Melanie Jackson's Testimony

 

Melanie Jackson's Testimony

My name is Melanie Jackson. When I was in the hospital after my diagnosis of glioblastoma (brain cancer), I started waking up every night with a strong feeling like I needed to write down my testimony of how Jesus Christ radically changed my life and why I have peace with this brain cancer diagnosis.

It is my heart's desire that my friends and family know how good God is and how He can change people despite their past. God didn't just now become important to me, but my faith in Him began when I was 16 years old. I truly believe that God uses our circumstances to help us see our need for Him if we will simply open our eyes.

My story is that I grew up in a very non-traditional family. I was raised by my grandparents, who still had 3 of their own children living at home at that time. My parents got married right out of high school but were divorced after a short marriage — not long after I was born. My guess is that neither my mother nor my father was obviously ready to raise a child, so, basically, my grandparents took me in so I would not end up elsewhere.

I know my presence had to have been a very difficult, stressful situation for my grandparents, which caused extra stress in their marriage and in their home. I can remember as a child asking God why I couldn't have a home life like most of my friends had. The older I got, the more I realized how odd my life really was, and my heart became very hardened, hateful, bitter, and resentful toward others. I often felt like a burden and unwanted although my grandmother did what she could to try to make me not feel that way.

As a young teenager, I began spending as much time away from home as I could in search of love and acceptance in the things the world has to offer. However, all of the temporary moments of fun always left me feeling empty. Unfortunately, nothing I tried could ever fill the void I had in my life. One good, consistent thing for me was that my grandmother always sent us to church on Sundays. So, growing up, I knew that God had created me to know Him, but because of my sin, was separated from Him. also knew that God had sent Jesus to this earth to pay the price for my sin. He died on the cross, was buried, and rose from the dead so that I could be made right with Him and be forgiven of my sin if I would accept His forgiveness.

As a teenager, although I believed these things were true, it was far from my mind. Instead, I continued searching for hope and love in things other than God. I knew the life I was living was not pleasing to God, but I wasn't quite ready to turn away from it. I didn't like the person I was becoming, but at the same time, I didn't care or feel like I had hope to change. However, the summer after I turned 16 years old, I went to a church camp. There, I got to know some of the male Christian counselors. Honestly, at first, I was only interested in talking to them because they were cute! But, wow, there was something different about them They really loved Jesus and they seemed so genuinely joyful. One guy in particular was always smiling, especially when he was singing during worship time. So, one day I asked him, "Why do you always have a smile on your face?" To my surprise, he told me it was because God had changed his life, and that Jesus made him happy. His answer shocked me, and I wanted to know more.

It was at this camp that I really began to understand, for the first time, that God loved me, despite all the bad things I had done. I learned that I didn't have to clean up my life first to receive His love, that He loved me just as I was, and that He wanted me to be His child, even though I knew I didn't deserve it. Finally, I understood that God proved His love for me by sending His Son, Jesus, to die on a cross in my place & to take the punishment that I deserved for my sinful disobedience. I finally comprehended that accepting Jesus as my Lord and Savior ensured that, when I die, I can spend eternity with Him. I learned that the Bible tells me in Romans 5:8 that "God demonstrates His own love for us, in that While We Were Sinners, Christ died for us." He died for us knowing how we would reject Him and how we would continue to turn our back on Him. In addition, I also learned that 1 John 1:9 tells me that "if I would confess my sins, He is faithful & just to forgive me of my sins and cleanse me from all unrighteousness." He would forgive me and make me clean from the filth and garbage in my life and He would give me eternal life if I would humble myself before Him and admit I was a sinner in need of His forgiveness.

I wanted the joy and peace that I had seen in the lives of those counselors. I wanted the forgiveness that they talked about, and I wanted my life to be different. So, the last night of the camp, I made the decision to surrender my heart and life to Jesus Christ. I prayed a simple prayer and asked Jesus to forgive me for my sins, to take control of my life and to make me into the person that He wanted me to be. It was more than just saying certain words in a prayer. I was making a commitment to God that from that day forward my life was His, that I would follow Him and that I would love Him and His plan for me.

My change happened when I placed my trust in Christ to forgive me for my sins which separated me from God. I knew there was nothing I could do to earn acceptance from God. It was only through Jesus' death on the cross that I could be forgiven. I know many people that have prayed prayers of forgiveness before, but for some, it was just words. Their life remained unchanged. Christianity is not about saying a quick prayer that will hopefully keep you out of hell. Instead, it is about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, loving Him with your life, and allowing Him to change you because we cannot change ourselves.

In August of 1987, I became a Christian, and my life has never been the same. I came home from the camp, and my circumstances and my home life hadn't changed at all. However, God had changed the course of my life because He had changed me. He had changed my heart. I knew I was different because my attitude and thoughts slowly began to change. God slowly turned my anger and hate into love and compassion toward my family. Over time, God also took the bitterness and resentment that I had in my heart, and He helped me forgive and care about others. I know that only God could have done that difference.

After camp, I was determined to quit doing all the bad things I knew I shouldn't do, but at that time, I really didn't know how to grow in my relationship with Christ. In college is where God began to reveal the emotional baggage that I had which I needed to address in order to move forward and grow spiritually. By getting involved in a Bible study, praying, attending a good Bible-believing church, learning from different pastors and other godly people, I have grown in my knowledge of who God is. However, my growth has been more than knowledge, I have grown in my relationship with Him. He is not only my Lord and Savior, He is my daddy. Jesus is my life. I know that he created me to know Him and to make Him known to those around me.

I truly believe that God allowed me to grow up the way I did so that I would eventually recognize my need for Him. If I would have had the perfect life, then I may not have desired anything different, or I may have thought I was doing pretty good on my own and didn't need God in my life. So, I am thankful that God put me in a situation that helped me see my desperate need for Him.

Two of my favorite verses are Ephesians 2:8-9 because they really sum up God's salvation that He offers to everyone. They say, "For it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is a gift of God, not by works so that no one can boast." We are saved by accepting God's free gift of salvation by faith (placing trust in Jesus) — not based on anything we have worked for or earned.

Since I have trusted Christ to save me from my sins, I know without a doubt that He has forgiven me and has given me eternal life in heaven when I die. God alone has numbered my days — not cancer (Psalm 39:4). God is in complete control of my diagnosis and of how long I have on this earth. None of us is guaranteed tomorrow. I often think about people who die in car accidents every day. No one knows how long we will live on earth, so we must be ready to go at any time. Of course, I don't want to die any time soon because I still have a lot of things I want to do. However, God has given me a peace that only He can. I know His timing is perfect as He has proven that fact over and over, and I don't have to know what His timing is. He is trustworthy.

Regardless of my cancer situation, I am not afraid to die because I know I will be with Jesus in Heaven when I do. We continue to pray for healing, but as Philippians 1:21 indicates, "For me to live is Christ, to die is gain." I am confident in that truth.

Melanie Jackson

Written in June 2021. She entered Heaven in August 2022.

Doc Belcher, Richard P., Sr. Homegoing

Rev. Dr. Richard Paul Belcher, Sr., TEGA CAY, SC - Richard Paul Belcher, 85, of Fort Mill, SC went to be with the Lord on January 3, 2020. Born October 12, 1934 in St. Joseph, MO, he was the son of Delbert and Virgie Belcher. He is survived by a son, Dr. Rev. Richard Paul Belcher, Jr. (Lu) of Fort Mill, SC and daughter, Ann Jeanette Gottman (Tom) of Springfield, MO; a brother Delbert Belcher of Scotts, MI, a sister Joan Teachout of Trenton, MI; five grandchildren and twelve great grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his mother and father, and his wife Mary Anne Belcher. He attended Hannibal-Lagrange college for two years and graduated from Wheaton College. He became an evangelist before he pastored Washington Park Baptist Church in Washington Park, IL from 1961 to 1976. While pastoring he pursued an M.Div. from Covenant Theological Seminary and a Th.D. from Concordia Theological Seminary, both schools in St. Louis, MO. In 1976 he took a teaching job at Columbia Bible College (now Columbia International University) in Columbia, SC and taught for twenty-nine years. He authored many books, including his best-known Journey in Grace.

He had a heart for missions and went on numerous mission trips to India, Brazil, Africa, Taiwan, and other parts of the world. He became pastor of Covenant Baptist Church, Columbia, SC in the years before his retirement from teaching in 2005. The last years of his life he lived in Fort Mill, SC. Funeral service were conducted at 11 AM on Tuesday, January 7, 2020 at Palmetto Funeral Home in Fort Mill, SC with Dr. Rev. Richard Belcher, Jr. officiating. The burial was conducted at 3 PM at Bush River Memorial Gardens in Columbia, SC. The family received friends prior to the service on Tuesday, from 10 AM until 11 AM at the funeral home. The family is being served by Palmetto Funeral Home and Crematory of Fort Mill, SC.

• Richard Belcher's students called him Doc
• He founded Evangelizing India for Christ in 1993
• Doc invested himself in numerous students for many years. He would call, email and meet them for lunch. He would come and preach at the churches they would pastor.
  
• He was a mentor to many young men. He would even pay for the lunch of students off campus who disagreed with some of his convictions and encourage them with matter upon which they both agreed.
• Doc would encourage men who had been rejected by others and were struggling. He never gave up on them. Doc rooted for the underdog, and if that was you, you greatly appreciated it.
  
• After teaching at Columbia Bible College during the day, he would preach at revivals and Bible studies during the evening hours or on weekends
• He founded Richbarry Press with a local Pastor to distribute his many written works
• He planted Covenant Baptist Church in West Columbia, SC
• He was Chairman of the Board of Christ for India for several years before founding EIFC
• He taught Bible, Preaching, Advanced Greek and Theology at CBC in the 1980s
• Doc wrote and performed the life of Bible characters and great Christians in music and script. He would read the narrative and punctuate it with meaningful hymns and worship songs. These include Adnorium Judson, David Brainerd, and Pontious Pilate and about 11 more. The Judson one is available online at Sermon Audio.com.
• Doc took many teams to India and Africa for a week or two of ministry and went alone to do specialized training for many years. It is estimated that he went to India over 35 times.
• J.A. Medders wrote: "Don't do ministry and missions as if it rests on you. Work and sleep like a Calvinist. Work like it is all up to the most powerful person in the universe. Work like you are God's humble coworker, pointing people to the person and work of Jesus Christ. Go the the nations, evangelize your friends, and plant churches because you know God is sovereign. Be a hard-working, expectantly-evangelizing Calvinist who trust God's sovereignty. Work hard for the glory of God. And enjoy watching what he lets you be part of." (Humble Calvinism, 2019, The Good Book Co., Loc. 1393). Doc did not write this, but he lived it.
• After teaching and meeting with students all day, Doc would work on books he was writing and travel to preach revivals and mini-Bible conferences. I rode with him to a revival he was preaching at in SC one hours' drive away on one occasion. He took time to share his faith at the gas station we had to stop at on the way home and gave the cashier one of his books. John Cummings drove Doc back and forth to preaching engagements many times when he had bad headaches or was too sick to drive, but he kept his ministry promise.
• Doc banked on prayer. On my first trip to India in 1994, our team was in a large diesel van heading to the airport. The driver ran it out of diesel fuel, and we had to pull over 0.3 tenths of a mile from a fuel station. Doc stood up and prayed. The van started after the prayer and made it to the fuel station and then to the airport. There were many other instances like this through the years.
  

The Homegoing of Mary Anne Belcher

Mary Anne Belcher of Fort Mill, South Carolina, was born on May 1, 1935 in Troy, Missouri, and went home to be with the Lord on September 30, 2016. She was 81 years old and was the daughter of Robert and Edna Casner.

Mary Anne is survived by her beloved husband of 62 years, Dr. Richard Paul Belcher, Sr. of Fort Mill, South Carolina; a son, Dr. Richard Paul Belcher, Jr. and his wife Lu of Fort Mill, South Carolina; a daughter, Anne Jeanette Gottman and her husband Tom of Springfield, Missouri; a sister, Mae Martin of St. Louis, Missouri; a sister-in-law, Frances Haley of Troy, Missouri; five grandchildren and twelve great-grandchildren. Her mother and father, sister Jeanette Hamlett (Tom), brother Marvin Handlong, and brother-in-law Walter Martin, all preceded her in death.

Mary Anne was in banking most of her life, was an accomplished mortgage loan officer, and was Vice President of Service Corporation of South Carolina after moving to Columbia, South Carolina from Missouri. When her mother-in-law needed extra care many years ago, Mary Anne and Doc took her into their home. Mary Anne faithfully provided the care she needed for many years until the Lord took Doc’s mother home to heaven. Her story as a prayer warrior is told in Dr. Belcher’s book, A Journey in Christian Heritage.

Mary Anne was a big help to her husband in his publishing business. She typed many manuscripts and after she retired she helped manage Richbarry Press. She also provided many hours of support for Evangelizing India for Christ (EIFC). She was a volunteer bookkeeper and also provided secretarial support for several years as well. She made numerous sacrifices for the work in India with a willing servant’s heart.

Mary Anne loved working in the nursery at church and served as nursery coordinator for many years. She also enjoyed singing hymns. After Dr. Belcher retired from Columbia International University, they moved to Fort Mill. She also enjoyed crocheting, reading, crossword puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, and feeding birds.

Mary Anne was also an excellent housekeeper and a gracious host. She may have been too gracious of a host, at times, for Dr. Belcher’s liking, as the following story will illustrate. Dr. Belcher used to pick up board members at the airport and train station in Charlotte twice each year for the EIFC board meetings held in Rock Hill. On one occasion, after stopping for an early lunch, Doc drove a board member he was transporting to his house for a short visit while he worked briefly on a project with a deadline. Those who know Doc well know that he has a special love for ice cream. (He used to even eat ice cream in India, even though they don’t pasteurize their milk, and this involved a risk of “Delhi belly.”) As the story goes, when Doc came downstairs, Mary Anne and the board member he left downstairs were enjoying two of his Dove bars. He used to tell others how great they were. He would say, “D-O-V-E, Dove bars—you need to try one.” When Doc saw the Dove bars being consumed, he noted, “Now you know how good they are.” This board member would tease Doc on the way to Rock Hill from Charlotte for the next few board meetings that he dare not stop at his house in Fort Mill. Mary Anne was such a gracious hostess that she would give away all his Dove bars, significantly reducing his inventory.

Mary Anne is greatly missed by her husband, family, church family, the board of EIFC and many friends. We are looking forward to spending time with her in heaven and joining her in the resurrection on that great day. Please continue to pray for Dr. Belcher and the extended Belcher family as they reorient their lives over the next several years without Mary Anne’s special presence.

Sheol--NASB Verses where The Hebrew Term Sheol is Used--66 times in BHS

^NAU Genesis 37:35 Then all his sons and all his daughters arose to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. And he said, "Surely I will go down to Sheol in mourning for my son." So his father wept for him.

^NAU Genesis 42:38 But Jacob said, "My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he alone is left. If harm should befall him on the journey you are taking, then you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow."

^NAU Genesis 44:29 'If you take this one also from me, and harm befalls him, you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow.' 

 ³¹ when he sees that the lad is not with us, he will die. Thus your servants will bring the gray hair of your servant our father down to Sheol in sorrow.

^NAU Numbers 16:30 "But if the LORD brings about an entirely new thing and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that is theirs, and they descend alive into Sheol, then you will understand that these men have spurned the LORD."

 ³³ So they and all that belonged to them went down alive to Sheol; and the earth closed over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly.

^NAU Deuteronomy 32:22 For a fire is kindled in My anger, And burns to the lowest part of Sheol, And consumes the earth with its yield, And sets on fire the foundations of the mountains.

^NAU 1 Samuel 2:6 "The LORD kills and makes alive; He brings down to Sheol and raises up.

^NAU 2 Samuel 22:6 The cords of Sheol surrounded me; The snares of death confronted me. 

^NAU 1 Kings 2:6 "So act according to your wisdom, and do not let his gray hair go down to Sheol in peace. 

 ⁹ "Now therefore, do not let him go unpunished, for you are a wise man; and you will know what you ought to do to him, and you will bring his gray hair down to Sheol with blood."

^NAU Job 7:9 "When a cloud vanishes, it is gone, So he who goes down to Sheol does not come up.

^NAU Job 11:8 "They are high as the heavens, what can you do? Deeper than Sheol, what can you know?

^NAU Job 14:13 "Oh that You would hide me in Sheol, That You would conceal me until Your wrath returns to You, That You would set a limit for me and remember me!

^NAU Job 17:13 "If I look for Sheol as my home, I make my bed in the darkness;

 ¹⁶ "Will it go down with me to Sheol? Shall we together go down into the dust?"

^NAU Job 21:13 "They spend their days in prosperity, And suddenly they go down to Sheol.

^NAU Job 24:19 "Drought and heat consume the snow waters, So does Sheol those who have sinned.

^NAU Job 26:6 "Naked is Sheol before Him, And Abaddon has no covering.

^NAU Psalm 6:5 For there is no mention of You in death; In Sheol who will give You thanks?

^NAU Psalm 9:17 The wicked will return to Sheol, Even all the nations who forget God.

^NAU Psalm 16:10 For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol; Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.

^NAU Psalm 18:5 The cords of Sheol surrounded me; The snares of death confronted me.

^NAU Psalm 30:3 O LORD, You have brought up my soul from Sheol; You have kept me alive, that I would not go down to the pit.

^NAU Psalm 31:17 Let me not be put to shame, O LORD, for I call upon You; Let the wicked be put to shame, let them be silent in Sheol.

^NAU Psalm 49:14 As sheep they are appointed for Sheol; Death shall be their shepherd; And the upright shall rule over them in the morning, And their form shall be for Sheol to consume So that they have no habitation.

 ¹⁵ But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol, For He will receive me. Selah.

^NAU Psalm 55:15 Let death come deceitfully upon them; Let them go down alive to Sheol, For evil is in their dwelling, in their midst.

^NAU Psalm 86:13 For Your lovingkindness toward me is great, And You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.

^NAU Psalm 88:3 For my soul has had enough troubles, And my life has drawn near to Sheol.

^NAU Psalm 89:48 What man can live and not see death? Can he deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah.

^NAU Psalm 116:3 The cords of death encompassed me And the terrors of Sheol came upon me; I found distress and sorrow.

^NAU Psalm 139:8 If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there.

^NAU Psalm 141:7 As when one plows and breaks open the earth, Our bones have been scattered at the mouth of Sheol.

^NAU Proverbs 1:12 Let us swallow them alive like Sheol, Even whole, as those who go down to the pit;

^NAU Proverbs 5:5 Her feet go down to death, Her steps take hold of Sheol.

^NAU Proverbs 7:27 Her house is the way to Sheol, Descending to the chambers of death.

^NAU Proverbs 9:18 But he does not know that the dead are there, That her guests are in the depths of Sheol.

^NAU Proverbs 15:11 Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the LORD, How much more the hearts of men!

 ²⁴ The path of life leads upward for the wise That he may keep away from Sheol below.

^NAU Proverbs 23:14 You shall strike him with the rod And rescue his soul from Sheol. 

^NAU Proverbs 27:20 Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied, Nor are the eyes of man ever satisfied.

^NAU Proverbs 30:16 Sheol, and the barren womb, Earth that is never satisfied with water, And fire that never says, "Enough."

^NAU Ecclesiastes 9:10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might; for there is no activity or planning or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol where you are going.

^NAU Song of Solomon 8:6 "Put me like a seal over your heart, Like a seal on your arm. For love is as strong as death, Jealousy is as severe as Sheol; Its flashes are flashes of fire, The very flame of the LORD.

^NAU Isaiah 5:14 Therefore Sheol has enlarged its throat and opened its mouth without measure; And Jerusalem's splendor, her multitude, her din of revelry and the jubilant within her, descend into it.

^NAU Isaiah 7:11 "Ask a sign for yourself from the LORD your God; make it deep as Sheol or high as heaven."

^NAU Isaiah 14:9 "Sheol from beneath is excited over you to meet you when you come; It arouses for you the spirits of the dead, all the leaders of the earth; It raises all the kings of the nations from their thrones.

 ¹¹ 'Your pomp and the music of your harps Have been brought down to Sheol; Maggots are spread out as your bed beneath you And worms are your covering.'

 ¹⁵ "Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol, To the recesses of the pit.

^NAU Isaiah 28:15 Because you have said, "We have made a covenant with death, And with Sheol we have made a pact. The overwhelming scourge will not reach us when it passes by, For we have made falsehood our refuge and we have concealed ourselves with deception."

 ¹⁸ "Your covenant with death will be canceled, And your pact with Sheol will not stand; When the overwhelming scourge passes through, Then you become its trampling place.

^NAU Isaiah 38:10 I said, "In the middle of my life I am to enter the gates of Sheol; I am to be deprived of the rest of my years."

 ¹⁸ "For Sheol cannot thank You, Death cannot praise You; Those who go down to the pit cannot hope for Your faithfulness.

^NAU Isaiah 57:9 "You have journeyed to the king with oil And increased your perfumes; You have sent your envoys a great distance And made them go down to Sheol.

^NAU Ezekiel 31:15 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "On the day when it went down to Sheol I caused lamentations; I closed the deep over it and held back its rivers. And its many waters were stopped up, and I made Lebanon mourn for it, and all the trees of the field wilted away on account of it.

 ¹⁶ "I made the nations quake at the sound of its fall when I made it go down to Sheol with those who go down to the pit; and all the well-watered trees of Eden, the choicest and best of Lebanon, were comforted in the earth beneath.

 ¹⁷ "They also went down with it to Sheol to those who were slain by the sword; and those who were its strength lived under its shade among the nations.

^NAU Ezekiel 32:21 "The strong among the mighty ones shall speak of him and his helpers from the midst of Sheol, 'They have gone down, they lie still, the uncircumcised, slain by the sword.'

 ²⁷ "Nor do they lie beside the fallen heroes of the uncircumcised, who went down to Sheol with their weapons of war and whose swords were laid under their heads; but the punishment for their iniquity rested on their bones, though the terror of these heroes was once in the land of the living.

^NAU Hosea 13:14 Shall I ransom them from the power of Sheol? Shall I redeem them from death? O Death, where are your thorns? O Sheol, where is your sting? Compassion will be hidden from My sight.

^NAU Amos 9:2 "Though they dig into Sheol, From there will My hand take them; And though they ascend to heaven, From there will I bring them down.

^NAU Jonah 2:2 and he said, "I called out of my distress to the LORD, And He answered me. I cried for help from the depth of Sheol; You heard my voice.

^NAU Habakkuk 2:5 "Furthermore, wine betrays the haughty man, So that he does not stay at home. He enlarges his appetite like Sheol, And he is like death, never satisfied. He also gathers to himself all nations And collects to himself all peoples.

 

Gen. 37:35; 42:38; 44:29, 31; Num. 16:30, 33; Deut. 32:22; 1 Sam. 2:6; 2 Sam. 22:6; 1 Kgs 2:6, 9; Job 7:9; 11:8; 14:13; 17:13, 16; 21:13; 24:19; 26:6; Psa. 6:5; 9:17; 16:10; 18:5; 30:3; 31:17; 49:14f; 55:15; 86:13; 88:3; 89:48; 116:3; 139:8; 141:7; Prov. 1:12; 5:5; 7:27; 9:18; 15:11, 24; 23:14; 27:20; 30:16; Eccl. 9:10; Song 8:6; Isa. 5:14; 7:11; 14:9, 11, 15; 28:15, 18; 38:10, 18; 57:9; Ezek. 31:15ff; 32:21, 27; Hos. 13:14; Amos 9:2; Jonah 2:2; Hab. 2:5

 

Two verse have the term used twice (Psa 49:14, Hosea 13:14)

One verse, in the NASB has Sheol when the Hebrew is a different term in the BHS, yet it has the same consonants so it is a possible variant. Job 33:18

Owed to Joe

(With apologies to Noah Webster for not using “Ode”)

Dr. Joseph Reid Buckner went to heaven on April 30, 2004.  Joe was not only a graduate of CBC, but also studied an additional year at Columbia Biblical Seminary.  He then transferred to Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary where he earned an M-Div. in May of 1992.  In the fall of 1992 he became the pastor of Sharon Baptist Church in Lincolnton, NC and in 1998 became the Associate pastor of New Vision Ministries in Lincolnton, NC.  While pastoring in Lincolnton he earned his Th. D.  Joe was the Minster of evangelism and president of New Vision University when God called him home.

Rev. Joseph Reid Buckner and I met in 1984 as students at Columbia Bible College.  One of our first conversations was in the CBC bookstore.  He told me at that time that he had attended Fruitland Bible Institute in Western NC, and had pastored a church in the state of Washington.  We both would study in the morning in the cafeteria where we could purchase coffee and enjoy it while we studied.  Joe and I could not have been more different in personality and even in theology  -- at that time.  Joe was such a people person – he never met a stranger.  He did not mind being loud and he loved to laugh.  One of the factious statements he made to our cafeteria group during our study time was that there was a demon of slumber in the library, so he stayed nears the coffee.  Joe and I were antagonistic at that time, so I dared him to go and cast out the demon and even went with him to call his bluff.  Joe was full of courage, so he went along with the challenge.  But when we went into the Library and he saw the people reading, he cared to much for them to disturb them, so he quietly said his exorcism piece and left.  It took later reflection to understand that that was one of my first glimpses of Joe’s mile-wide-heart.

We were in Romans class together.  He sat in the first row and I sat in the second row behind him.  He skipped one of the days the professor was explaining a doctrine that he did not hold to at that time (he had a good reason for not being there, I found out later).  I coarsely teased him about it several times, and it helped to accentuate our differences.  We were still just aquatenances at this time and so different from each other there wasn’t much human chance of us becoming friends.  Well, at least that was how it appeared to man.

Joe and I graduated in the same class from CBC in May of 1987.  Then in June we both took a graduate counseling summer course with Dr. Bill Crabb in the evenings.  I brought a thermos of coffee each night, and Joe loved coffee.  He came up and talked and I shared the coffee with Joe, and was starting to think he was not too bad after all.  One day on break the professor came by while Joe was holding my thermos and Joe gave the professor a cup of my coffee.  I teased Joe about trying to be the teacher’s pet with my coffee, but we were able to joke at this point without any hard feelings.

That summer I was hired as the Assistant Off-campus dean at Columbia Bible College and Seminary.  In the fall Joe continued on as a Graduate Student and would stop by my office and chat on a regular basis.  In May of 1988 my first son was about to be born and I found out that both of my jobs – Pastoral Assistant at a local church and Dean were coming to an end.  Joe found out that I needed a job and checked where he worked.  He told me to apply at Dick Smith Motors (Nissan) as they had some openings and he had recommended me to the Shop manager.  They hired me on June 6, 1988, partly on Joe’s recommendation.  Joe worked there that summer and in the fall just worked on Saturday’s while he was a full-time student.  The following year Joe worked at Dick Smith Motors full-time to catch up on some bills, and postponed school for a while.  When Joe came back as a full-time employee, we would meet each morning for prayer before work and went to lunch together every day.  This was a very difficult place for a Christian to work, but with Joe’s assistance and encouragement, I was able to keep at it.  We became the best of friends and true brothers in Christ even though we were very different in so many areas.  The only sibling I was aware of that had that has become a Christian died in 1987.  I told Joe that God had given him to me not only as a brother in Christ but also as a replacement of my siblings according to the flesh.  Men in the shop would complain that when they started jumping on me about something, that they found themselves engaged with Joe and me.  When I was under attack, it tore Joe up, and even though he would try, he couldn’t stay out of it if somebody was trying to argue with me or irritate me.  As far as I was concerned, we were “family” in every sense of the word.  In 1989 Joe and I bought a Datsun station wagon together to fix up and sell for profit.  However, it had a problem that was so expensive to fix, it did not work out like we planned.  But this never phased our trust of each other or our friendship.

In April of 1990 I received a call to be the pastor of Valois Community Church in Valois, NY (which later returned to its former name of North Hector Baptist Church).  My wife Deborah and I had assumed the loan on HUD house while I was a student, and my accepting the call was contingent on us selling the house.  Joe came to Dick Smith Motors the week of the call to be pastor in Valois and told me that he and Lowanna had prayed about it, and they would buy my house so I could accept the call to NY.  Joe was on the program to do the final prayer at my Ordination service, but he made a mistake on the date.  I remember the pain on his face when he realized he had mixed up the weekends and had missed the service.  He said, “I would not have missed that for the world.”  And he meant it.  We ran into problems with the house and the FHA inspection.  The front porch had to have some major concrete work, so Joe split the cost with me  -- even though it was my problem and not his.  He and Lowanna helped us pack the U-haul truck to move to NY.  When we were about to leave, we learned the truck had thrown a belt.  Joe fixed the truck so we would not have to wait for a repairman to come.  I remember him having to drive home with that diesel engine grime all over his hands.

Joe transferred to Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary that next fall.  He commuted back and forth from Wake Forest, NC, to Columbia, SC, while a student.  It was a difficult 4-hour trip, but Joe did it without complaint.  Lowanna had a good job which she did not want to leave, but I often wondered if his buying the house had not made it too hard to move to Wake Forest when he started back in seminary.  After graduating, Joe and Lowanna came to New England and looked at some of the SBC church plants to pray about assisting one of them.  They stopped by to see us for a couple of days in NY.  We had a great time.  I have a picture of Joe, Lowanna, and our son John standing by the edge of Seneca lake in Watkins Glen, NY.

In the summer of 1993 I drove down to Lincolnton, NC where Joe was pastoring Sharon Baptist Church.  We drove together from there to Birmingham, AL to check out the SBC Founders Conference we had both been hearing about.  We had a great time together rooming and eating together as well as attending the preaching services.

In 1995 when I considering resigning my position as pastor and moving closer to my parents as my father’s Alzheimer’s continued to progress, I mentioned to Joe in a phone call about my desire to continue my education as well.  He told me about the changes at Southeastern due to conservative course correction, and that Wake Forest was just 3 ½ hours from VA Beach, VA where my parents resided.

I came down and applied for a job and visited the seminary.  In October, 1995 our family moved to Wake Forest, NC.  I transferred my church membership from North Hector Baptist Church to Sharon Baptist Church, in Lincolnton.  Rev. Buckner, who I called “Big Joe,” was my pastor.  Joe drove over 4 hours to help us unpack the truck in Wake Forest.

I was candidating at a church in the summer of 1996 near Rutherfordton, NC.  Pastor Joe opened up his pulpit for me to preach before the pulpit committee and he and Lowanna went to lunch with the pulpit committee and us.  I was not called to that church as the pulpit committee canceled the vote on the morning it was to occur.  Nevertheless, Joe was behind me and beside me again when I needed him.

In July of 1997 I was called as the pastor of FBC of Lake Waccamaw.  In 1998 Joe joined the board of Evangelizing India for Christ and we would fellowship together twice a year at the board meetings, often rooming together at the hotel.  Also in 1998, Joe invited me to preach a revival at Sharon Baptist Church.  He was the first one to every offer such an invitation, and I have only had one other opportunity to do so since then.  But Joe believed in me and encouraged me.

In May of 1999 I graduated from New Vision University where Joe was Vice President with a Masters in Divinity.  The next year Joe became president of the University.  In the fall of 1999, New Vision opened up their fourth satellite school campus at First Baptist Church of Lake Waccamaw.  Joe drove the almost 5 hours trip every Monday for 1999 and Spring 2000 to teach courses along with me and another pastor to get the satellite started.  We would eat supper together and fellowship together each Monday after the classes.  Joe came and preached at FBC Lake Waccamaw during this time as well. 

Hurricane Floyd hit our area hard.  Joe and a large group from New Vision Ministries, including Pastor Mike, came to Lake Waccamaw with an 18 wheeler loaded with supplies and drinking water.  We worked together for hours to unload that truck and distributed the supplies to our area and other hard hit areas for months.

In October of 2000, I was going through a difficult time at the church in Lake Waccamaw.  They were having a vote of confidence on me.  Joe drove all the way there and stood beside me during that difficult event.  The vote was 52 % in my favor, not requiring an instant move, but making clear that my ministry was over there.

In the summer of 2001 when I needed counsel, Joe encouraged me to return back to Southeastern full-time.  He wrote a reference letter for me to receive the Charles B. Keesee Scholarship and to apply as a Navy Chaplain Candidate.  He continued to encourage me over the phone in 2002.  I would get the New Vision Newsletter each month and read Pastor Mike and “Big Joe’s” articles to learn of what was happening and to feel apart of the ministry of my dear friends.  It was in the newsletter that I learned that my brother had gone to heaven on April 30, 2004.  I graduated from Southeastern May 22, 2004 with an M. Div., unaware that Joe had went on to his reward.  I found out one month later to the day, May 30, 2004 while reading the Newsletter late at night while at work.

Joe was an encourager, and an effective evangelist.  I saw him share his faith many times.  Over the last twenty years he gave me good advice and exposed me to helpful things over the years such as explaining to me about the MasterLife course, which I took in 1996.  Joe had an intense love for people.  I told him many times, “Your bark is worse than your bite.”  There were time when I went with him to confront people, and he did not lack any courage.  But, when he saw the person he was dealing with, he dealt with them with kindness and fairness, even though he may had intended to deal with them based on justice.  His mile-wide-heart would kick-in and slow him down.  Joe loved God and loved people.  Joe also was a preacher at heart.  He had exceptional ability at finding and using illustrations.  If I every talked to him on a Monday or Tuesday, he would re-preach half his sermon to me over the phone or in person.  He loved the Word of God and was excited about communicating it to others.  It just welled up inside him and had to come out.  And Joe loved me well.  He loved his wife, his daughter, and his grandson a whole lot as well.  He loved Pastor Mike at New Vision who was a true friend to Joe for many years.  I owe Joe a whole lot and can’t wait until we are reunited on heaven’s shore.  I will listen for his laugh to find him among those worshiping Jesus.  I could never repay Dr. Joe Buckner for the last twenty years -- but because Joe loved the Lord Jesus with all his heart, and because he was serving Him each time he helped me, the Lord Christ will reward Joe for each cup of cold water he gave me and each box of chicken he bought me.  He will be missed much by a lot of folks, including the many he lead to Christ, by his dear family and his extended Church family, and by me his brother . . . Ted D. Manby

A Stingless Death—For Whom?

One writer observed, “The mightiest power of death is not that it can make people die, but that it can make the people left behind want to stop living.”[i] The Apostle Paul also notes that the death of a loved one has a powerful negative effect on those who remain. Paul writes to the Philippian church, “I have thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister to my need, ²⁶ for he has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill. ²⁷ Indeed he was ill, near to death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow Phil 2:25-27 ESV. The NET Bible translates this clause, “so that I would not have grief on top of grief”[ii] Phil 2:27 NET.  If Paul rejoiced that God’s providential care of Epaphroditus prevented Paul from the excessive grief that he would have had if his friend would have died, then it should be no surprise that the rest of us are also affected by the pangs of grief. We are far away from the spiritual maturity of the Apostle Paul, so our spiritual strength will be less than his rather than greater.

For a follower of Jesus (a genuine Christian), when their loved one who dies is also believer, the grief is not a hopeless grief because the parting is only temporary (1 Thess 4:13-18). But it is a real grief. A grief with faith and hope, but it is still painful and difficult. This is because the enemy, death, has not yet been fully vanquished by King Jesus. Paul writes:

But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. ²¹ For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. ²² For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. ²³ But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. ²⁴ Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. ²⁵ For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. ²⁶ The last enemy to be destroyed is death” 1 Cor 15:20-26 ESV.

The removal of death is a future event that will not happen until right before the Great White Throne Judgement (Rev 20:1-15, 21:4). It is at this time that this enemy will lose its power over our loved ones by separating the living from the dead and the soul from the body of a human.

In what sense has death currently lost its sting and for whom? The above verses show that death still has power for now. The next verse shows that the promise that death sting will be gone was not given to the deceased believers family and friends. This promise is only for the deceased individual follower of Jesus. Paul writes:

I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.⁵¹ Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, ⁵² in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. ⁵³ For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. ⁵⁴ When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory." ⁵⁵ "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" ⁵⁶ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. ⁵⁷ But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁵⁸ Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain 1 Cor 15:50-58 ESV (see Hos 13:14 & Isa 28:15).

  

Death’s painful stinger and victory is primarily the everlasting punishment of the second death. The sting is the separation from the mercy of God that those who are not in Christ feel immediately upon the separation of soul and body. The individual believer in Christ is never alone during death and does not feel the stinging victory of death that is experienced by those who do not love the triune God of the Bible. However, the family and friends of the believer do feel the painful sting of separation from their loved one. This promise was not given to them. The promise to the loved ones of believers for the believers that remain is that they can have a know-so hope of a future reunion, even during their grief and readjustment period.

The Word of God says, ^“But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, [deceased] that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.” 1 Thess 4:13 ESV. Why do the “others” have no hope? Let’s consider the belief system of a few philosophical and theological positions that are “other” views in contrast to biblical Christianity.

• For the evolutionist, the survival of the fittest provides no hope to a mother who just lost her daughter. There is no comfort in the perspective that time and chance eliminated her permanently from their lives because she was too weak.
• The Buddhist tries to apply denial or destruction of his human desire for fellowship with the deceased but finds no comfort in his belief that his loved one’s soul has migrated to another life form directed by blind uncaring Karma. In Buddhism the only future goal is for both souls to cease to exist by reaching a mythical Nirvana after thousands of years of transmigrating to different life forms to pay for past errors. The idea that my loved one could come back as a gnat provides absolutely no hope of an everlasting conscience reunion with another human being.
• The Hindu also lacks hope as the deceased persons soul tries to escape the wheel of reincarnation and Karma to finally after tens of thousands of years reach nonexistence and Moksha as the soul is absorbed into an impersonal force. The wailing of a Hindu mother over a lost son is very intense and the world view that this human separation is forever provides no hope to this broken-hearted lady.
• All forms of Eastern mysticism and New Age spirituality are stuck in this same philosophical rut of Karma and reincarnation.
• The atheist and materialist also have no hope with the view that men are physical beings only with no soul and no everlasting existence. For the Atheist, death is the permanent ending of life. There is absolutely no hope of a future reunion.
• For the Jehovah’s Witness, the loved one who did not complete enough works will be annihilated and be never seen again.
• For the Mormon, the loved one could be stuck on the same planet with Hitler, Stalin and Idi Amin producing children to inhabit new planets.
• For the Christian Scientist, their mantra, “there is no death and there is no pain” does not explain why they can no longer hold their deceased loved one’s warm hand or be hugged back. Nor can this denial of reality explain why the hot tears keep rolling down their face.
• For the Muslim, if their loved on did not die in Jihad (Holy war), Allah can choose at any point to not show mercy and consign them to hell.
• All works-based belief systems are unable to provide a confident belief in a future reunion first because no one knows how many works is enough. If it takes 2,100 good works to get into heaven and the loved one only completed 2,098 good works, they missed the mark. Second, all works-based religions, cults and denominations directly contradict the Bible, because salvation from everlasting punishment is only by grace through faith apart from works (Eph 2:8-10; Gal 2:16, 3:10; Rom 4:2-8, 2 Tim 1:9-10; Tit 3:4-7).
• For the Free-will theist, their loved one could have failed in performance after sixty-five years of faithfulness to Christ, but in mental confusion deny Jesus and also be assigned to hell. In sickness, dementia, in pain and under medication they stopped keeping themselves saved, sanctified, living above sin and striving to get into heaven. If salvation and sanctification all depends on the human will, then only the young who die suddenly can have any hope of heaven for the Arminian and semi-Pelagian. The Free-will theist can only have hope for very few people in assisted care and nursing homes as their mental capacity diminishes and their volition is faulty and failing. They can no longer “keep themselves saved”[iii] when they can’t even remember their spouse’s face after sixty years of marriage or their own name. Add morphine to mix and hope further evades because it often causes them to die in confusion, but thankfully with much less pain.

There are many more systems “other” than biblical Christianity that can produce absolutely no hope after a death of a loved one has occurred beyond those that have been listed above. Nevertheless, do note that the more works-based a system is the less hope it produces.

 Only those who have faith in Christ alone and are saved by grace alone through Christ’s work alone according to the Bible alone for the glory of God alone have a full know-so hope and the assurance of being reunited in heaven with other believers (2 Cor 5:6-9; Heb 12:23; Rev 6:9). And after that reunion, to also be united with them in the future in the new heavens and new earth (Rev 21:1-8). That is why a loved one being in Christ provides so much hope for a true believer. However, many other belief systems destroy all hope rather than encourage it.

The resurrection of Christ and the ancient Messianic prophecies that are fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth affirm the propositional truths of the Bible and the veracity and reliability of the passages cited above. The written Word of God contains true truth because God inspired the words and thoughts in the 66 books of the Bible. Those who are in Jesus can have a sure hope of a wonderful everlasting reunion bodily with other followers of Jesus that have experienced death—the separation of the soul from the body. Sadly, this is not the case for “others.”

So, death does have power over a follower of Jesus at the moment God has decreed the separation of body and soul (Heb 9:27; Eph 1:10-11; Rev 14:13-14), but is unable to separate the believer from the love and presence of Christ (John 14:3; Rom 8:31-39; 2 Cor 5:8; Phil 1:21-23; 1 Thess 4:17). Those not in a saving covenantal relationship with King Jesus will be separated from the common grace and mercy of God at their death, just like those outside of the ark in Noah’s day were outside the covenantal mercy of the ark and in the flood of God’s justice and wrath against sin (2 Pet 2:5-16).

Thus, as we have stated above, Death also has the power to separate a loved one from family and friends—at least temporarily for some people. But death will one day be vanquished by King Jesus and after that moment there will no longer be a first death for any creature. The second death, which is everlasting judgment, will continue for all who refuse to take the one bridge off the island provided by God before the volcano erupts. Jesus is the bridge. Deliverance from the wrath to come can only be secured through faith in Him (John 14:1-6; Acts 4:12; Rom 5:9). You do not have to like or take the one path of rescue, but only those who take it make it. You can disagree all you want as the lava flows over the island, but that will not change the reality of it. It is not loving at all to say, “Oh your path that leads to the foot of the volcano is just as good an escape route as the road and one bridge off the Island that leads to safety.” Only that one narrow way will lead you away from the flow of lava. It is a deadly lie that is not loving at all to affirm the paths that lead to death. Love demands pointing to the one provided escape route that alone can provide deliverance.

In conclusion, consider again that the family can feel the sting of death, but a genuine believer in Christ will not individually feel the sting of everlasting death or being separated from God’s love, presence, mercy or grace. The promise of a stingless death is only to the individual believer. Believers left behind are promised a future reunion with departed believers, but not freedom from missing their loved one in the meantime.

And then one day, I’ll cross that river
I’ll fight life’s final war with pain
And then, as death gives way to victory
I’ll see the lights of glory and I’ll know He reigns.
Because He lives, I can face tomorrow
Because He lives, all fear is gone
Because I know He holds the future
And life is worth the living
Just because He lives[iv]

Jesus the Messiah rose from the dead in the same physical body three days after He was crucified and is reigning in heaven right now. He died about 28AD and He now lives!

Ted Manby, BA, M-Div., Th.M.

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[i] Fredrick Backman, My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry (New York: Artia, 2015) p 220.

[ii] All bold text and underlining have been added for emphasis, but they were not present in the source document.

[iii] This author was personally told in a group setting by an Arminian Church of God pastor in Newport News, VA in 1982, “I have been saved 20 years because I have kept myself saved.”

[iv] Hymn, “Because He Lives” by William J. Gaither and Gloria Gaither, Hanna Street Music (BMI), 1969.