CRISWELL EXHORTS TO EXPOSE CHRIST

by   Mike Hooker                                                                                                                                              Vol. VIII, No. 5, May 1995

Triumphantly! Enthusiastically! is how Christians should work for Christ, according to W.A. Criswell, senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas.

Emphasizing the word "enthusiasm" means "God in you," Criswell exclaimed during a March chapel service at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary: "There's nothing more infectious, more glorious than people who are happy and rejoicing in the Lord! If God is in you, He shines in your face, in your eyes, in the tone of your voice, and in how you react to the providences of life.”

Christ intended for His enthusiastic witness to be outside the church building, Criswell said.

“Jesus was not crucified in a cathedral between two golden candelabra. Jesus was crucified outside on a hill more like a garbage dump than anything else,” Criswell noted. "He was crucified naked. It was the purpose of God for His Son to be exposed."

In Christian witness, Christ cannot be exposed too much,” Criswell said. “Our great calling in Christ Jesus is to exhibit the Son of God.”

The minister’s responsibility to lost people goes above and beyond the normal call of duty, Criswell continued. “Young men and women, your high calling in Jesus Christ is to bring the message of hope, deliverance, forgiveness, and salvation to those who are outside the kingdom of Christ.”