100 The Fundamentals Rev. Henry Richards gives this experience at Banza Man- teke, in Africa. For four years he labored in vain, teaching the people about God as Creator, that He was good and they were sinners. He went home for a vacation, and while there was advised to preach the law when he went back. On re turning he translated the commandments. They said the ten commandments were very good and that they kept them all. Thoroughly discouraged, he turned to God’s Word and was, soon deeply impressed with “Go preach the Gospel,” not the law or commandments, but the Gospel. If he were to preach Christ crucified they would want to know who Jesus was. So he began translating Luke and reading it to them. He got on very well till he came to chapter 6:30, “Give to every man that asketh.” Here he was puzzled, for these men were notorious beggars. In order to have time to think he took them back for a two weeks’ review. After struggling over what the commentaries said and what common sense would say was the explanation of this verse, he decided it meant just what it said. He so read it to the natives, saying that this was a high standard of life but that he intended to prac tice what he preached. Of course, they took him at his word, as well as took nearly everything he had. One day he over heard a conversation. One native said to another: “I got this of the white man.” The other replied that he, too, was going to ask for a certain article, whereupon a third said: “No, buy it. This must be God’s man, for we never saw anyone like him.” At last they came to the story of the cross. He said: “You say you are not sinners? There is Jesus dying for you. He never did anything wrong, but died for your sins and for mine.” After seven years the battle was won by the story of the cross, and there are now fifteen hundred Christians in the church at Banza Manteke. ( “New Acts of the Apostles,” p. 273; Ecumenical Conference Report, II, 93.) Thirty years ago, in the city of Mukden, with its 400,000
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