September 1931
400
T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
WHAT IF FAITH SHOULD FAIL? . . . By FRED G. LASSE, Congo Beige, Africa *
Kaveve was only a boy when he was saved. His ability as a linguist, a translator, and a pastor and teacher was everywhere recognized. Tested again and again, haunted by Satan, persecuted by his fellows, his faith in God never wavered. Death claimed three of his children. The old heathen men of the village continually urged him to take other wives and to follow the polygamous customs of his country, but he bravely refused. For twelve years he was a power among his people, leading them to Christ and to a knowledge of the Scriptures.
ithout fa it h , foreign mis sions are impossible. Apart from it, the project is too immense, the mountains are too impassible, the rushing torrent of paganism is too strong and deep and over powering, and the puny strength of man is utterly insuf ficient. No one needs to emphasize this fact to the mis sionary on the foreign field. F a ith on th e F ield When I say that it requires faith, strong faith, to be
Then suddenly there came the word, “Kaveve has come back to the village and has taken another wife.” What a shock! Oh the bur dening sorrow of i t ! Then came the accusing thought: Have we prayed for him as we ought? Have we, with united faith, beseeched God for this one who has been made the target for Satan’s worst weapons? In how far are we accountable for his defeat and the fall of others like him? As we see young leaders like this going down before the on slaughts of Satan, it behooves us to seriously question ourselves and to see whether we are really shoulder ing our responsibilities. Is it because of lack of faith? Up From the Depths “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” There is no difference in God’s sight between the moralist and the deep-dyed sinner. But what an added testimony it is to the power of the gospel when a man or woman who has reached the very
lieve that the native’s conception of the missionary’s message will even be sufficient to lead him to a saying knowledge of Jesus Christ, I write mainly concerning that locality in northeastern Belgian Congo, the very center of primitive Africa, where I have been working for the last sev eral years. The missionary is confronted by
an overwhelming task. He is to speak about God to men who have no un derstanding of His attributes. He is to preach Christ to those who have never heard His name. He is to open to them the Scriptures which, to their wondering eyes, are only a myste rious array of marks made by the “stick of writing,” having no sig nificance w h a t e v e r . The back ground of heathen custom is black and f o r e b o d i n g . The w i t c h doctor is on hand to deceive, to entice, and to hinder. Can a man, bound hand and foot by the power of the enemy and the customs of many g e n e r a t i o n s , be trans formed, r e g e n e r a t e d , made a new creature in Christ Jesus? Faith says he can! T h e S trength of U nited F a ith But faith is to be shared. The Lord Jesus Christ em phasized this truth when He said, “If two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.”' Faith on the field and faith at home—such unity assures victory. A ringing challenge echoes through the jungle. Its clarion call is carried over burning deserts and vast arrays of long grass. It is wafted across the face of the deep. It is the call of the church of Christ in Congo to the church in privileged America: “Brethren pray for us.” What if the call is unheeded? The tragic story of Daudi Kaveve may contain an answer.
Courtesy of Africa Inland Mission
A BIBLE SCHOOL IN BELGIAN CONGO. THE THIRTEEN-FOOT PYTHON HANGING FROM THE RIDGE POLE WAS KILLED BY ONE OF THE MISSIONARIES.
depths of iniquity is transformed by grace, kept by the power of God, and used to bring others to the Lord Jesus Christ! Scores of such persons might be named. The well- known evangelist, “Mel” Trotter, is one of them. Liter ally thousands have found salvation through the instru mentality of this one who for years was a victim of drink and all that attends it. Louis D. Hill is another. He de scribes himself, before his conversion, as a “fugitive from justice, a hunted thing, a big drunken bum, traveling here and there to get away from a guilty conscience.” Mr. Hill was saved in 1923 in the Washingtoii Street Mission, Springfield, 111. He attended the Moody Bible Institute where he received a thorough knowledge of the Word. Later, he was for several years superintendent of the Union Gospel Mission, Rockford, 111. He is a man who has come up from the depths, and he knows how to pre sent the gospel message with simplicity and power. Any one wishing to make engagements with him may address their inquiry to the Bible Institute of Los Angeles.
*Mr. and Mrs. Lasse are missionaries of the Africa Inland Mission.
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