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command. It meant turning around
and going THE WAY OF Goo-the
w
AY of bis BIBLE-living accord–
ing to every word in the Bible,
instead of according to the ways of
society or the desires of the flesh
and of vanity.
It
was a matter of which
w
AY 1
would travel for the remainder of
my life. 1 had certainly reached the
CROSSROAOS!
But 1 had been beaten down. God
had brought that .about- though 1
didn't realize it then. Repeated
business reverses, failure after fail–
ure, had destroyed self-confidence.
1 was broken in spirit. The SELF in
me didn't want to die.
lt
wanted to
try to get up from ignominious
defeat and try once again to tread
the broad and popular
w
AYof vani–
ty and of this world.
1 had been part of this world. 1
did not realize, then, that this was
not God's world but Satan's. 1 carne
to realize that accepting God's truth
meant being called out of this
world-forsaking this world and its
ways, and even to a great extent my
friends and associates in this world.
Giving up this world, its ways, inter–
ests, pleasures, was like dying. And
1 didn't want to die. 1 think one of
the greatest tests that everyone
whom God has called faces, is giv–
ing up this world and being part of
it. But now 1 knew that this world's
way was WRONG! 1 knew its ulti–
mate penalty was OEATH. But 1
didn't want to die
now!
It was truly a battle for LIFE-a
life-and-death struggle. In the end,
1 lost that battle, as 1 had been
losing all worldly battles in recent
years.
In final desperation, 1 threw
myself on bis merey.
If
he could
use my life, 1 would give it to
him-not
in a physical suicide, but
as a
living
sacrifice, to use as he
willed. lt was worth nothing to .me
any longer. 1 considered that 1 was
only a worthless piece of human
junk not worthy to be cast on the
junk pile.
Jesus Christ had bought and
paid for my life by bis death. It
really
belonged
to him, and now 1
told him he could have it!
From then on, this defeated no–
good life of mine was Goo's. 1
didn' t see how it could be worth
anything to him. But it was bis to
20
use as bis instrument, if he thought
he could use it.
JOY in Defeat
This surrender fo God - this
REPENTANCE- this GIVING UP of
the world, of friends and associates,
and of everything-was the most
bitter pill 1 ever swallowed.
Y
et it
was the
only
medicine in all my life
tbat ever brougbt a bealing!
For · 1 actually began to realize
that 1 was finding joy beyond words
to describe in this total deféat. 1
had actually found JOY in the study
of the Bible-in the discovery of
new TRUTHS, beretofore bidden
from my consciousness. And in sur–
rendering to Goo in complete
repentance, 1 found unspeakable
JOY in accepting JEsus CHRIST as
personal Savior and my present
High Priest.
1 began to see everything in a
new and different light.
Why
sbould it bave been a difficult and
painful experience to surrender to
my Maker and my God?
Why
was
it painful to surrender to
obey
God's right ways? WHY? Now, 1
carne to a new outlook on life..
Somehow 1 began to realize a
NEW fellowship and friendship had
come into my life. 1 began to be
conscious of a contact and fellow–
ship witb Christ, and with God the
Father.
When 1 read and studied the
Bible, God was talking to
me,
and
now 1 loved to listen! 1 began to
pray, and knew tbat in prayer I was
talking witb God. 1 was not yet
very well acquainted witb God. But
one gets to be
better
acquainted
wit.b another by constant contact
and continuous conversation.
So 1 continued the study of the
Bible. 1 began to write, in article
forro, tbe things 1was learning. 1 did
not then suppose tbese articles
would ever be publisbed. 1 wrote
them for my own satisfaction. lt was
one way to learn more by tbe study.
And 1 can say now, with the
apostle Paul, "that the gospel
which [is] preached of me is not
after roan. For 1 neither received it
of roan, neither was 1 taught it, but
by the revelation of Jesus
Christ. ... But when it pleased
God . .. to reveal bis Son in
me ... immediately 1 conferred not
with flesb and blood: neither went 1
[to a theological seminary, but 1
was taught by Jesus Christ, the
Word of God (in writing)]" (Gal.
1: 11-12, 15-17).
That is why 1 have said the expe–
rience 1 was painfully subjected to
in tbis original intensive study was
unique in human life and conduct
in our time. 1 know of no world
religious leader who arrived at bis
teachings in such a manner. This
world' s religious teachings did not
come from Goo! Only God is infal–
libly correct!
1 was brought, by the spring of
1927,
to a complete MINO-SWEEP–
ING! My mind was being
swept
clean
of previous assumptions and
beliefs- 1 had been brought
through a painful experience.
Twice profitable businesses bad
collapsed, leaving me frustrated.
Then 1 was brought to acknowl–
edge that wbatever religious beliefs
1 had held were contrary to tbe
trutb of God. Not only wbat 1 bad
believed, but also the churches!
1 bad taken a beating! 1 had been
brougbt to realize my own notbing–
ness and inadequacy. I had been
CONQUEREo by tbe great majestic
Goo- brougbt to a real
repen–
tance- and
also brought to a NEW
ROCK-BASEO SOLIO FAITH in Jesus
Christ and in God's Word. 1 bad
been brought to a complete surren–
der to God and to HIS WORO.
1 was baptized, and the infilling
of God's Holy Spirit opened my
mind to the JOY UNSPEAKABLE of
knowing God and Jesus Christ-of
knowing TRUTH-and the warmtb
of God's divine LOVE!
What 1 once hated I now loved. 1
found the greatest and most
absorbing joy of my life in
continu–
ing
to dig out those gold nuggets of
TRUTH from God's Word. Now
carne a new enthusiasm in Bible
study.
And 1 was led througb the years
from conversion to understand
God's revelation of tbese seven bib–
lical mysteries that have baffied the
minds of humanity and to find that
one and only true Church of God,
founded by Jesus Christ on the day
of Pentecost, A.O. 31.
1 now reveal, to the reader, SEV–
EN MAJOR MYSTERIES tbat have
bewildered all humanity. 1 begin,
next month, with "Who and What
ls God?" o
The
PLAIN TRUTH