The Testimony of Action                                                       9/14/41

 

Scripture:  I Peter 2: 11-17

 

Advertising in our day.  It is the merchant’s method of letting people know what he has for sale.  Often also the creation of desire for the goods.

 

Churches, now-a-days, engage in advertising their meetings, on a modest scale.

            Newspaper articles

            Paid advertisements

            Circular letters

 

But there is a more potent advertising medium than these!

It is personal testimony on the part of every Christian as to what the gospel of Jesus Christ means to him or her.  We can use some good testimony today to fire our enthusiasm. 

 

Churches and revival meetings of longer ago made much of spoken testimony.

            Prayer meeting testimonies.

            Testimonies in evangelistic services.

 

Other testimonies:

            Preaching of the gospel

            Teaching about the Christian religion; church school, etc.

            Spread of the Bible and other sacred literature

            Sharing in missions at home and abroad.

 

The spoken testimony is good.  It must be continued.

 

But people must be prepared to hear it!   It is my belief that they will be better prepared by the testimony of action.

 

Illustration:  Graham Taylor

                                    Minister

                                    Professor

                                    Contributor to Chicago Daily News

 

                                    Lived with his family in poor and crowded

                                    part of Chicago, Chicago Commons

                                    Open forums

                                    Neighborly interest

 

When he spoke, people listened, because they knew he had acted and understood people first.   (Starting point of all his lectures at Seminary - the last thing he saw or last person he met on the way to class.)

 

Illustration:  Missionary teaching college boys in the Orient to work with their hands - milk cows, etc.

 

(Spooner’s mother - work “degrading.”   Father - honesty;   Father - language.)

 

Action is often silent.  But its effect is powerful.

                        (Ghandi and non-violence.)

 

You and I may not know much about the doctrines peculiar to the Quakers’ religious faith.  But we deeply admire some of the things they have done.

            (Wm. Penn acted as though treaty relations with the American Indians were possible and the proper way to deal with them.  His people were the only ones who did not have to dwell in constant fear of the “savages.”)

 

A group of Quakers studying what can be done to help sufferers in Germany won tolerance from a government press that was at first hostile, because of the spirit in which the Quakers went about their relations with all people in Germany.

 

Now what about our testimony of action.  Is there sometimes cold and ruthless competition in our business?  Are people tempted to adhere to a “dog-eat-dog” policy six days of the week?

 

Then can you and I learn to handle our business dealings in such a way as to emphasize continually human friendliness as well as fair dealing?  (Bereft mother to the President).

 

Do we deplore the cynicism and carelessness of some people who seem to lead a devil-may-care existence?

 

Then shall we, at least, act as though there are positive character values to be preserved at all cost?

 

Do we find enthusiasm for the church at a lower ebb than we like?  What about trying to work up more enthusiasm ourselves for this fellowship in which we all still heartily believe?  (More heartily than ever before.  Oct. effort)

 

The testimony of action is contagious.  If others see in you and me that which seems to them right and attractive and good, they will the more readily listen to the gospel that we would share.

 

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Dates and places delivered:

 

            Pilgrim Church, April 30, 1939, PM

            Wisconsin Rapids, September 14, 1941