This perpetual calendar includes:
- Remarkable testimonies of souls won to the Savior
- Explanations of gospel concepts
- Answers to frequently-asked questions
- Stories of real-life witnessing opportunities
- Encouragements and tips for sharing the glorious gospel
January 16
The Lord Jesus Christ dominates the Scriptures as the sun dominates our solar system. As the Eternal Son, He acts through creation and history. As the virgin’s Son, He joins the stream of our race, the tributary destined to unite the currents of Jew and Gentile, and to divide our river into two courses: one flowing with ever-increasing depth to the ocean of everlasting love; the other flowing darkly…to be swallowed up at last in the Saharan sands of the second death…No article, no book, no library, no university can contain the infinite treasure of the revelation of God in His Son…for He is altogether lovely; grace has been poured into His lips—they are like lilies dropping sweet-smelling myrrh (Song of Sol 5:13). His words contain all the music of David’s harp, all the wisdom of Solomon, the eloquence of Isaiah, and the pathos of Jeremiah. “Never man spake like this Man” (Jn 7:46) for no man so prayed, worked, loved, suffered, died and overcame.—A.C. Rose
Today’s Reading: Genesis 48-50 Memorize: Job 19:25-26January 15
“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (Jn 1:14). If New Testament Christianity is to reappear today with its power and joy and courage, men must recapture the basic conviction that this is a Visited Planet. It is not enough to express formal belief in the “Incarnation” or in “the divinity of Christ”; the staggering truth must be accepted afresh that in this vast, mysterious universe, of which we are an almost infinitesimal part, the great Mystery whom we call God has visited our planet in person. It is from this conviction that there springs unconquerable certainty and unquenchable faith and hope. It is not enough to believe theoretically that Jesus was both God and Man…. The reason for the insufficiency of these things is that the modern mind, which has had its horizons widened in dozens of ways, has got to be shocked afresh by the audacious central Fact—that as a sober matter of history, God became one of us.—J.B. Phillips, NT Christianity, pp 36-37
Today’s Reading: Genesis 45-47 Memorize: Job 5:17-18January 14
“‘Is not my word like fire,’ declares the Lord, ‘and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?’” (Jer 23:29). In Who Says, Fritz Ridenour makes the following observation: “Mighty potentates have raged against this Book, and sought to destroy and uproot it—Alexander the Great and princes of Egypt and Babylon, the monarchs of Persia, of Greece and of Rome, the Emperors Julius and Augustus—but they prevailed nothing. They are gone while the Book remains, and it will remain forever and ever, perfect and entire, as it was declared at first. Who has thus helped it—who has protected it against such mighty forces? No one, surely, but God Himself, who is Master of all things.” “The word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit…and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Heb 4:12). It even anticipates what others are thinking and moves to answer their objections! How amazing is that?
Today’s Reading: Genesis 41-44 Memorize: Job 5:7January 13
A helpful guide to the effective use of biblical evidence is the Emmaus Study Course, Ready to Give an Answer by David Reid. He writes: “God asks us to defend and confirm the gospel (Phil 1:17). When the apostle Paul wrote, ‘I am appointed for the defense of the gospel’ (Phil 1:17), he was a prisoner in Rome, where most of the people were hostile to Christianity. God had placed him in that situation to defend and confirm the gospel in pagan Rome. Jude urged Christians to ‘contend earnestly for the faith’ (Jude 3) and Titus was told to refute the arguments of those who opposed his message (Titus 1:9). God expects all Christians to be able to defend and confirm the message of the Bible. In fact, He commands us to be ready and able to give answers! ‘Always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you’ (1 Pet 3:15), and ‘redeeming the time [make the most of every opportunity]…know how you ought to answer each one’ (Col 4:5-6).”
Today’s Reading: Genesis 38-40 Memorize: Job 4:17January 12
Mel Trotter, who founded 66 rescue missions in key cities across the U.S., wrote: “I didn’t get a very good start in the first place; my job was tending bar in my father’s saloon. Booze got the best of me pretty early in life, and before I was twenty years old I was the common drunkard of our town.” Things went from bad to worse. “God gave us only one baby. When the little fellow was hardly two years old, one day after a ten-day’s drunk, I went to find my wife in our cold, bare home, if you can call it a home, and found our boy dead in his mother’s arms.” Trotter determined to end his life. Making his way to Chicago’s Lake Michigan shore to throw himself in, he felt the hand of Tom, a former card sharp who was standing in front of the Pacific Garden Mission. He shepherded him into the mission where Mel heard the story of the Savior’s love. Mel never left Skid Row. He spent his life reaching out to others who found hope when they thought there was none left.
Today’s Reading: Genesis 35-37 Memorize: 2 Chronicles 7:14January 11
“Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee” (Ps 119:11). My Bible teaches that if a man can bridle his tongue, he can bridle his whole body (see Jas 3:2). That was one of the first lessons I learned in my Christian life… My tongue began to be bridled by my heart, that was bridled by the Lord and His Word. Immediately after my conversion I began learning Bible verses, and I learned one a day for the first three years. In those years I learned my first thousand verses. A preacher said to me when I went to him for help about leading others to Christ, “I’ll tell you something. There is an answer in the Bible for every excuse that any man can give for not coming to Christ.” I believed him. Then I went alone to God in prayer and said, “God, if there is an answer to any man’s excuse, I promise You that I will never be caught on the same excuse twice.” That is but a little promise to make, but it changed the course of my life.—Dawson Trotman
Today’s Reading: Genesis 32-34 Memorize: 1 Chronicles 29:11-12January 10
“Pray for them…” (Mt 5:44). A survey prepared at Fuller Seminary was taken of 750 Muslims from 30 countries who had received the Lord Jesus. Here are the top five reasons that these Muslim considered Christ. 1. A true Christian lifestyle, a consistent testimony, the love Christians showed, plus respectful treatment of women. 2. The power of God in answered prayer, especially influential in countries isolated from other Christian influence. 3. Discontent with Islam, unhappiness with the Qur’an’s emphasis on God’s punishment, and no certainty of entrance into Paradise. 4. The ring of truth in the Bible, in spite of Muslim teaching that the Bible is corrupted. These Christians said the Bible proved itself, showing them their sin and the provision of God’s love in the Savior. 5. The Bible’s teaching about God’s love. The truth that God’s love was for all people, and therefore unconditional, is a moving thought to Muslims—as it should be to us all. —CT Leadership Journal
Today’s Reading: Genesis 29-31 Memorize: 2 Samuel 22:31