Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-10-15
CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR HOUR
Con1ucted by Grace Livingston HILL
~ For Sunday October 1f 14O4

Con1ucted by Grace Livingston Hill.
For Sunday, October 16. 1904
Topic: The Power of Personal Influence John
|: 35-39.
35-Again the next day after John stood,
and two of his disciples;
36-And looking upon Jesus as he walked,
he saith, Behold the lamb. of God. -.e
37-And the two disciples heard him speak,
and they followed Jesus. i,fs
3+Then Jesus turnedsa land saw them
following and saith unto them, What seek
We? They said until hfin Rabbi. which is
to say. being interpreted, Master, where
dwellest thou? or,o
39-And he saith unto them, come ana
see. They came and saw, where he dWeit,
and abode with him that day, for 1t was
about the tenth hour. -zr, $3.50.
The Lesson.
Not a shade of jealousy mars the picture
under the blue Galilean sky, of that day
SO long ago. John stands in his rough
wilderness array with his followers about
him They have learned to love him and
hang upon his words. bThey initiate him
and look to him for gSidande, Some peo
pie unused in their hearts whether he was
the Christ or not. The natural man in
his heart might wish to hold this devotion.
But he sees Jesus passing. majesty in His
mony, knowing, that by this word he is
sending his disciples to follow Jesus in
stead of himself.
behold, the lamb of God!'' A simple
word yet whole confession of faith!
Behold" commended them to look into
the matter, '"the lamb of Cod testifying
that Christ was to die. for their sins. A
man might preach whole sermon to an
assembled multitude and get less saving
doctrine into 1t than John put into his one
brief sentence. ---
And with what wonderful results! "And
the two disciples heard him speak, and
they followed Jesus" Oftentimes we would
use our influence more for Jesus if we
thought there would be results like that.
But it is a fact that a heart thoroughly
convinced of the majesty and divinity and
lovingness of Jesus, once speaking out this
conviction, scarcely ever fails to bring
a hearing and conviction to another heart.
Many people are hindered from talking
about religion to others for fear they Will
do more harm than good and there is
way of talking of holy things that is most
offensive in the eyes of those who do not
believe or have not felt the love of Christ.
Ones personal influence is affected largely
by ones life. If the life be true 10 its
standards and declared beliefs. as was
Johns, the words spoken cannot fail of
an effect. John lived his religion His
disciples knew he was in earnest, they
felt he was fulfilling the divine command
that had come to his soul to be fore
runner of the Christ, therefore, when he
spoke they heard and felt it was true as
he had said, and went and followed Jesus.
The words that such a man would speak
would never offend as the canting words
of some easy-going Christian who has a
reputation for living life of pleasure and
not being prescriptions about things.
Such a man might preach a whole sermon
and do more harm than good, easily, IL
for instance it were known that on the
morrow he would turn sharp bargain
with a neighbor, or attend some place of
amusement when away from home that he
felt would not be approved at home. Every
Christian has this tremendous RESPONSE
bility of influence upon him. He may
think he has no influence upon any one,
known as being a Christian gives him an
influence greater than he would have II
he were not He processes certain stand
ard of life. II he lives not up to It, his
influence Is more against that standard of
living than If he did not profess to live that
way. And. on the other hand, the fact
that his life is in accordance with his pro-
fession gives weight to every word of per-
Suasion he may UTTER
1t is pitiful fact that today there are
SO many Christians who Shrink from say
Ing anything In favor or Jesus Christ.
They can talk volumes dns7avoE ef GER
i tan m nnd OF bicycle 1 or sew
angry in discussion IL any one suggests
that there is a better town than the one
in which they live; theys will hotly defend
sunni NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. IrlenQs they VIII In
sist that their own way 81 doing almost
anything under the sun fg the best way:
but when 1t comes to speaking a gentle,
quiet word In praise of the Savior, who
died for them. they shrink back, and are
ashamed or afraid
We often quiet our conycieennces about wit.
Messing for Christ by sayff1g we are too
nervous. or too shy. Goodwill have to ac-
cept our service in other WAYS and let ms
keep still. Now. 1t is truatlat some people
cannot so easily nor so pfoztably as others
make long speeches in Enaetinp. nor per-
suade men to come to Christ, but every iiy-
ing soul has a, duty to testify for Christ in
some way. 1t Is not necessary to NAL long
speeches either in private or In public. !. II
Is but necessary to say the quiet werd
the word IN season." now and then TIE
little word that shows which side Won are
upon. and put 'yopr influence for Jesus II, 81
stead OF for the world. For see. those who
are not Christians do not hesitate to fiai1nt
their frreverence In our faces. They sheer
al holy things and are NOT afraid that they
will be laughed at. They swear and have
no shynezs about it. Two brothers who
had been left much to Themselves and l,a d
acquired among other bad habits the habit
Of swearing. moved into the neiphborInood
OF young man who had heen brought I'M
by Christian parents. It happened that the
three were thrown much In comnany. and
wniie lne CHRISTIAN young man did not take
to swearing. he yet found that from the
constant nearing OF profane language In the
NOUNS Q, nus intimate friends the words
Aofnop n Alaon fhoV, -..,s-',-'-