Covenanter Witness Vol. 54 - Rparchives.org

name."
escape"
you!"
you."
This
prayers."
you."
all."
you."
prayers."
you."
This article is written at the request of Rev.
Paul Faris for the Evangelistic Committee. I under
stand it is to be the layman's follow-up to an article
being written by a minister, Rev. K. G. Smith.
BUCKET OR PIPE
"That which we have seen and heard declare we
unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us :
and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with
his Son Jesus Christ." 1 Jn. 1:3.
Some months ago, I was given this verse to learn
with the suggestion that it should apply to my life
as a Christian. And I began to see a new and sobering
thought expressed here. Turning the first phrase
around, I saw, "We (I) declare unto you that which
we (I) have seen and heard." Why that meant that
my complaining, worrying, envying, backbiting,
frowning, talking about what the rain had done for
my garden but not about what God had done for my
soul, in fact, my whole appearance before others is
a declaration of what my fellowship "with the Father
and with his Son" means to me. I might orate long
and loudly on the blessings and joys of the Christian,
but my neighbor would judge their true meaning
to me by the living epistle of my life.
I am glad to testify that a planned and systema
tic consideration of God and His Word and of what
salvation and the Christian life mean can certainly
give increased vitality and life-changing meaning to
our fellowship with our God and Saviour.
First, I realized the need to gain more familiarity
with God's Word.
John 20:31 says "these are written, that ye
might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of
God; and that believing ye might have life through
his (See Jn. 21:25 and 20:30 for further em
phasis on this purpose). Most of us have learned
some Bible verses such as Jn. 3:16, Matt. 6:9(b)-13,
Ex. 20:3-17, Num. 6:24-26; too often without even
knowing where to locate them or finding them of
much meaning. Learning verses under definite sub
jects started me to see the meaning and purpose they
should have for myself and others. There were prom
ises, steps to be followed to reach a desired goal (the
first being salvation), commands, warnings, an
swers ; all waiting to be appropriated.
But then I saw that verse learning was not an
end. I was encouraged to read the verse in its context
And that which I saw and heard again broadened
and deepened. Psalm 19 : 7, 8 was recently suggested
to me for memorizing. Read these verses and then
read the entire Psalm and note the richer and more
accurate meaning these verses gain. So one does
chapter studies; rewriting them in his own words,
choosing the central thought, outlining, etc.
Furthermore, these studies have challenged me
to try also to see chapters in their context. I learned
to read 1 Corinthians 12 with Chapter 13. Bible Mas
tery Month with its month-long study of a book fits
in admirably with this program and I know many
have found a deepened fellowship from following this
project.
Now I found a danger. It was so comforting, so
January 19, 1955
satisfying, being a bucket; just feasting on the
Word, listening to the minister or other speaker pro
pounding on the joys and blessings of the Christian
life, reveling in the congenial fellowship of those of
like heart and desire. I was soon made aware that I
should declare Christ to those who knew Him not. I
was to be a pipe not a bucket.
So it seemed I must compel the unsaved, the
cold, the indifferent to come in. I would give them
the Word of God and how could they help seeing in it
what I was now seeing But I found that this atti
tude was often antagonizing my neighbor rather
than winning him and I became aware that there was
still a missing element. That was love and a sincere
desire to see my neighbor know Christ even as I
knew Him. Studying Paul's ministry from his epis
tles gave helpful suggestions.
1. Paul yearned for souls.
"How greatly I long after you "I have you
heart."
in my "Being affectionately desirous of
People can tell by our attitude if we are really inter
ested in helping them. This attitude can be developed
by God's grace. Reading such chapters as Isa. 53
and 55, Jn. 14 and Rev. 22 will be a big help. I read
of a soldier with an amputated arm who had become
a Christian. He was walking in a busy city jostled by
the hurrying throng. He was tempted to curse at the
bumps and pain. Then God showed him "a way of
and at each bump he whispered, "God bless
Visit the fatherless and widow, never betray a
confidence, rejoice with them that rejoice and weep
with them that weep.
2. Paul prayed for souls.
"Without ceasing I make mention of you always
in my "Always in my "Always in
every prayer of mine for "Praying always for
suggested to me that I should have a list
of the church members and pray for each one ; that I
should learn the names of the other members of a
family where only one or two had professed their
faith in Christ and pray for each one. This praying
should be continued. Fellowship denotes continuing,
not passing interest.
3. Paul revisited his contacts.
"Let us go again and visit our brethren." "I
was minded to come again unto We have a
price"
treasure to share, "the pearl of great ; a won
der to behold, if the angels in heaven rejoice over
the repentant sinner, can we do less We share our
Bible studies, our experiences, our problems, our de
sires, our hopes, our suggestions. And so the fellow
ship grows and becomes more contagious.
I would be only hypocritical if I suggested that I
have more than begun to develop this fellowship with
God and my fellowmen. But I will be thankful if God
sees fit to use any of these remarks to suggest to
some readers the means to a vision of the wonder and
boundlessness of the fellowship with our God and
Saviour available to us for ourselves and for sharing
with another.
R. McConaughy
Central Pittsburgh
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