Americus times-recorder., 1920-05-05
ARTICLE III.
THE Gospel According To U.s."

he gospel ACCORDING 10 Us.
Some writer has said: CONSCIOUS
ly or unconsciously we are all day by
! day commencing or condemning the
evangel of Jesus. "If we are true
followers of Him, Christianity will be
rendered a fair and lovely thing IN
the eyes of our fellow men. More
over, it is the gospel according to US.
Each one of US can supply a some
what different Interpretation of the
one divine truth. Such variety Of
Christian experience and expression
not only proves the richness of the
human mind, but also adds to the
glory of the Father who, by many
diverse and yet converging paths, IS
bringing a multitude of sons unto
glory
"The great Gospels of Matthew,
Mark, Luke, and John need in every
age to be supplemented by the gos--
pels according to- every member OF
every church.
In view of these truths, how i'm
pressive Is this incident:
Zone night, just before the late
Captain Bickel was retiring to rest,
he met at the deck house ruffian
who had been wonderfully converted
on one of these voyages. Although
rough, untutored man, he had gone
at once to others telling the story
of his conversion and of Christ as he
had received him.
Mr.. Bickel was verv tired, but he
had little talk with the man. He
asked him if he would take the Bible
to a certain man on the morrow. He
shook his head "No, no, Captain,
he does not need that" "But why
not?" ''It won't do him any good." ="
"But why?" Because it is too soon.
That is your Bible, and, thank God
it is now mine; but it is not his Bible
"What do you mean by that?' why,
simply that he has another Bible; you
are his Bible; he is watching you. AS
you fail, Christ fails. AS you live
Christ, so Christ is revealed to him.
Writing of this incident, Captain
Bickel said: Friends, | did not sleep
that night. | knew it in a way, of
course, but to say: AS you live, so
Christ lives in that mans soul, IN
that house, in that village, in four
hundred villages God help him! l
had been called a thief, liar, foreign
spy, traitor, devil in public and pri-
vate, and had not flinched; but to face
thisl AS you live, Christ lives in a
thousand hearts. AS you fail to live
Christ, Christ is crucified again.
What wonder that message of the
converted ruffian sank deeply into
my heart! What wonder that | slept
not!
"You are writing a gospel,
A chapter each day,
By deeds that you do,
BY words that you say,
Men read what you write,
Whether faithless or true.
Say, what is the gospel
According to you"
Let me exhort you to reflect upon
this great truth.
"Do not forget that your life may
be the only Bible your neighbor ever
reads. Your words, your actions,
are spread ever before him like so
many pages to be read. You may
think lightly of some inconsistent ac-
ton; he does not, and is quick to
| take advantage of such to defend his
own shortcomings. The one argu-
ment never could answer" said an
infidel after conversion, was the
consistent life of my Christian
mother"
Before God, in the place of secret
prayer, my fellow Christians, answer
this, "what is the Gospel according
to you?"
Do your friends, family, business
associates, acquaintances hear your
faithful voice speaking to them of
their eternal interests?
Or, alas, do you show no "care
for their souls?''
Speak to God; then, speak to them.
| nehemiah 2:4-5.)