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Kenneth E. Hagin
founded RHEMA Bible Training Center was
founded in 1974, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I attended the second
year of the school and graduated in 1976. After graduation, my
wife, Debbi, and I spent the next 2 1/2 years ministering in
southern Georgia. In the fall of 1978, we returned to
Oklahoma, where I joined the RHEMA faculty, and served as an
instructor until the spring of 1981.
As many of you
know, Kenneth Hagin went home to be
with the Lord on September 19, 2003, after working in
Christian ministry for nearly 70 years. I attended the
memorial service for Brother Hagin, which was held Wednesday,
September 24th, RHEMA's campus, in Broken Arrow,
Oklahoma.
The service was a wonderful tribute to a
humble man of God. As ministers, family members, and friends
shared their thoughts and memories of Brother Hagin, I, too,
recalled some experiences I had with him. One memory in
particular, has stayed with me more than 20 years
now.
I was working in my office one afternoon, when
Brother Hagin stopped by and asked if I'd heard anything from
Rodney Lloyd, an instructor who had recently left the school
to pastor a church in Michigan. I said that I'd talked with
him, and he was doing fine. Brother Hagin nodded his head and
said, "Good, good." He then turned and continued down the
hall, and I returned to the papers on my desk.
A few
moments later, I sensed someone's presence, and looked up to
see Brother Hagin back at my door.
He looked at me and
said, "I just felt I was supposed to come back and tell you
that I love you. The Lord's been dealing with me that I need
to let people know that I love them more." And then, somewhat
embarrassingly, he added, "I guess you're never too old to
learn."
With teary eyes, I thanked him, and he went on
his way. After he left, I sat at my desk and thought, "Here's
a man who's been in ministry nearly 50 years, and he's still
learning. Where does that leave me?"
Brother Hagin's
words were a reality check for that 30-year-old 'kid', as they
are for this 53-year-old 'kid', today. I've come to realize,
that as much as I know, I don't know it all -- there's still a
lot to learn.
So, regardless of your age, you'd do well
to remember Brother Hagin's words, too: "You're never too old
to learn."
think on
these things...
Philippians 3:12 (NLT)
I don't mean
to say that I have already achieved these things or that I
have already reached perfection! But I keep working toward
that day when I will finally be all that Christ Jesus saved me
for and wants me to be.
Learning is not attained by
chance, it must be sought for with ardor and attended to with
diligence. Abigail
Adams (1744 - 1818)
The only people who
achieve much are those who want knowledge so badly that they
seek it while the conditions are still unfavorable. Favorable
conditions never come. C.
S. Lewis (1898-1963)
To
be conscious that you are ignorant is a great step to
knowledge. Benjamin
Disraeli (1804 - 1881)
Nourish the mind
like you would your body. The mind cannot survive on junk
food. Jim Rohn
Proverbs 1:7
(NLT)
Fear of the Lord is the beginning of
knowledge. Only fools despise wisdom and discipline.
Copyright 2004 Randall Gearhart
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