In 1976 a radio program premiered hosted by Paul Harvey. The program title “The Rest of The Story” was intended to pique the listeners' interest, giving the sense that Harvey was about to reveal story details that may not have been previously known.

In my previous article “It Begins Here part 1” tells the story of a young pastor coming to salvation in Jesus Christ. It reflects back on God’s providential hand as the master conductor of events in lives that bring about His purpose. Given the circumstances in which this pastor’s salvation occurred will naturally lead us to wonder, is there more to this story?

God is Light

As a nighttime thunderstorm rolls across the countryside with brilliant flashes of lightning, in a moment the entire area becomes bright as day. That which was hidden by darkness is suddenly revealed. In an instant, all eyes see how the brilliance of light overcomes the darkness. The Psalmist reminds us of the power of such a storm: "His lightnings light up the world; The earth sees and trembles" (Psalms 97:4). Anyone who has experienced a nighttime thunderstorm understands the self-evident nature of light.

The familiar words of Psalms 119:105 speak to the nature of Truth as light, "Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path." Earlier the Psalmist wrote, "For You light my lamp; Yahweh my God illumines my darkness" (Psalms 18:28). Add to this Proverbs 6:23a, "For the commandment is a lamp and the law is light."

Here we learn that the Word, even Yahweh himself, is equated with light.  1 John 1:5 confirms this in three words, "God is Light." And finally, in John 1:5 speaking of Jesus, “the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it.”

As with the dramatic illuminating effects from lightning during a thunderstorm, the brightness of the Word at times will be just as dramatic. The power of Truth illumines, reveals and exposes like a brilliant flash of lightning.

When Lightning Strikes

It has been a year since a small rural church received the announcement from their pastor, that he had just come to salvation in Christ. This announcement struck people’s lives like the brilliance of an unexpected bolt of lightning. The display of life-changing light that emanated from the news of this man’s salvation was a flash that in a moment, exposed lives in a way no one could have expected. This small church’s response and reaction to the news was unexpected, swift and revealing. Soon this pastor would find himself just before Christmas mercilessly kicked out of the pulpit and him and his wife expelled from the congregation.

But why? This man was just granted eternal life in Jesus Christ. His life was changed from a God hater to an enthusiastic God lover. How could this good news result in such a callous response? Is this not what every Southern Baptist church claim they strive for, saving lost souls? And, should this not call for celebration?

How then is it, that when a man comes to repentance and saving faith, the people respond by turning the good news of that salvation into something bad, with a compelling need to aggressively reject him from their presence?

Something was clearly wrong with this picture.

This small church became an example of how Yahweh in His providence, will often use one event to accomplish multiple things. His plans are always grander than we imagine. The evidence of this was unavoidable.

Using the sudden burst of revealing light of one person’s salvation, God exposed the truth in the lives many people. The true condition of this church was laid wide open. All pretense was instantly swept away. The lightning had struck! And it exposed a systemic problem that plagues many churches – unregenerate members.

Light on Dark Hearts

When bright light encounters eyes accustomed to the dark, it will produce a reaction. Similarly, when the light of God's Word strikes darkened hearts, it too produces a reaction. Why? Because such hearts are comfortable in the dark. Their deeds are done in a dark place, And they say, “Who sees us?” or “Who knows us?” (Isaiah 29:15). Darkness gives a sense of cover, a place to hide — until the light is shone. 

The drama that was about to unfold was the result of one brilliant flash of Truth. This light drove people out of hiding and exposed the condition of their hearts. At best, it revealed a people either woefully ignorant of what it means to be a Christian or at the worst, exposing the unredeemed.

As such, here in their midst, was a man who was actually saved. They had no experience, means to understand or ability to relate to his salvation. Suddenly, literally right in front of them, was a saved individual and they could not accept that—for it exposed the duplicity of their own profession. This laid the groundwork to what happened next.

This Is my Church!

Like most new believers comes tremendous excitement. In a moment, the blind see and life is fresh and new. Living now is full of meaning, purpose and hope. Instinctively comes a strong desire to tell others what Christ has done (cf. John 4:29). And, this young man was no exception, he earnestly wanted to share that he was born again.

Naturally, the church leaders would be the first to tell of the good news. An evening meeting was immediately arranged with a handful of men in leadership. Upon hearing his testimony however, signs of trouble instantly became apparent. Something was missing in their response. There was a shallowness. The initial praise given had the sense of being forced and artificial.

Was there joy, like that found in Luke 15:10, "There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents?” No. Joy was not the mood in that room. These supposedly mature men were clearly perplexed. What occurred in the life of this man sitting before them, was a glorious work of Yahweh. And yet, the men were baffled. Certainly, you would expect a response of celebration and joy ... the kind of reaction you would expect from any Christian. Why? Because those redeemed by the sacrificial work of the Savior have a deep, personal understanding along with humble gratitude, for they themselves have been forgiven of great sin. When a Christian witness's the profession of a new believer, it grips their heart. And with the angels, express joy and praise and thankfulness to Christ for what He has done – a sinner has repented!

Yet here, their response to the good work of Christ, was the exact opposite to joy and celebration. The men’s perplexity resulted in suspicion. Soon it would be evident that this “good news” would be viewed as harmful, requiring immediate expulsion for the "safety" of the congregation. As one leader stated a couple of days later, “this is my church” and he was going to protect it. This of course begs the question, from what or whom?

Wisdom or Incompetence

Certainly, a man who occupies a pulpit and then is saved raises important questions. Instead of joyfully seeking the Lord and asking for wisdom with a concern that future actions be right and God honoring, what ensued were secret meetings and deceit. These actions began immediately the following day.

Their justification? This man lied and falsified his pastoral candidate application eighteen months earlier regarding his spiritual life – claiming to be a Christian when he was not. He was, therefore, hired based on false pretenses. The congregation, "their church" needed to be guarded from his dishonestly and deception.

The irony of that accusation was inescapable. As well as the incongruity of their own blindness, which was equally inescapable. There simply was no capacity in these men to see God's hand in the current circumstances, nor a willingness to seek His wisdom on how to move forward. The incompetence of these men was breathtaking, thus setting the stage for an astonishing display of dark, unbelieving hearts.

Circle the Wagons

During that first evening meeting, it was agreed this man would give the good news of his salvation as a testimony to the congregation and the wider community via livestream. It was to occur that coming Sunday, just days away.

Later amongst themselves, the men present decided to launch an effort to thwart the agreed plan to limit the exposure for the sake of the churches “reputation.” In secret, a members meeting was hastily arranged and only select people notified, including those members who never attended Sunday service. All of this was with the intent of removing him and to prevent him from giving his testimony on Sunday to a wider audience. The wagons were now circled.

Hours prior to the meeting, the man was notified and expected to attend. The reason given for the rushed assembly? This would be his opportunity to give his testimony. Upon his arrival, the true intent of the meeting was evident. The giving of his testimony was only a pretense to the actual purpose of the gathering.

Torches and Pitchforks

The pastor indeed gave his testimony. It was a bold step given the circumstances. From his testimony he spoke of being deceived and blind to the true condition of his life. A life of great sin. He gave a full humble confession, one that sought forgiveness from those he wronged. Jesus Christ was given credit for the gift of eyes that now see and he expressed a vivid desire to live for his Savior. His words were honest, transparent and amazingly forthcoming!

When his testimony came to an end, the once dead silent room quickly changed. The people's reaction to what they had just heard was an astonishing moment. Did they respond words of praising or words glorifying God? Not even one!

What did follow were words of mockery spoken with scorn. The intensity of the derision reached a level that drove this new believer and his wife from the building. A crushing moment. Their hurt and confusion were profound.

God is Light

The full intensity of this flash of lightning upon the people in the pews was clear for all to see. God lit up everyone that night in that room. The contrast was abundantly evident. The Truth of the Gospel shown on the darkened hearts of this congregation and all was laid bare. No more pretense. Their facades collapsed, masks were ripped away exposing their hypocrisy leaving them with nowhere to hide.

Providentially, Yahweh used His revealing light in this man’s life to expose people, illuminating every darkened heart in the room. God gave everyone present a visible example, a demonstration of what genuine salvation looks like. It was as if He said, "this is what my Son does in the lives of those who truly repent." What they saw in this individual was brokenness and humility and joy.

Here you have the pastor who heeded the call to repent unto salvation, yet the people of his congregation would not respond to that same call.

In my estimation, the testimony given in that meeting was an opportunity for all present to examine themselves, because their unbelief was obvious. The warning from Hebrews 3:12 comes to mind: “See to it brothers, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God.” For such a people, the words of Hebrews were written (cf. Hebrews 2:1-4; 6:1-8 and 10:26-31).

Kicked To the Curb

Sadly, the actions that followed, were to remove him from the pulpit, from membership, withhold his income and demanded he vacate his house in the middle of a cold northern winter. Such actions resembled those of 1940’s gangsters callously disposing of their victim by throwing him from a moving car on to the pavement.

Then, with the help of the SBC association, an effort was launched to save the reputation of the church. Word was spread of this man's wrongdoing. How he deceived and lied to the church search committee. That he intentionally misled people regarding his spiritual life. The slanderers saw success among those outside of the church and to the shame of some local pastors.

Jesus’ Commentary

“Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled” (John 6:26). Today like in the past, many who seek Christ or claim His name do so out of selfishness. Their hearts refuse to humbly come to Him even while they continue to sit in the church pew (cf. John 6:66). A selfish "christian" is not a Christian, they only seek Him for what they can get.

The word “fake” is often thrown around, but its meaning is not lost. Seeking the benefits of Christ apart from a meek submission to Christ is nothing short of fake Christianity. The food of this life will perish, but the “living bread” is food for eternity (cf. Mark 14:22).

It is no mystery that unbelievers attend church. However, when God’s Word is not systematically taught, clearly addressing the ugliness and damning nature of sin or what salvation truly means and what is required to be a follower of Christ, it should be no surprise to find church pews full of fake christians.

When a people lack any ability to see and understand the saving work of Jesus Christ displayed right before their very eyes, the conclusion of unbelief cannot be avoided. "How long will they not believe in Me, despite all the signs which I have done in their midst?” (Numbers 14:11).

The Cost

To follow Christ comes with a price: “Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.’ For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 16:24-25). JC Ryle comments, “let us learn from these verses that we must be ready to face trouble and self-denial if we follow Christ.”

A real Christians when asked, why? “Why would you endure such pain?” “Why, when so many will not?” Their answer can be found in the words of Peter, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life” (John 6:68).

The salvation given by our Creator God is not free. It came at a terrible price. Christ paid the price we could not. He willingly and freely gave of Himself. In turn, those sinners saved by grace willingly give of themselves to suffer for His name – “I am a Christian, I belong to Christ, I will follow Him regardless of the cost” (cf. 1 John 3:13).

Conclusion

From this story we learn of a young man who willingly paid a high price to follow Christ—a price required of him within days of his salvation.

Our God indeed is sovereign in all things. In precise detail, He completes what He determines. Yahweh sees all of life as a whole, we only see in parts as He reveals each event in His time and at the right time.

This story began with the salvation of a young pastor. Little did anyone know how this story would evolve, nor what the outcome would be. All of these events showed how one work of God involved many people and an unfolding of circumstances in a manner no one could possibly imagine. In other words, “you can’t make this stuff up!” The call to repent went out. One man responded, while all others refused.

It seems fitting here, to conclude with the words of Paul Harvey spoken at end of each of his radio programs, “Now you know … the rest of the story.”

“I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will never walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”

John 8:12