July, 1942
THE K I N G ’ S BUS I NE S S
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with delight the man or woman whom God is using. I can say with one of England’s preachers, “If I find a man a thousandth part of an inch bigger than I am,, whom the Lord wants to use, I will be glad to stand behind him and hold his coat.” - QUE.: Is evangelistic w o r k growing more d ifficu lt? Have you found it harder to interest people in general in spiritual things these latter, years?' No. I should feel that I were though if people stopped coming to hear the gospel. And they know what they are coming for when they come to hear me. Yet they come in increasing numbers. Without doubt, there is evid'ent throughout the land today a hunger!for the security of faith in God. Nothing appeals to the needs of the race as the gospel does. Nothing else will do. The needs of the world are only satisfied by the abun dant, overflowing, free grace "of God. I believe the desire on the part of God’s people for spiritual quickening is more pronounced today than in other years. * QUE .:; What influence has the present world confusion, w h e n whole nations are facing disaster, on this growing hunger fo r spir itual things? A great deal. That has been proved in other countries. Men see civiliza
QUE.: Y ou have been preaching f o r sixty-five years. What type o f evangelism do you believe is most effective? I would not dare to say. God has many methods of working. “There are diversities of operation, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.” If a child of God is sincerely seeking to serve the Lord, he has my bless ing, though his methods may be op posite to mine. There was a time, when 1 was younger, when I did not feel this way. When I heard of souls being converted in certain meetings, I would wonder about it. But our Lord, when speaking of the tares, admon ished the disciples to let them alone, saying: “Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up ¿also the wheat with them.” And, again, when Jesus and His dis ciples were baptizing in Judea while John also was baptizing near Salim, there arose a dispute between some of John’s disciples and the Jews about purifying. "And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him. “John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.” And, now, I can thank God if souls are converted under a chimney sweep* on the street corner, tinder a Salva tion Army lassie—anywhere—and hail
Exalting Christ A t the left is shown part of the crowd of several thousand that packed Pershing Square, Los An* geles, and listened from downtown office windows on May 12, 1942, when Gipsy Smith spoke from the platform of the Victory House. Intro duced by Louis T. Talbot, President of the Bible Institute of Los An geles and Pastor of the Church of the Open Door, Gipsy Smith held his vast audience spellbound as be pleaded with them on behalf of Christ to put Him first in everything. Appreciating anew the American privilege thus to speak one’s convic tions publicly and unafraid, the lis teners responded b y purchasing United States government war bonds and stamps totaling $109,473— the largest amount to be received at this center on any one day thus far. It is an individual matter. I be lieve' God can save three thousand souls in one day—I believe He can save a million in one day-—but each one of that million must obey the conditions of salvation. QUE.: Do you feel that the days o f revival are past? Is spring over? Has the sun ceased [ Continued on Page 278] tion, which they have all but wor shiped, crumbling, and they are With out God—without hope. They are los ing faith in civilization, in education, in scientific discoveries as a safe foundation for the world, and they are realizing that the foundations they have built are all wrong, and that they need God. No man can teach the real fundamentals of life—long ings, struggles, agony, pain, tears— unless he starts with God. I have noticed this new attitude among the taxicab drivers who bring me from the hotel to the Church of the Open Door. I make it a poiht not to let one of them get away without a word from the Book. And I have seen them take their caps off in re spect while I was talking of God, and some have said, “I know that is true. We all need God.” Before, I have found response and respect, but now men are beginning to talk and are think ing. Nothing makes people think like disaster. People won’t pray until they begin to think, and when they begin to pray, they will, find their- way to God. When a man begins to exam ine his needs and finds out what is wrong with his life, he will soon come to the conclusion that God is the only one who Can help him.
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