night at the door of a man who was bitterly opposed to the message of sal vation. In fact, he was one of those who was sworn to kill Welsh, although he had never seen him. The man of God was just a stranger who explained that he had much in common with the man. “My joy is to apprehend rebels,” the preacher explained. “I know where Welsh is speaking tomorrow night and can put his hand into yours, if you’ll come.” The wicked man eagerly agreed. The next evening the two went to the secret place where many folks had gath ered to hear the message of eternal life. A fter Welsh found a seat for his new friend, he walked to the front and expounded the Word. This was all to his companion’s utter bewilderment. The story of sin and salvation rang out clearly and the Spirit of God spoke to the man who was heartbroken to think of his wickedness. A t the close of his message, Welsh fulfilled his promise, giving the man his hand as he had wished. The man said, “You told me you were sent to apprehend rebels, and I, Brother Welsh, am a rebellious rebel. I have been apprehended this day by the Lord God Almighty.” Yes, God’s grace can transform hearts of stone when we, as faithful servants, give out His Word. Our responsibility is to be faithful. The Lord will give the in crease. POWER IN PRINT Never under-estimate the power of the printed message through Gospel tracts. Did you know that Benjamin Franklin wrote and printed tracts dis tributed in his day throughout the colonial states? William Penn, who is credited with being the founder of the city of Philadelphia, wrote a single spiritual tract that was used to free twelve thousand Quakers who had been imprisoned for the Lord Jesus Christ. More recently, Dwight L. Moody began his fruitful evangelistic ministry in- Chicago through the simple act of dis tributing Gospel tracts to seamen ply ing the waters of the Great Lakes. John 29 To brighten your skies, why not make light of your troubles by God’s grace?
that which he practices least. The story of Civil War exploits tell about a sol dier who was caught in the dark of the night creeping back to his qua/r- ters from, the woods. The area had been restricted, which required that he be brought before the commanding officer. When asked why he did it, he pleaded, “But sir, I had to go somewhere alone to pray. That’s my only defense.” The officer growled, “And have you been in the habit of spending hours in pri vate prayer?” The young man shook his head in the negative. The comman der pounded his fists on the desk order ing, “Get down on your knees and pray now! There’s never been a time when you needed it more.” The obedient sol dier fully expected he might receive a severe and stiff sentence. He began in prayer, speaking audibly to God as well as to the others in the room. His words seemed empowered by the Holy Spirit. When he finished, he looked up into the face of the commandant, not ing a tear in the hardened man’s eye. A slight smile of friendliness crossed the officer’s face as he spoke softly, “You may go now, Son. I believe your story. Look at it this way; if you hadn’t drilled so often, you wouldn’t have done so well in the review." Have you spent time alone with the Lord today? The contact we’ll have with the enemy of our souls will be much greater than any physical foes conceivable. The enemy is super-human. He is Satan and his number legion. Satan’s one purpose and desire is to bring us to spiritual defeat. Let us follow the Scriptural injunction to put on the whole armor of God that we may be able to stand against the craftiness of the devil, redeeming the time, knowing that the days are exceedingly evil.
There is nothing like a little soft soap to remove a dirty look.
APPREHENDED OF GOD Many years ago, the preaching of the Gospel was forbidden in Scotland. A faithful evangelist, John Welsh, was pursued unrelentingly. He hardly knew where to flee. Relying on traditional Scottish hospitality, he knocked one
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker