tion to make for the welfare of the body of Christ. The recognition of this fact should aid all believers to a fuller bless ing from the ministry of all of God’s serv ants. And there needs to be the further recognition and no servant of the Lord can accomplish anything worth while un less “ God giveth the increase” (v. 7). Helps For the Children Neighbors Everywhere Rom. 12:9-16; Gal. 5:13-15 Memory Verse: "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself" (Gal. 5:14b). As Christian boys and girls grow older, the friends whom they have increase in
IN1 CHRIST IS LIFE 1
T h i s G am e o f R e l i g i o n fBhat great contemporary Christian writer A. W . Tozer in . • 1 his book The Divine Conquest says that most men play at s religion as they play at games. And of all games religion ; is the one most universally played. Tozer has made an astute observation. He notes that the various sports have their rules and their balls and their players. Ilf The game excites interest, gives pleasure and consumes time and when it is over the teams laugh and leave the field. It’s a sport. The game consists in solving artificial problems and attacking difficulties which have been deliberately created for ■ the sake of the game. It has no moral roots and is not supposed to have. It is all a pleasant activity that changes nothing and settles nothing at last. All-too-often this is also the case of our game of religion. We have our fields and our rules and our equipment for play-, ing our game of pious words. It’s all a matter of convention and convenience. But the emptiness of it is apparent from the fact that after the pleasant religious game no one is basically |yp any different from what he had been before. The bases of life remain unchanged, the same old principles govern. It is exceedingly easy to become trapped in this pleasant game of religion. Indeed it is so easy and so pleasant that we would have no desire whatever to quit the game unless some crisis or emergency closed down around us. And when at last we are fully and painfully aware of the deep need of our B heart then we see with brilliant clarity the hollow sham of our H game of religion. That which we trusted suddenly becomes a shell with a center quite empty. Of course this is not the way religion should be. Religion 1 s to be valid must relate us to God in a way that provides full- orbed meaning for our daily life. W e want a religion that has positive answers. A religion that does less than meet our every 1 need— the need for this very day, this very hour— is not good enough. We cannot afford pleasant generalities. They don’t fill stand up under the test. W e cannot afford wishful thinking. - There is no reality here. Jesus Christ claims that in Him is life— abundant life. We ’Vl cannot challenge this claim of-Christ unless we have tried Him. •-* I don’t mean playing a game of trying Him. Games are for ? amusement. This is life at its very center. The claims of Christ are clearly outlined in the book of John in the Bible. Read these claims. And re-read them. Jesus Christ said, “ I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometn unto the Father, but by me.” He has the answers to the deep longing of the heart^of your heart. He has never failed a single soul lllll that has honestly come to Him for help and guidance. The only requirement is to recognize your need and then be willing to let Him meet your need. — L. H. If you have found in this short article a way of life that you would like, we urge you now— this very moment— to yield your will to His will and in doing so find that in Christ is Life. If you have a question, or if we can be of help in any way, please write us. We shall be happy to send you a copy of the Gospel of John. It is yours free for the asking. Address: The Editors, King's Business, 558 S. Hope, Los Angeles 17, Calif.
B e c a u s e Y o u C a r e Because you care we are counting on you to give this special col umn to someone who doesn't yet know Christ. Suggestions: your postman, grocer, one you work with^—or mail it. Remember this column will not reach that soul unless you give it out. Thank you.
number and in distance from their homes. A t first their fam ily and their neighbors are their dearest relationships. W hen they start to school, their circle of friends w id ens. Soon they become interested in events in their town, their state, their nation, and, at last, the entire world. God’s W ord has much to say about the maimer in which Christians treat others— those in their fam ily circle, their neighborhood, their nation, and the entire world. The great missionary Paul told the Christians in Rome how to live as children of God (Rom. 12:9-16). Read these verses Carefully to see how many of these things are true in your life. Do you hate that which is evil? Are you w illing to let others be “ first” in games? D o you pray for those, who are unkind to you rather than trying to get even with them? A re you stuck up and proud, or do you remember that the Lord Jesus has given you your talents, your healthy body, your wealthy parents, or any other gifts that might make you proud? You may sometimes be perplexed about how God would have you to live under certain circumstances. The Lord Jesus gave us a motto that w ill help in these times of decision: “ Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” If w e refuse to say about others what we would not want anyone to say about us and if we do to others only those things which we would want them to do to us, we shall be showing the love of the Lord Jesus to those in our fam ily, our neighborhood, our town, and to those in every race. Sept. 19, 1954 Growing in Christian Love Matt. 5:43-48; 1 John 4:11-19 Pointers on the Lesson Remember our general theme for the past quarter has been that of Christian CONTINUED ►
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