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every in terest of the Church of Christ. It is tim e th a t th is vital question should be pressed home. Suppose you were asked this moment how recently you have w itnessed in public, or to a single individual con cerning Christ’s saving power— what would th e answer be? If you were asked how recently you have w ritten a le tte r on behalf of Christ or handed out a gospel or tract, or even prayed earnestly for an unsaved one, could you give a satisfactory reply? Would you attem p t to explain th a t you are a con sta n t atten d an t a t church, a regu lar contributor, an elder, deacon, or tru s tee? -.'.“ I seek not yours, but you.” F acing th e Question When this responsibility is pressed th ere are always some who will urge the lim itation of tim e and th e pressure of other duties. But let us be honest and face the question as to who has the supreme claim upon our tim e and streng th? It is ju st here th a t there lies th e g reat reproach resting upon multitudes who bear th e Christian name. The fact is we organize our lives and assume responsibilities in u t ter independence of th e claims of our Saviour. The question of setting ap a rt a definite portion of our tim e for His sacred use and of seeking to develop capacities which will be effective in the advancement of His kingdom scarcely enters into the calculations of many of us. W ith feverish zeal we devote ourselves early and late to train ing for business or professional demands, and yet can not find a half hour each day for Bible study, prayer, and Christian work. Is th is an index of the value we place upon our redemption, or have we fallen into such callous indifference th a t our highest obligation is forgotten and self-interest has usurped th e place of Christ upon the throne of our lives? There have been some in every gen eration to whom the stewardship of
a sub stitu te on th e field does not ab solve from th is obligation in th e slight est degree. Christ declares, “Ye are my w itnesses,” and evidence is w anting th a t the term s of this call adm it of any exceptions. Moreover, as one reads th e history of th e Apostolic Church it becomes in creasingly evident th a t personal w it nessing was th e universal sign of dis- cipleship, and th a t the term s Chris tian and w itness were synonymous. It is equally clear as one reviews Church history down to th e p resen t th at, w ith each g reat sp iritu al awakening through the centuries, th ere has been an instinc tive re tu rn to th is apostolic ideal of service. In th e g reat revivals in Wales and in Korea a few years ago, th e ou t standing characteristics were personal testimony and soul-winning. W ithout assum ing th a t all are quali fied for public preaching, let it be re membered th a t th e p rim ary qualifica tions for th e w inning of souls is a genuine personal experience of Christ’s power, and a vocabulary extended enough to tell what His power has w rought in the life. It is a lamentable fact th a t we seem to have almost un i versally accepted th e idea th a t Chris tian testimony is to be reserved for the pulpit and u ttered by ordained men. This is u tterly foreign to Scriptural principles. There is a g reat field for lay effort even in public preaching, and opportunities along th is line abound in every community. It is said th e re are more th an twenty thousand laymen in England, who are rendering voluntary service as Gospel preachers in the Wes leyan denom ination alone, holding a larger number of services each week than all the ordained m inisters of th a t body. If bu t a single such layman m ight be found in each of the Evangel ical Churches of America it is clear th a t th e existing force of preachers and evangelists would be doubled at once and a m ighty quickening would come to
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