THE K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
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sacrifice in order to save th e world from to ta l ruin? Hencei we are told th a t whatever it may be th a t stands between us and a constructive service, th e service th a t makes men like Jesus Christ, m ust be pu t aside. Even if the rig h t hand is a cause of stum bling we m ust cut it off, if th e rig h t foot is an offence we must get rid of it, if th e rig h t eye leads us astray and causes us to be a stumbling block we must pluck it ou t fo r it is b etter th a t we should en ter into real life in th e kingdom of heaven maimed, h a lt or blind th an th a t we should sacri fice th e soul and reta in these members. T h at is th e th ing God is teaching us today and th e tragedy th a t is already deep and dark will be deeper and d ark er still if in th is challenge of fire we do no t get rid of the th ing s th a t have led us to stum ble a t th is time. This salting tim e is not only a tim e of salting b u t it is a tim e of pruning. I t is a tim e when God would cut off th e dead branches and fruitless branches; it is a tim e th a t He would prune th e good branches th a t they may bring fo rth good fru it. So we are challenged to lay aside the things th a t have been stum bling blocks to us, th a t have been stand ing between us and God and th e realiza tion of th a t life th a t is made possible in Jesu s Christ. The only church th a t can stand the te st of th is hou r and meet th e challenge of th e re-construction days is th e salted and pruned church and if we do not allow Him to do His work of judgm ent in us a t th is tim e I believe th a t we will be spewed ou t of His m outh and le ft to ourselves and to our program s th a t dishonor Him. It is th e desire of God th a t we should be salted by th e fire of th e Holy Spirit b u t if we do no t m eet th a t desire we shall be salted by th e fire of judgm ent and I believe th a t th a t is one element in th is tragedy a t th is time. God chal lenged His church in love. The love of God was preached w ith special em-
it like Jesus Christ wherever it is ren dered or however it is rendered is the service th a t is v ital and in th e final analysis th e te st of real greatness. This is a real te st of our activities and it is a m a tte r th a t ought to greatly sober us in th e blackness of th is m idnight th rough which we are now passing. Have our activities helped to make bet te r men and b etter women? We have boasted of th e age as th e age of culture and intelligence. We have stressed the subject of efficiency and have boasted th a t all our systems of education have been shaped and reshaped w ith a view to efficiency. On th e testim ony of a business man who knows the world and has made a profound study of our tim e and its characteristics th e educational activities of our generation from th e point of view of th e production of g reat ch aracter will stand among th e most p athetic failu res in history. Of one th ing we are sure, our boasted age of enlightenm ent has brought us into the most ho rrib le holocaust of crime th e world has ever known. Of course, we are no t blind to th e fact th a t in th is dark n igh t when men are sta rtled ou t of a sleep in which they had forgotten fundam ental things th ere is a display of real heroism and m arty r sp irit th a t has- astonished th e world. Notw ithstanding this, however, the o ther fact stands th a t th e leader of our though t and culture has forced upon the world th e g reatest crime of history. Jesus ta u g h t His disciples th a t anything th a t h u rt, or m arred or caused to stum ble th e little ones th a t believe on Him is a curse by w hatever name it is called, and He said th a t it were b etter for a man th a t a “m illstone were hanged about his neck, th a t he were cast into th e depths of th e sea th a p to be th e cause of stum bling of one of these little ones.” W hat shall be said of th e generation of leaders and teachers w h o ' have led th e m illions of th e youth of our day into th e ho rro rs of a m idnight in which they have to
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