August, 1940
291
T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
Martin Luther’s maxim was: “ Stand up cheerfully, speak up manfully, leave off speedily.” v . Paul once preached a long sermon —-evidently too long for Eutychus, who fell asleep and then fell from the third story and died (Acts 20:9). Too long sermons exhaust the hearers, whose ability to concentrate and to give at tention is limited. “Brevity,” commented Charles Had- don Spurgeon, “is a virtue within the reach of us all.” He added this worth while advice: “Do not let us lose the opportu nity of gaining the credit which brevity brings. If you ask me how - you may shorten your sermons, I should say study them better. Spend more time in the study, that you may need less in the pulpit. We are generally longest when we have least to say. A man with a great deal of well-prepared matter will probably not exceed forty min utes; when he has less to say, he ' will go on for fifty minutes, and when he has absolutely nothing, he will need an hour to say it in. At tend to these minor things, and they will help to retain retention.” Thorough Treatment Necessary Of course, the preacher will see to it that he is sufficiently comprehen sive to embrace all that is essential. Moreover, he will scorn the present-day waft for little preacherettes to give little sermonettes for little Christian- ettes. Time will be taken to express in a clear and convincing manner the mes sage on hand. Forsyth complained: "The demand for short sermons on the part of Christian people Is one of the most fatal influ ences at work to destroy preaching in the true sense of the word.” The fact remains, however, that the ordinary congregation will not listen to long, tedious sermons. Great ora tors may sustain the interest of an audience for an hour, and under extraor dinary circumstances even an ordinary preacher may do this; but, generally speaking, half that time is long enough. Well, if we take half an hour for the sermon, what a responsibility is ours! We must give to each flying minute something to keep in store. “Men die in darkness at your side, Without a hope to cheer the tomb; Take up the torch, and wave it wide, The torch that lights time’s thickest gloom.” DISTRESS OF NATIONS [ Continued from Page 284] shall be governed by godless, ruthless, merciless dictators. Two 'Comings Repeatedly in Matthew, Daniel, and Revelation we find that the character-
whom we have been speaking, even the Lord Jesus Christ? Let me beseech you, my friend, for your own sake, for your family’s sake, but most of all for the Lord’s sake, put your trust in Him today. Receive Him as your own personal Saviour while you still have opportunity to know His saving grace (2 Cor. 6:2). God has provided an ark of shelter from the storm that is sure to come, and that ark of safety is Christ. Have you fled to Him for refuge? If not, will you not do it today? of the world. But she has never planned to do it by sending armed forces from her own borders. The scheme is to pro duce insurrection “internally.” The Com munist Party is the recognized Soviet “fifth column” in the U. S. A. The Dies Committee has shown that the Commun ist Party is under the remote control of Moscow. Its goal is to set up the Soviet system of government in this country. Soviet America would then be a branch or “colony” of the Red Inter national, with headquarters in Moscow. Of course, once the Soviets or Nazis got a foothold in the Western hemi sphere, they would have bases for mili tary activity. There a re’ more than a score of small nations in South Amer ica. Many of them are republics in name only. A small political coterie or military clique is often in control. It is not unusual for revolutions to occur at intervals, on the average, of twenty years. Gold has greased the revolution ary machinery in the past, and there is no reason to think that if plentifully supplied by Nazi and Soviet conspira tors, it might not again. Congressman Dies, has adduced con vincing evidence of revolutionary in trigue being carried out by foreign agents in Mexico and other nations to the south of us. Since it will be through the “fifth column” that the attack on America will be advanced, it is rather strange that, with all the plans being made for national defense, and all the billions be ing appropriated—no drastic and effect ive action is being taken against the borers-from-within and the foreign agents in our midst. Mr. Dies has laid before Congress a fair and well-balanced plan for checking the subversive forces working for internal insurrection. But the Administration has shown no dispo sition to recommend its adoption by Congress. If the politicians will not act to safe guard American institutions, the people must. An aroused public opinion should demand the adoption of such measures as may be necessary to protect our na tion against the “enemy within our gates.” , SIGNIFICANCE OF THE NEWS 1 [ Continued from Page 283]
istic fe’atures of the end of Gentile world dominion will reach their ap pointed climax in the coming of a su perman, the Antichrist. This one will set up his image in the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem, commanding universal worship. At this .time, the Jewish rem nant will flee to the mountains, for there is to follow a time of tribulation such as never was before, no, nor ever shall be again—a time of such severe persecution that our Lord called it the "great tribulation.” And this time of anguish is to culminate in the per sonal, visible, bodily return of the Lord Jesus Christ to this earth. Read what Christ Himself had to say about this great event (Matt. 24:27-31). Note carefully that this coming of Christ shall be an event viewed by the entire world. Just as the lightning ap pears in the east and streaks forth to the west, so shall the Lord of Glory be seen. His appearing will be a world- electrifying event, terrifying to those who know not God. From other Scrip tures we learn other details of His com ing. He is to be followed by the armies of heaven, in scintillating, white gar ments. He is to come riding on a white horse, and His eyes will be as a flame of fire. On His head will be many di adems, as He rides forth to assume the place of kingship over the whole earth, a place that is rightfully His. What a day of glory that will be! How does all this concern us? Every instructed Bible student knows that the coming of Christ of which we have been speaking is to be preceded by what is commonly known as the rapture of the church (1 Thess. 4:16, 17). About seven years before the Lord returns in power and glory, as the “ Sun of righteous ness,” He is coming to receive to Him self His church. Christ’s coming for His church will be a secret coming, as far as the godless world is concerned. He will catch away His own; then, after the “seventieth week” of Daniel has run its course, He will return in power and great glory as “the Sun of righteous ness . . . with healing in his wings” (Mai. 4:2; cf. Rev. 22:16). A Plea to Accept Christ If the signs point to His soon return to the earth in glory—and they do— then how much nearer is the rapture of the church! Is there a man or a woman, or a boy or a girl, who is giving attention to this message today, but who does not know this One of
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online