Toward God's New Order

Waiapu Church Gazette, Volume 35, Issue 8, 1 October 1944, Page 10

Toward God's New Order

If this country of ours is ever going to be evangelised-— and if it is not evangelised there will never be a British victory worthy of the name-— if this country of burs is ever to be evangelised, it does seem to me that two things ar§ vitally necessary. -The first is that we should khqw quite clearly what bur Gospel is; and the second is that we should; know how to present it to people who have no tradition, because that is the state* of the present generation. They have no tradition either of church-going or of Bible-reading. . ; I have often v/ondered how many Christians have a clear arid exact idea of what their Gospel is; how niany Chrisitans are capable of giving a simple definition, m plain modern English, of the Gospel as" . they understand it. Here are the , v Bible keys, if I might so put it, to the Gospelastsee.it. First, "We are God's workmanship, created m Christ Jeusus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk m them." That is >Ephesians 2 : IQ, and the plain English of it is that every man is cut out for a job m the Kingdom of God. . ..•-■ .- ■■. ..- . ; :■:■:>■.■. ' . The second key is: "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." That is John 3 : 3, and it means m plain .English that rebirth is the gateway, -and the only gateway* to the New Order; that you cannot have a New Order without a new birth. . ~ The third key is: "For if, when' we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His, life.'! That ,is Romans 5 : 10, arid m plain - English that ' means that the power of the present, actual life of Jesus Christ is • the power for reborn men. Well, then, why is it that such a wonderful story does riot win the world, has riot won it, and at first sight— only at first sight— seems to. have lost its appeal to men? I think there are two main reasons for that; The first is the persistent refusal of the pulpit, with very few exceptions, to speak m the language of the present; day. I ;am not Suggestirig that the pulpit should go all the way to meet the language of the people, but : I dp say ttiat unless: it talks m the language of -the ordinary listener it lacks one of. the characteristics of Penticost. What s was the outstanding fact of, Pentecost if ft was not that the men who were there m Jerusalem he,ard the mighty works of God m a lariguage that they could understand; ,riot; that they had toguess at arid blunder over? „. Side rbjr si<Je with this persisterice nptSto spejak tihe kiigiwige of the day

is an-almost equally stubborn refusal to move with the times m the matter of method, v ; Another r reason why the great story does not get over as it ought is, Ithirik, the calamitous decline of bdthi private and public prayer— due to the fact iftat although there' is a great deal of talk about prayer, there is little or no attempt to teach prayer. I am afraid I am m danger of making myself a perfect nuisance on this subject, but I dp wish that the churches, who are constantly deploring the decline of the prayer meeting, . would ■ remedy the ■■matter. 5 m the one sure way that seems to me to be open to them, by .te!aclung people what prayer is, whiat. prayer is not, arid wbiafc prayer vdpes--Hugh Redwood, iSa. : Oi|?L.G.M. Magazine. <