Stories

TO SAVE THE LOST

Christ's call is to save the lost, not the stiff-necked; He came not to call scoffers but sinners to repentance; not to build and furnish comfortable chapels, churches, and cathedrals at home in which to rock Christian professors to sleep by means of clever essays, stereotyped prayers, and artistic musical performances, but to capture men from the devil's clutches and the very jaws of Hell. This can be accomplished only by a red-hot, unconventional, unfettered devotion, in the power of the Holy Spirit, to the Lord Jesus Christ.

--C.T. Studd (1860-1931. Studd is remembered both as a cricketer and missionary. As a British Christian missionary to China he was part of the Cambridge Seven, and later founded the Heart of Africa Mission which became the Worldwide Evangelisation Crusade, now known as WEC International).

Revival of Prayer

"The evangelization of the world depends on a revival of prayer. Deeper than the need for men is the need for the forgotten secret of prevailing, world-changing prayer."

--Andrew Murray, (9 May 1828-18 January 1917) was a South African writer, educationist and Christian pastor, was a champion of the South African Revival of 1860.

The Coffee Lesson

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor.

Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.

Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups - porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the coffee.

When all his former students had a cup of coffee at hand, the professor said:

"If you have noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is but normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup. But, you consciously went for the best cups and were eyeing each other's cups."

The Lost

An anonymous churchgoer I.
Arriving not early,not late;
I stand up and then I sit down.
And slip half-a-dollar in plate.

I sing in a mute sort of way;
Cough once, but don't cough again.
I lower my head for each prayer,
And remember to join in Amen.

The Readings flow smoothly along;
On Bible my eyes never bend;
And right on the dot I switch off
From beginning of Sermon to end.

What use am I, then, in this world?
In statistics I count quite a lot.
As long as there's thousands like me
The Church blows not cold and not hot;

But rides on a nice even keel,
Avoiding extremes at all cost;
And never Identifying
The thousands of souls that are lost.

Anonymous: From the Sower July 1973.

How very true for many today. May the Lord help us, to be on fire for Him, live for Him, and witness to His wonderful Saving Grace. The Lord Bless you, and help you to speak up for Him.