When you get to be my age, you begin to reflect on your life: what went right and what didn’t, the highs and lows. What you notice when you take a moment to reflect on your life experiences is amazing.
I have been reflecting on my life as I have written a book called ‘The Best is Yet to Be,’ a follow-up to my wife Dorothy’s book ‘Called Together.’ Dorothy’s book covered our lives and ministry in Australia until 1980 when we moved to Minnesota. My book will cover our time in America from the moment we arrived in Minnesota to fulfill an Abraham call, moving from one country to another. I would appreciate your prayers as we are now finishing up the book to have it published this year.
Let us take a moment to reflect on our lives and what we have experienced so far in ministry.
OPPORTUNITIES
When I grew up many years ago, musicals were one of the most popular theater productions. I still remember going to see the musical ‘South Pacific.’ Then came films, some of which were musicals. Also, there were local amateur theater companies that presented these musicals. Indeed, in one of the churches where I served as an Associate Pastor, there was a group that presented shows like ‘Hello Dolly.’ Another one I remember was ‘Carousel,’ a story of a man who gets involved in a crime and loses his life. In one of the scenes, he declares, ‘I let my golden chances pass me by.’
I have been thinking about that statement lately in regard to my own life. Did I miss out on those golden chances or opportunities that came my way? Did I let them pass me by? I will share the answer to this question at the end of this letter, but first, let us define what an opportunity is and then look at some of the opportunities that we have been given.
DEFINITION – OPPORTUNITY
If you check a dictionary, you will find that an opportunity is described as ‘a time for a favorable purpose to be fulfilled, a convenient time, favorable circumstance, a good chance for success.’ Keep this in mind as we discuss the concept of ‘I let my golden chances (opportunities) pass me by.
OPPORTUNITY FOR SALVATION
I believe God gives us all the opportunity to receive Christ as our personal Lord and Savior. For me, it was in an evangelistic meeting in Sydney, Australia. A student in my university class invited me to an evangelistic meeting where a Scottish evangelist was preaching. He preached the hottest hell-fire sermon I have ever heard. On that night, I became aware of the two possibilities that lay ahead of me: I could take the opportunity given to me and give my life to Jesus and receive Him as my Lord and Savior, or else I was committing myself to a path that led to hell. That night, I grasped hold of my opportunity to receive Christ, and I have never regretted it. The Bible says that tragedy occurs when people don’t act on the opportunity God has given them to receive the gift of salvation and eternal life in Christ.
2 Corinthians 6:2 states, ‘For He says: “In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.’ Don’t let the opportunity and gift of salvation pass you by.
OPPORTUNITY FOR SERVICE
One of the major tasks God has called His people to do is to be servants – to serve the Lord and other people. Indeed, we are called to love the Lord and one another.
Now, these are general exhortations for all believers to do. i.e., service to the Lord and others. But there is also a Biblical understanding that all of God’s people have different gifts and specific callings. Thus, there is a general calling and a specific calling.
For example, a person may be called to be a missionary – that is a general calling. But after this comes a calling ‘to a specific ministry, work or calling.’ e.g., to a particular country or location or people group. The opportunities are countless, and believers need to properly discern their calling in God to specific areas of ministry. The same applies to people in a local church, as God has many options for us to serve. Sadly, many believers don’t go on to live a life of service to God or others.
Take a look and see where you can act on the opportunities for service in your local church, such as children’s ministry, youth work, ushers, greeters, etc. Don’t let these opportunities pass you by.
OPPORTUNITY FOR EVANGELISM
Recently, my grandson Timothy, an associate pastor at a church in Wacona, was preaching. As it was his birthday that weekend, I went to his church to support him. He shared about the call to share Jesus with other people. One of the illustrations that he used was B.O.B., which stands for:
B – Burden
O – Opportunity
B – Boldness
In other words, the first step is B, to pray for a burden to reach the lost. The next step is O, to pray for an opportunity to share Jesus, and the final step is B, to pray for a boldness to share Jesus when given the chance.
Right in the middle is the word ‘opportunity.’ We need to seize the opportunity and not let it pass us by.
MY OWN PERSONAL TESTIMONY
I came to America with my wife Dorothy and our two daughters, Beth and Joy, in the summer of 1980. Later that decade, I was invited to become the Senior Pastor of a church in Eden Prairie, MN, which eventually was called Antioch Christian Fellowship. Around that time, I was approached by a publishing company in America to write a book on leadership. The publishing company was a secular one. It was a major publishing company in America. I do not know how they got my name or what led them to approach me. Unfortunately, as I was starting to pastor the church, I was extremely busy. Consequently, writing a book was not one of the top priorities in my ministry. I kept delaying it, and eventually, the publishing company withdrew the offer. I had let a golden opportunity pass me by. It was truly a missed opportunity.
In some ways, this was one of the major mistakes I made in ministry, for who knows where a book could have taken me.
A CLOSING CHALLENGE
There will be times in all of our lives when God provides us with a door of opportunity that we can go through. A door that may require us to take some risks or make some sacrifices. A door that requires us to step out in faith to an area of service or ministry that is beyond our personal experience or comfort zone. If that happens, ‘Don’t let those golden chances or opportunities pass you by.’
I think of the rich young ruler who came to Jesus so excited yet walked away so miserable. He did not embrace the opportunity that Jesus was calling Him to; He did not choose to be a part of the kingdom of God.
So, here I am, nearly 90 years old, reflecting on my life. I thank God that I do not have many times when I let my golden chances or opportunities pass me by. I have wanted to be a believer who embraced every opportunity that God laid before me. I want to hear the words of the Lord, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.’
How about you?
Kairos Ministries 
Pastor Alan, the regret about not writing the book about leadership for a secular company is maybe not a “missed opportunity” for two reasons: (1) so-called “servant leadership” is so different from what the world and the flesh “honor” or thinks is “necessary” that even a “Christian university” like Bethel has had to cancel that degree program through lack of interest or endowment help; and (2) the rise of and loyalty towards Donald Trump, even among believers at this time, shows that narcissism and self-promotion carry a greater weight than does servant-leadership (as shown by others like Ben Carson and Ron DeSantis) seemingly does. So, while a book you might have written at that time might have carried a bit of weight with a limited audience and for a shorter season, it likely would have been eclipsed by views deemed to be more “practical” (unfortunately anyway)…whereas the smaller book, Hedges, which you did write, made a real difference in Christian circles (hint, hint, towards re-issuing it in some form!)…plus your work with Crossroads TV, promotion of the revivals at Pensacola and Smithton, pastoral leadership at Antioch and ACTS, and supportive involvement with David Yonggi Cho, Jim Bakker, and Myles Monroe (and Peter Wagner’s church-network and educational network) rightfully consumed the lion’s share of time not devoted to God (devotionally), preaching fresh messages to/for your people, and taking time for staff and for biological family. True “servant-leadership” put/puts all such matters “first”, rather than the lure of a broader audience and becoming “famous” (as an author in the public market-place allegedly “automatically” becomes). In other words, precisely BECAUSE you WERE a living example of the contents of what such a book would have talked about, you simply didn’t have an “open door” in the Lord to add that responsibility to the load you were already carrying at that time as well.
Just an observation from someone who watched your amazing juggling efforts during much of that time-frame “close up”…and who greatly benefited from the road you indeed did choose to travel!
Lance Wonders
dean of ACTS Bible College and pastoral staff
(formerly at Antioch and now at Way of the Lord in Blaine, MN)
Excellent, as ALWAYS! Shalom Precious,precious brother and mentor in Jesus.