"Billy" Sunday, the Man and His Message: With his own words which have won thousands for ChristEllis, William T. (William Thomas)
Religion
"Billy" Sunday, the Man and His Message: With his own words which have won thousands for Christ
Ellis, William T. (William Thomas)
Baseball players -- United States -- Biography; Evangelists -- United States -- Biography; Sunday, Billy, 1862-1935
When I was a boy I was taught how to put glass knobs on the feet of a
chair and charge the chair with electricity. So long as I didn't touch
anything but the chair I was all right, but if I touched the wall or
something else I got a shock. The power passed through and from me.
As Christians we cannot come into touch with defiling things without
suffering a loss of spiritual power. You can't go to the dance and the
card party and the cheap-skate show without losing power. Yes, you can
do those things and be a church member. But you can be a church member
without being a Christian. There's a difference.
I read in the Bible that Lot first pitched his tents near Sodom. Next I
read that Lot moved right into Sodom, and lived there for twenty years.
He lost his power there, too. When God warned him to get out of the
city he went and told his sons and daughters, but they wouldn't heed
him. He had lost his power over them. He warned his sons-in-law, but
they wouldn't heed him. He even lost power over his own wife, for he
told her not to look back as they fled, and she rubbered.
If you have lost spiritual power it is because you have disobeyed some
clear command of God. Maybe you're stingy. God requires tithes. He
commands you to give one tenth of your income to him, and maybe you
don't do it. It may be your temper. It may be that you have neglected
to read the Bible and haven't prayed as you should.
The Church is a failure because she is compromising with the men
that sit in the seats and own saloons whom she never rebukes; she
is compromising with the men who rent their property for disorderly
houses, and whom she never rebukes. They are living off the products
of shame and if they buy food and clothes for their wives and children
from such money, they, too, are living off this product of shame. We
have lost our power because we have compromised.
When I played baseball I used to attend every theater in the country.
Since I was converted I have not darkened a theater's door, except to
preach the Gospel. We've lost our power because we've lost our faith.
Our leading members are leaders in nothing but card parties and
society; they are not leaders in spiritual things. A man comes to me
and says, "Mrs. So-and-So is one of my leading members."
I ask: "Does she get to prayer-meetings?"
"No."
"Does she visit the sick?"
"No."
"Does she put her arms around some poor sinner and try to save her for
Christ?"
"No."
And I find she is a leader in nothing but society, card parties, dances
and bridge-whist clubs. I don't call that kind a leading woman in the
church; she is the devil's bell-wether. That is true. I tell you people
what I call your leading woman: She is the one who gets down on her
knees and prays; she is the one that can wrap her arms around a sinner
and lead her to Christ; that is a leading church member. You have it
doped out wrong.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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