To My Friend Ricky
Please indulge me as I reminisce about Ricky. Last week, a very dear friend of mine went home to be with the Lord! His name was Ricky Lyons. So many of us will miss Ricky but oh what rejoicing we have because He persevered! He made it! He ran the race; Jesus brought him home in victory!
He grew up in North Carolina but at some point in his childhood he moved to the inner city of Washington DC where he became involved in drugs, alcohol etc... He lived a hard life, saw some of his siblings die on the street and because of this lifestyle Ricky eventually contracted HIV. Ricky ended up in prison. It was there that the Holy Spirit regenerated Ricky and he was saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ! It wasn’t long before Ricky began to see his HIV as “Heaven In View.” He lived for Jesus and for the Kingdom to come.
He began to study the Word of God in prison. Through a prison ministry Ricky became associated with a suburban church in Northern VA (where I attended and worked at the time). Ricky had a heart for Jesus... such a BIG heart! When Ricky was released from prison he burst forth in ministry in the local church as well as in the inner city! He had a heart for inner city ministry, youth ministry, for racial reconciliation, for prison ministry, for biblical manhood and biblical womanhood... he worked for the poor, for the hungry... he worked full time at the church I attended as well as being a part time pastor in the city.. Always serving, always praying to the glory of God!
BUT! It’s not his life that I want to talk about … I want to talk about his funeral.. rather.. his HOMEGOING! It was an incredible time! I had the best time I've ever had in church! Such joy was expressed. Joy in the promises of God for those who belong to God through Jesus Christ!
One day when Ricky and I were taking a break from our jobs at the church we began to talk about funerals and Ricky said to me, “ Darlin, you don’t KNOW what a real funeral is like until you go to a homegoing.” So Ricky and I made a deal, if I die first my husband would seek Ricky’s counsel in how to give a homegoing. If Ricky dies first I promised to attend his homegoing so I could see how it’s done! Ricky beat me to the finish line and on Saturday I saw how it was done!
It was incredible! I have never been to a funeral, excuse me, homegoing, where there was such joy! There was singing, dancing, shouting, proclaiming the gospel over and over and over again! One of the highlights was when Ricky’s wife Raye sang. Ricky asked her to sing a song titled, “I Made It.’ … God’s grace was all over that woman as she sang with such strength and assurance. The song was all about persevering in our faith, with finishing the race. When that song was over the church roared with praises to God, there was dancing, it was beautiful.
Now I know that the majority of us Reformed types aren’t accustomed to shouting and dancing etc in church. ( But I am here to tell you that the theology during that 3 hour service was as biblical as it gets! Sound doctrine was proclaimed with every testimony! I am as certain as I can be that God was glorified as he saw his children celebrating and honoring Jesus. There was joy for the working of the Holy Spirit in Ricky to the glory of God!
Death is sad, but only sad for those of us who remain in this fallen world! It is sad because we no longer have the opportunity to see our friend in flesh and blood. Scary for those who have to walk through death, for sure!!!!
BUT it is a time for rejoicing for Ricky! If Ricky had the choice of remaining in the presence of Jesus or returning here, there is no doubt in my mind that He'd remain in the presence of Jesus! As one of the preachers on Saturday said, "Ricky used to walk by faith BUT NOW he walks by sight! The Scriptures say that when a believer dies we who remain do not grieve as one with no hope, but we have hope. Actually, I walked out of that service with ASSURANCE! (
Psalm 116:15Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.
Philippians 1:21For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
Of course, death was not the intent before the fall.. But now, for those who are saved, it is the only way to enter into heaven... but as we heard on Saturday, Jesus's life, death for our sins and resurrection took away the sting of death for those who are saved! RICKY MADE IT! By God’s grace he persevered! How joyous is that?
I praise God for increasing my faith as I heard testimony after testimony of how God used Ricky to bring the Gospel to young man after young man in the city of Washington DC… I praise God because I saw God being exalted, His fame proclaimed!
To borrow a phrase from John Piper’s writings, “I grieve with hope,” yet I now I am reminded afresh to live with a renewed excitement. I live excited that I am but a sojourner on earth on my way to my real home. I don’t have the disease of HIV but Ricky taught me and many others how to really live with Heaven in View.
He grew up in North Carolina but at some point in his childhood he moved to the inner city of Washington DC where he became involved in drugs, alcohol etc... He lived a hard life, saw some of his siblings die on the street and because of this lifestyle Ricky eventually contracted HIV. Ricky ended up in prison. It was there that the Holy Spirit regenerated Ricky and he was saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ! It wasn’t long before Ricky began to see his HIV as “Heaven In View.” He lived for Jesus and for the Kingdom to come.
He began to study the Word of God in prison. Through a prison ministry Ricky became associated with a suburban church in Northern VA (where I attended and worked at the time). Ricky had a heart for Jesus... such a BIG heart! When Ricky was released from prison he burst forth in ministry in the local church as well as in the inner city! He had a heart for inner city ministry, youth ministry, for racial reconciliation, for prison ministry, for biblical manhood and biblical womanhood... he worked for the poor, for the hungry... he worked full time at the church I attended as well as being a part time pastor in the city.. Always serving, always praying to the glory of God!
BUT! It’s not his life that I want to talk about … I want to talk about his funeral.. rather.. his HOMEGOING! It was an incredible time! I had the best time I've ever had in church! Such joy was expressed. Joy in the promises of God for those who belong to God through Jesus Christ!
One day when Ricky and I were taking a break from our jobs at the church we began to talk about funerals and Ricky said to me, “ Darlin, you don’t KNOW what a real funeral is like until you go to a homegoing.” So Ricky and I made a deal, if I die first my husband would seek Ricky’s counsel in how to give a homegoing. If Ricky dies first I promised to attend his homegoing so I could see how it’s done! Ricky beat me to the finish line and on Saturday I saw how it was done!
It was incredible! I have never been to a funeral, excuse me, homegoing, where there was such joy! There was singing, dancing, shouting, proclaiming the gospel over and over and over again! One of the highlights was when Ricky’s wife Raye sang. Ricky asked her to sing a song titled, “I Made It.’ … God’s grace was all over that woman as she sang with such strength and assurance. The song was all about persevering in our faith, with finishing the race. When that song was over the church roared with praises to God, there was dancing, it was beautiful.
Now I know that the majority of us Reformed types aren’t accustomed to shouting and dancing etc in church. ( But I am here to tell you that the theology during that 3 hour service was as biblical as it gets! Sound doctrine was proclaimed with every testimony! I am as certain as I can be that God was glorified as he saw his children celebrating and honoring Jesus. There was joy for the working of the Holy Spirit in Ricky to the glory of God!
Death is sad, but only sad for those of us who remain in this fallen world! It is sad because we no longer have the opportunity to see our friend in flesh and blood. Scary for those who have to walk through death, for sure!!!!
BUT it is a time for rejoicing for Ricky! If Ricky had the choice of remaining in the presence of Jesus or returning here, there is no doubt in my mind that He'd remain in the presence of Jesus! As one of the preachers on Saturday said, "Ricky used to walk by faith BUT NOW he walks by sight! The Scriptures say that when a believer dies we who remain do not grieve as one with no hope, but we have hope. Actually, I walked out of that service with ASSURANCE! (
Psalm 116:15Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.
Philippians 1:21For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
Of course, death was not the intent before the fall.. But now, for those who are saved, it is the only way to enter into heaven... but as we heard on Saturday, Jesus's life, death for our sins and resurrection took away the sting of death for those who are saved! RICKY MADE IT! By God’s grace he persevered! How joyous is that?
I praise God for increasing my faith as I heard testimony after testimony of how God used Ricky to bring the Gospel to young man after young man in the city of Washington DC… I praise God because I saw God being exalted, His fame proclaimed!
To borrow a phrase from John Piper’s writings, “I grieve with hope,” yet I now I am reminded afresh to live with a renewed excitement. I live excited that I am but a sojourner on earth on my way to my real home. I don’t have the disease of HIV but Ricky taught me and many others how to really live with Heaven in View.
posted by diane boucher @ 5:53 AM
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