A little boy said to
his father, "Pop, I’m going to have a
birthday, and for my birthday I want a horse."
"A hobby horse?" he asked. "No,
sir." "A rocking horse?" "No,
sir." "Son," asked the father,
"what kind of horse do you want?" "I
want a horse made of horse," said the boy.
He wanted the real
thing. And don’t you want to be a real Christian
made by God? Let us look at the Christian, and study
his birth, his behavior, and his business.
The Birth.
John 1:12 and 13 says,
"But as many as received Him (the Lord Jesus),
to them gave He the right to become children of God,
even to those who believe on His name, who were born
not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of
the will of man, but of God."
No one becomes a child
of God by lineage. The Bible says it is "not of
blood." Corruption runs in your blood stream.
Christianity does not. You are not a Christian just
because your mother or your father is a Christian.
One day I boarded a
train in Texas. After a while we stopped at a college
town and many students got on. The first was an
attractive young lady, and she took the chair next to
mine. Immediately she blurted out, "Three
guesses what you are, Bud?" "Guess,
Sis," I answered. "You’re a dance band
leader," she ventured. "I used to be,"
I admitted. "Then," she sighed, "you
must be an evangelist." "I am," I
confessed, "but are you a Christian?"
"Oh, yes," she hastened to say. "My
dad’s a preacher. My mom used to be a deaconess. I
was born in a Christian home and that makes me a
Christian." "If I were born in a bread
pan," I asked, "would that make me a
biscuit?" "No, sir," she said.
"Just so," I continued, "being born in
a Christian home doesn’t make one a Christian. No
one can get to heaven tied to the apron strings of a
saintly mother or hanging onto the coattails of a
godly father. The Bible says it is ‘not of the
blood.’"
No one becomes a child
of God by longing. The Bible says it is "not of
the will of the flesh." Becoming a child of God
isn’t a matter of desire or determination. I am
almost a millionaire. I have the "air." All
I lack is the "million." But suppose I was
to say to a billionaire, "I am tired of being
poor. I am determined to become your heir." That
wouldn’t make me his heir, would it? And
determining to become a child of God will not make
you one.
In Florida one night I
spoke to some politicians and urged them to receive
the Lord Jesus as their Savior. A deacon drove me to
the hotel, and I suggested before leaving him,
"Let’s pray for some of the men who were
visibly moved." "In a car?" he asked.
"Jonah prayed in the belly of a fish and Paul
prayed in jail. Why not pray in an automobile?"
Hesitatingly, he said, "All right." I
prayed, "Heavenly Father, please save the mayor
and the attorney general." Suddenly the deacon
poked me in the ribs and cried, "Pray for
me." "You, a deacon, and you’re not a
Christian?" I gasped. "No," he
admitted. "I’m not. I desired to become a
Christian. I joined the church. I turned over a new
leaf. I determined to live the Christian life. But if
I were to die right now I know I’d go to
hell." That night, sitting in his car, the
deacon received the Lord Jesus and became a child of
God.
No one becomes a child
of God by labor. The Bible says it is "not of
the will of man." No man and no woman can make
you a child of God. One might recommend you for
church membership, or baptize you, or serve you
communion, or pray for you. But no one can make you a
Christian.
There was a man who
managed a night club where my orchestra played. He
drank heavily, swore constantly and cheated on his
wife. He died, and the minister said, "I
baptized Chuck. That made him a child of God."
But declaring it and doing it are two different
things.
Abraham Lincoln asked
a group of senators, "How many legs would a
donkey have, if you called his tail a leg?"
"Five," they answered. "You’re
wrong," he replied. "Calling a tail a leg
won’t make it one." And calling a
non-Christian a Christian won’t make him one.
How, then, does one
become a child of God? The Bible answers, "But
as many as received Him, to them gave He the right to
become the children of God."
One Sunday morning I
was singing a solo in a church in Ohio. Right in the
middle of my solo the pianist left the bench, walked
to the front of the church, and started to cry. I
knew my singing was bad, but I didn’t know it was
that bad! Hurrying to her, I asked, "Please,
ma’am, may I help?" "Yes," she
answered. "I’ve been a church member for
years. But while you were singing I realized that I
am not a child of God. I want to become a Christian.
How can I?" Opening the Bible to John 1:12 we
read, "But as many as received Him, to them gave
He the right to become the children of God."
Kneeling, she prayed, "Lord Jesus, I receive
Thee. I take Thee as my Savior." "What are
you?" I asked. "A child of God," she
answered. "How did you become one?" I
questioned. "By receiving Jesus as my
Savior," she said. "According to the Bible
that makes me a child of God." Sobbing, she
prayed, "Lord Jesus, I thank Thee for making me
a child of God!"
The Behavior.
It is written in
Philippians 1:27, "Only conduct yourselves in a
manner worthy of the gospel of Christ."
To "conduct
yourselves" means to behave yourselves. It takes
in your conversation and your conduct, your words and
your walk. It commands you to live worthy of Christ.
There was a Sunday
School teacher who asked his boys, "Why do
people call me a Christian?" No one answered.
Speaking louder, he demanded, "Tell me, boys,
why do people call me a Christian?" Once more
there was no response. "Surely," he
insisted, "one of you must know why people call
me a Christian." Finally his neighbor answered,
"I know, sir. It’s because they don’t know
you like we do."
Do those who know you
call you a Christian because of your Christlikeness?
That is the Christian’s behavior!
You say that you
believe on Christ. Do you back up that belief with a
behavior that is Christlike? You say that you have
confessed Christ. Do you confirm that confession with
a conduct that is Christlike?
You are to be
Christlike not only where you worship, but also where
you work. You are to be Christlike not only where you
pray, but also where you play. You are to be
Christlike not only in God’s house, but in your
house. You are to be Christlike not only in the holy
place, but also in the marketplace. Are you?
There is a man who
comes to church and sings with the saints, but he
goes out of the church and swears with sinners. He
comes into the church and takes the name of Jesus in
veneration, but he goes out of the church and takes
the name of Jesus in vain. He comes into the church
and quotes Bible verses, but he goes out of the
church and tells dirty stories. He comes into the
church and he listens to the gospel, but he goes out
of the church and listens to gossip. He is godly in
the house of God, but devilish in his own house. How
tragic!
Sometime ago I read a
sentence that drove me to my knees. It haunts me to
this day. An unknown Christian wrote, "If we
could only keep all the unChristlike Christians out
of sight, the greatest hindrance to the triumph of
the gospel would be gone."
That sentence made me
ask myself, "Am I so unlike Christ that it would
advance His cause if I were hidden from men and
women?" How about you?
Not that you or I
would claim to be Christlike, but we can aim to be
Christlike. Have you ever given this aim a serious
thought? Have you ever made a definite and determined
resolution to shape your life like that of Christ
Himself?
The world declares
that Christians, for the most part, are not
Christlike. One said, "I want to believe on
Christ, but I have never seen Him in those who
profess to follow Him." Another said, "Your
Christ is wonderful. But you Christians aren’t like
Him." Said one more, "If you can show me
one Christlike Christian in my city, I’ll become
one." Yes, and so would others!
Today, as never
before, men and women are turning to Christians and
are saying sincerely, "We would see Jesus."
They expect to see Him in us. And they should!
Near my home a mother
died. A brother spent an evening in that broken home.
He slipped into the guest room to rest. Presently the
door opened slowly, and in walked his nephew.
"What do you want, son?" he asked.
"Nothing," answered the boy. "You must
want something, son. What do you want?"
"Uncle," he answered, "I miss mom. And
you look so much like her. I just wanted to stand
here, and look at you."
Do you look so much
like Christ, Christian, that others just want to
stand and look at you? Well might we pray with the
poet, Thomas Chisholm:
O to be like Thee!
Blessed Redeemer,
This is my constant
longing and prayer;
Gladly I’ll forfeit
all of earth’s pleasures,
Jesus, Thy perfect
likeness to wear.
O to be like Thee!
Full of compassion,
Loving, forgiving,
tender and kind,
Helping the helpless,
cheering the fainting,
Seeking the wandering
sinner to find.
O to be like Thee! O
to be like Thee,
Blessed Redeemer, pure
as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness,
come in Thy fullness;
Stamp Thine own image
deep on my heart.
The Business.
The Lord Jesus said to
His heavenly Father in John 17:18, "As Thou hast
sent Me into the world, even so have I also sent them
into the world." "How was He sent?"
you ask. He answers in Luke 19:10, "The Son of
man is come to seek and to save that which was
lost." What, then, is our business? "To
seek and to save that which was lost." It is
true, only our Lord can do the "saving."
But you and I must do the seeking! And our Lord said
in Matthew 4:19, "Follow Me, and I will make you
fishers of men."
This is the business
of every believer, the charge of every Christian, and
the duty of every disciple. You cannot dodge this
duty, or transfer this task. There are no exceptions,
nor any excuses.
The God who offered up
His Son for you, has ordained you for this business.
The Christ who was crucified for you has called you
to this business. The Spirit who sealed you has
separated you for this business.
Now, do not
misunderstand. The Bible does not say that every
Christian must cross countries, but you can cross
your county. The Lord does not insist that every
Christian must cross the seas, but you can cross the
streets. Neither did our Lord ask every Christian to
give up His job; for you can witness by lip and by
life for Jesus on your job, in your home, or at your
recreation.
Consider Christ. One
day He was tired from a long, hot walk in the sun and
He sat beside a well. A woman came to draw water, and
He talked to her about salvation. She left with the
water of life. This flagrant sinner became a flaming
soul winner. Another day He was getting out of a boat
and He came face to face with a demon-possessed man,
and He delivered him from his demonic possession.
This man who was quarrelsome became quiet, and
instead of hurting himself, he helped others. As
Christ was going down the road one day, He saw a tax
collector, Matthew, sitting at his desk. "Come
and be My disciple," He invited. Matthew jumped
up and followed Him. And he who was crooked and
crafty became godly and good, and he wrote the book
that bears his name.
Consider the early
Christians. Bubbling over with love for his Lord,
John the Baptist said to two of his friends as the
Lord Jesus passed by, "Behold the Lamb of
God!" Immediately they followed Jesus. One of
those men was John, and the other was Andrew. At once
Andrew went to seek his brother, Simon, who was later
called Peter. He said, "We have found the
Christ!" Andrew brought him to Christ and he was
converted. And Peter who was rickety became rocklike.
But this Christian who won three thousand souls with
one sermon was won to Christ as an individual by an
individual. One day the Lord Jesus decided to go to
Galilee. He found Philip and said, "Come with
Me!" Philip followed Him, and went off to see
Nathanael. When he found him he said, "We have
found the Messiah! His name is Jesus." He
brought Nathanael to Jesus. Just as soon as the
Samaritan adulteress turned from her sins to the
Savior and was triumphantly transformed, she went to
the village and told everyone, "Come." They
came, and the Bible says, "Many of the
Samaritans believed," because of the woman’s
testimony.
"But," you
ask, "shouldn’t I pray?" Indeed, but put
feet to your prayers. If you speak to the Lord about
the lost, you will soon speak to the lost about the
Lord. "Shouldn’t I give?" you ask.
Indeed, but giving is no substitute for going. Give
and go! "Shouldn’t I send?" you ask.
Indeed, but sending is no substitute for seeking.
Send and seek! Seeking is Savior-like. Going is
Godlike.
Right after my
conversion I saw that it was either seek or sin,
testify or transgress. So I hurried to the minister
who led me to the Lord and I said, "My family
and my friends are without God and without hope. I
want to win them to the Lord. But I haven’t been to
Bible school or seminary. I didn’t read the Bible
until the Lord saved me. How can I?"
"Son," he answered. "The Lord said,
‘Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.’
If you do the following, He’ll do the making.
It’s your business to follow Him, and it’s His
business to make you a fisher of men." How true!
The Lord will always
enable you to do what He enjoins you to do. His
precepts always carry His power. You will always have
His wisdom when you do His will.
There may be times
when you will not be able to give a testimony, so
leave a tract when you cannot testify. And there may
be times when you cannot begin conversation, so pray
that the one for whom you come in contact with will
commence it. Mrs. Guido commissioned a jeweler to
design a beautiful question mark pin for me. One day
our plane from Los Angeles was late in arriving in
Atlanta, and they held up the Savannah-bound plane
for us. When Mrs. Guido and I boarded the plane, the
stewardess said smiling, "Hi, latecomer! Why the
question mark pin? What does it mean?"
"Where will you go when you die?" I asked.
Tears filled her eyes, and without saying a word she
ran from us. She returned in a little while and said,
"My father is a preacher. I’ve been his
prodigal daughter. When you asked me, ‘Where will
you go when you die?’ I knew it would be hell. I
didn’t want to go there. My father has been praying
I wouldn’t go there. So I got alone with the Lord
and I asked Him to save me. He did. When the plane
lands in Savannah, I’m going to call my father and
tell him I became a Christian!"
Won’t you start
today, this hour, right now, to win your family and
friends to the Lord? Time is fleeting. Satan is busy.
Lives are lost. Sinners are perishing. Hell is
opening its mouth. Christ is pleading. The Spirit is
striving. God is waiting. Heaven is calling. Be about
your business immediately and sincerely.
One day I asked a
gentleman, "Would you go to heaven if you died
right now?" "That’s none of your
business," he answered. I said kindly and
passionately, "But it is my business."
"I think it is," he replied. And he
received the Lord Jesus as his Savior! Won’t you?
copyright 1999 Guido Evangelistic
Association
All Scripture verses
are quoted from the New International Version.
Each month, Dr. Guido writes a
new sermon for his 25 minute radio broadcast, "The
Sower 25." This is published and
included in the mailing sent out each month, which
includes the daily devotional booklet, "Seeds
From the Sower," and "Sowing
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