If you could write one final email before you died and send it out to tens of thousands of people all over the world, what would you write?
Yesterday (Christmas) my long-time friend and mentor, Dr. C. Sumner Wemp, went home to be with Jesus after a very long and full life. But before he died, he wrote an email and asked that it be sent after his death. I have included it below.
For many years Sumner was a professor of evangelism, Christian living and pastoral theology. He preached in some of the largest churches in America. But most of all, Sumner was a soul winner. He had personally led someone to Christ in almost every U.S. state and many other countries. He radiated Jesus to everyone who came in contact with him--even if it were just a couple minutes in an elevator. The last few years he wasn’t able to travel and preach any more, but he developed an expansive email ministry that touched tens of thousands of people all over the world. I’m sure I’ll write more about Sumner later, but for now please read his final email:
Sumner Wemp's Last Email
My partner in this email ministry, Steve, asked me to write something to send to you when Jesus calls me home. Well GLORY!! If you are reading this, it means I’ve seen Jesus! He has called me home and has spoken those cherished words, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant!” (Matt 25:21) I’ve seen my beautiful wife, Celeste, and others who went to heaven ahead of me, those who may have read a gospel tract that told of how much Jesus loved them!
To those still thinking about trusting Jesus:
What are you waiting for? God loves you and sent His Son, the Lord Jesus to suffer and die for your sins and mine. He paid the eternal punishment for all you and I both have done wrong, all of our sins for “the wages of sin is death” and Jesus paid the debt in full, rose again and was seen alive by hundreds of people. If you will believe Him, that Jesus really did pay for your sins too and receive the Lord Jesus as your Savior, He will save you and will give you a home in heaven, instead of sending you to hell. And I will see you someday again!
To those already saved:
You and I have been given the awesome and eternal privilege of giving everyone a chance to get saved, to get their sins forgiven and go to heaven instead of hell. We have been commanded by the God who saved us and told to “preach or give the gospel” to every person. Of course we must be as courteous as we can and do it graciously which I genuinely tried to do. Out of the thousands of tracts I gave over my lifetime, less than a few dozen people have refused them or were rude to me. But as happened a couple of months ago, I gave a tract to a lady on an elevator and she blurted out. “Oh, I need to be saved, tell me what to do.” In just seconds we got off the elevator and I had the thrill of giving her the gospel and the thrill of praying with her as she understood and accepted Christ as her Savior. Minutes later when I got outside the building, I started weeping and wanted to fall on my face and thank almighty God for the inestimable privilege He had just given me. So help me, witnessing and winning people to Christ will give you the most wonderful experience of your life. If you are not caring and sharing the gospel to lost human beings just like you once were, Satan is robbing you blind of eternal rejoicing and rewards that such precious experiences bring. Why don’t you do the logical and sensible thing and obey God and get in on the greatest privileges of your life? Help people to go to heaven instead of hell. Make sense?
“Father, You are so wonderful to let us have a part in this eternal privilege. You said, we shall catch men. Dear God please help each one reading this get in on it! In Jesus’ name”
Oh, how I wish I could have known each of you personally and how I long for you to be so mightily used of God! My race is finished but God can still use you. Won’t you get in on it? You too can win souls. There is nothing greater, more lasting, more rewarding you will ever do. I implore you to stick with it and do what the Word of God says. I LOVE YOU, all because of Calvary, Sumner
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