Wednesday, April 05, 2006

Über Christ Followers – Part 15 – Chuck Smith


He reached a generation he never planned to reach. He simply taught the Bible simply. He loved the ones who rejected society. Society was happy to return the favor. But Chuck Smith knew that God didn’t reject them and did whatever it took to love an unlovable generation.

That was in the late sixties and early seventies and that generation was the “Me Generation”; the “baby boomers”; the “hippies”; the generation that most of our parents came from. Pastor Chuck drew fire from many Evangelical Christian circles for the way he reached this generation. He didn’t make these young people clean up or put shoes on or cut their hair. He didn’t make them sing songs from moldy old hymnals. He loved them and taught them God’s Word. Pastor Chuck was aware of the times he lived in.

Listening to Pastor Chuck Smith teach the Bible is like listening to Dad. Pastor Chuck brings the Bible to life through his humble style of teaching. He discipled a handful of men who in turn planted churches that made disciples that have planted churches world-wide.

No one has had a greater impact on modern culture for the cause of Christ than Pastor Chuck Smith. The list of men mentored by Pastor Chuck is a roll call of mega-church pastors. Greg Laurie is at the top of the record and is kept company by Raul Ries, Bob Coy, Skip Heitzig, Jon Courson, Mike MacIntosh, and Jeff Johnson, just to name a few.

If one were to judge by results by numbers of people impacted by his teaching and life, Smith could very well be the greatest, modern-day Bible teacher in the world. His impact on the current generation is under-estimated and under-rated, but I don’t think the notoriety, or lack there of, concerns him. He continues to love his congregation in Costa Mesa, CA, and simply teach them the Bible simply.

1 comment:

Chris Goeppner said...

chuck rocks.