Several times throughout Scripture, readers are commanded to remember the mighty acts God did through miraculous events and people (Deut. 6, Joshua 4:19-24; Psalm 106:6-15). Can you imagine the incredible teaching moment between a father and his son and daughter, when they passed by the monument (a cairn, for Colorado hikers of 14ers) of the twelve stones taken out of the dry river bottom of the Jordan? “Dad, what are these stones?” “Kids, it is something that is almost impossible to comprehend. When our ancestors came into this country, God blocked the waters of the Jordan River upstream so they could walk on dry ground and enter this land. God did this so that all the people of the earth would know that Yahweh is mighty!”
This theology of remembering is a vital component in Christ-followers’ lives, functioning as a connection between past and present. Remembering enables us to see God’s faithfulness in the past and recognize that God is still faithful today. We are commanded to remember for encouragement, motivation, guidance, thanksgiving, and wisdom.
I want to share three specific memories of my childhood pastor, Norman Presley (Brother Presley as the church referred to him). He became Pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Colorado Springs in the early 1960s. My dad was on the pastor search team that extended a call to become the pastor of Calvary. From my perspective, Bro. Presley was a larger-than-life figure. He and his wife spent many hours in our home over the next 10+ years. I pray that these memories will encourage and motivate us to be imitators of his life and the life of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Bro. Presley preached about sin, regularly. If you grew up in church in the 60s and 70s, this might have occurred in your church as well. I remember him preaching against cigarettes, drinking alcohol, divorce, dancing, rock-n-roll music, gambling, and men/boys with long hair. Today, we might view these as too narrow-minded and culturally driven; and I would agree, but that was the culture in which the church existed. The age-old saying that “sin is sin” is just as applicable in the 1960s as it is today.
My perception is that Bro. Presley had a deep conviction that our church and community should be confronted with the truth of sin and therefore the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Looking back, I would have rather his sermons be more positive than negative, but that wasn’t his mindset. He wanted our community to be confronted with the truth of God’s Word. I believe it was D.L. Moody (1837-1899) who said, “You’ve got to get people lost before you can get them saved.” This seemed to be Bro. Presley’s attitude. My question for us, as we attempt to make an impact in our family and community, is this: is sin still sin, or has sin become just a mistake, a lapse of judgment, a difference of moral values, or your opinion?
Even though some of the sins Bro. Presley preached against are not specifically mentioned in Scripture, to him, not conforming our life to the image of Jesus (Rom. 8:29), not abiding in Jesus and His Word (John 15:6), and walking in darkness (1 John 1:6) was sin. Are we conveying to our church, community, and family (kids and grandkids) that sin is still sin and the only solution is repentance and trusting in Jesus?
A second memory from sitting under Bro. Presley’s leadership was his focus on teaching and preaching about tithing. He believed that every Christian, young to old, should be a tither and he related this in his sermons and in his communication with the church. One passage that I remember, which was frequently communicated to the church, was Malachi 3:6-8. He regularly preached about robbing God. Bro. Presley understood Scripture to clearly teach that when one withholds the tithe (10% of one’s income) by not giving to the church, that person/family was robbing God.
Tithing was a big deal at Calvary Baptist Church. I know that it was because of my parents’ influence and my pastor’s teaching that tithing became a natural spiritual habit in my life. I realize that many outside the church have a view that the only thing a church wants is their money. You have probably heard the statement, “all the church talks about is money.” As church leaders, we should not be fearful of teaching and preaching about tithing. I, for one, am eternally grateful that my pastor dared to preach and teach on the biblical mandate of tithing. Will we be remembered as those who made tithing and faithful stewardship of resources a priority and passion in our lives?
The final and most significant memory of my childhood pastor is his devotion to and passion for reaching those without Jesus Christ (1 John 5:11-13). I am unsure what motivated him in this effort, but it oozed out of everything he did. It was the prime focus of his tenure as pastor of Calvary Baptist Church. He preached the gospel of Jesus Christ. A reoccurring remembrance was the invitation given at the end of his sermons, always evangelistic.
My recollection of his words is, “Don’t leave here this morning without Christ. Don’t walk out of here without doing business with God. If you leave without Jesus and a bus runs you over, you will spend eternity in hell. Come to Jesus this morning.” Due mainly to his passion for the lost, Calvary led the CO convention in baptisms year after year (100-200 per year). Weekly church-wide visitation, regular revival meetings (some two weeks long), and a love for the soldiers at Ft. Carson (Bro. Presley was a military veteran) contributed to many baptisms each year. On a personal note, I gave my life to Christ during one of those revival meetings on March 27, 1971.
Let me close with a story about Bro. Presley. After he retired from Calvary, he continued to preach, hold revivals and fill the pulpit at churches around the area. One day, while preaching at a church, he suffered a major heart attack in the middle of his sermon. Members rushed to his side to find him unconscious. Paramedics were called and they revived Bro. Presley, after putting in an IV and placing an oxygen mask over his face. Putting him on a gurney and wheeling him out to the ambulance for the trip to the hospital, one of the paramedics noticed that he was trying to pull his oxygen mask off. The paramedic told him he had to leave it on, but he continued to try to remove the mask. It appeared that he was trying to say something. Finally, the paramedic leaned over him and pulled the mask off. Bro. Presley looked at him and asked, “If you were to die today, would you go to heaven?” I have personally known and witnessed two men who I believe had the gift of evangelism. Bro. Presley was one of them. What a demonstration of his passion for the lost that on a gurney after a heart attack, he was more focused on the soul of another than his own life. How are we living out the Great Commission in our day-to-day activities?
I pray that this remembrance of Bro. Presley will encourage, motivate, challenge and guide us to become more like our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Steve Veteto is the Director of Gateway Seminary Rocky Mountain Campus, Professor of New Testament Studies.
