Oh, He came to save sinners! And it is a poor kind of Christian who doesn't want what Jesus wants. And the thing He died for, the thing He came for, the reason He gave the Great Commission, is to win souls. And you need not tell me that you are seeking first the kingdom of God when you do not have a heart-burden to please the Lord in getting people saved. That is what He wants. - John R. Rice
Put God first in financial matters. That means, especially, to put God first in the matter of finances and giving. The Bible has much to say about that. One time a godly woman, teaching a big Sunday school class, said, "I do not think you ought to promise that you get rewards for tithing and for giving. One ought to give simply because he loves the Lord."
A good woman in the class spoke up: "Well, Dr. John Rice says and showed us that God promised rewards. So why shouldn't we say what God said, and promise what God promised?" There are good reasons why a Christian ought to put God first in his giving. You can't seek first the kingdom of God unless that affects your money. - John R. Rice
Discipline of children is plainly commanded in Scripture. You are going to have to whip children and teach them right from wrong. God gives children a mother and a dad to furnish discipline until the child gets his own discipline built in and the habits and standards of a lifetime.
You say, "I think that is out of date." The Bible is never out of date. - John R. Rice
Somebody says, "Brother Rice, I know I was saved because I was there when it happened. I just felt as light as a feather.' Yes, I know. But some day you are going to feel as heavy as lead instead of light as a feather, then you will think you lost it. No, it is not by your feelings or emotions that you can know. - John R. Rice
A woman in Dallas said to me, "I am afraid I am not saved, I don't feel like I am. Neither do I act like I am saved."
I said, "We can soon settle that. Look at this verse in Romans, Chapter 10 and verse 13, 'For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.' Have you called on the Lord to save you?"
"oh, yes," she said, "I have called and called. I have prayed and prayed. But I am afraid I didn't pray right."
I said, "Let's look at this again. Does it say, 'F...or whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord exactly right gets saved'? No. So you are putting in there what God didn't put in there. 'For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.'" I said, "Let me illustrate it. Do you have a good family doctor?"
"Yes, we have a good Christian doctor. He is a friend of the family. And we go to him with everything."
I said, "Let's imagine you go down to that doctor's office some day and you say, 'O Doctor, I have a splitting headache and fever of 103 degrees. What will I do?'"
"And the doctor says, 'Sit down here now and when I get through with these other patients I will talk to you.'
"Then the doctor comes and he says, 'Now let's see. What can I do for you?'
"You say, 'Doctor, I AIN'T had a minute free of pain for three days.'
"Suppose that doctor says, 'You said AIN'T. Get out of my office. I don't treat anybody who uses bad language or bad grammar.'"
This woman said, "Brother Rice, that is foolish! He is not caring about my grammar. He wants to get people well."
I said, "That is no more foolish than to suppose that God would let you go to Hell if you didn't say it just right. You come to ask Him for salvation, but you don't know how to say it." - John R. Rice
In Philadelphia I preached on soul sinning and a good woman said, "Now, Brother Rice, you cannot do that in my area, because we have so many Catholic neighbors."
God bless good Catholic people everywhere! They are often sincere and earnest, but they need the Gospel. And if you told and showed them how, some would trust Christ and be saved.
I said to this woman, "Well, don't you believe Christ died for Catholics the same as Protestants?"
Another woman spoke up, "All my neighborhood is filled with Jews." I said, "Well, then, you have it made. At Pentecost they had three thousand Jews saved in one day." - John R. Rice
God bless good Catholic people everywhere! They are often sincere and earnest, but they need the Gospel. And if you told and showed them how, some would trust Christ and be saved.
I said to this woman, "Well, don't you believe Christ died for Catholics the same as Protestants?"
Another woman spoke up, "All my neighborhood is filled with Jews." I said, "Well, then, you have it made. At Pentecost they had three thousand Jews saved in one day." - John R. Rice
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