OUR BIBLE INSTITUTE IN HUNAN PROVINCE, CHINA DR. FRANK A. KELLER, Superintendent
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r31111111111111!I.i| ijii1■ 111«11• 1«11111■ 1«1■111■ 111111111»1• “ A BONFIRE OF IDOLS ON THE STREET” u » ' n HAT striking sentence was E||§ M part of a letter that came to hand two days ago from one KBaEgjg of the missionaries in whose f itffiT. B rl field our Biola Evangelistic Bands have been at work .for some time. The missionary is himself a most enthusiastic evangelist, and it is a privi lege to have this fellowship with him in the widespread preaching of the Word because we know that after ottr workers have thoroughly evangelized a new field our brother will faithfully fol low up the work done and water the seed sown and thus look after the new converts and see that they are nour ished by the Word. This fact will be demonstrated if I quote the whole sentence, which reads as follows: “ Hope to visit Band No. 6 one of these days; they have been doing good work, had a bonfire of idols on the street at the last place visited just as they were leaving.” How glad such messages make our hearts, and I am sure that you will rejoice with us, for you make this work possible by your gifts, and fruitful by your prayers. We long that every donor should feel a per sonal relationship to this work; please do not feel that you have done your part when you have sent us money to support an evangelist for a year, but consider that you have assumed a re sponsibility for that man, for his life and for his service,- pray for him daily and you may he sure that his service will be greatly blessed by your loyal fellowship with him in prayer, and your gifts will bring a fuller joy into your own hearts. Another letter lies before me written by our brother Porteous, from whom I quoted the sentence above. He wrote telling of some of the precious results of the work of two of our bands, and his letter is so stirring that I am going to give it to you entire. However, be fore giving you the letter, I want to call your attention to some matters that will help you to take in the full sig nificance of this really remarkable let ter and the work which it describes. Among the most pressing and urgent
problems of mission work in China are the problems of raising up self-support ing churches and training Chinese to serve not merely as “ preachers” , but as LEADERS in this great work of evan gelizing four hundred millions of people in this land of China. Now, as you read the following letter from Mr. Porteous, you will see how efficiently our Biola Evangelistic Bands are accomplishing these two things in addition to the glorious work of leading many out of the awful darkness of heathenism into the wonderful light of the Gospel of Christ. And let us .remember ever that they are not doing these things by their own skill or strength, but only as the Holy Spirit dwells in them and works through them, do any results come. To God alone be all the glory. God certainly does use and bless the methods employed, but we fully and humbly believe that even the little de tails of the methods have been taught us by Him and by Him alone. News from Mr. Porteous Mr. Porteous writes: “ ‘I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation unto every one that believeth.’ As the result of the work of the two Biola Bands who have been making Christ known in our district, no fewer than 85,750 homes have been entered by these heralds of the cross; no fewer than 7,135 Bibles and New Testaments have been given by them to as many individuals as ex pressed a measure of desire to give up idolatry and attend the worship of the true and living God. While by far the large majority of these have, as a mat ter of fact, not been attending religious services, and it is questionable whether or not they have put away their idola trous practices, nevertheless, as a direct result of the visits of these two Biola Bands, work has been established on a satisfactory self-supporting basis at ten new centers, at which the number of recognized enquirers runs into the hun dreds; forty-five new church members have so far been enrolled, and many more are about ready for baptism. The willingness of these young believers to provide their own worship halls is itself a testimony to the sincerity of their
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