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07tONO WEEKLY TIMES, THURSDAY, JULY 3rd, 1969 Ta1-ken from a Sermon preach- jcy by he Rev. Colin R. Rudd, B.A., B.D., Peterborouigh.. SrpueLesson: Epheslans 5: Reading from "Good Nerws F'or Modemýcr Man', today's Dnglish Veof the New Testament, I rng ,;Ou Paul's letter 'to the iColos.sians, Chapter 4, verse 5. 'fewise in the way you act ta- ward those who are unbelievers, niaking good use 0f every oppor- tun'y you have" There is a sim- 4lrteKt ià Ephe-si;ns, Chapter 5 verse 16. "Make good use of ev- ery opportunîty you get because these are bad days." We ae cncenedabout this 1,colay because there is a morlal ëituation i in the world and 'the dhfarnge is being nmade against Christianity that is isn't f nuteh use in life. Perhaps we people -0f the Giriýstian Ohurcih have become sec conlcer.nedï about what relig- ion (does frus In aur onchurci aur own f amiiJy and our own per- sorai live~s that we have lost the! viionay qa1it!y af Ohristianity. We GJhave ether set aur eyes upyon the ~ e i1 w ccupy ta the eom- pete exclusion of the world of whnch me are a part. In conse- quence we- have lost Tthe convic- tion that this Gospel has the pow- er ta, change the ircumstances antii the eonditions of lif e. A great nian people are con- cerned aboutt the future of our own civilization. In the ýtragedy of anieni lsrael endI the secular histories of manklind, we can sec thnt a great mary cultures have passed from the krowledge of mn, largely because of the saine evils, the same faults andI failüres thnt we car obhserve within our soiety tocdaýy. Thoughtful people' are sayin-, "Are these the signs 'tiat our civilization is also on the way oui?" You may sec debasetI soety, standard 0f moraltty far below the standard 0f thc Christ whom yau f ollow. You wll sec the march of selfish interests, andI the uthlss ueeess of depraved amb'.itions jrn the Soeietfy of which yuare, a part. loeoeias paraphrased these sayings of Paul like this, "Let the Spirit of the turnes. teacli us speed." 'Phere are more chances for thc Church 0f Christ today than ever before because the world eems ta bc a more wieked anIapath1eie place ta the teacli- ings 0rf Clristianity. There are ihree fieids .of influence in the wvorld now that allfer chances ta us,, doors that are open ta us wth a great deal afI urgcency. The first open door it literacy. Over the last 15 years naarly five hundred million' aduits have learncd ta read, th~e first opinion going ta oPlcPe whose minds are saturated by other forms ofI*Iller-, ature and other tciachirgs. It is es- timated that aonc hundred million literate are being adIdedI evcry year. Cotmunication ias been improved wth radio andI television bu apeople wlio have, just 9eme read, the first Opinion psrtedt them in prini is ac- eepted without, questionirg. Sa tcquality of vwhat people read torýday is vitally important. There is a urger for reading matter that wc an hardly understand eauewe are satiated with Thi%;s is our opporttity, thic ap- edorfor us. ,These arc bad da,,ys" but they are cliangirg days an.-d into what they shail change is aur regporssibility. If the pat- tern of 7ife is to b-_ hanged loto watPaul oeils. "ThUe tiing khat is prductierc the goodness and rightousne' nItruth," aoI which hespeaks :111 ils letters, then these people must b e poi The sense of new warth, the struggle for freedom, independ- ence and huinian dîignity, ali- corne directly or indirectly froin Chnstianity. The great tragedy lha beer thiat what we preach tice. Sa Buddhisin bas set out ta hasn't always been what we prac- boeing peace ta the world because they say Christians, Who follow the Main they caîl "the Prince af Peace" have been responisLble for two world wars. Hinduîsm bas as- similated the teaehings froni the Sermon 0f the Mount. Islam sgys that Christianity preaches broyth- emhooôd but its peaple do rot live like irtoihere even amorg thern- selves. Christianity i mary parts of the rwori is judged -andIond wantirg because we lhave center- etI its thikng upon ourselves. We have rnot been "wise in the way we have acted toward those wlio are unbhevers." The, Messages iaur Christian missionaries taok ta foreign ficlds car still go in tie bannie I l.y Seiptures iu the language-'aI tic, people. This is our greatest oppor- tunity ir tic world todav. The need is there because 7 out oI 8 Olristians do rat aeven have a New Testament. How are the thousands af Chrisiars. going ta TIIE OPEN DOORS inaintain their faith and keep up Lheïr witncss without the Ef e giv- ing source of the Holy Scriptures? This surging of an independent spirit, the sense of ncw values and the longing for a more equal share of the w'orld's good things bave to be directed in ways that iffe will be enrichled, before it is too late.. AndI through the Bible in the language. of the people, this van be done. The -third door that is open ta us, the third opportunity, is hat we are iving today ýin a korld in whidh there is the spirit of en- quiry. People everywheire, who frmerly sat supinely in darkness of ignorance and superstition, or iu our own lard"in the complaec- ency of religious belief that didn't disturb them, are on the mo»ve. Theze is a burning desire for a faitb to live by. And you can see some of the changes that- are tak- ing place in the worship 0f aur Iniurdhes, largely because 'we want to niake the young people see that tis is a Ùos"el that cap stili speak. We have to be careful how we use this opportunity be- cause theère are othei's who are telling us that "the ight" tiat we affer isnt the only light. A- part from the eastern religions I ipention, there's a wave of secu- lar, humanistie, materialistfi doc- trine which is sweeping over the world today that is eiaiming mil- lions of those flot only who neyer îaew Christ, but a great mary jïho are nominally of lis Church. 1,Yhat are we Christians doing to counteract the rot in our soeiety? The widespread indifference to the Church, the present deeline' in jnembershîp and certainly the dechine in attendarce of he Chur- dhes ean be raced o one bing and 0hat is an insufficient groundin'g in the truth of ýwhat this Book says. The challenge is greater be- cause these are "bad days." We of the Chrigtian Churc~h must eut ourselves free from the cr<ppling preoceupation with our own coin- fortable and someWhat selfish way of life, to meet the needs of other men. It is the knd of "fooldsh- ness" of whieh Paul spoke, "to be ,unoncerned about what happens around us." Our task is 'to be w'ise concerning the unbelievers" fond the'n "to take the apportunity ehiat is set beore us." -We do rýot kno-, in our OMn ;;nited Church the marvellous ~irns tht irp bein g dore by the #preading of the Gospel bv our ;;~nr~pc. tip w'rnderful work qpf our pioncer medicine, açwicul- turc. educm'ition an-I of ail the practical works of bringing light ,nto the lives of peoiple who nev- ,Pr knew it. The missionardies are erying out for more and more 'm'Ir This yeaf's cars at Iless than Iast year's prices. You already know where most prices are going. Up. So you'd naturally expect the brand-new '69 cars shown here to cost a lot mlore than last year. Fact is, many car inthi yer'sun-up from Chevrolet costles Inuch less, than last year's models. For instance, the 2-door Impala, equipped with power dise brakes, Turbo Hydra-matie transmission, whitewalls, wheel covers and head restraints, plus a bigger. . Mnotor than last year, is yours for $120.50* less than last year's figure. And comparable savings are waiting for you on inany Nova, Chevelle and Camaro maodels. In other words, you can buy xnany of this year's cars at less than.... last year's prices. Which is what putting you first is al* - about. From the top, Chevy Nova, Chevelle Malibu,. ...,, SEE YOUR LOCAL AUTHORIZED -CHEVROLET DE.AýLER CP.6. Phone: 728-6206 Courtice BOWMANVILLE, ONTARIO 623-2556 Bowmanville- Seriptures in the language of the people to .whom they preach. But ~every ycar because of growing de- 4nands the Bible Society has to~ tmeke eut backs, tragic refusais, postponements of orders and Wo jïatch with saddencd eycs the re- ductÀon of our reserves which we mse for translHoýn, because, we haven't the moncv. This is not makirg use of the oppertunities. MhPds is not gaing, through thiose eypen doors. This is Ieaving the door aven for those who are en- &Leed in what Paul cails, "the un- £uitful works of darkriess." They were "bad days" for Paul. They S"bad days" todav.: Dr. Johir ,Mott a great. missionary saîi, "We could either wake up or- ieow up." How are we g.oing to stimulate- our *awn Christian people to se the possiibility of a world wt!de, Zhureh with it's mpmbers on fire -ith the Word of God and deter- Qined to pass is on to other peo- pie? Because God is stili saWing to us as H1e said through Paul to fhe Ephesians. "Wake up seep- ,rs! Arise from the dead" (the deadness of. your living. the dead- neqssof your souis) "ard Christ ;zrilI shine'upon you" "Miake good i-,e of evcrv onortunityyou get, I'-'ins"3 thq" davs are bad" andT you havent much time! "Don't be (cantinued on page 5) ~--nm~~r r -