There is a story about a small town business man whose clothing store was threatened with extinction. A national chain store had acquired all the properties on his block and had told him, ”We’ll build all around you and put you out of business.” The day came when the small merchant found himself hemmed in with a new department store stretching out on both sides of his little shop. The competitor’s banner announced, ”Grand Opening.” The merchant countered with a banner stretching across the entire width of his store. It read, ”Main Entrance.”

The world is all around us. The world would love to put us out of business. We need to remember that ”Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.” He told us, ”He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.”

The world is all around us but Jesus is still the ”Main Entrance.*’ Are we standing fast, holding high the banner, ”Main Entrance?”

Jesus said, ”I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out... the thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”

We really can’t stop the world from building next door to us but we can certainly keep the door (Jesus Christ) open wide inviting all who really do want to have life and have it more abundantly, to come in.

The chain store had no intention of leading people to the merchant’s store. The world has no intention of leading people to Christ. The chain store and the world are motivated to making money. We are motivated to showing people the way to life. The merchant was an opportunist. Paul was an opportunist. He told the Athenians, ”I saw your sign admitting there is a god you do not know anything about. Let me tell you all about him.”

We are surrounded by the world and yet separate from it. The merchant was surrounded by the chain store and yet independent. We should seize every opportunity to hold high our banner of ”Main Entrance” to the Kingdom of God. The world isn’t even looking for the kingdom, yet we have an opportunity to show them the way and God will be pleased with our efforts regardless of the results we may or may not achieve.

How eager are we to tell all we know and meet that we are Christadelphians? Are we ashamed of Jesus? He says that if we are ashamed of him now, then he will be ashamed of us when he comes.

Why should we be hesitant to tell the world we believe in Jesus? The world is quick to tell us who they believe in. It may be a political candidate, a sports hero, a famous author, poet or musician.

Our saviour is greater than all of the above rolled into one and multiplied by a hundred thousand. When we think what Jesus did for us, how could we be hesitant to tell the world what he is willing to do for them? Everybody knows his name and most people in the world mention it many times a day, but not as an act of worship. Do we mention his name as often in the right way as the world does in the wrong way?

Jesus told us that we are the light of the world. Is there any other light in this dark and degenerate age? If we are not shining, will there be light? It is a similar question to the one Jesus asked when he said, ”When the son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?”

When he comes will he find us surrounded by the world, but not part of it, holding high his banner of ”Main Entrance” to the Kingdom of God?