As a new believer in 1945 I read a statement that had a profound influence on my life. It was by Sir James Stewart of Scotland, a famous New Testament scholar.
He said: "If we could but show the whole world that being committed to Christ is no tame, humdrum, sheltered monotony but the most thrilling, exciting adventure the human spirit can ever know, then those who have been standing outside the church and looking askance at Christ would come crowding in to pay allegiance to Him. And we might well expect the greatest revival since Pentecost."
That statement has greatly influenced everything I have ever written or spoken for more than 50 years.
James Stewart was a great scholar and a godly, humble man. I remember calling him at his home in Scotland and inviting him to speak at one of my conferences. He was then approaching 70 years of age. He said, "Oh Mr. Bright, there's so many people that are more qualified than I to speak to your group."
He did agree to come and speak to us, and when this great man got up to speak he was anointed by God although by nature he was very reserved. He didn't think he was that great. But his words were great because he exalted Jesus. That is the key.
I don't know how many thousands of times I have thought of that as a principle to follow: When I write, exalt Jesus; when I speak, exalt Jesus. No one or nothing else is as important as He.
When you get down to it, church is not going to save us. Religion is not going to save us. Christianity is not going to save us. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus -- the Christ, the Messiah, the King of kings and Lord of lords, the Word made flesh. He is the one who died for us. He is the one who lives within us. He is the one who transforms us.
If we could faithfully and consistently communicate the true person of Christ and the reality of life in Him, many unbelievers would gladly turn to Him. We have a duty to know what we believe and why we believe it so we can share the gospel. Peter says, "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have" (1 Peter 3:15, NIV).
In recent years, the church has often discarded many fundamental principles because it fears looking foolish in the world's eyes. But it is foolish not to present the whole gospel. As the church recommits itself to the authority of God's Word, and proclaims Christ, revival will come.
Dr. Bill Bright is founder and chairman of Campus Crusade for Christ, an organization which began as a campus ministry in 1951 and now has more than 25,000 full-time staff and 553,000 trained volunteer staff in 196 countries in areas representing 99.6 percent of the world's population. In the past 50 years, Campus Crusade for Christ has seen approximately 6 billion exposures to the gospel worldwide. The film, "JESUS," which Bright conceived and funded through Campus Crusade for Christ, is the most widely translated and viewed film of any type ever produced. Since its use began in 1980, the film has been translated into more than 730 languages and viewed or listened to by some 5 billion people in 236 countries. Dr. Bright is also the author of more than fifty books. Dr. Bright recently co-founded Global Pastors Network to "Touch, Teach and Train" ministers around the world 24/7/365 at
http://www.globalpastorsnetwork.org.
Copyright (c) 2002, Bill Bright. All rights reserved. However, readers may copy and distribute this message as desired, without restrictions in number, as long as the content is not altered. Forwarding this e-mail to friends is encouraged. For many free evangelistic and spiritual growth materials, visit the Campus Crusade for Christ Web site at http://www.ccci.org. See http://www.newlifepubs.com for Bill Bright's own materials.