October 19. William R. Bright. Until eighth grade, Bill went to school in a one-room schoolhouse. And once he got started in life, he never slowed down. In 1951 he founded Campus Crusade for Christ—a ministry for university students.
Then Bill spent the next 50 years growing Campus Crusade until it became the largest international Christian ministry in the world and serves not only students, but also inner cities, the military, athletes, political and business leaders, the entertainment industries, and families. By 2003, the organization had a staff of 26,000 and 225,000 volunteers in 191 countries.
In 1952 he wrote The Four Spiritual Laws, which a whole generation of believers have used, and more than 2.5 billion booklets have been distributed.
In 1972, he held a rally in Dallas the press called “Religious Woodstock,” and 85,000 young people came. In 1974, he did it again, this time in Korea, and every night 1.5 million people attended. In 1980 he held another event in Korea and 2-to-almost-3 million people attended.
On this date in 1979, Bill released The Jesus Film, which has been viewed by 5.1 billion people in 234 countries. The most translated film in history, it appears in 1,400 languages.
Sometimes the thing you don’t want to do, is the thing you must do. Do the hard thing.
The morning didn’t start well.
During Sunday school, Bill disappeared. He had been asked to counsel someone in crisis, but no one had told his wife Vonette. So, when he finally did join her—almost five hours later—Vonette let him have it. If the tables were turned, what would Bill have expected?
During the drive home and throughout a tense (and very late) lunch, they hashed things out.
Eventually Bill asked Vonette to forgive him, not only for the disappearance-incident, but for being insensitive in general as he juggled a too-busy schedule. Then they prayed together at the dining-room table. And they discussed their hopes for their marriage. Bill suggested they go to separate rooms, write out their expectations, and then come together to compare and ask God what He wanted.
Vonette listed the practical: children, a suitable home where she could minister to people from all walks of life, a car, and God’s blessing.
In the other room Bill pondered. Paul’s description of himself came to mind. “Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God” (Romans 1:1 NKJV).
Bill, too, was a bondservant to Jesus. On his paper Bill renounced “every single thing” in his life to “the control of the Lord Jesus Christ.” With God’s help, Bill would do whatever his Master asked.
Late that afternoon Bill and Vonette came together again in the living room. They acknowledged each other’s goals were valid. They didn’t try to reconcile them. In faith they signed both papers. Peace returned as they declared the papers their “Contract with God.” God could do “anything He wanted” in and through them for His glory. Together they put aside their dreams, aspirations, and “little puny plans” to “embrace His magnificent” ones. They were God’s bondservants. For the first time, Bill felt truly free.
Later that week Bill studied for his Hebrew class at Fuller Seminary. About midnight a warm sense of God’s presence enveloped Bill. He didn’t see a physical form or hear an audible voice, but God showed Bill a panoramic view of fulfilling the Great Commission. A vast spiritual movement emanated from Australia and spread across the globe.
As Bill sensed the partnership of the Holy Spirit, he was astonished by his absolute conviction that reaching the whole world with the story of Jesus could actually happen. He didn’t know how, but God did.
Bill was to begin by reaching leaders on college campuses. The slogan would be “Reach the campus for Christ today—reach the world for Christ tomorrow.”
Bill hardly slept. As soon as Vonette awoke, he told her everything, and she celebrated with him. Bill floated through his classes and then rushed to tell his mentor, Doctor Wilbur Smith. As Professor Smith listened, he began to pace. “This is of God! This is of God! This is of God!” he said.
The next morning Professor Smith called Bill out of class. He handed him a small paper with “CCC” written on it. Beneath the acronym was “Campus Crusade for Christ.”
Years later, Bill looked back on the day he and Vonette became bondservants of Christ. It had been the “beginning of a whole … new lifestyle.” God had used Campus Crusade to tell billions of people all over the world about Jesus. But Bill was convinced it wouldn’t have happened without that day of surrender.
Is there a relationship in your life where each of you do your own thing? What would happen if you “did God’s thing” together? Sometimes the thing you don’t want to do, is the thing you must do. Do the hard thing.
Richardson, Michael. “Chapter 8: The Contract.” Amazing Faith: The Authorized Biography of Bill Bright. Colorado Springs, CO: Waterbrook Press, 2000.
Richardson, Michael. “Chapter 9: The Vision.” Amazing Faith: The Authorized Biography of Bill Bright. Colorado Springs, CO: Waterbrook Press, 2000.
Shibley, David. “Chapter 2: Christ’s Slave.” Great for God. Green Forest, AR: New Leaf Publishing Group Inc., 2012.
Story read by: Daniel Carpenter
Introduction read by: Daniel Carpenter
Audio production: Joel Carpenter
Story written by: Paula Moldenhauer, http://paulamoldenhauer.com/
Editor: Teresa Crumpton, https://authorspark.org/
Project manager: Blake Mattocks
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