00:00:01.440 - 00:00:15.560

Now I'm going to ask Mr. Day. As he passed through New Zealand, we'd just love to put a an anchor rope on him, but we can't do that. But we're ever so delighted that he's here with us tonight, Mr. Danson. Well, I've been eating so much

00:00:15.560 - 00:00:34.979

today that I'm, we've kind of been doing something to me with an anchor. Well, it was very nice to hear Mr. Jacobson tonight. You know it's uh a great help to feel that you've got a brother in uh adversity. Uh he comes from the Windy City,

00:00:35.470 - 00:00:57.099

and Mr. Werry and I and our families are going to live in the most famous windy city in the world. I'm going to ask him afterwards whether he'll lend me an anchor. Now in Australia we've been having uh, Spring in the winter. And we've just been

00:00:57.099 - 00:01:14.160

wondering when it's going to stop. The farmers have got worried. Everybody's got worried. They've been flying airplanes with dry ice in it in them and they've been dropping it in the clouds to try and make the rain came down, uh, come down, but they haven't heard

00:01:14.160 - 00:01:40.739

about me. I have a message that whenever I Merely think of it, it rains. I thought of it a couple of days ago. And it had been raining when we got here this morning. And as it got nearer to the meeting, it rained again. And the

00:01:40.739 - 00:02:06.849

verse is. The 11th chapter of Ecclesiastes. And verse 3. If the clouds be full of rain. They empty themselves on the earth. Now friends, I just want to say this to you, if anything happens after I've finished preaching. Yeah. I mean if it happens tomorrow, will

00:02:06.849 - 00:02:21.399

you remember that we'll be on our way to America, so it's no good chasing us unless you get an airplane. Mr. Cook might be able to fly over us, but uh we'll be on our way to America. If the clouds are full of rain, they empty

00:02:21.399 - 00:02:35.339

themselves on the earth. A lady said to me once, she said, Mr. Duffery, it was dreadful what you did to us. You came to our church and you preached last Sunday, and if the clouds are full of rain they'll empty themselves on the earth and she

00:02:35.339 - 00:02:56.250

said it's been just coming down in bucketfuls all the week. I came across this verse and I thought it was an interesting one, I hadn't seen it before. The 11th chapter of Ecclesiastes and verse 3. If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves on

00:02:56.250 - 00:03:21.589

the earth. It's just what the Lord Jesus Christ said, you'll remember, out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh. Empty vessels make most sound. Mr. Gibson would have liked to have told us tonight, but he was wrong. Empty vessels make no sound according to

00:03:21.589 - 00:03:46.179

this. It's only when the clouds are full of rain that they empty themselves on the earth. And it's only when the heart is full that something really comes out of it. Empty vessels make no sound. We've got all the excuses in the world, haven't we? I

00:03:46.179 - 00:04:11.880

wouldn't know how to witness for Christ. I don't know how to pray. I can't get time to read the Bible. Did you say that once? Now don't look round, you did say it, didn't you? No good looking at the lady at your side or the gentleman

00:04:11.880 - 00:04:39.589

at the back of you. Let's be honest about it. This text tells the truth about it. No excuses. Why aren't we witnessing for Christ? Why aren't we on the job for it? We're empty Christians. If the clouds are full of rain. They empty themselves on the

00:04:39.589 - 00:05:04.679

earth. You can't talk about Christ. But what about when spring comes and the fashions are all in the window? Mm. And if you happen to have a son in the Air Force. And somebody just happens to mention, you have a son in the Air Force, you

00:05:04.679 - 00:05:45.799

don't get home till morning. I couldn't talk for Christ. But don't take up the foot and mouth disease. Golf. Walk all day and talk all night. We had a friend at the uh newspaper office where I used to work. He was full of motorbikes. Don't you

00:05:45.799 - 00:06:01.510

laugh, it's alright for you, didn't have to put up with him. We used to go up to the cafeteria and George Clark would be sitting down, he'd got in a little ahead of us and he had all his he spread out before him. And we used

00:06:01.510 - 00:06:26.709

to walk on. We like sandwiches without motorbike parts, thank you. But if George wasn't there early, and you were sitting at the table, you could guarantee that George wouldn't pass you. The clouds are full of rain or motorbikes part, they empty themselves on the earth. We

00:06:26.709 - 00:06:51.579

were just going up the hill when the chain came off. Oh George, and then the headlight got a crack in it. And then one of us still, oh for goodness sake, you're just gonna bite one of those sandwiches piece of chain. Yeah. George was full of

00:06:51.579 - 00:07:09.489

motorbikes and they emptied themselves on the earth. And I happened to be just a bit of the earth that they emptied themselves on. I tell you, when you got a horn on top of your head, you didn't feel too happy. And so we avoided George, but

00:07:09.850 - 00:07:34.440

out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth spoke. There is a joke in the OAC which I don't want to introduce you to. I hope you'll forget that I ever said this. And Mhm How are your kids, they say to me. And I say now,

00:07:35.200 - 00:07:51.190

It's turned out nice again, hasn't it? You told me about that, Mr. Tyrrell, I like that saying, I never get caught anymore. I used to go on for an hour. I remember once I was going to give a fella a good dressing down because he hadn't

00:07:51.190 - 00:08:07.109

turned up to an appointment. I was really going to give him the works when I saw him. And he told me months later on, he said, I knew you were going to tell me off that next night. And all I said was, how are your kids?

00:08:09.260 - 00:08:37.090

He said, I haven't got the lecture yet. The clouds are full of rain. If you're taken up with something. And it means a lot to you, you haven't got to apologize for not talking. You've got to apologize that you. Never stop talking. You remember the story.

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Things were pretty bad over there in Samaria. Ben Hadad had come with his great army. And he surrounded the city. And they didn't know what to do. The water ran out. They started eating all the livestock that they had. Finally they got down to eating horses.

00:09:05.599 - 00:09:27.909

And things were pretty bad. No, Ben Hadad didn't attack them, he just encamped round about them and waited. Until they couldn't wait any longer and they opened the gates and came out. They were perishing in the city. You read the story in Kings, it's a tragic

00:09:27.909 - 00:09:53.260

story. Of a tragic people, with a tragic need. Outside the gate there were 4 neutrals. Nondescripts, nobody wanted them. They weren't on the side of the Syrians and they weren't on the side of the Samaritans, nobody wanted them. They weren't reckoned in the army. They were

00:09:53.260 - 00:10:18.059

just lepers that nobody wanted. They'd pulled their belt up to the last hole, and they'd made a few extra ones. They were outside the gate leaning against the wall. And one said to the others. How long will we sit here? Shall we sit here till we

00:10:18.059 - 00:10:38.489

die? Well, what can we do, somebody else said. If we go over to the Syrians, they'll kill us. If we enter into the city, we'll die and perish with them. This man said, look, We're going to die anyhow, let's take a plunge. Let's go over to

00:10:38.489 - 00:10:59.099

the Syrians and see what happens. And it was twilight. Do you read your Bible? It was twilight. That kind of the day when you don't know whether a bush is a man or a man is a bush. That creepy time of the day. And they got

00:10:59.099 - 00:11:18.700

off, and they stood up. And they started walking 30 miles an hour, 25, 2015, 5, and. Oh, if only they'd been 1 instead of 4. They would have, he would have stopped and gone back, but It's hard to be the first one to run, isn't it?

00:11:19.690 - 00:11:34.700

That's why we work as a team. I'm not gonna be the first one to run, and I'm not gonna tell these other fellas how I tremble in my shoes when we start at the factory. I just get up as though I'm sitting on top of the

00:11:34.700 - 00:11:52.760

world when I'd rather be running for my life sometimes. Great to be in a team, isn't it? OAC's a team, and nobody wanted to be the first one to run, but at last they came to the outskirts of the camp and. There was a A hoard

00:11:53.590 - 00:12:21.919

just near a tent. And he was just eating the grass tied up there he was. He looked around and much to say, what are you doing here? And then they went outside the tent and In a loud voice they said. Is only one home Mhm And

00:12:21.919 - 00:12:48.919

somebody else said is anyone home? And then one of them just pulled the flap aside. And inside the tent it looked like our cabin. There were things everywhere. Apparently somebody had left in a hurry. And forgotten that they were soldiers because there were swords lying in

00:12:49.250 - 00:13:13.369

all directions, a couple of spears, a couple of belts. And a couple of old army boots, but there was no one there. Of course that old crackpot of a prophet had told them over in Samaria. That God was going to write and send a great deliverance,

00:13:13.429 - 00:13:34.190

but nobody believed it. One man, one big fellow whose arm the king leaned on and heard what Elisha said, and had said, if God was to open windows in heaven, could. He caused this great deliverance to take place that you're talking about, but God had done

00:13:34.190 - 00:13:58.729

it. He had done it And now the nondescripts were finding out about it. They went from tent to tent. There were asses tied up here and horses tied up there and swords here and swords there and helmets here, and helmets over there and boots and all

00:13:58.729 - 00:14:20.549

kinds of things everywhere. Because the Lord had caused the Syrians to hear the noise of chariots. And the noise of a great host. And everyone from the cook's boy to the general in charge had said let's get out of here. These Samaritans have hired the Hittites

00:14:20.549 - 00:14:49.520

and the Egyptians against us. Come on, let's go, and they all went. God had done what he said. Do you read the Bible or do you dream about it? Have you ever seen such a picture as this? People in the city perishing. And no one outside.

00:14:50.789 - 00:15:10.890

If you'd have tried to open the door of that city or the gate of that city and said let's get out, they would have said shut it, don't you dare open that. We'll all die if you do. But there was no one outside the city. Do

00:15:10.890 - 00:15:42.070

you want me to? Sort of have a go at your intellect by describing this any further to you. God has wrought a deliverance for this needy world. Not by making the enemies hear a noise. But by the blood of Calvary. The prophets foretold it. God has

00:15:42.070 - 00:16:04.349

done something for this needy world, God has done everything for it. Christ has died on the cross. There's no need for people to perish. There's no need for people to be crushed down by sin. God has opened the windows of heaven, the flood tide of blessing,

00:16:04.719 - 00:16:37.200

and poured it down upon this world. But he's left it to the nondescripts to find it out. To say, who were they? You and me. What do we amount to? But down from his glory, the Lord Jesus Christ has come. He's died on the cross, he's

00:16:37.200 - 00:17:00.530

been raised again from the dead. And as the lepers said it, this is a day of good tiding. And we dare not hold our peace. They saw what God had done. They took everything that they could get hold of and then their faces went red. They

00:17:00.530 - 00:17:20.659

picked up another piece of gold and they said, here we are getting all that we want. Absolutely filled our stomachs absolutely full with the good things that God has provided for us and back there in the city, they're perishing. Back there in the city, they're dying

00:17:20.659 - 00:17:41.569

off like flies. Come on, let's get up. We've had enough. Let's get up and let's go and tell them. And they went back to the city. And they called out and they said, God has rough a deliverance, you know, I often wonder what would happen if

00:17:41.569 - 00:18:01.560

those people hadn't have gone back. Why did God leave it to them? I, I'll, I'll give you a, a harder one than that. Why has God left it to us to tell the needy world of the Son of God and His salvation? What if the lepers

00:18:02.780 - 00:18:27.339

had let God down. I don't know what would have happened. All I know is this that they didn't. But what's going to happen if we let God down? And I trust that by His graces we have another look tonight at the cross of Calvary and realize

00:18:27.339 - 00:18:56.739

what God has done. And then look to a needy world, perishing. With no hope unless we tell them. The clouds will become full of rain. Just like when the lepers saw the salvation of God. And they entered into it themselves. And then got red faces. If

00:18:56.739 - 00:19:25.920

you've got a red face. Have you been gorging yourself for God's feast of salvation? And forgetting about a lost world around you. This is a day of good tidings. And we dare not hold our peace. They said let's go, and they went. And the doors of

00:19:25.920 - 00:19:50.569

that city were burst open and the people came out. To enjoy God's salvation. Shall we go and tell them? Shall we get such a drink at the fountain of Calvary that will become full? As we draw from the well of salvation may become so full, that

00:19:50.569 - 00:20:14.239

out of our inner man as it were, shall flow rivers of living water to a needy world. May I finish just before I hand over to Mr. Wey to conclude. With these words, do you want fullness? Here's the well to draw it from. Ephesians 3 and

00:20:14.239 - 00:20:34.290

14. For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named. That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his spirit in

00:20:34.290 - 00:21:00.510

the inner man. That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith. That ye being rooted and grounded in love. May be able to comprehend with all saints. What is the bread? And length and depth. And height And to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge.

00:21:01.540 - 00:21:35.319

That she might be filled. With all the fullness of God. Impossible. Now unto him who is able to do exceeding, abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that worketh in us, and to him be glory. Yeah Mr. Duffercy and I are

00:21:35.319 - 00:21:51.510

most happy to be with you tonight as we go on our way across to the United States of America. We are quite confident and conscious that the Lord is leading us out. We're absolutely certain that we're in the center of his will as we go, and

00:21:51.510 - 00:22:09.300

we're looking forward to not only having the work of open air campaigners established in the United States and Canada where it's already functioning. But we believe that God is going to do big things, and from these two missionary nations of the world today, we believe that

00:22:09.300 - 00:22:28.699

the work of open air campaigners in cooperation with the other missionary societies in the foreign fields of the world today, that open air campaigners will springboard the gospel out into the highways and byways of these needy lands and fulfill, A desire that the workers of OAC

00:22:28.699 - 00:22:44.719

have had for many years to take the work of open air campaigners into the mission fields of the world. For many years now, the calls have been coming in from India and Asia and through Japan, from Asia, from Africa, from all over the place. To have

00:22:44.719 - 00:23:01.760

the work of open air campaigners commenced in those countries and we from Australia have been unable, unable to meet the needs because of our lack of manpower and trained men in the skill of preaching the gospel in the highways and byways. And now we believe we

00:23:01.760 - 00:23:19.329

have the Lord's strategy for this and under pressure from our friends in America, we're going over now to establish a headquarters in Chicago for further international development. And we believe that in the near future we'll see always see vans and evangelists proclaiming the gospel in the

00:23:19.329 - 00:23:35.729

streets and highways and byways and marketplaces and wharves and factories across the mission fields of the world. I'd like to read to you, uh, just before we come to the close of our meeting this evening, a few verses from the 2nd epistle to the Corinthians chapter

00:23:35.729 - 00:23:53.209

5. I'm going to read just a few verses at random. From verse 9, wherefore we labor that whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him, for we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that everyone may receive the thing the things done

00:23:53.209 - 00:24:12.229

in his body. According to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men. For the love of Christ constraineth us, because we thus judge that if one died for all, then we're all dead and that

00:24:12.229 - 00:24:32.750

he died for all that they which live should not henceforth live to themselves, but unto him which died for them and rose again. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things are passed away, behold, all things are become new. Now

00:24:32.750 - 00:24:55.959

then, we are ambassadors for Christ. We are living in tremendous days today. We are most, our most privileged people. I heard somebody say quite recently that there are only 3 classes in the world today. Those who are afraid. Those who don't know enough to be afraid.

00:24:56.729 - 00:25:20.599

And those who know God. The population of the world today is something like 2.5 billion people, and already in just over 30 years, communism has spread across 1/3 of the entire globe. 1/3 of the world's population has gone under the red flag, 830 million of people.

00:25:21.209 - 00:25:37.469

In 30 years, communism has spread across the globe, bringing 600 millions of people in one foul swoop under their flag. And then in 19 months they did what the Christian church has been trying to do for years and years and years in China, they brought the

00:25:37.469 - 00:25:56.910

whole of China beneath communism and the red flag. They say that 1 person in 5 in the world today is a Chinaman, and now China has gone communist. One third of the world's population is beneath the red flag. And in this terrific position that we are

00:25:56.910 - 00:26:14.660

placed in in the world situation today. What is the Christian church doing to meet this tremendous challenge that is placed before us? Well, I want to tell you friends that I have been absolutely staggered to read just in the last month, the figures that have been

00:26:14.660 - 00:26:35.329

issued by the World Evangelical Fellowship of what the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ is accomplishing to to meet this challenge in this day and in this generation. Do you know that at the present stage, The Church of the Lord Jesus Christ is going slower than

00:26:35.329 - 00:26:53.359

at any time in its whole history, that we're going backwards and not forwards. Do you know that the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ is, I believe, dying of its own respectability? What are we doing to meet this tremendous challenge that is brought to us by

00:26:53.359 - 00:27:14.670

the world situation today? Let me just for a moment give you the figures that the world even. to every 47,000 people in Southeast Asia, there are 73 million people, and there is one missionary to every 92,000 people. In Indonesia there are 66 million people and one

00:27:14.670 - 00:27:37.744

missionary to every 14,700 people. In Asia Minor there are 65 million people and one missionary to every 86,000. In the South Pacific islands there are. 800 thousands of people and one missionary just above New Zealand to every 3,0073 people. If you add all those figures together

00:27:37.744 - 00:28:00.239

and find out how many missionaries there are per head of the population throughout the world, you'll find that there is an average of 1 missionary to every 79,595 people in the world today. And do you know that they have just published also the statistics of what's

00:28:00.239 - 00:28:16.430

happening to all the young men and the young women that volunteer for missionary service? Do you know that out of every 50 young men and young women that volunteer for missionary service, that only 1 out of 50, 1 person out of the 50 ever gets out

00:28:16.680 - 00:28:32.670

to the foreign mission field. Some of you young men tonight perhaps have trained in the BTI here. Let me tell you, these are statistics that have been checked across the missionary institutes of the world. Let me read them to you. Out of 50 Christians who volunteer

00:28:32.670 - 00:28:51.084

for missionary service, 38 remain passive, making no move to go. 12. Role for training or as candidate 4 withdraw, 4 drop out when work is offered, 1 drops out at the last minute. 1 returns at the end of the first term, one leaves the field to

00:28:51.084 - 00:29:14.969

work elsewhere, and one only reaches the field in missionary service. What a terrible condemnation upon the Church of God today, the fact that we're going backwards. You know that 10 years ago in 1946, we had our 35,000 missionaries upon the field, and yet today, 10 years

00:29:14.969 - 00:29:32.869

later, the statistics show that there are 17,000 missionaries out in the field that are preaching the gospel, less than half of what we had out 10 years ago. And yet the command of the Lord Jesus Christ is still the same. Go ye into all the world

00:29:32.869 - 00:29:49.930

and preach the gospel to every creature. Lift up your eyes and look upon the fields. They're white all ready to harvest. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he'll thrust out labors into his harvest. My friends, the Harvest is not only ripe, it's white,

00:29:50.000 - 00:30:08.359

it's going rotten because the laborers aren't gathering it in. Let me read again to you the word of God, where the Lord charges us with the blood guiltiness of those that we do not warn of their need of the Lord Jesus Christ, Son of man, I

00:30:08.359 - 00:30:23.479

have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel. Therefore, hear the word at my mouth and give them warning from me. When I say unto the wicked, thou shalt surely die, and thou givest him not warning nor speakest to warn him of his wicked way,

00:30:23.729 - 00:30:41.369

to save his life, the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at thine hand. Yet if thou warn the wicked and he turned not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity, but thou

00:30:41.770 - 00:31:01.650

hast delivered thy soul. This is a terrible situation that we find ourselves in today. It would almost make one despair. And yet, my friend, there is an answer to this tremendous challenge that's faced before the Christian church. And I believe the challenge is this. And I

00:31:01.650 - 00:31:23.780

believe the answer is this. I earnestly believe with all my heart. That because the church is dying of its own respectability, and I say that with much thought. Because the church has become so respectable, that we are today, as Mr. Duffercy said, ashamed to speak to

00:31:23.780 - 00:31:42.949

our relatives and our friends and those with whom we work about the Lord Jesus Christ, we as a church have got to get back to New Testament evangelism. The gospel of Jesus Christ has to be proclaimed over the backyard fences. We've got to talk to those

00:31:42.949 - 00:31:59.380

with whom we work alongside in the office and in the factory. We have to gossip the gospel and bring to them their need of the Lord Jesus Christ. This world will never be evangelized with a paid ministry, evangelists will never evangelize the world. Do you know

00:31:59.380 - 00:32:15.333

that? With all the big campaigns that are being conducted across the world by Doctor Graham, Doctor Merv Roselle, and these other great men of God and God bless them for what they're doing, do you know that they are proven figures that these men are only reaching

00:32:15.333 - 00:32:34.176

10% of those audiences who are not already in contact in some way with the church. 90% of those attending. Are already church members are in contact with the church. 10% only are those who never darken a church door, and it's our job as a church to

00:32:34.176 - 00:32:50.780

reach those outsiders with the gospel, and the only way we'll reach them is to get back to New Testament evangelism of getting out and going with the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. If you've got a moment some time, just sit down and go through the

00:32:50.780 - 00:33:07.010

book of the Acts, read it straight through. It thrills my soul every time I read the book. And just the other day I sat down and I jotted out some of the things that I believe made that church such a successful one in those early days.

00:33:07.260 - 00:33:23.790

Do you know that the, in the Acts of the apostles, they spread the gospel right across the world in 53 years in. 53 years they swept right across the known world with the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ until as the book tells us they were

00:33:23.790 - 00:33:40.030

even saints in Caesar's household, and I noted quite a number of things, and it's quite a contrast to the church today. Let me quickly read them to you as I wrote them down. I noticed first of all that the in the Acts of the apostles, they

00:33:40.030 - 00:33:58.359

challenged the powers of hell. There was no pussyfooting around and apologizing for the gospel of Christ. They weren't afraid about embarrassing somebody or or being tactless. You know, on all hands today we hear the fact that you mustn't offend somebody with the gospel of Christ. But

00:33:58.359 - 00:34:17.669

in those days they threw the gauntlet down, they challenged the powers of hell. And then I realized that to those early Christians, the Son of God was absolutely everything to them. The living Christ was in their midst, and the enemy took knowledge that they had been

00:34:17.669 - 00:34:39.218

with Jesus. They lived lives that were holy and separated unto the Lord. They were fiercely persecuted, the Holy Spirit held sway in their lives. They believed that the gospel was the only hope for a dying world, and everybody in the early church witnessed no matter who

00:34:39.218 - 00:34:55.658

they were. They were prepared not only to live for Christ, but to die for the Lord Jesus Christ. And running right through the book, I noticed one theme, and I believe it was the secret of the success of the early church, and that was that the

00:34:55.658 - 00:35:14.370

love of Christ constrained them. And yet you know in that quick spread of the gospel across the globe, in those 53 years, they had none of the facilities we have today. The world is just shrinking round about us. In a matter of hours today, you can

00:35:14.370 - 00:35:29.840

get across to London or to India or to Japan or across into America by plane, the whole globe is just shrinking. I was reading in the Reader's Digest the story of the Flying Enterprise, a ship that uh sank to the bottom of the Atlantic with, uh,

00:35:29.929 - 00:35:47.060

remember the story with Stayfoot Carlson, the captain on board. And uh the whole of the world's eyes were focused. On that drama of the Flying Enterprise when it went to the bottom some time back, and when the ship went down below the waves and uh the

00:35:47.060 - 00:36:06.159

report flashed across the world, I was most interested to read that within 8 minutes, 8 minutes. Every capital city in the world knew that the flying Enterprise had gone to the bottom of the Atlantic. 8 minutes and had gone around the globe completely, the news that

00:36:06.159 - 00:36:26.409

the ship had sunk. I was very interested to hear Mr. Cook say recently over in Australia that they bounced the gospel round the equator from HCJB 7.5 times every second. What are a weapon and what weapons the Lord has put in our hands in this generation

00:36:26.760 - 00:36:46.080

to take the gospel out to the unchurched multitudes, and yet my friends, the condemnation is upon us that we're going slower than at any time in the church's history. God has given to this generation the challenge of reaching this generation for Christ. We can't reach the

00:36:46.080 - 00:37:07.050

generation that's already gone, they're past. We can't reach the generation that is to come if the Lord tries. They're not our responsibility, but it's our responsibility as a Christian church, my friend, your responsibility and my responsibility to reach this generation with the gospel of Christ. And

00:37:07.050 - 00:37:25.489

for most of us that appears to be about 30 or 40 years. I wonder if you're delivering yourself of the blood guiltiness of your brethren roundabout, the blood guiltiness that God charges you with. We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. And my friend,

00:37:25.540 - 00:37:40.459

I wonder tonight, you know, I was in a a most uh uh evangelical church in Sydney some weeks back. The place was packed out. The church was known for its live witness, and I did a thing that I, I'd never done before. I don't suppose I

00:37:40.459 - 00:37:56.870

had the courage to do it. I asked the church audience to bow in prayer during the service, and while we were bowed in prayer prayer, I asked those folk, and I knew most of them as being keen Christians. I said those who've spoken to somebody about

00:37:56.870 - 00:38:13.370

their soul or witness to them for the Lord Jesus Christ this past week, while we're bowed in prayer, would you just indicate that by raising your hand? And out of the 30 or 400 people that were present, there were 5 folks that raised their hands as

00:38:13.370 - 00:38:30.449

witnessing to the Lord Jesus Christ during the last week or seeking to win someone for Christ. And my friends We're here tonight, I suppose the cream of the Auckland Christian public, and I wonder what we'd find if we put the same challenge across this audience tonight.

00:38:30.959 - 00:38:51.790

Have you spoken to somebody today about the Lord Jesus Christ? That's what we've got to get back to in this generation, to witnessing for Christ by all means everywhere, seeking continually to win folk to our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. I believe the OAC. Has been

00:38:51.790 - 00:39:11.290

called of God to spread right across this world in the next 30 years. I believe that God's going to do it if the Lord Jesus Christ carries. You say that's impossible. Is that Seven men in 1835 in Hamburg in Germany, these seven men decided that they

00:39:11.290 - 00:39:33.120

would evangelize the world. Would you like to hear what they did in just 20 years? Seven men who gave their all to God in Hamburg in Germany in the year 1835, in 20 years spoke to themselves personally, 7 men, 50 millions of people. They built 50

00:39:33.120 - 00:39:57.260

churches. They won over 10,000 converts to the Lord Jesus Christ. They gave out over 50 million Bibles, they gave out over 8 million tracts. At that rate, this audience would evangelize the world in less than 30 years, if we did exactly what those men had done.

00:39:57.790 - 00:40:17.209

This audience could evangelize the world in less than 30 years. We say so often, you know, and we bewail the status of the Christian church today and we say, why don't people come to church? We're continually stressing in the OAC that that's entirely the wrong question

00:40:17.209 - 00:40:33.370

that's being asked. The question should be not why don't people come to church, but why doesn't the church go to the people? The Lord's command has always been to go. First of all, he says, come unto me all ye that are labor and heavy laden, and

00:40:33.370 - 00:40:50.610

I will give you rest. And once we've come, he says go. And my friend, the command tonight is still to go. I think that a lot of us, you know, we keen Christians, as we're called, we pay a lot of lip service to the things of

00:40:50.610 - 00:41:06.409

God. I was uh uh delighted to hear about a young lad that just recently that, uh, rushed suddenly into the kitchen of the house to his mother who was talking to somebody in the house. And he rushed in and as he rushed in, he was holding

00:41:06.409 - 00:41:16.699

up a dead rat by the tail. And he came in and he said, look, Mum, what I did, he said, I hit it with a stick and then he said I got a a brick and I bashed his brains out. And then he noticed that the

00:41:17.110 - 00:41:34.810

uh person that his mother was talking to was the minister, and then he said, um, and then of course mum, the the Lord took him and. I think a lot of us, you know, pay lip service to the things of God. And it doesn't seem to

00:41:34.810 - 00:41:56.070

get down inside and motiva motivate us into action to actively witnessing for Christ. We as a church, a lot of us say that we believe in hell. And yet my friends, I wonder if we really do. Do you honestly believe that every person who dies without

00:41:56.070 - 00:42:16.030

Christ is bound for lost eternity, or do you just say that you do? Does it motivate you to get out and win somebody for Christ? Does it really get you into action or do you just pay lip service to it? I pray that tonight God will

00:42:16.030 - 00:42:35.540

make the OAC staff and us as a band of Christians. To realize that we're dying men taking the gospel of Christ to a dying world. Wasn't it Richard Baxter who prayed to God that eternity might be written on both his eyeballs? May that be written on

00:42:35.540 - 00:42:54.370

our eyeballs as Christians to realize that we've only got 30 or 40 or 50 years if the Lord spares us and he tries to preach the gospel to those round about us and deliver ourselves of the blood guiltiness that's upon us. I wonder if you believe

00:42:54.370 - 00:43:16.000

that the gospel can save men. I know that you do. But do you really believe it? Have you witnessed to anybody for the Lord this past week? Have you really? Do you remember that story about Charles Pierce, that double murder and forger as he was going

00:43:16.000 - 00:43:34.770

to the gallows? The chaplain came up to him and he offered him the consolations of religion. And Charles Pierce is criminal. He turned vehemently on the chaplain. And he said to the chaplain, he said, if you, if I believe what you say you believe, if I

00:43:34.770 - 00:43:54.729

believe what you say you believe, I crawl across England on broken glass. To tell men that that message was true. We know that it's true. But all friends, it's not making us do very much about it. As Jim said, we're gorging ourselves on the things of

00:43:54.729 - 00:44:12.969

God. Let's start to get out and witness actively for Christ. The time's short, the scientists and the world statesmen are telling us that the worlds of the clock, the hands of the clock of the world are pointing at one minute to midnight. Those of us who

00:44:12.969 - 00:44:29.580

know anything about the mission fields of the world know that in many countries the doors are closing the missionaries getting in. And it all appears to indicate the near return of the Lord Jesus Christ. I believe that the Lord himself is even at the threshold and

00:44:29.580 - 00:44:48.439

his coming is very close. And if we're going to work for Christ, we haven't got very long to do it before the day of opportunity is over forever. The sunset burns across the sky, upon the air it's warning cry, the curfew tolls from tower to tower,

00:44:48.489 - 00:45:13.510

all children, is the last, last hour. The work that centuries might have done, must fill the hour of setting sun, and through all lands that saving name, we must in fervent haste proclaim. Wherefore we labor. That whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.

00:45:14.439 - 00:45:30.909

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. That everyone may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or whether it be bad. Shall we bow in prayer?