Dear Bill

Chapter twenty-one

In this chapter I will wrap up The Main Issue. But first….

I want to make the point that the bible has (what I call) a certain tone. By tone I mean a blend of attitudes that makes a ‘sound’. The bible sounds like the bible.

One pastor might make a harsh sound, though his preaching may be occasionally sprinkled with softness and patience. Many pastors have a tone of frustration or anger because their !#*!#* congregation ‘just doesn’t get it’. Another makes a sweet sound, kinda sugary…. “You’re nice, I’m nice, everybody’s nice. Let’s just praise the Lord!”

The bible also has a tone. It is not angry but contains anger. It is not harsh but is often stern. It has the sound of love, but never sugary.

The tone of most preachers, it seems to me, is far from that of the bible. Lately, the last few decades, there is a conciliatory tone that borders on compromise. For example….

Most believe catholicism is a false religion. But most pulpit-people won’t say catholicism is false because that would be considered inflammatory. Must not upset catholics. Must not sound unloving or judgemental. However, being conciliatory is not bible (and therefore not ‘God’).

The Main Issue states very emphatically that catholicism is a false religion. I believe that candidness is being in tune to the heart of the “head of the church”. To Jesus, truth matters most. I believe the tone of The Main Issue, and all my writings, are more ‘in tune’ with the bible than most (certainly not all) preachers/teachers.

In issue # 5, Christ the Healer, I confront those who say Jesus no longer heals. In # 6, Satan: Dark, Deceptive, Defeated, I confront the occult that has furrowed its way into society unaware, including innocent children. In # 7, Christianity vs Religion, I challenge masonry, mormonism, catholicism, secular humanism, christian science, etc.

What’s wrong with calling a spade a spade?

In issue # 8, Heroes of the Faith, I used stories of outstanding people as testimonies of the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I speak of Arthur Blessed (1940-) who carried the cross about 38,000 miles throughout the world. I wrote of Haralan Popov (1907- 1988) and the atrocities he suffered at the hand of communism. I wrote of Demos Shakarian (1913-1993), founder of the Full Gospel Businessmen’s Fellowship International, whose grandfather left his Armenia homeland after being forewarned by a boy prophet of the Turkish invasion (1914) which wiped out the entire village. My favourite story was that of Samuel Morris (1872-1893) who was born of the Kru tribe in the West Coast of Africa, escaped from a rival tribe by divine intervention, somehow ended up in New York where he influenced many to serve Jesus wholeheartedly during his short lifetime.

In issue # 9, You…. In Perspective, I helped the reader see him/herself from a perspective they had probably never considered. I pointed out that they lived on a planet spinning about 500 miles per hour AND were travelling 590,000,000 miles every year around the sun AND at the same time travelling 12 miles every second within the Milky Way AND moving at a faster speed as our galaxy continues to separate from other galaxies; I made the argument they had to be the creation of someone much greater; I helped them see that the person they are is a result of influences in their life, including the media; they are living in what the bible calls “last days”; they have an enemy, unseen but real, who has blinded them from their need of a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ; they are at this moment on one of two roads, both leading into eternity. On the last page I wrote, “If Jesus had not invited you into His kingdom, you would not have a decision to make. But He did and you do. A non-reply is considered a refusal.”

Issue # 10, Jesus Christ: King of Kings and Lord of Lords was the last issue of The Main Issue. I used all of my limited skills to exalt the name of our extremely gracious Jesus. Eternity will reveal the fruit of that issue and all ten issues.

Today, more than twenty-five years after the final edition, my desire to know and please “Jesus Christ and Him crucified” is deeper than ever.