F IR E ? from page 13 watchers who report to the office when they ought to—every Sunday in the case of the church—and there are far too few who ever hit the road with first-class door-to-door salesmanship. And no company of clockwatchers ever set the world on fire. At times you might almost think
I IN CHRIST IS LIFE
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W h a t Can I R ea lly B e liev e ? W e humans are unusual in many ways. Take for example our freedom of belief. All of us, from the unschooled sugar cane worker of Louisiana to the college professor with a string of degrees as long as a pearl necklace has this freedom of belief. Theologians tell us this is true because God made man a free moral agent. We have the choice of accepting or rejecting any idea that is presented to us. This is good. But with this freedom of belief there is the corresponding responsibility of decision. We are constantly deciding for or against a given situation or idea. The process often goes on without conscious thought but it does go on. And in no area of life do we have a greater responsibility of choice than in the area of religion. All of us believe something. There are a good many people, however, who deep in their heart, don’t know really what to believe about their relationship with God. There is one basic step that everyone who is concerned about his relationship with God should consider. This basic step is: Can I really believe what the Bible says about Christ? That is fundamental to Christianity. Now if you don’t believe what the Bible says about Christ you are no unusual freak. A great many people have difficulty here. The main thing is to be intellectually honest in your approach to this problem. Make certain your choice is what you really want it to be. The problem here seems to be twofold. 1) You have never read for yourself what the Bible does say about Christ and 2) if you have read it you don’t understand. The first part of the problem is simple. Read the Bible. Start by reading the Gospel of John through at least three times. Then read the rest of the New Testament. And al though the second part of the problem seems more difficult it isn’t. Here’s a method many have found practical. Each time before you start reading, get on your knees before your open Bible and pray this prayer: “ God, I want my relationship to be right with You. Right now I don’t understand the Bible. I honestly want to understand. Make me to know if this is really Your word. I am willing to believe.” That’s all. You be honest with God and God being God will not, cannot, fail you. But you must make the test. You have the freedom of choice. The choice is yours right now. Will you choose to make the test? — 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 want to make a decision for Christ please write us. Your letter will be held in the strictest confidence. We'll send you without charge a special Gospel of John and other helps. Address: The Editors, King's Business, 558 S. Hope, Los Angeles 17, Calif.
Clip & Share How long has it been since you gave someone a gospel tract? Please don't let the column on the right die. Hand it or send it to some unsaved person today. May He richly bless your faith fulness.
that Jesus’ command was, “Go into all the world and warm the pews, but keep quiet about the whole thing.” That’s not the way things started in the Christian church. The Apos tles were under the impression that Jesus said, “Go . . . into all the world, and preach the gospel to every crea ture.” And they were under the fur ther impression that He wasn’t talk ing to just a few of them, but to the whole group. And they figured He meant what He said. They under stood Jesus to mean that each of them was to be a salesman for the kingdom of God—not just a select few who were especially trained for the job. It would have been a sad thing for the Christian church if Peter and Andrew, James and John, Paul and Barnabas had taken it for granted that the Master had in mind only those who had a university degree and three years of training in a the ological seminary behind them. For not one of them would have qualified. They were just fishermen, carpenters, political renegades, and tentmakers. Not one of them had any real quali fications for the job—except for the fact that they happened to be on fire with the love of Jesus Christ. But out into the world they went. And what salesmen they were! Day in, day out they walked the dusty roads of the Roman Empire. Week in, week out they talked about Jesus Christ. They talked to one. They talked to two. They talked to scores —to hundreds—to thousands. And al ways on the same subject—just Jesus Christ and His kingdom. Nothing else. And at times they found what every salesman finds — consumer re sistance. Their subject wasn’t always popular, but they kept on talking CONTINUED ►
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