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T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
February 1926
One of the most difficult problems o f the church is that o f persuading the people that it is their God-given privilege as well as their God-given obligation, to be soul-winners. The real church is a body of saved sin ners,—unworthy, defiled, hell-bound sinners—saved by grace. Mark it! Make it plain! Sense it! Make the personal application! Had we been given our just deserts we would have been eternally separated from
THE JOY BELLS OF THE BELIEVER What are they and where do they ringt The messages of the Bible are ceaseless in their won ders. Is it not true that well known and familiar passages break forth with new meaning as we meditate upon themf For instance,—we have often quoted the words “ The joy of the Lord is your strength.” Whose strength? Read the con text : “ This day la holy onto
God. But, thank God, some one was used to bring us the truth and lead us to Christ. T h e r e are sermons, lectures and books un numbered on sacred and Scriptural themes, but rarely do 'you find a clear-cut message on the responsibility for per sonal evangelism and the inexpressible joy which attends it, though the B i b l e emphasizes and illustrates by many ex amples the necessity and g r a c i o u s privilege of winning souls. The failure to give this work its rightful place in the church is robbery! God is robbed! Christ is robbed! The Holy Spirit is robbed! T h e church is robbed! Souls are robbed! Heaven is robbed! If the Lord shall tarry for another year, every reader of this editorial b may have the privilege and joy of winning souls and o f doing their best to incite others to do likewise. God will have the souls waiting for your testimony and your
WASHINGTON “ Washington stands the noblest leader who was ever entrusted with his country’s life. His patience under provocation, calmness in danger, lofty cour age when all others despaired, magnanimity to defamers, generosity to foes, ambition for his coun try, unselfishness for himself, combined to make him, by the unanimous judgment of the world, the fore most figure o f history.” LINCOLN “ Abraham Lincoln was a man of profound faith. He believed in God. He believed in Christ. He believed in the Bible. He believed in men. His faith made him great. * * * It is easy to trace in the life of this colossal character a steady growth in faith, until it came to pass that his last public utterances show forth the confidence and fire o f an ancient Hebrew prophet.” “ Next to Washington, Lincoln stands forth as the grandest patriot in our American life. Washington was the ‘ Father o f his Country’ ; Lineoln was her most loyal son; Washington brought the United States of America into being; Lincoln made that being immortal; Washington unfurled a new flag among the nations of the world; Lincoln made that flag a mighty power among those nations. And so our Nation has most rightly and fittingly made the birthdays o f these two, her illustrious sons, legal holidays, to inspire us to a purer, nobler, holier manhood. ’ ’—Selected.
the Lord your God; mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the words o f the law. “ Then he said unto them. Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet; and send portions unto them for whom nothing is pre pared; for this day is holy unto the Lord; neither be ye sorry; for THIS JOY OF THE LORD IS YOUR STRENGTH.” (Nehemiah 7 :9 , 10). Yes, there is wonder ful strength in the “ joy of the Lord,” and what that joy is He Himself has made very clear in Luke 15:7, 10: ” 1 say unto you, that likewise Joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine Just persons who need no re pentance. ••• "Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that' repenteth." W h a t a wonderful p r i v i l e g e , then, is bestowed upon the be liever! If all the bands of music on earth might be assembled and break
personal plea to them to accept Christ as their Saviour. You will find the work easy if you use the Gospel of John which was written for the one purpose of soul saving (John 20:31): “These things are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Bon of God; and that, believing, ye might have life through His name.” Possibly you may set the joy bells ringing in some sinner’s heart and in Heaven and never know it until the records are open and you, perchance, look into the radiant face of some soul whose salvation was wrought through your earnest effort.. Let us set the joy bells ringing and keep them ring ing until Jesus comes. In the words of the good old Gospel hymn:
forth in wonderful strains of music, it would create no joy in Heaven. But, when one o f God’s children, in obedience to His call and command, and led by the Holy Spirit, wins one sinner to confess Christ, then the joy bells ring in Heaven and the celestial courts echo with glad rejoicing. Have you ever experienced the incomputable and unspeakable joy of the soul-winner? Has your soul ever vibrated in tune with the Heavenly harmony? “ One soul!” How strange it seems that Heaven should be stirred with angelic joy over the conversion of ONE soul,—a harlot, or a bandit, or a wayward boy or girl! “ My ways are not your ways, neither are my thoughts your thoughts” saith the Lord. Truly, His ways are Heaven-higher than our ways or thoughts could ever be.
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