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(A.W. Tozer)
In our eagerness to make converts, I am afraid we have been
guilty of using the techniques of modern salesmanship--which is of course to
present only the desirable qualities in a product, and ignore the rest. We go
to men and offer them a cozy home on the sunny side of the hill. If they will
but accept Christ--then He will . . .
give them peace of
mind,
solve their
problems,
prosper their
business,
protect their
families and
keep them happy all
day long.
They believe us and come--and the first cold wind sends them
shivering to some counselor to find out what has gone wrong; and that is the
last we hear of many of them.
The teachings of Christ reveal Him to be a realist in the
finest meaning of that word. Nowhere in the Gospels do we find Him making
over-optimistic promises. He told His hearers the whole truth, and let them
make up their minds. He never ran after the retreating form of an inquirer who
could not face up to the truth--to try to win him with rosy promises.
He would have men follow Him, knowing the cost--or He would
let them go their ways.
All this is but to say that Christ is honest. We can trust
Him. He knows that He will never be popular among the lost world--and He knows
that His followers need not expect to be. The wind that blows in His face will
be felt by all who travel with Him, and we are not intellectually honest when
we try to hide that fact from others.
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