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for the Master in conjunction with other men and women, and I know of scarcely any other deeper joy than the lqye which floods our hearts as we “ strive together for the faith of the g&spel.” God's Chosen Plan— The Team The team method of evangelism is not new. There are the unfinished pages of modern gospel ministry filled with names that shed a fragrance and a power upon our generation — men like Torrey and Alexander, Moody and Sankey, the Wesleys and George Whit field. These; were ; teams, born and motivated in prayer. There are the accounts of the gospel teams of the early church: Peter and the eleven at Pentecost; Peter and John at the temple gate; the Joppa gospel team with Peter at Caesarea; the first gospel team to Asia Minor, Paul and Barnabas; Paul and the gal lant little gospel band, varying in numerical strength, as it traveled and travailed for Christ. In the earthly lifetime of the Lord Jesus Christ, we find the team spirit being taught when He led a preaching band through city and village, and later sent out (jthers in teams of two. Even in the realm of prayer, He taught the value and principles of team praying: “ If two of you shall agree . . . it shall be done” (Matt. 18:19). Going still deeper into the divine rec ords, we find the team spirit fostered and maintained by that mighty team leader, Nehemiah; by the glorious trio who witnessed as a team for God in the very mouth of a burning fiery furnace; by the three who teamed up for their king to break through the enemy’s host to draw water from the well at Bethlehem; by David who led his four hundred outcasts until we marvel at their exploits. Into the very mists of history and time we plunge, and there we find two brothers, Moses and Aaron, who mold ed a nation for God. Earlier still, we mark the perfect and prayerful prepa ration between Abraham and his eld est servant in winning a woman’s heart for God’s chosen channel, Isaac. Beyond the dawn of human history, we reverently go in our thinking. There we discover that the origin, o f doing things together, the root of the idea of teamwork, is to be found with in the very being of the divine Creator H i m s e l f . “Let US make man..." (Gen. 1:26). Little wonder that, as I yearned to serve the Lord Jesus Christ, I found myself looking and longing for kin dred spirits, 'helping hands, encourag ing spokesmen, sympathetic listeners, wise counselors, the valuable experi ence of fellow soul-winners, and the strength that comes from prayer part ners. Make no mistake, God meant us
to have team mates. The team is not our idea, but God’s chosen and much- used plan for the spread of the gospel of Jesus Christ in all times and places. During the early war years in Great Britain, the same s p i r i t u a l vision swept simultaneously across ' the eyes of five young men in the London area. A heart-burden for the lost brought them together to prayerfully consider the best means and methods for ag gressive evangelism, in order to cope with the special needs of war-time Britain. They became convinced that the team —whether that means two, twelve, or seventy—the team is God’s idea for effective service. Thus were Independent G o s p e l Teams born. Open-air meetings were held-, house-to-house work engaged in, personal work and public preaching services were conducted where oppor tunity offered. The great secrets of clailhing and taking, as well as ask ing; in prayer were discovered; the laws of fellowship and team power were learned; and lessons in love to one another were revealed. From-the first we felt the Lord would hâve Us' stress the value of precious souls, the responsibility of all Christians to witness constantly, and to remind the Lord’s people çf God’s chosen and proven method of winning souls from the death-grip of the enemy of God and man. Teams for Christ be came our message and our challenge to Christian youth- the world over. We produced our first bulletin, “The Independent Gospel Team.” And God sent us the funds (and paper!) to go ahead with two thousand copies. These were distributed personally, accompa nied by much prayer, and the response amazed us. Our first bulletin spread across the world and is now being re printed and published in India, .under the title, “ Independent Gospel Teams, India.” The Need of Teamwork Today thousands still / remain un touched by the gospel, because their lives are lived outside the ambit of the activities of the average church. It is the privilege of isolated Chris tians, whose daily life is lived among these spiritual aliens, to be Christ’s ambassadors to them. But the solitary soul-winner is often at a disadvantage. No man is a re pository of all the gifts needed to reach all men. Fellowship of kindred spirits is essential to us all: without it the lone ember may flicker and grow dark and cold. It is not always that the local church, from which the Chris tian witness draws his sustenance, can provide him also with colleagues who work where he works, and witness where he shines, or are burdened with the same need that exercises him. It is where two or three are gathered to gether—not exclusively in church fel- [ Continued on Page 221]
“TWO OF YOU . . . ” The minister was leaving his pastorate. He had given five years to this church, and God had blessed his ministry increasingly. Materially, the church was in better condi tion than when he came; a new edifice had been erect ed. Numerically, there had been an increase in attend ance and membership. Spir itually, there was evidence of progress in individual lives. It had been a good span of years. The minister talked it over with his secretary. “Some times,” , he said, “ I wonder why God has been so good to me here.” There were many reasons, of course. But the girl could have given him one of which he had been unaware. “These five years,” she could have said, “you have not had to come to an un- prayed-in office. I have been here early, to dust your desk and to drop on my knees be side the chair you would oc cupy. I have said, ‘Lord, Thy servant has a large work to do, seated in this ch a ir, working at this desk. My tasks, in comparison, are very small. But I can ask Thee to bless him and use him today — and I do ask just that.’ Somehow, it has been a partnership.” - • She was a native of Mexi- ico, a well-educated and tal ented teacher. But she was rebelliously opposed to own ing Christ as her personal Saviour. At the summer school of the University of Mexico, she met a young missionary who was there as a student. “When my new friend spoke to me of her work, I realized at once that I was not saved, that I did not be long to the people of God.” [ Continued on Page 222]:
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