Oh my friends, we are loaded with countless church activities, while the real work of the church, that of evangelizing and winning the lost is almost entirely neglected.
Interpretation
The quote highlights the contrast between the many activities of the church and the essential mission of evangelism, which is often overlooked.
Oswald J. Smith's quote emphasizes the tendency of religious organizations to focus on numerous activities and programs, while the fundamental purpose of the church—spreading the message of faith and reaching out to those who have not yet embraced it—remains largely ignored. This statement serves as a reminder to prioritize genuine outreach and mission work over mere routine and tradition.
In practice
During a sermon, to encourage the congregation to focus on outreach activities.
God does not have to come and tell me what I must do for Him; He brings me into a relationship with Himself where I hear His call and understand what He wants me to do, and I do it out of sheer love to Him... When people say they have had a call to foreign service, or to any particular sphere of work, they mean that their relationship to God has enabled them to realize what they can do for God.
Let me say that it is not a question of us getting more of the Holy Spirit, but rather of the Holy Spirit getting more of us.
Why should anyone hear the Gospel twice, before everyone has heard it once?
The men to whom Jesus Christ committed the fortunes and destiny of His Church were men of prayer. To no other kind of men has God ever committed Himself in this world.
We can inspire others through witness so that one grows together in communicating. BUt the worst thing of all is religious proselytism, which paralyses: 'I am talking with you in order to persuade you.' No. Each person dialogues, starting with his and her own identity. The church grows by attracting, not proselytizing.
My family, frankly, they weren't folks who went to church every week. My mother was one of the most spiritual people I knew but she didn't raise me in the church, so I came to my Christian faith later in life and it was because the precepts of Jesus Christ spoke to me in terms of the kind of life that I would want to lead.
Are we ready to be Christians full-time, showing our commitment by word and deed?
Sunday morning, before we go to hear the Word of God preached...let us not rush into God’s presence careless, reckless, and unprepared, as if it mattered not in what way such work was done. Let us carry with us faith, reverence, and prayer. If these three are our companions, we will hear with profit, and return with praise.
We must be global Christians with a global vision because our God is a global God.
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