Of the ones we lost in 2020 - David Pawson

I found out a while ago about the passing of Minister David Pawson. He was 90 years old (25 February 1930 - 21 May 2020)

Old as he was, this hit me really. It takes me time to process losses, but I’ve realized the most productive use of my mourning is to do a tribute on how his work impacted my life. 

“Now these 3 remain: faith, HOPE and love...” (1 Corinthians 13)

I don’t know any other preacher that spoke as much on HOPE as he did. We get a lot of LOVE sermons, and FAITH sermons, but not a lot on hope. And he rounded out that balance in my knowledge of Christ through his teachings on the BLESSED HOPE - what awaits us next. 

He’d speak about the resurrection, about a world ruled by Christ, and how the Bible has revealed how that will happen. And how Christians can find comfort in Jesus’ words in the midst of globally perilous times (like now), as these have been foretold in scripture for us to not lose heart. 

He’d highlight the power of hope, urging us not to get sidetracked by the English usage that waters it to a wishful expectation, but focus on its meaning as a precursor (“now, faith is the substance of things HOPED for...” - Hebrews 11:1). The complete restoration of God’s perfect work through a new heaven and earth is what God has promised, and He will deliver. And we can look forward to it. 

You know that thing they say about old men being libraries? I got that from listening to his messages. He’d share a wealth of knowledge from his experiences as a chaplain to soldiers on the frontline, how British history unraveled through his lifetime, his ancestral roots in Methodism, his observation of Greek influence on Christian culture today, and even down to personality conflicts and resolutions between himself and his parishioners. 

He would openly speak about his journey in processing difficult aspects of the faith, and the experiences God brought him through to help his understanding of baptism, manifestation of the gift of tongues, and others. And all of this laced with his dry British humor. 

Last but not least was the body of work that he’s most known for: the teaching of the Bible. He had no qualms exploring the Bible in-depth, tackling the contentious sections of the scripture, finding the additional resources to give the context to help our understanding of this Book of Books. 

I’ll remember him above all as the HOPE PREACHER: 

Listen to this secret truth: we shall not all die, but when the last trumpet sounds, we shall all be changed in an instant, as quickly as the blinking of an eye. 

For when the trumpet sounds, the dead will be raised, never to die again, and we shall all be changed. 

For what is mortal must be changed into what is immortal; what will die must be changed into what cannot die. 

So when this takes place, and the mortal has been changed into the immortal, then the scripture will come true: “Death is destroyed; victory is complete!”

• From the First Book of Corinthians

Will end here by plugging a link to one of his interesting sermons - Studying the Bible