Like Onesimus who was a slave to Philemon of Colossae, but who according to tradition evolved to become the bishop of Ephesus, after Timothy, Dr. Morris Cerullo, rose from the tatters of a very difficult childhood and inauspicious beginnings, to become a world renowned evangelist, taking the Gospel round the world.
Orphaned too early in life, following the death of his immigrant parents in an automobile accident, young Morris was raised in various orphanages. His Christian journey began at age 14 with the guidance of a nurse in one of the orphanages.
Running away from a Jewish orphanage, whose directors had tried to restrict him from practicing certain matters of his new faith, Morris began preaching the gospel at the age of 16. Since then, until yesterday when he finally transited into glory, at the age of 88, he never looked back from putting his hand on the plow in the life and service of God's kingdom.
As I reflect and write now, I recount the many great leaders Dr. Cerullo raised, (especially in Africa) and many more millions his life touched, and the implications of such awesome and immersive (with the globalisation of communication technology) influence for global Christianity.
As I reminisce and celebrate the life of this general of faith, I'm awed by what God can do with a 'nobody' in bringing about His purpose in redemption. He specializes in translating from obscurity into significance. Paul wrote on how God chooses things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chooses things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful (1 Cor 1:27).
My insight is also deepened about Jesus' parable of the mustard seed as a metaphor of the kingdom (Matthew 13:31–32). Who would've imagined that the tiny seed of the faith planted in the heart of a teenage Morris by that unnamed nurse, in an obscure orphanage, would become a mighty oak of enduring legacies?
Indeed, as I solemnize the life and ministry of Dr. Cerullo, I also pray that I would be a planter of seeds of enduring legacies. May saviors rise from my influence!
#sundayhomily
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