The Missionary^ M 8 s s a . f i
By Br„ H. A * Torrey 2 B®ass ©2 ISAM« Institute ©S ¡L©s Angeles
Note. —Address delivered' by Dr. Torrey to the Student Volunteers of Southern California, in the Auditorium of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles, Sunday, May 5, 1918, at 11 o’clock a. m. - i HAVE been requested ;to speak on the subject |o f The: Missionary’s Message. I have two texts in which our Lord Jesus Himself sets forth, the Missionary’s ' . Message, >.and these, two texts; contain the
lives were lovely and attractive in many ways, but who did not have the right message; and, however attractive their lives were, as messengers o f God„ as mis sionaries o f Jesus Christ, they were a total failure. To put it in another way, a mis sionary is an ambassador, the ambassador o f Jesus Christ to mem An ambassador’s business is to represent his king or gov ernment, to urge the views o f his king or government upon the people to whom he is accredited. The important thing with an ambassador as with a messenger, is his message. His conduct is important only as honoring the king and gaining credence for and giving weight, to his message. Both the messenger and the ambassador must get their message from their king; The messenger is a bearer o f a message not the author o f it. The messenger or ambassa dor has no right to^ substitute his own notions for the message with which he has been entrusted, I f an ambassador or a messenger should venture to substitute his own ideas and notions for the. message with which he had been entrusted by his king whom he represented, he would be re called and severely punished. Adas! many a missionary has substituted his own spec ulations for the message with which his King has entrusted him, and unless he repents, his King will set him aside and punish him, instead o f commending and rewardnig him.
substance o f a ll'I have to say. The first is Mark 16:15, “ And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature.” The second is Matt. 28:18-20, “ And Jesus, came unto them, and spake unto them, saying, all authority hath been given unto me in heaven and upon earth, go ye, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I com manded y ou : and lo, I am with you alway, even- unto the end o f the world.” I. The Importance of the Message. The missionary is a messenger, a mes senger o f God to men. The important thing with a messenger is his message. His life is important as emphasizing his mes sage and as gaining credence for his mes sage; but the message, for. which his. life is to gain credence and which he is to illustrate in his life, is the thing o f first importance. I f the messenger does not bear the right message, he is an utter fail ure as a messenger, no matter how beauti ful, noble and self-sacrificing his life may be. There have been missionaries whose
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