WEBVTT - Hour 1: The Guiding Scriptures in Dr. Sweeting's Life 0:00:08.150 --> 0:00:12.530 Hello friends. Welcome to this special edition, a special Thanksgiving 0:00:12.560 --> 0:00:17.150 edition of Open Line. One person I'm especially thankful for 0:00:17.180 --> 0:00:21.710 throughout my life has been Doctor George Sweeting. He went 0:00:21.710 --> 0:00:26.150 to be with the Lord on September 10th, 2024, just 0:00:26.150 --> 0:00:30.440 shy of being 100 years old. He has served as 0:00:30.470 --> 0:00:33.949 a pastor. As an evangelist, he was the president of 0:00:33.979 --> 0:00:38.540 Moody Bible Institute and also the Chancellor and then Chancellor Emeritus. 0:00:38.930 --> 0:00:40.879 When I think of him, I always think of him 0:00:40.880 --> 0:00:44.150 as the president of Moody when I was a student. 0:00:44.150 --> 0:00:46.669 In fact, what he did is he went out of 0:00:46.670 --> 0:00:49.550 his way to befriend me, to be kind to me, 0:00:49.580 --> 0:00:52.070 to actually look out for me. I was a fairly 0:00:52.070 --> 0:00:55.190 new follower of Jesus when I came to Moody, and 0:00:55.190 --> 0:00:57.890 Doctor Sweeting invited me up to his office, gave me 0:00:57.890 --> 0:01:00.630 a great deal of encouragement, and always looked out for 0:01:00.630 --> 0:01:02.700 me the whole time. I was a moody student and 0:01:02.700 --> 0:01:05.279 then stayed my friend through the years as I was 0:01:05.280 --> 0:01:07.830 in ministry on the East Coast going to school, different 0:01:07.830 --> 0:01:10.110 things I was doing came back to teach at Moody. 0:01:10.140 --> 0:01:14.010 He was always there. I always said that Doc Sweeting 0:01:14.010 --> 0:01:16.350 was my role model when I grew up. I said, 0:01:16.380 --> 0:01:19.830 and I still say I'd like to be like George Sweeting. 0:01:20.280 --> 0:01:22.740 I heard him do a teaching when he was about 0:01:22.740 --> 0:01:27.630 94 years old, about how God's Word had led him 0:01:27.630 --> 0:01:30.870 his entire life. I thought it would be really good 0:01:30.870 --> 0:01:35.729 fitting tribute to Doctor Sweeting to play the interview I 0:01:35.730 --> 0:01:38.339 did with him afterwards, where I asked him about how 0:01:38.340 --> 0:01:42.090 God's Word guided him in making decisions. And that's what 0:01:42.090 --> 0:01:44.760 we're going to play now. So don't call this week. 0:01:44.760 --> 0:01:48.810 We'll answer your questions again next week. Today, just sit back. 0:01:48.840 --> 0:01:51.960 Listen to Doctor George Sweeting as he explains how the 0:01:51.960 --> 0:01:54.690 Word of God led him every step of the way. 0:01:54.720 --> 0:01:57.900 I grew up in a wonderful Christian home, mother and 0:01:57.900 --> 0:02:04.410 father emigrated from Scotland in 1923. I was born in Haledon, 0:02:04.410 --> 0:02:10.320 new Jersey in 1924, and so that's how it all started, 0:02:10.350 --> 0:02:10.620 you know? 0:02:10.650 --> 0:02:14.460 That same year, my mom was born. Oh, that's kind 0:02:14.490 --> 0:02:17.640 of surprising. I never realized that. But anyway, you came 0:02:17.639 --> 0:02:18.690 to the Lord. What age? 0:02:18.960 --> 0:02:24.360 Uh, my salvation experience was not dramatic. I grew up 0:02:24.360 --> 0:02:28.980 in a Christian home, so I was surrounded by hearing 0:02:28.980 --> 0:02:34.320 the gospel. My father came to know the Lord in Scotland, 0:02:34.320 --> 0:02:38.489 and he came to know the Lord through ministries that 0:02:38.490 --> 0:02:44.399 were the result of moody crusades in Edinburgh, Glasgow and 0:02:44.400 --> 0:02:50.250 all of Scotland. And so he was determined to have 0:02:50.280 --> 0:02:55.470 a Christian home and to to the best of his ability, 0:02:55.650 --> 0:02:58.690 leaders in the ways of the Lord. So it was 0:02:58.690 --> 0:03:02.440 a strong Christian home. Dad was the head of the home, 0:03:02.440 --> 0:03:06.220 no doubt about it. Mom was the heart of the home. 0:03:06.220 --> 0:03:10.780 No doubt about it. Both Scottish, both loving the Lord. 0:03:10.810 --> 0:03:13.870 Both loving the memory of Dale Moody. 0:03:13.900 --> 0:03:18.190 And Dale Moody. Because of them coming to faith through 0:03:18.190 --> 0:03:22.240 extensions of of of Mr. Moody's ministries in Scotland. Is 0:03:22.240 --> 0:03:23.620 that what? Yes. 0:03:23.830 --> 0:03:28.030 My father had been in World War one fighting in 0:03:28.210 --> 0:03:34.750 the Belgium area, and when the armistice was declared, he 0:03:34.750 --> 0:03:40.120 came home. But he was very unhappy, disillusioned with life. 0:03:40.570 --> 0:03:45.910 Three and a half years of trench warfare. And he 0:03:45.910 --> 0:03:50.380 was immediately rehired by his old firm. They sent him 0:03:50.380 --> 0:03:55.210 out to a town called Carstairs Junction, right outside of Edinburgh, 0:03:55.210 --> 0:04:01.490 to build a bridge. And so that's how he got 0:04:01.490 --> 0:04:04.970 to Carstairs. And there my mother, who had been led 0:04:05.000 --> 0:04:09.440 to the Lord by a convert of D.L. Moody in 0:04:09.440 --> 0:04:12.830 his crusades, led my mother to the Lord. My mother, 0:04:12.830 --> 0:04:16.040 in turn, witnessed to him, and he had never heard 0:04:16.040 --> 0:04:16.610 anything quite. 0:04:16.610 --> 0:04:18.169 To your dad, she witness. Yeah. 0:04:18.200 --> 0:04:22.130 She shared. Christ. She brought the workers some cold water 0:04:22.130 --> 0:04:25.580 every noon. And then after giving them the cold water, 0:04:25.580 --> 0:04:28.370 she'd say, I want you to listen as I tell 0:04:28.370 --> 0:04:30.830 you how I came to know the Lord. Wow. And 0:04:30.830 --> 0:04:33.680 so she'd witness to all of the men. He had 0:04:33.680 --> 0:04:37.489 never met anyone quite like that and said, where can 0:04:37.490 --> 0:04:40.850 I hear more? She said, well, you go to Glasgow 0:04:40.850 --> 0:04:44.570 on the weekends. They lived in Carstairs Junction during the week. 0:04:44.570 --> 0:04:48.110 And when you're home, either go to a building that 0:04:48.110 --> 0:04:53.330 is called the Tent Hall, seated about 2400 people, and 0:04:53.330 --> 0:04:57.920 they served serve breakfast every morning, had evangelism every day. 0:04:57.920 --> 0:05:03.200 And it was an evangelistic center named after Dale Moody's tent. 0:05:03.500 --> 0:05:06.710 So they called it Tent Hall. And then there was 0:05:06.710 --> 0:05:12.080 another one called Bridgeton Chapel and Moody that was a 0:05:12.080 --> 0:05:15.710 result of new converts from Moody's meeting. And it was 0:05:15.710 --> 0:05:21.140 a Bible center, and they were red hot in evangelism 0:05:21.140 --> 0:05:23.780 and sharing God's Word. Wow. 0:05:23.779 --> 0:05:27.320 And so that's how your folks, uh, their connection with D.L. Moody, 0:05:27.350 --> 0:05:29.990 your dad came to the Lord. They moved here. You're 0:05:29.990 --> 0:05:33.229 born here. You become to know the Lord. I think 0:05:33.260 --> 0:05:35.300 you've mentioned to me that when you were 15, that's 0:05:35.300 --> 0:05:37.400 when something dramatic happened. 0:05:37.430 --> 0:05:42.830 Yeah. Uh, as a child, first, though, the first verse 0:05:42.830 --> 0:05:49.700 I memorized was, uh, Psalm 27 one. The Lord is 0:05:49.700 --> 0:05:55.230 my light and my Salvation. And he says, whom shall 0:05:55.230 --> 0:05:58.560 I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life. 0:05:58.589 --> 0:06:02.310 Of whom shall I be afraid? Now I was just 0:06:02.339 --> 0:06:06.539 a young boy when I memorized that, but that became 0:06:06.540 --> 0:06:12.000 my guiding verse. And I would say, Lord, I can't 0:06:12.000 --> 0:06:17.130 do this myself. But you're my strength. Be my strength. 0:06:17.160 --> 0:06:21.750 You're the strength of my life. Psalm 27 one says, 0:06:21.750 --> 0:06:25.380 and then he also goes on in that Psalm, and 0:06:25.380 --> 0:06:29.909 he talks about the Lord being the strength of his people. 0:06:29.940 --> 0:06:33.539 He says, the Lord is my strength and my shield, 0:06:33.630 --> 0:06:36.900 but the Lord is the strength of his people, a 0:06:36.900 --> 0:06:41.850 fortress of salvation for his anointed one. And the idea 0:06:41.880 --> 0:06:44.880 was placed in my mind and heart that if I 0:06:44.880 --> 0:06:47.940 were going to do anything in life, whatever it was, 0:06:47.940 --> 0:06:51.700 I thought I'd be an artist. Uh, that the Lord 0:06:51.700 --> 0:06:56.110 had to help me. He was my strength and I 0:06:56.140 --> 0:06:59.830 clung to that verse. Whether it was sports and I 0:06:59.830 --> 0:07:02.170 played a lot of sports in grade school and high 0:07:02.170 --> 0:07:07.330 school or whatever I was doing, the Lord was my strength, 0:07:07.330 --> 0:07:10.450 and if he was my strength, then there's very little 0:07:10.450 --> 0:07:15.160 that I couldn't do. And so that guarded me and 0:07:15.160 --> 0:07:18.490 guided me. And that was the first verse that made 0:07:18.490 --> 0:07:20.590 a great impact on my life. 0:07:20.620 --> 0:07:24.040 Psalm 27 that that was one of the first verses 0:07:24.040 --> 0:07:26.770 in my walk with the Lord. That really helped me, 0:07:26.770 --> 0:07:29.170 because there were a lot of when I came to faith, 0:07:29.170 --> 0:07:33.790 there were some people wanting to intimidate me from believing, 0:07:34.090 --> 0:07:36.790 and I, I kept reading that verse over and over, 0:07:36.790 --> 0:07:38.680 and it was a real encouragement to me. 0:07:38.710 --> 0:07:41.320 Yeah, we can't do it. But he can. He can. 0:07:41.530 --> 0:07:42.400 God is able. 0:07:42.430 --> 0:07:45.820 Yeah. Okay, so now what happened when you were 15? 0:07:45.850 --> 0:07:50.530 Well, like so many in a Christian home, We had 0:07:50.530 --> 0:07:56.530 family devotions every night. My father was really the spiritual 0:07:56.560 --> 0:08:00.340 head of the home. Mother was the heart of the home, 0:08:00.340 --> 0:08:07.690 and dad was an old fashioned disciplinarian. Mother was a happy, loving, 0:08:07.690 --> 0:08:12.190 joyful woman who, no matter what her situation was, she 0:08:12.190 --> 0:08:15.520 could find joy in it. She lived all that my 0:08:15.520 --> 0:08:19.960 dad professed. My dad did, too, for the most part. 0:08:19.960 --> 0:08:22.840 But my mother was a we used to say she 0:08:22.840 --> 0:08:25.990 was the greatest preacher in our family. Now, the reason 0:08:25.990 --> 0:08:30.670 I say that I had two brothers, they both became pastors. 0:08:30.730 --> 0:08:34.540 I served as a pastor. I think between us, we 0:08:34.540 --> 0:08:38.680 had over 160 years of ministry between the three of us. 0:08:38.679 --> 0:08:41.860 But it was all because of a godly mother and 0:08:41.860 --> 0:08:46.090 a godly father who trained us in the things of 0:08:46.090 --> 0:08:46.809 the Lord. 0:08:46.840 --> 0:08:50.390 Wow. And so when did you decide that you're going 0:08:50.420 --> 0:08:51.770 to go into ministry? I mean. 0:08:51.800 --> 0:08:55.730 My father was very concerned about where we went to church. 0:08:56.030 --> 0:08:59.150 We went to a wonderful church, a church that eventually 0:08:59.150 --> 0:09:04.130 I became the pastor of the church, then ministered to people. 0:09:04.130 --> 0:09:09.380 There were wonderful people, but they weren't as conscious as 0:09:09.380 --> 0:09:13.730 they should be of training the children and the young people. 0:09:13.730 --> 0:09:16.850 And there was a new work called the Hawthorne Gospel 0:09:16.850 --> 0:09:20.210 Church in Hawthorne, new Jersey, and it was born out 0:09:20.210 --> 0:09:25.970 of the throes of the Billy Sunday Crusade in 1924. 0:09:26.090 --> 0:09:30.950 And these people were youth centered. They wanted to have 0:09:30.950 --> 0:09:36.830 a program for children, for teenagers. They wanted to evangelize. 0:09:36.830 --> 0:09:40.820 It was a come Sunday, stay all day kind of 0:09:40.820 --> 0:09:45.590 church where there was one meeting after another. And that's 0:09:45.590 --> 0:09:48.590 where my dad decided we should go. So he wanted 0:09:48.890 --> 0:09:52.579 to expose us to the Christian life and what we 0:09:52.580 --> 0:09:56.750 could do if we were yielded to the Lord. Well, 0:09:56.750 --> 0:10:01.400 they had different speakers in every week from July 1st 0:10:01.429 --> 0:10:05.570 through Labor Day. Oh, uh, great Bible teachers from all 0:10:05.570 --> 0:10:12.079 over the United States and Europe. Uh, evangelists, prophetic teachers. 0:10:12.080 --> 0:10:17.300 We heard prophecy. We heard about Israel. Uh, Lewis Paul 0:10:17.330 --> 0:10:22.460 Bauman would come and teach archaeology. Uh, evangelists would come. 0:10:22.460 --> 0:10:25.340 Billy Graham, before he was known, would come and preach 0:10:25.370 --> 0:10:28.490 at our church. We heard all the evangelists, all the 0:10:28.490 --> 0:10:33.890 great musicians. And so we were surrounded by what we 0:10:33.890 --> 0:10:38.900 could do if we yielded ourselves to Christ and would 0:10:38.900 --> 0:10:42.500 give ourselves to him. And one night, Davis Otis Fuller 0:10:42.500 --> 0:10:45.929 from Grand Rapids was doing the preaching, and he preached 0:10:45.929 --> 0:10:51.569 on James chapter one. And he set down in verse 0:10:51.570 --> 0:10:56.940 22 where it says, be doers of the word, and 0:10:56.940 --> 0:11:00.870 not hearers only. Well, the Holy Spirit applied that to 0:11:00.900 --> 0:11:04.290 my mind and heart, and I realized that I needed 0:11:04.290 --> 0:11:07.980 to get with it. And that night I said, Lord, 0:11:07.980 --> 0:11:12.120 with your help I'll be a doer, not just a hearer. 0:11:12.150 --> 0:11:14.640 Up to that time, I could give you the way 0:11:14.640 --> 0:11:17.970 of salvation. I could even lead a person to Christ. 0:11:17.970 --> 0:11:22.680 But really, I was half hearted. I wasn't doing what 0:11:22.679 --> 0:11:26.610 I should be doing. And I said, Lord, from tonight on, 0:11:26.640 --> 0:11:28.800 I'm going to be a doer of the Word of God. 0:11:28.830 --> 0:11:32.189 I remember waiting until everyone left. I didn't want to 0:11:32.190 --> 0:11:36.060 show my emotions, and I spoke to the pastor and 0:11:36.059 --> 0:11:39.000 he was so kind and loving. We knelt down by 0:11:39.000 --> 0:11:42.630 the front row and he committed me to the Lord 0:11:42.630 --> 0:11:46.240 and to his will. I remember taking a bus for 0:11:46.240 --> 0:11:49.120 a few miles and then walking another two miles to 0:11:49.150 --> 0:11:52.240 get home. A mother didn't ever go to bed until 0:11:52.270 --> 0:11:55.359 all six children were in, and as soon as I 0:11:55.360 --> 0:11:59.770 walked in, she knew intuitively that God had spoken to 0:11:59.770 --> 0:12:03.460 me that night. And she said, now what happened? And 0:12:03.460 --> 0:12:07.510 I told her. And again we both knelt in the 0:12:07.510 --> 0:12:11.200 little room outside the living room, and she committed me 0:12:11.200 --> 0:12:14.349 to the Lord, and that was that. I wrote my 0:12:14.350 --> 0:12:17.320 first goals. I wrote first, I'm going to bring glory 0:12:17.320 --> 0:12:22.300 to God. Secondly, I'm going to cultivate the inner life, 0:12:22.300 --> 0:12:24.489 not the outer life, but the inner life. I want 0:12:24.520 --> 0:12:26.080 to be what I ought to be. I want to 0:12:26.080 --> 0:12:30.579 be real. And thirdly, I want to disciple others. And fourthly, 0:12:30.580 --> 0:12:34.210 I want to win as many to Christ as humanly possible. 0:12:34.210 --> 0:12:40.210 And that was a momentous night when I yielded myself 0:12:40.210 --> 0:12:41.710 to do the will of God. 0:12:41.710 --> 0:12:45.280 15 years old and you became a doer of the word, 0:12:45.280 --> 0:12:47.230 committed to being a doer of the word. What a 0:12:47.230 --> 0:12:50.740 phenomenal night and what a phenomenal decision. We're going to 0:12:50.770 --> 0:12:53.469 come back and talk about God's leading in your life 0:12:53.470 --> 0:12:56.380 some more. In just a moment. You're listening to Open 0:12:56.380 --> 0:13:00.610 Line with Michael Redlick, my guest today, Doctor George Sweeting, 0:13:00.880 --> 0:13:06.699 former president, a retired president, then chancellor, then chancellor emeritus 0:13:06.730 --> 0:13:09.729 of Moody Bible Institute. Don't go away. We're going to 0:13:09.730 --> 0:13:12.640 talk about some really important stuff coming up. Stay with us. 0:13:14.260 --> 0:13:17.860 Are you looking to deepen your grasp of Paul's powerful epistles, 0:13:17.860 --> 0:13:22.090 the Moody Bible commentary on Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians 0:13:22.120 --> 0:13:25.750 is your key to unlocking these treasured books with clear 0:13:25.750 --> 0:13:31.720 explanations and practical insights. This resource illuminates Paul's teachings on grace, unity, joy, 0:13:31.720 --> 0:13:35.140 and the supremacy of the Lord Jesus. Request your copy 0:13:35.140 --> 0:13:37.600 of this Moody Bible Commentary excerpt. When you give to 0:13:37.630 --> 0:13:42.829 open line, call And one, two, two or visit open 0:13:42.830 --> 0:13:52.610 line radio.org. Welcome back to Open Line with me Michael 0:13:52.610 --> 0:13:56.390 Ray Jelinek, my guest this hour, Doctor George Sweeting. We're 0:13:56.390 --> 0:14:00.140 talking really about how God's Word has guided him throughout 0:14:00.140 --> 0:14:03.230 his life and how it can guide us as well. 0:14:03.230 --> 0:14:07.040 I think that by application, that's that's so important to 0:14:07.070 --> 0:14:09.920 realize that this is not a unique experience for you, doc, 0:14:09.950 --> 0:14:10.520 is it? 0:14:10.550 --> 0:14:13.550 No, no, this is what the Lord does with men 0:14:13.550 --> 0:14:14.270 and women. 0:14:14.420 --> 0:14:17.270 Exactly. Last segment, we were talking and we were. You 0:14:17.300 --> 0:14:20.780 mentioned this really momentous time when you were 15 years old. 0:14:20.780 --> 0:14:23.750 You committed to being a doer of the word. And 0:14:23.750 --> 0:14:26.090 then not too long after that, you ended up going 0:14:26.090 --> 0:14:29.870 to Moody Bible Institute. How does a kid from northern 0:14:29.900 --> 0:14:33.440 north North Jersey end up in the Midwest in Chicago? 0:14:33.470 --> 0:14:37.970 Well, that decision to be a doer of the word 0:14:38.000 --> 0:14:43.680 really altered my lifestyle. I wasn't that I lived a 0:14:43.710 --> 0:14:49.020 careless life before, but I started to focus on what 0:14:49.020 --> 0:14:53.130 I was to do. And I read a little booklet 0:14:53.130 --> 0:14:58.590 by George Cutting called safety, Certainty and Enjoyment, and I 0:14:58.590 --> 0:15:03.150 read about being fully surrendered to Christ, and that I 0:15:03.150 --> 0:15:06.030 was to be a witness. I was to share my faith. 0:15:06.090 --> 0:15:10.260 So the next day I went to high school and 0:15:10.770 --> 0:15:15.180 I sat next to a fellow named Paul Pratt, and 0:15:15.180 --> 0:15:19.530 I said, Paul, are you a Christian? And he'd say, well, 0:15:19.530 --> 0:15:25.080 I go to a Christian church. I said, yeah, that's good. 0:15:25.080 --> 0:15:27.570 I said, but do you know the Lord is your 0:15:27.570 --> 0:15:33.660 personal savior? He said, I don't think so. I said, well, 0:15:33.660 --> 0:15:36.840 would you like to come to my home after school today? 0:15:36.840 --> 0:15:40.560 And I'll open the Bible and show you how to 0:15:40.590 --> 0:15:42.900 come to the Lord, how to know the Lord as 0:15:42.900 --> 0:15:46.290 your personal Savior. He said, yeah, I'd love to come. 0:15:46.290 --> 0:15:49.110 So he came to the home and I took my oath. 0:15:49.140 --> 0:15:55.350 Scofield Bible and I showed them Romans 323 all have 0:15:55.350 --> 0:15:58.800 sinned and come short of the glory of God. I said, Paul, 0:15:58.800 --> 0:16:03.180 that means me. I've sinned. I said, that means Paul Pratt. 0:16:03.210 --> 0:16:06.630 You've sinned, and we are sinners in the sight of 0:16:06.630 --> 0:16:09.660 a holy God. I said in the Bible says in 0:16:09.660 --> 0:16:13.680 Romans six, the wages of sin is death, but the 0:16:13.710 --> 0:16:17.580 gift of God, the gift of God is eternal life 0:16:17.580 --> 0:16:21.810 through Jesus Christ our Lord. And then I said, so 0:16:21.810 --> 0:16:25.470 here in John 316 it says, if you, Paul Pratt, 0:16:25.470 --> 0:16:30.120 believe you should not perish, but you'll have everlasting life. 0:16:30.120 --> 0:16:33.180 I said, do you believe the Bible? He said, yes. 0:16:33.210 --> 0:16:36.780 I said, do you think if you asked the Lord 0:16:36.780 --> 0:16:41.770 to become your personal savior. He would. He said, yes, 0:16:41.770 --> 0:16:44.590 I said, and it says if you believe in him, 0:16:44.590 --> 0:16:48.010 you won't perish, but you'll have everlasting life. Do you 0:16:48.010 --> 0:16:52.000 believe that too? He said yes. I said, then why 0:16:52.000 --> 0:16:56.080 don't we just get on our knees now and pray? 0:16:56.080 --> 0:17:00.370 And you, in your own language, say, Lord, I need you. 0:17:00.400 --> 0:17:04.840 I'm sinful, I want forgiveness, I want to put my 0:17:04.840 --> 0:17:07.540 faith in you, my trust in you. I want to 0:17:07.540 --> 0:17:10.510 become a child of God. He said, okay. So we 0:17:10.540 --> 0:17:16.000 knelt down and I helped him pray. And then I prayed. 0:17:16.090 --> 0:17:19.840 And when we got off of our knees, he gave 0:17:19.840 --> 0:17:23.830 me the best smile I'd ever seen. Wow. He said 0:17:23.830 --> 0:17:28.510 it's real. He said, I believe it. He said, I 0:17:28.510 --> 0:17:32.110 even feel different. He said, I feel like. Like I've 0:17:32.140 --> 0:17:36.530 been washed. I feel like I'm a new person. I said, well, 0:17:36.530 --> 0:17:39.710 you know, the Bible says when you believe in Christ, 0:17:39.710 --> 0:17:43.609 you become a new person, a new creature, old things 0:17:43.609 --> 0:17:46.850 pass away and all things become new. He said, oh, 0:17:46.880 --> 0:17:50.359 it's wonderful. He said, I'm glad. And then I gave 0:17:50.359 --> 0:17:53.060 him instructions on how to go on in the Lord. 0:17:53.060 --> 0:17:56.330 And I'm so thrilled to say he did go on 0:17:56.330 --> 0:17:56.510 in the. 0:17:56.660 --> 0:17:58.760 Was that the first person you ever led to faith? 0:17:58.790 --> 0:17:59.930 First person. 0:17:59.930 --> 0:18:03.590 Wow, what a great thing. And so, I mean, obviously 0:18:03.590 --> 0:18:05.930 you've led many people to the Lord, but that was 0:18:06.230 --> 0:18:09.050 that was just and you were 15 or 16 when 0:18:09.050 --> 0:18:09.380 that happened. 0:18:09.410 --> 0:18:12.800 15 and that was the beginning of about 40 that 0:18:12.800 --> 0:18:15.800 came to the Lord in our high school. And it 0:18:15.800 --> 0:18:20.240 was pretty much the same style, though usually it took 0:18:20.240 --> 0:18:24.500 place at school rather than at my home. But I 0:18:24.500 --> 0:18:28.820 would carry choice booklets that the church provided for us 0:18:28.820 --> 0:18:32.000 and I would say, here, read this and tomorrow tell 0:18:32.000 --> 0:18:34.760 me what you think about it. Wow. And I especially 0:18:34.760 --> 0:18:39.530 use the one by George cutting safety, certainty and enjoyment. 0:18:39.740 --> 0:18:43.940 And so they had a 30 page booklet to guide 0:18:43.940 --> 0:18:46.100 them after they'd received the Lord. 0:18:46.490 --> 0:18:49.430 Now, so you ended up at Moody when you were 18? 0:18:49.460 --> 0:18:54.290 I was 17, and my older brother had enrolled at 0:18:54.290 --> 0:18:58.669 the Moody Bible Institute, and he was felt called to 0:18:58.670 --> 0:19:04.909 be a pastor. And so I, I had a real 0:19:04.940 --> 0:19:09.830 dilemma there, because I was gifted as an artist, and 0:19:09.830 --> 0:19:14.750 I had a four year scholarship to Cooper Union, which 0:19:14.750 --> 0:19:18.440 is supposedly the best art school arts place in New 0:19:18.470 --> 0:19:23.090 York City. Yeah. And I turned it down to go 0:19:23.090 --> 0:19:26.690 to the Moody Bible Institute, where I'd have to even 0:19:26.720 --> 0:19:29.510 though you didn't pay tuition, you paid room and board. 0:19:29.510 --> 0:19:32.750 But that's what I knew I was to do. I 0:19:32.750 --> 0:19:34.530 was to go to the Moody Bible Institute. 0:19:34.680 --> 0:19:36.780 Did. God. Uh, how did you know that? 0:19:36.810 --> 0:19:40.409 Well, uh, I knew it because so many people in 0:19:40.410 --> 0:19:43.200 our church, we had 40 kids from our church going 0:19:43.230 --> 0:19:47.310 to Moody at the same time. And, uh, so some 0:19:47.340 --> 0:19:48.390 took up a whole floor. 0:19:48.420 --> 0:19:48.780 Some. 0:19:48.810 --> 0:19:51.330 Some would go to Wheaton and some would go to Moody. 0:19:51.330 --> 0:19:56.070 But that's the the ones that went to Moody went 0:19:56.070 --> 0:20:00.780 out as missionaries, evangelists, pastors all over the world. 0:20:00.810 --> 0:20:05.700 Now, uh, your wife Margaret went to Moody as well. 0:20:05.730 --> 0:20:10.080 Well, yes, but she was younger. Uh, I. So you 0:20:10.080 --> 0:20:15.750 weren't married students? I met her when she was 13, and, uh, 0:20:15.750 --> 0:20:20.340 she came out of the German brethren, and they wanted 0:20:20.369 --> 0:20:24.600 a program that was geared to youth, and her parents 0:20:24.630 --> 0:20:30.359 wanted that. And, uh, I saw her, and I thought, oh, my, 0:20:30.359 --> 0:20:36.130 I think I like that girl. And our dating consisted 0:20:36.130 --> 0:20:40.540 of church. You know, we went to church to meetings 0:20:40.540 --> 0:20:44.920 and we didn't have any other dates other than church 0:20:44.920 --> 0:20:46.150 related things, apparently. 0:20:46.300 --> 0:20:49.450 Listen, I heard a rumor that you would skip school 0:20:49.480 --> 0:20:50.920 to go see her sometimes. 0:20:50.950 --> 0:20:54.880 Well, she went to a high school called East Side 0:20:54.880 --> 0:20:58.240 High School in Paterson, new Jersey, and I went to 0:20:58.270 --> 0:21:01.659 Central High in Paterson, new Jersey. There were about a 0:21:01.660 --> 0:21:05.380 mile apart, but I had a free seventh period, so 0:21:05.380 --> 0:21:09.430 I'd walk over there, see her, and as a result, 0:21:09.550 --> 0:21:12.970 didn't get back for my eighth period class and flunked 0:21:12.970 --> 0:21:18.520 the class. The teacher gave me a 69 and I 0:21:18.520 --> 0:21:23.950 think I deserved that, but but also I had cartooned 0:21:23.950 --> 0:21:27.219 the teacher on the class board one day, and the 0:21:27.220 --> 0:21:30.040 kids all got a charge out of it, and it 0:21:30.040 --> 0:21:32.920 wasn't a flattering picture that I made and I was 0:21:32.920 --> 0:21:35.260 ashamed of myself, but that's what I did. 0:21:35.290 --> 0:21:38.889 I see. And so. Okay, so you dated through high school. 0:21:38.890 --> 0:21:40.959 You went off to Moody. How did you know to 0:21:40.990 --> 0:21:41.770 marry her? 0:21:41.800 --> 0:21:45.730 Well, she, uh, she stayed at home for two years 0:21:45.730 --> 0:21:50.020 and then decided when she finished high school, she would 0:21:50.020 --> 0:21:54.280 come to the Moody Bible Institute as well. Well, you know, 0:21:54.280 --> 0:21:58.540 they had their rules on that day, and you could 0:21:58.570 --> 0:22:01.390 sit in the same room together. But you better not 0:22:01.390 --> 0:22:06.100 be touching elbows in those days. And, uh. But we 0:22:06.100 --> 0:22:09.550 loved it. We loved the teachers. We loved the fellowship. 0:22:09.580 --> 0:22:15.040 We grew in grace. Uh, it was a wonderful experience 0:22:15.190 --> 0:22:17.350 being students at the Moody Bible Institute. 0:22:17.500 --> 0:22:20.139 And so when you graduated, is that when you got married? 0:22:20.170 --> 0:22:23.770 Well, when, uh, she took a shorter course. I took 0:22:23.770 --> 0:22:28.600 the three year try. Semester, three semesters a year, one 0:22:28.600 --> 0:22:33.470 month off every summer and she took a two year course. 0:22:33.470 --> 0:22:37.490 So I waited an extra year. And while I waited, 0:22:37.490 --> 0:22:40.070 I went to the Art Institute of Chicago and studied 0:22:40.070 --> 0:22:44.990 art there. Still struggling with the gifts of art, not 0:22:44.990 --> 0:22:48.410 knowing how the Lord would unite them. But at that 0:22:48.410 --> 0:22:54.320 stage I started illustrating messages and I built myself an easel, uh, 0:22:54.320 --> 0:22:58.130 started drawing different pictures. And then I would share, I 0:22:58.130 --> 0:23:04.610 would speak, I preach, and eventually, well, it started when 0:23:04.609 --> 0:23:07.700 I was 15. I would go to missions all over 0:23:07.700 --> 0:23:13.040 New York City, all over North Jersey, jails, anywhere. They 0:23:13.040 --> 0:23:16.820 asked me little churches, I would paint a picture and 0:23:16.820 --> 0:23:21.139 then preach. I was about 15 at the time, even 0:23:21.140 --> 0:23:25.580 spoke in our home church. Uh, I'm sure I wasn't 0:23:25.580 --> 0:23:28.470 prepared as well as I should have been, but I 0:23:28.470 --> 0:23:31.860 was saying what I knew was so in my own life. 0:23:31.859 --> 0:23:34.290 And the Lord had done a work of grace in 0:23:34.290 --> 0:23:37.740 my life. So while at Moody, it was youth for Christ. 0:23:37.740 --> 0:23:42.300 Days in every city of any size had a youth rally. 0:23:42.300 --> 0:23:46.290 And so because I was young, they wanted a young person. 0:23:46.290 --> 0:23:49.800 I would go and I would draw and then preach 0:23:49.800 --> 0:23:54.270 and would travel as far away as Cleveland, uh, up 0:23:54.270 --> 0:23:58.650 to Grand Rapids, up to, uh, Sioux Falls. 0:23:58.650 --> 0:24:00.750 When you would draw the picture, what would you use? Chalk. 0:24:00.780 --> 0:24:01.080 Is that what. 0:24:01.200 --> 0:24:04.050 Chalk? No, I would draw and have a musical background, 0:24:04.050 --> 0:24:08.010 and I would end singing, and then I would, uh, 0:24:08.100 --> 0:24:14.310 move into the message. And usually people came forward to 0:24:14.340 --> 0:24:19.560 receive Christ as savior. Some small meetings, some were fairly 0:24:19.560 --> 0:24:26.640 large meetings. But from Cincinnati to Saint Louis to, uh, 0:24:27.000 --> 0:24:32.760 to to the far west. I travel every weekend. In fact, 0:24:32.760 --> 0:24:35.580 I didn't have to have a practical Christian work assignment. 0:24:35.580 --> 0:24:40.560 James Harrison said, you don't need this. He said, we'd 0:24:40.560 --> 0:24:44.220 like you to be free to take meetings every weekend 0:24:44.220 --> 0:24:47.100 if you wanted. So I kept my equipment down by 0:24:47.100 --> 0:24:50.700 Crowell Hall desk, and I'd take it. Go out on 0:24:50.730 --> 0:24:55.680 a Saturday night, uh, preach somewhere. Saturday night, Sunday morning. Somewhere. 0:24:55.680 --> 0:25:00.030 Sunday night somewhere. Came back late at night and into 0:25:00.030 --> 0:25:01.740 class on Monday morning. 0:25:01.740 --> 0:25:04.620 Well, I still want to hear how you decided how 0:25:04.619 --> 0:25:08.639 God led you to ask Margaret to marry you. Uh, 0:25:08.640 --> 0:25:11.010 but we're going to take a little break here. And 0:25:11.010 --> 0:25:13.830 when we come back, I just love hearing how God 0:25:13.830 --> 0:25:17.310 led you. Uh, thus far. We're going to hear more. 0:25:17.340 --> 0:25:20.129 I'm sure everyone wants to hear how God continued to 0:25:20.130 --> 0:25:22.859 lead you into service for him. Uh, and how the 0:25:22.859 --> 0:25:25.810 Lord Jesus has always been the one you've been serving. 0:25:25.810 --> 0:25:28.270 So stay with us. We're going to talk more with 0:25:28.270 --> 0:25:31.629 Doctor George Sweeting. This is Michael Rolnick on Open Line. 0:25:31.930 --> 0:25:35.020 Open line is designed to take your questions and provide 0:25:35.020 --> 0:25:38.439 you with straightforward, honest answers from Scripture about the things 0:25:38.440 --> 0:25:40.990 that matter most. When you join our team of Kitchen 0:25:40.990 --> 0:25:43.750 Table Partners, your monthly gift will help us stay on 0:25:43.750 --> 0:25:45.730 the air to continue to share the truth of the 0:25:45.730 --> 0:25:48.550 Bible with those who need to hear it, become a 0:25:48.550 --> 0:25:55.150 kitchen table partner by calling us at (888) 644-7122, or sign 0:25:55.150 --> 0:25:59.650 up online at Open Line radio.org. We're so glad that 0:25:59.680 --> 0:26:03.609 Febc partners with Open Line with Doctor Michael Rolnick, bringing 0:26:03.609 --> 0:26:07.960 the Febc mailbag every week. Learn how Far East Broadcasting 0:26:07.960 --> 0:26:11.770 Company is taking Christ to the world at febc. Org 0:26:11.770 --> 0:26:15.310 on their weekly podcast. Until all have heard with Ed Cannon, 0:26:15.310 --> 0:26:18.910 you'll hear stories of lives changed by Messiah all across 0:26:18.910 --> 0:26:21.790 the globe. Again. You can hear the podcast when you 0:26:21.820 --> 0:26:33.670 visit febc. Dawg, that's Phoebe Dawg. Welcome back to the 0:26:33.670 --> 0:26:37.929 special Thanksgiving edition of Open Line. We're playing a previously 0:26:37.930 --> 0:26:41.800 recorded from 2019 interview with Doctor George Sweeting, who went 0:26:41.800 --> 0:26:44.980 to be with the Lord September 10th, 2020 for just 0:26:44.980 --> 0:26:47.649 shy of his hundredth birthday. He was the former president 0:26:47.650 --> 0:26:51.310 of Moody Bible Institute. Great influence in my life. I 0:26:51.310 --> 0:26:54.970 interviewed him about God's guidance in his life and we 0:26:54.970 --> 0:26:57.820 were talking about his marriage to Hilda. They were married 0:26:57.820 --> 0:27:02.830 for 70 some years. Amazing couple. Just about three weeks 0:27:02.830 --> 0:27:05.800 after Doctor Sweeting went to to be with the Lord, 0:27:05.800 --> 0:27:09.879 his wife, just shy of her 98th birthday, also went 0:27:09.880 --> 0:27:13.149 to be with the Lord. She loved him so much. 0:27:13.150 --> 0:27:17.290 He loved her so much. She was also especially kind 0:27:17.290 --> 0:27:19.600 to me all the time. Well, I asked doc in 0:27:19.600 --> 0:27:23.600 this interview, uh, how was it that having met this 0:27:23.600 --> 0:27:26.629 beautiful young girl when they were both in youth group 0:27:26.630 --> 0:27:30.140 in high school, how was it that he knew she 0:27:30.140 --> 0:27:30.950 was the one? 0:27:30.950 --> 0:27:35.030 I met this beautiful girl in our church. She must 0:27:35.060 --> 0:27:39.710 have been 13. I was a little bit older than that, 0:27:39.710 --> 0:27:44.119 and right away I. I was impressed with her. I 0:27:44.119 --> 0:27:47.600 knew her mom and dad. Her mother's name was Martha. 0:27:47.630 --> 0:27:50.900 My mother's name was Mary. They were the best of friends. 0:27:50.900 --> 0:27:56.270 They'd visit together and I thought, here her folks immigrated 0:27:56.270 --> 0:28:01.010 from Germany. Mine immigrated from Scotland. We have that in common. 0:28:01.010 --> 0:28:06.080 We both love the Lord. She's beautiful. I thought she's 0:28:06.080 --> 0:28:09.500 the one. And then one day I asked her about 0:28:09.500 --> 0:28:14.119 a verse and she gave me this verse from Proverbs 0:28:14.119 --> 0:28:18.740 chapter three verse five. Trust in the Lord with all 0:28:18.740 --> 0:28:26.460 your heart. That's positive. Negative. Lean not on your own understanding. 0:28:26.970 --> 0:28:31.169 Then it's positive again in all your ways. Submit to 0:28:31.200 --> 0:28:35.790 him and then it says he will make your paths straight. 0:28:35.850 --> 0:28:39.300 I read that verse and I thought, what a verse 0:28:39.300 --> 0:28:44.100 that's for me. And she shared it with me. And 0:28:44.100 --> 0:28:47.160 I thought, that's going to become very important to me. 0:28:47.610 --> 0:28:50.880 And I think it was love at first sight. But 0:28:50.880 --> 0:28:55.170 we went to Star Lake on Labor Day, and I 0:28:55.170 --> 0:28:58.290 got her in a rowboat, and I rode my shoulders 0:28:58.290 --> 0:29:01.470 off trying to show her how good I could row 0:29:01.500 --> 0:29:05.640 that day. But that's how it all started. And, uh, 0:29:05.850 --> 0:29:11.070 our dates consisted of church and church activities, and it grew. 0:29:11.070 --> 0:29:13.590 And then I told her I felt called to the 0:29:13.590 --> 0:29:18.720 Lord's work, and she was excited about that, although she 0:29:18.720 --> 0:29:22.350 had two years of high school to finish, and soon 0:29:22.350 --> 0:29:25.320 I was off to the Moody Bible Institute, but I 0:29:25.320 --> 0:29:28.830 never dated anyone else. Wow. The fellows at school all 0:29:28.830 --> 0:29:30.330 tried to get me to date and I said, I 0:29:30.330 --> 0:29:32.760 don't have time to date. I know who I'm going 0:29:32.790 --> 0:29:37.200 to marry. It's all set. I said, so I have 0:29:37.200 --> 0:29:40.590 to be about my father's business. And so I was 0:29:40.590 --> 0:29:42.270 working on spiritual things. 0:29:42.480 --> 0:29:45.210 And so, I mean, you've been together a long time. 0:29:45.210 --> 0:29:46.110 Long time. 0:29:46.110 --> 0:29:49.530 That's amazing. And I can see I actually I love 0:29:49.530 --> 0:29:51.420 it when I see you guys, if I go out 0:29:51.420 --> 0:29:54.120 and speak at your congregation or things like that. I 0:29:54.120 --> 0:29:56.310 love how you guys look at each other. You probably 0:29:56.310 --> 0:29:58.830 don't even know it, but I can see it even now. 0:29:58.860 --> 0:29:59.730 It's it's, uh. 0:29:59.730 --> 0:30:03.690 She can read my mind, and I can read hers. Nearly. 0:30:03.720 --> 0:30:05.640 That's good. That's so great. 0:30:06.000 --> 0:30:09.720 Uh, okay. So you finished Moody? You went to the 0:30:09.720 --> 0:30:12.300 Art Institute. Did you go right into evangelism, or did 0:30:12.300 --> 0:30:13.650 you become a pastor right away? 0:30:13.680 --> 0:30:14.040 No. 0:30:14.040 --> 0:30:19.570 I went right into evangelism and Had all the meetings 0:30:19.570 --> 0:30:23.680 I could ever handle because it was quite unique to 0:30:23.710 --> 0:30:28.030 illustrate something, I would sing while I would draw, and 0:30:28.030 --> 0:30:32.560 then I would preach the message. And I was young 0:30:32.560 --> 0:30:35.470 and there were these youth meetings all over the place. 0:30:35.710 --> 0:30:40.360 And so it was just the right time to be there. 0:30:40.360 --> 0:30:43.930 And the Lord blessed, and people came to the Lord, 0:30:43.930 --> 0:30:47.830 and others were revived, and one thing led to another. 0:30:47.830 --> 0:30:49.660 So when we were students, I have to say that 0:30:49.660 --> 0:30:51.969 one of the highlights every year seemed to be when 0:30:51.970 --> 0:30:53.920 you would do a chalk talk in chapel. 0:30:53.920 --> 0:30:56.440 Well, I did it quite often. I didn't do it 0:30:56.440 --> 0:31:01.090 every year, but I did it occasionally and they seemed 0:31:01.090 --> 0:31:01.930 to enjoy it. 0:31:01.960 --> 0:31:02.860 I loved it. 0:31:03.610 --> 0:31:05.500 I enjoyed doing it for them. 0:31:05.500 --> 0:31:07.000 I liked it because it was the only time we 0:31:07.000 --> 0:31:08.650 saw you without your suit jacket. 0:31:08.680 --> 0:31:10.270 Well, I'd take my jacket. 0:31:10.270 --> 0:31:14.470 Off and hands were dirty, but the heart was clean. 0:31:14.500 --> 0:31:15.070 And. Yeah. 0:31:15.100 --> 0:31:16.360 And I'd go to work. 0:31:16.400 --> 0:31:17.360 It's fun. Yeah. 0:31:17.390 --> 0:31:20.390 Well, then. So how did you shift from evangelism to 0:31:20.420 --> 0:31:22.850 the pastorate? Because really, most people think of you. If 0:31:22.850 --> 0:31:24.530 they don't think of you as the president, they think 0:31:24.560 --> 0:31:26.660 of you as the pastor of Moody Church. So how 0:31:26.690 --> 0:31:27.770 did you move to the pastorate? 0:31:27.800 --> 0:31:28.190 It was. 0:31:28.190 --> 0:31:31.250 A struggle. I knew ultimately that I was to be 0:31:31.250 --> 0:31:38.420 a pastor teacher, and different opportunities came my way. I 0:31:38.420 --> 0:31:42.050 was closely associated with Jack Wertz, and the word of life. 0:31:42.050 --> 0:31:45.320 And Jack meant so much in my life, learned so 0:31:45.320 --> 0:31:49.340 much through him, spoke there every year, started when I 0:31:49.340 --> 0:31:53.240 was 20 years of age and for 50 years in 0:31:53.240 --> 0:31:58.100 a row spoke there. But that helped me think through 0:31:58.130 --> 0:32:01.970 different things. What would I do? And I decided by 0:32:01.970 --> 0:32:05.390 God's grace, I wanted to be a teacher, preacher, to 0:32:05.420 --> 0:32:09.950 share God's Word. How I didn't know how, but I 0:32:09.950 --> 0:32:13.610 remember I was called early on to be a pastor, 0:32:13.670 --> 0:32:17.600 and I wanted to be a pastor, and I specifically 0:32:17.600 --> 0:32:22.310 chose that so that I would know what a pastor 0:32:22.310 --> 0:32:26.270 faces and I could be a better evangelist if I 0:32:26.270 --> 0:32:31.250 knew what he faced week after week. And so I 0:32:31.280 --> 0:32:33.950 decided I took a church and I said, Now I'll 0:32:33.950 --> 0:32:36.140 only be here for two years. So I said, you 0:32:36.140 --> 0:32:38.780 might not want me. They said, no, we'd like you 0:32:38.780 --> 0:32:41.420 to come. I said, but then I'm going to travel 0:32:41.450 --> 0:32:41.990 as an event. 0:32:41.990 --> 0:32:42.650 In North Jersey. 0:32:42.650 --> 0:32:44.000 That's where this church was. 0:32:44.030 --> 0:32:47.810 Uh, was Grace Church in Passaic, new Jersey, new Jersey. 0:32:48.020 --> 0:32:50.780 And I had told them when I came, I said, 0:32:50.780 --> 0:32:53.240 I'll only be here two years. I said, and then 0:32:53.240 --> 0:32:55.670 I'm going to take the next step, which I think 0:32:55.700 --> 0:32:59.390 will be an evangelist. And so they said, well, we 0:32:59.390 --> 0:33:01.520 want you to come. And I came and in two 0:33:01.520 --> 0:33:07.580 years started as an evangelist. And the meetings just came 0:33:07.580 --> 0:33:13.850 without any organization whatsoever. And I was busy all all 0:33:13.890 --> 0:33:20.370 50 states, Canada and parts of Mexico. And by that 0:33:20.370 --> 0:33:24.390 time we decided the children were coming along, we were 0:33:24.390 --> 0:33:28.230 married and children came along. Four sons, they said I 0:33:28.230 --> 0:33:32.190 would never have children. And then I decided to go 0:33:32.190 --> 0:33:36.270 back into the pastorate so I'd be nearer my teenage 0:33:36.270 --> 0:33:38.910 boys while they were going through challenges. 0:33:38.910 --> 0:33:42.210 And so when you went to church in the North Jersey, 0:33:42.240 --> 0:33:44.490 how was it that you knew to come to Moody 0:33:44.520 --> 0:33:46.710 Church in Chicago? I mean, they called. 0:33:46.710 --> 0:33:47.400 You as that was. 0:33:47.400 --> 0:33:51.450 Interesting. I took this church called the Madison Avenue Baptist 0:33:51.450 --> 0:33:55.260 Church in Paterson. It had been a great church of 0:33:55.260 --> 0:34:01.590 about a thousand, but the city started to suffer and 0:34:01.590 --> 0:34:05.700 it went down to about 150. So they asked if 0:34:05.700 --> 0:34:08.910 I would come and be pastor, and I said it 0:34:08.910 --> 0:34:12.839 would fit into what we think we need right now. 0:34:12.850 --> 0:34:17.200 we need a regular, faithful diet with our boys. We 0:34:17.230 --> 0:34:19.810 don't want to win everybody else's boys and lose our 0:34:19.810 --> 0:34:24.400 own boys. And so we stayed in our same home. 0:34:24.550 --> 0:34:29.950 I pastored the church. Uh, we bought up, uh, all 0:34:29.950 --> 0:34:33.100 the homes around us, took their yards and made them 0:34:33.100 --> 0:34:37.569 in a parking lots. And, uh, the mayor was a 0:34:37.570 --> 0:34:41.500 dear friend. And I shared with him many times. Uh, 0:34:41.500 --> 0:34:44.080 and he came and he said, oh, he said the 0:34:44.080 --> 0:34:48.520 whole area of Paterson, new Jersey is changed because of 0:34:48.520 --> 0:34:52.600 the Madison Avenue Baptist Church. Well, we said, thank God. Well, 0:34:52.600 --> 0:34:57.609 somehow Moody Church heard about this and a pulpit committee 0:34:57.610 --> 0:35:01.540 came out and they they told me they were a 0:35:01.540 --> 0:35:05.319 pulpit committee. Would I consider coming there? I said, no, 0:35:05.350 --> 0:35:10.210 I said, I'm an Easterner. I love the ocean. Ridiculous excuses. 0:35:10.239 --> 0:35:10.630 You know. 0:35:10.870 --> 0:35:11.350 I said. 0:35:11.350 --> 0:35:13.690 I'm going to stay in new Jersey till I die. 0:35:13.719 --> 0:35:18.310 Family's here. We're here to stay. We're not going anywhere. 0:35:18.489 --> 0:35:21.310 But they didn't hear me for that. Soon I got 0:35:21.310 --> 0:35:27.700 an invitation to preach at Founder's Week in 1965. And again, 0:35:27.700 --> 0:35:31.060 the Moody elders met with me, and they said, what 0:35:31.060 --> 0:35:34.149 would you do if you were a pastor here? And 0:35:34.150 --> 0:35:38.620 I gave about 30 things, and they said, would you 0:35:38.620 --> 0:35:42.460 ever consider. I said, no. They said, well, would you 0:35:42.489 --> 0:35:45.400 come and preach for us once? I said, well, I'll 0:35:45.400 --> 0:35:46.390 come once. 0:35:46.750 --> 0:35:49.060 And they were. 0:35:49.060 --> 0:35:49.810 Dangling you. 0:35:49.810 --> 0:35:51.040 There. They were bringing you along. 0:35:51.130 --> 0:35:53.469 I was getting nervous. She thought we were going to 0:35:53.469 --> 0:35:57.339 go to Chicago. And sure enough, as time went on, 0:35:57.340 --> 0:36:00.400 we took a sheet of paper, put reasons for going. 0:36:00.430 --> 0:36:04.540 Reasons for not going. And in no time the reasons 0:36:04.540 --> 0:36:08.530 for going prevailed. And we said, you know what? We 0:36:08.530 --> 0:36:12.080 have to do this whether we want it or not. 0:36:12.110 --> 0:36:14.180 This is what the Lord wants us to do. 0:36:14.570 --> 0:36:17.600 We're going to be right back in just a moment. 0:36:17.600 --> 0:36:21.109 You're listening to Doctor George Sweeting talking about how God 0:36:21.110 --> 0:36:23.660 led him to Moody Church. We're going to finish up 0:36:23.660 --> 0:36:26.180 that story and how he came to Moody Bible Institute 0:36:26.180 --> 0:36:29.420 in just a moment. This is open line with Michael Redlich. 0:36:31.580 --> 0:36:34.489 Some claim Paul is the key person who took the 0:36:34.489 --> 0:36:39.110 message of the Jewish Messiah. Jesus made it into something Gentile. 0:36:39.380 --> 0:36:42.920 But Paul is also the one who wrote, brethren, my 0:36:42.920 --> 0:36:47.180 heart's desire for Israel is for their salvation. Romans ten 0:36:47.210 --> 0:36:51.710 one chosen people ministries. One of our underwriters wants us 0:36:51.710 --> 0:36:55.730 all to learn what drove Paul's passion for his own people. 0:36:55.730 --> 0:36:58.700 They're offering the book The Heart of the Apostle by 0:36:58.700 --> 0:37:02.030 Rich Freeman, free to all open line listeners. To get 0:37:02.030 --> 0:37:04.670 this exposition of Romans nine through 11, just go to 0:37:04.700 --> 0:37:08.600 our website, openline. radio.org. Scroll down to the link that 0:37:08.610 --> 0:37:11.700 says A free gift from Chosen People Ministries. Click on 0:37:11.730 --> 0:37:13.770 that and you'll be taken to a page where you 0:37:13.800 --> 0:37:16.439 can sign up for your very own free copy of 0:37:16.440 --> 0:37:19.859 The Heart of the Apostle. Welcome back to Open Line. 0:37:19.860 --> 0:37:22.080 I'm Michael Ray Dominic. I'm so glad you're listening in 0:37:22.080 --> 0:37:24.960 with me today. We're having a wonderful conversation with Doctor 0:37:24.960 --> 0:37:29.820 George Sweeting, uh, the sixth president of Moody, the chancellor 0:37:29.820 --> 0:37:34.200 emeritus of Moody Bible Institute. And my dear friend, one 0:37:34.200 --> 0:37:36.960 of my favorite people in the world. Thank you. Thank you, doc, 0:37:36.960 --> 0:37:38.940 for being with me. Before we went to break, we 0:37:38.940 --> 0:37:42.660 were talking about you made a list whether to go 0:37:42.660 --> 0:37:45.779 to Moody Church or not to go, and you looked 0:37:45.780 --> 0:37:49.890 at it, you decided to go. And what happened when 0:37:49.890 --> 0:37:51.390 you when you got to Moody Church? 0:37:51.420 --> 0:37:57.360 Oh, you know, three verses have guided me and held 0:37:57.840 --> 0:38:04.380 all of our life. One is Psalm 115. One not 0:38:04.410 --> 0:38:09.570 to us, Lord, not to us, but to your name 0:38:09.600 --> 0:38:14.370 be the glory because of your love and your faithfulness. 0:38:14.489 --> 0:38:19.440 And the other one is Isaiah 40 28I am the Lord, 0:38:19.469 --> 0:38:23.460 that is my name and my glory. I will not 0:38:23.460 --> 0:38:28.980 give to another. And the other verse was Second Corinthians, 0:38:28.980 --> 0:38:36.720 chapter four, verse seven. We have this treasure in earthen vessels, 0:38:36.750 --> 0:38:41.550 so that the glory will not be of ourselves but 0:38:41.550 --> 0:38:46.770 of the Lord. And those three verses kind of came 0:38:46.770 --> 0:38:51.390 before we did anything else, and we wanted him to 0:38:51.390 --> 0:38:54.870 get the credit. We wanted him to get the glory. 0:38:55.350 --> 0:39:00.540 And so those three verses became all important in every 0:39:00.540 --> 0:39:08.799 decision that we made. We came to Moody Church August 1st, 1965. 0:39:08.830 --> 0:39:13.480 The first six months I preached on the love of God. 0:39:13.510 --> 0:39:17.109 I knew that was D.L. Moody theme. Yes. And I 0:39:17.110 --> 0:39:20.319 knew it had to be my theme. And I thought 0:39:20.350 --> 0:39:24.220 of that verse in Jude, keep yourself in the love 0:39:24.219 --> 0:39:28.780 of God. And I ask that the Lord would make 0:39:28.780 --> 0:39:32.320 the place a house of love again, like it was 0:39:32.320 --> 0:39:37.030 under D.L. Moody. And the Lord honored that prayer, and 0:39:37.030 --> 0:39:41.230 it became a house of love. And soon people started 0:39:41.230 --> 0:39:45.220 coming from all around. At first there were maybe 4 0:39:45.219 --> 0:39:51.790 or 500 people coming in that auditorium that seats 4200 0:39:51.820 --> 0:39:55.719 and has 365 doors. Wow. I tend to be a 0:39:55.719 --> 0:39:59.980 detailed person. And so I walked all around and surmised 0:39:59.980 --> 0:40:04.090 the looked over the situation and and I said, yes, 0:40:04.090 --> 0:40:06.069 we'll come up with a plan. I wrote out a 0:40:06.070 --> 0:40:10.660 plan for the church, and the elders and deacons agreed 0:40:10.660 --> 0:40:14.890 to the plan. One, as I said, in my first 0:40:15.489 --> 0:40:18.549 two months, I'm going to have Jack Watson come in. 0:40:18.550 --> 0:40:21.370 I've talked to him and we're going to have Friday 0:40:21.400 --> 0:40:25.810 night rallies. And they said, well, we haven't used the 0:40:25.810 --> 0:40:29.379 balcony for years. I said, well, we will. They said, 0:40:29.380 --> 0:40:31.840 who's going to clean them? I said, the people, they're 0:40:31.840 --> 0:40:34.330 going to dust them off when they sit in the chairs. 0:40:34.420 --> 0:40:38.589 And so we contacted Harry Saulnier and a few other 0:40:38.590 --> 0:40:41.710 people in the Chicago area, and we said, we want 0:40:41.710 --> 0:40:43.720 you to get the word out. Jack's going to be 0:40:43.719 --> 0:40:46.870 here every Friday night for six Friday nights, and we're 0:40:46.870 --> 0:40:49.839 going to fill the place every seat and see hundreds 0:40:49.840 --> 0:40:54.729 come to Christ. And they said, you think that'll happen? 0:40:54.760 --> 0:41:00.040 And that is exactly what happened. The first night we 0:41:00.040 --> 0:41:05.779 just about filled it and maybe a hundred professions of faith. 0:41:05.810 --> 0:41:10.940 The next night it was packed with overflow and every 0:41:10.940 --> 0:41:15.169 night was filled when we saw maybe 500 new converts 0:41:15.200 --> 0:41:20.270 come to Christ and the church grew. And soon we 0:41:20.270 --> 0:41:23.600 saw that God was going to do some great things. 0:41:23.600 --> 0:41:24.290 He did great. 0:41:24.290 --> 0:41:28.070 Things. Just real briefly, how was it that you're in 0:41:28.070 --> 0:41:31.550 this thriving, burgeoning church? I mean, it was it was 0:41:31.550 --> 0:41:36.200 revived and you left it to go to Moody Bible Institute. 0:41:36.230 --> 0:41:38.600 How did that crash into your life? 0:41:38.630 --> 0:41:39.589 Well, that was. 0:41:40.370 --> 0:41:44.660 Another interesting thing. I started Moody Bible Institute as a 0:41:44.660 --> 0:41:51.920 student August 2nd of 1942. Doctor Culbertson came as the 0:41:51.920 --> 0:41:56.660 dean of education the same day he came from Philadelphia. 0:41:56.690 --> 0:42:02.980 I came from northern new Jersey in 1969, I became 0:42:02.980 --> 0:42:06.790 a trustee of the Moody Bible Institute. Before I became president. 0:42:07.870 --> 0:42:13.330 Little did I realize that Doctor Culbertson would want me 0:42:13.330 --> 0:42:16.570 to succeed him. He took me to the Union League club, 0:42:16.630 --> 0:42:19.660 and we were sitting at a certain table and he said, 0:42:19.690 --> 0:42:22.690 you know, I sat here many years ago with Will 0:42:22.719 --> 0:42:29.950 Holton and Will Holton before the conversation was over, said, uh, uh, 0:42:29.950 --> 0:42:33.730 Doctor Culbertson, I feel you ought to succeed me here 0:42:33.730 --> 0:42:38.590 at Moody Bible Institute. And I thought, oh, no. And 0:42:38.590 --> 0:42:41.109 Doctor Culbertson said, so I'm going to ask you the 0:42:41.110 --> 0:42:47.169 same thing. I said, well, uh, you'll have to give 0:42:47.170 --> 0:42:50.110 me time to pray about it, and I'll have to. 0:42:50.140 --> 0:42:52.270 He's having much time. You need. I said, I need 0:42:52.300 --> 0:42:55.840 at least six months. I said, I'm going to write 0:42:55.840 --> 0:43:00.900 down reasons why and reasons why not, and we'll see 0:43:00.900 --> 0:43:05.670 what the Lord has. He said we're willing to wait. 0:43:05.820 --> 0:43:07.919 At the end of that time. I said, I'm not 0:43:07.950 --> 0:43:10.979 ready yet. I don't know, I don't feel I don't 0:43:10.980 --> 0:43:15.690 feel equal to it. I don't feel I'm a doctor, Culbertson. 0:43:15.690 --> 0:43:19.650 I don't feel I'm a I don't feel I have 0:43:19.650 --> 0:43:22.770 all the gifts that I ought to have. He said, well, 0:43:22.770 --> 0:43:27.690 no one does. And so anyway, eventually, though, after much prayer, 0:43:27.690 --> 0:43:32.219 I said, yes, Lord willing, God help me, I'll give 0:43:32.219 --> 0:43:33.150 it a try. 0:43:33.180 --> 0:43:34.620 You know, I. 0:43:34.620 --> 0:43:38.700 Don't think anyone's adequate, but the Lord makes us adequate. 0:43:38.730 --> 0:43:40.080 Yeah, we're not adequate. 0:43:40.110 --> 0:43:40.739 We're not. 0:43:40.739 --> 0:43:41.250 Adequate. 0:43:41.280 --> 0:43:42.390 I think it's woefully. 0:43:42.390 --> 0:43:43.140 Inadequate. 0:43:43.140 --> 0:43:43.560 When we. 0:43:43.590 --> 0:43:46.320 We get into trouble, when we think we are adequate. 0:43:46.350 --> 0:43:47.129 Don't you think? 0:43:47.160 --> 0:43:50.279 Not unto us, not unto us, but unto thy name 0:43:50.280 --> 0:43:51.719 give glory. That's what it. 0:43:51.719 --> 0:43:53.400 Is. That's true. Wow. 0:43:53.520 --> 0:43:56.550 Doc, I so appreciate what you said about God's leading 0:43:56.550 --> 0:43:59.770 you in life. But he's still leading you. And one 0:43:59.770 --> 0:44:01.840 of the things that I know is a passion of 0:44:01.840 --> 0:44:04.750 your heart and passion of your life is to end well. 0:44:04.750 --> 0:44:06.670 So I was wondering if you could kind of tell 0:44:06.670 --> 0:44:09.640 us a little bit about that and your perspective about that. 0:44:09.670 --> 0:44:13.660 You know, Doctor Culbertson used to always say, I want 0:44:13.690 --> 0:44:18.580 to end well, and I never expected him to pass 0:44:18.580 --> 0:44:22.510 away when he did. But the day the Lord took 0:44:22.510 --> 0:44:26.770 him home, he was 65 years of age, had never 0:44:26.770 --> 0:44:33.670 been a smoker, but he had lung cancer and he 0:44:33.670 --> 0:44:37.060 didn't expect to die that day because there were some 0:44:37.060 --> 0:44:39.910 meetings he had scheduled. And I said, would you like 0:44:39.910 --> 0:44:42.640 me to take those meetings for you? He said, no. 0:44:42.640 --> 0:44:45.969 He said, once I get out of the hospital, he said, 0:44:45.969 --> 0:44:51.280 I'll take those meetings. Well, that night he passed away. 0:44:51.580 --> 0:44:56.319 That night he quoted a verse from revelation. Hallelujah, the 0:44:56.320 --> 0:45:04.850 Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Close his eyes and died 65 0:45:04.850 --> 0:45:09.170 years of age. He wanted to end well, and he 0:45:09.170 --> 0:45:15.379 did end well. Someone asked me about ending well, and 0:45:15.380 --> 0:45:20.779 I said we finished life well, by the grace of God. 0:45:20.840 --> 0:45:26.150 That's how we start the Christian race. That's what keeps 0:45:26.150 --> 0:45:31.130 us in the Christian race. And that's what takes us 0:45:31.130 --> 0:45:35.540 to the end of the Christian race. And then I 0:45:35.540 --> 0:45:40.430 wrote this sentence when everything is said and done, God's 0:45:40.430 --> 0:45:47.420 grace is the only explanation for why any of us 0:45:47.450 --> 0:45:48.740 make it. 0:45:49.310 --> 0:45:53.509 Well, Doctor George Sweeting did indeed end well. I'm sure 0:45:53.510 --> 0:45:55.730 the first words he heard when he passed into the 0:45:55.730 --> 0:46:00.260 presence of the Lord was well done, good and faithful servant. 0:46:00.650 --> 0:46:04.370 He literally wrote the book on how to end well. 0:46:04.400 --> 0:46:07.219 He wrote the book How to Finish the Christian Life 0:46:07.219 --> 0:46:12.500 and he ended so well, faithful serving to the very end. 0:46:12.590 --> 0:46:16.370 I'm so grateful to God for his life, for his ministry, 0:46:16.370 --> 0:46:19.280 for the impact he's had not just on me, but 0:46:19.280 --> 0:46:23.750 on so many. What a great, great role model. Well, 0:46:24.290 --> 0:46:27.020 we'll be back next week with your questions. You can 0:46:27.020 --> 0:46:29.899 call then and we can talk about the Bible together. 0:46:30.020 --> 0:46:32.060 Keep in touch with us till then by going to 0:46:32.090 --> 0:46:35.180 our website openline. radio.org has all the links that you're 0:46:35.180 --> 0:46:38.840 looking for and all that you'll need. Keep reading the Bible. 0:46:38.840 --> 0:46:41.750 We'll talk about it next week. Open line is a 0:46:41.750 --> 0:46:46.700 production of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute. 0:46:46.730 --> 0:46:51.170 And to God be the glory. Great things he has done.