the Lord has entrusted to our hands. Governments of the world, such as Russia, China and India have vast literacy programs. Nearly a million people every week are becoming literate. How do we face the chal lenge of these people who are looking for something to read? The Communists have been smear ing the world with tons of litera ture. They openly boast that they conquered China with the printed page. Think of the tons of mate rials produced by the false cults. An individual who has just learned to read is not particular about what he reads. It is like a hungry man who does not care what he eats. He will scrounge garbage heaps to satisfy his hunger. We must put the Gospel in their hands. The battle is won by the man who gets there first. If we fail to gather the har vest, the enemy will come in and destroy it. It is essential that we realize that the task of world evangelization cannot be left until the indefinite future. If we do not do it in the immediate present one entire gen eration will be lost. Consider these four words, "Not indefinite, but immediate." The Methods In the Sermon on the Mount our Lord compares His care for the grass of the field to His matchless concern for us and our individual needs. We do not need to worry about what we are going to eat, drink, or with what we will be clothed. His words were, "But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you. It is a matter of proper priorities in life.
The Time Element It is most interesting to note the interview our Lord had with the woman at the well (John 4:34-38). Christ concluded His testimony by declaring, "My meat is to do the will of Him who sent me, and to finish His work." Then He urges, "Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? Behold, I say unto you, 'Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already unto harvest." The work of world evangelism cannot be left until some time in the indefinite future. It must be done in the immediate present which is our opportunity. The missionary faces some hu manly insurmountable obstacles the moment he arrives on the field. Heathenism walls him in on all sides. The demands are exacting, the multitudes are bewildering, and the opposition devastating. Today, the ingenuity of the 20th century has made world evangelism a pos sibility within a single generation. There are tools to help us fulfill the command. Think of the field of aviation which allows the most remote area to be only a short dis tance away. Planes can transport valuablefood and medical supplies, as well as necessary equipment. Modern medicine has changed the picture, too. It has opened up in numerable doors to reach others for Christ, to say nothing of pro tecting the missionaries' lives. Then there is radio and more recently the possibility of television to com municate the Gospel. Literature and the printed page reaches peo ple in their own language. These are but a few of the implements Page 16
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