04,730 But frail and weak as he was, I 44 00:02:04,730 --> 00:02:07,650 still felt like I was standing next to 45 00:02:07,650 --> 00:02:09,530 a keg of dynamite. 46 00:02:10,009 --> 00:02:13,790 He had power with God and influence with 47 00:02:13,790 --> 00:02:14,310 men. 48 00:02:15,030 --> 00:02:17,470 One of the last times I saw Stephen 49 00:02:17,470 --> 00:02:19,950 Oldford was at his hospital bed. 50 00:02:19,950 --> 00:02:23,010 I dropped off some work I had done 51 00:02:23,010 --> 00:02:25,650 for him, And as he lay there he 52 00:02:25,650 --> 00:02:29,230 reached up his hand and said, Now, brother, 53 00:02:29,690 --> 00:02:30,590 let's pray. 54 00:02:31,230 --> 00:02:33,390 I waited for him to pray while I 55 00:02:33,390 --> 00:02:36,270 held his hand, Because he had always been 56 00:02:36,270 --> 00:02:38,630 the one I turned to when I needed 57 00:02:38,630 --> 00:02:39,210 prayer. 58 00:02:39,490 --> 00:02:41,490 But he was strangely silent. 59 00:02:42,250 --> 00:02:46,450 Finally I realized he wanted me to pray 60 00:02:46,450 --> 00:02:47,210 for him. 61 00:02:47,210 --> 00:02:50,930 After all, he was the patient lying in 62 00:02:50,930 --> 00:02:54,330 a hospital bed, While I held the hand 63 00:02:54,330 --> 00:02:57,510 of an eighty-six-year-old man, And 64 00:02:57,510 --> 00:03:00,410 muttered some forgettable words over him. 65 00:03:00,810 --> 00:03:03,950 To God and prayer I felt a power 66 00:03:03,950 --> 00:03:07,210 course through me, For I was hanging on 67 00:03:07,210 --> 00:03:08,290 to dynamite. 68 00:03:09,710 --> 00:03:13,390 The Shunammite woman said of Elisha, And she 69 00:03:13,390 --> 00:03:17,930 said unto her husband, Behold now, I perceive 70 00:03:17,930 --> 00:03:22,150 that this is a holy man of God 71 00:03:22,150 --> 00:03:24,850 Which passes by us continually. 72 00:03:25,890 --> 00:03:28,570 When God calls up his prophets in the 73 00:03:28,570 --> 00:03:32,190 land And doesn't replace them, It is a 74 00:03:32,190 --> 00:03:35,310 dreadful sign that he is clearing the land 75 00:03:35,310 --> 00:03:36,350 for destruction. 76 00:03:37,530 --> 00:03:41,410 Maybe there is someone out there Who is 77 00:03:41,410 --> 00:03:44,890 sick and tired of living a firecracker life, 78 00:03:45,090 --> 00:03:47,910 And you want to do something significant for 79 00:03:47,910 --> 00:03:50,010 God and your generation. 80 00:03:50,730 --> 00:03:53,810 I believe, friend, if you grasp the following 81 00:03:53,810 --> 00:03:57,410 principles, You will understand what it was that 82 00:03:57,410 --> 00:04:00,870 made those two men sticks of dynamite. 83 00:04:01,070 --> 00:04:03,550 They both fully understood the following. 84 00:04:04,530 --> 00:04:08,850 God builds his servants through his divine process 85 00:04:08,850 --> 00:04:11,450 Of reducing and decreasing. 86 00:04:12,230 --> 00:04:16,089 Gold must be reduced to its purity In 87 00:04:16,089 --> 00:04:17,870 the furnace of affliction. 88 00:04:18,529 --> 00:04:21,990 A branch must be trimmed back with a 89 00:04:21,990 --> 00:04:26,150 sharp knife And decreased before it can grow 90 00:04:26,150 --> 00:04:26,990 more fruit. 91 00:04:27,690 --> 00:04:30,950 A deeper usefulness to God is found in 92 00:04:30,950 --> 00:04:34,810 a complete submission To both the refiner's fire 93 00:04:34,810 --> 00:04:37,190 and the divine pruning knife. 94 00:04:37,190 --> 00:04:40,790 We must be willing to be reduced to 95 00:04:40,790 --> 00:04:44,870 nothing So he can be everything through us. 96 00:04:45,310 --> 00:04:47,590 Jesus is the dynamite. 97 00:04:47,850 --> 00:04:52,050 We can have that dunamis power if we 98 00:04:52,050 --> 00:04:54,690 are willing to be the wick And stay 99 00:04:54,690 --> 00:04:58,250 connected to the blasting cap in an abiding 100 00:04:58,250 --> 00:04:59,470 of him.