King's Business - 1917-01

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THE KING’S BUSINESS Los Angeles to that field. I feel called upon to make an offering, small though it may be, and as I do not know to whom to ,send it, I am forwarding. it to you by postal money order. I hope it may be of some help some place. Perhaps that school for orphan girls in charge of Miss Zimmerman, of which Mrs. Allen speaks in her letter in the June number of T h e K ing ’ s B usiness . I hope my few words convey some idea of the gratitude I feel in being in touch with the Bible Institute, through being on the list of those fortunate ones who receive your magazine.” Permanent? “Many of the Australians I have found are Chris- tians. They tell me it is the fruits of the Torrey- Alexander Mission, and they are as vigorous in their Christianity as one would expect.” • ' - The Torrey-Alexander Mission in Australia was held in 1902, so fourteen years have elapsed since these men were converted, and the reality of their conversion has stood the stress and strain of twelve years'in Australia and two years in the war. It is evident then that a great many of those who come to Christ during special evangelistic services prove'faithful. The Life of Faith, in the same issue, contains an editorial on this letter, in which it says: “One of the most frequent of the many complaints brought against evangelistic effort is that its fruits are ‘Like the snowfall in the fiver, . . A moment white, then melts forever.’ Again and again we hear it asserted by those who ought to be better acquainted with the facts that missions leave behind them only broken pledges and disappointed hopes . . . Under the title of ‘Battlefield Evangelism,’ a short article dealing with Christian effort amongst our troops in France appears on an earlier page. In that article an extract is given from the letter of a lady serving at the front, and this is the testimony which she- gives: Many of the Australians I have found are Christians. They tell me it is the fruits of the Torrey-Alexander Mission, and they are as vigorous in their Christianity as one would expect.’ Now, fifteen years have passed since Dr. Torrey and Mr. Alexander visited Australia, so that the men who on the fields of France are giving as vigorous a demonstration of their Christianity as of their heroism, must have been brought to the Lord at an early age. This proves two things—first of all, that early conversion lasts, and secondly, that the results of evangelistic enterprise are more abiding than is generally supposed. Which reminds us of the man who, coming out of an evangelistic meeting where nothing new or modern had been given, remarked: ‘Well, it is the same old story.’ ‘Yes,’ said another man, ‘and with the same old results.’” In the quotation from the Life of Faith found in the Do Early Childhood preceding editorial, the editor of that publication calls Conversions Prove attention to the fact that many of the soldiers from Steadfast? Australia who are vigorous Christians attribute their conversion to the Torrey-Alexander Mission in Aus­ tralia in the early part of 1902, which fact proves that early Conversion lasts. This is proven by many similar experiences. The great majority of the members of most of our' evangelical churches today were brought to Christ before they were 20 years of age. Most of the best workers in our churches were converted in childhood. The overwhelming majority of ministers-of the gospel accepted Christ when children. If we should take out of our churches those who were A lady, who has been working among the Australian soldiers in France, thus writes concerning them in the Life of Faith for September 13, 1916: Are the Results of Evangelistic Work

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