Open—W.J. Prost
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Perhaps I could read one verse.
Before we pray.
And be allowed to tell you a story.
Second Kings Chapter 3.
Second Kings Chapter 3.
And verse 14, Second Kings Three and verse 14.
Here we find Elisha.
In the midst of a hostile world.
And in the midst of two kings who were ungodly, and another king who was compromising.
Notice what he says.
Verse 14 and Elisha said.
Verse 15.
But now bring me a minstrel.
And it came to pass when the minstrel played.
That the hand of the Lord came upon.
You and I that live in the dispensation of grace don't look for musical instruments in the local assembly.
But it doesn't mean that we are without emotion.
And hearing about Eric Smith reminds me about his father got saved.
And there are many, or at least some here that know that story. But I'll tell it to you because.
Eric Smith told it to me personally.
His father was not a young man. He was in his 50s.
And Eric Smith's older brother Hugh, who was a godly man and Eric's mentor for many years.
Invited an evangelist to come to preach the Gospel in their area.
And he drove, of course, in those days a horse and buggy, and he had Gospel verses all over his body.
Gospel verses on the two sides and on the back and so on.
And when Eric Smiths father was a wealthy rancher in New Zealand as we know.
Saw that buggy, he said. Get that man out of here. I don't want that stuff. What? How ridiculous. This is a horse and buggy plastered with Bible verses. Get him out of here.
Oh, poor Hugh, who had invited him, had no choice but to escort the evangelist and his buggy out to the gate. But he said to him.
Don't stay away too long. Try again. Come back.
So a few months later, the evangelist came back.
And this time, Eric Smith father grudgingly allowed him to stay. OK, give him a room and let him stay here, but keep him out of my hair.
Of course, in someone's home it's hard to be quotation out of someone's hair every minute of the day.
So as they were sitting in the living room 1 evening.
Anyone who knew Eric Smith knew his family was very musical.
Fact. Eric Smith himself played the violin. He didn't do it very often, but he was a good violinist. And if you listen to tape recordings or cassette recordings or.
CD recordings of his meetings now and then the hymns are included and you will hear him in the background with a live mic break into the tenor or something like that. He had a good voice.
And all of his sisters could play the piano, and they were a musical family. So Mr. Smith senior asked the evangelist in the course of the evening. He said, Do you play anything?
Well, the evangelist was taken a bit off guard and he didn't play any musical instrument, but he said I'll sing you a hymn if you like.
Well, what could Mr. Smith say to that?
So he stepped up to the grand piano in the living room, and one of Eric Smith's sisters stepped up and played the accompaniment and said, What would you like to sing, Sir?
He said. I want to sing The glory Shines before me.
He knew all four verses by heart.
You had a good voice, and he sang to the accompaniment of that piano.
And Eric Smith said by the time the last verse was being sung.
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He saw his father.
With the tears running down his face.
That night, he got saved.
And then Eric's capped it off by saying, in his own, somewhat British in New Zealand, brogue.
And mother had 30 happy years.
You remember that, Bob? You've heard that story.
That's pretty near word for word, the way he told it to me. God is in many ways of preaching the gospel, sometimes in song.