June 1924
T H E K l N G ’ü B US X N E S S
364
Th e Hu nan B ib le In stitu te (th e China D ep artm ent of th e B ib le In stitu te of Los A n g eles) is organ ized a lo n g sim ilar lin es to th e hom e In stitu te,— tra in in g n a tiv e C hinese yO uhg'm en and w om en fo r C hristian w ork, and at the sam e tim e ca rry in g on an a ctiv e ev a n g e listic w ork am ong the unsaved. The w ork (w h ich is recogn ized by th e differen t ev a n g elica l m issio n s a s one of th e b est in C hina) h as three departm ents. (1 ) A B ib le In stitu te a t Cha ngsh a' (t e ca p ita l city of H u n an B r o v i n c i : ) ' ,>r ' w f ( 2 ) T w e lv e C olp ortage B o a ts (flo a tin g B ib le S ch ools) w ith 13. m en on each boat, d ev o tin g the m orn in gs to B ible, Study, and th e a ftern o o n s to g iv in g the G ospel in the ¡n a tiv e hom es. . (3 ) T h e A u tum n B ib le S chool and C on fer en ce a t N anyoh (one of China’s three sacred m ou n tain s). H undreds of con version s have resu lted from th e w ork done, am ong the thou san d s of p ilgrim s. A BIRD’S BYE VIEW
our prayer may be definite and clear we need information. To somé the inform ation may best be presented in story form , to others by statistics, and some of us find it easiest to understand a work when we see th e whole, not all the parts in detail of course bu t as it were, a b ird ’s eÿé’wiewi To some such may these thoughts prove a stim ulus to prayer. Our work then has ' th ree distinct, though interrelated features, (1) the Biola Evangelistic Bands; (2) the Bible in stitu te , (train ing men and women for gospel work du r ing eight months of the year) and (3) the Nanyoh Autumn Bible Conference. 1 Each of these features of th e work de serves special emphasis and needs your, prayer throughout the year. When you th ink of the w ork .th ink of Bands,, School and Conference.; v . , . .eiuoii aid ’ The B iola Evangelistic Bands When you think, of the B iola.Evangelistic Bands th ink of th ree things. F irs t: The th irteen men in each of the twelve bands,, one hund red and fifty-six men giving their whole tim e to preaching the gospel from house to house. In th e m ajority of cases the people have never heard before. The men have a challenging opportunity bu t they are human and can only be used of God as they are filled with the Holy Spirit, yes and as we hold up th e ir hands:: Second: When you remember the Bands pray also for th e m issionaries in whose fields they are working. A Biola Band only goes on th e invitation of a mission into a dis trict, and works in harmony: w ith th a t ,.mission while in its field. This means th a t our work has a. very, blessed rela tionship w ith a large group of godly men and women from the home lands and we need to pray for them both while the. band is , in. th e ir field and that, th e y ,may be able to follow up the work after the band has,, left. Third: But as you th ink of these splendid young Chi nese in all w eathers diligently doing th eir share, to carry th e gospel, to “every creatu re” will you no t ¡think too of, these poor people,— ju st ordinary hard working peasant people, for the most part. They are bound by innum er able superstitions and fears and sins ,from which only the blood of Jesus Christ can cleanse them.. May th e Holy Spirit find receptive h earts each day, because you pray. The T raining School The second featu re of th e Work whifch we mentioned is the In stitu te, located in the g reat provincial capital city of Changsha and offering a two year Bible train ing to men and women preparing them for evangelistic work. One hun dred and th irty young meii and women, and, oh, how they need your prayers; So when you th ink of th e school in (Continued on page; 398) - in
We are su re the K ing’s Business Fam ily will enjoy this “ B ird’s Eye View” of th e en tire work of the Hunan Bible In stitu te, as given by Mrs. W alter Steven (her- self th e daughter of m issionaries) who, w ith her hus band, is privileged to be associated w ith Dr. K eller in th e work a t Hunan. JORTY-THREE thousand subscribers! And I won der how many readers? Let us say th a t “The King’s Business” enters forty-three thousand homes, ' and th a t each home’ has about five peri sons. Perhaps two or even th ree will read the paper; th a t m ight mean th a t eigh ty -six ' thousand people read about this work in the h eart of China every month. How many, I wonder, w illre a d and forget? How many will read and pray? And (jf those who read and pray I wonder if th ere are not some who ju st offer a monthly prayer. When a new number of “The, K ing’s Business” comes to hand and the work is brought freshly to th eir minds, there is a cry to God, and then silence on th is subject for the weeks between the issues of the magazine. We' th ank God th at, for many, daily prayer for the Hunan Bible In stitu te has become a rule of life. Does, the Heavenly F ath e r hear eighty-six thousand prayers a day for H is work out here ,or only th a t number in a month? Or can it even he th a t out of th e pos sible two readers of each copy only one prays? No reader of this paper needs to be told th a t prayer counts, and any worker on th e field knows th a t his iwork is very dependent on the devotion of a large force of “praying friends” in the home land. We read in Exodus the story of Aaron and H ur hold ing up the hands of Moses as the fight went on in the valley below. Aaron and H ur were no t called, to the firing line, nor were they called to the responsible: position of Moses, yet on them the battle depended for it was th eir duty to up hold the failing hands. Is th is your duty? Surely the b attle on th is fron t is not to be weaker because, you have forgotten. Someone has well w ritten: “The weary ones had rest, th e sad had joy “T hat day, and wondered ‘how’? “A ploughman singing a t his work had prayed, “ ‘Lord help them now.’
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“Away in foreign lands they wondered ‘how?’ “Their simple, words had power. . . ■ “At home the gleaners, two or th ree, had met “To pray an hour. “Yes, we are always wondering ‘how?’ “ Because we do not see “Someone, unknown perhaps, and far away, . “On bended knee.”
There is ano ther aspect to th is m atter of prayer, how ever, and th a t is th a t we must bp specific, .and in order th a t
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