25. Search The Scriptures-Pray-And Trust God
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES-PRAY-AND TRUST GOD
“Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life; and they are they which testify of me" (John 5:39).
A knowledge of the Bible is, as revealed by God Himself, an essential part of the true education of any person. In fact, no one can be called truly educated who has not attained such knowledge. No other culture or training received from any institution of elementary or of higher education can be a proper substitute for a knowledge of the Word of God as revealed by the Holy Spirit.
With an understanding of the Bible revealed to us by the Holy Spirit, we as Christians:
May know God’s plan for the past ages;
May know God’s plan of salvation for us now through the blood of Jesus Christ;
May know His prophetic plan for the future, for His church and for the world.
We should know the full purpose of God for the earth upon which we live. The Bible makes plain that evangelism is the foundation principle of Christianity. All truly born again believers today are interested in the salvation of the lost, and in the work of the Church of Jesus Christ. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the power of God unto salvation to all who believe.
Christians, in their work of evangelism, will be wise to base their appeal to the unsaved to accept Christ as their Saviour and Redeemer on the authority of the written Word of God. The reason is that the Gospel message, as read from the written Word of God, is always empowered by the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit always works effectively and permanently to meet human needs.
On the contrary, man’s message is prone to be ineffective and to fail, because man is so changeable and human. Dwight L. Moody said that he never knew of a person being converted to Christ without some influence of the written Word of God. A powerful force is being unloosed by the worldwide distribution of the Bible. When an unsaved person is given the written Word of God, it is his, and in his possession, to read. Although he may not be intensely interested in its message at first, he is less likely to throw it away because it is his. He can take it with him, and read it when alone, while unmolested, in his own room, when the sounds of the world have died out in his soul.
When a person is alone with the Bible, this is often the time when the Holy Spirit does His work of convincing the unsaved of his sin. When alone with the Bible, a man can more clearly hear the whisperings of God, which are able to lead to the regeneration of human life. The Holy Spirit at times seems to magnify certain verses in print so that they stand out on the page with special power and persuasion.
Truly effective evangelism needs a combined impression which involves both the eye and the ear. This double impression will more readily bring to the unsaved a conviction of sin, a repentance in the heart, and a realization of the need of Christ as Saviour, which leads to salvation.
The effect of visual art, in causing a better understanding of the Scriptures on the part of the student, has influenced the creation of the Beckwith Art Chart (www.BibleSupport.com/a/gppc.png) of Bible History and Prophecy.
God can help a man, through His written Word and by the help of the Holy Spirit, to take the forces that are arrayed against him and make them stepping stones to the very gates of heaven and into the presence of the living God. God can bend all of these contrary forces for man’s good. Moreover, God can take the life crushed by pain and sorrow and make it into a harp whose music shall be all praise. The Almighty God can make us stronger than our circumstances.
Therefore, read the Bible.
Let us read it to be wise,
Let us believe it to be safe,
Let us practice it to be holy.
We should persuade others to read, that they may come to a knowledge of the truth and be saved.
The story is told of a little boy who had heard much of the kindness of his king. He developed such a desire to see that kind king that one day he left his home to seek the ruler. The boy went some distance until he came to the iron gateway that led to the courtyard of the palace of the king. He started to enter through the gateway, but a strong guard stopped him and said, “My boy you cannot enter here, for this entrance leads to the palace of the king. You are a stranger. What do you want?”
The boy answered, “Sir, I know that this is the gateway that leads to the palace of the king. I want to enter, for I wish to see him.”
When refused admittance, the boy was sad and disappointed. He turned aside, sat down on a nearby stone, and began to cry. Soon another boy came along. He saw the lad sitting on the stone, crying, so he went over to him. Putting his hand on the weeping boy’s shoulder, he said, “Hello, what is the trouble? Why are you crying?”
The boy looked up and told his new friend of his disappointment, how he had come a long distance to see the king about whom he had heard so much, and how, when he had arrived at the gateway that led to the palace of the king, the guard would not allow him to enter because he was a stranger.
The new friend replied, “Is that the reason why you are sad? Do you really want to see the king? Then come with me, and I will take you in through these gates, for I am the King’s son and he is my father.”
Joyfully, the little stranger accompanied the son to see the King. In the same way our Christ, the Son of God, will take us who are saved into the presence of His Father, the King of the universe.
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me" “There is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved"
God wants men to know His Word, the Holy Scriptures. He does not especially want great men, but He does want humble and faithful men who dare to prove the greatness of their God.
“The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty"
Jesus said to His disciples,
“Follow Me, and I will make you-
“Make you speak my words with power,
Make you helpful every hour,
Make you loving, truthful, godly,
Make you channels of my mercy,
Make you what you cannot be,
Make you even like to Me.”
“More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of.”
Prayer connects one with the Divine battery of life and power. No physical agency can hinder the creative power of prayer. The men who have done the most for God have been early in prayer. We must talk with God in prayer in the name of Jesus Christ.
Every day, the Christian must receive the renewing of the Holy Spirit. He must not attempt to face the day until he has first faced God. It is there, with God alone, that he mounts up on top of his load, and rests in Him.
In every circumstance that aims to pain you, the sting will go as you learn to see Jesus in everything. Your safety lies in letting Jesus fight your battles for you. Faith that goes forward triumphs.
I pray that the last chapter of your book of life, in this age of grace, may be such that you can say with Paul,- “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith".