Jim “Jimmy” Bruton is still a great friend from our “growing up” days in Jackson, MS! From Enochs Junior High, into Central High School, then into first part of Mississippi College, and now – in time – our friendship will continue right on into Heaven itself!
Jim is a professional counselor, a clinical psychologist, and a former pastor in Houston, TX and is writing a book titled “Five Secrets that Should No longer be Secrets!. He is a mature follower of Jesus Christ. (His Houston, Texas house was devastated in the 2017 hurricane flood there.)
Related to the first “secret,” it addresses the fact that numerous times the Bible tells us… for those who have received Christ in repentance and faith … that Jesus Christ lives in us.
For example, the Word of God says: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the son of God. Who loved me and gave him himself for me. (Galatians 2:20) And “…the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:27) …Also “ … Christ is in you ..,” (Romans 8:10). When he is in us … as with every born-again believer, certain things will happen. (Underlining mine)
Jim refers to a portion of scripture that we might overlook … from Romans 1:20: “For since the creation of the world – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made …”
Examples …
- We are born. Jesus said that “ … you must be “born again.” (John 3:3)
- We must grow spiritually. “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that you may grow up …” (I Peter 2;2)
- The earthly tabernacle that God — in great detail — commanded Moses to build that reflects the unseen one in Heaven, “… the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made … not a part of this creation .” (Hebrews 9:11)
- We have an earthly “tent” [our body] on this earth. It certainly can be physically destroyed. For the believer, “we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands …” “Now we know that if this earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not build by human hands.” (II Corinthians 5:1)
- There are physical obstacles in our lives. There are also spiritual and unseen efforts against our spiritual wellbeing and progress. So we are commanded “... be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly reals ...” (Ephesians 6: 10,11)
This is the point of note: there are things we can see that are reflected in parallel and in spiritual matters that we cannot see..
So what is Jesus doing in us … all the time? The truth … the “secret” … that Jim Bruton calls to our attention in this area could not be known until the invention of the electronic microscope.
Following an injury accident in which Jim was involved, I simplify here some of his results that his research revealed during his recovery.
There are a trillion (“trillion” with a “t”) human cells that are in each of our bodies that help us understand what Jesus is doing … constantly … in our bodies.
The human body contains 65,000 miles of veins, arteries, and tributaries, most of them 1/10 the width of a human hair. The billions of red blood cells feed, clean and discard the waste in each of our cells … and the billions of white blood cells defend and protect our bodies — from ongoing attacks such as bacteria– that war against our bodies.
On a spiritual level and unseen level, that reflects what Jesus is doing … right now … in each of his children … each of us who He has bought and paid for by His own blood! Jesus literally within us doing the physical as well as spiritual work of the body.
Doxology!
Hear longtime friend Jim Bruton provide us wonderful spiritual insights … in his own words.
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Links to brief radio for anytime listening …Related to the information above and below …
To hear … “Felix & Patsy Snipes … ‘How Charles Stanley got to Atlanta…’” … click on … http://haroldhendrick.com/2008/07/03/felix-patsy-snipes-how-charles-stanley-got-to-atlanta-june-2008/.
To hear … “Harold Hendrick: my return to the spot where, 60 years ago, I asked Jesus Christ to save me. He did!” … click on … http://haroldhendrick.com/2014/06/10/harold-hendrick-my-return-to-the-spot-where-60-years-ago-i-asked-jesus-christ-to-save-me-he-did/.
To hear … “Patsy Snipes; re the death of husband Felix Snipes; their remarkable ministry; Charles Stanley link” … click on … http://haroldhendrick.com/2010/06/17/patsy-snipes-re-the-death-of-husband-felix-snipes-their-remarkable-ministry-charles-stanley-link/
More about Jim Bruton and our lifelong friendship:
Jim Bruton and I were in junior high together … then in Central High School … when we attended “Youth for Christ” rallies on Saturday nights in our home town of Jackson, MS. After Saturday night near the nearby YFC rallies, we sometimes would walk down to Farish Street, — the black business section of downtown Jackson – witnessing for Christ and passing out Gospel “tracks.” During that time, Billy Graham and his team came to Jackson and led a “Crusade” (a series of evening services over nearly a month) in Tiger (football) stadium in Jackson. Jim and I both attended the preparation classes that certified us to become “counsellors” to those who came forward at the end of each service to be saved or rededicate their lives to Christ.
When our Central High School choir went to Chattanooga, TN for a choir completion the next year (1953), we discovered that, at the same time, Billy Graham was leading a Crusade there (a year after the one in Jackson), We asked choir director, Mr. Leland Byler, if – on the night before the competition – we could attend. He said “yes,” and we attended the evangelistic service that evening. (Little did we know that, during that Chattanooga BG Crusade, Billy Graham took down the dividers that segregated blacks from whites. He made it public that he would no longer ever lead a racially segregated crusade. All this happened years before there were any Civil Rights laws! He did it because it was the right thing to do!
Following my own salvation experience at a Jackson’s Youth for Christ rally in the winter of 1950 & 1951, I went through the Navigator Topical Memory System, wherein most of those scriptures I memorized are in my head and heart … right now! They have been used of God to shape my life. And Jim and I began Mississippi College together in Clinton, six miles west of my west Jackson home on Road of Remembrance. It was this college that my grandfather attended in 1903, became known as ”Preacher” J. L. Hughes …., and in his college home, my mother was born in 1907!
Another dear best high school friend, Felix Snipes, who at the time believed that “good works” … enough of them … would get one to heaven! (Not so, according to Ephesians 2:8-10.) Felix and I were standing together while singing in the Jackson choir led by Cliff Barrows, Billy Graham’s longtime crusade music and choir leader. Near the end of the final service of the crusade, Felix said to me: “Come go with me, Harold. I want to rededicate my life to Christ.” Of course I went with him. He later told me that was the time he really came to saving faith in Jesus, –and he soon felt called of God into evangelistic music and, in time, met at a North Mississippi Bible Camp a young preacher, Charles Stanley! Becoming friends and seeing his enthusiastic music leadership style, Charles asked Felix to lead music at many of the preacher events wherein Charles preached. –
Fast forward: later Felix and his wife Patsy (I was in their wedding) moved to Atlanta, joined Atlanta’s First Baptist Church and eventually served on the church’s “search committee” for a needed staff member. The story has many other exciting details.
Few if any people in Atlanta knew Charles Stanley. Felix Snipes was led to recommend Charles to the FBC Atlanta search committee. Charles and his family – upon the recommendation of Felix Snipes — were called and accepted the church’s ministry position, moved to Atlanta, and stayed with Felix and Patsy Snipes the first several months of their coming to Atlanta.
Charles was to eventually be call to become Senior Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Atlanta where his ministry has grown into a worldwide Bible teaching ministry of books, radio, and television!