“Evangelist Harold Boyd”

 

BIBLE BAPTIST CHURCH

WEST STREET

 

Beside Psalm 112 in my Bible, I wrote this name: Evangelist Harold Boyd.  That is because, over the years I’ve known him, he has embodied the principles there.

I received word just one week before Evangelist Boyd was to preach our mission’s conference, that Harold Boyd died and went to Heaven.

David said, “The righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance”. (Psalms 112:6)  Certainly, because of his sound preaching, loving spirit in the pulpit, and uncompromising, opposition to error, HAROLD BOYD WILL BE REMEMBERED.

Harold Boyd preached in a Flaming Torch Conference at my church (1982), and from that day on we became friends.  In 1993, he was preaching a mission’s conference at my church, and he invited me to go to Haiti with him.  Solomon wrote, “The memory of the just is blessed . . .”. (Proverbs 10:7)

Often, I remember what God has recorded of Moses, Joseph, David, the prophets, Peter, and Paul.  I am often stirred to go on because the righteous servants of God did.  I OFTEN RE- MEMBER THE STRUGGLES OF MISSIONARIES WE SUPPORT AND AM ENCOURAGED BY REMEMBERING OUR MISSIONARIES.

I remember Harold Boyd!  The memory of that just man blesses my soul.  Let me give you some principles from Psalms 112.

1. I remember His Fear of the Lord (112:1, “Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord”).  In Proverbs, those who feared the Lord lived in conscious awareness of Who God is and what He is capable of.

Because he feared the Lord, Brother Boyd promoted other preachers with respect, never sought revenge on others, and he shared his ministry in Haiti with many of us.

2. I remember Brother Boyd’s Love for The Word of God.  Psalms 112:1, (“(he) delighteth greatly in his commandments”).  I’ll always remember Harold Boyd as a “man of the BOOK.”

The first time I heard him preach, I thought, “Here is a man with some depth in the preaching of God’s Word.”  He was a favorite in our church because he actually expounded God’s Word.

He once told me “Brother Goodell, preach the whole council of God.  The Bible teaches more than soul winning, separation and The Second Coming.”

3. I remember His Spiritual Perception (Psalms 112:4, “unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness”).  Over 49 years of ministry, I have been frustrated by the lack of spiritual perception, even among preachers.

While others had trouble discerning light from darkness Brother Boyd seemed to grasp spiritual issues which escaped the mainstream preachers.

HE SAW WRONG, EVEN WHEN IT WAS CAMOUFLAGED AS RIGHT!

He once told me, “Brother Guy, we need to eliminate Christian Colleges and get back to the old-fashioned Bible Schools.”

While he was a soul winner, he deplored the emphasis on number of baptisms to the exclusion of developing personal holiness in believers.

4. I remember Harold Boyd’s Graciousness and Compassion (Psalms 112:4, “[the upright] is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous”).

Harold Boyd never pulled punches when dealing with sin; however, he was on the side of the sinner for whom Christ died.

“What do you think of Harold Boyd?”  I asked my wife after his first sermon in our church.

She replied, “While he is preaching about our sins, he acts like he actually loves us.  He’s not like some others we’ve had.

5. I remember His Stand for What Is Right (Psalms 112:4, “he is . . . RIGHTEOUS”).

We live in a strange day.  Preachers are more interested in the number of warm bodies in the pew as opposed to what is going on in their lives.

“Brother Goodell,” he said one day, “don’t let anything or any person keep you from DOING RIGHT.”

He told me of a pastor who had wronged him.  I asked how he had handled it.  He said, “I opened God’s Word to the appropriate passage, showed it to him, and asked him how he squared his conduct with God’s Word.”

The pastor had no answer, for he was in violation of God’s Word.  Doing RIGHT was more important to Harold Boyd than being liked or being popular.

6. I remember Harold Boyd’s Discretion (Psalms 12:5, “he will guide his affairs with DISCRETION”).

The discrete person operates within God’s boundaries, having great respect for both DANGER and SAFETY.

Discretion is the ability to accurately assess ones deeds in relationship to TRUTH.  Discretion also allows one to see the unseen consequences of conduct.

Brother Boyd was discrete in what he said, discrete in where he preached, and discrete in the people with whom he associated.

7. I remember His Stability.  Psalms 112:6, “Surely he shall not be moved for ever.”  Psalms 112:7, “His heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord.”  Psalms 112:8, “His heart is established.”

Harold Boyd stayed with the field of evangelism.  In the good times, he continued to travel and preach.  In the tough times, he continued to travel and preach.

While others quit traveling, Brother Boyd stuck with it.

While others looked for the easy way out, he accepted the trials and kept on going.

Stability is being grounded in the certain commitment to The One Whose resources are unaffected by the vicissitudes of life.

One of Brother Boyd’s frequent statements to me was this: “God will take care of Harold Boyd.”

Harold Boyd was stable in his belief that he had been saved by grace through faith.  He was stable in his desire to reach lost souls for Christ.

His position on the Word of God was stable.  When I think of him, I think of that commercial: “LIKE A ROCK.”

8. I remember Harold Boyd’s Courage (112:7-8, “he shall not be afraid of evil tidings . . . he shall not be afraid, until he shall see his desire upon his enemies”).

When I remember my trips with Brother Boyd, I think of the word “FEARLESS.”

He did not fear physical harm.  He did not fear criticism of his ministry.  He did not fear condemnation by his peers.  He did not fear coercion by his adversaries.

He ministered in Haiti through three revolutions.  He preached in Haiti at the height of voodoo celebrations.  He witnessed to voodoo priests and priestesses.  He traveled into the outback and contracted malaria.

“FEARLESS” – I remember Harold Boyd that way.

9. I remember His Generosity (112:9 – “He hath dispersed; he hath given to the poor”).

Every year, Brother Boyd raised thousands of dollars to feed the poor at summer church camp in Haiti.  I also watched him pick up expenses that others who traveled with him promised to pay, but failed to do so.

On one occasion, he preached in a new church in New York and paid his own expenses to not be a burden on the small congregation.

10. I will remember Harold Boyd’s Exaltation (112:9, “his righteousness endureth forever”).

Both now and in Heaven, the good he did for others will be recalled.

Jesus said of the woman who broke the alabaster box for Him.  “Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her”. (Mark 14:9)

Palms 112:9 also says, “his horn shall be exalted with honor.”  The day Harold Boyd entered Heaven, I am sure the Saviour greeted him, “Well done, good and faithful servant; enter thou into the joy of the Lord.”

Godly people leave footprints hard for others to walk in.  I will never be a Harold Boyd, but I can remember these character traits and allow God’s Spirit to develop them in me.

Let’s remember each other for what inspires us about each other.  Let’s encourage each other to keep on for Jesus until the day of our physical death.