Secrets to the Man God Uses: the lives of Dr. Fredrick Price, Dr. Yonggi Cho and Marcus Lamb in Focus

Last week Sunday, a friend invited me to speak to a group of university students on the theme ” The Man God Uses”. This invitation took me on a trip down memory lane to the year 2008. I was almost done with my undergraduate degree and I attended a national conference of Baptist students. At this conference, the keynote speaker described the vessel God uses as FAT! This person had to be faithful, available and teachable, hence the acronym FAT.

In addition to mentioning that God used FAT vessels, I also added that these vessels had to be consecrated as seen in 2 Timothy 2: 20 -21 and Romans 12:1.

This year, the Christian Community around the world has mourned the passing away of certain great torchbearers: Dr. Fredrick Price, Pastor David Yonggi Cho, and just recently Marcus Lamb. Our hearts have been grieved with their passing, but we joyfully celebrate their legacy.

 

Dr. Frederick K. C. Price

Dr. Price was not only an American televangelist but was also an author, founder, and apostle of Crenshaw Christian Center located in Los Angeles, California. He was born on 3^rd January 1932.

Frederick got converted to the Christian faith at a tent meeting revival service and soon after that, he felt the call of God to go into ministry. He served as a part-time pastor in a Baptist church from 1955-1957, African Methodist Episcopal Church from 1957 – 1959, and a Presbyterian church in the early 1960s.

Shortly after receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit in 1970, he started the Crenshaw Christian Centre in 1973. In 1981, The Faith Dome (Crenshaw Christian Center) was the largest domed church in America and could sit 10, 146 people.

In 1990, he founded the Fellowship of International Christian Word of Faith Ministries which included churches and ministers from across the United States and the world. He died on 12^th February 2021 from complications related to COVID-19

 

Dr. David Yonggi Cho

Dr. Cho was a South Korean Christian minister who was born on 14^th February 1936. He was initially raised as a Buddhist but converted to Christianity after a girl visited him and told him about Jesus. This was shortly before he was diagnosed with tuberculosis. Though a Korean, he learnt English from an American army base and hence was able to serve as an interpreter for an American evangelist Ken Tize. In 1956, he attended the Full Gospel Bible College in Seoul and studied theology. While there he met Cho Ja-Shil who later became his mother-in-law and partner in ministry.

Together with his mother-in-law, he founded the Yoido Full Gospel Church (Assemblies of God) which presently has about 830,000 members and is the largest congregation in the world. Dr. Cho was famous for his church growth strategy which was based on cell group ministry.

He was chairman of the World Assemblies of God Fellowship from 1992 – 2000.

He died on 14^th September 2021 from complications relating to a stroke.

 

Marcus Daron Lamb

He was born on 7^th October 1957. He was an American televangelist, minister, and Christian broadcaster and the founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Daystar Christian Television Network, which claims to be the second-largest Christian Television Network in the world.

Marcus accepted Christ at age five, continued to grow in his relationship with God, and became an evangelist at age fifteen.

In 1980 he founded the Word of God Fellowship, and it was this fellowship that eventually started the Daystar Christian Network in 1997.

He died on 30^th November 2021 from complications related to COVID-19; he had an underlying diabetic condition.

I have been positively impacted by the messages of televangelists on the Daystar Television Network and I am saddened at his passing.

A faithful servant

A faithful servant is a servant who sticks to the ministry or calling God has given him or her without coveting the ministry of another (1 Corinthians 4:2).

An available servant

An available minister is ready to do the Lord’s bidding (Isaiah 6:8).

A teachable servant

A teachable servant is trainable and by implication can also be corrected. 2 Timothy 3:16 says the Word of God is useful for teaching, for correcting, and for training in righteousness so that the man of God may be complete and thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Each day we write the story of our lives. How are you writing your story?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_K._C._Price#:~:text=Frederick%20K.%20C.%20Price%20(January%203,in%20South%20Los%20Angeles%2C%20California.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Yonggi_Cho

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus_Lamb

When all my labour’s and trials are o’er
And I am safe on that beautiful shore
Just to be near the dear Lord I adore
Would through the ages be glory for me

Oh that would be, glory for me
Glory for me, glory for me
When by His grace, I shall look at His face
That would be glory
Be glory, for me

Chas Gabriel, 1990