erance, then the Gospel exactly meets our requirements. It brings the glad tidings of a Saviour who died for all of our sins, and blotted out all the record written against us; of a Sav iour who lives and furnishes grace to conquer sin and to begin life anew. To those who repent and receive Him, the Lord Jesus imparts new life, new energy, and new confidence. Multi tudes who had been hopeless and de spairing testify to the amazing trans formation which took place when they accepted Christ as their Saviour, and found peace with God through His blood. Here is the testimony of Frank Bul- len, popular writer of sea stories in his day and generation. He relates in his autobiography, “With Christ at Sea,” when his ship was lying at Port Chalmers, he heard the sound of sing ing from an old sail loft. With a friend, he mounted the stairs and sat down. When the singers burst into the opening bars of “Jesus Lover of My Soul,” he was reduced to tears. When the speaker, after his address, asked if any would care to remain for further conversation, Frank Bullen lingered and made his decision for Christ. “The next day,” he writes, “was Sunday, and, rising at four in the morning, I dressed and went ashore, climbing to the top of Flag staff Hill. There, alone in the sweet freshness of the morning, I remained for two hours, saturated with an un speakable joy. The beauty of the land and sea and sky as the rising sun touched it with celestial gold, the waking of the birds, and above all, the intimate sense of the presence of God, settled down upon my soul and filled me with such happiness as I think must be a foretaste of Heaven.” So into all lives empty of hope and joy there comes with Christ fullness of joy and a living hope. The Gospel has not only a message for those deeply conscious of their guilt; it also brings hope for those to whom life is hard and disappoint ing, and the future dark and uncer tain. Christ links this brief earthly life with eternity, and lights up the future with the prospect of eternal life—of a Heaven where trial, temp tation, weariness, pain, and separa tion will be no more. This puts a different face on the daily round of toil and pain. The light of this hope in Christ in the early Church removed from the believers the fear of death; it was so bright that their pagan neighbors wondered at the transfor mation the Gospel had wrought in their lives and in their countenances (Col. 1:15). “The hope of the Gospel” is built on a sure, immovable foundation, for it is built upon Christ Himself. Our hope is centered not in man, who may perish in a moment, whose word may
be false, but in Christ, the Son of God, who is eternal, and whose word is truth, because He Himself is the truth. The hope of the Gospel is as sure as Christ Himself. To build our hope of salvation and of Heaven upon any other foundation than Christ’s finished work on Calvary is to build upon a foundation of sand, which will fail when the storm of God’s judg ment falls. Happy are they who can sing: "My hope is built on nothing less Than Jesus’ blood and righteous ness, I dare not trust the sweetest frame But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.” When once we have built on the right foundation, we must never allow ourselves to be “moved away from the hope of the gospel” (Col. ,1:23). The Apostle Paul in the early days of the Christian church saw that there were many forces at work whose object it was to turn believers from Christ, and to shipwreck their faith. The Chris tians were instructed to be on their guard “lest any man . . . beguile . . . [them] . . . with enticing words . . . through philosophy and vain deceit” (Col. 2:4,8). Paul had the heart-break ing experience, like many of us, of seeing some of his converts desert Christ through love of the world, fear of persecution, and the influence of false religious teachers. It is a trag edy to come to the end of one’s day, remembering the hope and joy which was ours in our youth, and to have no lamp of hope to light up the dark valley of the shadow of death. It is not sufficient to build on the right foundation; we must be “grounded and settled” in the faith, "rooted and built up in him” (Col. 1:23; 2:7). Un less a building is well set upon its foundation, it will not stand the storm; sooner or later, it will collapse. The designer of the first Eddystone lighthouse was so confident of its strength that he insisted upon being himself in it when a tremendous hur ricane swept the coast. The light house was carried away, and its in ventor perished with it. Next day, nothing was visible but the rock on which it had been built. Although the foundation was immovable, the superstructure had not been sunk deeply enough into the rock. If we are to be unmoved by the winds of adversity, of false doctrine, of temp tation, we must b e c o m e deeply grounded, rooted, settled in Christ. This can come about only by abiding in His Word, and His love, and by surrendering our lives wholly to Him. The evil day will find us with our hearts fixed, “trusting in the Lord” (Psa. 112:7). “Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 1:13). T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
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Send for FREE copy of A STUDY IN PROPHECY A 12-page Scriptural study Christian Witness to Israel Rm. 205. ¿9 Fifth A y *., N. Y. 3, N. Y. T H E F A I Y R E A N N O T A T E D NEW TESTAMENT An internationally recognized aid for Chris tian workers, especially those dealing with ROMAN CATHOLICS. English, 50c; French, German, 60c. Bound copies (English only) $ 1 . 10 . ALICE FONTANNAZ 506 Oakdale Ave.r Dept. K, Chicago 14, III. SPAIN? Yes, you know that the name of SPAIN is found in Romans 15:24,28. But, have you ever heard of Spain? Ask for your free booklet “Is Spain a Chris tian Country?" SPANISH CHRISTIAN MISSION * Rey. Zacarías P. Carles, B.A., L.Th., S.C.T. Founder and Director 3 Hillsboro Ave., Toronto 5, Canada
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