1964 Awake! - Theocratic Collector.com

The same principle appIies to one's
weaknesses, shortcomings or bad habits. Is
your weakness spending money foolishly?
Instead of moralizing continually, "I must
not spend money foolishly," take the initiative,
the positive approach. Set yourself
a goal to save a certain amount of your
wages or salary for some very desirable
or worthwhile object so that there just is
not much left for you to spend foolishly.
Or is your weakness that of wasting
time? Try a similar approach. Set for
yourself desirable goals that require added
time: reading a certain amount of good
literature, including the Bible, or branching
out in activities that bring honor to
God and comfort to your neighbor. Added
worthwhile interests will soon keep you so
busy that you will no longer be plagued
with the problem of how to keep from
squandering your time.-Eph. 5: 15, 16.
This principle about the best defense being
an offense clearly has application to
Christianity, which is bese.t by many foes
on every hand. Jesus Christ, its Founder,
took the initiative, the offensive. Of him
we read: "He went journeying from city
to city and from village to village, preaching
and declaring the good news of the
kingdom ·of God. And the twelve were with
him." He sent forth his apostles and disciples
to do the same, and just before his
ascension he gave all his followers the commission
to take the offensive by making
disciples of people of all nations.-Luke
8:1; 10:1; Matt. 28:19, 20.
However, the religious organizations of
Christendom, though professing to be followers
of Jesus Christ, with few exceptions
do little more than tell their members
how to defend themselves, if they do
that much. Rarely do they urge their members
to take the initiative, to go on the
offensive. No wonder that Jesuit Robert I.
Gannon, former. president of Fordham
University, complained last June that during
1962 the Roman Catholic Church in
the United States had gained but 125,000
converts, at the same time losing 118,000
members. According to him, the lag in
growth of his church spells "disaster unless
the present trend is reversed."
Speaking as a Protestant, William Sloan
Coffin, chaplain of Yale University, was recently
quoted as saying: "We've never had
attendance so high and influence so low,
and maybe the two are not unrelated." But
what else can be expected? How can religious
organizations exert a powerful influence
for good when they are content with
their members being on the defensive?
Jesuit Gannon further stated that "last
year it took 340- Catholics 365 days to
make one American like their Church well
enough to jOin it. In the same length of
time ... nine JehOVah's witnesses did what
it took 340 Catholics to do." Why? No
doubt one reason is that the Witnesses are
urged to take the offensive, whereas, with
few exceptions Gannon's coreligionists are
content with being on the defensiVe.
Yes, while Christians are commanded
to make a defense to everyone that demands
of them a reason for their hope,
they are also commanded to let their light
shine, so taking the offensive. And Christian"s
who are alert to opportunities to tell
others about their beliefs and hope are far
less likely to compromise or yield to the
fear of man when brought face to face
with issues than are those who never bring
up the subject of religion.-1 Pet. 3:15;
Matt. 5:14-16.
No doubt about it, in whatever sphere
of human endeavor we may look, if it
involves conflict, the best defense is an
offense.
AWAKE!