February 12
Buddhism, founded in India by Siddharta Gautama (the Buddha, or Enlightened One) in 520 bc, has 360 million adherents. Beliefs differ: Theravada Buddhism is atheistic; Mahayana is more polytheistic. Buddha taught nothing is permanent. Life’s purpose is to avoid suffering, gain enlightenment and release from the cycle of rebirth, or at least attain a better rebirth in the next life cycle by good living. Although few Westerners officially join Buddhism, adapting certain aspects of its beliefs has become popular. Tibetan Buddhism allows for atheistic religion. Zen meditation is offered as a...
Read MoreFebruary 11
Faith is often needed not only for spiritual efforts but for financial provision as well. In dark days, when funds were low for the China Inland Mission, Hudson Taylor received a letter from George Müller: “My chief object is to tell you that I love you in the Lord; that I feel deeply interested about the Lord’s work in China, and that I pray daily for you. I thought it might be a little encouragement to you in your difficulties, trials, hardships, and disappointments to hear of one more who feels for you and who remembers you before the Lord. But were it otherwise…you will always have the...
Read MoreFebruary 10
John Townsend was born into a well-to-do family in Exeter, England. At the age of 20, while studying to become a clergyman, he realized to his shock that he was an unconverted man himself. He abandoned the ambition of his life which he had chosen, feeling he could not lead others to Christ until he himself was a believer. One day he noticed a Bible in a shop window and, inquiring further, was lead to Christ by the woman who would become his wife. His parents became so distressed and angry at the step he had taken, that they disinherited him. For 25 years he sought reconciliation with them,...
Read MoreFebruary 9
“For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries” (1 Cor 16:9). “Praying also for us, that God would open to us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ…” (Col 4:3). “Now when they had come and gathered the church together, they reported all that God had done with them, and that He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles” (Ac 14:27). Like a Solomonic triple gate, these three doors must be opened if we are to carry the gospel to the hearts of those still held captive by the “strong man armed” (Lk 11:21). First, we need to pray to the One who...
Read MoreFebruary 8
One evening, H.A. Ironside came upon a gospel meeting at the corner of Market and Grant in San Francisco. When they recognized Ironside, they asked if he would give his testimony. As he closed, a well-dressed man gave him a card. He read it aloud: “Sir, I challenge you to debate in the Academy of Science Hall next Sunday afternoon at four.” Ironside replied that he would agree with certain conditions. The atheist must bring one man and one woman whose lives had been wrecked by sin, but who had entered one of his meetings, heard his glorification of agnosticism and whose hearts were so deeply...
Read MoreFebruary 7
“You shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Some believers think the witness of the Church is only to be conducted by those gifted as evangelists. Was that what the early church did? In Acts 8, we are told that the persecution that arose under Saul of Tarsus drove the Christians across the Roman empire. And the result? “Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching (euaggelizo, evangelizing) the word” (v 4). But the “they” in verse 4 does not include the men who were given...
Read MoreCalendar Archive
