Early Beginnings
I was raised in a Christian home by parents who fellowshipped at a small assembly in my hometown of Broxburn, Scotland, 12 miles west of Edinburgh. My father had become a Christian in his late teens and was the first to get saved in his family. Later he led his mother and three sisters to the Lord while others rejected the Gospel. My mother’s family was my main spiritual link and many of her uncles and aunts were connected to various brethren assemblies. My grandmother’s home was a spiritual hub and many Saturdays the family would meet and have some wonderful discussions on the Scriptures. As a boy I loved to listen to them. After I was saved, I had some great fellowship with those godly men and women who were a big spiritual influence on my life.
My Favorite Uncle
From childhood I attended Sunday School and later the Bible Class (which was the youth group). At one point my Bible Class leader John Miller taught through the book of Exodus for one hour each week. Although I wasn’t saved at that point, he left a deep impression that remains with me to this day. The biggest single spiritual influence was my uncle Jim Paterson, my mother’s youngest brother. When I was born, he was only 9 years old and as a boy he would take me for walks on Sunday afternoons. He would go to his friend’s house, change his clothes, and then go to the park for a game of football (soccer). In those days if the police saw you playing, they would chase you home as it was in their eyes the Sabbath Day. Afterwards he would go back and change his clothes again to return home. When he was 18 years old, he joined the Royal Air Force. One weekend when home on leave my father led him to the Savior and he was wonderfully saved.
Spiritual Convictions
I was brought up under the preaching of the Gospel from an early age and never doubted the truth of what I heard. However, it had little effect on me until I reached the age of 13. At that time very few people had TVs, but my mother’s aunt had one. I went once a week to watch my favorite program there. In March 1955, Billy Graham came to Glasgow for a major crusade. There were no religious broadcasts on TV then, but the BBC allowed one service of the crusade to be shown. That night when I went in to see her, she said, “Jim, your program cannot be watched tonight because there is a young American evangelist speaking on TV.” My Uncle Bill wanted to see it. Although I was a little disappointed, she gave me the option to go home or stay so I decided to stay. My aunt was not a believer, but Uncle Bill was, although he was not walking with the Lord. He was going out to work the night shift but had 15 minutes to see “what this American was like.” Once the service started, he never moved for an hour until it was finished. At the end Uncle Bill said, “he’s got the real thing.” Then he left. Sometime after that my aunt was saved! When I walked home in the dark, I was under deep conviction about my sin that stayed with me all through the summer. I could not shake it off. In the month of October my grandmother whom I loved dearly became very ill. She was a godly lady who influenced my life in a big way. I knew she prayed for me every day. My mother and little sister Ann went for two weeks to stay with her. I thought she was going to die, and I would never see her again. As it turned out, she lived another five years before the Lord called her to her heavenly home.
Spiritual Conversion
While mum was away, I stayed at home with my Dad. I always enjoyed his company. He was a very quiet man and although I had never heard him preach publicly, he was a soul winner. One night on the 18th day of October 1955, I got into bed beside him and asked him to tell me about World War 2. He loved to tell stories, so he told me a few things about it. Seeing he had my attention he said to me, “You know Jim, those brave men and women left home to fight a dangerous enemy. Many of them laid down their lives so that we might be free.” There was a short time of silence. Then my Dad said, “That’s not totally right Jim for none wanted to die there, they all wanted to come home. Only one person laid down his life willingly and that was Jesus.”
Continuing on He told me about Calvary and how Jesus suffered to pay the price for my sin. Quoting John 3:16, he told me that God loved me and that if I believed Jesus died for me, I would be ready for heaven. That night turning to my Dad I said, “I believe it with all my heart and now I am saved.” What joy filled my soul, and that decision changed my life forever! Maybe someone reading this has never trusted Jesus as their Savior. I urge you to put your trust in Him, believing that He died and rose again for you. Doing this, your sins will be forgiven, and you will know that you are on your way to heaven. Do this before it is too late!
A Passion For Souls
On the 23rd of May 1956, I was baptized and began walking in newness of life (Rom. 6:4). On the 27th of May I was received into fellowship with the Broxburn Assembly and for the first time broke bread in remembrance of the Lord who died for me. At that time our assembly had a Monday night tract band activity, when some went out into the town and surrounding villages giving out tracts and preaching in the open air. I soon joined them and got involved in tract distribution and open-air preaching.
During one of my first experiences at age 15, excitedly venturing out on my own in fear and trembling, I walked up a very large driveway where there was an elderly lady working in her garden. She was probably not that old (at 15 anyone over 30 seemed old). I offered her a Gospel tract. Well, she stood up straight and said, “I don’t need that. Do you realize who I am? I am the daughter of a minister of the Church of Scotland and when I die Saint Peter will be waiting for me at the golden gate of heaven to welcome me in.” Being my first attempt at evangelizing I said, “You can’t get to Heaven unless you are born again.” She replied, “How can I possibly be born all over again?” I said, “There is a man in the Bible who asked the very same question, and the Lord Jesus explained the difference between a physical birth and a spiritual birth.”
At that point she raised her garden rake and proceeded to chase me halfway down her driveway. I asked myself, “Why am I running away from an old woman?” So, I turned and faced her saying, “Jesus said, you must be born again to enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Well, she chased me the rest of the way out. That night on my knees I prayed for that dear lady who thought she was going to heaven just because of who she was. This gave me a real desire to get out and speak to more people about the Lord. After all these years I still enjoy door to door visitation.
One of my favorite verses of Scripture is “He who wins souls is wise” (Prov. 11:30). I pray that some believer reading this today will seek to become a soul winner. May the Lord encourage your heart to get involved in some of the many areas of evangelism.