with darkness if we walk in the light. The world will hate us because it hated Him. I f we are to be “hail- fellows-well-met,” we must dim our light under the bushel or the bed. But God expects us to let our light shine. We are not to shine it, mind you, in order to dazzle everybody with our goodness, but simply to let it shine. It is a glow, not a glare; nevertheless, if we let it shine, a lot of folks will squirm. So the crisis of the ages is that light has come into the world. It shines in the Saviour; it shines in the Scriptures; it shines in the saints. Men do not like it because it shows them up, for they are doing things that will not stand the light. Earnest souls never criticize plain preaching, because they are ever seeking more light. But men with skeletons in their closets want lavender and rose-water sermonettes. When Job saw the light, he abhorred himself. When Isaiah saw the light, he cried, “Woe is me!” When the Samaritan wom an came into the light, she invited her townspeople: “Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?” Jesus shows us up! The crisis is not the atomic bomb. The crisis is the Christ who has come, who stands among us now. “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already.” Men are con demned now, right where they are. There is also the sense in which the crisis is yet to come, for Jesus is coming again. Again and again, the Word of God sets before us crisis and conduct. In Titus we are told that the grace of God has appeared and that we are looking for that blessed hope of Jesus’ com ing. He tells us how to live between these two Ad vents: denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, living soberly, righteously and godly in this present world. In First Corinthians we read that the time is short, and that the fashion of this world is passing away. We are exhorted to make our conduct fit the crisis (1 Cor. 7:29- 31). Peter tells us that the end of all things is at hand, and that the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God. Between those statements, he calls us to conduct suited to the crisis (1 Pet. 4:7-19). In Romans we read that it is high time to awake out of sleep, that the night is far spent and the day is at hand. Then Paul exhorts us to godly conduct. Again Peter pictures the Lord coming as a thief, the heavens passing away with great noise, the elements melting with fervent heat, the earth and its works burning up. Since these things are to be dissolved, we are told what manner of persons we ought to be; our conduct should fit the crisis (2 Pet. 3:10-12). We are to exhort one another, and so much the more as we see the day of His coming approaching (Heb. 10:25). The Chinese have an ideograph for “crisis,” composed of the words for “danger” and “opportunity,” expressing “a dangerous opportunity.” We face a dangerous op portunity today. We are not to lose our heads, but rather to be sober, to walk circumspectly, to redeem the time, to love not the world, to let our moderation be known to all men. Our conduct should match the crisis. The crisis is not the coming of Christ, but the Christ who is coming. He is the issue. He has come, the Light of the world. He stands among us now, saying, “He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.” He is com ing again, but the greatest issue is not: “What is the world coming to?” but rather, “What will you do with Jesus?” This is the crisis: “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believed not is condemned al ready, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” MAY, 1947
How Does Your Praying Rate? A Q u iz for the Christian By Betty Bruechert 1. Do you actually pray in private at least one half an hour a day by the clock f 2. Are you able to keep your thoughts from wander ing to other matters when you pray? 3. Do you make yourself get up promptly in the morn ing in order not to neglect prayer? 4. In public prayer, are you able to forget the people present, and make real contact with God? 5. Do you always pray in the name of Jesus? 6. Do you diligently watch for answers to your pray ers, and are you careful to thank God for them? 7. After receiving an answer to prayer, do you fulfill any promises you may have made to God? 8. When you pray in public, do you resist the tempta tion to orate? 9. Do you witness to others of definite answers to prayer you have received? 10. Have you a prayer list? 11. Do you wake up in the morning with a prayer upon your lips or in your heart? 12. When others are praying, are you courteous and reverent, closing your eyes and praying silently? 13. Are you willing to be the instrument by which God answers your prayer? 14. Do you keep your promises to missionaries and others who ask your prayer help? 15. In sickness and trouble of any nature, is prayer your first thought? 16. In saying grace at the table, do you avoid mechan ical statements, and really pray? 17. Do you remember to pray regularly, as God has commanded, for our government? 18. When you instruct others in praying, do you teach them to talk to God? 19. Do you incorporate Scriptural expressions in your prayers? 20. Do you refuse to use your public prayers to instruct or attack others? 21. Are you so in earnest about your requests that you come to God again and again for them? 22. Is your most fervent prayer all the time for the salvation of the lost and the welfare of Christians? 23. Do you really fight the interruptions that would keep you from praying? 24. Do you resist the temptations of Satan on your knees f 25. When you pray, do you honestly seek the glory of God? You mo,y allow yourself 4 for each question to which you can honestly answer, "Yes.“ I f your score is 100, you are an outstanding Christian. I f your score is not more them SO, you should put yourself first on your own prayer list. Next month’s questions will deal with the Christian’s conversation. Following that, there will be quizzes on the Christian’s dress, on his witnessing, his pleasures, the way he spends his time, and other subjects of vital, practical interest to those who love the Lord. PAGE SEVEN
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