rors in our own day. They re count the heroic deeds of past and present generations of believers which challenge us for this day in which we live. They teach lessons of courage, tenacity, saintliness, zeal, devotion, dedication, and sacrifice. They will cause one to realize more fully the truth of the Lord’s word that the gates of hell shall not prevail against His church, and that the fulfillment of this statement is not to be found in man’s activities but in the pow er of the Lord Himself. They will send the reader to his knees in sorrow for the sins of the church, in supplication for a faith that will do great exploits to match those of the past, in rejoicing for what God has done. What can I read ? One can read almost any kind o f church history book that one wants. There are biographies for those who like to read what God has done, and is doing, through other Christians. There are general church histo ries, of one or many volumes, which review the whole sweep of Christian history. There are pe riod studies which concentrate upon some significant time. There are studies of great events and movements in church history. There are surveys of the growth of doctrine, tracing doctrines from their inception in the in spired Word through their devel opment and systemization to their present form. There are mission ary books in which one may trav el to any land in any period of Ch r i s t i an history. There are analyses of current movements, such as ecumenicity and the Sec ond Vatican Council. In general, those books which present the broad view of the church and missions, and biogra phies will be most interesting to the largest number. More serious readers, on the other hand, will enjoy the detailed studies and surveys of current movements. But, there are enough books for everyone and for every taste. Se lect one, read, and rejoice as you see what great things God hath done!
write church history today in some manner or other. Every church and minister preaching the Gospel, every mission society reaching out to the ends of the earth, every teacher standing be fore a Sunday School class, every personal worker is writing church history today. The ongoing out reach of the Gospel in every form is simply the contemporary writ ing of the history of the Chris tian church. Church history, then, is very real to each of us who names the name of Christ. Some who have read church history books say that they do not enjoy them; they are too dry, or too detailed. Church history books, however, are like all other books. They vary a great deal in content and presentation. Some are exciting while others are dull; some see the forest while others only see the trees; some view the great panorama of Christian his tory while others fail to rise above the ordinary commonplace details of everyday life. When one finds a church history book in which he is not interested, he should not conclude that church history is dull and uninteresting. He should conclude instead that he lay aside the book like any other that does not appeal to him and select one which will arouse his interest. Church history books are valu able additions to a Christian’s reading list. They cause him to see that there is a continuity be tween the past and the present. They allow him to see that the church did not cease to be spir itual and useful after the close of the first century. They introduce him to men and women of great faith who make him realize that persons of any age of Christian history may be greatly used of the Lord as they surrender their lives to the Lord. They enable him to see the rich heritage of his church and make him appreciate more the struggles through which it has come to reach its present position. They reveal heresies and failures of the past which stand as warnings against similar er
whAv MAkes cimi SUMAS ChKlSViAN? Christmas is many things. It is always a holiday, family reunions, a tree and presents. Sometimes it is also a time of praise to God for the loving gift of his Son. A truly Christian observance of Christmas demands that our thoughts and festivities center about the Word of God who was made flesh. This year why not make sure that your greeting cards are distinctly Christian? By their unique combination of bibli cally oriented art and greetings com posed only of Scripture texts and Christian verse, Great Commission cards present a positive witness to Christ. S 6 N t ) C h R iS T T M A S C A R t > S r b A C a r g c b R i s r i A N ! I------------------------------------------------ 1 I Great Commission Publications 7401 Old York Road I Philadelphia, Pa. 19126 Dept. KB Please send me your free illustrated full- I | color Christmas card brochure.
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Enclose with mail, pass around, 24 pages of Salvation Scriptures. Send $1.00 for ppd. sample lot. L I T T L E B I B L E S Box 6365 Glendale, Calif. 91204
SEPTEMBER, 1968
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