Our ^ttarcl)irtg Orders» Xb Ijc (Taptians (Tomman6 "(Bo Ve!" By J. H. S. "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Mat. 28:19. , f
aries. Paul what is your opinion of this for- eign work? " I am debtor both to the Greek and to the Ba r b a r i a n ." Peter, what do you think of it? " Y e know how that a great while ago God made choice among us t h at the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel. *' But, John, you don't believe in it? " I saw an angel having an eternal gospel to proclaim to every nation, tribe and tongue and people." The New Testament writings with the exception of Matthew and Hebrews, are foreign mission literature, Mark for the Romans; Luke for the Greeks and John for " wh o s o e v e r ;" Eomans to the con- verts in Eome; Corinthians to those of Corinth; Galatians to those of Galatia; Ephesians for Ephesians; Phillippians for Macedonians; even the pastoral epistles to two foreign missionaries, Timothy and Titus at work on their mission ground; and last of all Revelations to Asiatics. Gentile Christendom today—the great church catholic among the gentiles is the f r u it of foreign missions for "salvation ia of the Jews. ' We hold today to the nations of the world precisely the same relation, so far, as the first church at Antioch. Imagine members of that church; only a few months out of heathendom, expressing a want of sympathy with, or opposition to, sending Paul and Barnabus out with the gospel! Or, pleading the home work in Antioch in opposition. I t were not one whit more absurd than for us to do it now. My brother, is not your heart with this great work of Christ? What shall be said to you? Oh disloyalty that will not obey? Oh faithlessness that will not attempt! Oh, heartlessness that will not pity! Oh apathy that shuts the springs of brotherly love. Oh selfishness that will not impart! Oh ingratitude that will not repay! Oh poverty of sorn, now and hereafter! " A n d the Lord said unto Cain, 'Where is now thy brother.' And he said, Am I my brother 's k e e p e r ?"
Our Saptain's Command is "Go Ye ." Yet it is truly said: "Christians have to be converted to the missionary spirit as the unregenerate from his unbelief." But one is inclined to believe that such cases are after all' cases of primal conversion. Do yon ask? " A m I obliged to aid the evangelization of the world? To argue that proposition is to question Christ's authority. To suggest inexpediencies is to qeustion his wisdom. " Their's not to reason why, Their's not to make r e p l y ." To refuse aid and sympathy is to dis- obey, ' ' Their's but t o do and, die.'' To disobey is to hinder and delay his Kingdom. It is only a f t er this has been done and he has ' ' taken a people out from among the nations that he will return again and build up that which is fallen down " i n order that the residue of men may seek after the Lord."—Acts 15:15 —17. To neglect it is to be out of sympathy with the "goodly fellowship of the apos- t l e s ," and to dishonor the most glorious names in the church annals, nay in all history, and to discount the greatest sac- rifices. I t is to ridicule the most Christ-like suf- ferings. For if those indifferent and op- posed to this work are right; then the noble preachers of the cross were the most egregious fools and the victims of their fanaticism. I t is to condemn the love and sacrifices whereby we ourselves are saved, for we were heathen. I t is to be out of sympathy with the true church of our own day, whose laws and leaders are evangelistic, and whose choicest spirits are evangelists. There is an answer for every objection and for every excuse: " G o y e . " " L o r d, there are heathen at h ome ," " G o ye into all the world and p r e a c h ." " B u t then perhaps the heathen may be saved with- out i t . " " G o . ' I t is too costly." " Go ." " I t is dangerous." " G o , " " g o , " " g o , " " g o . " The apostles were all foreign mission-
Made with FlippingBook HTML5