Arthur Burt
My Personal Tribute
I first met Arthur when he was 93 years
of age. Some people age, without gaining much wisdom, but this could never be
said of Arthur Burt. We got on well, being fellow sportsmen.
His demeanor was that of a father-figure
or statesman. We talked about his walk with God and the time he spent with Smith Wigglesworth, one thing I would say about my friend was that he was without
guile! This is why I admired Arthur and his family; they treated you as if you
were part of the family. I love that old-fashioned respect, which doesn’t seem
to be around much anymore.
While interviewing Arthur at 100 years
of age, I asked the question ‘What legacy do you want to leave?’ His answer was
that ‘we need to be humble’. This man of God realised the curse of pride and
spent the latter years of his life exposing his flaws, within his powerful
books and humble lifestyle. In his gatherings, Arthur would always giving way
to people to speak at meetings whatever God had laid on their hearts.
I was sent by God to meet Arthur at one
of these so-called gatherings. At first it was not clear to me, why God would
send me to such a meeting. The first day, I thought that it was one of the
worst meetings I had ever attended, but later on I grew to understand the problem
was not with Arthur, he was a man submitted to God. Nearly every word he spoke
at these gatherings you knew were from the throne room.
I remember once in a meeting he spoke
as any proud grandfather would, immediately in the next meeting he apologised
saying ‘what I said was wrong.’ It’s the rarest statement I’ve ever heard from
a Christian!
A humble man of God not afraid to admit
his mistakes. We all need to take a leaf out of that book.
This style of meeting has the potential
for the Holy Spirit to flow freely but also for people to speak whatever they
want— and they do! The problem was, fleshly people took advantage of opportunities,
especially as Arthur grew older. The word of God came forth and people ignored
it. I thought if we had a relationship with God, surely we would be all be in
one accord but the devil hates unity and will fight all he can.
Arthur would explain what God expected
in these meetings, at times there would be a sweet presence of God, usually
when signing and often after a word. People at these meetings love God and people.
These meetings were an eye opener for me, but most of all I thank God
that I was privileged to spend time with Arthur and meet some of his children.
I also made good friends, people who came from around the world to attend these
meetings.
It was an amazing season in my life. I
will never forget the first time: I was there with my wife when The Spirit of God
visited for a while, and instantaneously it seemed as if all stared praising
God in one accord.
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