September 25
When Jim and Lil Dickson arrived in Taiwan (then Formosa) in 1927, .there was one unreached tribe of headhunters known as the Tyal (or Atayal) living in the mountains. Chi-oang, an elderly woman, was the first convert. Some objected to enrolling her in Bible school. What could this old woman do? But she persisted. The Japanese ruled the island from 1895 until 1945. But the elusive Tyal remained impervious to all attempts at Japanese control. Missionaries were forbidden to visit the Tyals and when Chi-oang began to travel with the gospel to her own people, they did everything they could to...
Read MoreSeptember 24
If Christianity is so great, why are there so few Christians? Don’t underestimate how many the Lord will save. When Jesus said, “narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Mt 7:13-14), He was speaking about that generation of Jews, most of whom would reject Him. But was He speaking about all humanity? Will only a few be saved? Abraham was told that his spiritual children would be as numerous as the stars (Gen 22:17), and he believed God. John, on his tour of heaven, saw “a great multitude, which no man could number” who are saved, and he...
Read MoreSeptember 23
As a boy, I loved good Christian biographies. One day I found my father’s copy of Archibald Glover’s massive “A 1000 Miles of Miracle in China,” It is a must-read for serious saints. It tells the harrowing, miraculous story of some CIM missionaries fleeing the Boxers who were intent on killing “the foreign devils.” One scene is with me still. After unspeakable horrors, Glover’s pregnant wife, and mother of two young children, who had been such an example of faith, collapsed: “Oh, God has forsaken us! It can only be that we are not in His will or He would surely never have allowed us to come...
Read MoreSeptember 22
There is today a pale, pathetic, and unflinching interpretation of the blessed gospel, which guarantees salvation as “a financially and socially upgrading experience”; then it finalizes the offer by “a superlative bonus in eternity and comfort world without end.” How different was Paul’s concept of a disciple of Christ! Look at his vivid interpretation: “I think God has exhibited us apostles as the lowest of the low—like gallows birds; for we have become a spectacle to the universe, both angels and men. We are fools for Christ’s sake, while you are most prudent Christians; we are feeble...
Read MoreSeptember 21
Is the Bible to be taken literally? Yes. And no. Like any great piece of literature, there are some literal, some figurative and metaphorical sections. If something is metaphorical, it does not mean it isn’t true; it is true but is being described in a different way. For example, we read about “chains of darkness” that imprison some rebellious angels (2 Pet 2:4). Are they literal chains? What good would iron chains be in holding spirit beings? But whatever they are, they do restrict the freedom of these angels. It should also be noted that some things are to be taken both literally and...
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