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T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
DOES IT PAY? [ Continued from Page 191]
Christ. As pastor, I have had the joy o f leading many other boys and girls to Him. Personal work was exceedingly difficult for me when I began to engage in it, but it has become a great joy to my heart. I find that in my church, the majority of those who come forward publicly on pro .jt’ uv of faith have been dealt with personally by some zealous Christian. During the past sixteen months, it has been my privilege to baptize 150 people on profession of faith. K. O wen W hite 17 years in pastoral work Atlanta, Ga. United Faith In the regular services of the church, my mother, a brother two years older than myself, and I— an eight-year-old boy—were born again, and later we three united with the church at the same time. During the years that have followed, many opportuni ties have come to me, especially in connec tion with American Sunday-School Union work— to lead children and adults to the Saviour. I know of no form of Christian service so effective as child evangelism. W e have three children’s classes at present, and they are doing excellent work. O wen U mstead 43 years in Christian work Redondo Beach, Calif. Wisely Directed Zeal At the age of eleven, largely as a result of home training, I became “ a new creature in Christ Jesus.” The influences that helped me most as a new convert were, first of all, Bible study and memorization, and, in the second place, the encouragement of a devoted woman who had wanted to be a missionary and who directed her zeal to ward some of us children. In my own fam ily, all six children accepted Christ in childhood. It has been my experience that if the winning of boys and girls to Christ is a definite work, and is properly followed up, the disappointments are few as com-; pared with those starting later in life. N orman B. H arrison 40 years in the ministry Minneapolis, Minn. THE ALDERSGATE EXPERIENCE C Continued from Page 190] gavest the iniquity of my sin” (Psa. 32:5). He not only gave intellectual assent to the gospel, but he also had a heart experience of Christ’s saving power and could say, “ I felt my heart strangely warmed.” It is sadly true that many in the churches of today have never had this heart-warm ing experience. Some preachers have been more concerned about adding members to the church organization than about adding members to the body of Christ. Seekers who have revealed spiritual interest have been dealt with superficially and have come into the church without being bom again. May God help us ministers to realize our re sponsibility, and may He help every reader to examine his own heart to ascertain whether he really has experienced the new birth. May God let no one be satisfied until he has had a real Aldersgate experience!
kindly tone where she got her ideas of creation, the pupil opened the Book to Genesis 1. From Genesis the child pointed the teacher to the way of salvation as she had memorized it in Bible school. The amazed teacher then made the confession to her pupil that she did not have a Bible and that she ought to get one. The little witness promised to get her one. The following Sunday at Bible school the girl enlisted the earnest prayers of her classmates for the conversion of her teacher. “ A little child shall lead them.” H erbert W . C assel Talcing Time for the Children I was won for Christ at the age of twelve, during revival meetings. I believe childhood is the least difficult time in which to lead persons to Christ. What is needed for more effective soul-winning is long, per sonal, unhurried interviews. R ichard E llsworth D ay 30 years a pastor San Francisco, Calif. To Pulpit and Mission Field At eighteen years of age, I was born again through the message of a converted actor. My own son, who is now studying for the ministry, was led to Christ at twelve years of age through my preaching. We should leave no stone unturned to win the young for Christ, seeing that in winning them two things happen: The soul is saved, and the life is secured for the service of the Saviour. The testimony of Mary Sles- sor, honored missionary to Africa who was led to Christ at the age of eleven, reveals — as many other instances also show— the necessity of winning the young. H erbert L ockyer 30 years in Christian work Liverpool, England Rescued How grateful I am to God that two women invited me— a lad of seventeen and unsaved—to go with them to a city rescue mission meeting! That night I heard for the first time the simple story that Jesus Christ died for my sins on Calvary. The friends at the mission were vitally inter ested in the salvation of young people, and I was among the number whom they led to the Saviour. R ay A . B ird 31 years in the Lord’s service Supt. City Rescue Mission South Bend, Ind. Father and Son Each Saved at Nine Through the personal work of one who was a close friend of R. A. Torrey, I was led to Christ as a boy o f nine. Since we had no church in our country community, I was helped most as a young convert by the man who had led me to the Lord and by my own people who were Christians. I soon bought a Bible of my own and found great joy in reading it. My wife and I had the joy of talking with our nine-year-old son, and of seeing him make a decision for 10 years in personal evangelism, teaching, and young people’s work. Los Angeles, Calif.
tress, but the W ord that was “ hid in their hearts” held, and ultimately drew them back. One became a pastor, two became missionaries, and the fourth is a faithful lay worker in the church. W e must im press parents afresh with the importance of home Bible study and instruction and home Bible living—not by precept only, but by example also. And let’s get the old- fashioned family altar back again! W ade C. S mith How Russia Views Youth In His grace, God saved me when I was a young man twenty-two years o f age. A l though I was in America at that time, He gave me a great burden for my people in Russia. While I was in Soviet Russia last summer, I noticed in the parks and on the streets many children divided into groups, each group having one or two Bolshevik teachers. When I asked the Communist guide what they were doing with these children, she said, “W e Communists are educating Russian youth. W e believe that something can be done in Russia with youth and that we can train them in any way we want to. W e are building a new Russia with young people. The older people are hard and we cannot do much with them.” I thought: How much more should the Christians work among children, turning their hearts and minds toward God while they are young! While there are no Sun day-schools in Soviet Russia, the children of Christian parents are allowed to come to the regular gospel services. Although they have been persecuted and live in great fear, they gladly endure hardness and seek to win other young people to Christ. Pray for them! P eter D eyneka 15 years in Christian work Chicago, 111. A Child Teaching the Teacher At the age of eleven, I made my first public confession o f Christ in tent meetings held in Kansas. By His grace, He has given me the privilege in recent years of being director of the Church of the Open Door Bible School, in Los Angeles. An eighth-grade girl in our Bible school is president of her class in public school. Re cently the teacher took up the study of man’s origin, and gave the evolutionary explanation. After class, the girl told some of her chums that what the teacher said was not according to the Bible. Next day, several of the girls in the class declared that they would not accept the teacher’s explanation because their president had shown them its falsity. Thereupon the teacher told the president of the class that she would like to speak with her the next morning, early, before classes convened. Next morning, armed with her Bible, the leader of the protest presented herself be fore the teacher. When' she was asked in a 26 years in lay evangelism and the writing of Sunday-school lessons Philadelphia, Pa.
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