The Christian's Daily Challenge - Foreword

Foreword

A title such as that used for this volume should not be lightly chosen. Nor has it been in this case. For some years, it has seemed to us that one of the greatest present needs of Christianity was a challenge to Christians themselves. We live in the shadow, as it were, of periods of Church History that have produced many men and women of deepest piety who have witnessed widespread and lasting revivals. In our own era, we sense an unrest about spiritual things resulting in much organized effort to bring the careless back to the Church. But what will be the result if our religious centers are not true nurseries for the spiritual infants?

The first great need of the hour is, we believe, an awakening among Christians. "Judgment must begin at the house of God." They must be aroused to lay hold of their purchased privileges. They must be challenged once again to become men and women of prayer, zeal, compassion, faith, joy and holy living. They will then warn the sinner by living as though they really believed in eternal realities. They will attract the worldling by proving they have something better than he has. And once he is won they will surround him by a loving, undivided, expectant atmosphere in which the new convert can develop and learn to win others to Christ.

In our bi-monthly, The Message of Victory, we have labored for years to send forth such a challenge. To strengthen and support the message of our workers and missionaries, we have combed every biography, sermon book, anthology or old periodical we could lay hold of. In many a city we have spent hours in second-hand book shops, delving out precious nuggets now out of print.

We have packed our files with copy from these books and clippings from magazines. As space would allow, this material has filled the pages of the Message of Victory, and letters from all parts have poured in telling of help and inspiration received. Many have enquired for books containing similar helpful material. We have acted as agents for books now in print that pass on the same message, but it did seem a great pity that a larage proportion of the best writings was unavailable, in many cases because the books were out of print, and in others because few people had the money to purchase or the time to sort out the priceless bits from those works on the market today....

We have purposely selected from as large a range of authors as possible. Although these have had varying religious backgrounds, anything of a controversial nature has been avoided. Each writer has been quoted only as his writing support the challenge in question. The use of extracts from any given author should not be taken as an approval of all his works.

We have found the task a great one, but one of peculiar personal blessing. We now send i t forth with simple faith that these challenges will indeed bless, feed and inspire many of the Lord's true children scattered everywhere.

Glasgow, 25th August, 1954