T H E K I N G ’S B U S I N E S S
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NEWS FROM THE WORLD FIELD One of our B. I. students, now preaching th e Gospel in South India, tells of some definite answers to prayer fn his work: “There are one or two things you will be interested to hear about the work which are definite answers to prayer. You will remember th a t some tim e ago I asked for prayer th a t a “Toddy shop” m ight be removed from immediately opposite one of our schools. Well, th a t m a tte r dragged on for sometime, and we felt th a t nothing would be done, and then I received word from th e government official in the d istrict th a t the shop would be removed a t th e expiration of th e present license next month. This is a real victory and I know th a t you will join w ith me in praising God. Then we have been praying definitely th a t God would do some definite work among the hill-tribesmen in our dis trict. These people live away in th e forest, and are hard to reach. Still we believed th a t God would save some of them. Missionaries for years have been praying for this. Only a few weeks ago I received a le tte r enclosing a paper signed by twelve fam ilies asking me to come up and see them, and stating th a t they wanted to become Christians. Surely here is a cause for praise. These people live in a village about 28 miles back in the forest, and tra n s portation difficulties are great. Yet I g reatly desire to visit them , and I ask you to pray th a t the Lord will open the way for me to reach them and lead them into th e full ligh t of th e knowledge of Christ Jesus. Last week I took my evangelist about th irty miles away to spend several days preaching a t a high H indu festival. The rivers were in flood, and sometimes I had, to wade through, sometimes cross in a little saucer-shaped, circular, frail bamboo ra ft; and sometimes sitting on a m an’s shoul der and gripping hold of his h air I was carried across. Thousands upon thousands of people attend th is festival annually, and hundreds of sheep and fowl are killed as offerings to the idol. Where we stood preaching was in the center of several acres of ground which resembled a slaugh ter-house more th a n anything else. We, ourselves, had to look o u t th a t we were not splashed w ith blood, as they killed th e ir offerings w ithin a few feet of us. They knew nothing of th e Lamb of God who shed His blood once for all as a sacrifice for sin. I t was a g reat joy to stand up on a box while a hundred or one hundred and fifty people gathered, and tell out th e old, old Story. I have much more liberty in th e language now, and find it much easier to pro claim the good tidings in th e Tam il language. I ’m still alone here, and solicit your prayers th a t God will give me all th e streng th and wisdom to work for Him and to lead many souls to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Life is nothing to me except it be lived to His glory. Yours in the joy of service, till He come, Jam es A. Ker. SOUL-WINNING ILLUSTRATION A strik ing illu stration of th e tru th of Hebrews 4:12, “The Word of God is living and powerful, gharper than any twoedged sword,” etc., occurred in the south last sum mer. • A little country church was holding a special Children’s Meeting under th e direction of a Moody Bible In stitu te stu dent. During th e reading of th e Scripture a ta il boy of about eighteen years entered. He was accompanied by a little girl, whose lovely expressive face showed in marked contrast to his, which was so devoid of expression as to proclaim him for w hat he was— an idiot. The little service proceeded, and th e children began to recite th is verse in unison, “Believe on th e Lord Jesus Christ and thou sh alt be saved.’.’ The idiot boy and his little sister joined in and repeated th a t blessed verse over and over, and even on the way home the boy continued to recite it. All the re st of th a t evening, un til he retired th e boy re peated th a t verse in th e presence of his fath er, who was a confirmed d runk ard , b u t who loved his son w ith all his heart. He listened to his son’s voice w ith gradually deep
ening in terest as those glorious words penetrated, first his brain, and then his h eart— “Believe on th e Lord Jesus Christ and thou sh alt be saved.” Very slowly he perceived the g reat tru th embodied in those few words, and began to realize his own lost condition— his absolute need of a Sav iour. And so, a little later, he kn elt a t the M aster’s feet and received a full and free salvation. T ruly Gbd uses even the most simple and foolish in stru ments to bring precious souls to the knowledge of His sav ing grace. “PRAYER CHANGES THINGS” A le tte r recently received from Rev. H. W. Greist, vet eran m issionary to Alaska, contained the following th rill ing and inspiring incident: “R eturning from W ainw right recently, 110 miles down th e coast, th e w riter and his elder, d river of his dogs and sledge, became marooned upon th e ice far a t sea and were for th ree days and two nights unable to get to the coast, th e ir food becoming exhausted, th e ir fuel oil likewise giv ing out, all dog feed gone, w ater all about them through which they were forced to drive th e ir exhausted dogs, themselves wading through w ater from two to th ree feet deep most of the time, a t times forcing the dogs to swim wide 'leads’ between floating bits of ice, themselves holding to sledge as it was pulled into deep w ater. P rayer, faith and tru s t alone saved them . Signals of distress, a coat upon a stick and stuck into a high b it of ice, was finally answered, bu t th e two Eskimos ashore could not cross the wide w ater w ithout a boat. Having none they walked fifteen miles th a t night unknown to w riter. Twenty-four hours la ter we succeeded in getting ashore w ith th e help of reindeer herders who saw our plight. The 91st Psalm was often quoted during th a t time, and it in tru th proved a solace and rest. The danger was very great, the hazard great, b u t He cared for His servants in line of duty." A good woman, w riting to th e editor, relates the follow ing ap t and touching illu stration of the simplicity and n at uralness of rea l prayer: ' “ I have read in The K ing’s Business so many helpful things— I have a tru e story— I will tell it briefly— th a t I th ink will help Sunday School teachers. W ill you tell them about it if you th ink it will help them? “A little girl about 5 years of age was sen t to Sunday School. H er folks were supposedly Christians bu t they never discussed it in the home; never prayed, never said grace a t meals, didn’t go to church themselves. The child’s teacher each Sunday, along w ith th e lesson for th e day, ta u g h t them th a t if they would pray to th eir Heavenly F ath e r and ask for things from Him, He would answer. She drummed th a t into them and while th is child forgot h er teacher, and th e lessons, she never forgot to pray. At first she prayed over a broken doll (a new one cam e); a to rn dress (she wasn’t scolded as she had expected). They were simple, childish prayers— a sentence or two— bu t God heard them. At school she prayed about her lessons, her exams. Yes, even when she got to High School— a dozen times a day, and always she was answered. B u t she always said in her h e a rt and generally w ith her lips, ‘I thank Thee, dear God, for hearing me.’ She has had much happi ness, also sorrow , b u t the ‘Peace th a t passeth understand ing’ was w ith her in th e la tte r instances. It was all due to the d ear Sunday School teacher. She never knew about th e life she had saved, unless she is w ith God now and knows. So tell them , dear Mr. Horton, when they get dis couraged and blue, to remember this little g irl and teach th e ir children to believe in prayer to our F ath e r in Heaven.”
GOD SAYS “GO AND GIVE THE GOS PEL.” WE ARE DOING OUR PART. WILL YOU HELP? (Page 77)
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