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T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
It is certain that reports differ so definitely that one is puzzled, hut we are interested—apropos of the Bishop’s statement that “ Bolshevism has been a scare- word ’’¡r—to note that a large number of good American business men are using their eyes and ears along this line and do not take kindly to the Bolshevist methods being employed in this country. We are sure of one thing—we do not need any more Bolshevist" than we already have, either in the church or in civil affairs. We know the Modernists have spectacles through which they are able to see black as white but through which they cannot see some things in the Scriptures which are as plain as day, but we do not bow to Bolshe vism nor to its twin brother, Modernism. THE CONSTRUCTION OF CHRISTIAN CHARACTER, FOR YOUNG PEOPLE No two persons see exactly alike in all things, but the bulk of people are without individuality. They are trained in the mass and rarely become masters of themselves. They are just one in the crowd, without personality. This is the fault of the schools. Teachers have no time for concentration upon individuals. There is an adage, “ Be yourself.” That is good, but —what kind of a self? A selfish self? A schooled self? Or a separate self? Everything depends upon one’s ideal. Will that ideal be some individual? If so, whom ? Will it be some particular characteristic of some one, and if so, what? Would you choose .some well-rounded character that will enable you to attain the highest character of man hood or womanhood? Then you must lay your founda tions deep and strong. Most people never do that. Most young people drift along with the tide and are swept into the vortex of a changeless crowd. Their footprints are all alike. When you have seen one, you have seen all. Who and what is the ideal character of the civilized World? Is it not Christ, and the Christian character? And when we say “ Christian” we do not mean simply a church member, for so often the church member is just one of a “ Christian crowd,” albeit upon a higher level than the ordinary crowd. When we say “ Chris tian” we mean a real follower of Jesus Christ, one whose character-foundation is laid upon the Bible and whose heart is centered upon Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord,—or Lord and Saviour, as one chooses. Perhaps a mother set Christ before you in your youthful days and painted the picture so that woven into your being was the God-Man, Christ Jesus, and He has never faded from your vision. Perhaps a fa ther held you bn his knee and told you the sweetest of all human stories—the story of the life and death and resurrection of our Lord. But—perhaps this was not your happy experience, and you have been carried along with the crowd until now. It is never too late to choose. Never too late to build. Only, be sure about the foundation. Be sure that you build on God’s Book—the Bible. There can be no question about this. It must be the foundation of any great life, of an individuality that is marked. Hundreds of the best men that have ever lived and ac complished things for their fellow men, who have been outstanding characters, worth - knowing and worth copying, are the proof of this statement.
If you want to do the best, you must be the best. I f you want to be the best, then you must bave the best, and if you want to have the best—you must have the Bible. Pick it up and look at it—the wonderful Word of God. There you find the great characters—good and bad. There you find the foundation of the great lives which have accomplished great things. There are the great men and great women of all ages. There you find the incentive for living. There you find the power. Build on the Bible and you will construct a temple that God Himself will honor and through which He will shed forth His power and glory. You must know that Bible. You must know the Man Christ of that Bible. You must tie yourself up to faith in every word of it. You must believe in the blood of Jesus Christ, which gives you access to the secrets of the Bible. You must yield yourself to the Holy Spirit, the author of the Bible and allow Him to develop that life in you which will insure to you a character after His own fashioning, which will be unique and unequalled among the sons and daughters of men. TH E TW ENTY -FIFTH A P PEA L (C u t o u t a n d k eep before you d u rin g 1 9 24). M onth by m o n th fo r tw o y e a rs th ese appeals have gone fo rth— th is one th e tw enty-fifth. T h e y have gone o u t unsigned, b u t n o t uncreden- tialed. T h ey have gone unfinanced by m an, un b ack ed by h um an prom ise o r p ledge of any kind, b u t n o t u n su p p o rte d by the prom ises of God. T h ey have gone forth, n o t to poin t to o r exalt a n y h um an nam e, b u t only H im w hose ¿tame alone is w o rth y of exaltation. W ould th e devil send o u t such ap peals? Does he call th e p eo p le of God to p ra y e r? Is h e lo n g in g for revival of th e saints? D id h e inspire th e disciples to “ ta rry fo r th e prom ise of th e F a th e r? “ Did h e keep W esley on hi® face un til God shook G re at B ritain and A m erica? Did h e rejoice w hen B rainerd w e p t for souls? D id h e stan d back' of Finney, a n d Moody, and C hapm an, a n d T o rre y w hen these w ere in terceding fo r th e lost? N ay, verily! No p ra y e r th a t ever ascended to th e F a th e r in Jesus* n am e in behalf of th e C h u rc h w as inspired by th e h in d ere r of p ra y e r. N o r a re these, and sim iliar ap p eals on th e p a rt of others, thus in spired. God be p raised fo r th e m any saints w ho a re being driven b y th e S pirit to th eir knee«, b u t alas fo r the m ultitudes w ho a re still indifferent! C an it b e possible th a t th e C h u rc h will cro ss th e th resh o ld of th e New Y ear still w allow ing in its u n believing, p ra y erless im p o ten cy ? W ill it be co n te n t to pass th ro u g h 1924, as th ro u g h p reced in g years, a sk in g fo r m ere fleshly toys to co n sum e u p o n itself, ra th e r th a n fo r neighborhoods an d nations, ham lets an d hem ispheres, to lay evangelized a t th e feet of th e w o rld ’s R edeem er? D oes it n o t know th a t th e execution of its C hrist- given task of w orld evangelization will follow speedily the w orld-w ide re tu rn to sp iritu al h e alth of its own paraly zed body? “ O h, th a t T h o u w ouldest re n d th e heavens, th a t T hou w ouldest com e d o w n !” . L et th is becom e th e in cessan t h e a rt-c ry from m illion« of h ith e rto neglected p ra y e r cham bers, an d th e A n sw er will com e. Sim ul taneously on e a rth m eans “suddenly from heaven** (A c ts 2 :1 ). PRAY FO R REV IVA L !
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