Gordon Rumford Ministries

Yesterday Susan and I went to visit a terminally ill 73 year old woman I had visited several times before. This was to prove a most memorable visit for us as a couple.

I had several fruitless visits with Donna in the past. She had no particular interest in my Christianity or God.

While she was very pleasant about it, it was clear she was far from God. The books I lent her were handed back unread and she had excuses for not reading any of them. I had almost despaired of reaching her for the Lord until yesterday.

Her life had been rough to say the least. She had looked after her disabled husband for many years, had buried her son when he was only months old, buried her daughter as a young adult, and attended the funerals of her brothers and sisters.

She was very much alone with difficult memories to keep her company as she quietly waited for her cancer to succeed in its lethal enterprise. I must confess that she was not bitter, only very sad about being so alone.

She had called leaving a message on our answering machine that she would appreciate a visit. Susan and I went the next day. When we arrived we found Donna sitting out on the verandah of the home where she boarded.

As soon as we sat down she looked at me and asked, “Gordon, could you teach me to pray?” She wanted me to pray and she would repeat the words after me. She indicated that she was seeking the Lord and wanted to know she would be with Him when she died. I led her through a penitential prayer and she prayed the words after me most earnestly.

When I was done she kept her head bowed and soon her thin voice was heard as she spoke directly to her Creator. “Dear God, You are so good, I love you and want to be with You.”, she said. “I am nobody in the scheme of things, but please hear me and give me a place in your heaven. I just want to be with you. Please take me there soon, I have suffered much. Dear God You are so great and wonderful and I don’t even know what to say to You, I am so humble. Please hear me, I want to be with You so much. Amen.”

Susan and I had tears in our eyes as we heard this sincere and contrite expression of faith on Donna’s part. We felt that we were on holy ground as we were privileged to listen in on this woman’s prayer for forgiveness and acceptance by the Lord. Although we attended two church services that Sunday, we felt closer to the Lord in those few moments than we did all day Sunday.

It is such a joy and privilege to minister to pastorless people like Donna and have the joy of hearing them weep their way to the Saviour. We are humbled to be in such a position as we are with this great responsibility of declaring the unsearchable riches of Christ and knowing that in His time the increase will be given.

We worked for many months with Donna and nothing happened. Then, one sunny Sunday afternoon it seemed that everything happened.

How grateful we were that we had not written her off because of her seeming lack of interest in Christian things. Now Donna has given us another assignment, “Gordon, please pray that I will go to heaven soon.” She is an eager person and has assurance that God has heard her prayer and will give her heaven as her portion.

The sacrificial support that many of you give towards our expenses insures a continued ministry of hope to hurting people. Thank you for praying and being a part of what we do for the sake of our great God and Saviour.

Let us rejoice in what has been done and be ambitious to see greater things done for the glory of God.

It was a quiet morning when the telephone rang in my study. As usual, I did not have any idea who or what I would hear when I answered it.

The call was a relay from a pastor friend in a town two hours drive from here. A young man 16 years of age was the focus of the conversation. Although Jimmy lived in Mississauga with his family, he had spent a summer or two in this town working for a family in the local evangelical church. The call centered on an incident a couple of days earlier that concerned Jimmy.

It seems that Jimmy had been brutally beaten in a plaza in Mississauga by four young offenders and left in a coma. The family was unchurched, but would be receptive to a pastoral call. The boy was in the Mississauga General Hospital intensive care unit and still in a coma.

When I went to the hospital, I met by Jimmy’s mother and sister. I was given a warm reception when I identified myself and the mother explained in detail about the assault. It was a brutal action by some seriously disturbed young people and arrests had been made. The mother explained that her son might be in the coma for several weeks. It was not known what he would be like after regaining consciousness.

The mother was brave and hopeful that her son would come around and survive the incident. The father was unable to spend more than a few minutes by his son’s side as he could not endure the reality his eyes witnessed. The sister sat quietly weeping in the corner of the room.

I spoke with the mom about how senseless the situation seemed and then assured her that Christian people would be praying for her and the entire family at this time. She was genuinely moved by the fact that we would show such concern for strangers. Before I left, I gave her my phone number and assured her that she could call any time if there was a need to speak to me.

It’s a couple of weeks later and I have had several visits with the young man and the family. In the first few visits, while Jimmy was still comatose, I would speak to him as though he heard me and pray with him. After two weeks Jimmy regained consciousness and although he still has a long way to go, full recovery is expected.

On my last couple of visits there was clear recognition of me and a positive response to my presence with him. His mother is thrilled that such attention was being paid to her family.

We hope in the coming weeks to have some young people from a local church come and visit with Jimmy. We will arrange for them to bring a guitar, take him to a common room, and sing some songs, chat, and share their Christian faith with him. In this way we hope to reach into this unchurched family and build a bridge to a good evangelical church.

We are told by the folk in the small town where Jimmy worked one summer that he has made a profession of faith. In God’s grace we shall build on that beginning and see the entire family come to know the Lord.

Once again we have had opportunity to be a pastor to pastorless people, to ignite a spark in a dark place that one day may bring light and hope.

It’s because of the kind support in prayer and financial giving of folk like yourself that we can continue our work for the Saviour.

Thank you for being a part of this work for the best of Masters.

John 1: 4 – 5
In him was life, and that life was the light of men.
The light shines in the darkness… The true light that gives light to every man.

The phone call came from a member of the family. Jean was ill again in the Hospital. In about 30 minutes I was on my way to the hospital.

When I arrived I found two daughters and Jean’s husband waiting for me. The girls indicated that their mom was a quiet lady who did not speak about her Christian faith as they were growing up. They both were concerned about whether or not their mom was ready to die.

Jean was a quiet and gentle lady, obviously in pain, yet very receptive to my prayer and talk of the Saviour. I assured her that just as she presented herself to the medical community for her physical needs, so she could present herself to the Lord for her spiritual needs.

Her husband was exceptionally grateful for my presence with them, he had been raised in the Gospel Halls in Ireland and knew the Scriptures very well.

Over the next seven days I visited regularly and discovered the family to be open and anxious to hear the Scriptures and have prayer. Jean slipped into a coma but I spoke to her each visit and held her hand as I prayed for her.

On Saturday morning the family called to advise me that Jean was slipping away. I went to the hospital and en route decided that I would quote the 23rd Psalm. Later, one of the daughters told me that this was her mother’s favourite Psalm. When I arrived home, the phone was ringing, it was the family calling say that the Lord had taken Jean home.

As I reflect on this family I see once again dear Christians who, for whatever reasons, have fallen away from regular church attendance, and are silent in their faith.

I know that some offer arguments to suggest that real Christians cannot be “silent”. I, on the other hand, am one of those who believe that some Christian’s have had exceptionally painful experiences in the church and find it easier to stay away from the Lord’s house.

When judging others we need to remind ourselves of the insightful words of Oswald Chambers; “There is always one more thing you don’t know about someone.” We haven’t walked in their shoes, we don’t know their pain.

We need to recognize that some of the Lord’s people “fall between the cracks” and it’s our responsibility to help them back up, with a gentle push not a “great big shove”! They, as we, need the fellowship and encouragement of God’s people as we work through the more difficult issues of life.

Do you know of someone who has stopped attending church? Perhaps you could call to let them know you miss them. Offer to bring them with you, to sit with them, to have lunch with them after church, invite them to your Bible Study or social function. Whatever you do, make sure they know you care.

Remember, not all the silent Christians are those who have ceased attending church, some of us are silent Christians when we don’t bother reaching out to those who have “disappeared from our midst”!

Who did Jesus come to save, which people were of most value to him? Shouldn’t these same people be of greatest value to us?

Luke 15:4-6 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’

A frequently heard comment in ordinary conversation, is the expression, “I have the right to be wrong.” This statement is said with an air of finality that defies contradiction. The person uttering this, apparently true word, challenges all comers to call into question his position. That is exactly what I propose to do.

If, when someone makes this statement they are indicating they have the ability to do things that are wrong, then everyone must agree. We are all capable, and in fact, are involved every day in doing things that are wrong by various standards. But this is not likely what the person means.

What is more to the point is that the person almost certainly means that they do not wish anyone judging their actions and condemning them for them. This is a luxury that most people wish to afford, especially when they know they have done something particularly wrong. No one in his or her right mind enjoys being proven wrong.

But, do we really have the right to be wrong? The answer is an emphatic “No!” No one has the right to be wrong. While we all have the capacity to be wrong and indulge that ability frequently, we have no right whatsoever to be wrong.

Imagine someone who is of the opinion they have the right to be wrong being pulled over on the highway for speeding. The officer comes up to their car and asks them if they are aware how fast they were travelling. The person says they do and indicates a speed well above the legal limit. As the officer writes out a speeding ticket, the person then says to the officer that they have the right to be wrong.

Can you imagine what the officer would think, or say to the person? Somehow the person’s right to be wrong, would not extend to the place where they would not get a speeding ticket.

Think of the teller in the bank who makes an error on your deposit and short changes you $500.00. You bring the mistake to their attention and they say that they have the right to be wrong. Somehow, when it comes to money, no one has the right to be wrong.

Well, if we don’t have the right to be wrong on the side of the highway, or in the bank, where do we have the right to be wrong? It seems that many people who try to insist on the right to be wrong are thinking especially of moral issues and especially in the area of our relationship to God. But this is exactly the area where we desperately need to be right, not wrong!

We all can afford a speeding ticket now and then, or we can sort out a wrong at the bank easily enough, but if we are mistaken in our relationship to God, what recourse do we have? Is not our relationship to the Almighty the most significant, the most profound issue of life? Why is it that in this area of all areas, we wish to fudge the matter? Why is it we desire a lack of clarity here when we want accuracy in other areas of life?

Is it possible that we have a sneaking suspicion that our life style may not be pleasing to our Creator and for that reason we wish the right to be wrong? We hope that God will indulge us in our sins? We pray that He will turn a blind eye to our misdeeds? Is this not the real issue here as we consider our “right to be wrong”?

How foolish we are to have such a mindset. We are most anxious that the surgeon scrub very carefully before operating on us, we want him or her to be the best, most experienced doctor with the least mistakes in surgery. But when it comes to our never dying souls, when we are considering our eternal destiny, when we are addressing the most powerful Being in all creation, the One to whom we must give an account, we prefer to be sloppy in our relationship.

Another possibility in this matter is that we know deep down that we are very wrong, we are very guilty and for that reason, we hope to be excused for our misdeeds. We do not know how to sort out our difficulties and we therefor are anxious to sweep them under the rug. We pray that we will be allowed to get away with our sins.

But, going back to the police officer on the side of the highway, if we cannot argue our right to be wrong with him, how much less can we argue with the Almighty. If we cannot manipulate a fellow creature, can we out maneuver the God of all creation? The question carries its own answer. We cannot.

There is only one way to deal with the issue of being wrong before God. The solution to guilt with God is found in Jesus Christ. He has the authority to absolve us of our sins and to give us peace with God. If we will confess our sins to Him, recognizing we have no right to be wrong, He will forgive us our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. This is the right way, all other ways are wrong.

I was working away in my study on a sermon when the phone rang. There was a frightened voice on the other end who identified himself and asked if I remembered him.

Of course I did. He had attended a home Bible study I held in my house many years ago. He had been a quiet, shy young man who was intensely interested in Christianity. Sometime during his 2-3 years attending my study he had become a Christian. He moved away and I only had one or two contacts with him in 16-18 years.

Now he was in trouble. His minister was away on holiday and he needed help now. As he told me his story I understood why he was upset.

Recently he had a lump removed and a few minutes before he called me he had been in the surgeon’s office to receive the news that it was malignant and further surgery was urgently required.

Recalling that I had cancer some years ago, he chose to call me for spiritual and emotional support.

I made arrangements to visit him right away and drove to his home which was an hour from mine. It was good to get reacquainted with him, and meet his wife and family.

I took careful notes of when his medical appointments were so I could contact him each time to get updated on his progress. I also instituted a Bible study program for him to strengthen his faith and draw him near his Saviour.

The first passage I had him study was Isaiah 40. What a rich and delightful passage it is. He noted what it told him about the Lord and himself.

Then I had him study Psalm 91 with its exceedingly great and precious promises of the Lord’s deliverance in times of trouble. He faithfully studied the Word of God and sent me emails on the results.

Now I have visited him again and lent him a book I lend to many people. I have 6-7 copies of this out of print classic and usually 4-5 of them are out on loan at any given time. It is entitled The Trial and Death of Jesus Christ.

The book is well written and each of the 23 chapters is only 5-8 pages long. The author takes the biblical narrative from the time of Jesus’ arrest to His death and speaks about each scene in a warm and pastoral manner. It is a wonderful teaching aid for the follower of Christ and gives excellent application of the Scriptural truths.

After reading a chapter I have counselled many people to go to Isaiah 53:11 and read it.

Then I ask them to recollect what they read in the book and consider that Jesus does not regret suffering that for them.

“He shall see of the travail of His soul and be satisfied.” When Jesus recalls what He suffered here for His people He does not regret it. He believes His people were worth all the sorrow and pain He suffered on their behalf.

What is important to do with people who suffer is what is spoken of in Hebrews 12:3: “Consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you may not grow weary and lose heart.”

Some years ago I became involved in encouraging a fine young man whose church did not preach the Gospel. He demonstrated some potential and so I worked with him to bring him to faith in Christ. He went on well with the Lord but soon after our paths diverged and I did not see him for some years.

It was a delightful surprise to encounter him again and get caught up on his activities over the past while. It seems that soon after we parted ways he sensed the Lord calling him to ministry. He went to university and to seminary and went into the work of serving the people of God.

When I met him he was the pastor of a large and thriving congregation. How happy I was to witness the work of grace that had been performed in his life. We had a happy time recalling how I had been involved with him years earlier and the influence I had on his life and career.

It is interesting the impact we can have on others even though it may only be a brief time we are around them. The young man I referred to above did not have more than 6 months under my influence but it obviously was used of the Lord to change him for life.

Men and women are challenged in Scripture to look out for others whom they can influence for good.

For example Paul said to Timothy, “The things which you have heard from me…entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”

And Titus he instructed to teach the older women to “train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands”.

It is so important that we duplicate ourselves in the lives of others.

Women are more comfortable doing this and seem to recognize it as an important part of their role in the body of Christ. But I particularly challenge my male readers to consider whom they are actively seeking to influence. Our young men are in desperate need of male role models who will be confidential sounding boards and repositories of wisdom.

Perhaps you have not done this before and need to become active in being a role model for a younger person.

1 Thessalonians 5:11a
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up.

Just after sending out our last newsletter, I received several phone calls from terminally ill people requesting counsel on how to die. It was an astonishing series of incidents that came unsolicited.

One of the people is a lady who lives alone in modest circumstances. She is a widow, has buried both her children, and is the last surviving member of her family. She is truly alone in this world.

It was a marvel to her that a perfect stranger, myself, would take the time to visit her. Several times on my first visit she made comment on how good it was of me to come to visit her. I assured her that I was honoured to visit her. Somehow she did not understand that I felt the privilege was all mine.

When we visit one of these dear people we are visiting the Saviour. Jesus tells us, “…I was sick and ye visited Me…inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” Matt. 25:36,40.

How wonderful to think that as we minister to these lonely people, we are visiting the Lord Jesus Himself. Can any work be so valuable, so glorious as this?

I count myself privileged to be in a position to have many such contacts every week and to be used to minister grace to those whom the world does not know, nor care for.

As I sat with this dear lady a few days ago, the thought crossed my mind, when I do her funeral service, who will attend? I wondered if there would ever be someone to put flowers on her grave. The thought of her lonely existence gripped me and moved me greatly.

I sensed that although she was alone as far as human companionship was concerned, her little apartment was the dwelling place of the most high God. Her home was the sanctuary of the Saviour of sinners. She eagerly accepted the literature I gave her and promised to read it before my next visit.

When I left she thanked me again for troubling myself to come and see her.

For all those who support our ministry through prayer, words of encouragement, and in other ways, we thank you sincerely for helping us help the hurting.

This work is not possible without the consistent help of many fine Christians who know about what we do and assist us.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We do appreciate everyone who supports our ministry and we pray the Saviour will bless and reward you richly for your gracious efforts to see that this ministry continues.

Often people wonder how I get m connections to people in pain and especially to those who are terminally ill. It is indeed a marvel to me how these people come to my attention.

The person I visited for the first time last evening, is a prime example of the circuitous manner in which we are introduced. Let me tell you the story.

Several years ago a former parishioner of mine, Jim, called with the distressing news that he had developed a cancer that was determined would take his life within a few months to a year. I visited him faithfully until he passed away.

During the time I visited him he told me about a Hospice visitor he had coming to the house. The man from Hospice had heard about me through Jim and wanted to meet me to hear more about my ministry. I arranged a time for us to meet and eagerly looked forward to the meeting. Jim had told me many favorable things about this person.

A few weeks later I finally met with Bill and we had a delightful conversation over lunch. He was a fine Christian man from the Church of the Nazarene. We shared much in common as we swapped stories of our experiences with people.

Bill was a retired business man who had been exceptionally successful. He enjoyed his retirement greatly and was putting his time to good use helping others. In various ways he encouraged me to continue in my work. Over the past several years we have known each other we have enjoyed fine times together.

A couple of weeks ago Bill told me of a friend of his who was a member of Bill’s golf and country club. This man was very successful in a privately held business and was concerned for his employees welfare.

This man had described to Bill a story about one of his faithful employees whose wife was slowly dying of cancer. The man whose wife was dying was a very fine person who was deeply grieved about his wife’s condition. He did not know which way to turn for help with his problem.

Bill told the employer about me and my ministry to people in pain. The employer was immediately interested in the possibility of me helping his employee.

Within a few days the man was contacted and he was very willing to have me contact him about a visit. I called and arranged to come that very night to see him and his wife in the hospital in Oakville.

When I entered the room I heard music from the 50’s playing quietly and the man immediately got up to greet me. His name was Al and his wife was Mary. I spoke to him for a few moments and let him tell me the story of their journey through suffering. Many tears were shed and it soon became obvious that the man loved his wife dearly.

Then Al took me to the bedside to introduce me to his wife. Mary seemed to be semi-conscious and I spoke quietly to her about the Lord. I suggested to her that it was clear she had a medical problem that she could not do anything about but had to come to the hospital to have the doctors take care of her.

I then said we all have the problem of sin and need to present ourselves to the Lord to have Him do what we could not do for ourselves.

It is a simple analogy and I use it regularly. I do not know if she understood or not but I then quoted a verse of invitation to her and prayed, commending her and her husband to the Lord. Al laid his hand on my back and wept quietly as he heard his and his wife’s names mentioned in prayer.

As I was getting ready to take my leave of them, Al reached out and gave me a great big bear hug. He was so appreciative of the attention I was giving him and his dear wife.

I left the hospital so thankful that people such as yourselves support me and Susan in our ministry to those who suffer silently. People with little if any resources to help them in their time of need.

It was a long road from my former parishioner to me to get help to Al but it was well worth the trip.

Jan (not her real name) is entertaining if anything.

I met this lively woman in her 70’s through her Christian physician.

The doctor explained to me that the patient was not expected to live long, was all alone, and wanted to speak to a minister. Would I visit? I responded in the affirmative and a fine relationship has developed over the past few months.

Jan’s husband had been gone for several years and both her children had also passed away. Her brothers and sisters had also all gone. Jan was alone.

Listening to her sad story, I did not detect a trace of self-pity from her. She was anything but sorry for herself in life. She did admit to not understanding why she had to endure such an unusual level of suffering, but her cheery smile kept breaking into the conversation.

As cheerful as Jan is, she is even more outspoken. I lent her Chuck Colson’s book, Loving God to read and she quickly let me know it was not for her. “Too depressing!” she commented when I asked her why she did not like it.

Another book was too complicated and another too long. The interesting thing was that all these books have been well received by other patients I visit and thus I thought they would be good for her too.

On another occasion I was telling her about the truth that we are all sinners and in need of the Saviour. Immediately she pounced on my comments and said, “What sins did you commit today?” Flustered, I sought to reassure her that indeed I had committed sins and needed to confess them.

She summarily dismissed my self judgment as too harsh a comment and gave me to understand that she did not see me as a sinner at all. “Gordon,” she said, “you’re not a sinner!”

With several abortive efforts to my credit, the way I finally reached this lady with the Gospel was through the Jesus video.

It is important to continue to witness to those around us as opportunity affords itself. You never know when the light will break through and the person will become attentive to the words you speak.

Never give up! Persevere with your efforts to make the Good News known and eventually the Lord will prosper your patient witness.

Jan has not yet confessed faith in Christ, but continuing efforts by ourselves and her Christian physician will undoubtedly have a good result in her life.

Pray with us for such people with whom we have regular contact.

Only the Lord can open deaf ears to hear the truth and cause the blind eyes to see.

Our business is to sow the seed and water it. In His timing, God will give the increase.

My heart went out to the patient in the hospital bed.

His situation was clearly hopeless and yet the family was encouraging him to beat the disease.

They talked incessantly about when he would be coming home to celebrate the birthday in a couple of months. Certainly they meant well but they only added to the suffering of the already exhausted man. He was trying his best to cooperate with the hospital staff but it was not helping.

The doctors had told the family that he only had a few days to live and when they were out of the room they acknowledged to us the reality quite readily, but when with the patient they spoke as though he was going to get better.

Of course, they were between a rock and a hard place. They did not want the patient to give up hope and they did not wish to acknowledge to him that the end was near. But, in trying to keep his spirits up they were denying the reality he needed to face.

When do you stop offering false hope to the person and come to terms with the situation as it really is? Some people never do. They go on to the end offering what is not there.

Meanwhile the ill person feels guilty about the fact they are not getting better as their relatives expect. They feel they are letting everyone down because the disease is progressing and they are losing the battle.

It does not seem fair to the person to push them to keep fighting when there is really no hope at all.

It is far better to gently acknowledge to the person that the disease is winning and that they need to face the real situation with the resources at hand.

In this situation the family had little to offer their loved one as comfort and strength in their final days. Hence the need to deny the reality as long as possible.

After all what was left to say if they confessed the truth? They did not know the Good News in Jesus and so were at a loss to say anything positive.

Susan and I seek to help families like this come to terms with the real situation and offer them comfort from the Scriptures.

We must act gently and not force the facts on them, but we do urge them to consider the alternatives they are avoiding.

Sometimes they will let their guard down and then we can do something positive. Other times it appears they are unwilling to face the certain future and we must leave them to their chosen way.

When reality is faced then we can speak about One who suffered greatly and the fact He is near to comfort them.

We quote promises in Scripture that urge the weary to come and lay their burdens down at His feet.

We speak of the gentle nature of the Saviour and give illustrations from the Gospels of His care of needy people.

If they respond positively we go on to speak of the biblical view of death and how to be victorious through the Resurrected One who died and rose again for us.

If there is time we will go on to share some of the glimpses we have in the Bible of heaven and what it is like to be there in the presence of Jesus.

How thankful we are that we have the Good News, the Gospel, to share with people who suffer.

What a glorious hope is spread out before us in the message of the Bible.

All who are “in Christ” are to be excited and eagerly looking forward to the glory that shall be revealed in us when our great Lord comes to gather us home.