We Taught The Dyaks To Tithe
J. Arthur Mouw*
Used by permission of The Alliance Weekly
r | ^ HE story I am about to relate is concerning the work of the Lord JL in the Belitang area of West Borneo. This region was opened to the gospel in the early months of 1935 and, four years later, there was a total number of 2,640 baptized believers. When I speak of these I do not mean mere professors, but real possessors of the divine life that comes by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ, accepting Him wholly and finding Him wholly true. In short, they were truly born- again. It is not my purpose in this article to tell how the gospel was preached or how it bore fruit but, suffice it to say that, added to the number above, there are 1,400 more believers now than in 1939. I mention 1939 because that was the year, under God, that the Church finally became one hundred per cent self-supporting. I say finally, be cause this did not take place over night, nor was it easy. It took the leading of God and the positive conviction that an organization could not long exist if founded on sand, the sand of foreign finance. We were convinced that no structure so built could long endure when foreign help ceased to be a reality. Today, in a region within a radius of fifty miles of our home and as a monument to the power of the gospel, there stand eight churches each with a parsonage where the pastor and his family live. The churches and the par sonages were built by the Christian Dyaks; there is not one cent of debt nor did any money come from America to help erect these church buildings. Better than this, is the fact that the pastors are completely supported by their respective church groups and, at this date, there is enough padi (un hulled rice) in the church granaries to feed the pastors and their families for more than a year, with harvest time only six months away. How did this miracle take place? To begin with, let me say that absolutely nothing concerning this work has been original. The call, the preaching, the teaching, the pattern, are all found in the Word of God. They were given and proven long before I was born. One Sunday morning in 1935, while walking from our house up to the rub ber grove to give the message to some 900 Dyaks who had gathered under the shade of the trees, God spoke by His Spirit to my heart and asked, “Why are you here?” I was startled but quickly replied, “ Because Thou hast
called me.” Again the question came, “Why are you here?” And I answered in my heart, “ Why, Lord, You said ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel’ ; the heathen are all about us, they need to hear and that is why I came.” And for the last time the ques tion came again, “Why are you here?” And then my heart broke, and I knew the only reply that mattered was one. I cried out to the Lord, “ Because I love You!” And, as scales dropping from my eyes, I saw the 900 awaiting my com ing, awaiting my message, awaiting my enthusiasm and my spirit. In a flash, I saw they were leaning too much on me and I cried out to the Lord and said, “ Lord, forgive me.” I thought I loved these Dyaks and I believe I did in a 'way. I prided myself in the fact that they also loved me. But did I love them with a true love? True love is tender; it is also firm and strong. God’s love is like that. I walked on to the grove and the message I intended to give left me. With all my heart I endeavored to teach these Dyaks to look to God and not to me. I do' not remember the message, but do remember one statement. I said, “ The day will come when I, as a foreign er, will not be permitted to stand be fore you as I am standing now; when I am gone, to whom will you look?” I did not know I was prophesying, but seven years later, in January 1942, I fled with my wife and family and escaped from the invading Japanese.
I had long believed in self-support and had a vision for the future of an indigenous church in this part of West Borneo. But, believing and teach ing are not enough—there must be action. Then I gathered the four native workers around me, who had come from our Bible School in Makassar. These were not Dyaks, but native workers from other islands who came to help in the work. I gave what I thought was a good message on the subject of self- support. I was having a good time teaching these four workers. My heart was warm and enthusiastic on the sub ject. I showed them that “ God loveth a cheerful giver” ; “ It is more blessed to give than to receive” ; “ Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn” ; “ The labourer is worthy of his hire.” These and many other Scripture verses I brought to their attention, and they nodded their heads in assent. I noticed this and it added fuel to the fire. I felt the message was really reaching their hearts. Finally, I brought for my concluding argument the third chapter of Malachi, verse 10: “ Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the win dows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” I closed with words like these: “ And the reason I have given you this account from the
Inside Emmanuel Church 756 Members Once Head-hunting Heathen Now Men and Women of God
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