A Life in Exile

It’s good to look at what’s on your bookshelves from time to time, and a recent perusal of my own led to me spotting a gem. The book was small and not long, at just 94 pages. I don’t remember looking at it before but was sure I’d brought it from my father’s house. He was a prolific reader and had hundreds of books, most of which were worn and marked by his underlining or notes in the margins. As his daughter, I feel it my duty to carry on this way of reading—pen in hand.

Anyway, I pulled the item from the shelf and read the title: The Plan of Salvation and How to Teach It, by Austin Crouch. I opened it up to see two sets of handwriting—my father’s and my grandmother’s.

The Directive

Dad’s note had been written on a Post-it and placed on the inside flap of the book. He made it clear that this book was to be given to his youngest, me, and that it had originally belonged to my grandmother, his mother. Her name was Mary Dixie Bearden Brown, and she was born in 1889. I loved my grandmother, as she had lived with us for over twelve years during my childhood, and I had an especially close relationship with her.

Not only did the book belong to her, but she too had made notes, and Dad wanted me to know that this special volume contained her own writing on the subject at hand.

The Topic

As a book about the plan of salvation, I was intrigued to read the book and see what was included. It didn’t take me long, and I was thrilled to see that since my grandmother’s days, nothing had changed in the approach to sharing the gospel.

• A person had to see that they were indeed lost. Without that, there is no need for a Savior.
• A person must realize they can do nothing to save themselves.
• Jesus is introduced as the only Savior and way of salvation.
• A person must repent and believe in Jesus.
• Upon salvation, a person moves forward in service to Christ.

I love the way the author begins his introduction:

Mr. Spurgeon once said that the chief business of a Christian is soul-winning. It would be a glorious thing if all Christians believed this and worked at the task.

Mr. Crouch made the task as simple as possible. Share the five points, choose two or three appropriate verses of Scripture to elaborate the points, and provide an opportunity for the hearer to respond to your appeal. My grandmother’s notes in the front of the book are the verses she chose for the process.

The Date

As I’m reading this valuable book, I realize that the date of printing is 1924, the year before my father’s birth. Thus, my grandmother was reading this book or taking a class on it at her church while already a mother of two and most probably expecting her third child. A busy woman indeed, especially considering the year and lack of modern conveniences; still, she had such a love for the Lord she served, that she wanted to be better prepared to share her faith and hope with others.

I also realized that in reading this book in the year 2024, I am exactly a century distanced from its date of imprint and my grandmother’s first encounter with the instruction of Mr. Crouch. Isn’t it just like God to lead me, in my sixtieth year of life and first year of “retirement” to pull such a book off the shelf?

What does it teach me?

God constantly reminds me to be thankful for the Christian heritage of my parents and grandparents on both sides. Average, ordinary people, but people who loved God, believed in his Son, Jesus as their Savior, and who were faithful in service and witness throughout their lives. My eyes fill with tears as I think of the desire of my father to want this precious book saved just for me. I was married to a wonderful evangelist-husband, and sharing the gospel has been the call that led me to him and around the world to see what only God can do when a sinner repents and believes.

I’m taught that in every generation there are faithful men and women who want to equip the saints in the sharing of their faith. I’m thankful that in 1924, Austin Crouch was just such a man. He wrote a simple, easy-to-understand book that helped Christians in the early twentieth century to share their faith. When I think about where this date was in history, I think about those who were struggling after the devastations of the First World War. Many did turn from God during those years, and Christians needed to be reminded that we do have a responsibility to win souls. I wonder how many were brought back from the brink of despair because some faithful Christians took the time to learn.

Within a few years of the printing of this book, the United States would be rocked by the Great Depression. My grandmother’s husband would lose his job and end up pushing a pie wagon, to serve factory workers. The good news of the salvation Jesus provides would be the only good news for many during those bleak and desperate years, and my grandmother knew how to share it.

Finally, it teaches me that not just in one hundred years, but in over two thousand years, the plan of salvation has NOT changed. The verses are the same, the way is the same, and the result is the same! Praise God! Some keepsakes are easily discarded. I’m saving this one for my first grandchild to treasure and learn the lessons God’s taught me.

Grace and Peace

If you missed the last Wednesday Wisdom, click HERE, or check out these other posts on faith and family: Age-old Wisdom, Witness Protection Program, VR Meets the Gospel, Scattered Seed, and Building Bridges with Art.