Here I go again.

Jumping into some heavy and hot theological stew. About Elvis Presley,

of course. All that was going in for the past week had to come out in

some way. During some of the Elvis television mania, I turned and asked

my wife, "What do I have to say about all this?" There has to

be more than a million candles around the world or a million Elvis impersonators

around the world. So, here it is.

Elvis Presley

was a Christian. About 20 years ago, I was not so sure. Today, I am. What

do I mean, "Christian?" A Christian from my perspective is someone

who accepts Jesus Christ as God's Truth with a capital "T."

A Christian is someone who embraces Jesus Christ as personal Savior and

Lord.

Now, for all

of you who just erupted with a case of holy hiccups, my definition of

Christian does not include someone who is perfect. My definition of Christian

does not include simply someone who has just returned from a Benny Hinn,

Billy Graham, Creflo Dollar all night holy hoopla.

Some folks

will look at the life of Elvis Presley especially as the media has portrayed

him in recent weeks and evaluate his life as more to do with the devil

than a follower of Jesus Christ. Frankly, as a Christian, I am embarrassed

with Elvis' lifestyle, especially as it has to do with drugs and women.

Indeed, as a believer in Jesus Christ, Elvis was an embarrassment to the

cause of Christ.

But, how about

you and me? What about all the Sunday School attending corporate executives

who are being handcuffed for defrauding millions of people, terrorizing

the future hopes of many people. These corporate sins affected millions;

Elvis' sins only affected him and those who were more than willing to

participate.

Personally,

I don't think Elvis was practicing wise decision making; but, I don't

think he was the devil or is he with the devil right now.

Not too long

after Elvis died, two great men of God shared with personal friends that

they had counseled personally with Elvis and that they were convinced

Elvis was a genuine Christian. One of those men was Rev. Rex Humbard.

At one time (around 1975), Rev. Humbard was the most watched television

pastor in the nation. Well, at a 1976 breakfast with Rev. Humbard in Fort

Lauderdale, Florida, he shared that he visited with Elvis in Las Vegas

and that Elvis had given his heart to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now, how does

one reconcile the Elvis lifestyle with th e

lifestyle of a true follower of Jesus Christ? That's the miracle of grace.

It's greater than all our sins. The grace that Elvis accepted through

acknowledging Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord was, in fact, greater than

all his sins. In fact, also, God's grace is greater than all your or my

sins. Don't you think you ought to get a hold of some? You may be no Elvis

Presley, but you may be a sinner.

The Rev.

Dr. John Hatcher is pastor of

River's Edge Community Church

1091 South Jeff Davis Drive

Fayetteville, Georgia 30215

770-719-0303

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