EVANGELIST HAROLD BOYD CALLED HOME

 

 

“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.”  (2 Timothy 4:7)

On Thursday evening, July 10th, at 6:00 p.m. (Central Time) the Lord reached down and took one of His choice servants home.  Bro. Boyd had stuck with the stuff since the Lord reached down and saved him out of a sinful life.  He lifted him up out of the Honky Tonks of Eastern Oklahoma and Western Arkansas and set his foot on the solid rock.

Harold grew up during the depression days.  There was a time he played and sang – and yes fought – in the Honky Tonks.  Then one day he went to the First Baptist Church in Fort Smith, Arkansas where Dr. J. Harold Smith was pastor.  The Lord reached down, the Holy Spirit convicted him that he was a sinner deserving Hell, Harold stepped out and repented toward God and received the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour.

Of course a great change came over him.  He quit drinking, quit the Honky Tonks, quit his smoking, followed the Lord in believers baptism and started serving the Lord.  It wasn’t long before he was a part of one the many teams of laymen Dr. Smith had going out to meetings.  In those days Dr. Smith sent out teams of three or four men to preach in small country churches and rescue missions.

Harold was one of those who did the preaching on the team he was a part of.  During the week he cut hair.  He had his own barber shop.  After a while Harold felt the Lord was calling him to preach full time.  So he closed up his barber shop, went home, and told Delores that he was going into the ministry full time.  She asked him what church he was going to pastor and where it was.

He informed her that he was not going to be a pastor but was going to be a full-time evangelist.  She asked him when his next meeting was.  He said he had one in about six months and another one the next year.  That is how Evangelist Harold Boyd became a full time evangelist and he fought a good fight, he finished his course and he kept the faith through forty plus years of service.  (And without graduating from High School or one day of going to Bible School.  Think on that.)

 

HOW DID I MEET

BRO. HAROLD?

 

I felt I should start publishing a paper in 1959.  At that time I was still in the Southern Baptist Convention and so was Bro. Boyd.  In the first few issues of the paper I advertised that I would like to have some messages from pastors and especially Evangelists.  Evang. J. Oscar Wells who had been an Evangelist for a number of years and knew Bro. Harold pointed this out to Harold.

He told him, look you send this fellow a sermon and he will give you a write up and it may help you get some meetings.  So Bro. Harold called me and I had him send me a message and other information and our friendship started.

However, for some reason I really wanted to meet this guy so in the Spring of 1960 I called him and made arrangements to fly to Little Rock, Arkansas where he was in meetings. (At that time I lived in New Orleans, Louisiana.) We really took a liking to each other and became life long friends.  He soon became a part of THE FLAMING TORCH and for many years we published the paper through the BREAD OF LIFE BROADCAST when we were not able to publish through a church.

 

A MISSIONARY EVANGELIST

 

Harold not only conducted hundreds of local church meetings here in the United States but also made trips throughout the years to foreign countries.  His biggest love other than the local churches was the people of Haiti.  Many years ago he started going to Haiti with Evang. J. Oscar Wells and never let up.  Because of his faithfulness in going to Haiti many thousands, yea tens of thousands of Haitians came to know the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour.

Bro. Boyd did 100% more for the Haitian people than any government ever thought about doing.  He gave them hope.  He gave them the Gospel.  He helped them start churches and he led churches here in the states to support the work.  He also was able to get many preachers interested in going to Haiti with him.  Perhaps some of them will keep going and keep preaching to those needy people.

 

 

HE WAS A GREAT INSPIRATION

 

Bro. Harold was a great inspiration to many pastors.  He was a pastor’s friend.  He gave of himself to the preachers and churches and never faltered regardless of how he felt.  The Lord was gracious in answering his prayer.  He died at home and he did not suffer.  He certainly fits the scripture which we quoted at the beginning of this article.

“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7)

And another scripture:

“Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.”  (1 Timothy 6:12)

PREACHERS – LET US STRIVE TO FOLLOW IN HAROLD’S FOOTSTEPS.  LET US PUT UP A GOOD FIGHT, LET US KEEP THE FAITH AND MAY WE FINISH OUR COURSE.

Bro. Harold will not be forgotten.  And soon we shall be following him. 

 

“Even so, Lord Jesus

come quickly.”