December 1926
T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
722
condition, their need of a Saviour, the Christian Life a possible thing at sea, and their need of immediate personal decision. We rejoice to hear them say, “Yes, I will accept JeBus Christ as my own personal Saviour.” We praise Him as we listen to them as in prayer they thank Him for a fin ished work, after which we teach them things necessary for growth in the Life. The Bengali men live either forward or aft in a dark, gloomy, and poorly ventilated room, quite often fifteen or twenty living in a filthy condition. We have the Bible translated in their own language foY -¿hem, because so few speak or understand English.'’ However, the men on this par ticular ship did understand English. They listen closely as we call at tention to things about them, illus trating the argument of cause and ef fect, then of man being a direct effect of a Master Designer and Creator! that all men are the same in regard to the fact that they are made up of Spirit, Soul and Body; that there is a desire within them to know about God, and that God cannot be personally known except through being revealed in Christ who was God manifest in the flesh, that Christ could not be compared in any way with religious philosophers or teachers of the Orient because of that fact; that He was the only one whCf died tor Sin and their sins, was buried, and rose again. They must consider Him and accept Him as their own Sin Bearer and Saviour. We are on another English vessel, but this time one that visits our harbor every four months. Each visit offers opportunity to provide fellowship with some of the permanent men, and especially the carpenter, a number of times. This dear man receives a trifle more wages than a sailor, but is not classed as an officer, therefore gets no holiday, or as we term it a vacation. He has a wife and three year old baby whom he gets to see one night when in the nearest port to his home once every four months. Being a Christian he does not mix into the gambling and drinking of his 'ship mates, and as he expresses it, "I am no good on this ship; they don’t want me. I am really only in the way." Yes, praise God,"In their way, but a light to Bhow them the way. Not a word of com plaint falls from his lips, and our eyes moisten as he praises his Lord for a good wife, a darling child, his job, and a means of supporting them. The telephone rings. A U. S. Navy Chief Petty Officer’s wife asks if we can marry a sailor friend in her home that evening. We are to teach a Young Men’BBible Class in another town, but after calling on the mother-in-law re garding details of the pair, we ar range for the wedding by shortening
WORK IN THE SHOPS Marion H. Reynold«, Supt.—Meeting« held in Shop«, Factories, Car-Barns and Fire Engine Houses in Los Angeles. WENTY-SIX years backslid den—yet névfer a day when he was not conscious that he was not right with God! Here is the story: A few weeks ago a lady asked that we go to see a man who was dying. Arriving at the address, we knocked on the door and heard a faint voice saying, "Come in." Entering the liv ing room, we followed the sound of the' voice into the next room, where we found a man about seventy years of age lying on a bed all alone. After inquiring how he was feeling and if there was anything we could do for him, we introduced ourselves as a minister and told him we came to see if we could help him in his lonely hours. On hearing that his visitor was a preacher, his face brightened up and he said, "I’m so glad you came." Then he began talking. He told us of his first Christian stand—how twenty-six years before, under the leadership of one of our finest preach ers, he took his stand for Christ. Then trouble came^—financial reverses, then % prosperity, and then his fatal step Vrhen he got away from the Lord into \ worldly life. \F o r twenty-six years God permitted hfb to wander in the world, dissatis fied and unhappy, until at last, through the loss of health and friends, he lay there all alone, dying. Was « there how any more hope for him? Would \God take him back after all these yaars? This was the question that facin him that afternoon, the an swer to frtiich we found in His pre cious w lrd . Did he wish to come? Then Jefflis said, "Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out" (John 6:37). / ‘Come unto Me, all ye that labor ana are heavy laden, and I will give yoyl rest" (Matt. 11:28). For an hour we sat by his side read ing passage after passage, until, with the waning of the day, new light broke in 'upon his soul, and we heard him tell Mae Lord Jesus that lie would codie back to Him. Several days passed before we had the opportunity of seeing him again, and then we looked into his face for the last time. We did not know it .then, but God was to take this weary ^traveler home that night. The last words he spoke to us as we left were, "I know it’s all right. I’m ready to go." May we pause here to Bay that we hope each one of our readers may come to that place if they have not already done so. This and this alone
The extensive and varied work of the several evangelistic de partments w h o s e interesting work is recorded from month to month in these pages, is made possible by those who have been moved to contribute of their material means for the carrying on of this part of God’s work. Every friend interested to the extent of contributing $10.00 or more will receive a yearly sub scription to The King's Business with our compliments.
is the only place of real joy and bless ing. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth my word, and believeth on Him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condem nation, but is passed from death unto life” (John 6:24). m SEAMEN’S DEPARTMENT Clauds H. Pearson, Supt.—Our workers board many vessels in the port off San Pedro, holding Cospei Services and Distributing Literature. sE are on board a British Tramp steamer in the middle of the afternoon. A tramp steamer is one which leaves its^ home port for two or three years with no particular destina tion, gathering cargo from any port in the world for any port in the world. The crews of most of the steamers of this particular class number about fifty men, about thirty-five Bengali, or , Hindu men, fourteen officers and en gineers, and generally two apprentices or cadets. Many English shipping companies require that an apprentice spend four years at sea before being allowed to take the examinations for officer’s certificates. These are very trying years, for pay is small, work hard, living quarters unattractive. This afternoon the officers are very busy, and about all we can do for them is to leave a Gospel, pamphlets, tracts, perhaps a King’s Business or calendar in their room. When we en ter the apprentices’ room we find one of them unoccupied. Glad to see any one who has something besides abuse for him we are invited to sit down. Before long his companion has come and we are talking about the things of the Lord. A mother, sister, sweet heart or friend has given a Bible be fore leaving home, and from it (their own), marking the passages w i t h colored peneH, we -teach them God’s Plan with men, showing their lost
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