Who am I? Expand Strong in God, a spiritual giant — some people have actually called me that. They don’t know me. I am a sinner, who’s growing stronger through the years, who crawls back to the cross when he sins and finds God still loves him and will still use him to bring others to Christ. That’s grace, isn’t it? Drops from a Leaking Tap, 2008.
Billy Graham Expand I especially want to thank Billy Graham, my spiritual father, through whose preaching I discovered life and life in abundance. Two years after I came to Jesus, I was hiring buses and bringing people to the big, famous 1957 Billy Graham crusade [in New York City], where tens of thousands professed the Saviour. One night, they said the place was completely full. I didn’t want to take a seat where someone else could hear the gospel for the first time, so I came out and preached the gospel in the open air for the first time in my life. George For Real documentary, 2015.
On attending his first mission conference Expand I was never the same again. As I found out about more nations and how so many were unreached, the vision for reaching them began to grow in my heart and mind. When I started to realise that finance was urgently needed, I started selling everything I could and gave the money to world missions. I got a job waiting on tables in the college restaurant in order to be able to give more. Messiology, 2016.
On his first date with Drena Expand That’s when I told her, ‘Well, nothing probably is going to happen between me and you, but if anything did, like say marriage, you need to understand that I am going to be a missionary and you probably will be eaten by cannibals in New Guinea.’ How she eventually agreed to marry me is a long story… Messiology, 2016.
Human and messy Expand I have said, and I feel it strongly, that no matter how filled we are with the Holy Spirit, we are still human. Our humanness has its beautiful side and its messy side... Many of us (including me) do ridiculous things and say even more ridiculous things. I have made mistakes in my life and ministry, and I know that many others have as well. I hope that by sharing some of my own pitfalls, others may learn by observation to avoid serious damage to themselves and to the Body of Christ. Messiology, 2016. God is often working in messy situations, messy people. [That] doesn’t justify anything wrong, but it shows the greatness and the glory of God; the mercy of God to use all kinds of people. That’s why this loudmouth from New York City, New Jersey, ever was able to be used in kingdom ministry. Moody Radio appearance, Chicago, 2014.
Thank God for free refills! Expand We need a constant work of the Holy Spirit. I often tell the story about D L Moody, who would emphasise the need to be filled with the Spirit again and again. One day when asked, ‘Mr. Moody, why do you keep saying we have to be filled again and again?’ He replied, ‘Because I leak.’ Thank God for free refills.
Plan M Expand I meet people for whom, humanly speaking, life has not worked out well. They are not on Plan A or Plan B, but more like Plan M. When I speak with them, I remind them of the big alphabet and urge them to embrace radical grace and press on. More Drops, 2015.
Lives changed Expand Behind the whole concept was my passion for revival and seeing lives changed. Not just new Christians, but believers, too: many were lukewarm. It was on my heart for young people to grow and become mature as a result of volunteering with OM — and that’s still taking place. Interview, 2020.
The short-term mission movement Expand Modern, short-term mission agencies have often received people at a young age, with no real mission experience. On-the-field mentoring, the method used by Jesus, has proved to be one of the very best ways to produce long-term church leaders and missionaries out of such people. Some assume that if we have a large number of new, especially young, workers that they will not be well-qualified workers. My experience has shown me, and I love to testify to the truth of this, that God uses all kinds of people. Grace-Awakened Leadership, 2010. I believe that’s one of the reasons God has raised up movements like OM, YWAM and others, to give people a short term in which they can give thought, get to meet people who are involved in missions; get exposure to other nations, the situations, and yes — to the problems. The short-term mission movement has launched more long-termers than any other movement, at least in the past 40 years. It’s been a privilege, an unworthy privilege. I’m an unworthy servant to be involved in it. Canadian church mission conference, 2022.
The work of God is bigger than any fellowship or organisation Expand Don’t we have two thousand years of proof that God works in a variety of ways? Different missions have different strategies and even within a mission or church there can be tension and division over strategy and the detail of how things should be done. Must we be so dogmatic on matters that the Bible is not clear about? Can’t we accept that God works in different ways among different groups of people? The work of God is bigger than any fellowship or organisation. To get a job done, we need organisations that respond to specific needs. For example, God brought Operation Mobilisation into existence for a specific purpose — to mobilise the young people of Europe and North America and then across the globe. We don’t worship organisations, or get uptight because we don’t agree with everything in them. We should assess them in the context of their specific purpose and be big-hearted about them. Grace-Awakened Leadership, 2010.
Discouragement Expand We have to stand against the fiery dart of discouragement. I have wrestled with this all my Christian life. God’s grace is sufficient. Great biblical, mountain-moving faith does not happen without doubts, struggles and discouragement or even sin. It happens in the midst of those things.
Vulnerable leaders Expand Leaders who admit their vulnerabilities, and even their failures, walk with a limp. But I suppose that’s what makes it possible for hurting people to catch up with us to ask for help. Despite my limp, God still uses me in His service. (This is part of the mystery of grace for me.) Drops from a Leaking Tap, 2008.
Love, patience and forgiveness Expand Unless there is a lot more love, patience, forgiveness, dialogue, compromise and flexibility, with greater control of what comes out of our mouths and keyboards, then the world is truly headed for more difficult times. Young people, keep dreaming and have ideals, but embrace history and reality and find a more peaceful, less arrogant and more loving way forward. We live in an imperfect world, full of imperfect people, and remember YOU are one of them! Confessions of a Toxic Perfectionist, 2020.
Prayer Expand Prayer is at the heart of the action and a world-wide prayer movement must run parallel with any kind of world-wide mission movement.
Every Tribe and Tongue Expand For me, one of the greatest encouragements in life has been seeing so many people of all different nations, religions and backgrounds being transformed by their faith in the Lord Jesus and the daily work of the Holy Spirit. Confessions of a Toxic Perfectionist, 2020.
Motivated to the last minute Expand I’m still mega-motivated to see everyone in the world being given the gospel at least once… [to] have the opportunity to hear about saving grace through our Lord Jesus Christ, and I hope I can, right to my last breath, continue to share that message. George For Real documentary, 2015.
My final video blog Expand What do I think my main legacy will be for the next generation? Number one, I hope it will be love — the revolution of love — that’s what OM really was born with. But of course, combined with reaching people, combined with prayer — nothing was ever isolated in packages, and I hope people remember that. The second thing is I hope people will remember when I tried to pour out my heart in my book Messiology — the book is worthy of that title and I pray people will read it, because it has a lot of the most radical stuff that I’ve ever said… This is something that needs to be brought back deeply into the Church, giving a vital blow to legalism. I pray also when people think of me, they’ll remember the passion to see everyone in the world have the opportunity to hear or read the gospel. We celebrate all the groups that are doing that... but there are hundreds and hundreds of millions of people that have not yet been reached. Finally, perseverance. It will get rough and tough but somehow, you’ve gotta keep on keeping on. Remembering: ‘Be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord.’ (1 Cor. 15:58, KJV) God bless you, and we’re trusting Him for greater things in the days to come. Watch the video here