August 1926
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
471
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“What Hath God Wrought1” The Band report is truly thrilling, but before quoting from it I want to tell you a little more about the day. It is the day for the monthly union prayer meeting of all the evangelical missions and churches in the city. Twenty-five years ago, on Christmas day, I baptized in the Slang River the first little company of believers in Changsha. Today a monthly union prayer meeting was held and a large church on one of the main streets was filled with earnest praying Christians who had come from eight different churches that are now actively at work bere. If you wish to count in our stu dents, many of whom also attended this meeting, then over twenty differ ent denominations were represented. The meeting was led by the Chinese pastor, who gave a fine address; twenty-five years ago he was a heathen Chinese youth who knew absolutely nothing about our Lord Jesus Christ. At this service both men and women led in prayer, and it was an hour that stirred one to the very depths. Just before the large union prayer meeting there was a forty-five minute union prayer meeting, missionaries from seven different countries of the world being present, all of them now working in Hunan. Surely one must cry out, “What hath God wrought!" Our own weekly mission prayer meeting was held this evening,— a fit ting conclusion to the splendid day. Mr. Steven read the Ninth Psalm to us and called our attention especially to ▼. 10: “ And they that know Thy name will put their trust in 'Thee." As he spoke to us of the wonders of that Name our hearts burned with a longing to know Him better and with a purpose to trust absolutely at all times Him who is so worthy of our fullest confidence. A Modern Zacchaeos Now, before closing, I want to give you a few extracts from the stirring report of our Biola Evangelistic Band No. 4. One evening a party of our evangel ists crossed the river and visited a vil-
OON after four o ’clock this morning the merry birds filled the ¿air with their joy ous songs, the air redolent
T h e Hunan Bible Institute (the China Department of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles) is organised along similar lines to the home Institute. 1 —training native Chinese young men and women for Christian work, and at the same time carrying on an a c t i v e evangellstlo work among the unsaved. The work (which is recog nised by the different evangel ical' missions as one of the best in China) has three depart ments: (1 ) A Bible I n s t i t u t e at Changsha (the capital city of Hunan Province). ( 1 ) T h i r t e e n E v a n g e lis tic Bands with thirteen men In each band, devoting the morn ings to Bible stutly, and the afternoons to giving the Gospel in the native homes. (S) The Autumn Bible School and Conference at Nanyoh (one of China's five sacred moun tains). Hundreds of conver sions have resulted from the work done among the thou sands of pilgrims.
with the sweet fragrance of the masses of blossoms that crown the peach trees with their beauty. Later, a delicate pink outlined the horizon announcing the speedy arrival of the sun in all his majesty. Surely a fitting setting for my morning study of the last three chapters of the Revelation away up in my little attic prayer room. Never before were the messages of those chapters so impressive' to me. Never before did I so fully realize the magnificent grandeur of the New Jeru salem with its gates of pearl and its streets of pure gold as clear as crys tal; that city where Ood Himself shall dwell with men, wipe away all tears from every eye, and satisfy His own eternally from the never failing foun tain of life. After breakfast, at our f a m i l y prayers, we studied that beautiful first chapter of 2 Samuel where David sings of the wonderful and surpassing love of Jonathan, and so the day was begun in the atmosphere of song and fragrance, of eternal glory and of love. “ New Every Morning" Soon after I reached my office the postman came with the morning mail. Among the pile there was one letter that called forth grateful thanksgiv ing and a Band report that caused my heart to overflow with praise to Ood. A couple of weeks ago a letter came from a mission in a distant city telling of a series of special meetings that had been planned and asking if we could possibly allow one of our Chi nese lady teachers to attend the meet ings and give one address daily. It was a very difficult thing to do, as we were already short-handed, but it seemed a definite call from God, so after prayer and thought we asked Miss Hsiung, our most experienced Chinese lady teacher, and Miss Shen of our women’s evangelistic Band, to go. They returned to us on Monday full of joy over the help and blessing God had granted to them. The letter
referred to above was from the mis sionary who had invited them. She writes: “ I want to express my own personal appreciation, as well as that of our people here, for the privilege of having Miss Hsiung with us these few days. “ Our school girls, of whom we al lowed the three upper classes to at tend her meetings, were very much interested in Miss Hsiung, and several have expressed a desire to-go to the Bible Institute to be students under her. . . . Again let me thank you for the generous grant of your valuable teacher for these meetings; you are to be congratulated in having so fine a teacher on your staff.’ ’ How we do praise God that He has given us such a Chinese teacher as Miss Hsiung, and we trust that you will unite with us in prayer that God will use her more and more, both in the school and in this very important work outside.
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