Christian Post: Tim LaHaye’s Memorial Service: ‘Left Behind’ Author Was Foremost a Man of God, Soul Winner

Megachurch pastor David Jeremiah remembered Tim LaHaye, best known for co-authoring the bestselling book series Left Behind, as someone that challenged him to be a better person every time he met him, during a memorial service for LaHaye Friday morning.

“I would leave always wanting to do better” and serve Jesus Christ more, said Jeremiah, senior pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church, where the memorial service was held, in the San Diego suburb. Tim LaHaye was the former senior pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church before Jeremiah took over the role.

LaHaye died on July 25 at age 90, and is survived by his wife, Beverly, four children, nine grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren, all of whom were in attendance at the memorial service, arriving from eight different states.

In his message honoring LaHaye, Jeremiah began by saying that there is a term that appears in the Old Testament 75 times in 70 passages: Man of God. Five people are given that title: Moses, Samuel, David, Elijah, and Elisha.

But in the New Testament, only one reference is found, and interestingly enough, it refers to a man named Tim.

1 Timothy 6:11 reads: “But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness” — an apt description of LaHaye’s life, said Jeremiah.

He also noted that despite LaHaye selling over 90 million copies of his Left Behind book series, which he co-authored with Jerry Jenkins, the money and popularity that ensued never changed him.

“I knew Tim LaHaye before the Left Behind series and I knew him after and I couldn’t tell the difference,” Jeremiah shared.

LaHaye’s co-author of the end times series, Jerry Jenkins, recalled many memories he shared with the pastor/bestselling author and said it was an “unspeakable privilege” to have known LaHaye. Having seen LaHaye up-close-and-personal, Jenkins shared about a particularly strong memory he had of his writing partner. Jenkins said that during their travels if LaHaye suddenly disappeared, he could often be found somewhere praying with someone he just met.

Jenkins sprinkled many humorous anecdotes about LaHaye in his tribute, including how he was first introduced to LaHaye as “a bestselling nonfiction author with a great fiction idea, and you’re a novelist with no ideas,” which he recounted with a laugh.

Read more at Tim LaHaye’s Memorial Service: ‘Left Behind’ Author Was Foremost a Man of God, Soul Winner. 

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