97
February 1928
T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
* --------------------------- ------------------------- * | MISSIONARY MISSILES * -----------------------------------------------------A The trouble is not so, much .with non church-going masses, as the ■ non-going church. — o — A Christian may be neutral to some things, but no Christian can be neutral to missions.' I ‘‘-L-o-k-S,' Christianity is only worthy of Christ when we make it a world-wide ministry. When you lose interest -in foreign mis sions, the church at home will die o f dry- rot. :— o — When we look back into the long his tory of the Christian Church, we find that when interest in Foreign Missions was at its lowest point, the „ appreciation of Christ’s Cross was at its .weakest. —o— The older o f two men was urging upon the younger the claims of Christian work in mission countries, and the latter an swered : “ But I have never felt any compelling call to give my life in that way!” To which the older man replied : “Are you sure .you’re within calling distance ?” —o-— God is a God of equity, and the unequal d istribu tion of His forces cannot be charged to Him, for He no doubt longs to scatter and distribute His people so that no part of the earth is untouched by the feet o f the Gospel messenger. — o — Where the Bible has lost its grip on the heart and conscience of the Church you will find little or no sustaining interest in missions. The two-great words of .the Gospel are “ Come” and “Go” ; and where there is no come there is no go. Dr. Augustus H. Strong said : “What are churches for, but to make mission aries? What is education for, but to train them?' What, "is commerce' for,- but to carry them? What is money for, but to send them? What is life itself for, but to fulfil the purpose of missions, the en throning of Jesus Christ in .the hearts of men?” , —o-^- When we say “ Go into all the world” to our missionaries we must say the same to our dollars, —b— I will place no value on anything I have or may possess ,■ except in its, relation to the, kingdom o f Christ.—David Living stone. . —o— “Jesus Christ alone can save the world, but Jesus Christ cannot save the world alone.”
An Appeal from Missionaries in China ^ G R O U P of some sixty missionaries representing several denominations, all loyal to the fundamental doctrines, have been residing at Tsingtao, China, as the result .1 o f conditions which forced them to leave their stations. Martin A. Hopkins o f the Southern Presbyterian Church writes o f the refreshing time'theSe missionaries have been having in prayer and Bible study. They were led to send a letter to the home Boards, a part of which we quote: We, with all humility and love, beg.our Boards and constituencies at home by all means to avoid sending back to China any who hold Modernistic views. Surely, in spreading the Gospel, we have enough to meet in the ancient heathenism o f China without- introducing this modern phil osophy in the guise o f Christianity which is calculated to deceive, if it were possible, the very elect. Therefore, with hearts ach ing for the; little flock of Chinese already saved and the; millions yet in darkness, we implore our friends and all friends of mis sions in responsible places to see to it that no more Modernists are sent out to China, for they can only discredit the in tegrity o f the Bible and undermine faith therein as the very truth o f God. The present open attack by many Chi nese upon- Christian schools with the de mand that such, if allowed to continue, be placed wholly under the control o f those who are not in sympathy with Christian education, seems to be an indication from God that we should again place the chief emphasis upon direct evangelistic work, and confine education largely to the train ing of the children of Christians and the preparation o f leaders for the church. For we firmly believe that this confusion and temporary hindrance to mission work in China is Providentially permitted, not only for the sifting of the missionary body, and the purifying o f the native churches, but for the purpose o f getting mission schools on a safer and more con servative basis than ever before. It is sad that we should have needed such a severe shock to awaken us as to whither we were drifting, but we believe that in the future it will become clear to us that this was God’s way of bringing us back to the bed rock principle of putting Christ and His kingdom first, and placing the emphasis on evangelism as the only safe foundation for mission work. In conclusion, we deem it well again to call attention to the fact that the mission ary body now in China as a whole are- not only optimistic aS-to the future, but that many have set their hearts to return to their work in the interior with a desire to sacrifice and suffer if necessary, as never before, for the spread of the Gospel. As evidence of this, some are already return ing and others are planning to do so soon, even in the face o f danger and much hard ship. So far as the Chinese Christians are concerned,' in spite of much suffering and in some instances bitter persecution, there seems to be no desire to leave the ship, while in some places there has broken out a real spirit of revival. Moreover, both missionaries and true Chinese Christians feel that the sifting of this terrible up heaval will be a great blessing to the cause o f Christ in China, for it is only genuine believers who really count in the progress o f the work.
own field, the condemnation of its aber rations would not bei sp severe. But church-goers are beginning to suspect that the ministry is no more proficient in mat ters o f religion than in international.or local politics. In the Protestant Church, for example, the textbook is the Bible; but an examination o f the clergy in that Book would disclose fearful and wonder ful conditions. It has fallen to the level o f a motto-book, from which suitable passages are selected to place at the be ginning o f sermons.” — t - o — ■Gregory said of Basil:—-“His speech is thunder because his life is lightning.” A .great English preacher, R. W . Dale, was one day walking with a minister friend. As they discussed their similar problems he grasped the friend’s arm and exclaimed, “ It’s a fact. The evangelical minister lives constantly on the edge of a spiritual abyss.” The average minister who has any gift o f introspection knows the truth o f the words. From St. Paul down, the men of the ministry have been forced to buffet their bodies lest they be come castaways. —o— Dr. Charles Erdman gives the key to successful preaching in the following paragraph: “More culture, more eloquence, more mental discipline, more knowledge, may well be desired and sought, but tbe es sential conditions o f a successful ministry are that understanding o f truth, that sympathy with souls, that persuasiveness in speech, that quickening and vivifying o f the inner life, which only the Spirit o f Christ can give. For the minister of Christ there is no phase o f his experience at once more thrilling and more humbling than when he realizes what may be called ‘the divine element in preaching.’ The preparation has been made, the hour has arrived, the audience is before him, and then he casts himself on the grace and power of an unseen Helper, and he feels that virtue is going forth which is not his own, and that results are being ac complished which by himself he never could achieve.” —o— Someone has said that preachers: are like bottles. Some are filled with chloro form, others with plain water and still others with perfume. And as they arise and pour out their contents before the people,, it falls on the altar of God. From the first the stupefying influence .of the devil’s chloroform arises and. fills the house, putting the people to sleep and be numbing their spiritual senses, and they slide on down to hell. The second pours o u t.upon the altar its harmless water; there is no aroma (no unseen influence) and the people go away as they came. While the third pours out and the house is filled with its fragrance, like Mary’s ointment, and the devil is stirred, the Son of God honored. O preacher! . If,y o u haven’t Christ in your soul, don’t impose on a well-meaning audience who have come out expecting to catch a whiff from the celestial fields of glory,!
If you cannot cross the ocean And the heathen lands explore, You can find the heathen-nearer, You can find them at your door.
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