July, 1940
T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
264
A bright-faced, wholesome-vlooking young woman scanned the house num bers as she walked down a street in a residential section of the city'. Classes were over for the day; the afternoon was at her disposal. In her handbag w^s a reply card which bore a signa ture in the square under the caption, “I do now receive the Lord Jesus Christ as my personal Saviour and Lord.” The student found the number and rang a doorbell in a court where she had fas tened cellophane-wrapped rolls on the doors several days earlier. An elderly woman answered her ring. Yes, she was the one who had signed the card. Cordially she invited her visi tor to come in, for the woman was hungry-hearted, and her decision for Christ had been deep and genuine. Al though she had been somewhat of a church-goer in her early years, she had never before known what it meant to be saved. Indifferent to God’s Word, she had neglected to bring her Bible with her and had not troubled to pur chase one since she had moved West. “How long have you lived here?” the student asked her. “About thirty years.” Hours passed rapidly as the older wo man, eager to learn more of her new found Saviour, plied the younger one with questions. The two were deep in conversation on the things of the Lord, especially His second coming, when -a young niece, who was to be a bride at the week’s end, slipped in to listen. Here was another prepared soul, ready for acceptance of the gospel, and it was not many minutes before she, too, had yielded her heart to the Saviour. An astonished husband burst in upon the scene of the rejoicing. He could sense that the presence of God was in the place. He listened with growing con-, viction to the testimonies of his loved ones, for he was a backslider who had long ago turned his back on the paths of the Lord. “I do believe in a Supreme Being,” he confessed. “Sometime I must meet Him, but I am afraid to stand before Him—I am so sinful.” How joyfully the Biola student could point the prodigal back to the Father’s ihouse—and he came back! The shadows were lengthening when the happy ■girl started back to the Bible Institute of Los Angeles, leaving a home where the family had promised to set» up the family altar that very night. Though tracts already have been placed in hundreds of homes, this work of witnessing for Christ by means of tracts has barely been begun. In God’s hand, backed by the intercession of His people, it may be the means of bring ing longed-for revival to a needy, god less city. Will you pray to this end?
bright-colored rolls, the sister stopped to explain the way of salvation; and before she went on with her work, she had led the little lost lamb into the Saviour’s fold.
of other students. One after another stood to express enthusiastic approval. A hunt was made for collection bas kets. Bible Institute students do not have much extra money at any time, but to the amazement of all, eighty dollars came in right there, and before the day was over, more than the needed one hundred dollars had materialized. The giving was spontaneous, joyful, sacrifi cial—some gave almost to their last cent in loving devotion to thfir Lord. One young woman was heard to re mark, “I was saving to go home for Easter vacation, but instead I’m putting in the tract fund the money I’d saved toward the trip. I’ll trust the Lord to take me home this summer instead.” In the meantime, M. G. Eavey, who has written the leaflet entitled “Facts You Should Know and Believe to Be Saved,” had heard what was going on at Biola and had offered to furnish free paper for a full supply of his tracts. The printing also was taken care of without cost to ,the students so ' that these excellent tracts could be included in the tract rolls. Seeing God Work in Unexpected Ways The materials arrived at Biola, but before a general announcement could be made, or the city-wide campaign be organized, one hundred and thirty-one students had taken out 56,000 rolls for distribution on their vacation trips and their weekly practical work assign ments! There could be no doubt that the students realized both their privi lege and their responsibility to make Christ known. The wrapping of these small parcels was in itself a tremendous task. But even here the Lord’s blessing was upon the work in a marked way. For in • stance, one student took materials wi'.h her on a week-end visit to her home, expecting to enlist- her family in the tract-wrapping business. They were glad to help, but before the work was finished, she was left alone with an eight-year-old brother, who from the first had shown intense interest in the whole affair. “I’ll take one to the cripple lady down the street,” he volunteered, “and to a colored boy I know.” “When they ask you questions about what they read in the little books, what will you tell them?” asked Big Sister. Tlie reply was hesitant. “Oh—I guess—I would tell them to— to be good.” "Do you think that would take them to heaven?” came the prompt question from one who was quick to see a need and to follow up an opportunity to meet it. “What do you think would take you to heaven, honey?” she finished. “ I don’t know,” the eight-year-qld ad mitted, now in tears. So, right thefe, in the midst of the
Systematic Witnessing and Faithful Follow-up Work
It was after the Easter vacation that the t r a c t campaign was formally launched. As an aid to efficiency, a large map of Los Angeles was hung on the wall of the tract room. Students came to sign for sections of the city comprising from six to sixty blocks each. These sections were marked off
and later filled in with red as the blocks were cdvered. So-enthusiastic was the student re-/ sponse,that soon it was necessary to send for supplies for a second 100,000 rolls of tracts. And when the need arose, the funds also were already pro vided (again by students from their tithe money) without special solicita tion. Within two days of the first distribu tion of the tract rolls, reply cards came into Biola—and have been coming steadily ever since-vindicating decisions for Christ or a desire to know more of the way of life. Follow-up work had been planned carefully. Each reply card had been identified by the library number of the student who gave out the card, and that student was to be re sponsible for getting in touch, person ally as far as possible, with the one who had mailed the reply. The follow ing incident, chosen from among many that might be related, shows how far- reaching is the scope of the, work, as one person after another is drawn into fellowship with the Lord through read ing His Word in tract form.
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