Preparing the Soil

John Augustus Williams
12/09/12 - Evangelism

Pioneer preacher Raccoon John Smith was once asked, "If the gospel is so plain, as you say it is, why do you have to labor so hard to get people to understand it?" Smith replied, "I have often prepared ground in the wilderness for a turnip patch, and though I had the kindest soil and the best seed, and the sowing was easy, I never got top nor root until I first took my ax and hoe and briar knife and went in and hacked and grubbed and cleared the ground. The Lord knows I do not esteem it hard to preach the simple gospel to those who are prepared to receive it, but it is labor indeed to root out prejudice, and cut down the systems, and clear away the sectarian trash that cumbers the minds and hearts of the people."

— Taken from the book, The Life of Elder John Smith by John Augustus Williams