“The Only FORGOTTEN Son!”
By Pastor Ron Buxton
The following story is true. My suspicion is that it involved the early 20th century Evangelist named Billy Sunday. And the incident is really symbolic of what modern American culture has become today.
An evangelist of those old-time tent crusades had just finished preaching his sermon. He was now praying for individuals who had come forward in response to his message. Very quietly, a well-dressed woman approached him. She was the high-society type that seemed somewhat bothered to even be there. But there she was.
“Excuse me, ma’am, how can I pray for you?” inquired the preacher, “Would you like to give your life to Jesus and receive His salvation?”
“Oh, not really”, responded the woman, “I’ve been a Christian my whole life.”
The preacher, however, was not convinced. And so, he asked her: “Tell me. Since you’re a Christian, what is your favorite Bible verse?”
She thought for a few moments. “That’s an easy one”, she finally said, “That would be John 3:16– ‘For God so loved the world that He gave His only forgotten Son…'”
A nervous laughter arose around her, but she didn’t notice. However, in my opinion, she described the ignorance and apathy of our society nowadays. You see, God’s Word has been twisted. His Son has been forgotten. And we are lost as a society without Him!
Am I exaggerating? History tells us just how far we continue to drift from an awareness of God in our culture. It was June 8th 1978—almost 42 years ago. On that date, a Nobel Prize-winning author spoke at the Commencement address for Harvard University. His name was Alexander Solzhenitsyn. And the anticipation of his lecture was electric! Everybody in attendance expected this intellectual giant to deliver a scathing speech against political oppression. After all, he had endured many years in the Russian Gulag of Siberia for his resistance to communism. Shockingly, and very unexpectedly, that was not the focus of his lecture.
The summation of his message was simple: America has forgotten God! The crowd was totally aghast! Some members of the audience actually booed him–which was unheard of in those settings! And later, the social elites of that day really vilified him in the press. You see, it simply wasn’t the narrative that they were expecting to hear. Forty-two years later—it still isn’t!
This brings me back to the opening conversation at that old-time tent crusade. I ask the reader to be honest. How many people realize that Jesus is the only “begotten” Son—and not the only “forgotten” Son? That makes a huge difference! And as we approach these days leading up to the Passion week of Christ—His death on the cross, and His resurrection from the dead—please know that Christ never FORGOT you! In fact, that’s the reason why He came! Our faith in Him is the life-giving (and soul-saving) remembrance of that! He was begotten so that you would not be forgotten!
