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To Build a Fire - SIGNIFICANCE

When my youngest son was in a 10th grade English class in high-school, the students were asked to read a book of short stories. Out of curiosity, I looked through some of them and found an insight that has stayed with me. It is this - a person may be aware of facts, but not of the significance of these facts as to how they may apply to himself.

In a story by Jack London, called "To Build a Fire," he tells the tale of a man who moves north to the Yukon during the gold rush years. He describes this “want-to-be” prospector as one who was quick and alert in the things of life, but without comprehending their meaning. This young man knows about the cold, has experienced the cold but does not understand and respect the deadly significance of the cold. He does not believe that in fact, it is a matter of life and death. The prospector plans a day’s trek to an outpost where friends are waiting for him. Against all cautions about the dangers of the extreme cold, he sets out on this wilderness journey by himself in temperatures of minus 38 degree Celsius. While en-route he builds a small fire to warm himself. He does not stop to think about the wisdom of doing this under an evergreen tree. While the fire warms him quickly in this sheltered spot, it unfortunately melts the snow that was on the boughs above it. The snow falls and extinguishes his small fire. Much to his amazement the cold overtakes him and he dies alone. He knew some facts about the cold, but he did not comprehend its power over him.

This principle of knowing some facts without understanding their significance seems to be a problem that is also becoming prevalent in the evangelical church. We hear of surveys taken at evangelical Bible schools where approximately 50% of first-year students believe that a person can get to heaven without believing in Christ. The question has to be asked, "What were these students taught in their home churches and in their families?” They no doubt knew some facts about Jesus Christ but the significance of who Christ is, and the crucial role He has in their lives for eternity, appears to be lost on them. If we conducted a poll at Peoples, would our young people and adults know and understand who Christ is and that there is salvation in no one else? Do we know and understand the significance of the bitter end that waits for those whose life’s journey is travelled on the "broad road" as described in Matt 7:13?

The evangelical church seems to be losing ground all across North America. Many still know some religious facts, but do they understand their significance for their own lives? Of major concern is the number of well known Bible schools and evangelical denominations that have quietly dropped their convictions of man’s origins as found in the book of Genesis. The paradigm shift is that Jesus the Christ is no longer seen as the Creator of all things, and the impact of this shift has great significance on the concept of biblical truth. If Genesis is not reliable and true, how can we be sure that the gospel of Jesus Christ is true?

The challenge to us as a church is to be ever vigilant to study and know God's Word, and to understand and believe in its enduring significance. It is not open to being modernized or ignored just because we no longer find that it fits into current popular thinking. Its truth is not negotiable. We must apply God’s Word to our lives as something that we are truly convinced of, as truth from God himself. To depart from understanding the significance of the Lord's teachings as revealed in His word, will leave us out in the cold.

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