Sydney Harbour Bridge about 0:00am 1 January 2000 A.D The Life & Legacy Of MrEternity |
Long before the giant word Eternity sparkled with splendor as it was emblazoned across the Sydney Harbour Bridge, it was first written by the hand of one man.
This one-word message was written over 500,000 times on the footpaths of its suburbs and beyond in beautiful copperplate style. Wherever this word appeared it mystified some and fascinated others. The mystery was, "who wrote it?"
When the mystery man was finally discovered the Sydney press nicknamed him Mr Eternity, but his real name was Arthur Stace.
Where did Arthur Stace come from? How was he raised? What was special about him? And why did God use him?
As we trace the life and pay tribute to the legacy of Mr Eternity,
let's
take his surname,
S T A C E and tell his story of sin,
salvation,
surrender, and sweet victory in the light of his dynamic
relationship
with Christ Jesus, the Lord of Eternity.
Arthur Malcolm STACE was born in the Balmain slums, in 1884. His parents wereaddicted to alcohol and consequently, young Arthur was brought up neglected and needy in an atmosphere of poverty. As a result much of his childhood was spent stealing bread and milk, and searching for scrap food in garbage bins. His schooling was almost non-existent, and by the age of 12 young Arthur had become a state ward.
Things got much worse as he entered the turbulent
teenage years. He became
a heavy drinker, and by the tender age of 15 he was sent to jail. In
his adolescence he worked as "a look out" for police for those who ran
illegal
gambling dens. In his twenties he was a scout for his sisters' brothels
in seedy
inner city surburb of Surry Hills.
The spiritual new birth, of turning from sin to trusting the Saviour, took place on the night of August 6th, 1930. The conception commenced as the Holy Spirit of God planted the seed of the Word of God, preached by the servant of God, Rev. R. D. S. Hammond, at St Barnabas’ Church in Broadway.
The conviction continued as he heard the gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God , realised that he was a sinner before God and recognized that the saving grace is the gift of God.
His conversion was complete, shortly after he left the meeting in St Barnabas. He walked across the road to Victoria Park and, under a big old Morton Bay fig tree, he repented of sin towards God and received Christ Jesus as his sin bearer. He became a child of God, and immediately experienced peace with God as he entered into a relationship with God.
ANOINTED MESSAGE- his conviction byChrist
Two years later, on Sunday night November 14, 1932 at the Burton Street Baptist Tabernacle, Darlinghurst, the Holy Spirit who had previously convicted Arthur of his sinful condition, had another important message for him.
This message came through God's anointed servant the
late
John G Ridley MC, as he preached that evening on "The echoes of Eternity",
from
Isaiah chapter 57 v15:
"For thus saith the high and lofty One that
inhabiteth
Eternity,
whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place,
with
him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive
the
spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones."
The
veteran evangelist, stood with the power of scripture in his hand and
the
love of Christ in his heart, and stressed the wordEternity.
He
pointed out how the echoes of Eternity
are heard not only in creation and in the Christian,
but
also in the cross. Then suddenly, laying his prepared notes
aside
and, seemingly in an impromptu fashion, the highly disciplined
soldier-like
preacher raised his loud voice and cried, "Eternity,
Eternity,
I
wish that I could sound or shout that word to everyone in the streets
of
Sydney. You’ve got to meet it, where will you spend Eternity?"
Arthur Stace was one of many in the large congregation that God-ordained night. This faithful, teachable and obedient servant had been active since his conversion, from an old life in crime and sin to the new life in Christ and service. As he sat taking in the eternal word of God, preached forthrightly from the heart and lips of Australia's beloved evangelist, Arthur Stace was yet again confronted with sin and its eternal punishing consequences. His concern, however, was not for himself because his sins had been forgiven that blessed night when he cried, "Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner". But it was for the sake of those still without Christ. Once more his sensitive heart responded to God, this time, "here am I, Lord, send me".
"Eternity went ringing through my brain" was Stace's own statement "and suddenly I began crying and felt a powerful call from the Lord to write Eternity. I had a piece of chalk in my pocket and outside the church I bent down right there and wrote it…. The funny thing is that before I wrote it I could hardly write my own name. I had no schooling and I couldn’t have spelt Eternity for a hundred quid. But it came out smoothly, in a beautiful copperplate script. I couldn't understand it, and I still can't."
God has personally written to you to prepare you for Eternity. This most important message must be read and received by all.
The Lord Jesus Christ said, "......Ye must be born again." (John 3:7)
What the Eternal Almighty God did to, in and throughArthur Stace, He is willing and able to do for you, but first you must answer one question.
"Where will you spend Eternity?"
Your decision here and now on earth will determine
your
destiny there and then in Eternity.
If
you refuse and reject Christ you are choosing to spend Eternity
in hell. If you receive Christ you will spend Eternity
in heaven and rejoice evermore.
"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God
is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:23); "Jesus
said…, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto
the Father, but by me." (John 14:6).
Let me encourage you to bow your heart
before your
Creator right now, and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
as
your own personal Lord and Saviour and become His child for
time
and Eternity.
It
only requires 3 simple yet heart-believed expressions. This is a
suggested
prayer:
"I am sorry that I have sinned against You and I turn away from my sins.
Please forgive me and be merciful to me a sinner.
Thank You for saving me and giving me a new life.
Peter Rahme (Jan.AD 2000)
Peter
Rahme AD 2001. - Email: pastor@innerwestbaptist.org.au;
Website: www.innerwestbaptist.org.au
Resources:
The Crooked Made Straight- Rev Lisle M Thompson; The Passing Of Mr
eternity- J
G Ridley; The Story Of Arthur Stace- Keith Dunstan. For more on Evangelist
John G.Ridley
visit www.johngridley.org.au The life & legacy of
Mr.
Eternity- the story & the song is available on CD. Published by |