Most of you have heard of Dr. Francis Dickson. In fact most of you have some of his lessons and sermons filled with rich material in your library. Dr. Francis Dickson is in heaven now, but he was a well known preacher.
In his church there in London , one day, a man raised his hand at the close of the service and said, “Dr.Dickson, can I give a testimony?” he said, “Certainly.” The man came to the platform and said, “My name is Mr. Noah. I am here this morning because I am a Christian. My company sent me on business out to the country of Australia. I came to the beautiful city of Sydney. I was walking down a famous street, almost as famous as Pennsylvania Avenue to us. I was walking down the street called George, which was named after King George. As I was walking down the street, a little old man with white hair stepped out and said, “ I wonder, Sir, if I could ask you a question?” He said, “Certainly.” “If you died, do you know you would go to heaven?” Mr. Noah said, “You know I could never get that question out of my mind. I came back here to England and sought out my preacher and he led me to Christ.” Dr. Dickson said, “That’s wonderful.” Then Dr. Dickson went over Australia and was preaching a meeting in Adelaide. In that meeting when he gave the invitation, a lady came forward and he met her at the front. She said to him, “Sir, If I died today, could you tell me how I could to go to heaven?” He said,” I certainly can.” In a few minutes he led her to Christ. Then he said, “ma’am’ how come you came and asked that question?” She said, “Well, My family and I were on a holiday a few weeks ago. I was walking down the street that is called George there in the beautiful city of Sydney and a little man with white hair steeped out and said, ”Could I ask you a question? I said certainly.” He said, “If you died today, do you know you would go to heaven?” She said, “I just couldn’t get that question out of my mind. I hear that you were preaching here tonight and I came. When I heard you preach, I knew that I had to come and get the answer to that question.” “Oh,” he said, “that’s wonderful.” Dr. Dickson then went over to Perth and he was preaching there in Perth. As he got through preaching, one of the men who was a deacon in the church took him out to eat. While they were eating, he said, “Sir , how did you come to know Christ?” “Oh,” he said, “I haven’t always lived in Perth. There was a time that I lived in Sydney. One day I was walking down the street that is called George. There was a little old man with white hair that stepped out and said, “Sir, could I ask you a question?” and I said, “yes.” He said, “If you died today, do you know that you would go to heaven? It’s worth thinking about” The deacon said, “I couldn’t get that question out of my mind. I looked up a Missionary and he told me how to be saved. I ‘m now living in Perth and I am a member of this church. I’m a deacon and I teach a Sunday School class.” Dr. Dickson said, “That’s wonderful.” He went back to England. He was preaching in a Keswick Convention. there were 7,000 people there. For the first time he related this story, all three incidents. When he got through, four people met him out in the vestibule and said, “Dr. Dickson, that’s strange. We were over in Australia. We went to the beautiful city of Sydney and were walking down the street called George. That same little old man with white hair approached us and said, “If you died today, do you know you would go to heaven?” We came back to our country and we found Christ as our Savior. We are here today because of it.” Dr. Dickson said, “That’s amazing.” He received a call to go out to India to a missionary conference. He was there in India and met this Indian missionary. he said, “Sir, tell me, how did you come to know Christ?” “Oh,” he said, “ Dr. Dickson, I haven’t always been a missionary. I was an ambassador for my country. They sent me to, of all places, Australia. I was walking down the street called George one day. A little old man with white hair came out and said, “Sir, could I ask you a question? If you died today do you know you would go to heaven? it’s worth thinking about.“ He said, “I never could get that question out of my mind. I came back to India and I searched out a missionary and said to him, “Could you tell me how I could know I am going to heaven?’ That missionary led me to Christ. Now I ‘ve been called to preach. I’m a missionary to my own people.” Dr. Dickson said, “That’s amazing.” He received a call to go to Barbados. It was there in Barbados that he related the story; no the three incidents, but he began to add those incidents along. When he was through and the invitation was over, six people met him out in the vestibule. The said, “Sir, our company that employs us sent us to Australia. We walked down that same street called George. A little man with white hair stopped us and asked us that question and we are saved today and members of this church because of it.“ Dr. Dickson said, “That’s absolutely wonderful.” Dr. Dickson came to America. He was preaching in the New England states, Boston probably. While he was preaching a young man came up to him and said he was a chaplain. In the course of the conversation Dr. Dickson said, “Young man, how did you come to know Christ?” “Well,” he said, “I haven’t always been a chaplain. I was in the Navy for a while. Our country had anchored in the bay of Sydney. We got shore leave in the city of Sydney. I was walking down the street that is called George one day. A little old man with white hair stepped out and said, “Sir, if you died today, do you know you would go to heaven? It is a good thing to think about.” He said, “I didn’t know. I came back to America . I sought out my preacher and he led me to Christ. Since then God has called me to be a Chaplain. “ Dr. Dickson said, “I have had about all of this I can take. I’ve got to go to Sydney. “ He went to Sydney as fast as he could and called one of his dear preacher brethren. he said, “Sir, I want to know, do you know a little old man with white hair down on the street called George that witnesses to everybody that comes by?” “Oh,” he said, “Yes, we know him.” Dr. Dickson said, “Do you think you could take me to find that little man?” “Oh Yes.” “Do you know his name?” “Yes, his name is Mr. Genno.” They drove to a little old broken down one room house and knocked on the door. A little old man men them who wasn’t long for this world came to the door shuffling his feet. He opened the door. they said, “Are you Mr. Genno?” He said, ”Yes.” They introduced themselves. He said, “Would you come in?” They said, “Yes,” and they came in. Dr. Dickson related this story to him. The old man began to cry uncontrollably. Dr. Dickson said, “Sir, if I have upset you I am so sorry.” “Oh, “He said, “No, you haven’t upset me. Many years ago I was the most wicked man there ever was. I was a sailor. I sailed the high seas. Everybody hated me. Out on the deck of a ship about ten years ago I met God. Jesus came into my heart. I promised God that day there on the deck of that ship, that every day I lived I would witness to ten people. I have been doing that now for over ten years and this is the first time I have ever heard of anybody being saved. Dr. Dickson said, “Sir, you are known around the world!”
The old man died shortly but he had a hero’s welcome in heaven. tTe Lord undoubtedly said, ‘Well done, thou good and faithful servant!” Let’s keep on doing what we’ve been doing!
Told by Alvis Edmondson, 1994
From the CROSS Through the CHURCH To the WORLD
Love Gifts provided to the missionaries by the congregation of Grace Baptist Church
