T h e K i n g ’ s B u s i n e s s
May 1928
294
A Year’s Preaching Under the Flag of the Blue Sky and the Shining Sun
B y D r . F rank A . K eller Changsha, Hunan, China f HE Chinese love to speak in proverbs, in quotas tions from the Classics and in suggestive figures. Two educated Chinese may be talking together, or even two mechanics or laborers, and their sentences will be so largely made up o f quotations and figures of speech that a foreigner who is noi well versed in Chinese literature and folklore, may hear each individual word clearly and may understand its mean ing as given in the dictionary, and yet not have the least idea as to the subject of the conversation, or of the various sentences made up of perfectly familiar words. The “ Flag of the Blue Sky and o f the Shining Sun” means to the Chinese what the “ Stars and Stripes” means to an American; in other words it is the flag of the Revo lutionary or Nationalist Army, and “ A Year’s Preaching Under the Flag o f the Blue Sky and the Shining Sun” is the striking title of a little booklet just to hand giving a brief summary of the past year’s work of our Biola Evan gelistic Band No. 12 in territory under the control o f the Nationalists. In the early days o f the Nationalist movement there was a very strong Communistic element in the Nationalist ranks, and at the very beginning I want to emphasize the fact that the abuses and persecutions mentioned in this report were all due to this Communistic element, which for a time gained great influence and power, but is now being vigorously suppressed by the true Nationalists. This report is one of the most thrilling things I have read. If reveals many important things; the bitter perse cutions that the mass of Christians, and especially Christian workers, have had to endure, the wonderful grace o f God and the power of the indwelling and ever-present Christ that have kept these men and women true and aggressive right through the most severe trials, and finally the triumphant power o f the Gospel that has “ made even their enemies to be at peace with them” and, has brought many of these very enemies to a living faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and has transformed them from enemies to brothers dearly beloved in Christ Jesus. O ur W orkers A mong T he U nionists Last September, at the close, o f our annual conference, the men o f Band No. 12 went to Nanyoh and worked for two weeks among the thousands of pilgrims who were worshiping at that famous shrine. This work completed, they went to the village o f Tan-Peh in the county of Hengshan, the center o f their work for the next few weeks. Just here let me mention that Farmers’, Mer chants’, Laborers’ and other “ Unions,” which will be referred to frequently in the following paragraphs, are societies that have been organized by the Communists dur ing the past months all over central and southern China. The thoroughness, efficiency and widespread character of this organization is truly marvelous and is manifestly the work o f a master mind. A t Tan-Peh our workers found these Farmers’, Mer chants’ and Laborers’ Unions thoroughly organized, and
spiritual things, asking him if he had “ boarded the train bound for Gloryland.” . Before the whistle blew and the train started to pull out, he had boarded that other train and some day we hope to meet him up yonder around the Throne, when our trains pull into that Grand Central Station. Consistency Counts A few years since, Baron Morimura, president of one of the great banks o f Japan and a commercial leader of that country, landed in America, and with his suite took an apartment in one of the large hotels in San Francisco. Pressed with business cares and desiring to avoid intru sion, he commanded that if visitors wished to see him they should be told he was out. Before long a caller unex pectedly appeared in his presence. The baron was very angry. Upon investigation he ascertained that a chamber maid had disobeyed orders and had acknowledged that he was in. He called for the disobedient servant and severely reprimanded her. She flung at him the reply, “ I cannot lie for any man!” After his anger had subsided, Baron Morimura began to think. He became impressed with the belief that the strength of character indicated by the chambermaid must have been based on Christianity. He said, “ Nobody but a Christian would stand for not lying.” He commenced to study the Bible and became a secret believer. Finally he made a public confession of his faith and has been a sturdy advocate of his Lord from that day to this. It has since been his great joy to preach Jesus all over Japan, while his large influence and gifts have in numerous ways been dedicated to the cause of righteousness. So much for the possession of genuine conviction and living up to it!
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