Born in 1884 into a drunken family, Arthur
described what he’d become " a petty
criminal, a bum and a metho drinker."
His new birth from an old life in crime and sin to a new life in Christ and
service took place on the night of August the 6th ,1930.
This significant and spiritual turn around occurred after he heard the Gospel of
Jesus Christ preached faithfully by Rev. R.D.S. Hammond at St Barnabas church in
Broadway.
Then 12 years later on a Sunday night of November 14th 1942, at his home church,
the Burton st Baptist Tabernacle, Darlinghurst ,he was challenged to go out and
write the word eternity. after hearing “The
Echoes of Eternity”, proclaimed forthrightly by Australia's beloved
evangelist- the late John G Ridley M.C.,
This he did continuously and consistently
for the next quarter of century till he died
on July 30th 1967
By the time Arthur Stace was called by the Eternal God to exit this world into
eternity, he had left behind a legacy of an enormous value in the copperplate
writing of one word – eternity.
God took his tool of one piece of chalk, his text of one word eternity and his
territory of one pavement at a time in Sydney, and multiplied it abundantly.
It was witnessed first by many thousands in Sydney, Woolongong, Newcastle and
Melbourne.
Then on the eve of the new millennium celebration, more than a million people
who crammed around the Sydney Harbour Bridge saw it electronically emblazoned
across the bridge of our Olympic city after a spectacular display of fireworks.
It was also beamed around the world to more than two billion viewers then, as
well as at the closing ceremony of the Sydney Olympic Games later on in the
year.
Here is the
life & Legacy of Mr. eternity in a
song.
I'd like to tell you the
story, the one of Mr. eternity.
His real name was Arthur
Stace.
This trophy of God's grace
joined the human race,
back at the last century, in
the Balmain slums of Sydney.
Home was hell for this young
lad,
with a desperate mum and a
drunkard dad.
The first half of his
wretched life was torn by sin and left
in strife.
He spent more time in jail
than school,
for breaking the law and
being a fool
and almost followed his
family into a Christless eternity.
At the age of 45, utterly
lost and barely alive,
he went into St. Barnabas to
see, what else he could get for free,
besides a rock cake and a cup
of tea.
He found God’s grace and
mercy in the love of Christ on Calvary.
Convicted he went out in the
dark, and walked across to the park,
and under a Morton bay fig
tree, he cried "Lord be merciful to me".
He trusted Christ and
believed, eternal life he received,
from sin and shame he was set
free, and was saved for eternity.
In November '42, God was
working in and through,
the evangelist John G.
Ridley.
He preached so eloquently
“the echoes of eternity”,
and wished that all of
Sydney, would hear that word eternity.
With conviction from on high,
Arthur Stace began to cry,
as he left and went for a
walk, he had with him a piece of chalk,
outside the church in Burton
street, and right there by his small
feet,
began a life long ministry,
the writing of " eternity ".
In July '67, Arthur Stace
went to heaven, at the ripe old age of
83.
He entered and saw finally
that place he wrote of frequently,
and the Saviour he loved
dearly whom he served so faithfully.
The life of little Arthur
Stace, reflects the mercy and the grace,
of God who is great in his
love, He even left his throne above,
for a cruel death on this
earth, to give the repentant second
birth,
and for sinners like you and
me, he stepped down and crossed
eternity.
Chorus
Eternity, Eternity, the
lifetime of the Almighty.
You've got to meet eternity,
where will you spend eternity?
Where will it be where will
it be? Will heaven or hell be your
destiny?
Call on God’s grace and
mercy, in the love of Christ on
Calvary.
With
the love of Christ
Peter Rahme
Pastor -
Inner West Baptist
Church
©Peter
Rahme AD 2000.
The above song & the full story is
available on CD.
Gospel tracts, & audiotapes /CDs are
also available.
Contact Pastor Peter Rahme
Tel (+61 2) 9742 5716
Fax (+61 2) 9742 5715;
pastor@innerwestbaptist.org.au |
www.innerwestbaptist.org.au
