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THE KING’S BUSINESS THREE CENTS A DAY A “ Cent” Aspect of the Evangelistic Churches of the United States of America
T HE California State Church Federa tion has been making a religious sur vey o f the State, and gives some interesting statistics concerning the growth o f the Protestant church in California during the last ten years. The increase for all denominations in the State was 61 per cent, while for the entire United States the increase was only 23 per cent. W e were greatly interested in the figures concerning the gifts o f the evangelical churches in the United States. The amount o f money raised for local church expenses in California last year wps $4,402,242. This seems like a very large sum, but the amount per capita is only $14.77, as against $9.17 in the ¡„United State?, the latter being 18 cents a 3 week. The amount given in the United States for benevolences and mis sions was $2.08 per member, or 4 cents a week per capita. The 18 cents given for local expenses and the 4 cents for missions and benevolences, produces the princely sum o f 22 cents per week, for all purposes for the evangelical churches o f the United States—equivalent to a little over 3 cents a day. Where is boasting? It is excluded. By what law? By "the law o f the chewing- gum business. Through all the shouting, the handkerchief waving, the hallelujahs, the amens, all the display o f figures, the vaunting pride, the boast o f progress, the multitude o f churches, o f Sunday Schools and o f other Christian enterprisés, the Lord from His throne in glory is compelled to see the little three-cent basis upon which the church is doing business with Him. Stopping for a moment to look this con dition in the face, we are compelled to face some things—either, first, that the increase in the number o f members in the evan gelical churches must be over-stated; or, second, that many o f the so-called members cannot be real Christians; or, third, that present-day Christianity produces a dif
ferent kind o f product than that which characterized the early days. How could the average Christian liv ing in this land o f plenty, o f luxury, o f progress and o f great attainments; how could believers in the sacrificial work o f Jesus Christ who shed His precious blood in their behalf—believers who have the Word o f God in their hands, a Book reach ing them through the sacrifice o f millions o f lives, a book which describes the exceed ing greatness o f His riches for them—how could such believers sit in a three-cent box down here, when they know they are des tined to sit at the right hand o f glory up there ? I f the facts are true, suppose we could get the members o f the evangelical churches in this country to move up into a five- cent class (which would, after all, seem to be only in the children’s class), might it not be possible to largely extend that much- needed work commanded by our Lord— the giving o f the Gospel to the untold mil lions who have never yet heard that God loved the world and gave His Son to be the propitiation for the sins o f the world. I f (as statistics aver) more Mohamme dans were born in the year 1910 than there were Christians added to the church dur ing the preceding ten years, how long will it take for the church o f God on a three- cent basis to reach the world. How would it sound to have an anthem like this, in all our churches: “ Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might and three- cents a day, be unto our gracious God, for ever.” There must be something lacking in the church o f God. Is it an efficiency-commit- tee to show the brethren how to unlock the tight fists o f the believers? Or is it a baptism o f love, flowing from the heart o f the risen Christ through the Holy Spirit? W e need something to stir our sluggish souls! God grant it may come to those o f us who read these lines.
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