A. D. CHILSON
Pastor, Wisconsin
THE small-town newspaper is a productive evangelistic area often overlooked. Local subscribers look forward to the weekly roundup of town and county affairs and read every inch of farm chatter and advertising. Some time ago the thought occurred to me, Why not place our message right before the eyes of these avid readers?
Under the caption "Your Bible Says," I listed each week two or three questions together with their Bible-based answers, then invited queries from readers. Occasionally in the column I would include a free book offer on one of the subjects involved. The response was immediate and good, with requests for literature and questions ranging from Dan to Beersheba. One letter led me to a former Adventist seeking fellowship after years of disunion with the church. Another brought the first fruits of a tithe that continued thereafter.
NAThile there is a class of people who through prejudice reject literature brought to their door, no one would observe a ban upon reading the weekly newspaper. Then, too, on the basis of circulation, the cost of evangelizing by the column-inch is but a trifle.
Exploring a bit deeper into reader interest, I decided to run a ten-lesson introductory Bible course with subjects that would not arouse controversy. Preceding the series by two weeks were articles announcing a Do-It-Yourself Bible Notebook. The lessons were to be clipped from the newspaper, filled in, and pasted into a notebook of their own choice. Bible references were followed by a page number from the Harper Bible which was lent to them and became theirs upon the completion of the course. Enrollees were also sent additional lesson helps and an answer key for correcting their own lessons.
I selected the Harper Bible for the project because its continuous paging from Genesis to Revelation made text-finding easy and eliminated the confusion sometimes encountered by duplicate paging in the Old and New Testaments. I feel that the less reference we make to the division between Old and New, the more the Bible can be thought of as one book. Dispensationalists make quite a point over this uninspired division of inspired writings. So any element of strength we can add to fortify man's faith in the Bible as a unit is well worth the effort.
All those who enrolled in the Do-It-Yourself Bible Notebook plan (just under one per cent of the newspaper circulation) finished all ten lessons promptly. I personally visited them, examined their notebooks, and complimented them upon their work wherever possible. Then I invited them to continue with an advanced course covering our more distinctive doctrines.
Through the medium of the small-town weekly we discovered interested families who had not been reached with our message by any other means of evangelism. The pastor who has recently followed me is continuing with Bible studies and reports an excellent interest.
Sample Lesson
HOW THE WORLD BEGAN
1. "In the beginning ---------------------- the heaven and the
earth." Genesis 1:1. (P. 7). See Lesson Helps.
2. "By the ------------------- were the heavens made; and all
the host of them by the ---------------- For he-------------
and it was done; he -------------------- and it stood fast."
Psalm 33:6-9. (P. 554).
3. The order of Creation. Tell what was made each day.
First day. Genesis 1:3-5 (P. 7) ----------------------------------
Second day. Verses 6-8 (P. 7) ----------------------------------
Third day. Verses 9-13 (P. 7) -----------------------------------
Fourth day. Verses 14-19 (P. 7) --------------------------------
Fifth day. Verses 20-23 (P. 7) ----------------------------------
Sixth day. Verses 24-31 (P. 7) ----------------------------------
Seventh day. Chap. 2:1-3 (P. 8) --------------------------------
4. God's reason for creating the world. "He formedit to be ------------ ." Isaiah 45:18. (P. 679).
5. Only the true God has power to ---------------------- Jere- miah 10:11, 12. (P. 705).
6. "For we are his ------------------------- " Ephesians 2:10. (P.
1074).
7. "I am ------------- and --------------- made." Psalm 139:14.
(P. 605).
8. A vast universe and a powerful God. "When I consider thy heavens, . . . what is
--------- Psalm 8:3, 4. (P. 543).
"The nations are as a ----------------- " Isaiah 40:15. (P.
673).
9. "The heavens declare ---------------------- " Psalm 19:1. (P.
548).
10. "Create in me a ------------------ , O God." Psalm 51:10.
(P. 563).
(The same Omnipotent God who created the universe can give us the help we need to live aright.) Free question-and-answer service. Any Bible question answered. Write—Bible Notebook, Box 111, Iron River, Wisconsin.
Sample Questions and Answers
YOUR BIBLE SAYS
QUESTION: Does it make any difference to what church I belong?
ANSWER: "There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death" (Proverbs 16:25). Many people are sincerely mistaken. The apostle Paul persecuted the Christians thinking he was doing God a favor. Let the Bible guide you. Study it carefully, then join the church that follows its teaching the closest. We cannot permit friends, feelings, or customs to influence our religious convictions. See also 2 Timothy 3:15, 16.
QUESTION: Can you give me some texts on the subject of the Lord's day?
ANSWER: Please read Revelation 1:10; Isaiah 58: 13; Exodus 20:8-11; Mark 2:27, 28.
Send your questions to "Your Bible Says," P.O. Box 474, Richland Center, Wis.
