A Power in the Earth

The three of us walked down an ill-lit side street in an Eastern European city. Carl and Jan spoke to me in undertones, glancing furtively over their shoulders from time to time, to make sure we could not be overheard.

Jan was carrying a large bag. It looked as if it could have held guns, or explosives. By all appearances we could have been plotting some act of violence against the State.

But appearances were deceptive. The bag contained nothing but Bibles and Christian literature. We were discussing ways of spreading the gospel behind the Iron Curtain. Nevertheless, this was a risky business for Carl and Jan. Jan had already been caught and punished for smuggling Bibles into the country from the West, and another conviction for "subversive activities" could lead to a long prison sentence.

In every communist country men like Carl and Jan are risking their liberty to distribute the Bible. They have various sources of supply:

Bibles smuggled in from the West; Bibles printed secretly on primitive printing presses or duplicators concealed in private houses; even Bibles written out by hand with the aid of carbon paper.

Savage persecution has not stopped them. Many of them have spent long periods in prison; some have died through the hardships inflicted on them. But the work goes on. Those who are imprisoned comfort themselves with the words that Paul wrote from a Roman gaol:

" I am exposed to hardship, even to the point of being shut up like a common criminal; but the Word of God is not shut up!"1

I asked Carl who were winning, the Bible-believers or the communist authorities.

"In this country our numbers are increasing steadily," he replied with a sparkle in his eyes. His face clouded a little. "In Russia things are more difficult. A great evangelical revival is stirring there, but it cannot get enough Bibles to feed upon. The Russian government is more efficient than ours in the battle to suppress the Bible. But despite everything, the Book is still circulating in Russia. And you should see how the Power of God works in those Russians who are able to read it!"

The Bible in History

No one can say how the circulation of the Bible in communist lands may influence the history of our times. But one thing is certain. The Bible has already had far more influence on the history of mankind than any other book-the writings of Karl Marx not excepted.

The historian, Lecky, was an unbeliever. Yet he felt obliged to write:

" The simple record of three short years of active life [he was referring to the life of Jesus] has done more to regenerate and to soften mankind, than all the disquisitions of philosophers and than all the exhortations of moralists."2

In his heyday Napoleon was the most powerful ruler the earth had ever seen. Yet he recognised a power greater than his own, when he said:

" The Bible is no mere book, but a living power that conquers all who oppose it."3

Only very rarely has a whole community taken the Bible to its heart. But when this has happened, the results have been dramatic. Before the Bible came to Fiji its inhabitants were cannibals, feared throughout the South Pacific for their cruelty. Then missionaries came, taught the Fijians to read, and gave them a Bible in their own language. Within a generation Fiji became a land of peace and friendship.

On other occasions the Bible has been only one of several factors influencing history at the same time. The Protestant Reformation is perhaps the best example of this. Some of the reformers were true men of the Bible, prepared to lay down their lives peaceably in Christs service. Some were men of mixed motives. Others were little more than political schemers in disguise, prepared to stain their hands with blood to achieve their own ends.

It would be ridiculous to blame the Bible for the crimes of such men. Instead, we should be thankful that in that age, and in every age since, the scene was lightened by a minority of real Bible-believers. Without their influence the history of Europe would have been dark indeed.

Power in the Heart

One day in 1940 a Korean pastor of the name of Son was sent to prison by the Japanese authorities.4 His crime: refusing to bow down and worship at a shrine to the Japanese "Divine Emperor".

His wife was allowed to spend a few precious moments with him before the guard took him away. She opened a Bible, and urged him never to yield. Her finger pointed out a verse as she spoke: "Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life."5

Pastor Son endured years of suffering, first under the Japanese and later under the Chinese communists. But he never did give in. That verse, and others like it, made him feel he could face anything. Like many another man in distress, he found that the Bible in the mind is a power in the heart.

A few years ago my friend John wrote to me from another continent, and told me that he was now separated from his wife. A series of little incidents had led to a bitter quarrel, in which he was sure he was in the right. His wife had gone home to her parents and said she would never return unless he apologised. Since he considered he had nothing to apologise for, the result was a deadlock. The situation looked hopeless.

I wrote and told him that, whether he was in the right or not, his Christian duty was to humble himself before his wife for the sake of peace. "Christianity," I said, "is the one religion in the world where the person in the right has to give in to the person in the wrong." I quoted the words of Paul:

" Why do ye not rather take wrong? Why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?"6

He was a very strong-willed man. No other power on earth would have moved him to go against his own desires. But he could not resist the power of the Word of God. He lost his pride-and saved his marriage.

In 1962 Russia began installing atomic missiles in Cuba. The Americans reacted vigorously, and for a few days the world trembled on the brink of war. One day my two children heard what was going on, and became terrified. When they said they were too scared to go to bed, my wife and I wondered what to do.

We decided it was a time to put our religion to the test. Since the age of five the children had been encouraged to join with us in daily Bible readings, and were taught to respect the Bible as Gods Book. So we set them to work, copying out this verse in coloured crayons:

" The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them."7

Within the hour two coloured texts were pinned triumphantly above the heads of the youngsters beds. Soon after they contentedly fell asleep.

To Trust or Not To Trust?

Those three stories have a common feature. In each case the people concerned accepted the whole Bible as the infallible Word of God. Thy did not stop to ask, "But is chat particular verse trustworthy?" They had the same attitude to Scripture as Jesus and His apostles: if it was in the Bible, then they could trust it, implicitly.

Take away this conviction, and at once the Bible is robbed of most of its power. If Pastor Son had been like a lot of modern pastors, he might have replied to his wife, "Yes, but some scholars doubt whether the Book of Revelation is genuine. That verse might be a second-century addition to the text of the Bible." If that had been their attitude, would he and his wife have had the inner power to stand up to long years of persecution? Probably not.

This illustrates the great tragedy of our age. Unbelievers sneeringly refer to Christianity as a spent force. So far as a majority of church members is concerned, this accusation is undoubtedly true. They lack the conviction that the Bible is the living Word of the living God, and they have stopped (or never started) reading it. Thus they have thrown away their birthright. The Word of God has no chance of being a power in their lives. Without even realising it, they are fulfilling Bible prophecy:

" In the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, ... having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof."8

But the unbeliever only sees part of the picture. He ignores the vital minority of believers to whom the Word is still a source of great power. Some years ago the manager of an overseas depot of the British and Foreign Bible Society came to my home town on leave. We had a meal together, and the conversation ran something like this:

"I suppose you must meet a lot of missionaries in your work?"

"Of course! Im dealing with them all the time."

"In that case perhaps you can answer a question for me. Ive heard it said that most Protestant missionaries-unlike most church members in this country-are believers in a wholly inspired, infallible Bible. Is this true?"

"Yes. In my experience, that is true."

"Then why is this?"

"I should have thought it was obvious. A missionarys life is extremely hard. Few men and women have the strength of character to endure it by themselves. Something else is needed, to give them strength beyond their own. When you believe that the Bible really is the Word of God, it gives you that extra power."

In 1969 statistics were quoted to support this view. At that time 62 per cent of all the Protestant missionaries in the world were said to be believers in a wholly inspired Bible.9 What a contrast with the situation in the western world as a whole! In Britain the real Bible-believing Christian stands out as a comparative rarity. People tend to regard him as a hangover from the nineteenth century, like a horse and cart in a city street.

Yet it is men and women like him who form the bulk of the worlds Protestant missionaries. It is largely due to their efforts that the knowledge of Jesus Christ is still spreading in Africa and Asia. There may not be much power left in the churches of Europe and America. But what there is must surely be due to the power of the Word of God, working in the hearts of those who believe it.

Slow, but Sure

Jesus told several different parables about a farmer sowing seed. "The seed," He said, "is the Word of God."10

There was never anything wrong with the seed. When it was treated aright it yielded a great crop.11 But often it fell on stony soil, or was allowed to be choked by weeds or eaten by birds.12 When that happened, even the best of seed never had a chance.

Thus Jesus appealed to men and women: give the Word of God a fair chance; open your hearts to receive it. And then He offered a further word of warning:

" The Kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seed in his field. He sleeps at night, is up and about during the day, and all the while the seeds are sprouting and growing. Yet he does not know how it happens. The soil itself makes the plant grow and bear fruit: first the tender stalk appears, then the head, and finally the head full of grain."13

It takes a long time for a plant to grow and bear fruit. Given the right conditions the seed will certainly develop. But beyond certain limits there is nothing we can do to speed up the development. The process must take place in its own time.

So Jesus warns us: dont expect changes to occur all at once. The Word of God can work wonders in us-if we let it. But the Word of God has a tough job to do. Human nature-your nature, and mine

-is poor material to start with. The Word of God can do great things with it; but it takes time.

This is the kind of thing that the Bible says it can do for you:

Rebirth: "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God."14

Power: "The Word of God is quick (living) and powerful."15

"The Word of God which effectually worketh also in you that believe."16

Salvation: "Receive with meekness the implanted Word, which is able to save your souls. But be ye doers of the Word and not hearers only, deluding your own selves."17

In this last quotation James tells us something more. It is not enough to believe the Word and read the Word. We must also exert ourselves to "do" the Word of God.

This book is mainly about believing the Bible. Only one chapter has dealt with reading it. And "doing" (or living) the Bible has hardly been mentioned until now.

Yet all three are important. They are, or should be, inseparable. If we really believe the Bible, we cant help but read it and try to live up to it.

And even if we dont quite believe it, there is still only one safe course to take. We still have everything to gain by reading it and obeying it, because then belief will surely come to us in time. Paul wrote, "I know Him whom I have believed."18 To "know" Jesus-really know Him, intimately and understandingly-was to believe in Him. And in the same way today, to "know" the Bible is to believe it.

You may not notice much change in yourself during your first few weeks of Bible reading. But if you keep it up, the time will come when you realise that something has begun to happen. The world around you will begin to look different, just as it does when the train you have been sitting in starts to move. With a thrill of excitement you will realise that its not the world that is changing-it is you!

After this first exquisite taste of Gods power working in you, you will have setbacks. We all do. Even Paul became frightened and depressed,19 and Peter once sobbed his heart out at the realisation that he had let Jesus down.20

But if you persevere you will find that the power of Gods Word can triumph over all your weaknesses. You will find your convictions growing steadily stronger. You will find your character being moulded, as if by an unseen Hand.

You will come to see ever more clearly how God is working in the world today, and how you may work with Him. Life will become full of purpose, richer and happier. Like King David three thousand years before you, you will want to say to all the world: "Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!"21