en it comes
to talking the Gospel to a group of people, large or small, in New York or
Shanghai, make it a story. Wherever you may begin the story, see that its
purpose is to lead up to Jesus. You may use twenty-five minutes in getting
your story out, and then put the Jesus touch in the last five minutes. But
as they go away that last five has given its flavor to the whole
half-hour's talk. Or, you may begin with Him, and so run through. But the
rule should be: Make it a simple, natural, attractive story, such as
people will want to listen to, because it interests them.

That means a lot of hard work in preparation. The simpler and easier and
more natural it seems to the crowd the more it will have cost you in
study. You will have to study so carefully that they won't guess you have
studied at all. You must absorb this Bible story, bit by bit, through and
through, until it becomes a bit of yourself.

You must use books that help make this Book clearer and plainer. That is
really the mission of biblical books, to make <i>the</i> Book plainer. If they
send you to the Bible they have fulfilled their mission. If you stay in
them, they have failed.

The Bible is an Oriental book in its way of putting things. Its story is
built upon the habits of those Eastern peoples. While it is full of simple
teaching easily understood, one needs to understand those habits to get
the real meat of the meaning. This means a habit of hard work for him who
would be a winner of men. He should have an ambition to know the Bible
story thoroughly, and to get it from the Bible itself.

But, whatever your particular message may be at any time, let it lead up
by a straight road to Jesus. Follow the rule of the Book itself here. The
Old Testament all points to Jesus. It can be understood only as He is
understood. And the New is aflame with His presence. Tell the story of
Jesus to men. They never tire of that. Tell it accurately. Tell it simply.
Tell it with endless variety. Put it in simple every-day words, so they
think about the story and not about you or your words.

Tell Jesus' life; His characteristics; how He mingled among men, and
talked with them. Take up the Gospel incidents, and give them their
natural flavoring and coloring in present-day speech. Tell of the Nazareth
life, in home and carpenter shop and village. Go through those wondrous
three and a half years, bit by bit.

Go into the temptation wilderness, out on the blue waters of G