"So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord..." 2 Timothy 1:8-9 NIV

Testimony of Mike Long

Companions in Christ

[Testiony from Don Holt's Newsletter] Editors note: Mike Long, a confessed Christian was the last man to be executed on Oklahona’s Death Row. He asked Rev. Irvin Judd to be with him in his final hours. The following letter was written by Mike in his own hand with a request that it be read at his funeral. The letter is posted on the internet at < http://www.testimonies.com > Whether or not you believe in capital punishment is not the issue here. The issue is do you believe in the forgiving love of Jesus. Will you be able to live in harmony with men like Mike Long. Hopelully this letter will make all of us stop and think about what it means to truly forgive another person because if we cannot we may have to explain it all to a loving savior. Let’s not wait that long lets deal with it now.

Final Words of a Death Row Inmate

Hello to all my friends and family members. Thank you for coming and for loving me

This sure is a strange situation. Not many people are able to share a message at their own funeral. I don’t know what to say but I will give it a good try.

I suppose you think that I am dead. Not true. Don’t believe it. At this moment I am more alive than I ever was. I was born of the flesh in 1962 and I was born in the spirit in 1987. That which is born of the flesh may die but that born of the spirit shall live forever. If you want to know where I am, look up, then smile.

The bible says that Jesus raised people from the dead. Jesus said He has the authority and if you believe on Him the works that He did, you shall do also. Wait! Sit down! Don’t even think about it! Don’t even think about laying hands on me, raising me up, and snatching me out of this fabulous place. Don’t make me ask Jesus to ask an angel to put some noogies on your head.

I know most of you came today so you could pay your respects or say goodbye. The real deal is that you don’t have to say goodbye. First of all, I am still with you inside your heart and your mind. Secondly, it is only a matter of time until we are together again. We will be together again, won’t we? You are coming to Heaven, aren’t you? It is not up to me. It’s not up to God. It is up to you.

In Romans 14 the bible says, "Whether we live, we live unto the Lord; whether we die, we die unto the Lord; whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that He might be Lord both of the dead and living." To boil it down, what it is saying is that you belong to the Lord Jesus Christ but does He belong to you? He is the Master but is He your Master?

The only way to be able to come to Heaven is for you to be holy, pure, righteous, and without sin. How do you do that or get that? You can’t. You can’t do anything. Jesus has done it all for you. He went to the cross in order to take your sin, your guilt, your punishment, your judgment. Jesus is your sacrifice. Only by faith in Jesus and what He accomplished on the cross can you be cleansed, justified, redeemed, and headed for Heaven. Only by faith and trust in Jesus. Sound too easy? Sound too hard? It’s all in the Bible.

I pray that each and every one of you has invited Christ into your heart as Lord of your life and Savior of your soul. If you haven’t, please don’t delay. God has promised that you shall seek Him and find Him when you search for Him with all your heart. A wise person once said that we change when the misery of where we are is greater than the fear of change. Please do not be afraid of coming to Jesus or of becoming a Christian. It took a long time and a lot of pain before I finally realized that truth. Learn from my mistakes.

Many, many of us are waiting for you. This place is breathtakingly awesome. We’ll see you soon. I close with these words:

I said to the man who stood at the gate of the years, "Give me a light that I may walk safely into the unknown."

He said to me, "Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God and He shall be to you brighter than a light and safer than a known way."

Mike Long, 1998

Permission to use granted by
Don Holt & Mike Long's Family

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