Around the World in 88 Years -E Book - Arthur Burt

Whenever I would stand up, the noise would subside, peoplewould sit down and they would listen to the preacher. On thisoccasion, though, that didn’t happen, and I soon found myselfcompeting with the Spirit of God. As I raised my voice, the Lordraised the noise of the worship, until somebody behind me onthe platform pulled the coat tails of my jacket and said, “Sit down.Don’t you know the touch of the Spirit of God in a meeting?!”Like Jekyll and Hyde, in one split second, I changed from being aself-satisfied, conceited little preacher into a person filled withboiling rage. I could easily have murdered the man who hadpulled my coat tails and told me to sit down. I burned for aweek. During this time I couldn’t find God, because the Biblesays, “How can you love God who you don’t see, if you don’tlove your brother who you do see?” It doesn’t provide any exceptionsfor someone who pulls your coattails. After sulking for aweek, I crawled back into the presence of this brother who hadcorrected me.“Arthur,” he said. “You are just an entertainer. You stand up onyour hind legs, say your piece, tell your stories, and all you areseeking to do is amuse the people. You don’t know what it is tominister to the glory of God.”I came out of that interview hurt and defeated, thinking, “I amthrough! Finished! Done! I will never preach again.”Then the Lord said to me, “You haven’t begun yet.”As I look back after all those years since the late 30’s, I thank Godfor Ernest Beckett, the man who pulled my coat tails. He was afriend who was faithful and wounded me when I needed to bewounded. I have been in many hundreds of meetings, but I countthat as one of the most effective meetings I was ever in. AlthoughI resented being corrected at the time, that correction changedmy life, and I thank God for it.I learned that you can’t assess the value of a meeting by how youenjoyed it — as if a meeting were a picnic or a film. A revelationwas birthed in me then about ministering to the glory of God. Ifound that God hasn’t called me to preach to His people;He has called me to minister to Him in front of the people—an important distinction.47