And Jesus said: "RISE, LET US BE GOING"

We are in the "going" business.

Now here is the thing that presses hard on my soul right now.  I want the attention of those who are thinking of giving their lives to religious work.

In the first place we have got to have a revolution in our own life.

In your life you have probably been working.  You had to punch the clock.  You had that superintendent down there to make out your program.  Now you haven't had anybody to tell you what to do.

I have noticed a lot of young preachers.  They will come in and say, "I met a fellow over yonder and led him to Christ .... or down on the street .... or in the beer garden."

Now the devil has got him.  He runs around and asks people, "Are you a Christian:" ... and then comes back and reports how many people have been saved.  The devil has had him and he is just running loose, and you hear a lot about his soul winning, but you never see the string of fish ... not that we should not win souls, but when you just go out here and ask a fellow you meet on the streetcar some questions .... and that is the last anybody ever hears about it, I wouldn't give a snap of my finger for ten thousand such results.

You say, "Well, isn't that fellow worth saving?" 

Sure.

Now, let me say this.  The devil invented this word "Contact."  He wants you to be contented with "contacts."  I wouldn't give a dime a car load for "contacts."  Imagine one of the deacons at the First Baptist Church of Jerusalem in New Testament times coming in and saying, "I made a contact down yonder with an Ethiopian."

No, he got out of his chariot and got down on his knees and was saved, and then he put him under the water.  That is what he did.

Imagine Paul and Silas when they get back to Philippi saying, "I made so many contacts today."  No, he put that one under the water.

And the next morning after he got out of jail imagine Paul saying, "Silas, put down that we made contact with a jailor last night."

Imagine Jesus saying he "made contact" with Nicodemus last night.

Can you imagine the next day Jesus coming in and saying "I made contact with the Woman of Samaria."

Let's go to Gethsemane, and then go through Gethsemane, and then "Rise and be going," and lead souls to Christ and lead them to church.

~ J. Frank Norris