It was 45 years ago, but I can remember that day like it was yesterday. I was 10 years old and without a friend in the world. One day Mary June Rose, the cute little girl next door, asked me to go see a movie, The Restless Ones, in nearby Charlotte, NC. The movie was an early production of World Wide Pictures – the movie ministry of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. The Restless Ones was shot in black and white, was centered on the problem of 1960's trouble youth and had clips of Mr. Graham preaching at the 1963 Los Angeles Crusades. Not real high tech by today's standards, but that movie gripped my heart.
As I watched The Restless Ones, I identified with the plot line of a troubled young man and his inner struggles of insecurity and isolation. When Mr. Graham spoke during the film of the hope and forgiveness we can have in Christ, I sensed a pull in my heart I had never felt. The film captured the passion and pleading of the fiery evangelist. I sat in my seat with eyes fixed upon that screen.
When the film was over and the lights came up, a man stepped out on stage to offer a simple invitation to accept Christ. He shared the one additional truth that sealed the deal for me. He shared a paraphrase of Proverbs 18:24 and told us that Jesus is a “friend who sticks closer than a brother.” Now that was the greatest news I had ever heard. My yearning for a friend could now be fulfilled. I listened to his instructions and followed them exactly. I invited Christ to be my Savior that day in Ovens Auditorium in Charlotte, NC.
Nearly a half century has passed since then and that production remains the turning point of my life. Not only did it change my eternity, but my path in this life as well. I have just celebrated 30 years in full time ministry as both a pastor and an evangelist who works with atheists, agnostics and skeptics. I've seen God work in so many of their lives, softening their hardened hearts and drawing them into a personal relationship with Christ just like He did in a lonely, 10 year-old boy at a Billy Graham film. Today, I'm committed to Christ's Great Commission out of gratitude to God for all that He has done for me.
And it all began at a film. I will never know all of the hard technical work that many behind-the-scenes individuals gave to create The Restless Ones. Cameramen, sound operators, light technicians, set construction crews, film and audio editors, researchers, special effects teams whom I will never meet contributed countless hours for just this one production. And I know that every week, at churches around this country and beyond, individuals like these pour the heart, soul, skills and endless hours into weekend services that serve as invitations to millions. But sadly, when done right, the technical team is invisible and seldom appreciated.
So, if you serve on such a team, allow me to speak for all who benefit and simply say “Thank you!” If it weren't for you, the message might never be heard and heeded; the presentation of the gospel might never be presented; the clarity of the claims of Christ might not be as clear. I am saved and serving because saints like you have sacrificed. What you do is “well done.” Who you are are “good and faithful servants.”
