In Memory of Brother George Geuea – KAU#170 Pt 2

Brother George Geuea (1905-2002) passed away last week at age 97. We were blessed to have this great man of God as a member of our church in his later years. There are few real men like him left in this day and age. The following sermon was preached by me at his funeral. Although you may not have known this man, I pray the testimony of his life will motivate you.

A FUNERAL SERMON IN MEMORY OF BROTHER GEORGE GEUEA

Our dear brother George, “Papa George” to so many, wrote the following words on a sheet of notebook paper: “Well let me say, I can remember just as well as if it were yesterday. It was Monday night…1958, when I was saved. I can remember them talking about being born again. But what I really remember best of all was being good, but could not go to Heaven. I didn’t drink, didn’t smoke, didn’t use foul language…But how then could I get in heaven? You must be saved; borned again.”

Let me continue where he left off, based on our conversations together: Norman Dollar was holding a revival meeting at a church in Albuquerque, NM. Dollar visited George’s wife and led her to place her faith in Christ and get saved. Shortly thereafter, George got saved. His words to me, so many times, were: “The evangelist asked me, ‘Have you been born again?’ But I’d never heard ye must be born again.” After becoming Christians, that Sunday night, George and his wife were baptized at the church in Albuquerque. George was later also licensed to preach by the Berean Baptist Church, in Albuquerque.

George moved to the Navajo Indian reservation and began leading people to the Lord. There was not a single Baptist church there at this time. George built five churches with the Navajos. He also worked with the famous Lester Roloff as a maintenance man, and was his right hand man. He put up one of the signs when Roloff’s homes were shut down. He was also a right hand man to brother Bill Dowl of Baptist Temple in Springfield Missouri, who was also president of the Bible college there. George was instrumental in helping their church building escape foreclosure.

You can see, that although George was saved late in life, he didn’t waste any time in being used by God. He would do anything; whatever was needed. One pastor told me that they believed George could solve any problem and fix anything. Another preacher I talked to on the phone, brother Yates, told me that George was responsible for getting him into Navajo missions. He is still there, serving today, thanks to George. He said George was responsible for many souls saved.

Not only was George saved, but he did not use his great age as an excuse to be lazy in his Christianity. When I think of George, I think of a rare breed of real men, of which there are not many left today. As far as his energy for God, when I think of George, I think of Anna in the Bible, who in her 80′s, “departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.” I think of older, famous preachers, like John Wesley, who in his 80′s traveled for thousands of miles on horseback to serve God and, when tempted to stop, settle down, and enjoy the gardens, proclaimed: “Repose is not for me in this world.” No, George had a special gift for being a motivator. At age 95, he had adopted an old poem by Bill Carr:

“My body may age, but my mind will stay young. I’ve much left to do, many songs to be sung.
Many roads to be traveled, and much love to express. Many souls that need aid, who are now in distress. But I will do what I can, to help brighten your day. I will spread cheer and love, as I pass by your way. The world is my oyster, to have and to hold. That’s why I’m really too busy, To ever grow old.”

About this same time in life, his mid nineties, George passed by our way. And I must say, he lived out this poem to the fullest! The Bible says, be not weary in well doing. Even in his nineties, George did not let weariness stop him. He had another work to do for God. We were in a rut when George visited our church in Arlington. We wanted to get land, but it simply was not happening. George sat across from me at lunch one day, and told me in a way that put a holy fire in me: “You can’t finish what you don’t start.” Not long after those words were uttered, I found myself searching for land with George, walking property with him, purchasing land to build a church on, and getting a temporary building functioning on the property. We have pictures of George outside hooking up electricity in one of the hottest summers Texas has ever had. I don’t much care for heights, yet George had me more than half-way up a telephone pole before I knew it! And when I was too slow, he was down there in the sun, just a preaching to me! He wasn’t offensive; just motivating. I asked him what he used to do for a living, and he said he was a foreman! When he got saved, the Lord used this old foreman to get many pastors in gear. Out of all the pastors and evangelists George aided and helped (some very well known), I am grateful to have been included among them, by God’s grace. We worked so hard that summer with George, and got so much accomplished, that many were afraid we were overworking poor old George. They didn’t realize that HE was working us! We are not finished on our land; but we are finally ready and able, this past Sunday, to purchase the shell for our metal building. In so many ways, George shares in this accomplishment, and all that has been accomplished on our church land.

Let’s remember George for what he was known for. When speaking to pastor Yates on the phone a year or so ago, he asked me what George was doing these days. I told him that in his 90′s, he was being a great help to me as a pastor, and that he was a great motivator. This man said, “That’s George! I should have figured! He won’t let you stay still!”

On Tuesday, August 8th, year 2000, George himself told me the following words: “They say I get more out of people than anybody in the world. I work ‘em. But I don’t hurt nobody.”

If you don’t know where you will spend eternity, I know exactly what George would say to me. He would holler in his sweet, motivating way: “Tell ‘em they must be borned again.” The Bible, in Romans chapter 3, says all have sinned…There is no way you can be saved by being good. You must admit you cannot save yourself and you must trust in Jesus and let Him represent you as far as salvation goes. He lived a perfect life and died on a Cross for our sins. John 3:16 says if we believe on Him, we will live with God in eternity. That is you must believe the good news, and accept the free gift of salvation.

If you are already a Christian, are you serving God with all your might? Are you making excuses? I know George would holler: “Tell e’m to get busy for God. Tell ‘em they can’t finish for God what hey don’t start.” If George could do so much, so late in life, do we really have an excuse? Let his life remind you that God always has something else for you to do, if you will let Him show you!
And let George’s death remind us all, that life must one day come to an end for each of us. If you have been putting God off, keeping Him at a distance, let this sobering day motivate you to seek God. There is one thing I know for sure, and that is that George had a burden on his heart for all his loved ones and friends. Oh how he prayed so often that everyone he knew and loved would not only be born again, but would also live for Jesus to the fullest.

Let us bow our heads: “You can be saved by not trusting in your good deeds to justify you before God, but by trusting in the Blood of Jesus. If you
believe this good news for the first time today, pray with me: “Dear Lord, I do accept your free gift. I know I can’t save myself by being good. I
believe you have saved me, a sinner, by shedding your Blood. Thank you for the free gift of eternal life.” Dear Lord, I pray today for the Christians who are present, that we would indeed never forget the motivating lessons we have learned from the life of our brother George who has gone before us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”