Month: August 2015

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The Blood-Marked Door–Color Tract

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During a cruel and bloody war, a commander took an oath that he would slaughter the entire population of a certain town, and in due course his violent troops were let loose on the defenseless people.

A fugitive seeking shelter spied a number of soldiers as they broke into a house and slaughtered its inhabitants. On leaving it, one of them dipped a cloth into a pool of blood and splashed it on the door, as a sign to any who might follow that everyone inside was dead.

Quick as he could, the fugitive ran to a large house in the center of the town, where a number of his friends were concealed, and breathlessly told them what he had seen. Immediately they knew what to do. A goat was in the yard. They killed it without delay and splashed its blood on the door. They closed the door just before soldiers rushed into their street. But when they came to the blood-marked door, they made no attempt to enter! The sword, so they thought, had already entered. While many around were slain, all within the blood-marked door were saved.

The First Passover

“The Lord spake unto Moses … Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying … they shall take to them every man a lamb. … Your lamb shall be without blemish … and the whole … congregation … shall kill it in the evening. … And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood … and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning. For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when He seeth the blood … the Lord will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.

“And it came to pass, that at midnight the Lord smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt … and there was a great cry in Egypt: for there was not a house where there was not one dead” (Exodus 12).

The children of Israel, in the shelter of the blood, were perfectly safe, for the Lord had said, “When I see the blood, I will pass over you” (Exodus 12:13).

And those same words apply in all their saving power. That first passover foreshadowed Christ our passover, the Lamb “without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:19), who was “sacrificed for us” (1 Corinthians 5:7) on the cross of Calvary. His shed blood has stopped the sword of divine judgment for everyone who by faith takes shelter in it. Have you by faith applied to yourself that precious blood? Have you put yourself under its shelter? It is the only place of safety from the judgment of God that will soon fall on this sinful, Christless world, “because He hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness” (Acts 17:31). It is foolish to remain without Christ.

“Ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold … but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:18‑19).

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

“We may have boldness in the day of judgment” (1 John 4:17).

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The Unseen Helmsman

An Atheist Loses Control
As a young man, Daniel Matthews was wild and rebellious against any authority. The one thing he loved was the sea, reveling in its dangers. He was daring beyond anyone his age, and older experienced sailors would not have dared to do the things he did.
An unbeliever, he would, with forceful language and powerful argument prove, as he thought, that religion was a fallacy and God was a myth.
One night the fishing fleet was far out at sea when an unusually intense storm sprang up. Nets had to be cut adrift, and every boat headed for the harbor. Even Dan became alarmed. For the first time in his life he was really afraid.
His Christian friend, Tom Rogers, was at the wheel with him when a great wave broke over the bow and swept the little craft from stem to stern. Tom was torn from the wheel and hurled into the raging waves.
He had no time to grieve over the loss of his friend who had often urged him to trust in Christ; it was now a desperate and lonely struggle to reach the shore. For what seemed like hours of terror he clung to the wheel, driving on and on through the darkness with no sign of the harbor light. He was losing strength, and realized that he could not carry on much longer.

The Atheist’s First Prayer

 

The icy wind chilled him to the bone. The spray that broke in clouds over the vessel blinded him and cut his face.

He could hear the waves beating against the rocks like distant thunder, and his heart seemed to freeze with fear.
Dan felt sure that he was near the land, though he could see nothing in the intense darkness. Through the roar of the wind he could hear the waves beating against the rocks like distant thunder, and his heart seemed to freeze with fear.
In that terrible moment he prayed. Hopeless, helpless, and despairing, he cried to God for help. It was only a desperate cry: “O God, help me!”
Then a strange thing happened. He felt a strong Hand was on the wheel, turning it in spite of his own despairing grip, turning it―and swinging the vessel from its course. In a moment the fury of the wind lessened, the waves grew quieter, and Dan found himself within his own harbor.
What he felt at that moment he could never describe. At first he was terribly afraid. He knew ―yes, he knew―that God had taken the wheel from his hand and brought him through the inlet into the harbor, and he was afraid of the unseen Helmsman whom he had mocked and ridiculed. But it changed his whole life, and he had the courage to tell his mates what had happened and how God had come to his help. As soon as he was able, he came to ask for help and guidance, and soon he found the way to the Lord Jesus Christ and accepted Him as his own Saviour.
Until that same strong and loving Hand steered his vessel of life into its final port, he was never tired of telling all who would listen the wonderful story of the unseen Helmsman.
“Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).

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Adapted from His Riches.

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A Story About Nothing–Color Tract

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This story is about nothing — nothing at all. That’s what you brought into the world with you when you were born. Just nothing … zero.

There was a man in Italy who added a great deal of money to his first zero, and he became a rich man with a lot of zeros after the number one. He had an expensive car and much more. He also had in his car one little New Testament which he had stuffed out of sight in his glove compartment, because he didn’t know what to do with it.

Think of that! The eternal Word of God, showing the way to everlasting joy with the answer to all the sins and sorrows of life and death … and he didn’t know what to do with it! He knew how to handle money and how to make more. He knew how to get a beautiful house and how to meet im­portant people, but he didn’t know God’s simple way of salvation. How poor can a rich man be?

Then came the car accident. The ambulance was called, and there was nothing he could do but wait. His injuries were not severe, but he knew very well that he could have been killed. His hand reached for the ownership papers of his car, and his fingers came up with that little New Testament. For the first time, he opened it and read that verse about “nothing.” It was 1 Timothy 6:7. “We brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.”

“I felt as if I had been struck by lightning!” he said later. He realized that if he had been killed, all his possessions would be reduced to the original zero. Nothing would be left for eternity. Not a single penny of all his riches would still be his the moment after his death.

Please Visualize This

But after death there is something that would still be his. His sins! These you cannot get rid of after death. They must be gotten rid of before death or they are yours forever, through the endless ages of eternity. Will you please, at this mo­ment, picture this awful truth — stand­ing before God in your sins!

However, the awful debt of my sins has been paid by the One who loves me and died for me on Calvary. His pre­cious blood cleanses from all sin now, and this cleansing is forever. After I’m gone, everything I own will also be left behind for someone else. But, Jesus is mine forever. I cannot lose Him because He cannot lose me. When God looks at me, He sees Jesus, now and forever.

What About You?

The rich man in the car accident be­gan to read the Bible earnestly, and he soon accepted the Lord Jesus as his Sav­iour and was then baptized. Will you also receive this loving Saviour as your own? “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salva­tion” (2 Corinthians 6:2).

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The Bag of Beans–Color Tract

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A depressed young man had been living for his next party. A friend convinced him to hear a well-known gospel preacher. It may have been only curiosity, but he found himself seated in the congregation. The evangelist read, “We are not ignorant of his devices,” from the Bible. Then he abruptly proceeded:

“I was walking along the street the other day, and I saw a group of pigs following a man. This made me curious, because pigs are hard animals to lead. If you want them to go one way, they invariably take another. But this man seemed to have no difficulty; the pigs eagerly followed jostling and grunting after him. I followed them and to my surprise I found they were going to the slaughterhouse. They went in, and the door closed behind them. I waited till the man came out and asked him how he had managed to lead them so easily.

The Secret Trick

“The man laughed and said, ‘Maybe you didn’t see the bag of beans under my arm. I knew I’d have a hard time getting those pigs there if I didn’t humor them a bit. So I got some beans they like and dropped them along the road. And you saw how they scampered along picking up the beans, never thinking they were going to the slaughterhouse.’

“And this is the way,” continued the preacher, raising his voice and turning his penetrating glance right on the pew where the young man sat, “that the devil is leading some of you captives at his will down to hell. He knows full well how to please you and lead you. He drops his beans right along the road, and very soon you will pick up the last bean; then the gates of hell will close behind you.”

The story of the beans, with its application to the ways of the devil in ruining souls, convicted his soul. The next day he left for New York. Anxiously his friend waited for news of his arrival.

A Surprise

Soon, to his delight, his friend heard, “I’m glad to tell you that I’m converted. The message of that speaker, especially his opening words about the devil’s beans, grabbed me and woke me up. I saw where I was going, how Satan was luring me on, and what my destiny would be. By the grace of God I’m saved to follow a better Leader and walk in a new path. I will always thank God for that good man’s words, by which I was led to the Saviour, just before I lost my soul forever.”

Are you being led on to death and hell by the devil’s beans?

Someday you will taste the “pleasures of sin,” often very delicious, for the last time. Then hell’s door will close behind you, and the doom of the damned will be your portion forever. Today a God of love intensely longs for you and wants to save you. Christ is able, ready and willing. “Turn ye, turn ye, for why will ye die?”

“If our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them”
(2 Corinthians 4:3-4).

“God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

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Almost But Lost–Color Tract

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A fierce storm raged, a storm so violent that most of the villagers couldn’t remember another one like it. Many anxious wives and mothers in the little fishing village tensely waited for their fishermen husbands and sons who were out in the vicious weather.

Finally fishing boats began appearing on the horizon. Soon they entered the bay, and before long the first boat reached the harbor. In spite of the storm, a large crowd gathered on the pier and watched as boat after boat passed from the surging waves of the bay into the calmer waters of the harbor. Every eye in the waiting crowd searched anxiously for the boat bringing their loved one.

Terror Strikes

Finally, the last boat reached the mouth of the harbor. The seven brave men on board, after an exhausting struggle with the storm, could be heard in the distance.

Terror suddenly enveloped the waiting crowd. Faces turned white, shrieks pierced the air, and women clung to one another in agonizing disbelief. In a frenzy of desperation they kept yelling, “What happened? What happened?”

Just at the point of entering the harbor and only a short distance from safety, the boat suddenly vanished! In an instant, boat and crew had been swallowed up by the raging waves. Every one of the seven men drowned. They couldn’t have been nearer without actually being inside the harbor.
But they were lost!

Dangerous Indecision

Many people are in the same condition. Driven by their sense of need and compelled by their guilty conscience, some approach the door of salvation. It stands open to all, yet some people don’t enter. The tender voice of the loving Shepherd in divine compassion calls to them again and again, “I am the Door: by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved” (John 10:9). Still they hesitate.

These people linger at the entrance as though they would like to go in. A single step would take them across the threshold, but they hold back. They listen with some concern to the message of mercy. They see others entering and accepting the Saviour’s forgiveness for their sins. Still they remain outside. The years slip by, and when God finally closes the door, they will still be there — so close to safety, yet still outside.

Be Decisive

If this describes your indecision, then: “Thou art not far from the kingdom of God” (Mark 12:34). Not far … but still outside. Be warned, that to be on the wrong side of the closed door means you will be on the wrong side forever! Will you take the necessary step before it is too late?

“Behold, NOW is the accepted time; behold, NOW is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2).

“Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

“They that were ready went in with him … and the door was SHUT” (Matthew 25:10).

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