Another Florida Bible College Alumnus Died This Year!
Dr. Ralph “Yankee” Arnold
(Shared at the Missions Conference 2018)
Many great men and women have passed away that
were alumni of Florida Bible College. But they were more than great; they were also
good people. Few greats are known to be good, and few good are known to be
great. Many of our alumni were an exception. They were great before God to do
his will and good before men to bring the news of the gospel.
I have known many of these servants of the Lord
for over 50 years. Much bonding took place back in the 60’s and 70’s with the
spiritual nuclear glue that was known as the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Although
there were a few that graduated with a few rough spots (a little crude, short
on temper, or occasionally rude), their faithfulness to the power of the gospel,
which was tempered with time and experience, took young youth directors and
produced great men of God. Many became seasoned saints, with the character of
gracious, generous, thoughtful, honorable, and kind Christian gentlemen.
So many of our number have passed on to glory; this
only makes Heaven richer and the world poorer. Many fought a long, painful
battle with cancer or some other terminal disease; and surely they had no
desire to leave their work, family, or friends. God reminds us that we are “just
stepping out of one life into another.” I am reminded to be nice to everyone
because everyone is having a rough time.
Perhaps as we see the closing days of our life
in sight, we realize there may not be many victories on the downhill side. We
may become greatly disappointed, feel a sense of failure, dwelling in a failing
body that cannot perform as it once did, and we may wake up to the fact that
our glory days as to the Lord’s service is about over.
If we are not wise to compare ourselves among
ourselves perhaps we should not measure our ministries among ourselves.
(2Co
10:12) For we dare not make
ourselves of the number, or compare
ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among
themselves, are not wise.
As we see the glory of
our youth fade away into old age, we should also remember that the glory of a
ministry fades away in due time. No man or ministry last forever. (1Pe
1:7) That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that
perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and
honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Our recognition comes when Christ comes.
(1Pe
1:24) For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth,
and the flower thereof falleth away:
We should always
remember that the size of a ministry is not the true measure of a man of God.
We are required to be found faithful, which is the main ingredient God uses to
determine our success. It is the labor of love, not the size or results of our
labor that counts. (1Co 4:2) Moreover
it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.
We are poor judges of
our own works; therefore leave the final judgement to the one who will reward
everyman according to his own work. (1Co 4:5) Therefore judge nothing before
the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden
things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.
The smallest deed done
for the glory of the Lord is never lost nor is it in vain. The biggest ministry
done for the glory of man is forever lost and totally in vain. All of our
physical lives on this earth will end. Every ministry built by man will also
disappear, but every soul reached with the gospel can’t be undone. Florida
Bible College alumni have gone throughout this world, giving without grasping,
reaching without taking, and humbling a haughty spirit into submission to
Almighty God for the sake of the gospel.
We were full of ambition with far more zeal than
knowledge. We had many great, even humorous, experiences that we have laughed
at many times through the years. Knowledge without zeal leads to frustration
and zeal without knowledge leads to frustration. But we had a reckless abandonment to faith. We stepped out of the
boat and believed we could walk on water. We knew our purpose of reaching the
lost was right, we knew that our gospel was right without apology to anyone,
and we believed that God would bless in our quest for souls. Look out world,
here we come. We had confidence and boldness. I’m sure that many hunkered down
in fear and wondered if any of us graduates would ever amount to anything for
man or God.
We caused many parents to have heartburn and
sleepless nights as we drove teens across this nation to attend camps. We knew
our cause was just. We spent most of our time in the immediate present, knowing
that getting the teens to camp was worth whatever price we had to pay. We
desired no monument to be built to any man. We desired laborers to help produce
a harvest of souls for the Lord. (2Co 6:1) We then, as workers together with him,
beseech you also that ye
receive not the grace of God in vain. (1Co 3:9) For we are labourers together with God: ye are
God's husbandry, ye are
God's building.
Spiritual reality demands that we build men not
buildings. This is accomplished by Christians working together with the LORD. Neither the sizes of our buildings nor the
number of our people are the measure of our ministries. Only the Lord is
qualified to sit in judgment of our works.
Luk_12:48 …For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they
will ask the more.
The successes of every graduate’s work, churches,
ranches, or camps, provided spiritual motivation to all of us to do all we
could with what we had where we were. I may send ten teenagers in ten
directions to gather wood for a campfire. They will not all return with the
same amount of wood. We were not filled with envy, jealousy, or bitterness
toward others who seemed to be more successful. We were thankful, joyful, and
felt a sense of fulfillment because we were all working together for souls.
None of us could have dreamt that about fifty
years later there would only be a remnant of those Miami, Hollywood, and Kissimmee
alumni still here. We really believed the rapture would take place before now
and that we would never grow old.
We were scattered all over the nation and even around
the world. Over the years, we have lost touch with some, we have stayed in touch with some, but in our
latter years we have renewed/restored fellowships and friendships with many, once
again. Some have maintained a
steady pace along the way, some have sprinted to only end in burnout, some have
fallen due to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, or the pride of
life; and some have passed away by the will of God, still walking in the light. We rejoiced with each other’s faithfulness
and have wept with the loss of a husband, wife or child. We must continue to serve
the Lord as though we have never been hurt. If the Lord needs someone to suffer
for him; it is not, “Why me, Lord?” but “Why not me?”
(Mat
9:36) But when he saw the
multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and
were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. (Mat 9:37) Then
saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; (Mat
9:38) Pray ye therefore the Lord of
the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.
Florida Bible College
was not only about getting laborers into the vineyard, but laborers with a
clear gospel message that included the zeal to go and faithfulness to tell it.
Our students are now in demand as counselors,
leaders, and speakers for Freddie Coile’s Summer Camp at Grace Farms and Wally
Morillo’s Spring Camp in Leaky, Texas.
Pray for the financial needs of Florida Bible
College of Tampa to continue training laborers for God’s work. The students had
three trust the Lord last week in AWANA and five this week. There were twenty-seven
that trusted the Lord on last week’s Friday night soul-winning and forty-two
this Friday. Several were saved at
Ranch Thursday night.
Special thanks for those who have had a
financial part in helping FBC continue the legacy of training soul-winners.
Your prayers and financial gifts are greatly appreciated. You may donate online
at:
For more information please contact Bob Gilbert at
Bob
Gilbert registrar@floridabiblecollege.us
813-884-8182
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