John chapter one

A SEARCHING SOUL----
A SAVING SAVIOR

John 1:37-51
"The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.
Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, "WHAT DO YOU SEEK?" They said to Him, "Rabbi" (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), "where are You staying?
He said to them, "Come and see." They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).
One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.
He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah (which is translated, the Christ).
And he brought him to Jesus. Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, "You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas" (which is translated, a Stone). The following day, Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, "Follow Me."
Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.
Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote--"Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."
And Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see."
Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said to him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!"
Nathanael said to Him, "How do You know me?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you."
Nathanael answered and said to Him, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!"
Jesus answered and said to him, "Because I said to you, I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these."
And He said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."

MESSAGE:

AND NOW THE EXCITEMENT BEGINS! I say that because I believe the most exciting moment in one's life is when they first meet Jesus...when their spiritual eyes are opened and they understand who He really is. And, they begin to grasp the joy of sins forgiven and the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit...Ah! what an eternal moment of discovery and delight.

In the passage of Scripture before us, we witness the first disciples in their day of discovery!

In the previous verses, we have observed how John the Baptist gave witness to Jesus Christ...BEHOLD! THE LAMB OF G0D THAT TAKETH AWAY THE SINS OF THE WORLD! It was the Baptist's mission to point men to Jesus. Now we find him sending some of his followers after the Lord. John must have known very well that to speak to his disciples about Jesus like that was to invite them to leave him and transfer their loyalty to this new and greater teacher; and yet he did it.

There was no jealousy in John. He had come to attach men not to himself but to Christ. "He must increase and I must decrease," was his goal in ministry. The two disciples referred to in the opening verse of our text were disciples of John. It may well be that they were too shy to approach him directly and followed respectfully some distance behind.

One of the two disciples (i.e. "learners"; the word meant those who had attached themselves to a given teacher) is subsequently named as Andrew, but the other's name is not given. From early times it has been thought that he was the beloved disciple, and, while, this is not proven, it may well be the case.

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Let me pause here to make an interesting observation. It may be that some have experienced a difficulty when studying these closing verses of John 1 as they have compared their contents with what is found in Mark 1:16-20: "Now as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after Me, and I will make you to become fishers of men. And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed Him. And when He had gone a little farther thence, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets. And straightway He called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after Him." MANY HAVE WONDERED HOW TO HARMONIZE JOHN 1:35-42 WITH MARK 1:16-20.
But....
There is nothing to harmonize, because there is no contradiction between them! The truth is, that Mark and John are not writing on the same subject. Mark treats of something which happened at a later date than that of which John writes. John tells us of the CONVERSION of these disciples, whereas Mark deals with their CALL TO SERVICE-- a service which concerned the lost sheep of the house of Israel. That John omits the call to service (which each of the evangelists record) brings out, again, the special character of his Gospel, for he treats not of dispensational but of spiritual relationships, and therefore was it reserved for him to describe the CONVERSION of these first disciples of Christ.

It is deeply interesting and instructive to mark the manner in which these first disciples found the Savior. They did not all come to Him in the sane way, for God does not confine Himself to any particular method--He is SOVEREIGN in this, as in everything. Of the four cases of conversion described in our passage (we say four, for the two mentioned in verse 35 are linked together) NO TWO ARE ALIKE. The first two heard a preacher proclaiming Christ as THE LAMB OF GOD, and in consequence, promptly sought out the Savior for themselves.

Simon Peter, the next one, was "brought" to Christ by his brother, who had followed and found the Savior on the previous day. Philip, the third one, seemed to have no believer to help him, perhaps no fellow creature who cared for his soul; and of him we read, "Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow Me. (1:43) While the last, Nathanael, was sought out by his now converted brother Philip, and was warmly invited to come and see Christ for himself; and while making for Him, the Savior, apparently, advanced toward and met the seeking one. Putting the four together we may observe that the first found Christ as the result of a PREACHER'S MESSAGE. The second and fourth found Christ as the result of THE PERSONAL WORK OF A BELIEVER. In the case of the third there was NO HUMAN INSTRUMENT employed by God.

The fact that the first came to Christ as the result of the ministry of John the Baptist, seems to show that God puts the importance of preaching of the Word as of high standing in the saving of sinners. What a solemn responsibility rests upon the minister of the Word! The fact that God honored the personal efforts of two of these early converts, shows He is pleased to give a prominent place in PERSONAL EVANGELISM in His means of saving the lost. All in the body of Christ are called to be witnesses. The fact that Philip was saved apart from all human instrumentality, should teach us that God has not reached the end of His resources even though preachers should prove unfaithful to their calling, and even though individual believers are too apathetic to go forth bidding sinners to come to Christ. Some of the great conversions have taken place in situations where only God could get the credit...where He allows the conditions of the moment to bring the sinner to his or her knees in repentance and salvation.

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As we have already noted, the first two disciples that followed Christ were disciples of John. I have suggested that it seems that they may have been reluctant to get to close to Christ because the text suggests that Jesus turned and called to them with this question...WHAT DO YOU SEEK? Christ took the initiative to open the conversation. Here we have the symbol of the divine initiative.

It is always God who takes the first step. When the human mind begins to seek and the human heart begins to long, God comes to meet us for more than half way! God does not leave a man to search and search until he comes to Him; God goes out to meet the man. As Augustine said, we could not even have begun to seek for God unless He had already found us.

When we go to God we do not go to one who hides himself and keeps us at a distance; we go to one who stands waiting for us, and who even takes the initiative by coming to meet us on the road of life.

SALVATION IS OF GOD! As we study the text and rejoice in our observation of men coming to Christ, we must always keep in mind that God had planned this moment and event in eternity past! Paul writes to the Christians in Ephesus these words: (Ephesians 1:3-9)
"Blessed by the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
just as he chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,
having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,
having made known to us His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself."

John 15:16
"You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you."

ONE OF THE THRILLING TRUTHS SO OBVIOUS IN SCRIPTURE IS THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD! The God of the Scripture is before all things, beyond all things, creates all things, upholds all things, knows all things, and can do all things because He is in control of all things! This complete control of all things is called the SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD.

As the WESTMINSTER CONFESSION OF FAITH puts it, "God, from all eternity, did, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely, and unchangeable ordain whatever come to pass."
Nothing catches God by surprise! All things come to pass as He ordained them from all eternity.

Perhaps the most difficult thing to understand is that God is in sovereign control of everything we choose, even our salvation. For "in Him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will (Ephesians 1:11).

Romans 8:29-30
"For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified, those he justified, he also glorified." Other verses affirm God's actions on the human will, even in matters of salvation. John declares that we are "children [of God] born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God." (John 1:13). Likewise Paul affirms that "it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy" (Romans 9:16)

Whatever else may be said, God's sovereignty over the human will includes His initiating, pursuing, persuading,

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and saving grace without which no one would ever will to be saved. For "there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God" (Romans 3:11). "We love Him" only because "He first loved us" (1 John 4:19). Indeed, no one comes to the Father unless he is drawn by God (John 6:44).

Returning to our text, you will note that not only did these first converts find the Savior in a variety of ways, but also that Christ Himself DEALT differently with each one. For the two mentioned in v. 35 there was a searching question to test their motives for following Christ--WHAT SEEK YE? It was very relevant to ask that question in Palestine in the time of Jesus. Were they legalists, looking only for subtle and recondite conversations about the little details of the law, like the Scribes and Pharisees? Were they nationalists looking for a political demagogue and a military commander who would smash the occupying power of Rome like the Zealots? Were they humble mere of prayer looking for God and for His will, like the Quiet in the Land? Or were they simply puzzled, bewildered sinful men looking for light on the road of life and forgiveness from God? WHAT SEEK YE? For Simon Peter there was a striking declaration to convince him that Christ knew all about him, followed by a gracious promise to reassure his heart. For Phillip there was nothing but a peremptory command--"FOLLOW ME." While for Nathanael there was a gracious word to disarm him of all prejudice and to assure his heart that the Savior stood ready to receive him. Thus did the Great Physician deal with each man according to his individual peculiarities and needs.

IT IS STILL HIS METHOD....each of us are confronted by the claims of the Gospel in different ways, under various conditions and situations in our life, some of us became followers of Christ early in life, others of us went through some very difficult and dark years of life before we responded to Christ's love. Some of us were greatly influenced by another whose life radiated the kindness of Jesus, others of us listened to the radio or heard a preacher from the pulpit of a church. But by the work of the Holy Spirit we came!

How many of us used to hear Christ spoken of while as yet we bad no personal knowledge of Him! We sat under a preacher who magnified His excellencies, we heard men and women singing, "Thou 0 Christ art all I want, more than all in Thee I find," and we were impressed by the testimonies of God's saints as they bore witness to that Friend who sticketh closer than a brother. As we listened, our hearts yearned for a similar experience, but as yet we had no personal acquaintance with Him. When one day, perhaps we were waiting on the ministry of one of God's servants, or maybe we were alone in our room reading a portion of the Scriptures, or perhaps down on our knees crying to God to reveal His Son to us, or possibly we were attending to the daily round of duty, when suddenly He who until then had been only a name, was revealed to us by God as a living reality! Then we could say with one of old, "I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear; but now mine eye seeth thee" (Job 42:5).

Let me return for a moment to the searching question that Jesus asked those first two disciples...WHAT SEEK YE? Personally, we look upon these words of our Lord as designed to test the MOTIVE of these two men, and to help them understand their own PURPOSE. There are a great variety of motives and influences which make people become the outward and professed followers of Christ. In the days of which our passage treats, many soon "followed" Christ because the crowd streamed after Him and carried them along with it. Many "followed" Him for what they could get--the loaves and fishes, or the curing of their ailments and the healing of their loved ones. For a time many "followed" Him, doubtless because it was the popular and respectable thing to do. But others followed because they were sincere seekers!

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A SEARCHING SOUL-- A SAVING SAVIOR!

(John 1:37-51)
So it was then, so it is now. Christ desired to be followed intelligently or not at all--that is, He will not accept formal or superstitious worship. What He wants is the heart--the heart that seeks Him for Himself. If your heart is not set upon Christ Himself, it is set upon something which is not Christ!

Over the years I have observed that some have come into the church and began to participate in its various activities, seemingly interested in the spiritual aspect of our fellowship. But soon their colors began to show....they were here to make contacts for their business ventures, or here to spy out the land for a new relationship, or here to create internal strife. WHY ARE YOU HERE? WHAT SEEK YE? I pray that your answer is...I am here to fall in love with Jesus, to grow and increase in my knowledge of His Word, and to develop a more intimate acquaintance with Him because I want a closer walk with Him! Like David I can say: "As the deer panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, 0 God." (Psalm 42:1)

After the Savior had asked the question...WHAT SEEK YE....notice their responses. WHERE DWELLEST THOU? The answer of John's disciples was that they wished to know where Jesus stayed. They called him RABBI; that is a Hebrew word which literally means MY GREAT ONE. It was the title of respect given by students and seekers after knowledge to their teachers and to wise men. John, the evangelist, was writing for Greeks. He knew they would not recognize that Hebrew word, so he translated it for them by the Greek word DIDASKALOS, TEACHER. It was not mere curiosity which made these two ask this question. What they meant was that they did not wish to speak to Jesus only on the road, in the passing, as chance acquaintances might stop and exchange a few words. They wished to linger long with him and talk out their problems and their troubles. The man who would be Jesus' disciples can never be satisfied with a passing word. He wants to meet Jesus, not as an acquaintance in the passing, but as a friend in his own house. What they desired was FELLOWSHIP, as would have been made more evident if the translators had rendered it WHERE ABIDEST THOU? for abiding ever has reference to communion. It was not a "WHAT" but a "WHOM" that their hearts were set upon. It was not a blessing, but the BLESSER HIMSELF that their spirits sought.

Unspeakably blessed it is to listen to the Savior's response to the request made by these two inquiring souls: "HE SAITH UNTO THEM, COME AND SEE" (1:39). Ah! He knew their desires. He had read their hearts. He discerned that they sought His presence, His person, His fellowship. And He never disappoints such longings. "COME" is His gracious invitation...an invitation that still is extended to searching humanity...COME UNTO ME, AND YE THAT ARE WEARY AND HEAVY LADEN, AND I WILL GIVE YOU REST.

In John 7:37, we find another invitation of Jesus to the multitudes: "In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, IF ANY MAN THIRST, LET HIM COME UNTO ME AND DRINK. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)
COME AND SEE!
COME AND DRINK! The supply of water in the city of Jerusalem was always a matter of concern and provided one of the reasons why the Roman governors disliked Jewish feasts. When thousands of visitors flocked to the temple services, water was always at a premium. The streets were thronged with people--sightseers, tourists, worshipers, citizens, and visitors--and everywhere children asked in vain for water. Then came the

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electrifying voice inviting people to drink. It was astonishing; it was unbelievable. Instantly the crowds converged on the corner whence came the ringing invitation. Alas, there was no water; the cry had come from the mouth of a Preacher who apparently was trying to illustrate a spiritual truth. Some of the hearers were annoyed; others smiled and listened. But no one at that time understood the implications of the Savior's message.

Christ looked out upon hearts as barren as a desert, and with great deliberation promised that if people came to Him to drink, from their inmost beings would flow rivers of living water. This surely is the secret of real consecration. Even John the Baptist had predicted this, for he said. "And I knew him not; but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Spirit." (John 1:31)
COME AND SEE!
COME AND DRINK!
COME AND DINE! Another wonderful invitation from the Savior is searching souls! The scene takes place after the resurrection of Jesus and His disciples had gone fishing. They had fished all night and caught nothing. When Jesus told them where to cast their nets, immediately their nets were full!

Verse 11 of John 21 says: "Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, a hundred and fifty and three; and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken.

JESUS SAITH UNTO THEM, COME AND DINE. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord."

Observe the scene! The beach was still; the silence was unbroken except for the sound of the waves and the sudden squawk of a bird. The Savior was about to serve breakfast to His tired guests. They looked at His kind, dignified face and remembered the invitation with which He had welcomed them: "COME AND DINE." A night's fruitless toil had left them weary and discouraged, but when their task seemed to be completely hopeless, His appearance on the beach turned defeat into triumph.

He had kindled a fire and invited them to breakfast. At that fireside they were to discover new strength which would enable them to meet the demands of the future. Long afterward, Peter remembered that morning, and when John was old, he could still recall all that happened. They sat on the beach while the Master healed the wounds in their spirit. Probably they remembered too, that other occasion when, after a period of itinerant preaching, they had returned to hear the Lord say, "COME YE YOURSELVES APART...AND REST A WHILE." (Mark 6:31).

Service is a great privilege, but to commune with Christ is far better!
To be alone with the Master means a new appreciation of:
(1) HIS POWER--He, too, can catch fish-- many of them
(2) HIS PURPOSE--it is then that He issues His commands, "Feed my sheep."
(3) HIS PERSON --surpassing the joy of service is the glory of His presence. It is heaven to be at His feet." COME AND SEE is enrollment in God's school. COME AND DRINK is proficiency in study. COME AND DINE is to graduate; and only then is the delay Master truly satisfied with His student.

Back to our text....When Christ conducted these two searching souls to His dwelling place, would a brief visit suffice them? No, indeed. Mark the remainder of the verse, "they came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day; for it was about the tenth hour." I think that the really important point in this verse is not, "What is meant by the tenth hour?" but, "Why does the author mention the hour at all?"
The answer is: the author, as has been shown, was himself one of these two disciples! That day with Jesus changed his whole life! It made such a deep impression upon him that he never forgot the exact hour when the invitation had been received and the decision to accept

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it had been taken.

Commentators will probably never agree on the meaning of the expression THE TENTH HOUR. Does this mean the TENTH HOUR AFTER SUNRISE; hence, about 4 P.M. This would be in accordance with the Jewish method of computing time, recognized in the Synoptics. But the same method was frequently used among the Romans. The latter however, in computing the hours, also started from midnight and from noon, just as we do today. They employed the latter method in order to designate the hours of their CIVIL DAY (e.g., in dating leases and contracts). However, contemporary records do not make clear just where the one method of figuring the hours ended and the other began. Remember just, John is writing at the close of the first century. His readers are Christians from among the Gentiles (mostly). Hence, he does not need to use the Jewish method of counting the hours. He may have used the Roman civil-day method.

BUT WHEN YOU SPEND TIME WITH JESUS, YOU CANNOT HELP BUT ABSORBED HIS HEART-BEAT FOR SEARCHING SOULS! And that is why in the very next verse, Andrew becomes a seeker after souls. "Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two who heard John and followed Jesus. He, as the first, found his own brother Simon. We do not possess a great deal of information about Andrew, but even the little that we know perfectly paints his character. He was characteristically the man who was prepared to take the second place. Again and again, he is identified as SIMON PETER'S BROTHER. It is clear that he lived under the shadow of Peter. Andrew was not one of the inner circle of the disciples. When Jesus healed Jairus' daughter, when He went up to the Mount of Transfiguration, when he underwent his temptation in Gethsemane, it was Peter, James and John whom he took with Him. It would have been so easy for Andrew to resent this. Was he not one of the first two disciples who ever followed Jesus? Did Peter not owe his meeting with Jesus to him? Might he not reasonably have expected a foremost place in the apostolic band?

To Andrew matters of precedence and place and honor mattered nothing at all. All that mattered was to be with Jesus and to serve him as well as he could. Andrew is characteristically the man who was always introducing others to Jesus. There are only three times in the gospel story when Andrew is brought into the center of the stage. There is this incident here in which he brings Peter to Jesus. There is the incident in John 6:8,9 when he brings to Jesus the boy with the five loves and two fishes. And there is the incident in John 12:22 when he brings the enquiring Greeks into the presence of Jesus. It was Andrew's great joy to bring others to the Christ. He is the man with the missionary heart...he could not keep Jesus to himself! This passage that we are observing has, as its heartbeat, the subject of EVANGELISM! I would like to take the rest of our time in this passage and talk about WINNING THE OTHERS TO JESUS.

One of the great little books of the subject of EVANGELISM is Robert Coleman's book entitled: THE MASTER PLAN OF EVANGELISM. There are only eight short chapters and they are:
(1) Selection
(2) Association
(3) Consecration
(4) Impartation
(5) Demonstration
(6) Delegation
(7) Supervision
(8) Reproduction.
Dr. Coleman goes directly to the Bible and asks one critical question: WHAT WAS CHRIST'S STRATEGY OF EVANGELISM? If we are truly going to be effective in bringing others to Christ, we must do the way Jesus did.
Let me briefly explore the method and approach to Biblical evangelism.

(1) SELECTION - Men were his method and it all started by Jesus calling a few men to follow him. COME AND SEE! The initial objective of Jesus' plan was to enlist men who could bear witness of his life and carry on his work after he returned to his Father. John and Andrew were the first to be invited as Jesus left the scene

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of the great revival of the Baptist at Bethany beyond the Jordan. Andrew in turn brought his brother Peter. The next day Jesus found Philip on his way to Galilee, and Philip found Nathanael. There is no evidence of haste in the selection of these disciples, just determination. What is more revealing about these men is that at first they do not impress us as being key men. None of them occupied prominent places in the synagogue, nor did any of them belong to the Levitical priesthood! For the most part they were common laboring men, probably having no professional training beyond the rudiments of knowledge necessary for their vocation. Yet Jesus saw in these simple men the potential of leadership for the Kingdom of God. They were teachable. Though often mistaken in their judgments and slow to comprehend spiritual things, they were honest men, willing to confess their need. Jesus was a realist. He fully realized the fickleness of depraved human nature as well as the satanic forces of this world amassed against humanity, and in this knowledge he based his evangelism on a plan that would meet the need.

(2) ASSOCIATION - Having called his men, Jesus made a practice of being with them. This was the essence of his training program---just letting his disciples follow Him! It was by virtue of this fellowship that the disciples were permitted "to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of God" (Luke 8:10). KNOWLEDGE WAS GAINED BY ASSOCIATION BEFORE IT WAS UNDERSTOOD BY EXPLANATION. This simple methodology was revealed from the beginning by the invitation that Jesus gave to the men he wanted to lead. John and Andrew were invited to COME AND SEE the place where Jesus stayed. At home with Jesus they could talk things over and there in private see intimately into his nature and work. This principle which was implied from the start was given specific articulation later when Jesus chose from the larger group about him the Twelve "that they might be with him" (Mark 3:14, Luke 6:31).

It is only when we as believers make the choice to spend much time with Jesus, in devotion and meditation and prayer, in worship....that we begin to sense the heart-beat of our Master. Could it not be that the reason there are so few soul seekers is because there are so few Christ seekers?

(3) CONSECRATION - Jesus expected the men he was with to obey Him! THEY WERE NOT REQUIRED TO BE SMART, BUT THEY HAD TO BE LOYAL. This became the distinguishing mark by which they were known. They were called his "DISCIPLES" meaning that they were "LEARNERS" or "PUPILS" of the Master. Following Jesus seemed easy enough at first, but that was because they had not followed him very far. It soon became apparent that being a disciple of Christ involved far more than a joyful acceptance of the Messianic promise; it meant the surrender of one's whole life to the Master in absolute submission to His sovereignty. There could be no compromise! NO SERVANT CAN SERVE TWO MASTERS. There had to be a complete forsaking of sin. The old thought patterns, habits, and pleasures of the world had to be conformed to the new disciplines of the Kingdom of God (Matt. 5:1-7:29; Luke 6:20-49).

PERFECTION OF LOVE WAS NOW THE ONLY STANDARD OF CONDUCT.

This love was to manifest itself in obedience to Christ, expressed in devotion to those whom he died to save. THERE WAS A CROSS IN IT-- THE WILLING DENIAL OF SELF FOR OTHERS."
The requirements have not changed! There can be no dillydallying around with the commands of Christ. We are engaged in warfare, the issues of which are life and death, and every day that we are indifferent to our responsibilities is a day lost to the cause of Christ!
The quality and depth of our consecration will be revealed in the fruitfulness of our Christian life and its effect on the world around us.