========================================================================
  ABILENE1951 LECTURES
  by Abilene Christian College
========================================================================

The annual Abilene Christian College Lectureship for 1951, featuring a series of
sermons, lectures, and addresses by prominent preachers and teachers in the
Churches of Christ on themes of faith, doctrine, and Christian living.

  Chapters: 14

------------------------------------------------------------------------
  TABLE OF CONTENTS
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    1. “If the Foundations Be Destroyed”
    2. The Organization of the Church
    3. Evangelization
    4. The Edification of the Church
    5. The Work of the Church in Italy
    6. Australia and India
    7. The Work of the Church in Japan
    8. Church Benevolences
    9. The Church in Korea
   10. Preaching the Gospel in Germany
   11. The Work of the Church in Africa
   12. The Work of the Church in Latin America
   13. The Worship of the Church
   14. The Hope of the Church

========================================================================
  CHAPTER 1: “IF THE FOUNDATIONS BE DESTROYED”
========================================================================

“If the Foundations Be Destroyed”

“IF THE FOUNDATIONS BE DESTROYED” Glenn L. Wallace “If the foundations be
destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Psalms 11:3). Are the foundations of our
civilization crumbling’? There are many who profess to see signs in this age of
the decay of our society and when called to our attention, these evidences are
alarming indeed.

Gibbons gives the following reasons for the decline and fall of the ancient
Roman Empire: 1. Rapid increase of divorce, with the undermining of the sanctity
of the home, which is the basis of society. 2. Higher and higher taxes; the
spending of public money for bread and celebrations. 3. The mad craze for
pleasure; sports becoming every year more exciting and more brutal. 4. The
building of gigantic armaments, when the real enemy was within; the decadence of
the people. 5. The decay of religion; faith fading into mere form, losing touch
with life and becoming impotent to guide it. A close look at the conditions that
prevail in America will reveal a startling parallel with the conditions that
prevailed in ancient Rome.

What Is Behind All Disorder? Some say bad politics has brought us to our present
condition, but what leads to bad politics? Poor economic conditions, concludes
one. When some have plenty and others not enough, this leads to corrupt
politics, but what makes a bad economic system? Vicious moral standards, and
back of it all is the man with no spiritual footing.

Political Foundations Are Rotten There are few statesmen left in the world, and
our own nation is lacking in the type of men who were great leaders in the
beginning of our national existence. The recent Kefauver Crim Investigating
Committee reveals that positions can be purchased from the least county precinct
to the governor’s chair. It is well known that corrupt political machines, with
their bloc voting, have elected some of the highest officers of our land. It is
alarming when the ordinary Christian, who should stand for the right, has no
interest in good government, but will permit “poll tax dances” and other such
efforts to draw out the type of citizen who will elect the poor leadership which
has characterized our cities and nations in the past. There are many Christians
who do not know the men who represent them in Washington, and most never think
to contact them under any circumstances. Some Christians who reject the
premillennial theory accept some of its conclusions when they reason that we
should leave the political world for the Lord to reform at his second coming.
Christians should have a keen interest in good government.

Economic Life Is Threatened There was a day when every man’s “word was his
bond.” A motto often heard in the past was: “An honest day’s pay for an honest
work day.” All Christians formerly preached and practiced the slogan: “pay your
debts.” All should believe with Paul: “Owe no man anything but love.” Instead of
this practice, it is common for most Americans to owe every one and pay as few
as possible. Labor threatens capital, and capital is in a death struggle with
labor. James warns the employer and the man of wealth: “Go to now, ye rich men,
weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are
corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver is cankered;
and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as
it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days. Behold, the
hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept
back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into
the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth” (James 5:1-4).

Peter teaches the employee how he should serve his employer. “Servants, be
subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also
to the froward” (1 Peter 2:18).

Moral Standards Have Been Lowered The home, the foundation of civilization is
not secure. Divorce which was once unpopular 'is now common, and many
congregations have difficulty in finding enough teachers and helpers without
using divorced people. Many counties in the state of Texas report more divorces
issued yearly than marriage licenses. During January, 1951, Breckenridge, county
seat of Stevens county, reported 12 marriage licenses issued and 14 divorces
granted. No condition can create a worse citizen than a broken home. In such
homes, fear, doubt, hatred, and uncertainty are born, and from such homes come
the dwarfed men and women who make the leadership of our country.

Divorce is not just a problem in Hollywood and Reno alone. Thirty-five years
ago, England and Wales had a divorce rate 1/5 as large as ours. Today, the
divorce rate is one-half as large as ours. There was a fifty per cent increase
in divorces after the second world war in every nation of the world, except
Sweden and Switzerland, the only nations that were neutral in that conflict. As
we face the prospects of another world war, what will the harvest of broken
homes be? Our American social life is declining. Dancing has be^- come popular,
and to lift up one’s voice in opposition is to immediately encounter the fury of
the majority of people. A young lady in a large university, attended a dance at
a fraternity house, and in telling her preacher about the dance, she said that
the lights were turned low and the place became nothing more than a common
brothel. Some of the best in our land are not much better. The source of our
modern entertainments is Hollywood, “a dope-head’s playground,” and the hangout
of some of the most degenerate characters in America. Hollywood is filled with
sex-mad, pleasure seeking human swine, and this modern Sodom has more Fatty
Arbuckles, Errol Flynns, Robert Mitchums and Ingrid Bergmans than any other city
on the face of the earth.

Jimmie Fidler, Hollywood commentator, says, “More than one-third of all the
features previewed in the past three months have been based on crime.” Ninety
million people attend the movies each week, and the federal admission tax from
theaters in one year amounts to $330,027,705.00. The movie industry is the
pattern maker for America. It behooves Christian citizens to lift their voice in
opposition to such a cesspool of iniquity. The Faith of Man Is Being Undermined
There is a mild wave of modernism sweeping the church of our Lord. Preachers and
preaching are permitted in many pulpits that would have been thrown out but a
few years ago. This modernism is first detected in the ridicule of gospel
preaching. When a preacher has nothing but slurs for those who preach the
gospel, and when he finds comfort only in the sectarian reasoning of such men as
Fosdick and others of this type, it is evident that such a one has lost his
footing. There are pulpits today that ignore gospel preaching, and some even
have discarded the invitation song. Sinners, if they recognize such, are told to
call at the “minister’s study” for information on how to “unite with the
church.” It is not uncommon for whole meetings to be conducted without even the
great commission of Christ being quoted. Personal experiences, dra-matic
illustrations are offered in place of the conversions of the New Testament. In
some meetings, more than fifty per cent of the sermons preached could find a
hearty response in a sectarian meeting house. Such is modernism, and it is
undermining the faith of thousands. Sensational methods are used to “jerk tears”
and raise money for the Lord's work. To parade precious little babies before an
audience as a means to move people to give is unscriptural and an unfair appeal
to man’s heart. The voice of a little child singing from the pulpit may cause a
tear to come to the eye, but it is unscriptural to use in converting either the
sinner or a Christian to his duty. The modernists among us are those who contend
that we shouM junk the past and launch out into the future on our own
initiative. Some samples of their reasoning are the following: “Decisions can
never be made once and for all,” Jude says: “Ye should earnestly contend for the
faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 1:3). But these moderns
would have “each generation agonizingly find its own way.” The modernist reveals
himself when he says: “the restoration movement with, its reaction to rabid
sectarianism can help us but little,” and “our ministers are better educated and
the noise of sectarian strife is dying.” We are told to “strike out on a
completely new trail today.” “Preach a Christ-centered gospel,” they say. “The
church can’t save,” only Christ can bring salvation.” Can there be salvation out
of the blood boughi church? “Travel the high road with the wings of love” and
leave the “legalism of the low road for those who are without real
spirituality.” “Preach a positive gospel,” and “make the duty of man clear, but
don’t tell man what he should not do.” Their contradictory philosophy is
revealed fa such reasoning. They warn gospel preachers: “'don’t say don’t.”
Place a question mark after the name of a preacher whose vocabulary is filled
with such expressions.

It is this new trail that many are seemingly determined to follow that will
eventually lead the. church away from its foundations. God give us Christians
who will stand upon the old Book and ask for the “old paths.” Such people will
maintain high moral standards, and such people will deal fairly in the economic
world, and finally such people will help to put our nation once again on a solid
political foundation.


========================================================================
  CHAPTER 2: THE ORGANIZATION OF THE CHURCH
========================================================================

The Organization of the Church THE ORGANIZATION OF THE CHURCH Melvin J. Wise

“And he gave come, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and
some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of
the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the
unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man,
unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of him"(Ephesians 4:11-13).

Whenever individuals unite for any purpose whatever, for a commercial,
political, social, benevolent or religious purpose, there must be some kind of
organization or govern ment. There must be some basis of operation and
co-operation; there must be superintendency and administration in order to
accomplish the end m view. Those who work together for the promotion of any
common interest must be organized in some way into one body, with a head to plan
and direct, and with hands and feet to execute the plans and to carry out the
work to be done.

Jesus Christ established a kingdom upon the earth. This kingdom or church is
composed of persons who have been called out from the world and translated into
the kingdom of God’s dear Son. This church or kingdom is not without
organization and administration. For mutual edification and for the spread of
the gospel at home and abroad, it is necessary for Christ’s disciples to unite
together ?n some organization and under some government. What shall this
organization be? What shall be the form of government for Christians? Has the
Loid ordained a system of organization for his church, or is it true that
Christians are at liberty to make their own arrangements and adopt their own
form of government?

Jesus Christ is the King of his kingdom and the Head of his church, in whom is
vested all authority both in heaven and on earth. But Christ does not rule by
direct appearance and speak audibly to his widely scattered disciples. He has
established laws for the governi rig of his kingdom. He has ordained that there
be certain officers for the regulation and administration of the affairs and
interests of his church. In our text we have listed the order of these divinely
ordained offices and officers. Let us study them in the order in which they are
given.

I. The Apostolic Office The apostles were first in the church. Paul said, “And
God hath set some in the church, first apostles . . .” (1 Corinthians 12:28).
The word “apostle” is from the Greek word “apostolos,” which is a compounded
word; the term “apo” is a prefix which means “out,” and the term “stolos” in its
verb form means “to send”; hence the word “apostolos” or “apostle” means “one
sent out.” Thus the apostles were Christ’s representatives or ambassadors,
selected and instructed by him, sent forth by him, and inspired by the Holy
Spirit to represent Christ’s authority and to establish his kingdom upon the
earth. To them Jesus said, “Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in
heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven”
(Matthew 18:18). Therefore the system of church organization established by the
apostles of Christ for the government of Christ’s disciples is binding on the
church for all time. Where the apostles bound, we are bound to observe their
instructions, and where they left us free we are at liberty to make our own
arrangements according to the law of expediency. Hence it is unwise,
unapostolic, unscriptural and unchristian to neglect that which they have bound,
or to bind what they left unbound.

Thus we can see that in the beginning of the Christian era the entire government
of the church on earth rested in the apostles, and their personal supervision
continued while they lived; but the Lord made provision for a continual
supervision of the affairs of the church after their departure from this world.
Jesus said to them, “And I.appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath
appointed unto me; That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit
on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Luke 22:29-30). Hence to an
extent the government of the church is still under the rule and guidance of the
apostles, for their directions are embodied in the New Testament, and the
affairs of the church are now to be managed in harmony with their instructions.
The apostles had no official successors. This fact is seen in the nature of
their qualifications. The one essential qualification to be an apostle of Christ
was that he be a witness cf Christ from the baptism of John until the
resur-rection of Christ (Read Acts 1:22). Christ never did confer upon any
single individual supreme authority over the entire church and make provision
for this official succession. Peter received the same commission as the other
eleven apostles and none other (c.f. Matthew 16:19; Matthew 18:18). Peter never
exercised authority over the other apostles. He always acted with them. lie sat
in the council at Jerusalem presided over by James and participated in the
discussions regarding the circumcision question on the same level with Paul and
Barnabas. So the Lord’s prime ministers were properly called apostles. They were
selected, trained and commissioned by the Lord himself jin person. They
faithfully and fully executed their commission; they completed the task of
opening the doors of the k ngdom;. through them the church of Jesus Christ was
fully established; the word was confirmed and revealed through them; they set in
order the divine government of the church; and having completed their
assignments they then entered into their everlasting rest. Thus the apostolic
office ceased as a visible body on earth at the death of the apostle John, ai\d
evangelists and pastors became the permanent teachers and superintendents of the
church, as we shall later see in this study.

II.The Prophetic Office Like the word “apostle” the term “prophet” is also a
compounded word. It is from the Creek wmrd “prophetcs”; the term “pro” is a
prefix which means “for,” while the term “pheteno” in its verb form means “to
speak”; hence the word “prophet” or “prophetes” means “to speak for another.” In
both the Old and New Testaments a prophet was one who was under the influence of
the Holy Spirit, speaking the word of God, whether relating to the past, the
present or the future. In the New Testament we read about prophets in the church
(Read Acts 13:1; Acts 15:32; 1 Corinthians 12:28-29; 1 Corinthians 13:8; 1
Corinthians 14:29-32; 1 Corinthians 14:39). From these passages we learn the
following: First, the prophets were an order of teachers distinct from the
apostles, and next to them in authority; second, they were under the influence
of inspiration ; third, their office or endowment was only temporary, designed
for the establishment of the church; and then like the apostolic office, having
accomplished its purpose, would cease.

III. The Evangelistic Office In the study of the ministry of an evangelist in
the church we would naturally ask: Of what practical value to the church of
today are the pastoral epistles of Paul—1 and 2 Timothy, and Titus? Is there any
person or persons in the church of our times to whom the instructions contained
in these epistles particularly apply, and who are authorized to perform the
duties therein enjoined? On this point there are two schools of thought. One is
that Timothy and Titus were evangelists to preach the word just as any other
Christian should do, whether officially or unofficially; but in their other
ministries such as selecting and ordaining elders, and setting in order the
things that were lacking among the churches, they were acting in these things
solely as the representatives of Paul. If this view be correct, Timothy and
Titus were merely sub-apostles, personally deputized to act as agents of the
apostles in performing the work that they themselves were personally unable to
do after their death. Furthermore, if this be true, then Paul’s pastoral letters
have no application to persons not personally appointed and specially qualified
to perform these duties. The other school of thought in this matter , is that
Timothy and Titus were evangelists because they were eminently qualified to
perform the duties and minis-tries of an evangelist. The apostles performed
these necessary functions until they trained and qualified others to perform
them. Then it was that the office of an evangelist was constituted and men were
inducted into it, of whom Timothy and Titus were worthy examples. This view of
the matter makes the th^ee pastoral epistles of Paul to he of great and
practical value, for they define the wTork of an evangelist and of pastors, and
give instructions regarding their work.

Thus we can see that the offices of the apostles and prophets wTere
extraordinary and were accompanied with miraculous endowments of the Spirit.
These special en-dowments ceased when the divine revelation was completed and
the church was fully established and the divine govern-ment was fully set in
order. The offices of the last three listed in the text—evangelists, pastors and
teachers, depend upon native talent and acauired knowledge. The duties of an
evangelist are specifically stated. They are: 1. To preach the word (2 Timothy
4:1-2). 2. To reprove, rebuke and exhort (2 Timothy 4:2). 3. To prove and
approve elders and deacons (1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9). 4. To receive
accusations agamst elders, and see that they are tried before some scriptural
tribunal, and to le- buke them that sin (1 Timothy 5:19-22; Titus 3:10-11).

Such is the work of an evangelist, and only in so doing can he “make full proof
of his ministry.” Who are eligible for the ministry of an evangelist? Women are
excluded, for Paul said, “I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority
over the man, but to be in silence” (1 Timothy 2:12). Thus in any capacity .of
teaching in which a woman usurps the authority of a man, she is not permitted to
teach. But we do know that Paul commanded that the aged women teach the younger
women in the church (Titus 2:3-5). But where “the whole church be come together
into one place” (1 Corinthians 14:23) ; that is, in the public assembly of
worship, here the woman is not permitted to teach, for Paul further said to the
Corinthians, “Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not
permitted unto them to speak; but they are com-manded to be under obedience, as
also saith the law” (1 Corinthians 14:34).

Only such men in the church are eligible to become evangelists as possess the
specified requirements. An evangelist: 1. Must be learned in the holy scripture
and continue in them (1 Timothy 4:6; 1 Timothy 4:13-16; 2 Timothy 3:14; 2
Timothy 3:17). 2. Must be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient (2 Timothy
2:24-26). 3. Must be pure (1 Timothy 5:22; 1 Timothy 6:11; 2 Timothy 2:22).

How shall the evangelist be supported in his work? In answer to this question,
Paul has said, “Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel
should live of the gospel” (1 Corinthians 9:14).

IV. The Pastoral Office From the evangelists the authority in the church passes
to the pastors or elders in the local church. The peace and efficiency of a
local congregation require that some person or persons should be charged with
the responsibility of oversight and instruction. This office God has ordained as
that of the elders or presbyters, who are also called pastors, shepherds,
overseers or bishops. This office may not be absolutely necessary to constitute
a church of Jesus Christ, but it is indispensable to good order and to the
greatest accomplishment in the mission of the church. How long the church in
Jerusalem existed without elders or pastors we are not able to know. It is
obvious that churches existed during the apostolic period that were incomplete
(without elders), and still they were churches of Christ, and were engaged in
some of the functions of the church without being a fully organized church. Had
this not been the case Paul could not have left Titus in Crete to “set in order
the things that were wanting, and ordain elders in every city.” Good order,
peace and effectiveness require, however, that some persons should be selected
to oversee and direct the affairs in the local church. Yet the apostles would
not consent to the ordination of a novice for this important work, nor one who
had not first been proved to be competent to the duties assigned to bishops and
deacons. At this point we are greatly at fault today in many congregations
throughout the brotherhood. It is my sincere conviction that one of the greatest
hindrances to the advancement of the cause of our Redeemer is the want of an
efficient administration of the divine government of the church. The officers of
a single church in apostolic days consisted of elders and deacons. Paul
addressed his epistle to the Philippians “to all the saints in Christ Jesus
which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons” (Php_1:1). One thing is
obvious in this passage; that is, there was a plurality of bishops and deacons
in the Philippian church. There was always such a plurality of elders in every
apostolic church. In the Jerusalem church there was a plurality of elders (Acts
15:6; Acts 15:22-23) ; and the same was true of the church at Ephesus (Acts
20:28). Upon Paul’s first missionary journey, accompanied by Barnabas, they
ordained elders in every church (Acts 14:23). Paul said to Titus, “For this
cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are
wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee” (Titus 1:5).
From these passages it is very clear that as soon as it was possible and
expedient bishops were ordained in every church, but never was one bishop set
over two or more churches. The duties and responsibilities of the eldership can
best be learned from an examination of the words and passages in the New
Testament in which their duties and work are indicated. There are three Greek
words used in the original text of the New Testament which apply to this office.
Each word expresses some particular characteristic of the office of the
eldership. Let us now examine these words: 1. “presbuteros”—presbyter or elder;
one advanced in life and experience. Elders among the Jews were the rulers of
the people who took the lead in directing the religious lives of the people. In
the New Testament the elders are those who direct the affairs of the church. 2.
“episkopos”—bishop or overseer. The word expressed the idea of supervision or
superintendence; it involves taking charge of affairs. “Presbuteros” denotes the
office, while “episkopos” denotes the function. 3. “poimeen”—pastor or shepherd.
Jesus speaks of himself as “the good shepherd” (John 10:11). Paul refers to
Jesus as “that great shepherd of the sheep” (Hebrews 13:20). Peter calls Jesus
“the chief shepherd” (1 Peter 5:4). These adjectives “good,” “great” and “chief”
all imply that there are smaller ones. Hence the elders are the undershepherds
of Jesus. They are to see that the will of “the chief shepherd” is respected and
obeyed in the flock. The duties of the elders or shepherds may be seen in the
study of the life of the oriental shepherd lad. He was to: 1. Feed the sheep.
The shepherd was to see that the flock was supplied with sufficient and
wholesome food. 2. Guide the sheep. The shepherd went before the flock and led
it out to the fields in the early morning and into the fold at night. 3. Watch
the flock. The shepherd cared for the flock; he took care of the little lambs
and kept them from going astray; and if one sheep went astray he went after it
and brought it back into the fold. 4. Guard the flock. The shepherd, like David,
protected the flock from the robbers, and from the attack of wild beasts that
might seek to devour and destroy.

These duties, in a spiritual way, belong to the shepherds of the flock of God.
They are to feed the flock; to guide the sheep by way of example (1 Peter 5:3) ;
to watch after the sheep and keep them from going astray; and to protect the
flock from sin, worldliness and from immoral and heretical teachers. In 1 Peter
5:1-3, Peter lists three negative injunctions. Let us note them: 1. “Not by
constraint.” That is, not by compulsion or reluctance, but a brother is to serve
as an elder willingly. He must desire the office (1 Timothy 3:1). 2. “Not for
filthy lucre.” That is, not simply for the money or support involved. This shows
that elders in apostolic times were supported for their work. 3. “Neither as
being lords over God’s heritage ” The elders are to take the oversight, tend the
flock, but they are not to act as feudal lords and treat the members as
servants. They are not to be arbitrary, tyrannical or dic- tatoiial. This will
prevent a man in the eldership from being self willed and domineering. All of
their work is to be done, not for their own personal glory or gratification, but
for the glory of God and for the good of ni.s church.

What are the qualifications required of an elder? There are about twenty-four
listed by the Holy Spirit which are found in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and in Titus 1:6-9.
First, let us consider those given in 1 Tim.: 1. “Blameless”—not sinless, but as
rendered in the Revised Version “without reproach.” One against whom no evil can
be proved. 2. “The husband of one wife”—-What is the meaning of the apostle in
this qualification? Does he mean that an elder must not necessarily be married,
but if married he should have but one wife; or does he mean that an elder must
have at least one wife; or does he mean that an ilder must be a married man with
but one wife? Objections can be found to the first two interpretabons mentioned,
but none whatsoever can be found with the last one. Hence the safest view is
that a married man with but one wife can fulfill this qualification, and that
either celibacy or polygamy would disqualify a man from serving as an elder in
the church of God. 3. “Vigilant”—that is, watchful, for one chief duty is to
watch over the flock; to keep sin, error and worldliness out of the church. 4.
“Sober”—or “soberminded” as rendered in the Revised Version. 5. “Of good
behaviour”—that is, “orderly” as given in the Revised Version. 6. “Given to
hospitality”—or a lover of strangers; a man of the same spirit of the good
Samaritan, always ready to pour into the wounds of bleeding and suffering
humanity the oil and wine of the gospel; always ready to receive and entertain
those who might come his way. This is the duty of all Christians (Hebrews 13:2),
but especially of elders, for they are examples of the flock. 7. “Apt to
teach”—which means fitted or capable to teach. Goodspeed renders this phrase
“able to teach,” and Mofatt translates it in his translation “a skilled
teacher.” 8. “Not given to wine”—that is,- he should not indulge in the habit of
drinking wine or any other kind of intoxicating liquors. 9. “No striker”—or as
Weymouth renders it, “Not given to blows,” and “Not pugnacious” as rendered by
Goodspeed. Adam Clark comments on th'i| qualification in these words: “Not ready
to strike a person who may displease him. No persecutor of those who may differ
from him.” Hence not one who would resorc to violence in order to have his own
way about matters. 10. “Not greedy of filthy lucre"—He must not be so greedy for
money that he would resort to base and dishonorable means to ga*n money. 11.
“Patient”—that is, he must be distinguished for his general mildness and
meekness of character. It takes patience and longsuffering to lead any people.
Many times church trouble could be avoided if this virtue were exercised more.
12. “Not a brawler”—not contentious or quarrelsome; not a wrangler. 13. “Not
covetous"—or “no lover of money” as rendered in the Revised Version. Not
avaricious for “the love of money is the root of all evil” (1 Timothy 6:10). 14.
“One that ruleth well his own house”—that is, one who has command of his own
house, not by severity or tyranny, but by gravity. 15. “Not a novice”—that is,
not a new convert. 16. “A good report of them which are without”—he ' must be
well respected among those who are not Christians. He must have a reputation for
his integrity of character. Those outside the church may not believe what he
stands for, but his life before them must be consistent with his profession.

Now let us consider those qualifications listed in Titus not found in 1 Timothy:
1. “Having faithful children”—or as rendered in the Revised Version, “having
children that believe.” In Weymouth’s translation this phrase reads, “having
children who are believers,” and in Goodspeed’s translation it is rendered,
“whose children are Christians.” The question is sometimes asked, “Does an elder
have to have more than one child?” The qualification that Paul presents here is
rulership and not fatherhood. “Children” is the only word . that the Holy Spirit
could use that would fully cover both the singular and plural. When Paul said,
“And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath” (Ephesians 6:4), would
anyone say that this does not apply to a man who has but one child, because he
has only one child and not children? One child will bring out a man’s ruling
ability. 2. “Not self-untied”—that is, not one who is determined to have his own
way, setting up his judgment against that of all others. 3. “Not soon angry”—or
not irritable; not one who does not have the proper control of his temper. 4. “A
lover of good men”—this is rendered “a lover of good” in the Revised Version.
Hence an elder must be a lover of good in general; a lover of good things and
good people.. 5. “Just”—that is, upright in his dealings with all men. 6.
“Holy”—in heart and in life. 7. “Temperate”—that is, having power or control
over self. 8. “Holding fast the faithful word”—that is, he must be sound in the
faith; he must be a man well grounded in the faith of the gospel and under all
circumstances he must be willing to defend the doctrine of Christ against all
opposition and error. In all these twenty-four qualifications which one could be
omitted? In which of these could an elder be deficient? If these requirements
appear to be stern, just consider them seriously, and ask which one of them any
Christian should not possess. Aside from being a “novice,” or “the husband of
one wife,” or “having children,” there is not a thing required in an elder’s
character that is not also required of every other Christian. In the apostolic
church to assist the elders there were deacons. The word “deacon” is from the
Greek word “dia- konos,” which means “a waiter, a servant, or a minister.” While
the eldership looks after the spiritual interests of the church, the deaconship
is charged with the responsibility of the material interests of the church,
serving, of course, like all other members of the congregation under the
oversight of the elders.

V. The Teaching Office The act of teaching denotes those who instruct or
com-municate knowledge. It is clear that the word “teachers” is used to denote a
class of persons different from those who prophesied in the apostolic church.
Luke declared that “Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain
prophets and teachers . . .” (Acts 13:1). We have teachers in the church today.
Jesus said, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe
all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even
unto the end of the world” (Matthew 28:19-20). Paul said to Timothy, “And the
things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to
faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:2). Hence
teaching is a ministry of great importance.

Conclusion We have been able to see that the Scriptures are clear as to God’s
plan of church government, as much so as to God’s plan for the work and worship
of the church.. To believe that the Scriptures are all sufficient to “furnish us
unto all good works,” we must conclude that they furnish us with the instruction
in the completeness and perfection of the organization of the church of God. To
undertake to improve upon the organization of the church, by adding to, or
failing to respect God’s divine arrangement, is to express dissatisfaction with
God’s ways. So the church of Jesus Christ with its elders to minister in the
spiritual affairs of the church, the deacons to minister in the material
affairs, with evangelists to preach the word publicly and privately, with
teachers to teach the word of God, this is a sufficient organization to do all
that God wants done on earth through his church.


========================================================================
  CHAPTER 3: EVANGELIZATION
========================================================================

Evangelization EVANGELIZATION Reuel Lemmons

Back before the beginning recorded in Genesis, there was a time when darkness
covered the face of the deep, arfd the spirit of God moved upon the face of the
waters. Out of chaos God brought order, and out of darkness he brought light. In
a garden still wet with the fresh dew of time’s morning he created a man, and
gave to him the command to be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth. In
penalty for having transgressed the command of God, man was forced to give up
the paradise his heavenly parent had provided. His wandering feet meandered
hopelessly down a trail of tears, edged with, thorns and thistles, for four
thousand years. In the end of those centuries, because God was not willing that
any should perish but that all should come to repentance, he sent his only
begotten son—down from the palisades of glory—that he might present to the world
his word in flesh, and that Jesus might offer his own body upon the sacrificial
cross as an atonement for man’s transgression. The guilt of sin was the
universal heritage of transgressing men. There was not one righteous; all had
sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Some retribution was due to
violated justice. The law decreed that the soul that sinneth, it shall die. The
majesty of the law of God had to be sustained. There must have been wonder in
heaven when Adam continued to live after he had sinned. Angels, men, and devils
must have wondered. What a mystery must have been the promise of God that the
seed of woman should bruise the serpent’s head. At the end of his life on the
earth, Jesus was crucified. He was heaven’s demonstration of God’s boundless
love for the race. His torn and mangled flesh hung as a sacrifice for the sins
of the world. Here was the fulfillment of Isaiah 53: “He was led as a sheep to
the slaughter and as a lamb brought before his shearer is dumb, so opened he not
his mouth . . . and by his stripes we are healed.” When he died the veil in the
temple was rent from top to bottom, signifying that the way into the most holy
place had now been inade manifest. The bars of death were broken in the
resurrection-} and Jesus became the first fruits of them that slept, when he
arose, from that silent chamber. From a little hill outside Jerusalem he'
ascended back to heaven, bearing in his nail-pierced hands the marks of his
sacrifice. Ilis own precious blood he offered once and for all as an atonement
for the sins of the human race. Following his ascension the twenty-four elders
surrounded the throne of God and were commanded to sing a new song, “Worthy art
thou to take the book and open the seals thereof. For thou wast slain, and hath
redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kmdred, and tongue, and people, and
nation.” And all the rest of heaven’s creatures said, “Amen.”

It was resolved in the councils of heaven to offer surcease for the sin-shackled
/prisoners of earth upon the terms of the gospel. For every sinner the gospel is
an emancipation proclamation written in blood. From that day until this it has
furnished the light of life to millions of blind souls moulding their own images
of God.

Just before he left the earth, Jesus gave what is generally called the “great
commission.” He knew that his work was finished. He knew that he was on his way
back to heaven. He knew that upon the shoulders of earthly bemgs was soon to
rest the responsibility of evangelizing the world. He commanded them, “Go ye
into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth
and is baptized shall be saved, but he that be- lieveth not shall be damned.” In
every age the gospel has been inseparably linked with “go.” The fervor of the
apostles’ zeal drove them to every corner of the inhabited world. They went
everywhere preaching the gospel. No burden was too great to bear, no sacrifice
too great to make, no gulf too great to span. They became all things to all men
that they might win some. They became the offscouring of creation, a spectacle
to world, men and angels for the gospel’s sake. They went sponsored and
unsponsored, supported and unsupported. Sometimes they were sent by a church,
sometimes they went alone. Nobody sponsored Peter on Pentecost or Philip in
Samaria. The comparatively modern idea that every evangelist must have an
organizational sponsor is killing some evangelism.

Evangelization has been the secret of religious freedom through the centuries.
The power of the preached word has been the force that has bioken the shackles
of idolatry and lifted a fallen race. The power of the preached word was the
force that liberated religious slaves in the reformation. The spirit of
evangelization scorns today the fetters of sectarian orthodoxy. Evangelization
has possessed more power through the century than any earthly government. When
Rome, that iron nation, drew its carnal sword to match blows with the sword of
the spirit, the sword of Rome was broken. All that is left of its wasted glory
are a few broken columns sunk in the mud of the Tiber river. Eut the gospel of
Christ goes marching on, striding across the fallen forms of its adversaries;
mighty in its strength, unscared by criticism, across the centuries: It has
pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save those that believe. Faith
comes by hearing the word of God God saves all who call. They call who believe.
They believe who hear, and they hear who have the gospel preached unto them.
Preaching the word of God is the greatest service that any man can render to
mankind. The supreme task of evangelization is laid upon us, who have been
redeemed by the blood of Christ. We have been saved to save others. No greater
calamity could befall the church than the influx of vast numbers whose only idea
is to be saved, and be helped, and who are not set on fire with an unquenchable
desire to help others and to save others. Eterndl salvation is dependent not
only upon obedience to the first principles, but upon other things as well,
chief among which is the willingness to wear one’s self out saving the souls of
others. He who comes into the church must come in as a soul saver. He must labor
as a soul saver. His conquest must be measured in the souls he saves. If God
cannot depend upon Christians bought by the blood of Jesus Christ to spread a
knowledge of his mercy and grace throughout the length and breadth of the world,
then, pray tell me, upon whom can he depend? The task of evangelization is
primarily an individual task. Many members of the body of Christ think of the
church only in terms of an organization. My anti Bible school brethren, to a
great degree, throttle the spirit of evangelization because it is hard for them
to think of the church in any other terms than the terms of an organization.

Organization is often times the means of discouraging, rather than encouraging,
effort. The true purpose of organization is to (conserve and cooperate effort.
This is true of the organization of a local congregation. On the other hand, so
many times each individual element in an organization shifts to the composite
whole responsibilities that originally rested on individual shoulders. The
result is that instead of individual effort, individual responsibility is
renounced, and organizational responsibility substituted. Then we usually
conclude that it is the organization’s responsibility to produce effort rather
than coordinate effort. Organization often times results in less effort. , There
can be no substitute for individual evangelism. The great commission was given
in the broad sense to every human being, and in d very specific sense to every
disciple. God has wisely given to every Christian the means of propagating the
gospel. God has given you two things. He gave you a certain portion of this
world’s goods. He also gave you a tongue. God has given to you two corollary
responsibilities: the preaching of the gospel of Christ and the alleviation of
human miseiy. You cannot alleviate human misery with your tongue. God did not
give you a tongue for that purpose. You cannot say to the hungry, “(to, be
warmed and filled,” and accomplish the purpose. God gave you a portion of this
world’s goods that you might feed the hungry and clothe the naked. You cannot do
this kind of work with your tongue. On the other hand, let no brother among us
suppose that he can preach the gospel with his purse. You cannot pay me to do
yTour gospel preaching for you. I have all of it I can do to satisfy the Lord’s
requirements for myself alone. You can no more pay me to preach the gospel for
yrou than you can pay me. to go to heaven for you. There is no possible way for
you to shirk your individual re- snonsibihty as a procla’imer of the gospel of
Christ. Every Christian must realize that he is his brother’s keeper. Every man.
for himself, must purge himself from the guilt of lost souls. We who have been
taught must teach others also. We who have been saved must save others also.

We have each received, as an earthen vessel, a heavenly treasure. Each is a
steward of this sacred trust with the command to advocate and advance it, to
defend and maintain it, throughout the. whole world. There is one qualification
of a steward; that is, that he be .found faithful.

Upon each of us is laid the supreme task of evangelizing the world—a task shared
neither by God, Christ, angels, or Holy Spirit. We are his only ambassadors. We
are laborers together with God in the sense that God provides the power in the
gospel which we cannot provide, just as he provides the germ of life in the seed
which the farmer sows. On the other hand, we are co-laborers with each other in
the sowing of the seed. . Cooperation is an elementary principle. God made one
star depend upon another to hold it in its trackless course. He made flowers,
bees, and birds dependent upon each other. ALII nature is a cooperative scheme.
Men build communities and h've together in them because of the necessity of
combining their efforts. Cooperation reaches its nearest earthly perfection in
the mutual efforts of members of the church. We are workers together in the
supreme task of evangelizing the world. Cooperation, prompted by sincere love
for the lost souls of men, need never be suspected.

Some friends one time brought a sick man to Jesus. Because of the multitude that
pressed about him in the house, they climbed upon the roof, and tore a hole 'in
it, and let the sick man down through the roof before the Lord. I shall never
cease to be amazed at the compassionate love of men for a sick mortal, who in
turn never lift a finger to cure the sins of his soul. Would to God that the
singular and cooperative efforts of brethren would literally lift the roof for
the souls of men, that they might bring them nearer to the Lord.

What a wonderful unity would be manifested if all the members of the church and
all of the congregations they comprise would labor together in the perfect
harmony and unity as parts of the body of Christ, each supplying that which was
needful in the field of world evangelism. Men are, primarily, what they have
been taught. A doctor’s son usually grows up to be a doctor, and a shoe
cobbler’s son to mend shoes. A man is a lawyer, a Buddhist, or a Baptist,
depending upon what he has been taught. Rational men are as good as they have
been taught. Only the depraved are worse. The world’s benighted condition can
well be attributed to its spiritual ignorance. As Moses lifted up the serpent in
the wilderness, so must the son of man be lifted up. The task of evangelization
is too vast for any single soul. It challenges the completely unified efforts of
all the children of God. The hand that drove the spear into the side of my Lord
is no more stained with blood than the hand of the man who sharpens either pen
or tongue to cut the lifeline that others have thrown out to men and nations,
floundering in their sins upon the brink of eternity and hell. The gospel of
Christ must be preached with boldness. There is nothing about the message that
needs even the hint of an apology. The messenger is too aptly described as a
soldier to be considered as an apologetic. When one takes in his hand the sword
of the spirit, he ought to wdeld it fearlessly. He who is ashamed of the gospel
is ashamed of his Lord. I would as soon apologize for Jesus as to apologize for
the gospel.

We live in the middle of a reckless world. The surging seas toss every craft,
and many a boat is without a compass. On a world-wide scale men have sowed to
the wind and are reaping a whirlwind. Perhaps there has never been such a need
for bold and fearless preaching. The world needs so badly a rock of ages to
which it can cling. Bold preaching can be kind preaching. Fearlessness and
kindness can be found >n the same man. It is not necessary to be ruthless to be
a good soldier. It is not necessary to skin to heal. Sarcasm does not breed
confidence. Ridicule does not produce faith, and boldness, based upon the
impregnability of a fortress, may well be shown by a coward.

Kindness is the essence of evangelization. There are some old fundamentals that
need to be reemphasized. The fatherhood of God, the vicarious suffering of
Jesus, salvation by grace, the resurrection from the dead, judgment, heaven and
hell need to be reemphasized kindly before a generation headed for eternity.
Kindness is inseparably linked with earnestness. Every evangelist ought to
believe m his message. He who does not believe in his message, though he deliver
a correct sequence of words, can do little to convert a world. This restless
world needs something permanent to which it may anchor. Give it a faith. Show it
an example of what faith in God and in the word of God will do for a man. You
can best show what Christ will do for others by demon-. strating what he has
done for you. After all, the highest peak of human attainment is reached by
faith inspired action, not by slave like obedience to a set of rules.

It is said of John the Baptist m John 1:23, “I am the voice of one crying in the
wilderness. Make straight the way of the Lord.” That’s what John was. He was a
voice. His message was not his own. He was the voice of God crying in the
wilderness of the world, “Make straight the way of the Lord.” And so are we. He
who discharges his duty to evangelize the world is but the voice of God, crying
in a wilderness, pleading for the lost souls of men. Every proclaimer of God’s
word should think of himself as beseeching the world in Christ’s stead to be
reconciled to God.

If a man shall think of himself as an ambassador of God and shall think of his
preaching as the voice of God speaking to a sin cursed generation, he will find
no room left in his preaching for his own opinions. He will not be found
preach-ing the gospel in a mutilated, maimed, and imperfect form, but in its
beauty, purity, and simplicity. With all the earnestness of a man’s soul, he
ought to do the work of an evangelist. A real love for the lost must prompt his
preaching. Then earnestness can strike fire to eloquence and the praise of God
can ring from higher heights than the preacher ever thought himself capable of
reaching. Let earnestness produce the world’s best orators to extol the majestic
beauty and the saving power of the gospel. We will evangelize the world when
every child of God thinks of himself as the Lord’s agent, snatching the lost, as
it were, as brands from the burning. Such earnestness will produce a preaching
of the truth in love. Each of us will be willing to present himself a living
sacrifice, upon the altar of service. We will love him because he first loved
us. And we will love the lost millions of earth enough to go to them with the
gospel. The Lord has no other agents. If the lost are ever saved, we must save
them.

There is the grave danger, of course, that as the church becomes large, and as
it numbers many of its members among the socially elite, that it may lose its
evangelistic passion. The church must never get the idea that it is fighting for
a place among churches. It must never evangelize for social acceptance. God
forbid that its efforts be spent in proselyting numbers. May it never seek a
position of unpersecuted ease. The peculiar glory of the Christian religion is
its evangelistic passion. Had the early disciples been content to enjoy their
religion to themselves alone, they never would have been persecuted. The church
must preach the gospel to save the souls of men.

While the task of evangelization is primarily an individual one, the fact must
not be overlooked that the Lord set in the church, along with other offices, the
office of an evangelist. Paul admonished Timothy to, “Do the work of an
evangelist. Fulfill thy ministry.” The church is in grave danger of destroying
the office of an evangelist. The commission was to make disciples, to baptize
them, and to teach them to observe all things. It is primarily the work of an
evangelist to make disciples. It is primarily the work of the elders, and other
members of the body of Christ, to teach the new converts how to live the
Christian life. The evangelists are the shock troops of the Lord’s army. They
preach the gospel and convert sinners. This is their primary work. In the past
generation, we have gone a long way toward destroying the office of an
evangelist. We have set our gospel preachers to the task of feeding the flock,
and to, incidentally, converting a few. We have given to him a task that in the
New Testament rested primarily upon others. I am afraid that we are becoming
content to preach the gospel to ourselves alone and to care for the needs of the
local congregation. This tendency is destroying the spirit of evangelism.
Members of the body shift their responsibility to the organization. The
organization hires an evangelist. They give him the task of evangelizing the
evangelized. My brethren, this ought not so to be. Let the trend be changed: Let
us reemphasize the need for pure evangelization.

We are developing among us another very dangerous threat to the life giving
spirit of evangelization. Many are becoming afraid to do anything, for fear they
will do it wrong. Regardless of how wrong some trends may be, there is no trend
so evil and so dangerous as the trend toward doing nothing. There are methods
certainly sinful and wrong, but it is a grievous sin, worthy indeed of eternal
death in hell under the vengeance of God, for us to become so involved in a
wrangle about methods that we let a generation flounder and die in its sins. The
seeds of apostasy are just as omnipresent as the seed of the kingdom. No farmer
hesitates to plant his seed for fear some weeds will grow. Just as the seed of
the kingdom will always produce a Christian, so the seeds of apostasy will
always produce apostates. The church will always have a few. It is nothing short
of suicide for the church to become afraid to go forward, lest an apostate raise
his head. Eternal vigilance is still the price of liberty.

We have a most glorious opportunity before us. The future ahead is an untrodden
path, but God grant us leaders with vision enough and evangelistic fervor enough
to dare to dream of the gosoel’s covering the earth like the waters cover the
sea. Give us men who are not afraid of criticism, and whose zeal for lost souls
is such that it cannot be quenched though mistakes be many, and a million men
will follow their lead to proclaim the gospel where it has never been heard.

There is a questioning attitude on the part of the people. The feeling of
insecurity, posed by present conditions, has prodded the world’s complacency
into energetic investigation. We have said, in every field, “Give us the truth,
regardless of what the truth may be.” Two global wars have exacted a terrible
toll in sweat and tears and blood. A third is in prospect. Half the world’s
income is being alloted to a planned program of self-destruction. Mankind is
crying to be shown some more noble purpose on earth than to hate and fight and
die. This is our opportunity. In religious realms the trend is toward
undenominationalism. The narrow barriers erected by hate and intolerance are
being recognized and branded for what they are. The sectarian names, that
reflect the animosity out of which they sprang, are being discounted. Human
creeds are being belittled, and the sham of human pride in a purely human
organization is being uncovered. The trend is toward that basis of unity for
which our Lord prayed. This is our opportunity.

Lift up your eyes and look, for the fields are white unto the harvest. We have
made wonderful progress in the past few years. Churches have been established by
the hundreds. Congregations have outgrown their buildings. The trickle of gospel
literature has increased into a flood. The airwaves are criss-crossed with the
lovely sound of faithful gospel preaching. Young men by the hundreds every year
are courageously taking hold of the sword of the spirit. Doors of opportunity
are being opened around the world. A new day is just dawning, if we can rekindle
the fires of evangelistic zeal. Give to the world a brand of fearless preaching
and faithful living, which is still the power of God and the salt of the earth.
Let us use, energetically, every expedient at our command to present the whole
truth of God to the world. The world must stand today as it did then, in
amazement at the wonderful power of God. The church must not assume the habit of
a sect and live to itself alone. The gospel has always been a “go” gospel. It
must continue to be. The gospel is not narrow, and we do not have a monopoly on
it. We must not present a narrow sectarian view of it. Even we ourselves must
war constantly against the danger of denominationalizing the church. The word of
God is a mighty force, a sword that challenges the strongest warrior to wield.
When Paul took it to a heathen city, he turned the town upside down. My brethren
are doing the same thing with the same gospel today. Opposition? Certainly.
There would be no war if there were no opposition. As long as the gospel is
preached it will meet opposition. Beware of the preacher who is not opposed, and
beware of the time when the church has no opposition.

Beneath the blood-stained banner of Prince Immanuel let us fight the fight of
faith until the name of God rises in hymns of praise from the throats of men in
the steaming jungles of Africa, and on the barren shores of the sea’s remotest
islands. Preach it—preach it—preach it! Preach it to your neighbor; preach it to
your friend. Preach it across the sea. Teach men to respect it and demons to
fear it. It is the one legitimate battle in which Christians can join until the
hosts of Satan have been dispelled. Let the battle cry of freedom ring, and give
the angels looking out over the battlements of heaven cause to rejoice. In the
strength of our might, and with the help of our God, let the church, all
glorious, go forth as an army with banners. Let a perfect unity in the bond of
peace bind us together in a force for righteousness and salvation that can never
be successfully assailed.

Let us return the task of evangelization to the individual level. Let each
warrior, clad in the full armor of God, wield with a vengeance the sword of the
spirit. Let it strike fear to the hearts of the denizens of earth. In the power
of God’s might, let him stand with his feet shod with a preparation of the
gospel of peace. Let his loins be girt about with truth. Let his breastplate of
righteousness shed an earthly light. Let his shield of faith be arrow-proof, and
his helmet of salvation be crested with a cross. Let his sinews, seasoned with
the strength of service, back the thrusts of a sword more potent than Damascus
steel. Let him stand upon the battlefield mighty in the strength of the Lord, a
champion of truth and righteousness. Let every Christian soldier stand until the
fight is over, the foe vanquished, and the victory won. Then let him stand
unchallenged on the battlefield. When the last battle has been fought and the
last victory won, then shall the captain of our salvation stand upon Zion’s
glorious summit with the kings of earth at his feet and the crown of crowns upon
his head. His trumpeter shall call the victorious hosts of Armageddon, and they
shall answer with a shout of victory as up from the land and sea they come—an
innumerable host of living transformed and dead resurrected. They shall flow up
unto him a living sea of conquering heroes, and each shall stack his armor on
the hills of light and enter in through the gates into the city. There the
victor’s song shall ring forever with the volume of a mighty waterfall, and in
their midst a great white throne shall rise as a symbol of perennial peace.


========================================================================
  CHAPTER 4: THE EDIFICATION OF THE CHURCH
========================================================================

The Edification of the Church THE EDIFICATION OF THE CHURCH Leroy Brownlow

I. Introduction Let us read: “But we do all things, dearly beloved, for your
edifying” (2 Corinthians 12:19). “Let every one of us please his neighbor for
his good to edification” (Romans 15:2). “Let us therefore folloiv after the
things which make for peace, and things ivherewith one may edify another”
(Romans 14:19). The word “edification” means building up, upbuilding. Hence, we
are taught to follow after things wherewith one may build up another. May I now
call attention to some things which I believe will build us up in the Lord’s
service.

II. Leadership Let us start with the leaders of the church. 1. A few years ago a
motorist was flagged to a stop by a colored man who said, “Mista, has youse seen
a group of colored people down the road?” And when the gentleman in the car
replied, “Yes,” the colored man said, “I’d betta hurry on down dare, because Ise
da leada.” They had already gone off and left their leader. Here is a lesson for
us. Leaders ought to lead. Elders ought to “elder.” A business cannot rise above
its leadership; a nation cannot progress above those who guide it; and likewise
it is difficult for a church to become stronger than the men who oversee and
lead it. 2. The elders, as the overseers of the church, should see that the
church has a program of edification that will strengthen and build up its
members; because they will have to account some day for the flock. “Obey them
that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your
souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not
with grief: for that is unprofitable for you” (Hebrews 13:17).

III. InI am more than glad to have this privilege again on this lectureship, I
thank Abilene Christian College faculty for this privilege. Last year they gave
me the subject, “The church in Korea.” I have again the same subject, “The
church in Korea.” Last year I told that the church in Korea needed many things,
but first of all, she needed two American missionaries and asked you friends to
pray “the Lord of the narvest, that he would send forth laborers into his
harvest” because Korea is the field white already to harvest. Thank the Lord
that he called two young couples to go to Korea as missionaries to help the
Korean young and weak Christians grow in the wisdom of our Lord, and teach them
to be teachers, preachers, and leaders in the future churches. One is Brother C.
W. Rhodes, Man- gum High School Principal, Mangum, Oklahoma, who decided to go
to Korea as a missionary with his fine young Christian wife; and the other is
Brother "Wallace White- horn, one of the Abilene Christian College graduates and
one of the Mars Hill Bible school teachers in Florence, Alabama, who also
decided to be a missionary hi Korea with his good Christian wife. Certainly, it
is wonderful that the young people gave up everything—their fathers, mothers,
relatives, and friends—to do the will of our Lord in Korea. I thank the Lord for
them and thank you friends wTbo prayed to the Lord. I hope they will go to Korea
as soon as the conflict is settled and do the great work of our Lord m Korea.
Now I am standing before you again to speak on the subject, “The church in
Korea.” I will not tell you about the church in Korea—when and how the churches
were established there or other things concerning her. But one thing I want to
sayr to you is that the church in Korea needs good Samaritans today. A long,
long time ago a very intelligent and well educated young man came to Jesus and
asked two questions— first, “Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
and secondly, “Who is my neighbor?” The result of these two questions was that
there appeared three classes of men— namely, priest, Levite, and
Samaritan—besides the thieves and wounded and half dead man, I will read the
parable of the Good Samaritan according to the gospel of Luke (Luke 10:25-37). I
am sure that you all know this parable well, but I want you to refresh your
minds in this parable. “And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tempted him
saying, Master what shall I do to inherit eternal life? . . . Then said Jesus
unto him, Go and do thou likewise.”

Let us think about this parable. I believe that it is the best and greatest
teaching of Jesus Christ by the parables, for both humanity and morality. In
this parable there are. five kinds of men—namely: priest, Levite, Samaritan,
thieves, and wounded man. I think this parable represents the five human races
in the world or the first three classes of men represent us m this room
religiously. That is, according to the teaching of this parable, every one of us
belongs to one of these classes—namely: priest, Levite, or Samaritan. Now where
shall we put ourselves —in the place of the priest, Levite, or Samaritan. As far
as I am concerned, I do not belong to any of these because I am a Korean and
standing before you m behalf of the Korean refugees who are. starving to death
and frozen to death as you know through the first- pages of the newspapers every
day.

I would t'ke to emphasize one word in this parable; that is, the word of
“chance.” Jesus Christ said, “And by chance there came down a certain priest
that way; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.” “And likewise a
Levite” and the Samaritan. These three men all had the same chance to prove
themselves—what kind of people they were. I do believe that there is a chance
for the world to be peaceful or to be in chaos. Each nation has also a chance to
prove what kind of nation she is. So individually, every person has his or her
chance to prove to be good or bad. . The priest and Levite had exactly the same
chance as the Samaritan had. But the first two men when they saw the chance,
they passed by on the other side. I am sure that chance never came to them
again. Thank the Lord that the third man, a Gentile or heathen, yet instead of
passing by on the other side, took the chance “and went to him and bound up his
wounds, pouring in oil and wine and set him on his own beast, and brought him to
an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow when he de-parted, he took out
two pence and gave them to the host, and said unto him, take care of him; and
whatever thou spendest more, vdien I will come again, I w ill repay thee.”
Indeed, he was wise enough to take the chance and use it. Certainly, he was
gracious enough to have “compassion on him” who fell among the thieves and was
half dead. Surely, he was merciful enough to go to him, and bind up his w ounds
pouring in oil and wine and set him on Ins own beast, and brought him to an inn,
and took care of him. And. on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence
and gave them to the host saying unto him, “Take care of him, and whatever thou
spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.” Indeed, he was lovely
enough to be the “neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves.” I am sure you
will agree with me if I will say that our lord had said to that Samaritan,
“Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the
foundation of the world” because, “Inasmuch as ye did it unto him that fell
among the thieves, even this least, ye did it unto me.” Don’t you think it will
be a fine and wonderful thing if all of you put yourselves in the place of the
Samaritans and can hear the voice of our Lord? We should take the chance and do
it. Now I will show you a picture that we Koreans have never passed away the
chance, when we get it, by telling my own experience. . In June, 1935, I came to
Nashville, Tennessee, for my third trip to America. In Nashville I went to the
graduation exercises of Mon Suk Kang (some of you might know him) who was a very
intelligent and faithful young Methodist preacher. Dr. Yang, a Methodist bishop,
brought him to Vanderbilt University and educated him four years because he
thought that he would be a very useful man in Korea if he had an American
education. After the graduation exercises, we went to a restaurant and had a
fine dinner. Then we went to the capitol grounds and sat down on the grass and
were talking about different things. Finally he said, “Oh, I am happy.” I said
to him, “Why are you happy?” He said, “I will go back to Korea and will see my
wife and daughter.” I said, “When will you go?” and he answered, “Next
Wednesday.” I then said, “I am very sorry about it.” He got mad at me and said,
“What is the matter with you?” I said, “Because it is exactly my experience. You
have been in Vanderbilt only four years, but I was in Northwestern University
seven years and went back to Korea. I preached for fourteen years nothing but
Methodism to the Koreans. So you will preach Methodism only because you have
nothing but Methodism.” He said, “What is the difference between Methodism and
Christianity?” Then I took out my New Testament from my pocket and showed him
the differences. Then he said, “It is different.” “Where will you preach next
Sunday?” I said to him, “I will preach in Waverly-Belmont.” He asked me where
the church was and I showed him how to get there. He came, and I preached on the
subject, “What must I do to be saved.” Then I went to the 12th Avenue church of
Christ in the evening to speak. Mon Suk Kang went to Waverly-Bel-mont that very
evening and was baptized by one of the elders, Brother Lipscomb. Indeed, he took
the chance to be saved. Certainly, this story proves that the Koreans never pass
up the chance, if they have any chance to be saved. The next Monday morning he
came to me and said, "Oh, I am really happy now.” I said, “I am happy, too.” He
said, “I will go to Korea with you.” I said, “It is right, but I would like to
make a suggestion. If I were you, I would stay in one of the colleges of the
church of Christ at least two years. You have the truth but just enough for
yourself. You don’t have enough truth to give to the Koreans. Therefore, you
must have plenty truth first in the, college of the church of Christ, then you
will go back to Korea with plenty of truth to give other Koreans.” Then he said,
“Oh, I would like to do that, but how can I stay here two years because I
haven’t any money. The Methodist church people supported me entirely for four
years.”. I said to him, “Never mind about the money part, if you really want to
stay in one of the colleges of the church of Christ. They will help you
finane-ally better than the Methodist.” He said, “Yes, I will.” So, I wrote to
Brother N. B. Hardeman about him and Brother Hardeman wrote me back sayi ng for
me to send him there and they would take care of him. So he took that chance
again and went to Freed-Hardeman College and got plenty of truth in two years
there. Then he went back to Korea to give the chance to those Koreans who were
in the shadows of death to be saved by the preaching of the simple New Testament
truth. Do you think we Koreans pass away the chance as the priest and Levite or
do we Koreans take the chance as the Samaritan? Certainly, we Koreans have never
passed away the chance.

Now I will prove to you that the church in Korea has never failed to take the
chance as Brother Mon Suk Kang did. Brother Kang went back to Korea and began to
give the chance to the Koreans to be saved. In the first place, he gave the
chance to his mother and wife by preaching the New Testament truth. They took
the chance to be saved. His mother had been a Presbyterian Bible woman for
thirty years. She had the highest salary among the Bible women because she
worked longer than others, but she gave up the highest salary and poeicion to
take the chance to be saved. Then she began to help her son, Brother Kang.

I am sorry to say that Brother Kang got sick and died, then she couldn’t live
with her daughter-in law because they had no income to support them. So she went
to China because her daughter who married a Presbyterian preacher was in China
working among the Koreans. She stayed in the Presbyterian church preacher’s home
and got all of her support from him financially, but she kept the truth just the
same. We have a proverb in Korea something like this, “If a man has a needle in
his pocket, the needlepoint comes out when the pocket is touched outside.” She
had the truth in her heart. When she spoke with the Presbyterian women, the
truth came out from her heart just a little, as the needlepoint came out from
the pocket. One woman said, “Oh, I never heard that. Let me see my Bible.” She
looked up her Bible then. She was interested and another woman did the same
thing. There were four women who wanted to know the truth. They asked her to
teach them the Bible regularly on every Sunday. It is the Korean women’s
characteristic that when she sees something good, she wants to have it. She was
very glad to have the chance to teach them the simple New Testament truth. Of
course, it is a natural thing that those women were talking to their husbands at
their homes, that they were learning the truth. One man was interested about it
and said to his wife, “I would like to go to your Bible class and hear about the
truth.” So she brought her husband to her Bible class. Another woman talked
about the Bible study to her husband, and he wanted to come to the class, too;
so she brought her husband there, too. Finally the four women brought all their
husbands to the Bible class. Then the other Presbyterian church people joined
the Bible class to learn the New Testament truth. Indeed, it is in the Koreans’
characteristic that if they know something good, they want to have it. Also, I
may say it is the Korean church characteristic today because the Christians are
the members of the body of the church of Christ.

Now they learned the truth fully how to be saved and wanted to be baptized in
immersion for the remission of their ‘sins, but who could baptize them? There
wasn’t anyone who was baptized in immersion except Brother Kang’s mother, but
she was a woman so she couldn’t do it according to the New Testament church.
Their hearts were burning for the truth more and more. They wanted to obey the
Lord in the baptism for the remission of sins. They knew through the Bible
studies that they had to be buried with Jesus Christ in the baptism to be a new
creature. Their hearts were burning continuously for the truth; therefore, they
decided to collect some money and send one of the them to Korea to be baptized
in immersion and come back'to China to baptize them all. So they did it. One of
them came to Seoul, Korea. I was in the North and he couldn’t come to me for he
had limited money so he went to one of the digressive preachers, Mr. Sung, and
was baptized in immersion by him. Then he went back to China and baptized all of
them there. It is the characteristic of the church in Korea. Did you ever hear
such a story as this? Indeed, the Koreans are trying to have the truth, if
someone will teach it to them. That is how the church in Korea wants to grow in
wisdom of God and in the grace of our Lord.

Then the Presbyterian church in Korea heard about how their members in China had
been baptized in immersion. They wrote to the missionary, “What was the matter?
We sent you money every month to preach Presbyterianism, but you did something
else.” Of course, the preacher didn’t want his mother-in-law to stay in his
house any more so she had to come out from her son-in-law’s house. Then all of
the new born Christians came out from the Presbyterian church and had their own
worship services to worship the Lord in spirit and truth as the apostolic church
did, and they collected money on the first day of the week to support Sister
Kang. They kept the Lord’s Day, just as the churches of Christ in America,
having communion services every Lord’s Day and had no musical instruments in the
worship of the Lord. They were getting along very nicely; but when the second
World War was stopped, then the Chinese rose up and killed the Japanese and
Koreans. All the Koreans were trying to come back to Korea. Three families of
Christians came to Seoul and joined the Nasoo Chung church of Chust which was
the first of the four churches in Seoul and my family attended there. They were
very active. The name of one of the three families is Ohai. That family saved my
family at the time of the Red’s occupation of Seoul. It is also a wonderful
story which shows the characteristic of the church in Korea. When the Reds
captured Seoul the first time on June 27, 1950, the Reds came to our home and
forced all of my family to go to the outside of the city where no one could see
them to kill them. But my wife and whole .family were crying out and making a
big noise. Then the Reds let them stay at the home, and they took away all the
rice and money that my wife had, leaving them to starve to death. The Reds did
this twice. After that robbers came with pistols and took away everything they
could. Then my wife had absolutely nothing for the family to live on. There were
many people around our home whom we thought were our friends. But they did
nothing for my family. Even Mr. Lee, a son of the Methodist preacher who was
very rich, and wrho I thought was our best friend and neighbor and who lives in
the next house to us, did nothing for my family. But Brother Chai and his family
brought a few pounds of barley to my wife, although they live a long way from
us. My wife put a handful of the barley into a big kettle with lots of water and
boiled it. The whole family ate the barley soup winch helped to keep them alive
until the IT. N. Forces recaptured Seoul, September, 1950. Thank the Lord that
he saved my family through Brother Chai and his family. This event proved the
parable of the good Samaritan and the characteristic of the church in Korea. The
church in Korea is certainly like the church at the apostolic age; they helped
each other as they could. The above event reminds me of a proverb in Korea which
says, “Anything comes out from you will return to you.” And I also remember the
scripture which says, “Every man shall receive his own reward according to his
own labor.” I hope you all see the picture that I have tried to show you; that
is, if I hadn’t helped Mon Suk Kang in Nashville, June, 1935, to have the chance
to obey, the Lord, do you think my family could have been saved in Seoul last
year? Surely 'it couldn’t be. How wonderful the work of our Lord is! I did just
little work of salvation in Nashville in 1935, but it went around to Korea and
China and came back to Seoul and saved my whole family. Indeed, this event
proved the parable of our Lord of the mustard seed (Matt. 13: 31-32). By the
way, I don’t know how long I will speak this morning. The program shows that
there isn’t anyone going to speak after my speech until this evening. It means
that I can speak all day long if you will listen to me that long. Well, I
suppose you like to have your good dinner rather than to hear my poor speech; so
I will stop my speech at twelve because I don’t want you to miss your good
dinner. In conclusion, again I say to you, friends, I am standing before you and
am seeking to find “Good Samaritans” for, as you know through the pictures on
television, and through the voices on the radio, and from the first pages of the
newspapers daily, the terrible conditions in Korea. Indeed, millions of Koreans
fell among the thieves of communism. Some of them are the members of the church
of Christ who are your brethren and sisters. Certainly, they are wounded and
half dead physically and spiritually. Won’t you have compassion on them? Won’t
you bind up their wounds and pour in oil and wine? Won’t you take care of them?
Won’t you be a neighbor to them as the Samaritan was for the wounded man? I am
sure if you do it, likewise you will hear the voice of our Lord, “Well done,
good and faithful servant—enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.” “Inasmuch as ye
did it unto one of these, my brethren, even these least, ye did it unto me.”
dividual Cooperation 1. If leadership is essential in church work, then
“fel-lowship” is also essential. This word “followship” is not in the
dictionary, but you know what I mean. Neither can it be found in the lives of
some church members. But there is no point in having leadership unless you have
“followship” and vice versa. In the same passage in which Paul taught that the
elders would have to account for the flock, he also taught that the flock should
cooperate and allow themselves to be led. “Obey them that have the rule over you
and submit yourselves” (Hebrews 13:17). 2. Paul teaches that unity and
cooperation are helpful in edifying the church: “From whom the whole body fitly
joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to
the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body
unto the edifying of‘ itself in love” (Ephesians 4:16). The human body is used
to illustrate the church, the spiritual body. By every member working in his
place and performing his duty, all of them together “maketh increase of the body
unto the edifying of itself in love” (Ephesians 4:16). Paul emphasized that
every member has his . work to do. By this joint and harmonious working of every
member, the church increased. One of the faults in the church today is that we
put too much emphasis on the work of a few in the church to the neglect of the
universal work of every member of the church. We must work, and work together.
“We then, as workers together with him ...” (2 Corinthians 6:1).

IV. Teaching Program 1. There is power in God’s word to edify or build us up.
Hear Paul as he speaks to the Ephesian elders: “And now, brethren, I commend you
to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give
you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified” (Acts 20:32). God’s word
is our spiritual food. It is milk to the newborn babe (1 Peter 2:1), and it is
the meat to give older Christian (Hebrews 5:12-14). All scripture furnishes us
unto doctrine, reproof, correction, instruction in righteousness and unto every
good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17). 2.Nothing will take the place of this spiritual
food. Nothing will take the place of the word of God in the heart of a
Christian. You may read newspapers, magazines and novels galore, and they may or
may not help you in some respects, but they definitely will not take the place
of the word of God and build you up spiritually. God’s word has no substitute.
Christians are to long for the sincere milk of the word (1 Peter 2:1). But the
less converted a Christian is, the more he longs for something else. The less
converted a congregation is, the more “oyster soup” it demands to keep it going.
JMany Christians are spiritually weak and puny because they have not had the
proper spiritual diet. Many have been destroyed for the lack of knowledge. “My
people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6). 3. In the teaching
program we should have an efficient Bible school on Sunday morning, Sunday
evening classes (some designed for training), ladies’ classes during the week,
men’s training class during the week, a class or two in singing, a class to
train teachers, a class in personal evangelism, etc. We should take inventory
and learn what our needs are, and then make plans to supply those needs. 4. The
success of a class is chiefly dependent upon the teacher. (1) For that reason,
the elders should have high standards for the teachers. Too many congregations
have almost no standards for their teachers, except a willingness to take a
class. The public schools do not select teachers on that basis, and neither
should we. A few years ago we set up some standards for our teachers in the
Polytechnic church in Fort Worth. Consequently, it is an honor to be one of the
teachers. For instance, one of the require-ments is that a teacher, if possible,
attend every service of the church. We think'a Sunday-morning Christian is not
spiritually qualified to take a class. A person who is no more interested in the
church than to attend on Sunday morning only is not interested enough in the
church to build up his class. This is just one of the requirements. If you will
make it an honor to be a teacher (and it should be) you will get better teachers
and better results. (2) We should be sure that the teachers are sound in the
faith, and that they are using sound gospel literature. In the midst of our
glorious success, it is easy to forget the struggles of the past. Success may
become failure. Brethren, how short is our memory? Have we so soon forgotten the
digression of the past century which crept into the church? The first religious
body of any kind ever established in Fort Worth was the church of Christ. It was
back when there were only a fort and a few cabins along the high bluff
overlooking the Trinity River. The big valley along the river was then in
harvest fields. A fellow by the name of Dean with a pistol in one pocket and a
Bible in the other rode his horse into this little settlement and secured a job
as a harvest hand. He would work all day in the grain fields, and at night he
would preach the gospel. At night, he brought in a different kind of sheaves.
When the harvest was over, he got on his horse and rode away, leaving a church
of eight members. The congregation grew. In time, they had three hundred
members. But they began to use teachers weak 'in the faith and literature
poisoned with error. The story can be summed up by saying the whole church,
except a handful, went into digression, and a few faithful brethren had to start
all over again. Yes, the church went into digression under the coveted name of
progression; but, you know, there is a vast difference between digression and
progression. The church is strong in Fort Worth today, but think how much
stronger it would be if the church had been edified instead of being sabotaged,
because we got there first* A faithful, loyal brother who earns his bread as a
ditch- digger, cotton picker, or a harvest hand, and who signs his name with a
mark, may help to build up the church, while some of us who have gone to school
a little may help to tear down and vice versa. I say “and vice versa” because
some brethren who sign their names with marks have almost marked out the church
in some places. So the point of this remark is that in selecting teachers for
our Bible classes, we should put a greater emphasis on soundness in doctrine and
life than on secular training. The teaching program is a major item in the
edification of the church. If you will build up the Bible classes and teach the
right things in them, you will in time, all other things being equal, build up a
strong church. A few years ago, I heard one of our evangelists say in a sermon
that some churches today have so many classes: ladies’ class, men’s class,
training class, etc., that they could not obey the great commission, and he
quoted Matthew 28:19-20. But he quoted the wrong verse, for that passage says
that not only are we to teach the alien, but that we are to teach the baptized
all things that Jesus commanded. We are to do both. Neither should be done at
the expense of the other. Both can be done, or both would not have been
commanded.

V. Program of Work 1. Putting the church to work is very vital in edifying it.
Work strengthens; idleness weakens. A working church is warm and enthusiastic. A
lazy church is cold and indifferent. Did you ever walk into a church building of
worshippers that reminded you of a refrigerator? Icicles hanging down from the
ceiling? The worship seemed cold, lifeless, and formal. The people in the pews
seemed like corpses? And the man in the pulpit reminded you of a dead man? Oh!
They are too dignified to work! Yes, and too dignified to go to heaven, too,
unless some changes are made. 2. If we would become great in God’s sight, we
must serve. Jesus said, “But he that is greatest among you shall be your
servant” (Matthew 23 :11). Brethren, here is a point that needs much attention
in the average congregation. So many who have named the name of Christ want to
be served rather than serve. A teacher related the story of the good Samaritan
to her class. Then she asked, ‘‘Boys and girls, what have you learned from this
story?” One little boy said, “I have learned that .when I get into trouble my
neighbors ought to help me.” The old selfish, self-centered spirit! “When I get
into trouble my neighbors help me.” Wonder where he learned that? Remember:
“Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to
give his life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). 3. Some things which concern
work and service are going to come up at the judgment. Jesus will say to those
on the left hand, “For I was ahungered, and ye gave me no meat; I was thirsty,
and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye
clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not” (Matthew 25:42-43).
Since Jesus commanded us to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to
every creature” then this will come up at the judgment, too. Christ said, “The
word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day” (John 12:48).
The duty to be a personal evangelist and a soul winner is enjoined upon every
Christian. Remember: the alien cannot obey the latter part of the great
commission until we obey the first part of it. 4. Some say that there isn’t
enough work for everybody. Maybe they do not know what work is. They have
reference to leading the songs and prayers, preaching the/ sermon, and waiting
on the Lord’s table. Well, that isn’t work; that’s worship. Some who complain
about not getting to work enough really do not want to work; they want to lead
in the worship. There is plenty of work for everybody, more than we shall ever
get done. We need a program of work to aid the needy, visit the sick and the
shut- ins, take census, pass out literature, comfort the bereaved, greet the
strangers in our communities, visit the new members, strengthen the weak
members, restore the fallen, con-vert the aliens, etc. There is no question
about the amount of work to be done. The question is: Are we going to do it? 5.
If you will work for Christ, you will be happier and become stronger. If you
will lead a soul to Christ, the experience will strengthen you. If you will take
some groceries to a sick, starving family, you will go away as a better
Christian. Brethren, if you will sit by the bed of a dying man, it will do
something to you. Watch over him through the long hours of the night. Life is
slowly ebbing away. One night seems like an eternity. You minister to his needs
as best you can. You feel of a weak and jerky pulse. You lay your hand on a
heated brow. You helplessly gaze into glassy eyes. You listen to the death
rattle in the throat. You see the bosom rise and fall in the awful struggle
between life and death. You see it fall never to rise again. You see the color
of life as it gradually fades into the color of death. You go to break the news
to the world that the end has come. My brother, you will be a better man and a
better Christian because of the way you spent that night. We need to work and
serve for our own good as well as for the good of others. 6. For five years now
in the Polytechnic church we have had an organized system of personal work. On
Sunday the worker will go to one of the offices and get a slip of paper showing
the necessary information. The visit is made and the worker writes up a report
of the visit and turns it in next Sunday and gets another assignment. The
information on the returned slip is trans-ferred to the permanent file. We have
tried three or four different systems of personal work, and find this one the
most satisfactory. 7. Organized personal work is good, but it only goes so far.
It cannot take the place of individual initiative. Every Christian should work.
Did I hear someone say, “I would like to serve, but I don’t know where to
start.” If so, let me tell you this incident. In the Civil War a soldier, who
had lost his place, timidly asked General Sherman, “Where shall I step in?”
“Anywhere,” said the General, “There is fighting all along this line.” That is
precisely true of the spiritual combat. You should not have to be told
everything that needs to be done. . VI. Books and Tracts A good church library
is another helpful avenue in edifying the church. Religious papers and magazines
serve in the same field. The teacher of our high school class has found it
profitable to operate a small library right there in the classroom. It contains
material on marriage, divorce, dancing, drinking, modernism and other problems
boys and girls have to meet in the public schools. The results have been
marvelous.

VII. Church Bulletin A church bulletin or paper can accomplish much in a program
of edification. It can be a “booster” for the church program. It can keep before
the church the program of work and talk it up. Tell the members what you are
doing, what you want to do, and ask them to help you. I think this should be the
bulletin’s mission rather than a medium to reach the alien. There are several
pe-riodicals especially designed to reach the alien which I think will serve
better in this field than any church bulletin. For best results, it should be
mailed out so that it will reach the members’ homes on Friday or Saturday each
week. Go into the members’ homes through the bulletin week after week and appeal
to them in different words and in different ways to cooperate. At first, it will
seem hopeless. After about a year, it will begin to bear fruit.

VIII. Discipline 1. Here is another thing we can do to strengthen the church:
exercise some discipline. When the worldly and unconverted think they can live
any way they please and still enjoy the fellowship of the church, it has a
weakening influence over the whole body. We have discipline in the army, school,
government and home. We should have it in the church. The Bible says, “Now we
command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw
yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly” (2 Thessalonians 3:6). A
few evil members ma^ weaken the whole congregation. Paul said, “Know ye not that
a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven,
that ye may be a new lump” (1 Corinthians 5:6-7). I think you will agree that we
have too little discipline in the church today. Instead of rebuking before all
them that sin that others may fear (1 Timothy 5:20), we are prone to want to
call on them to serve the Lord’s supper. The Bible teaches that we should
exercise discipline for the good of the guilty party, and for the good and
edification of the church. If we expect to succeed, we must do it God’s way.
God’s way leads to success. Man’s way leads to failure. 2. I think some of these
things will edify the church, but do not expect too much. These suggestions
won’t “whip in line” all church members. Nothing else will. Several years ago a
family consisting of the old man and three boys lived over in the river brakes.
They thought they no longer needed God and his church. The preacher and other
Christians had talked to them about Christian living, but father and sons mocked
and ridiculed. One day they, with alarm and haste, sent for the preacher. One of
the boys had been bitten by a rattlesnake and was at the point of death. When
the preacher arrived he was asked to pray. They all kneeled and the preacher
prayed, “0 God, we thank thee for rattlesnakes. We thank thee that one bit Jim.
We pray that one will bite Bob, and we pray that thou will send another to bite
Henry, and, 0 Lord, we pray that thou will send the biggest one of all to bite
the old man; for only rattlesnakes will do this family any good.” Only
rattlesnakes will edify some indifferent members of the church.

IX. The Preaching 1. The preaching has a big influence in the edification of the
church. There is power in the preaching either to build or to destroy the
church. The soundness of a church does not depend upon its size, but upon its
teaching and preaching. Hence, let us now consider the preacher and his
preaching. 2. First, it is hard to edify a church when there is a change of
preachers every year or two. It keeps the membership in a turbulent state. They
cannot get down to work for spending so much time “trying out” preachers.
Oftentimes the preacher is to blame for this condition because he has “itching
feet,” but oftentimes the members are to blame, because they have “itching
ears.” 3. If we would edify and keep the church strong, we must indoctrinate it
and keep it from compromise. We are taught to take heed in a twofold manner :
“Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing
this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee” (1 Tim. 4,:16). So
we must take heed to both the doctrine or teaching and to our personal manner of
living in order to save ourselves and others. Then doctrine is essential in the
edification of the church. It is so important that we cannot fellowship those
who bring a different doctrine (2 John 1:9-11). We must indoctrinate each
generation to keep the church strong. If we should fail to indoctrinate just one
generation, it would be tragic for the church. But today in some places the cry
is for something practical; however, if we indoctrinate the children so that
when they get older, they will not be “tossed to and fro, and carried about with
every wind of doctrine” (Ephesians 4:14), then we have certainly given them
something that is practical. Of course, there are other practical things we are
to teach them, too, but that does not mean that this is not practical. We do not
want to be religiously “lopsided” in any respect. 4. We must watch our
attitudes, for apostasy begins with an attitude. Paul in speaking to Timothy has
given the steps in apostasy: “For the time will come when they will not endure
sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves
teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the
truth, and shall be turned unto fables” (2 Timothy 4:3-4). First, “Will not
endure sound doctrine”—an attitude. Second, “Heap to themselves
teachers”—segregation of teachers who tickle their ears; have only the teachers
that teach what they want taught and refrain from teaching what they do not want
taught. Third, “Turn away their ears from the truth”—refuse to hear it; will not
have it. Fourth, “Shall be turned unto fables”—out; gone into error and
apostasy; and it all began with an attitude. There are certain attitudes today
toward preaching, which, in my belief, if they were universally accepted, would
before long cause the church to be weakened and destroyed instead of edified hnd
builded up. (1) For instance, “Preach the gospel, but let people alone.” Suppose
the high command were to say to the army, “Boys, shoot, but be sure that you do
not hit anybody.” Such tactics would bring defeat. A few years ago I went to a
certain place to preach in a meeting. After a few days, one of the elders said,
“The trouble here is that our preacher is a professional ball player. He winds
up on Sunday morning and throws a curve around everybody in the house.” Well, it
is a mighty poor teacher who can’t hit some of us sinful creatures once in
awhile. This reminds us of the preacher who would preach on neither heaven nor
hell, and they said it was just because he had friends in both places. God
intends for us to wield the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17) and a sword
isn’t something to spread butter with. It is something that cuts and pricks.
This thought also: preaching over the heads of the people will not edify them
either. Preacher friends, for the best results, we should aim low enough to hit
the heart. We must “stand fast in the faith” (1 Corinthians 16:13). Standing for
something necessitates our standing against something. You cannot stand for
certain things without standing against certain other things. The Psalmist said,
“I hate every false way” (Psalms 119:104). The person who loves truth hates
error; therefore, a person’s hatred for error is in proportion to his love for
truth, and vice versa. If one does not have much hatred for error, then he does
not have much love for truth. (2) Here is another attitude: “Don’t preach a
negative gospel.” The person who lays down this rule violates his own rule by
saying, “Don’t preach a negative gospel.” The person,who lays down this rule
indicts God, for God did not follow it.- Eight of the ten commandments are
negative. Paul said, “Reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and
doctrine” (2 Timothy 4:2). Two out of three are negative, Paul, in giving the
works of the flesh, names seventeen negatives, things we should not do. In
naming the fruit of the Spirit, he lists nine positive qualities. If this spirit
of laying down human rules for preaching should prevail, it will lead to another
apostasy. Those in the past century who had this idea are the ones who left the
church and founded the digressive Christian Church. (3) Here is something else:
the attitude which attempts to please the people instead of save the people.
This is a prevalent idea in denominationalism. This article that I clipped from
the Fort Worth Star Telegram reveals the thinking in denominational circles. It
is headed: “Showmanship for Churches Is Urged by Detroit Pastor.” We now quote:
“Showmanship that matches competition in other fields is a definite need of the
church today if it intends keeping pace in a fast-changing world. Churchmen of
the Southwest studied this advice as they met Wednesday in the third-day session
of the Texas Pastors’ School. A prominent Detroit Methodist and principal
lecturer at the school, Rev. Frederick B. Fisher, Tuesday told the ministers
that ‘if 'it takes showmanship to draw customers to the churches, then let’s
give them exactly that.’ He developed his theme with the assertion ‘the petty
ideas that ministers have been harping on for the last few hundred years, like
smoking, dancing and the like, must not be played up. Only by putting on a
better show than your competitor,’ he added, ‘can you hope to draw the
business.’ ”

Anything which may interfere with drawing the crowds and the business is to be
omitted. Business has priority over the soul. It is evident that
denominationalism is partially responsible for the moral decay in our land. It
happened like this: One preacher on one corner began to wink at sin and lower
the standards for his people. It appealed to the worldly and consequently he
began to build up a crowd. The preacher on the opposite corner saw what was
happening, so he lowered his standards still lower (in commercial language, he
cut prices way down) in an effort to draw the crowds, too. So on and on it has
spread. Denominationalism is in a mad race to see which one can make religion
the easiest instead of the safest. We must watch lest we be overcome by this
spirit. In edifying the church, we must teach against worldliness, idleness,
covetousness, lukewarmness, compromise and “softism,” pre- millennialism,
denominationalism, modernism and everything else that threatens the welfare of
the church of our Lord. We should fortify and strengthen our people against sin
regardless of the clothes in which it may come dressed. We must teach them to
love the truth and the church and to defend the same, to love God and to love
one another, to be spiritual, and to be strong and steadfast in their calling.

I hold in my hand a copy of the Fort Worth Star Telegram, evening edition,
November 11, 1947. Dr. Jeff D. Ray of Baptist fame, a professor 'in the
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary for many years, is a columnist for
this paper. Dr. Ray in his column says, “The most rapidly growing religious
denomination in Texas today is the body calling themselves ‘The Church of
Christ.’ Naturally they would expect me to admit that in certain vital matters I
regard their teachings as erroneous. But why do they make such rapid growth? “I
think there are three reasons: (1) While I think many of their interpretations
of Scripture are hurtfully fallacious, they, both preachers and people, do stick
to the Bible; (2) They definitely believe something and know what they believe;
(3) They defend and boldly seek to propagate their views on every part of the
ground.” Our growth has been wonderful and marvelous—the fastest growing
religious body in the state. It has not been due to the finest church buildings;
others have finer ones. It has not been due to the most accessible locations;
others have better locations. It has not been because our preachers have had
more college and university training, for they haven’t. It has not been due to a
larger number of paid workers, for others have more. My friends, this unusual
growth which has attracted the attention of others has been due to the position
we occupy and the plea we make. May we never forget that. Dr. Ray, an observer,
says it is because we “stick to the Bible.” May we ever be loyal to the
principle, “Speak where the Bible speaks, and be silent where the Bible is
silent.” This motto has brought us a long ways. In the second place, Dr. Ray
says that we “definitely believe something and know what we believe.” A
wonderful compliment. And one that cannot be paid the majority of religious
folk. For us to edify the church and keep it from decaying within, our people
must believe something and they must know what they believe. In the third place,
Dr. Ray says that our tremendous growth is because we “defend and boldly seek to
propagate” our “views on every part of the ground.” There are some who are tired
of this method, but Dr. Ray says it is one of the reasons we have come so far. I
think he is right. It has brought us a long ways. Don’t you think we had better
stick with it and include it in any program of church edification? Dr. Ray, the
Baptist preacher and educator, in speaking of our tactics and methods, says, “In
their process of practically propagating their views it seems to me they are on
the right trail. ... I wish that all our religious bodies could see the wisdom
of adopting that method of propagating and perpetuating their faith. Spreading
yourself out so thin that you hold nothing and propagate nothing that people of
other faiths could not adopt, is a hopeless method of promoting Christ’s cause
or bringing about vital Christian unity. Let every man personally know what he
believes, proclaim his faith, and in the' spirit of the gentle Master defend
it.”

Brethren, spreading ourselves out so thin that we hold nothing will destroy the
church. An observer from the outside says that our glorious growth is due to our
holding to something. May we not turn loose! Let’s keep holding! Our methods are
often criticized and many times by some of our own people, but if they are so
bad and need changing, why have they been so successful? Our uncompromising
attitude is often criticized, but it together with the truth and with God’s help
has raised up a powerful people. In edifying the church we must teach our people
the principles of the restoration movement and loyalty to the truth. If we fail,
decay will set in and success will be turned into failure. If we are true to the
Book, our successes have only begun, and the future of the church will .be far
more wonderful than a glorious past.


========================================================================
  CHAPTER 5: THE WORK OF THE CHURCH IN ITALY
========================================================================

The Work of the Church in Italy THE WORK OF THE CHURCH IN ITALY Cline R. Paden
The services rendered by Abilene Christian College are many and varied. Her
influence is felt in practically every field of human endeavor and in
practically every nation on earth. She has been outstanding in science and
psychology. She has contributed substantially to music, medicine, and
mathematics. However, her greatest contributions have always been to the church.

Improvements in the arts and sciences' are considered essential to the
well-being of this nation. Abilene Christian College is making her modest
contributions to these fields. But these advancements are not as essential to
the well-being of our nation as are the Christian principles that are taught by
this institution. These are the advancements that America needs!

All of America needs to come here and sit at the feet of godly men and women,
learning these Christian principles: love for God; the dignity of his word; the
sovereignty of his will; the sanctity of his church; the honor of man; the
purity of the home, and the value of the soul. These are the principles taught
here in Abilene Christian College. And by so teaching, this institution is
making a most valuable contribution to the church and to our nation.

One of the means used in making this contribution to the church is the conduct
of this lecture program. There is a bit of magic in the mere pronouncement of
the phrase “Abilene Christian College Lectureship.” These words immediately set
the mind in motion and bring to the memory a feast of good things. One sees a
great gathering of Christian people; the renewing of good friendships and the
making of new ones; the hearing of inspirational messages from the word of God.
For those of us who have studied here for a time, it means hearing again “the
sweetest singing this side of heaven” as the students of Abilene Christian
College begin to sing.

Consequently, IT am glad that there is an Abilene Christian College Lecture
Program, for I know that much good is accomplished during these annual events. I
know that impressions are made here that will bear fruit in eternity. I know
that vows are made here that find their keeping in far-off places of the
earth—vows that result in the introduction to God’s kingdom of souls that
otherwise would be denied admittance to heaven in the last great day. So, I am
happy for the occasion that brings us together today, grateful to those who are
responsible for granting me the time to discuss with this great audience “The
Work of the Church in Italy.” The Italian Man In order to expedite matters, I
think it will be necessary for me to introduce you to the Italian man. If you
attempt to interpret his actions toward us, and his attitude toward the gospel
in the light of American temperament and en-vironment, you will miss much of
what I shall be saying. Anything that can be said of the Latin race in general
can be said in italics of the Italian man. He is decidedly Latin. He is
short-tempered; a lover of honor and position. He considers some sort of title
as essential to his wellbeing. Pomp and show appeal to him, as well as do all
things colorful and mysterious. Nearly all of these points are reflected to some
extent in his religion.

Among all of his traits that affect our work, none are stronger than the fact
that he is a born follower and a lover of tradition. The former manifests itself
in the history of the Italian people. Though the Italian man would probably be
offended if you should tell him, the fact that he is a follower is perhaps an
unconscious confession of his inability to think for himself. He finds a
solution to this dilemma by placing him-self (many times to his sorrow, and most
times to his disadvantage) in the hands of those who are willing—but
incapable—of thinking for him. I am sure that the Caesars who planned and
produced the mighty Roman Empire would never have considered a program of world
conquest had it not been for the assurance that they were being followed by
millions of faithful, unquestioning Italians. Certainly, Mussolini would never
have been able to do what he did without this trait in the very nature of his
people.

Nowhere is this trait more manifest than fn matters reli-gious. Catholicism
early recognized this trait and exploited it to the fullest. Nowhere is to be
found a better example of our Lord’s statement concerning the blind leading the
blind than in this instance. For centuries, the Italian man has blindly, meekly,
and unquestionably followed his religious leaders without thought of making
personal inquiry. It has obviously never occurred to him that he should “search
the scriptures” for himself, or that John has warned him against believing every
spirit because of the many false prophets that have gone out into the world.
After all, he is a follower, and followers do not take the time for personal
inquiry.

It is, therefore, a very trying and tedious task to wean him away from his
religious leaders and thinkers. Not that it is difficult to show him the errors
of Catholicism as opposed to the Way of Truth, but even after you have convinced
him that he has been misled—it is a long distance yet to the baptistry. He is
very prejudiced against breaking traditions. Those who have been converted have
gone against the grain of public opinion, in itself a bitter dose. Then, when
there is added to this the loss of friends, the respect of families, and the
loss of means of livelihood, it is easy to see that these new born babies are
subjected to trials that would test the faith of many of us who have been in the
church much longer.

Mothers, enraged at becoming a public scandal because of the conversion of their
children, have ordered them to seek shelter elsewhere. Brothers have told
brothers that they are no longer considered as such. The peace and tranquillity
of entire families have been disrupted and the Lord’s statement concerning a
man’s enemies being found in his own household has become true all over again in
Italy. These infants in Christ have been insulted on the streets by former
friends, ridiculed from the pulpits by their former “spiritual fathers,” and not
a few of them have been beaten. I wish I could say that, in spite of these
trials of faith, all of them have remained faithful, but I cannot. Some have
turned back. Many have been lured by jobs and positions offering them a little
physical security.

There is the case of the young man who left on being offered a position in the
Vatican. There is the case of the man who returned to Catholicism, and to his
wife, when she made that a condition of continuing her marriage to him. There is
the case, as told me by one member of the church, of the woman who became
hysterical, ran to the priest and fell down before him. She kissed his hand,
asking for forgiveness. She had read in the newspaper that no “Protestant” could
expect to receive a housing unit, for which she had applied. This house was to
be provided by your tax money.

While we have regretted to see some turn away, either because they had not
counted well the cost, or because they were not willing to pay the cost, we have
seen some rise to heights of heroic faith seldom reached in our day. When I
consider how linked to traditionalism these people are, and how cruel the
Catholic persecution has been, I greatly marvel at the power of the gospel in
converting their souls, and at the courageous faith of those who have remained
true. The Effects of Politics Soon after our arrival in Frascati, the Leftist
press began introducing us as missionaries of the Marshall Plan and the Atlantic
Pact. Once a class was dismissed by Brother Gordon Linscott in order to avoid a
Communist-inspired riot. Though it was difficult for us to put the idea across,
we repeatedly announced to our audiences that the church of Christ has no
political connections. We said that we believe in a complete separation of
church and state; that we seek to make good citizens through Christianity; that
we were not trying to make a political party of the church. “A church without
politics? How strange!” But it had a ringing appeal. Soon some of the leftist
elements were attending our meetings. Later, some were baptized, and this
brought a new problem. Anyone who is not a Catholic is considered by them as
being a leftist, if not an outright Communist. The rank and file of even tne
Communist Paity in Italy are good, well-meaning people, who have suffered from
Catholic oppression, and have taken this means of expressing themselves. They
believe in God and can be Christians. They are neither Marxists nor infidels.
They have dared to think for themselves and have been automatically branded
“Communist.” For a good example of this, look at the ends to which they went in
calling us Communists. Why? We are not Catholic! In Italy, one is either red or
black—Communist or Catholic. We were called many times to the police station to
answer charges of Communism hurled from the pulpits by the local priests. We
repeated that we were “apolitico”—without interest in politics—and in order to
maintain that position, it, would not be possible for us to deny admittance into
our classes to Communists, if they should decide to come, anymore than we could
deny admittance to Christian Democrats (Catholic Party), or members of the
Catholic Action.

One of every three persons in Italy is a Communist. The Catholics claim that S3
% of the people of Italy are Catholics. This necessarily means that one of every
three Catholics is a Communist. At the highest point, not more than one of each
ten members of the church was Communist. At present, I am sure that perhaps less
than one of every twenty members in the church is Communist. One reason for this
fact is that the Communist Party has recently purged its members, and in this
effort to strengthen the party, it has brought new persecutions on the few who
were Communists. As a result, some left Communism, but others left the Church.
So the Church lost more members. Is Catholicism the answer to Communism?
Catholicism had a fifteen century start on Communism, yet look at the condition
of thatf Catholic country of Italy today. The truth is that Catholicism has
fostered and presented Communism to the world. We feel that these persecutions
from the Catholic church, and the pressure from the Communist party, have in
reality strengthened the church by taking away those members who were not able
to stand “the heat of the sun.” I am certain that if 1 were given the choice
between a large memoership of untested and untried Christians, and this sor t of
spiritual amrmtation that has reduced our numbers by uB'ldwihg away the chaff,”
that I would choose the latter. I think the Lord would do the same. He
demonstrated through Cidecn that he is more interested m strength than in
numbers. Our Beginning—January i4, 1949 We landed in Italy, January 14, 1949.
Our numbers consisted of: Brother and lister William C. Hatcher of Detroit,
Michigan; Brother and Sister Dayl Pittman of Corpus Christ!, Texas; Brother and
Sister Harold Baden of Lubbock, Texas; Brother J. U. Chisholm of Brownfield,
Texas; Brother Wyndal Hudson of Sea- graves, Texas; Erother and Sister Jack
McPherson of Wyoming; my wife and I of Brownfield, Texas.

We were met in Naples by Brother Gordon Linscott of Montana, who helped us get
on a truck and in a car to be carried to our new home in Frascati. Frascati was
headquarters for the German Army during the war, and was almost destroyed by
bombing raids. Housing facilities were next-to-impossible to find. It was
necessary for us to live in a “pensione” the first winter, which added nothing
to our first impressions of the country, nor to the efficiency of our work. The
one room we had was not equipped for heat, and our bed was furnished with a
straw mattress and gunny sack quilts. There was no bath. It was during this
miserable existence that we read an article in one of our religious periodicals
concerning the “glamour of mission work.” We had difficulty classifying the mind
that could produce such, and we prayed, “Lord, forgive him. He knows not what he
does.”

I feel that the severity of that winter in such living quarters was responsible
for the attack of rheumatic fever and arthritis that made it necessary for my
wife to leave Italy last fall. We launched immediately into our work. Within a
month, we had had an audience of over three hundred persons present. But success
brought us trouble. The next Lord’s Day after our first big service, the road
from Frascati to Villa Speranza was full of priests and nuns, who warned the
people against attending our services. They threatened all sorts of reprisals
against those who did not obey. Without the slightest idea of who we were or
what we were teaching, the priests warned the people from their pulpits against
attending our services. Our first baptisms were in March. Both of the young men
who were baptized were faithful Catholics. One was a brother of the president of
the local Catholic Action. Their conversion brought an immediate stir of
excitement in ecclesiastical circles. They were denounced as having sold their
faith. It was said that we had paid them 75,000 lire for being baptized. Yet,
several messengers were sent to them, offering them jobs in the Vatican if they
would return. Gradually, the church began to grow. Our first efforts outside of
the Frascati area were centered in a little city called Montecompatri, where we
sought to have an open-air meeting. Permission for this meeting was obtained
from the police, and announcement was made that the meeting was to begin on a
Monday night. But Monday morning, the priests were busy. They stirred up such
feeling that one of the members of the church in Montecompatri rode his bicycle
to Frascati and told Brother Hudson of the disturbance, advising him not to make
an appearance.

It was well that Brother Hudson did not attend the meeting since a group of men
lay in ambush for him. A land mine, placed in the exact spot where he always
parked his jeep, was set off by a small boy, who lost a portion of his hand in
the explosion. Several members of the church were injured that night when their
homes were entered by the same group of men who had waited in ambush for Brother
Hudson. This was our first venture in a new place. A similar treatment was
awaiting us in many other new places that we entered. For instance, in Rocca di
Papa, Brother Harold Paden’s new class was broken up one night by a mob of
shouting, whistling, blaspheming Catholic Action members. As Brother Paden left,
the building, they formed an aisle through which he was forced to walk to his
jeep. This he walked alone, as they covered him with spit! Someone poured a
bucket of dirty water over him. The breakline of his jeep had been severed,
causing the rake fluid to drain on the ground. He realized this, in time—making
a dangerous descent from the top of Rocca di Papa by using the low gear for a
brake. A group of native personal workers were driven out of Rocca Priori by a
priest-led mob. A stone from out of the darkness felled one of our native
preachers in a meeting in Bioiana. The new class in Marino was disturbed one
night by the police; who came searching for an ammunition dump that they
suspected us of concealing there. Twice, in a new place, Brother Salvatore
Puliga was arrested and prevented from preaching, thus creating a bad impression
on the people, and driving away many of them. But there is this to report—no
violence has come twice in the same city. It seems that this type of reception
is characteristic of our beginning in new places. The church is meeting in many
of the places just mentioned, and the people seem to accept it as a necessary
evil. One newspaper summed it up this way:

“We suppose that in and among all of the dollars and food that America is
sending to us, one cannot complain too much if he finds a few tanks and guns,
Coca-Colas, the Reader’s Digest, and the Protestants from Texas.”

After the' priests saw that they could not rid themselves of us by staging riots
or by the campaign of calumny which they so vigorously waged, they decided to
try another method. They began to frequent our classes and, by their presence,
drove some members away. The people greatly fear the priests, and even iheir
presence was disquieting to some. In an attempt to disturb the classes, the
priests continually asked irrelevant questions. We, at length, made them keep
silent until the class was finished. Following the close of the class proper, we
wTould have, another session with them untii the late hours of the night. When
the Catholic clergy felt that they had learned enough about the church of Christ
to handle us in debates, they began challenging us to meet them m these public
discussions. They spoke of Alexander Campbell, and wanted to know what we knew
of him. They continued to press us for a public discussion—for many public
discussions. In fact, they said, it would be tneir duty and pleasure to debate
us- nightly until we became so ashamed that we would leave Italy. This was
repeated on the first night of the discussions, with the additional thought that
they would be standing on the shore waving goodbye to us.

Apparently, they had learned that the threatening notes placed in our jeeps,
warning us against extending our stay in Italy, and the signs they painted on
our cars—“Death to the Protestants”—would not rid them of us. They had decided
to test their doctrines against the truth in public debate. These debates
attracted a fairly large audience, something more than three or four hundred
persons being in attendance. We discussed a different subject each night- — such
subjects as the infallibility of the pope, the primacy of Peter, the doctrine of
transubstantiation, auricular confession, etc. Interest grew7 with each
discussion. We were set for a showdown battle. These discussions, we considered
all important.

Members of the church seemed happy to know that their new-found faith could be
successfully defended against such able exponents of Catholicism as the
Capucinni monks. Those who were outside of the church were becoming interested,
and many of them remained each night for further clarification of certain
points. The swagger and confidence with which our opponents approached each
subject gave us reason to hope that the discussions would go on indefinitely. On
the next to the last night of the series of discussions, our opponent used a
good part of his first speech in reprimanding some of those who were present the
previous night for saying that he had lost the discussion. I was disappointed in
his saying what he did. I feared that our discussions might be nearing an end. I
felt better when, after that session, he agreed to return the following night.
The subject was announced. The audience was reminded to be present for another
discussion—same place, same time, the following night.The next afternoon,
however, he sept word that he could not obtain permission from his superiors to
return. He stated that if we wanted to discuss the subject announced, we would
have to do so in the monastery, privately.

Near five o’clock, we sent him the following message: “The audience will be here
tonight, as we both requested of them yesterday. We are sorry that your
superiors will not permit you to come to Villa Speranza again. Of course, we are
willing to meet you in the monastery or anywhere else. If you insist, we will be
there tonight, as you suggest. “However, it’s only fair that we notify you that
since the people will know nothing of this sudden change in the plans oy your
superiors, and since they will be here, desiring to hear a discussion on what we
believe contrasted with Catholicism, we plan to send someone to discuss the
question with you privately at the monastery. At the same time, we will have one
of our preachers present your side of the arguments on tonight’s subject here at
Villa Speranza. Another of our preachers will tear them to pieces.

“All of this will take place before the audience you invited to be present.
Therefore, if you desire to see your side of the question well represented and
defended, we suggest that you be present yourself.” A messenger rushed back to
say that the superior had changed his mind, and that our opponent would be
present at Villa Bperanza as announced. After a rather difficult time in the
discussion that night, he asked to make an announcement. It ran along this
fashion: “This is the last discussion. My superiors have prohibited my return.
Therefore, the debate, is over. My super- :ors have also told me to say that an>
person who comes to this place for any reason in the future will automatically
be excommunicated. We will not hear your confessions, administer your last rite,
or bury your dead.” His superior may have asked him to say other things, but he
w’as not allowed to say them. At this point, the audience was on its
feet—Christian and Catholic alike— and he was “booed” to silence.

I was not listening to the announcement. I was listening to one of the Capucinni
monks who had come with him—an American. When the crowd began to “boo,” this .
American remarked, “They certainly didn’t like that, did they?” It w’as not
until later that I realized what ne had said. Within a few days after these
discussions, huge placards appeared on the buildings of Frascati, announcing a
series of Bible Lectures which were to explain the difference between
Protestantism and Catholicism The public was invited. A question period was to
follow each lecture. As much as we wanted to attend, discretion told us that it
would not be the wiser course. Italian members who attended to find what was
taking place informed us that only a handful of people were present. Another
interesting point to us wras that in these discussions, the terms Protestant and
American were being used interchangeably.

After these lectures had continued for some time, word came to me that Don
Gu.iseppe, secretary to the Bishop of Frascati, had offered to. debate me on the
subject of original sin. This debate w7as to take place on a Monday night. I
confirmed the report. Don Guiseppe admitted that he would be glad to do so. This
was on Saturday. Within a few hours, many in Frascati had heard about the
appointment. Later, however, Don Guiseppe sent word that it would be impossible
to conduct the debate. I felt that it would still be necessary for me to make an
appearance at the place for debate, since my absence might lend an opportunity
for the boast that we were afraid to appear. (This situation had arisen
previously. During a meeting I was holding in Montecompatri, four or five monks
came to tell me that I was scheduled to debate in about two hours in a nearby
city. Of course, I couldn’t go. Other arrangements had been made. It was then
announced by them that I was afraid to debate with them.) The next day, I
announced at Villa Speranza that we had been challenged to the public
discussion. When I arrived at the building on Monday night, the crowd outside
was so dense that I could hardly make my way to the door. As I started to enter,
two policemen stopped me and told me that I couldn’t go in. I told them that I
was scheduled to debate in there. Not tonight, I was told. And I didn’t. But
even my appearance seemed to serve a psychological purpose. In a Catholic
publication, “La Settimana del Clero,” intended for the clergy, there appeared a
write-up on our activities—the debates we had had, what we believe, and what the
priest should do if we should appear in their community. Shortly after this was
published, we received a letter from a town on the Adriatic Sea—on the other
side of Italy. It was from an archpriest who said he knew a lot about the church
of Christ, but that he wanted to know more. He stated that he liked what he
knew. The letter was signed G. T. Brethren, S. C. Two of our brethren went and
met with him, returning to speak enthusiastically of the findings. Letters
followed. And another visit, during which the priest decided to come to Frascati
for further study. Thus, Brother Torrieri was baptized in December. Brother
Torrieri was supported for a year by the church in Crane, Texas. Although he is
now without support, he is still working effectively for the church in Milano.
In September, we went to the Ministry of Education to ask for permission to open
a school in the orphanage for the twenty-two boys who were then living in
Frascati Orphan’s Home. We didn’t know it then, but this was to be the first
chapter in a very sad story. Our asking for permission for the school in the
home seemed to remind them that perhaps something could be done in a legal way
to rid themselves of us.

We had asked in writing to the Vice Prefect of the Rome province what
authorization was needed, and had been assured that none was required. We asked
for his assurance in writing. Our request was refused. Within a few days, the
police chief of Frascati ordered us not to take any more children into the home.
If we failed to comply with his order, he said he would be forced to place a
guard at our gate. One week later, he ordered us to close the orphanage.

I carried a letter to him in which I appealed, in the name of humanity, that
this order be rescinded. I had places for an affirmative answer and a negative
one. He signed it negatively, and placed his seal of office over his signature.
He said, “These are orders. Close the home immediately and send the boys away.”
I replied that I realized I was a foreigner living in Italy, duty-bound to
respect the laws of the land. I did not believe, however, that there existed a
law, even in Italy, which prohibited the giving of food and shelter to innocent
children—that I had no intention of complying with his request. . I told him I
just didn’t have the heart to send them away.

“But if you can find some reason to justify your actions, you may come and get
them any time you want them. We will offer no resistance. I feel I must tell
you, however, that when you do come, I have a 16 mm. movie camera, loaded and
waiting. I want a picture of the whole sad affair.” This was all I could think
of, yet it seemed to work. He said he would have a truck come and pick them up.
Many orders came after that. All said the same thing, “Send the boys away.”
Although it may sound disrespectful to you now, our answer continued to be,
“Come and get them any time you want-them.” We counselled with the elders in
Brownfield, directors of the home, and with the Embassy. They sustained us in
our stand. By these methods, we delayed them for a time during which we were
frantically working for permission to stay in Italy and operate the home. On
December 24th, the Police called me in for the “last time.” I was reminded of
his previous orders, of the fact that our “permisso di soggiornos” were expiring
in a little over a week, and that our failure to comply with his orders would
greatly affect our chances of remaining in Italy. My efforts until now had been
to try to save all of the different phases of the work. But if one phase, the
orphanage, on which we were counting so heavily in future years, was to kill the
other phases of our work, then we would have to sacrifice that part which seemed
to be offending most. I told them Fd think it over.

I returned to Villa Speranza and though it was a bit late, I decided I would
tell the boys the bad news. I had already made up my mind to send them away. As
I entered the big room where they were all assembled, they greeted me with a
noisy salute as usual. I quieted them and told them I had something very
difficult to say to them. Then I told them for the first time that the police
had ordered us to close the home and send them away. The time of their leaving
was scheduled for the day after the Christmas presents were distributed. I had
intended to say much more but I couldn’t. I went to my office and wept. We had
done all we could do. Later, I went to the small house where Sister McPherson
lives, to tell her to prepare a letter for the Commissario telling him that if
he would permit the boys to stay until after the Christmas party on the 23rd
this letter would serve as my promise to comply with his wishes. When I walked
into the hall there were twelve or fifteen boys on their knees grouped around
Sister McPherson, praying aloud. They were weeping as they prayed. Even though
it was the climax to a perfect day of heart breaks, yet there was a thrill to
know that they would weep because they had tb leave. We told them when we left
that we hoped to be able to write them in a few days that they could return.

It was only a few days till the Commissario called me to tell me that the
Prefect in Rome had notified him that it would be all right for us to keep the
boys in the home until they had acted on a new application which we had made for
the orphanage. That was December, 1949. We are still operating on those
conditions. No action has been taken on that application made over a year ago.

Many problems came to a head in December of 1949. On December 9th, word was
received from the customs that we could not receive any more packages from the
States, and that those then in customs could be obtained only with an import
license. It was quite odd that only a few day£ before, a member of one of our
classes told Brother McPherson that a priest had told him we would not be
getting any more packages. I shall not have time to tell you of our work with
the clothing packages that you sent us, but I do want to thank you personally
and to bring you the thanks of thousands of grateful Italians who were helped
with your clothes.

During the month of December, in addition to the closing of the home, the
stopping of packages and the expiration of ouf resident visas, there was also a
riot in the little town of Castel Gondolfo. At the time, this added nothing to
our worries. We didn’t think enough of it to write home about it. There had been
others much worse which we had reported to the Embassy and the various news
services, but they had not considered them worthy of their attention. There was
really not much to it, and it was very exaggerated in the press releases.

Brother Jack McPherson had been asked by one of the members of the church in
Castel Gondolfo to come over and conduct a class for her friends in her home.
This class had been going on for some time and was always very modest in size.
One day the local priest came and started asking questions. Brother McPherson
asked him to wait till the class was dismissed and he would then be free to talk
with him. The priest waited outside. When the class was dismissed, the priest
informed Brother McPherson that this class had lasted long enough. Brother
McPherson was told not to return unless he was prepared to defend his position
in a public debate. Brother McPherson told him he was not a debater but that he
was sure some of the others among us would oblige him. A definite answer was to
be given on the next Tuesday at the regular time for the class. On that Tuesday,
Brother McPherson, Brother Pittman, and others wrent in two jeeps to Castel
Gondolfo. They were stopped outside the city by the police. The police told them
that there were some 4,000 people waiting in the piazza for them and advised
them to return to Frascati. However, they said, “If you want to go on, wTe will
do our best to protect you, but there are only eight of us.” These brethren did
what they should have done—they got back into their jeeps. As they were turning
around, some 200 of the people came runnmg with sticks and stones. They began to
club the jeeps and attempted to turn them over as our brethren wrere trying to
turn them around. Though the jeeps were slightly damaged, none of the workers
were injured. In the hasty getaway, two of the members of the church were left
behind. They were forced to do as Peter chose to do, mix with the crowd and thus
lose their identity. This was the story as the brethren told it to me that
night. I told them to forget it since we had worse news. Our visas were expiring
in a few days, and there was the great likelihood that they would not be
renewed. We thought little more of it until it broke in the newspapers. For the
next month our life was rather hectic. There were reporters everywhere. They
came to our classes, asked us to baptize someone, anyone, so long as they could
get a picture. They came into our bedrooms. They fel- lowed us to the police
station. They were everywhere we went for a month. The Leftist press made hay
while the sun was shining. They accused the Catholics of religious intolerance
in screaming headlines. The same presses which once had called us missionaries
of the Marshall Plan and the Atlantic Pact now printed our story in every
publication available, even their weekly magazines. One magazine, published by
Togliatti himself, gave us credit for the dismissal of Myron C. Taylor. The
number one Communist in Italy called me “Bravo Cline.” The Catholics naturally
felt they had to say something and, naturally, it was neither complimentary to
us nor the Communists. The Vatican newspaper “L’Osservatore Ro-mano” wrote a
series of articles on us saying it had proof that we were a Communist
organization and that our preachers were card holders. It said that instead of
preaching religion we preached that religion was an opiate of the people, just
as the true doctrines of Marxism taught us to preach. These were their very
words. The Minister of the Interior, Scelba, in an interview with Mr. Frank
Bruto of the Associated Press accused all Prot-estant groups in Italy of aiding
the Left. So the Protestants came out against us. Everybody tried to get into
the show. Though, they tried to make it appear that they were answering the
charges against Protestantism, they were really trying to establish or maintain
their identity as being organizations separate and apart from the church of
Christ, thereby saving themselves. A meeting was held in Rome of all Protestant
churches in which a paper was drawn up to show that the church of Christ was not
recognized by the Association of Evangelical Churches. It was prepared for
publication but for some reason it was never released. For a month we were a
political football, with everyone using us and nobody caring whether we bounced
this way or that. Of all the charges against us, the one branding us as
Communists seemed the worst. If the government actually thought we were
Communists, as government and Vatican newspapers, even members of the Cabinet
were saying, then our chances of staying in Italy would be greatly reduced. We
went to the American ambassador and asked him to give us a statement. He refused
to do so, though for some reason he did come and visit the orphanage. Finally,
for some inexplicable reason the Communist press turned against us. A series of
four front page articles accused us of being American spies and espionage
agents. The last of this series of articles said that Sen. Tom Con- nally of
Texas was the head of the church of Christ spy ring. “L’Osservatore Romano”
commented on this article to say that at last the Communist press had seen the
light.

We decided after the noise had died down that we would capitalize on the
publicity the church had received, even though most of it had been bad. We
rented a hall in the Collegio Romano which would seat 6,000 people. We printed
large posters and thousands of hand bills. We worked for two weeks to prepare to
tell as many as would come what the church of Christ really is. We rented office
space, but lost it. On the evening before Brother Gordon Linscott was to discuss
the subject “What is the church of Christ,” we received a registered letter from
the Ministry of Education stating that the building was no longer at our
disposition, that we would have to make other provisions. It was too late for
that. We tried everything that we could, but all to no avail. The night of the
announced meeting some 1,500 people stood outside the locked doors of the
Collegio Romano. They had come to learn of the church, but now that they had
come, we couldn’t tell them. The Questura was there, so Was the Commissario of
Rome and so were the Celere, Italy’s version of the Gestapo. They must have been
expecting trouble. It would be difficult to describe the feeling of utter
defeat, the deep down hurt we felt at having so wonderful an opportunity within
our grasp, only to have to turn these hundreds away —many of them never to know
of the church of Christ. We were told to announce that the meeting would not be
held, but were refused the opportunity to tell the people why.

Again the Communist press, forgetting that Sen. Tom Connally had sent us to
Italy to sabotage the country, cried out “Religious Intolerance.” The
intellectual leftist paper “II Paese” proposed the beatification of De Gasperi,
the Prime Minister for such “Noble Deeds” done for the Roman Church. A second
hall was rented, this time from the Bank of Italy. We explained fully what had
happened the first time and told them we didn’t want a duplication of our
experiences. They assured us that nothing like that would happen. But it did
happen, with even less notice than we had before. In both instances, we had
written contracts but at neither time did we have a key. One of those standing
outside the locked building said to me, “This is the second time I’ve come to
hear this discussion. Why don’t you have a building of your own, where no one
would bother you?” I couldn’t answer that question. The next day the newspaper
said, “The church of Christ can’t have a meeting here. They can’t keep a rented
building long enough and they don’t have a building of their own.” That was the
sad truth. Even sadder than the reporter knew. We have been run out of ten to
fifteen such buildings. We will continue to be run out until we own a building
of our own. In many places of the world, even here in the United States,
churches of Christ can successfully rent their buildings and carry on their
work, but not in Italy. I hope that we can remedy that situation to some extent
while we are here in this country. I am certain that we would have more than 25
members today in Rome, if we had had a building from the beginning. As a result
of the publicity, we had received from national and international papers, we
began immediately to receive letters from every part of Italy and from five
European countries. These letters came from France, Switzerland, Greece,
Holland, and Portugal. They opened up new doors to us that would otherwise have
remained closed. In answer to the forty letters we received from Milano, we sent
Brother Harold Paden to visit each of them and to stay in that city if he
thought the prospects good. He left in March, 1950, with this list of forty
names. He stayed on, and saw four individuals become Christians in June of last
year. Since that time, twenty- five more have been baptized, with many more
interested and ready for baptism.

Brethren Carl Mitchell and Howard Bybee, and Melvin Pownall, who came last year
have aided wonderfully in that work in Milano. On January 9, 1951, another
priest was baptized there. He was a professor in a university in Milano. Also,
he is a prolific writer and lecturer. The workers believe that they have found
another apostle Paul in him. From Milano, they have gone to Allesandro and
Turino. In the latter city, they are working with a group of one hundred that
claim to be non-denominational, whom they hope to teach more perfectly on some
doctrinal points. All of this came through the publicity that we received.

Brother A. Sparagna, the ex-priest converted by Brother Ralph Graham, was
indirectly made known to us through these letters. In Catanzaro, a congregation
of one hundred and fifty members wrote asking that we visit them and preach for
them. This group is in error, only as far as we could see, on the regularity of
observing the Lord’s supper, and the musical instrument. We are hoping to begin
preaching regularly for them in the near future. From Cenzenzo, a letter arrived
this last month from a member of the Catholic church, telling of a group of two
hundred who were appealing for us to come and “set up a church based on the New
Testament,” as they said. It seems that the priest had stoleh all the gold off
the idols and had done many other things. They finally locked him out of the
church building, and were now waiting for someone to come and teach them how to
be simple Christians. Protestants have converted entire congregations under
similar circumstances. From this correspondence that continues to come Brother
Hudson has under way a correspondence Bible course, based on those of the
Lawrence Avenue church in Nashville, Tennessee. There are six or seven hundred
students enrolled in this school. He also publishes and sends out over two
thousand copies of the Twentieth Century Christian, a monthly publication. Some
twenty-five hundred have written in asking to be placed on the mailing list, but
our budget would allow us to send out only two thousand. This in brief, is a
resume of our twenty-five months of labor for Christ’s cause in Italy. Many,
many more incidents could be related, but time and space forbid.

We do have this certainty—that the church of Christ is established permanently
in Italy. Whether we who have gone from America remain there or not, the church
shall remain. Her trials and baptisms by fire have solidified her future—and God
will furnish her increase.


========================================================================
  CHAPTER 6: AUSTRALIA AND INDIA
========================================================================

Australia and India AUSTRALIA AND INDIA Charles S. Tinius

I am thankful that my family and I have been able to return home safely after
three years’ efforts many miles away. I am very grateful for the opportunity, by
the kind invitation of the college here, to tell you something of the work in
Australia and India, My efforts in these places were made possible by several
congregations: the Central church .n Houston, Texas, the 10th and Rockford
church in Tulsa, Okla., but chiefly by the church meeting 'in Sewell Auditorium,
Abilene, Texas, which has generously borne the greater burden of the work.

Truly, 1 must say, the, disciples of the Lord in America, as compared with
millions in this earth, are living today in the land of milk and honey. There
are so many blessings. For how good ij? is to be with so many brothers and
sisters after having been among so few. And after my observations during travels
the past few months, I know that with the blessings of comfortable clothes,
comfortable home, and an abundance of food, there should never fall from our
lips one word of grumbling as to our lot in this world.

I rejoice to hear of the readiness with which the gospel is received in some
fields, and I am also thankful for the efforts of my brethren who in fields
with, not so much encouragement, press on in preaching the wonderful news of
salvation in Christ Jesus.

Past History of Australia Just one hundred five years ago, the first known
efforts to restore the. New' Testament church in Australia began. The beginning
was after thin fashion. In 1833, William Jones of London, began printing the
British Millennial Harbinger which converted James WalHs to the necessity of
restoration of the New Testament church. When William Jones ceased his
pubheation, James Wallis began The Christian Messenger. There develoned a close
working relationship between Wallis and a Thomas Jackson who were of one faith.
In 1843 Thomas Jackson left England for New Zealand, as a business man, yet
preaching the gospel and pleading for apostolic practice. He taught and immersed
Thomas Magarey in 1845 and the same year Magarey moved to South Australia and
through him thus began the first recorded work for restoration of the church of
God (or Christ) in Australia. In the years 1850 and 1860 Magarey appealed to
England for preachers to come and help, but there being insufficient response, a
call went out to America and several responded. Some of these American preachers
spoke to audiences of 2500 people, an attendance rare even among denominations
in Australia today.

Sadly, however, the greater American influence was by those preachers who about
the turn of the century were encouraging the annual meetings in Australia which
in time have become central organizations called Conferences. They, also, about
the turn of the century began to introduce the organ into the churches. Though
the originators of the early annual meetings held strongly against such meetings
having any control over the churches, yet, sadly, today, they have become highly
centralized organizations called Conferences which have powers that according to
the New Testament belong to the elders or bishops of the congregations. As one
told me, there never has been the development of a strong eldership in that
country. One of the reasons is not difficult to discern for the work of the
elders has been given to (or taken by) the Conference committees. Of course some
congregations were not swept into the tide of digression as quickly as others
and today there are numerous individuals and a few churches which are
sym-pathetic with our efforts. They would like to see a return to the ancient
order, but at present they continue in digression. Needless to say, there
unfortunately followed other de-partures, but not with the rapidity nor to the
degree as in America. The introduction of the Christian Endeavor Societies, is
now destroying the effect of any distinctive preaching as the societies lead the
young people to think one doctrine or church is as good as another. Some
exchange pulpits with the denominational preachers and some oppose the practice.
Most have added to the divine mission of the church by carrying on recreational
work. The committees of the Conference will try to control the churches as to
whom they invite to speak or even what literature they read, rather reminding us
of a list of forbidden books published by the Catholics for their members.
However, the situation is not like that of the digression here in America yet.
For example, a preacher who would advocate the recognition of the sprinkled as
members of the church would find the climate rather unhealthy just about
anywhere in Australia and New Zealand, while in America open membership is not
at all uncommon in the Christian Churches. There have been and are now some who
have held a restraining hand, and with more teaching there will be more to rise
up against digression in the Antipodes.

However, in those early years of digression, there were those scattered about
who opposed the first innovations. These usually met in their homes. Brother J.
W. Shepherd, during a few years in Australia about 1890 converted J. W.
McGregor. To my knowledge, the Merrylands church and what is now Kurrajong are
the only congregations continuing in the ancient order, which had their origin
in those early years of digression. Brother John Allen Hudson found these
meetings when he visited Australia in 1987. It is in this area that most of the
preaching has been done the past ten years by S. Bell Jr., Allan Flaxman, Colin
Smith, and your speaker, the latter three supported by American churches. The
same trend of events has occurred in New Zealand.

Present Day A. General Conditions For several reasons preaching the good news is
difficult in Australia and New Zealand. To me it seems to be rather similar soil
to that of England and our New England states in America. These three sections
of the world have one condition in common—inherited and traditional religion
which in Australia is predominantly Church of England. While going from door to
door during tent meetings, we found that about 97% of the people would claim
church membership. To a majority, this meant that they were carried to the
meeting houses to be sprinkled, they went- there to be buried. As some one put
it, three times they are in the building—carried, married, and buried. With
many, there is no further interest. They are satisfied that all 'is well with
them in their inherited church, whether they ever work in it or not. Generally
speaking, the old traditional denominations have lost their aggressiveness and
are about as dead as the proverbial door nail.

Again, the common laboring man does not have too much respect for the “parsons.”
By reason of the conduct of denominational preachers of the past years, they
think of them as men with a soft job and a fat salary. The church of England
admits it has lost touch with the common man. So a preacher has this
disadvantage to overcome.

Too, horse racing and Sunday sport of cricket and football add their part to
difficulties. Also,’there is a strong influence against the truth by reason of
interdenominational organizations. These are formed of zealous people from
especially the traditional religious organizations who were not to be fettered
by the means and the methods of their old churches, and yet they still preach
their false doctrines. These interdenominational and some of the newer, smaller
religious organizations are aggressive as well as the Catholics. The latter pose
about the same problems as in America. One, of course, also finds that in the
minds of the people anything without the stamp of hoary tradition is likely not
true.

B. Present Day Restoration The work in Australia is that of beginning again. It
is still in its infancy with little progress made thus far. There is not the
responsiveness that we are happy to see in other parts of the world. Yet with a
sufficient force of preachers for ten years, the work can be done. Throughout
Australia, I know of today, four congregations following the New Testament
pattern of organization and worship. I know of a few churches meeting in homes
for breaking of bread. Disciples in those meetings still number not more than
100. Two of the churches own a building to meet in. In spite of obstacles,
within and without, there has been some growth. The work, though very trying,
was the most interesting, and we hope most profitable of our experience.

Never being able to settle in one center by reason of housing shortage, forcing
us to move every few months, I turned considerable of my time and effort to
awaken and call the Associated Churches of Christ back to the ancient order of
things. By personal efforts and by literature, we sowed the seed. Fifty display
boards on Sydney railway stations, distribution of books, Ancient Landmarks,
Gospel Advocates, Christian Chronicles, and a monthly paper, The Old Paths,
published in Australia reached several thousand readers every month. They were
well read and there was considerably more favorable reaction than expected. The
Committees of state conferences tried to ban the papers— and that just helped
increase reading interest. The much or little good accomplished by this and my
general program of work, I shall not presume to say. I was not especially
encouraged by only some fifteen immersions during my work. However, I left
behind me brethren in the areas I worked of Windsor, Merrylands, and Newcastle
who will carry on. I am hopeful that there will be two brethren who will in time
give their full time to preaching. Several brethren there are helping me to
continue publishing The Old Paths. We have left behind a number of sympathetic
people still in digressive churches (and a few preacher friends) whom we hope
will someday stand as do we. By reason of the papers, we received letters from
New Zealand and throughout Australia from people who were quite sympathetic and
happy to know that not all in America had gone the way of the Disciples. The
people in Australia and New Zealand were quite ignorant of the churches of
Christ in America as leading men among thern had spoken about them as a little
group of anti organ people dying out.

We have succeeded in enlightening many and by reason of the seed sown, there
have come and are coming changes among Associated churches of Christ with the
very small efforts that I as only one could put forth. Indeed great changes
would come with ten wnrkers m x\ustralia and Now Zealand.

Here is an excerpt from one of numerous. It is from New Zealand.

“. . . One of the things that has surprised me much lately is that I have been m
the dark so long with respect to the swing away from the New Testament practice
in the New Zealand churches. Every visitor from our land to the United States,
must have been dazzled bv the magnificence of the Disciples’ churches, for no
mention was ever made, in my hearmg, of any dissenters or rifters of the lute.
Paradoxically perhaps, I would call myself an informed member of the church of
Christ, having been during the years in many offices, the majority of which were
not mentioned in the New Testament. “Readmg your messages in the Old Paths has
now altered my old easy acceptation of things as they are now practiced to New
Testament practice. This coming week I am to have a visit from a man and h'is
wife who have dropped fellowshipping with a church known as Associated church of
Christ. This will be my first opportunity of comparing notes with any like
minded Christians.” There are ethers with the same mind as this correspondent.
From their own yearly statistics, ft 'is evident that the digressive movement
will be dead in 50 years, at the present rate of 6000 decrease per ten year.
Their members are 30,000—perhaps. There are those souls who still remember the
old days and are not failing to tell the younger preachers about them, which is
having influence upon them—especially in the Bible college in. Sydney where I
found some capable and thinking young men, whom I believe will not allow
themselves to be cast into followers of the Disciple patterns. The time is
opportune to give leadership this phase of the work in Australia and New
Zealand. As one told me before I left, many of them now realize something is
wrong for they read in .the gospel papers, (that have been so generously sent
byr the saints here) of hundreds each week obeying the. old fashioned gospel in
America. And, the gentleman said, something is beginning to happen. True, some
will follow the trails blazed by American Disciples of Christ and will soon, we
predict, be speaking of themselves as simply another denomination, but we also
predict with certainty, that NOT ALL WILL FOLLOW. The Future Plans for Australia
(1) By the grace of God and the co-operation of disciples here and there we will
continue to preach the gospel m Australia through gospel papers such as The Old
Paths which I will publish in Sydney and other American gospel papers. By this
means we hope to keep the flame alight, and hope for a better day, giving
teaching and encouragement for those scattered throughout Australia and New
Zealand. Brother Roy Tidwell is ready to go to New Zealand. (2) Part and full
time preachers in Australia will carry on work already begun, but there is a
great need for two full-time preachers at least in New Zealand as at present
there are none pleading.for the New Testament order in its entirety. (3) The
sending of ten preachers with some money to carry on their programs over a
period of ten years, I firmly believe will put the New Testament church on a
firm basis and bring a new day for the gospel in that land —a land of
opportunity and destined to become a much greater influence in the world. It is
a land to which many people are migrating, for it is one land with great
resources and which is only in its infancy of development.

Here are some of the advantages: 1. Australia and New Zealand have small
populations. In Australia there are. but eight and a half million people, thus
the cask of reaching all is not endless. 2. The American dollar buys much in
these times. Suitable modest neighborhood meetinghouses can be built for $6000
to $7500. Radio time except for large cities like Sydney can be purchased at a
very, very reasonable cost. Low cost of living enables families to live much
cheaper than in the United States. 3. The Australian is quite friendly With the
American and there is little difference in customs. Some would rather be tied to
the “Yanks” than the English. 4. There are those souls in digression who are
quite sympathetic with American churches of Christ and mostly need guidance and
leadership. 5. As we speak the language, we can begin preaching immediately. 6.
There are those in New Zealand and Australia calling for leadership—aggressive
preachers from America. They want you to come. Will you hear their call?

During the time it may take to muster ten men to begin ten-year programs of
work, we want to continue our fellowship with brethren in the Antipodes. They
are so few among so many and they need your encouragement. Should you have ever
lived where you were practically isolated from all others of like precious
faith, you would well understand the great strength it gives to receive a visit
from some brother to spend some six months preaching the good news of salvation
and edifying the disciples in those lands. Churches can in time be established
in those lands if we will but send the men to preach with some means to help
them. We can profit by experience of brethren who have gone as parties instead
of ones and twos. Can we not find churches which will send ten men to start a
ten-year program? With the work carried on by the college Church, Abilene, and
others, better work can be done the next ten years. Men of faith—elders and
preachers—are needed for this work. The Antipodes is calling!

India By the grace of God, it was my pleasant experience to spend three months
among some Indian brethren in the province of Assam. These efforts were maae
possible by the College church of Christ which sent me and a sacrificing wife
who took our two older children and baby back home to the States by herself from
Australia to carry on for six months until I returned. My work there was a
continuation of the work begun by brethren Glenn L. Wallace and E. W. McMilKan
some two years ago.

History In the Khasi and Jainta Hills of Assam, from whence one may see the
towering, majestic, Himalayan Mountains, there live some 300,000 Rhasi Indians.
Among these there is no caste system and the women have equality with men. Some
one hundred years ago the Welsh Presbyterians went there preaching their
doctrine. But as true with many denominations, they bound upon the people a
humanly devised creed book, called a Constitution. By the Presbyterians, the
Bible was translated 'into the Khasi tongue.

Becoming dissatisfied with a human creed, some cast it aside as well as the
humanly devised name and mechanical music, taking the Bible only as their guide.
That was as far as some 40 congregations progressed. However ethers during the
past fifteen years have also put aside not only the Constitution, and their
human name, but also their christening, median-cal music, sprinkling, and
central organizations. Their practices in these matters are after the New
Testament pattern and they have come to these scriptural practices, not by
hearing preachers of churches of Christ in America, but by taking the Bible only
as their guide.

Some two years ago, one of the brethren of Mawlai was told by a native sectarian
preacher who had visited the States, that in America there were people who had
simdar beliefs to his. Those disciples meeting at Mawlai decided to investigate.
Their letter was sent to the church of Christ, Abilene, Texas, and happened to
come into the hands of Glenn L. Wallace. Their letter stated their beliefs and
practices and inquired as to beliefs and practices of the people called churches
of Christ in America. After considerabie correspondence with Brotner Wallace,
the College church, Abilene, sent Brother Sf. W. McMillian for a brief visit and
his efforts are well remembered and appreciated by the faithful there. He taught
especially concerning “open membership” and weekly observance of the Lord’s
Supper as some had not learned the truth on these subjects. At that time, there
was but one congregation in Mawlai calling itself the church of Christ. By the
time I ai rived there, were two.

After Brother McMilh'an’s visit, a Christian Church preacher came among them
teaching that the use of instrumental music was scriptural and the further error
that such was the only difference between Christian churches and churches of
Christ. It is to be remembered that the disciples there in Mawlai had decided
twelve years before that the use of mechanical instruments was without
scriptural authority in the New Testament, though they had been accustomed to it
previously m Presbyterianism. By the time I arrived, the brethren who contended
against the recognition of the sprinkled as members, allowing denominational
preachers to fill the pulpit, the use of mechanical instruments, (an issue
introduced by Christian Church preachers) and who contended for weekly eating of
the Lord’s Supper had been asked to go elsewhere if they were going to so teach.
So meekly, suffering the loss of their part of the building, father than to go
to law, these faithful brethren went out to carry on, as we did while I was
there, in a small dirt-floor tabernacle.

It 'is to be noted that the Christian church preacher has aligned himself with
those who recognize spi inkling. With this as one of the issues those contending
for immersion were deprived the use of the building. This is a sad, but old, old
story.

I was thankful that all had worked together that we might go and confirm the
saints there in the faith, for naturally there had been the trials and
discouragements attendant to their stand for the truth, and in view of the
Christian church havmg stationed a man there to champion the cause of the
digressive element. Our brothers and sisters in the College church, who made
possible the three month’s preaching, can be well assured that the disciples
there are thankful for your fellowship with them. In the hills there are a few
other congregations with which we visited. Some have been misled by the
digressive preachers. Personally wre would not estimate more than 200 disciples
among the churches since the digression, which perhaps cut the ranks in half.
Our Werk There During the three months, with the zealous efforts of the preacher
there were nineteen immersions. Of the adults half were from Presbyterianism and
Catholicism, and half from the national Khas1' religion of animism. There are
animal sacrifices offered. There are Khasi villages which still would not allow
one peacefully to preach about Jesus Christ; however, there are villages which
soften every year in their opposition.

We have some fine, caDable brethren there. There is much zeal. One brother
supports himself and goes about telling the good newTs of saltation, edifying
the saints, and thinks nothing of walking 25 miles a day in his efforts. Leaders
in public work of the church are expected to be examples to the brothers and
sisters. Some have very little education while a few have I>.A. degree
qualifications. Four different brethern interpreted for me. Though we lost a
building, we have the soldiers. Most of the disciples are poor, but there are
few destitute—by Indian standards. They have their internal problems, but there
is a wonderful spirit cf brotherly love, humility, and genuineness which are
great blessings in their difficulties. There is considerable sickness and as
medical help is beyond the reach of the average Indian, (doctor’s call cost is
five to six days labor) the sick must suffer until the disease has run its
course. (A few are opposed to doctors.) We went almost daily to pray in the
houses of those brothers and sisters sick and sometimes at late hours of the
night. It 'is their practice to call for the. elders to come and pray for them.
This also helped to create a fine spirit of brotherly love. A few of their
customs of interest are: the women sitting on one side of the house and men on
the other; one container for the men and another for the women at the Lord’s
table; when I immersed them, the Indians would simply squat down into the
water—the Indians being good squatters ! Prayers were of ten to twenty minutes
length.

Problems The Khasi translation of the Scriptures brings some problems. Generally
it is admitted that the language is a poor one. For example, the lack of a
definite article fails to give the force of the Greek or English text in such
passages as Acts 20:7, which shows a weekly eating of the Lord’s Supper. So it
is not difficult to understand why this practice, had not begun until it was
called to their attention by Brother Wallace in correspondence for their study.
Although the Mawlai church has for some months now practiced weekly eating of
the Lord’s Supper, the subject still requires emphasis in the villages to teach
disciples there. While we were there, one congregation purposed to begin the
practice as soon as elements could be procured.

Again, either the wresting of the passage by preachers, or the use of words not
suitable has prevented especially the young people from partaking of the Supper.
1 Corinthians 11:27 warns about eating and drinking at the Lord’s table in an
unworthy manner and the following verse in the English reads “For this cause
many among you are weak and sickly and not a few sleep.” The Khasi equivalent
says, “For this cause many of you have consumption.” As consumption is so
greatly dreaded, they fear to partake lest they be striken with the disease of
consumption. There, however, has been considerable improvement in the number
partaking, but it requires special attention still. Also, in the Khasi
translation there is not a word equivalent to “deacon” used in the text. The
word “preacher” is used in those passages as I recall. Thus one can more easily
understand some of the problems of the church there. The story of the Christiaps
in India illustrates to us so realistically and beautifully the simple
scriptural truth that if men and women will take the Bible only as their guide,
they will become one in their faith and practices and be members of simply the
Lord’s church whether they have ever heard of or seen one another. Not so with
the yoke of human creeds for to make people members of most denominations, there
must be the circulation and teaching of a human creed in addition to the Bible.
Let us thank God for the great freedom which is ours from the galling and
hampering yoke of human creeds and rejoice in the power of the living word. The
Future in Assam The brethren there will press on telling the glad news through
the Khasi hills. They know the truth and stand for the truth and will carry on.
At present one preacher is being supported by help from the College church.
Twenty- five dollars a month supports a native preacher and the Mawlai church
hopes to support that preacher by themselves by the end of the year. Another
brother spends his full time, but sustains himself.

There are several needs. First, there is a pressing need for literature on all
subjects in the Khasi tongue. That can be produced both here and there. Only a
meager start has thus far been made, and it is very important that we address
ourselves to this good work immediately. Secondly, there is a need for the
printing of words of songs (English style) to make up a song book. Thirdly, the
brethren are pressing on meeting in homes and in a brush arbor meeting place.
Twenty-five hundred dollars would provide a suitable place. Fourthly, we want to
continue our fellowship with these brethren by sending some brother annually to
spend two to three months with them. That will help provide the inspiration and
encouragement needed for the healthy growth and spreading of the gospel from the
now existing centers. Just one word of caution. In our efforts to help in India,
we must use wisdom lest the help we give create a great problem for brethren
there by causing people to seek out the church hoping for material rather than
spiritual gain.

How wonderful it is that though 10,000, miles from us and unknown to us Indians
have read the scriptures for themselves and become just Christians even as we
and to learn of their staunch love for the truth of Christ, with a genuine and
simple spirit in their efforts to do their best to « serve the living God and
follow the pattern of the New Testament. To God be the glory.


========================================================================
  CHAPTER 7: THE WORK OF THE CHURCH IN JAPAN
========================================================================

The Work of the Church in Japan THE WORK OF THE CHURCH IN JAPAN Harry Robert
Fox, Jr. This is the first time I have even had the pleasure of attending- a
lectureship at Abilene Christian College, and I am truly thankful for the
opportunity now afforded me. For many years I have noted the emphasis you have
placed on world-wide evangelism and the featured place you have given it on your
lectureships. Therefore, I count it a special privilege to be here. If it were
not for Christian schools such as this and other similar to it I do not believe
that we should be seeing anything like the wide-spread evangelism we are
witnessing today. For it takes a far bigger than average experience of
Christianity to tear a man loose from the world’s most favored country,.
America, and drive him out into the destitute places, sustaining him all the
while. A man has to have received a lot before he can give very much. And the
place where young Christians today are receiving the most is in our Christian
colleges. For it is in these schools that they are learning what Christianity
is, seven days a week and are getting their deepest insights into its meaning.
Only an experience of this depth and duration is big enough to break the vicious
circle of a man’s self-centeredness and lead him to any real concern for the
millions of earth who are lost. May each of us become so filled with the grace
of God in Christ that we shall never rest content until all men now living shall
at least have had the opportunity of tasting even a little of that grace also.

Before telling you of the work of the church in Japan as it is today I really
ought to tell you something about the fifty years of work done over there before
the war. But due to a lack of time I will not be able to give you so much as an
outline of that history. For any of you who may wish to read of it I might refer
you to Brother J. M. Mc- Caleb’s book, Once Travelled Roads or to an article by
the same author in The Harvest Field.

Also for lack of time I will not be able to describe all of the work being done
in Japan, but will have to limit myself in the main to what is being done in the
state of Ibaraki. However, since two of the families now in Japan but not in
Ibaraki are Abilene Christian College graduates I thought you might be
especially interested in hearing a firsthand, though brief report concerning
them. I refer to the Ed Brown and Bill Carrell families. They are located in the
state of Yamanashi seventy miles due west of Tokyo. This puts them 160 miles
southwest of us who are in Ibaraki (90 miles northeast of Tokyo), and in some
ways that seems as far to us in Japan as 500 miles would seem in America.
Therefore, we do not get to see each other very often—^perhaps not more than
nine or ten times a year. Nevertheless, we are well acquainted with the work
they are doing in Yamanashi and are very favorably impressed. I personally feel
that they are doing the most outstanding piece of “located work” of any in
Japan. Unlike us in Ibaraki who are spreading ourselves thin in an effort to
reach as many as possible, the brethren in Yamanashi are concentrating on a
limited number of places and building up some fine local congregations. Not only
have they established these fine churches, but in the town of Otsuki they have
built the finest church house' among us: a building large enough to seat 250
people, and all for the small cost of $3,000.00. But now to move on up to
Ibaraki which I just said was ninety miles northeast of Tokyo. Ibaraki is the
name of a state just as Texas is the name of a state here in America. But
whereas all of the Japanese islands put together would comprise an area less
than that of California there are more states in Japan than in America.
Therefore a Japanese “state” more nearly resembles a county in an American
state. And when I tell you that the eight of us who are working in Ibaraki are
covering no more than about half of so small an area as that little state you
can understand me better when I say that we have not hardly begun to make so
much as a small dent on Japan. Even when all of the eighteen workers (not
counting wives) are taken into consideration not much more can be said, for all
of us are located within a radius of 120 miles of Tokyo. Yet within that small
area there are probably not less than 20,000,000 people. So even if we never
spread out any more than we are nov/ we will still have plenty to keep us busy
for the next fifty years. (The total population of Japan is 81,000,000). Our
post-war efforts in Ibaraki may be described under three headings: (1)
Evangelism, (2) Located work, and (3) Ibaraki Christian College.

Evangelism. Our primary purnose for being in Japan is, of course, evangelism. In
fact, everything we do is motivated by that purpose. Therefore, in one sense it
might be said that everything we are doing in evangelistic. Yet part of our
wTork is more directly evangelistic than other parts. I refer to our practice of
roving evangelism. There is never a week but that each of us travels many miles
through numerous villages, towns and cities preaching the gospel to hundreds of
people. During the summer months we hold a great many protracted meetings. Most
of this preaching is done in private homes, but much of it is done in rented
jftyip and public school auditoriums. And there >s never a week passes but that
we do not get more, calls to have the gospel preached than we can answer. What a
heartbreaking experience to have to turn down people, who have never before had
one chance to hear the gospel! At first we tried to answer all the calls, but it
wasn’t long until most of us had broken down physically and had to place a limit
on howT much we could attempt doing. Never have I seen or heard of any other
place that offers the golden opportunity for preaching the gospel than is to be
found iij Japan in these post-war years. To most of the people who hear it the
gospel means exactly what the word implies: good news. And it is such
surpassingly good news that they are not willing to settle for just thirty
minutes of it. Nor are they willing in most cases to settle for less than two
hours. In many places they ask for three and five hours, and in some places as
much as seven hours. One village I preached in last summer kept me going (off
and on) for twelve hours.

Therefore, with all due respect to every other field 1 am inclined to believe
that Japan offers the greatest opportunity for evangelism of any place in the
world. It may even be true that the church has never been presented with a
greater opportunity than this since the first century. Here is a whole nation of
people temporarily in confusion looking for a new way to go. Up- until the past
war they had believed themselves to be a divine nation specially created by
certain gods to rule the world—and the proof of this was supposed to be in the
Japanese never having lost a war in all their more than two thousand years of
history. Therefore when they did actually lose a war and have their divine
Emperor tell them that he was not a god the people were given serious cause for
reflection. If you want to put yourself somewhat in their place try to imagine
our having lost this last war and Jesus apoearmg to all of us in person telling
us that he was not the divine Son of God we had believed him to be these nearly
two thousand years; that all we had believed and depended upon was nothing more
than an empty lie. Is it any wonder that a lot of people over there have become
sceptical of all religion and doubt the possibility of knowing any truth?
Nevertheless there are a great many other people who are ready to make another
try at a new start. And for most such people there are only two alternatives:
Christianity and Communism.

It is too bad that the church has not responded to this challenge any more than
it has. I am firmly convinced that if we had sent a thousand preachers over
there immediately after the war there would now be (five years later) no less
than 3000 congregations with a total membership of at least 100,000. I base this
estimate on the experience, the handful of us have had who did go to Japan after
the war. Take Ibaraki for instance. From the fall of 1946 to the fall of 1950 no
more than eight American evangelists have worked in that area. Yet in those four
years, six pre-war congregations have been revived and more than twenty new
congregations have been established with a total membership of more than 1500.
Such response to the gospel is phenomenal, and is especially so when compared
with the pre-war response. Back in those days if an evangelist could baptize as
many as five in one year he thought he had headline news. There were times when
a worker might not baptize even one person in several years. Yet today I do not
know of a single town, village or city in all of Japan where an evangelist might
not go and, after a year or so of preaching, baptize many people and establish a
congregation. Thus is removed one of the chief objections against sending
workers to Japan which was raised back in pre-war days: that the results
achieved over there were hot worth the dollars invested.

Located work. The past several years of evangelism have produced so many
responses to the gospel that baptisms have outrun our ability to care adequately
for all those baptized. We do not have enough preachers to go around for all the
congregations which have come into existence. But until such time as enough
native preachers and elders can be trained and developed to serve in the various
local churches we American evangelists are going to have to spend about a third
of our time serving in the capacity of located preachers. Each of the eight of
us in Ibaraki has selected a church to serve in this way, and there are several
native preachers who have done likewise.

One of the greatest opportunities connected with local work in the Japanese
churches is the Sunday school. Take for example the church in Ota where I was
located with a membership of some two hundred. There are so many boys and girls
who attend Sunday school there that we have to hold classes in two sections of
town every Sunday morning. And how many pupils do you suppose are enrolled in
these classes? Nearly one thousand. And most of these are present every Sunday.
A similar proportion prevails between the church membership and Sunday school
enrollment in the majority of other congregations in Japan. No one can estimate
the great amount of good which must surely come from such teaching programs.

Another similar teaching opportunity on week days exists in inany of the
communities where churches are located. That is the opportunity of using the
church building for conducting a kindergarten for pre-school children. By means
of this the church is able to reach hundreds of little children with the gospel
for two years, five days a week just at a time when the. deepest impression can
be made on them. And just to give you some idea as to how effective this type of
work is I should like to call your attention to the' fact that about fifty per
cent of all the young people we have baptized in Ota since the war were pupils m
the church kindergarten we operated 15 to 20 years ago. There Is no comparison
between the kindergarten and Sunday school educated Japanese, and those not so
educated in their ability to understand the gospel when it is presented to them
and to obey it. Their early experience of Christianity provides them with a
capacity for believing m God which is entirely lacking in most of those who have
never had such an experience.

Ibaraki Christian College. I am well aware that the estab-lishment and operation
of a “Christian College” is not the work of the church in the same sense that
’is true of the “evangelism” and “located work” wluch I have just described to
you. Nevertheless since such work is not entirely unrelated to the church I do
not think that it will be out of place for me to discuss Ibarak' Christian
College in connection with “the work of the church in’Japan.” Inasmuch as about
ninety per cent of all the people we are baptizing in Ibarak:1 are between the
ages of 17 and 25 we are confronted with a particularly acute problem. These
young people are of high school and college age and most of them are going to
school just as long as they possibly can. But young m the faith as they are,
they are certain to find it extremely difficult if not impossible to maintain
their faith against the infidelity, Communism and other isms with which their
own schools are filled. The two or three hours of Christian teaching- which they
receive on Sundays simply cannot compete with the overwhelming impact of what
they get five or six days a week in the schools. But we are interested not only
in seeing these young people negatively preserved from losing their faith, but
also in seeing them positively grounded and strengthened in a full knowledge of
the word of God. This cannot be accomplished in the few hours a week we have
them on Sunday and Wednesday nights. Nor can we go into their schools and teach.
Therefore we are firmly convinced that the situation demands the establishment
of a Christian college after the pattern of the ones we have found so helpful
here in the states.

Consequently in April of 1948 the first unit of Ibaraki Christian College was
set up, and since then the school has grown to where it has three years of high
school and two years of college located on a thirty acre campus and fully
accredited. More than three hundred students are enrolled this year, and the
results achieved so far have more than demonstrated the advisability of
establishing the school. As far as I am personally concerned it is the
fulfillment of a dream which dates back to the day in 1932 when I first saw and
then attended one of our Christian colleges here in America. Never until then
had it ever entered my imagination that there was anywhere on earth where so
much of heaven could be experienced. And because it was largely the fulness of
that experience which had enabled me to return to Japan in 1947 I hoped that it
might be possible that such a school should be reproduced in Japan. Nor was I
the only one who hoped for a school like that. All the others who went over felt
the same way, not to mention several Japanese brethren. As a result, hundreds of
Japanese young people are now able to en-joy what so many of you know who have
attended one or the other of our Christian colleges in the states. The daily
chapel hour itself 'is worth the price of the school, and it is to you who know
what this means from experience that I should like to appeal for help in
completing the develop-ment of Ibaraki Christian College.

Now just a word concerning what we stand for—as well as what we stand against.
We stand for the whole of God’s word: nothing more, nothing less. This naturally
puts us in opposition to all that is contrary to that word. Among the many isms
which we believe to be out of harmony with the teaching of the Bible are
Sectarianism, Modernism, Naturalism, Legalism and Premillennialism. We are
opposed to all of- these and any other teachings which we find to be untrue when
measured by the Bible. Whenever and wherever any of these false doctrines raises
its head we may be counted on to expose it and teach the truth that opposes it.

Needs and Opportunities. Our most promising need at the moment is for money with
which to complete the construction of buildings on the campus of Ibaraki
Christian College. Already thirty acres of land have been bought and paid for
with your generous help. Also a high school building large enough to accommodate
200 students; a junior college building big enough to house an auditorium
seating more than 300 people, five administrative offices, classrooms enough to
care for 100 college students and a library; a home economics building; a
science laboratory building; a quonset hut for laboratory; a small gymnasium and
two American faculty homes have been built and paid for. With $100,000.00 more
we can build two badly needed dormitories, an administration building, two more
classrooms, an adequate gymnasium and a few other small buildings. This will
bring the total cost of the entire school to only $150,000.00—which is less than
the cost of one dormitory on the campuses of our Christian colleges in America.
Think of it: fourteen buildings on a thirty acre campus for less than the cost
of one in America. And the thing that must'be kept in mind is that the students
who go out from this school are going out as preachers, school teachers,
carpenters, farmers and' fishermen to spread the knowledge of God wherever they
go. What a small investment for such large results. (One hundred and fifty
individuals contributing a hundred dollars apiece will make possible the girl’s
dormitory which we need so urgently right now). A second need closely related to
the first one just described is a student aid fund. We charge our students only
two dollars a month tuition and eight dollars a month room and board. But very
few Japanese can afford to pay that much. (The average salaried worker earns
between $15 to $25 a month). Therefore if very many young people are ever to go
through Ibaraki Christian College they are going to have to have financial
assistance. We do not favor giving them their room, board and tuition outright.
Rather we should like to be able to lend them enough to make it possible for
them to finish their schooling. Then after they have graduated and have a job,
they can pay back the loan into the revolving student aid fund, and the money
can be used to help some others through. Already a number of individuals are
contributing to this fund, and many others should be able to do so without any
trouble at all. Even as little as two dollars a month—or even one dollar 'a
month, for that matter—will mean a lot in providing a Christian education for
many worthy Japanese young people. A third need is for church buildings for the
many congregations which have been established. The Japanese members are too
poor to pay for the size buildings needed. Yet if we wait until such time as
they may eventually be able to pay for them the work of the church will be
seriously hampered in the meantime. As long as the churches continue to meet in
private homes the average Japanese is going to get the impression that the
church is a temporary thing—perhaps nothing more than a part of the American
occupation and is sure to go when it leaves the country. But in every town and
village the roof of the local Buddhist temple or the top of the Shinto shrine
can be seen reminding the people that there are two religions that have been
here a long time and with which they are going to have to deal for a long time
to come. Now if we can put up church houses in those same towns and villages the
church will also be saying to the people that it, too, means business and
intends to be there for a long- time and does not intend to be ignored. And what
do you think it will cost us to put up such buddings m the average town or
village? They will be large enough to seat from 100 to 150 people and will be
built on concrete foundations; also they will be built of sturdy and good lumber
and covered with a hard tile roof; they will have lots of glass windows and will
be wired for electric lighting; in front they will have a large vestibule and in
the rear will have rest rooms. And the cost for such buildings will not be
$10,000.00. Nor would it be $5,000.00—or even $3,000.00. It will be only
$1,000.00. For the $50,000.00 it is costing us to build the average church house
here in America we can put up 50 buildings in Japan, and these are not houses
that will fall to pieces tomorrow. They will still be here fifty years from now
and by the time they may be worn out the Japanese brethren should be able to
build what they need at that time. A fourth need is for a limited amount of
support for native evangelists. If the church is ever to become, firmly rooted
in Japan it is going to have to be done by the Janan- ese themselves. We are
training men as rapidly as possible and at present have a number of men wTho
could give full time to preaching if they had support. The Japanese churches are
too poor to support evangelists full time right now. But the golden opportunity
for evangelism is now, and we ought to use every man full time who is available.
The cost is so small from the American standpoint that there is no reason why it
cannot be done. A single man can be supported for as little as $15.00 a month; a
married man without children for as little as $25.00 and a married man with
children for between $30.00 and $40.00 depending upon how many children he has.
A fifth need is for money with which to publish gospel literature. The Japanese
are voracious readers and will read all the material we can furnish them. No
church teaching program can be complete or lastingly effective that does not
include the printed word.

Finally there is need for more American workers to go to Japan. And in order
that the church may be inspired not only to send more workers to Japan but to
all the nations of each I should like to tell you the following. During this
past war I had more than one experience of having Americans come to me and
complain, “Why, oh why, are the Japanese behaving so atrociously? How can anyone
in this enlightened twentieth century do the things they are doing?” And they
appeared shocked. But in reply I showed no surprise at all, and said, “What more
can you expect? Surely you do not expect pagans to act like Christians.” And
that is the whole point exactly. Even though we had won many a debate with those
who hold the false idea that men can be converted by the direct opera-tion of
the Holy Snirit independently of the written and preached word of God, we were
daily practicing a denial of our very contention. For we were acting as though
we believed that the Japanese as well as most other people would just naturally
become “Christianized” and “civilized.” No, there is no way for men to act like
Christians except to. become Christians first. But there is no way for men to
become Christians other than to hear and obey the gospel of Christ. We all seem
to be agreed that as far as Americans are concerned “faith comes by hearing and
hearing by the word of God.” Why should not the same be true of the Japanese and
everybody else? Until we are willing to dig in and work hard to make Christians
of all men everywhere the only way Christians can be made, let us quit
complaining when they do not behave themselves. For this past war should have
demonstrated once and for all the falsity of the idea that “it doesn’t make any
difference what a man believes just so he is sincere.” What difference - did it
make that the Japanese believed themselves to be a divine nation and their
Emperor a god? The answer to this was written unmistakably at Pearl Harbor. Or
what difference did it make that the Germans believed themselves to be the
superior race? The answer to this has also been written in the blood of millions
of men.Let us therefore be about our Father’s business of preaching- the gospel
in season and out of season. Omika, Ibaraki Ken, Japan.


========================================================================
  CHAPTER 8: CHURCH BENEVOLENCES
========================================================================

Church Benevolences CHURCH BENEVOLENCE A. R. Holton

“And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was,
he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. “And
there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had
opened the book, he found the place where it was written: “The Spirit of the
Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor;
he hath sent me to heal the broken hearted, to preach deliverance to the
captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are
bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord” (Luke 4:16-19).

It is said that upon one occasion the multitude was milling about like sheep
without a shepherd. The disciples suggested to send them away, that they might
go and buy- bread. And then we have the significant statement that Jesus looked
upon them and had compassion upon the multitude (Mark 6:34-36). Something enters
into the situation here that the people had not been accustomed to. The
compassion of Jesus was compelling. In the account of the Samaritan (Luke
10:30-37), we are told that this was the difference between the Samaritan and
two others. A man was wounded and left by the roadside for dead. A priest came
by, looked at him and passed by on the other side. A Levite looked at him and
passed by on the other side. The Samaritan looKed at him, and came to him and
had compassion on him, and poured in oil and wine on the wounds of the man,
carried him to an inn and saw that he was taken care of, and provided means for
his further care. Two men saw him, but that was all. One saw him and had
compassion on him. And it is this that.makes the difference.

Jesus went into this whole subject in the 25th chapter of Matthew, where he
gives the account of the judgment. This scripture points out that mankind will
be divided like the shepherd divides the sheep from the goats. The sheep he
places on his right hand, the goats on the left hand. Just as the shepherd makes
this division, there will be a division in mankind. And this division will not
be on the lines of race or nationality, or education, or any of the things that
men form as barriers to each other. This division will be on the basis of our
attitude and our relationship to our fellow men. This relationship, Jesus points
out, is not only the relationship between human beings, it is, in the long run,
the relationship between the individual and God; because Christ is the Son of
God, and Christ is Lord, and he says that if you have visited the sick, if you
have clothed the naked, if you have visited a man in prison, you have done these
things to the Lord. And if you have not met these human needs, it is as if you
had done them against the Lord himself. And mankind will be divided on that
basis. Those who are hungry, those who need clothing, those who are sick, those
who are in prison—your relationship to these unfortunates determines your
relationship to Christ.

It is interesting to note what we would find today if we visited the sick, and
the prisoners, and the hungry and the naked. We would find mental disorders as
well as physical disorders. And Jesus simply means that the church, or his
kingdom, is going to face up to these human needs and human problems. And our
attitude toward them will determine our destiny. Christianity is a fellowship,
and Christianity has a message for these unfortunates; it has a remedy for all
these ills, and it was the purpose of Jesus Christ that his church and this
fellowship spread to every creature on earth, because when he gave the
commission, he said, “Go teach all nations, go preach the gospel to every
creature.” He intended this fellowship to be world-wide and to include all men
and women. Jesus had a message for the unfortunate while he lived on earth. He
had compassion on the multitudes. This was his attitude. Jesus said, “Seek ye
first the kingdom of heaven, and all these things shall be added unto you.” He
was talking about food and clothing, things to wear, and things to eat. And he
knew how concerned the world was about these things; and not only did he know
our concern about them, he knew the absolute necessity of food and clothing.

He knows what we have need of; and he tells us the way to secure these
things—-“Seek ye first the kingdom of heaven, and all these things shall be
added unto you.” Anyone then who thmks that they have a real solution to the
problems of the world without God and his kingdom, are certainly wrong. The mere
dispensing of food and cloth-ng is not the way. Jesus said there is something
else if you will do, then all these things shall be added. The greatest thing
then that the church can do for humanity is to increase the fellowship of the
church and extend it as far as we can to all mankind.

Let us look then just a moment at what the Bible points out as the. reason why
we lack things that arc needful. James tells us that ye have, not because ye ask
not (James 4:2). And this leads us at once then into the field of prayer and
worship. What a boon could come to the suffering millions of our earth if they
could be led into real worship of God! So much today of materialism has spread
mto the very places where hunger and disease and nakedness has full sway. These
things could be done away with if the hearts and lives of the people were, in
accordance with the will of God. Worship is the place wherever a man lights a
candle to carry with him into places of darkness. And worship is the place where
we meet God, and have the inspiration to grow Christ-like. And somehow he
managed to get along in a world of poverty, had no place to lay his head, but we
have felt that somehow Jesus was lich, and that here is a life that had riches
beyond, all compare. What a wonderful blessing then could come to men if they
learned really to cooperate with (tod. And not only do we lack these things
because we do not ask, we are told in this same scripture that when we pray, wTe
pray that we may consume these things upon our own lusts. In other words, waste
is sinful, and the misuse of God’s bounty is sinful. Jesus in teaching his
disciples to pray, told them to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.” And
this is certainly a recognition that even bread comes from God, and that waste
and selfish use of material is the reason that these things are taken away. And
when we look at the economy of our world today, and realize that 50 per cent of
our human resources on this earth goes to war and the prosecution of war, and
when we think of the astounding debt, and interest, that the world has to pay on
account of war, you can see at once that it is waste that destroys the very
bounty of the world. To get mankind then to seek the kingdom of God, certainly
all these things could be added. The church has at its command the resources of
science in the betterment of humankind. There isn’t a congregation in the land
but what could render a great service in any community, if they mobilized the
resources of that congregation for human help. There are doctors, there are
business men, there are successful teachers in all the professions, and
successful men and women in many ways. If all of this could be turned and
mobilized for human help and human aid, what a difference there could be in this
world. And then in the third place, we are told to work with our hands, that we
may have to give to others. Paul said in Thessalonians, “If a man will not work,
he shall not eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:10). It was said in the very beginning that
man should earn his bread by the sweat of his brow (Genesis 3:19). Christianity
then in this world would bring an honest day’s work, and would dignify work to
the level as something done for God, for humanity. We certainly need this
blessing to come to the world. Work is a great character builder. A population
without work is a dangerous situation, for the individual and to the community.
The powder keg which may explode a world any minute is this great mass of
unemployed. Work means also independence of mind. No man is absolutely miserable
who has work to do. It is in work that self is forgotten. In work, we can forget
human slights, and can forget many disagreeable things by being lost in the
doing of our duty. Many a man has found himself by giving himself to the duties
of today. Work means courage, patience, and faith. And out of these come a
peace, the peace of God. Tn work is refuge from the world. We need to come back
in our country to preaching the old fashioned doctrine of work and its place in
the affairs of men. It was Ralph Waldo Emerson who said, “To every reproach I
know but one answer, to go again to my work.” Work is the greatest balm for
grief. How many people have you known who have been able to bear a great sorrow
because they had great work to do? Work has been the relief and the release of
many a broken heart.

Thousands of people have turned away from a funeral service, where all the
beauty of the word of God and the Beauty of flowers were all around—they have
turned away from this to relate themselves to the living who, in some way, it
was their duty to uphold and protect. And in the discharge of these duties to
the living, there was balm for sorrow and grief. It was Jesus who said. I must
work while i| is called today, for the night soon comes when no man can work
(John 9:4). It was Tolbert Fanning at Franklin College in Nashville who, in the
1850’s, said to his students and to the public, that no nation has produced a
happy people without work. He said, “Show me a people who work, and I will shew
you a happy people.”

Happiness has a strange quality. If you seek it, you lose it. I am sure it has
been the observation of us all that the happiest people are busy people. Health
of body , peace of mind, and worthwhile work to do.will bring its share of
happiness. The New Testament church had for its ideal to have the mind of Jesus,
and therefore, the New Testament church was a church that entered in
wholeheartedly into this matter of meeting human needs. Jesus had said at the
little synagogue in Nazareth, “The Spirit of God is upon me, and he hath
anointed me to preach to the poor, to bind up the broken-hearted, to preach to
those m prison, and to the blind, and to preach the acceptable year of the Lord”
(Luke 4:18-19). Jesus had just returned from the temptation, and in this
temptation Satan had given him an entirely different program. Satan had said,
“Make bread out of these stones/' But Jesus answered, “It is written, Man shall
not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeded out of the mouth of
God.” They were insisting, you see, that mere relief was all that was necessary.
Jesus points out, Man shall not live by bread alone; it isn't enough to give
bread to the world. And that’s where the program of the church differs from
every other relief program in the world. And then Satan had said, “Fall down and
worship me.” In other words, divide your loyalty. But Jesus said, “Thou shalt
worship the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy mind, and with all
thy soul.” A division of loyalty to God is fatal. This is the same thing as when
he said, “Seek ye first the kingdom of heaven, and all these things shall be
added.” The worship of Satan is the point at which the kingdoms of the world
begin their own destruction. It was Plato who said, “Every human organization
has in it the seed of its own destruction.” And that’s why Jesus said, “Every
plant which my heavenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted up” (Matthew
15:13). And then Satan said, “Climb up on the temple and jump off, and it will
not hurt you.” In other words, engage in some scheme, attract attention. And
Jesus points out, “Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.” In other words, it is
as much a religious act to use the brains that God has given you, and cooperate
with him and all of his laws, as it is to pray or sing. Because in praying and
singing, you are cooperating with God and his laws. In using your intelligence,
you are also cooperating with God and . his laws. Faith in God does not mean a
lack of intelligence, or a lack of reason; faith in God is the summons of the
entire man to follow the revelation of God. So Jesus comes back to the little
town of Nazareth, and having met the three temptations of Satan, he announces
his own program. The church got the idea very early, and we are told that they
appointed seven men to serve tables in Jerusalem (Acts 6:1-6). This was a care
for the needy. But humanity is one, and the human personality is one. We are
body, and we are soul, and there is no sharp distinction between spiritual
matters and xnaterial matters; because the serving of tables was, after all, a
spiritual matter. Which leads us to say that today mankind has only one problem,
and that problem is spiritual. These, seven men who were appointed to serve
tables produced two of the church's greatest evangelists. Philip and Stephen
came out of this group., which proves again that you cannot separate the
material from the. spiritual. Faithful discharge of duty in serving tables is a
good preparation to be an evangelist. At Corinth Paul said, “As I have given
order to the churches of Galatia, let each of you upon the first day of the week
lay by in store” (1 Corinthians 16:1-2). The church had in mind the great help
to the unfortunate and to the needy. They were carrying out this spirit of
Jesus; and throughout the New Testament we find this same spirit. The
qualifications of the leadership of the church in elders and deacons had the
qualification of given to hospitality. Jesus had said that there are two things
that fulfill the law—love God and love your neigh-bor. Brethren in the Jerusalem
area “sold their possessions” (Acts 2:4 b) ; Barnabas from distant Cyprus joined
the parade (Acts 4:36-37) ; Antioch promptly dispatched messengers to Jerusalem
with needed substance (Acts 11:27-30) ; Dorcas busied her hands in her
individual effort to help the cause of mercy (Acts 9:36 ff) ; Galatia, Macedonia
and Achaia poured the wealth of their generosity into the stream of benevolence
(1 Corinthians 16:1-4; 1 Corinthians 8th and 9th chapters. 2 Cor.) ; the hearts
of Philippian saints beat in sympathy with needs of the veteran Paul
(Php_2:25-29; Php_4:10-20) ; and James informed them that they possessed pure
religion only as they ministered to needy widows and orphans (James 1:27). Thus
is seen the manner in which the early church handed down the spirit of
compassionate ministry so wonderfully demonstrated by the Master. Now all this
was done without aid of a single human society or organization. It was the
church at work! “Unto him be glory in the church” (Ephesians 3:21) is herein
indisputably demonstrated.

Young people need advice about marriage and home; they need advice about the
selection of a calling and a work. Many broken homes could be saved if advice
and help could be given. The benevolent program of the average congregation is
growing weaker and weaker. We are depending more and more upon secular
institutions. And secular institutions can no more fulfill this field than they
can in the field of education. We believe that the church has a peculiar
contribution to make to the education of our children, and we believe, that the
church has a peculiar contribution to make to the needs of humanity, and that
somehow it is impossible for man to think straight without God. We will lose our
freedom without God, we will dry up human compassion without God, and we will
have a sec-ular, godless world, poised finally as an army of scientists and
technicians, but without heart, without conscience, without God. May the day
never come when we shall wholly separate human life on this earth from God and
his cause.

Lead me, yea lead me deeper into life, This suffering human life, wherein thou
liv’st And breathest still, and hold’st thy way divine. ’Tis here, 0 pitying
Christ, where thee I seek, Here where the strife is fiercest; where the sun
Beats down upon the highway thronged with men.


========================================================================
  CHAPTER 9: THE CHURCH IN KOREA
========================================================================

The Church in Korea THE CHURCH IN KOREA S. K. Dong

I am more than glad to have this privilege again on this lectureship, I thank
Abilene Christian College faculty for this privilege. Last year they gave me the
subject, “The church in Korea.” I have again the same subject, “The church in
Korea.” Last year I told that the church in Korea needed many things, but first
of all, she needed two American missionaries and asked you friends to pray “the
Lord of the narvest, that he would send forth laborers into his harvest” because
Korea is the field white already to harvest. Thank the Lord that he called two
young couples to go to Korea as missionaries to help the Korean young and weak
Christians grow in the wisdom of our Lord, and teach them to be teachers,
preachers, and leaders in the future churches. One is Brother C. W. Rhodes, Man-
gum High School Principal, Mangum, Oklahoma, who decided to go to Korea as a
missionary with his fine young Christian wife; and the other is Brother "Wallace
White- horn, one of the Abilene Christian College graduates and one of the Mars
Hill Bible school teachers in Florence, Alabama, who also decided to be a
missionary hi Korea with his good Christian wife. Certainly, it is wonderful
that the young people gave up everything—their fathers, mothers, relatives, and
friends—to do the will of our Lord in Korea. I thank the Lord for them and thank
you friends wTbo prayed to the Lord. I hope they will go to Korea as soon as the
conflict is settled and do the great work of our Lord m Korea.

Now I am standing before you again to speak on the subject, “The church in
Korea.” I will not tell you about the church in Korea—when and how the churches
were established there or other things concerning her. But one thing I want to
sayr to you is that the church in Korea needs good Samaritans today. A long,
long time ago a very intelligent and well educated young man came to Jesus and
asked two questions— first, “Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
and secondly, “Who is my neighbor?” The result of these two questions was that
there appeared three classes of men— namely, priest, Levite, and
Samaritan—besides the thieves and wounded and half dead man, I will read the
parable of the Good Samaritan according to the gospel of Luke (Luke 10:25-37). I
am sure that you all know this parable well, but I want you to refresh your
minds in this parable. “And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tempted him
saying, Master what shall I do to inherit eternal life? . . . Then said Jesus
unto him, Go and do thou likewise.”

Let us think about this parable. I believe that it is the best and greatest
teaching of Jesus Christ by the parables, for both humanity and morality. In
this parable there are. five kinds of men—namely: priest, Levite, Samaritan,
thieves, and wounded man. I think this parable represents the five human races
in the world or the first three classes of men represent us m this room
religiously. That is, according to the teaching of this parable, every one of us
belongs to one of these classes—namely: priest, Levite, or Samaritan. Now where
shall we put ourselves —in the place of the priest, Levite, or Samaritan. As far
as I am concerned, I do not belong to any of these because I am a Korean and
standing before you m behalf of the Korean refugees who are. starving to death
and frozen to death as you know through the first- pages of the newspapers every
day.

I would t'ke to emphasize one word in this parable; that is, the word of
“chance.” Jesus Christ said, “And by chance there came down a certain priest
that way; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.” “And likewise a
Levite” and the Samaritan. These three men all had the same chance to prove
themselves—what kind of people they were. I do believe that there is a chance
for the world to be peaceful or to be in chaos. Each nation has also a chance to
prove what kind of nation she is. So individually, every person has his or her
chance to prove to be good or bad. . The priest and Levite had exactly the same
chance as the Samaritan had. But the first two men when they saw the chance,
they passed by on the other side. I am sure that chance never came to them
again. Thank the Lord that the third man, a Gentile or heathen, yet instead of
passing by on the other side, took the chance “and went to him and bound up his
wounds, pouring in oil and wine and set him on his own beast, and brought him to
an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow when he de-parted, he took out
two pence and gave them to the host, and said unto him, take care of him; and
whatever thou spendest more, vdien I will come again, I w ill repay thee.”
Indeed, he was wise enough to take the chance and use it. Certainly, he was
gracious enough to have “compassion on him” who fell among the thieves and was
half dead. Surely, he was merciful enough to go to him, and bind up his w ounds
pouring in oil and wine and set him on Ins own beast, and brought him to an inn,
and took care of him. And. on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence
and gave them to the host saying unto him, “Take care of him, and whatever thou
spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.” Indeed, he was lovely
enough to be the “neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves.” I am sure you
will agree with me if I will say that our lord had said to that Samaritan,
“Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the
foundation of the world” because, “Inasmuch as ye did it unto him that fell
among the thieves, even this least, ye did it unto me.” Don’t you think it will
be a fine and wonderful thing if all of you put yourselves in the place of the
Samaritans and can hear the voice of our Lord? We should take the chance and do
it. Now I will show you a picture that we Koreans have never passed away the
chance, when we get it, by telling my own experience. . In June, 1935, I came to
Nashville, Tennessee, for my third trip to America. In Nashville I went to the
graduation exercises of Mon Suk Kang (some of you might know him) who was a very
intelligent and faithful young Methodist preacher. Dr. Yang, a Methodist bishop,
brought him to Vanderbilt University and educated him four years because he
thought that he would be a very useful man in Korea if he had an American
education. After the graduation exercises, we went to a restaurant and had a
fine dinner. Then we went to the capitol grounds and sat down on the grass and
were talking about different things. Finally he said, “Oh, I am happy.” I said
to him, “Why are you happy?” He said, “I will go back to Korea and will see my
wife and daughter.” I said, “When will you go?” and he answered, “Next
Wednesday.” I then said, “I am very sorry about it.” He got mad at me and said,
“What is the matter with you?” I said, “Because it is exactly my experience. You
have been in Vanderbilt only four years, but I was in Northwestern University
seven years and went back to Korea. I preached for fourteen years nothing but
Methodism to the Koreans. So you will preach Methodism only because you have
nothing but Methodism.” He said, “What is the difference between Methodism and
Christianity?” Then I took out my New Testament from my pocket and showed him
the differences. Then he said, “It is different.” “Where will you preach next
Sunday?” I said to him, “I will preach in Waverly-Belmont.” He asked me where
the church was and I showed him how to get there. He came, and I preached on the
subject, “What must I do to be saved.” Then I went to the 12th Avenue church of
Christ in the evening to speak. Mon Suk Kang went to Waverly-Belmont that very
evening and was baptized by one of the elders, Brother Lipscomb. Indeed, he took
the chance to be saved. Certainly, this story proves that the Koreans never pass
up the chance, if they have any chance to be saved. The next Monday morning he
came to me and said, "Oh, I am really happy now.” I said, “I am happy, too.” He
said, “I will go to Korea with you.” I said, “It is right, but I would like to
make a suggestion. If I were you, I would stay in one of the colleges of the
church of Christ at least two years. You have the truth but just enough for
yourself. You don’t have enough truth to give to the Koreans. Therefore, you
must have plenty truth first in the, college of the church of Christ, then you
will go back to Korea with plenty of truth to give other Koreans.” Then he said,
“Oh, I would like to do that, but how can I stay here two years because I
haven’t any money. The Methodist church people supported me entirely for four
years.”. I said to him, “Never mind about the money part, if you really want to
stay in one of the colleges of the church of Christ. They will help you
financially better than the Methodist.” He said, “Yes, I will.” So, I wrote to
Brother N. B. Hardeman about him and Brother Hardeman wrote me back saying for
me to send him there and they would take care of him. So he took that chance
again and went to Freed-Hardeman College and got plenty of truth in two years
there. Then he went back to Korea to give the chance to those Koreans who were
in the shadows of death to be saved by the preaching of the simple New Testament
truth. Do you think we Koreans pass away the chance as the priest and Levite or
do we Koreans take the chance as the Samaritan? Certainly, we Koreans have never
passed away the chance.

Now I will prove to you that the church in Korea has never failed to take the
chance as Brother Mon Suk Kang did. Brother Kang went back to Korea and began to
give the chance to the Koreans to be saved. In the first place, he gave the
chance to his mother and wife by preaching the New Testament truth. They took
the chance to be saved. His mother had been a Presbyterian Bible woman for
thirty years. She had the highest salary among the Bible women because she
worked longer than others, but she gave up the highest salary and poeicion to
take the chance to be saved. Then she began to help her son, Brother Kang.

I am sorry to say that Brother Kang got sick and died, then she couldn’t live
with her daughter-in law because they had no income to support them. So she went
to China because her daughter who married a Presbyterian preacher was in China
working among the Koreans. She stayed in the Presbyterian church preacher’s home
and got all of her support from him financially, but she kept the truth just the
same. We have a proverb in Korea something like this, “If a man has a needle in
his pocket, the needlepoint comes out when the pocket is touched outside.” She
had the truth in her heart. When she spoke with the Presbyterian women, the
truth came out from her heart just a little, as the needlepoint came out from
the pocket. One woman said, “Oh, I never heard that. Let me see my Bible.” She
looked up her Bible then. She was interested and another woman did the same
thing. There were four women who wanted to know the truth. They asked her to
teach them the Bible regularly on every Sunday. It is the Korean women’s
characteristic that when she sees something good, she wants to have it. She was
very glad to have the chance to teach them the simple New Testament truth. Of
course, it is a natural thing that those women were talking to their husbands at
their homes, that they were learning the truth. One man was interested about it
and said to his wife, “I would like to go to your Bible class and hear about the
truth.” So she brought her husband to her Bible class. Another woman talked
about the Bible study to her husband, and he wanted to come to the class, too;
so she brought her husband there, too. Finally the four women brought all their
husbands to the Bible class. Then the other Presbyterian church people joined
the Bible class to learn the New Testament truth. Indeed, it is in the Koreans’
characteristic that if they know something good, they want to have it. Also, I
may say it is the Korean church characteristic today because the Christians are
the members of the body of the church of Christ.

Now they learned the truth fully how to be saved and wanted to be baptized in
immersion for the remission of their ‘sins, but who could baptize them? There
wasn’t anyone who was baptized in immersion except Brother Kang’s mother, but
she was a woman so she couldn’t do it according to the New Testament church.
Their hearts were burning for the truth more and more. They wanted to obey the
Lord in the baptism for the remission of sins. They knew through the Bible
studies that they had to be buried with Jesus Christ in the baptism to be a new
creature. Their hearts were burning continuously for the truth; therefore, they
decided to collect some money and send one of the them to Korea to be baptized
in immersion and come back'to China to baptize them all. So they did it. One of
them came to Seoul, Korea. I was in the North and he couldn’t come to me for he
had limited money so he went to one of the digressive preachers, Mr. Sung, and
was baptized in immersion by him. Then he went back to China and baptized all of
them there. It is the characteristic of the church in Korea. Did you ever hear
such a story as this? Indeed, the Koreans are trying to have the truth, if
someone will teach it to them. That is how the church in Korea wants to grow in
wisdom of God and in the grace of our Lord.

Then the Presbyterian church in Korea heard about how their members in China had
been baptized in immersion. They wrote to the missionary, “What was the matter?
We sent you money every month to preach Presbyterianism, but you did something
else.” Of course, the preacher didn’t want his mother-in-law to stay in his
house any more so she had to come out from her son-in-law’s house. Then all of
the new born Christians came out from the Presbyterian church and had their own
worship services to worship the Lord in spirit and truth as the apostolic church
did, and they collected money on the first day of the week to support Sister
Kang. They kept the Lord’s Day, just as the churches of Christ in America,
having communion services every Lord’s Day and had no musical instruments in the
worship of the Lord. They were getting along very nicely; but when the second
World War was stopped, then the Chinese rose up and killed the Japanese and
Koreans. All the Koreans were trying to come back to Korea. Three families of
Christians came to Seoul and joined the Nasoo Chung church of Chust which was
the first of the four churches in Seoul and my family attended there. They were
very active. The name of one of the three families is Ohai. That family saved my
family at the time of the Red’s occupation of Seoul. It is also a wonderful
story which shows the characteristic of the church in Korea. When the Reds
captured Seoul the first time on June 27, 1950, the Reds came to our home and
forced all of my family to go to the outside of the city where no one could see
them to kill them. But my wife and whole .family were crying out and making a
big noise. Then the Reds let them stay at the home, and they took away all the
rice and money that my wife had, leaving them to starve to death. The Reds did
this twice. After that robbers came with pistols and took away everything they
could. Then my wife had absolutely nothing for the family to live on. There were
many people around our home whom we thought were our friends. But they did
nothing for my family. Even Mr. Lee, a son of the Methodist preacher who was
very rich, and wrho I thought was our best friend and neighbor and who lives in
the next house to us, did nothing for my family. But Brother Chai and his family
brought a few pounds of barley to my wife, although they live a long way from
us. My wife put a handful of the barley into a big kettle with lots of water and
boiled it. The whole family ate the barley soup winch helped to keep them alive
until the IT. N. Forces recaptured Seoul, September, 1950. Thank the Lord that
he saved my family through Brother Chai and his family. This event proved the
parable of the good Samaritan and the characteristic of the church in Korea. The
church in Korea is certainly like the church at the apostolic age; they helped
each other as they could. The above event reminds me of a proverb in Korea which
says, “Anything comes out from you will return to you.” And I also remember the
scripture which says, “Every man shall receive his own reward according to his
own labor.” I hope you all see the picture that I have tried to show you; that
is, if I hadn’t helped Mon Suk Kang in Nashville, June, 1935, to have the chance
to obey, the Lord, do you think my family could have been saved in Seoul last
year? Surely 'it couldn’t be. How wonderful the work of our Lord is! I did just
little work of salvation in Nashville in 1935, but it went around to Korea and
China and came back to Seoul and saved my whole family. Indeed, this event
proved the parable of our Lord of the mustard seed (Matthew 13:31-32). By the
way, I don’t know how long I will speak this morning. The program shows that
there isn’t anyone going to speak after my speech until this evening. It means
that I can speak all day long if you will listen to me that long. Well, I
suppose you like to have your good dinner rather than to hear my poor speech; so
I will stop my speech at twelve because I don’t want you to miss your good
dinner. In conclusion, again I say to you, friends, I am standing before you and
am seeking to find “Good Samaritans” for, as you know through the pictures on
television, and through the voices on the radio, and from the first pages of the
newspapers daily, the terrible conditions in Korea. Indeed, millions of Koreans
fell among the thieves of communism. Some of them are the members of the church
of Christ who are your brethren and sisters. Certainly, they are wounded and
half dead physically and spiritually. Won’t you have compassion on them? Won’t
you bind up their wounds and pour in oil and wine? Won’t you take care of them?
Won’t you be a neighbor to them as the Samaritan was for the wounded man? I am
sure if you do it, likewise you will hear the voice of our Lord, “Well done,
good and faithful servant—enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.” “Inasmuch as ye
did it unto one of these, my brethren, even these least, ye did it unto me.”


========================================================================
  CHAPTER 10: PREACHING THE GOSPEL IN GERMANY
========================================================================

Preaching the Gospel in Germany PREACHING THE GOSPEL IN GERMANY Otis Gatewood

It is indeed a great joy to talk to you about the spreadixig of the gospel of
Christ in Germany. Even though I shall talk primarily about Germany, I hope to
tell of opportunities in other European nations.

Evangelists have gone to many other parts of the world, hut we have been slow to
realize that there is a need for going mto Europe. Nothing was done in Eurone by
churches of Christ until following the second world war, but since then,
churches have been established in Italy, France, Belgium, Holland, and Germany.
I know when we think about Europe, we may think of a country that has been
Christianized, but also wre must think of a country that has been troubled, and
when it is troubled, America is troubled. Up until following this last world
war, we were to a great extent, isolationists, when it came to European affairs.
But now since the world has been made smaller by fast airplanes and fast methods
of transportation, we have learned that as is Europe, so is America. If Europe
is at war, wre are at war. If Europe is at peace, we are at peace, and so it is
of vital concern to us as to what happens in Europe. When we go to Europe to
teach, wre go among people who were our ancestors. They are therefore easy for
us to understand. They are people who do not have to be taught to believe in
God, Christ, or the Bible. They already believe in that. They do not need to be
educated. They are among the leading educators of the world. They have produced
some of the best scientists of the world. Rome of the best musicians of the.
world have come from Europe. So naturally in thinking of spreading the gospel of
Christ, it should have been our thought a long time ago to go to Europe with the
message of the gospel of Christ. Why we haven't, I do not know.

1 am sure that many of you are vitally interested in what has been going on down
in Italy. The evangelists who have gone to that field have done a wonderful job
of preaching the gospel among almost impossible difficulties. But Brother Paden
has already made a report on that field, so I shall not say more. In France,
Brother and Sister Maurice Hall, Brother and Sister Melvin Anderson, and Brother
and Sister John Akin are faithfully teaching the word of God. It is unique that
they are in Paris, the largest city in Europe, and it is fine to know that in
the midst of the most wicked city in the world, about 60 people have already
been baptized and a place of worship has already been purchased. Native men are
being taught to preach the gospel. We go on into Belgium, where we find Brother
and Sister S. F. Timmerman. They are working gallantly and they are doing a fine
work. Three congregations have been established, one in Pepinster, one in Liege,
and one in Vervieres. In Holland you find the work that lives as yet in honor of
Brother Jacob C. Vandervis, who is now 75 years of age and is too old to
continue that work and has returned to America. But there, Brother Harry Payne,
Brother Bill Phillips, and Brother Bob Bakuis, a native of Holland, are laboring
with two fine congregations, one in Haarlam and the other in Amsterdam.

While we are looking for opportunities to preach the gospel in Europe, there are
people in Norway who are inviting us to come; there are people in Denmark who
are pleading for preachers; there are people also in Sweden who are interested.
There are also great opportunities as we look down further to the south in
Athens, Greece, where members of the church have already sent numbers of
packages of clothes and food to heal those people in mind and body. And then
when you go over into Palestine, you find many Arabians who have been converted
to believe in Christ and the Jews who are busy building up their country. I am
sure that we are all glad to know that Brother E. Gaston Cogdell is studying
Hebrew in a Jewish seminary in Cincinnati in preparation for going back to
establish the church in Jerusalem, the place where it was originally founded.
Then as you go from there down in the south and on east, you find the Mohammedan
empire, with perhaps Cairo presenting the most wonderful opportunity. Think of
this, friends. There are more Mohammedans in the world than any other
non-Christian religion, and up to this time we do not have a single evangelist
devoting his time toward teaching the gospel of Christ to the Mohammedan world.

Now, as we return to Europe, we see Germany, the trouble spot of Europe. Yes,
the nation that is to Europe what Europe is to America, and as we say, ‘as goes
Europe, so goes America,’ so we can say also, ‘as goes Germany, so goes Europe.’
It seems therefore, to be only natural that we have more missionaries in Germany
than we have in any other place in Europe. Germany has been our enemy for two
world wars and it is good to know that we are doing much there to make them not
only our friends but also our brethren. More people have been converted in
Germany than in any other nation in Europe, or perhaps in all other nations in
Europe. That doesn’t mean that evangelists in Germany have done any better work
than the others; we just had more men to work there. The people’s ideas seemed
to be uprooted in a greater way. They were in want and were quite receptive to
the gospel of Christ. There are many of us tonight that could point a finger of
accusation and scorn to Germany and say, “You killed our sons and caused trouble
and unrest in the world.” Yet members of the church of Christ should be very
grateful to Germany because it was Martin Luther, a German, who broke away from
the Catholic church in the 14th century and started the Reformation Movement. If
the Reformation Movement had not been started by Martin Luther when it was,
perhaps we would not be so far along in the Restoration Movement tonight and
many of us might not have heard the gospel of Christ. Since Germany has been the
leader in the Reformation Movement, since she has produced so many scientists,
educators, and musicians, we should be convinced that Germany is capable of
great good, just as she is also capable of great harm. It is my firm conviction
that if we can firmly establish the cause of the Lord in Germany, we will have
done much to spread the kingdom of God throughout all of Europe.

It is good to be able to say that after 3 V2 years of labor in Germany that
there are now in Germany nine congregations. If you would have told me 3V2 years
ago when we went to Germany, that I would be back here now telling you that
there were nine congregations in Germany, as optimistic as I was in regard to
the work in Germany, it would have been hard for me to believe. It would have
been hard for most of those who have gone to believe it and even sometimes now,
we stop almost in the midst of our work and say, “Is it true, what has
happened?” And yet it has happened, And yet what has happened is only the
beginning of what is going to happen in Germany. What has been done in Germany
has not been the result of what one person or one congregation has done. It has
been the result of4 the co-operation of a number of gospel preachers and a large
number of churches who have realized that it is their responsibility to stand
behind those who go and support them so that they can go and work as they
should.

Brethren, we are just recovering from a period of time when an evangelist went
away from our shores to preach the gospel when, to a great extent, he had to go
at the risk of being starved to death and then forgotten. It hasn’t been too
long that churches have been interested in shouldering the responsibility and
staying behind the man who went and supported them, but not only supporting
them, but yea, advising them. Not long ago I knew of a man who returned from a
foreign field, after having spent several years there. He came back to his home
congregation. He was there for a Sunday and they didn’t even give way to let him
report to that congregation. They only called on him for a short talk following
the regular sermon. The elders of the church didn’t even have a meeting with the
man while he was in their city to discuss with him what he was doing. They
thought, ‘ We are supplying the funds, that’s enough.” But, brethren, in New
Testament times the churches took an interest in what the preachers were doing.
The fact that Paul and Barnabas reported to Antioch wThat they had accomplished
in Asia is proof that the church took an interest in what they were teaching and
how they were doing it. I am glad tonight to know that churches in America are
again beginning to do the same thing.

I know that it is different from the way pioneer preachers had to go in this
country. I know that there are pioneer preachers who are 'in this audience
tonight, who have gone out in mission fields in America when they didn't get
even the expense of the trip that they went on. Many of them have made far
greater sacrifices than those of us who are going today with the support of fine
congregations and fine Christian people standing back of us. But oh, what a
tragedy it is to see that there are within the church those who think that we
ought to return to those old days when churches would not send preachers out and
stay behind them. But some churches still think their only responsibility is to
send evangelists their money and leave them alone, let them do what they want
to, and take no more interest in them. The Lord placed upon the church the
responsibility of planting the gospel in aU the world. Paul said that the
manifold wisdom of God should be made known by the church (Ephesians 3:10.).

I am glad that over in Germany there are a number of faithful brethren supported
by a number of different con-gregations and that these brethren are working
together. We have learned how to work together peacefully, har inoniously, and
constructively to build up the church of the Lord. It is easy for us preachers
to bUe and devour one another and it is sometimes hard for us to go into a new
place and learn to work together, but I am glad to know that we have learned how
in Germany. Shortly after Christ was baptized he chose twelve apostles to help
him, and then seventy more disciples. They were not scattered mto all parts of
the world. They concentrated their efforts 'in Palestine until they had changed
that country to such an extent that Peter could preach one sermon on the day of
Pentecost and convert three thousand. We are trying to follow their example, but
let me point out a few other things to show you exactly how we are working in
order to help one another and each contribute to what the other is doing in our
work in Germany.

David Lipscomb College and the churches in Nashville have made a great
contribution to the work in Germany by releasing and sending Brother and Sister
J. C. Moore. Somebody asked “Why is he going over there? He is not a preacher.”
But I don’t know of anybody that has done more for our work there than J. C.
Moore. One thing, he has taught us preachers how to manage our 'business and,
you know, preachers are about the poorest business managers that you will find.
Now some of you say, “Oh, I don’t know about that. What I get I manage pretty
well. I just don’t get enough.” Well, that may be the reason we can’t manage
very well. We just don’t get enough to manage. But Brother Moore has been there
and he knows how to take care of the funds that have been contributed to the
work. He knows when he is getting a bargain and if somebody wants to go do
something and he knows that it is a bad deal, he will tell us about it.

There are Brother Lloyd Collier, Brother Palmer, Brother and Sister Helsten,
Brother and Sister Bennett, Brother and Sister Artist. Ah, as I name over these,
I think of the different places that they can fit into the work over there.
Brother Collier is the kind of a man willing and ready to go around and do all
the jobs no one else wants to do. Brother Palmer is the kind that likes to teach
in a school and can lead our singing and teach people how to sing wonderful
songs. Not long ago we had a singing, and it was wonderful to hear those people
sing the gospel of Christ in the German tongue. It is a great inspiration to
listen to Brother Palmer lead them. Brother Bob Helsten, why, he is the most
humble man in our midst, willing to work himself to death. No one would know
he’s around much, but everybody learns to love him. When everybody is
discouraged, he can think of something funny to say and it really helps. One of
our best evangelists for holding meetings is Brother Bennett. Brother and Sister
Berinett are fine workers. Brother Artist got his Doctor’s Degree in science.
Somebody might ask, “Why would you want him over there?” Well, no one is any
better qualified than Brother Artist to go in and talk with those modernists. He
is always ready to show them that the Bible is inspired. Also in Germany are
Brother and Sister Keith Coleman, Brother and Sister Richard Walker,'Brother
Herman Zie- gert, Brother Delmar Bunn, Sister Helen Baker, a trained nurse,
Sister Katherine Patton, a stenographer, Margaret Dunn, and Irene Johnson. Then
down in Munich, there are Brother and Sister Bob Hare, Brother and Sister Jack
Nadew, Brother and Sister Max Watson, and Brother and Sister Dick Smith. Let me
say that out of this group, there is not a premillinialist, modernist, smoker,
or warmonger in the whole group. The brethren who are over there are energetic
and anxious to plant the church of the Lord, and there is not a brother ip our
midst who has been questioned doctrinally or judged as unsound. The
congregations that are sending them are congregations that are known in the
brotherhood as being firm in the truth, willing to stand behind them, advise
them, and are personally interested in their welfare. But what is being done in
Germany is not just being done by Americans alone. If you would have told me
three years ago that by this time, we would have Germans standing in the pulpit
preaching, native preachers who had been Nazis and German soldiers, I wouldn’t
have believed it. I don’t know how the providence of God led us to do it, but we
found another Martin Luther over in Germany in the form of Dieter Alton. Fred
Casmir and Helmut Prochhow are also fine. I think David Lipscomb College and the
men who have taken time to instruct them and the churches who brought them here,
can be justly proud of the accomplishments in sending those boys back to Germany
to preach the gospel of Christ. Dieter Alton, Fred Casmir, and Helmut Prochnow
are able to defend the church before anyone. When I mention these boys I am
reminded of what Africa did to help with the work in Germany. The Central church
in Nashville has been helping for a long time to establish the. church in Africa
and as a result of that work today, we are blessed wonderfully in Germany
through the providence of God. There was a young German man, back in about 19P8
who went down to Africa He saw the unrest that was in Germany and he got him a
job to stay away from the influence of the Nazis and sent for his sweetheart to
come down and jom him. He was working for a rope factory, and while there in
Africa, the war broke out be-tween America, Germany, and Britain. He was
interned and while he was in prison, the church of Chrst there -where Brother
Chester Brown and Brother and Sister George Hook were preachug, needed an
engineer. Brother Steineger, this young man that went from Germany and was
interned, wras an engineer. They released him to them, and what did that do?
What did that start? Ah, that started back in 1945. In 1946, Brother Sherrod and
I, one of the elders of the Broadway church, who is hore (he has paid his own
way to Germany twice) went to Germany, thinking we were beginning the foundatmn
of the work in Germany; but down in Africa, something was working that we didn't
know about. Brother Palmer and I landed in Germany on June 6, 1947. But on
exactly the same day, Ulrich Steineger landed in Bramerhaven. He didn’t know we
were landing and we didn’t know he was landing, but a few days later, here came
a message from Africa, through America, to Germany saying there was a Christian
in Hamburg who was converted in Africa. We wrote for him to come to Frankfurt.
He came and has been working full time in the church there, since. He is one of
the most influential men in our congregations. His name is Ulrich Steineger. He
has a fine Christian wife and four children. He takes the leadership in the
Tiergarten congregation, does personal work daily and is now going to Heidelberg
regularly to help with that congregation. I verily believe that if every
American had to leave Germany tomorrow the church would go on, because of men
like Dieter Alten, Fred Casmir, Helmut Prochnow, Ulrich Steineger and a number
of other German men.

Besides these men who are already working full time in Germany, WP ha^e some
more boys 'm school here in America and some who are giving their full time to
training in Germany. There are two more boys now in David Lipscomb College—-Hans
Novak, and Dieter Goebel. Two are now attending A. C. C.—Rene Oheneaux Repond
and Dieter Buchholz, and soon two will be receiving training in Harding College.
In addition to this we are giving training to a number ol young men in our
school in Frankfurt. Three years ago we started a school in Frankfurt with only
a few students registered. When it opened for the third y ear in September 1950
there were twenty five young men and women registered. In this school only
religious subjects are taught and our specific aim is to train teachers,
preachers, and church leaders. We have a regular course of study in which we
teach the same Bible courses taught m a regular four year college. The third
year mcludes courses that are usually offered to complete a Master of Arts
Degree in religion. In addition to these courses that are taught in the day
time, we have numbers of courses that are taught at night, time in order to
prepare the members of the church who cannot attend during the .day time. All of
these classes are taught in a building that was completed January 1951 and is
located just across the street from the University of Frankfurt. If any of our
students desire to study secular subjects they can get this training in the
University tor we do not teach secular subjects. We have class rooms in our
build'ng for five hundred and a small auditorium that seats two hundred and now
a larger auditorium that will seat nine hundred ^s being built at this same
location. All together in and near Frankfurt we teach about forty classes per
week and have enrolled between two and three thousand people. Of course not all
of these classes are taught in this one building but in different halls that -we
have rented for this purpose. But rooms for such classes are getting harder and
harder to get. It has always been a problem to find places in which to conduct
Bible classes and church services. But we were able to get them because we were
helping so many peonle with food and clothing, and the universities, schools,
and city officials were glad to do us favors. But the longer we have been there
the more and more we have converted people. Naturally the Lutherans and
Catholics do not like this and have been bringing pressure on city officials to
not let us have those buildings. In some places they have succeeded in closing
the school buildings we were using. For example, in Heidelberg we were teaching
about one hundred children but the schools have closed their doors and now we
have no places in •which to teach them. Fo1* these and other reasons we believe
it is time for us to erect buildings of our own in which to teach and preach.
This is necessary if our work is going to continue to be successful. For that
reason my brethren in Germany sent me liack to America to raise funds for seven
different church buildings with class rooms. These buildings are to be erected
in Frankfurt, Hanau, Heppenheim, Heidelberg, Mannhenn, and in Munich. All
together we. will need about $200,000.00 to erect these buildings.

You might think that the German brethren should pay for the erection of these
buildings, and they are doing all they can. Several of the congregations have
laid aside substantial amounts, considering their incomes, to help in erecting
their buildings. But it would take a number of years for the German brethren to
§et aside enough money to erect the buildings that are needed now. For that
reason we came to America with the conviction that American brethren would be
glad to furnish the money for these buildings and thus push the work in Germany
ahead so that we can take advantage of the opportunities that are there now. But
we are not waiting' for buildings to be erected before we work with all our
strength. Summer before last we decided that we would like to conduct the first
gospel meeting in Germany. We didn’t know whether the people would come or not,
but we experimented to see by renting a large tent in which to conduct a tent
meeting. We were well pleased to see about five hundred people every night
coming to hear the gospel of Christ. Then this last summer we bought our own
tent and moved it every two weeks to a new location and I have seen as many as
seven and eight hundred people per night coming to hear us preach. This coming
summer and perhaps every summer from now on our tent will be on the move again
while we go out to harvest souls for the kingdom of God. In these tent meetings
two of us usually do the preaching while the rest of us do personal work. As we
go out to do personal work we take the young men along with us who are in our
school and teach them and train them just as Paul trained Timothy and Titus by
giving them actual experience under our guidance in teaching and winning souls
for the Lord.

It is good to be able to tell you about these good things that God has done with
us and through us in the spreading of his kingdom. But there are opportunities
in Germany we have never even begun to touch. The people in Berlin, Hamburg,
Bremen, Hannover, Stuttgart, and hundreds of other German cities are just as
receptive as the people in the cities where we have already gone with the gospel
of Christ. It has been our earnest desire from the very beginning to go to these
cities just as soon as possible with the gospel of Christ. For that reason we
have been as busy as possible in training young men who are Germans that they
might help us reap the harvest of souls that is now ripe. But we should not wait
until we have these young men adequately trained to go. We should go now. Daily
we receive letters begging us to send teachers not only to these cities but also
even to eastern Germany behind the iron curtain.

We now have an opportunity to get on Radio Luxenbourg, the only radio station in
Europe on which one can buy radio time, and start broadcasting the gospel all
over Germany. This station is two and one half times as strong as the strongest
radio station in America. The broadcasts will begin about the first of August
and all winter long we shall be going into thousands of homes with the gospel
where we have never before gone. Brother Dieter Alten will be doing the
preaching and in connection with these broadcasts we shall be offering our
correspondence Bible course to any who desire to enroll free of charge. All
winter long these broadcasts will continue and by the time next summer comes we
believe that we will have fifty or one hundred enrolled from Berlin, Hamburg,
and other cities. By then we should have a number of men who will be prepared to
go into these new places and work together in a united effort to establish the
church just as we have worked together in and near Frankfurt and Munich. But we
need more American evangelists and teachers to come to Germany to help us. The
German people now are particularly receptive to American preachers. They much
prefer to hear American preachers to their own preachers. They are dissatisfied
with their old religions and are looking for something that is new and better.
If there are fathers and mothers who can send their sons away to die on the
battlefields for their country there should also be hundreds of Christian
fathers and mothers who will be willing for their sons and daughters to come to
Germany to help us. If you have a son or daughter who has finished high school
or is in college we would be glad for them to come to Germany. There they can
continue their Bible training in our school while at the same time we use them
and train them in mission work in a place where the people are begging for the
truth. Within the next few years we hope to begin preaching the gospel in ten or
twenty more German cities, and after several years of work in these cities we
can tell you that we have ten or twenty thousand brethren in Germany. If we can
convert a thousand in three years m and near Frankfurt and Munich we can do
equally as well in the other cities. Brethren, when we make investments by being
willing to give our sons and daughters into this work we are helping to make
troubled Europe a peaceful place in which to live. And in so doing we are making
a real contribution to the peace of this world. War with its devastation, where
it has killed more than twenty-two milhon people during the last war, has made
the German people particularly receptive to the gospel of Christ, and we cannot
claim to be true citizens of the kingdom of God if we allow this vacuum to go
unfilled. They wull turn to something, and if they do not turn to ways of peace
they will again turn to ways of war. How do you know but what (tod has raised us
up for such times as this. I close with the words of the song we have so often
sung:

Far and near the fields are teeming With their waves of ripened grain . . . Lord
of Harvest, send forth reapers . . . * Hear us Lord to thee we pray. Send them
now the sheaves to gather Ere the harvest time pass by.

If we respond and are .willing to go ourselves, we are only making an investment
in the destiny of our own children. History shows us that apostasy has come in
many places, and the indications are that it w”ll come again here in America
through the influence of some paper, school, corrupt and selfish preachers, or
cold and indifferent congregations and ciders. If we send the pure gospel to
Germany now maybe in a few decades they will be sending evangelists back to our
country to preach the gospel here after the truth has been destroyed by
anostasy. And if we are willing to go now", willing to sacrifice enough in going
and in sending, God will bless us, and if we are willing to work hard enough I
feel sure that God will providentially overrule the. destiny of the rulers of
the different lands so that we will perhaps have the chance to go to many
nations in Europe and make our contribution in helping to prevent the third
world war.


========================================================================
  CHAPTER 11: THE WORK OF THE CHURCH IN AFRICA
========================================================================

The Work of the Church in Africa THE WORK OF THE CHURCH IN AFRICA Leonard
Mullens

Africa, with its land area of 12,125,000 square miles, stretching for 5,000
miles from the north to the south and 4,500 miles from the west to the east, is
a land of contrasts. Altitudes range from sea level to over 19,000 feet in the
mountain ranges. The sands and wastes of the Sahara Desert embrace 3,500,000
square miles (500,000 square miles more than the area of the United States),
while it is possible to ski on the slopes of mountains located on the equator.
In Africa, men dwell in mud huts on the plains and in modern cities of a million
in number. Lush tropical jungles grow in profusion at the very foot of
snow-capped mountains, and the little muddy waterhole on the African savannah
may be contrasted with great inland lakes, one of which is but slightly smaller
in the area it floods than the whole country of Scotland. Africa, with its
150,000,000 people, who speak seven hundred different languages, is too vast and
too varied to be summarized in the time of this discussion. The principal forms
of native religion are Animism and Fetishism, while both Christianity and
Mo-hammedanism have made some inroads in the past few centuries.

Now, the work of the church in Africa may be divided into three parts: the work
in the Rhodesias, the work in Nigeria, and the work being done in the Union of
South Africa. The Work in the Rhodesias First, we consider the work in the
Rhodesias, which has been carried on for about thirty years. With this work,
most of us are more or less familiar, and such names as Scott, Sheriff, Lawyer,
Short, and others are well-known to us in this connection. This is a work among
the native peoples, and is well established in nature, with about 15,000 having
been immersed; however, we must report that many of these have drifted back to
paganism. Among these native Christians in the Rhodesias are some very able
preachers and Bible students, who carry on the spread . of the gospel entirely
without assistance from the white race in some instances. Brother Foy Short
found fourteen congregations, in various phases of development, on a trip
recently, which we did not know existed. Sister Sewell and Burns, supported by
the Trinity Heights church and the Sears and Summitt congregation have but
recently begun work among these natives. The seed of the kingdom has been sown,
and is being sown in the Rhodesias. The Work in Nigeria The spread of the word
of God in Nigeria, with its pop-ulation of 20,000,000, reads like a legend from
a book of fairy tales. This country, a colonial possession of the British
Empire, is known as the “white man’s grave yard” and it is reported that
everything in Nigeria either has a poisonous bite or a poisonous sting. Located
just north of the equator, the mean annual temperature is about 80 degrees F.,
and its delta lands are very unhealthful, especially for the white race.

Now, the work of the church in Nigeria cannot be told without telling the story
of Brother C. A. Essien, a native, and until a few years ago a member of the
Methodist church. Through his study of the Bible, Brother Essien became
dissatisfied with the Methodist religion, and began to find his way to the
truth. In many ways, Brother Essien may be compared to Alexander Campbell, for
he is truly the “Campbell” of his country, though he has come in eight years
over the road that it took Campbell many years to travel. For five years,
Brother Essien was on his own, and for the past three years has had some contact
with others in the Lord’s church. Brother Essien first heard of the church of
Christ in March of 1948, through a Miss A. M. Braun of Bavaria, Germany, who
runs a library of international correspondence schools in Europe. Somehow,
Brother Essien had the address of this woman, and wrote to her, inquiring for a
correspondence course in the Bible. Now, wre do not know that this is true, but
it is entirely probable that Miss Braun had heard the “Back to the Bible”
broadcast over the Lourenco Marques station, located on the lower eastern coast
of Africa. Or, perhaps, Miss Braun had come into contact with some service men
in the United States Army, who had acquainted her with the correspondence course
which had been designed by the Lawrence Avenue church in Nashville, Tennessee,
especially for the use of the military forces during the last war. At any rate,
Brother Essien secured this Bible course, completed all the lessons, and
immediately began to teach others. Truly, “God works in a mysterious way his
wonders to perform.” In a few weeks time, the. Lawrence Avenue church
dis-tributed about 160 sets of this course to the natives, under the direction
of Brother Essien. The Central church in Cleburne, Texas, provided about 350
more of these series of lessons. As these natives learned the truth, they taught
others, and the good news spread in all directions. Preachers began to leave the
denominations, and bring their entire congregations with them to the truth. In a
letter written to this country, on the 12th of December, 1950, Brother Essien
stated: “It is true we have so many churches. They were converted some from the
Apostolics, Catholics, Christ Army, church of Scotland, National church of
Christ, Church of the Nazarene, African Church. African Apostolic, Lutherans,
Methodists, and some from the Christ Apostolic Church of Gospel Missions.” Up to
the present time, there have been about 200 congregations formed, with a total
membership of between 8,000 to 12,000 souls.

You are all familiar with the. fact that Brethren Eldred Echols and Boyd Reese
were sent to Nigeria from South Africa in August of 1950, and you are acquainted
with the report which they brought back of the work. Brother Echols reports that
there is no discernible difference between a worship service in Nigeria, and one
in the. average colored congregations of Texas or Tennessee; .Our hearts rejoice
at this great news from the jungles of Africa!

Brother Reuel Lemmons of the Central church in Cleburne met in January with
leaders of some of the Nashville, Tennessee churches to see what could be done
to further this Nigerian work. From that meeting, two things have been planned:
1. Brethren Echols and Reese will return very- soon to Nigeria for a period of
four months, and during this time they will teach the native preachers of
Nigeria. The Central congregation in Cleburne has undertaken the task of raising
the $2,500 that will be needed to finance the mission of these two brethren for
this time. Not only will these brethren instruct the native evangelists in the
way of the Lord more perfectly, but they will also survey the field and
determine just what kind and type of help is most needed there. If it is deemed
an act of wisdom to send white evangelists to Nigeria, then these brethren will
make the necessary preparations for their coming, such as housing, and
otherwise. 2. Tennessee churches will try, in the meantime, to find two American
congregations that are willing to support two white families in the work there.

We are happy to announce that provision has been made for the support of Brother
Essien and for a native preacher to assist him. In this respect, the sincerity
of Brother Essien has been demonstrated by the fact that he has spent his own
money in furthering the work. The proceeds of two farms and a blacksmith shop
which he owned have gone to extend the borders of the church in his land.
Brother Essien will receive about $63 a month, and from this, he will pay his
assistant, and also meet his car expenses. The salary he will receive will be
equivalent to that which is paid by the British government for native officials
in that colony. Further developments of the Nigerian work may be read in your
papers from time to time. However, this news has but recently reached us from
Brother Essien. He has been approached by a group of Nazarene churches, and
writes about the matter after this fashion: “Many churches are waiting to see
the white men come, especially the church of the Nazarenes. They are up to 200
churches, and want to be converted to the truth at seeing you brethren.” What
Brother Essien means by this is that the Nazarenes are convinced of the
scripturalness of the plea of the church, but that they are waiting to see some
white members of the church. We do not understand such reasoning unless we
realize that many Africans have no confidence in anything preached by a black
man unless he can prove that there are white men somewhere who preach and
believe the same doctrine. This is indicated by an incident that occurred when
Brother Echols and Brother Reese first went to Nigeria. They were met by some
men who wanted to be immersed, for they had learned the truth long before, but
they would not obey it until Brother Essien had produced at least one white man
who believed it. lie had told them that there were many white Christians in
other lands, but they called him a liar to his face. Upon meeting the white
brethren, they said, “Now we have seen, and we know that he was telling the
truth after all.” This is a peculiarity of the African mind. The needs of
Nigeria will be presented to you when these needs are fully known. However, it
would be most helpful to Brother Essien and the Christians in that country if
they had a short wave battery radio. Then they could hear the broadcasts from
Lourenco Marques. Incidentally, such a radio would cost about $100. The Work in
the Union of South Africa Now we shall consider the work in the Union of South
Africa, which is a British Dominion consisting of the provinces of the Cape of
Good Hope, Natal, Transvaal, and the Orange Free State. The Union covers an area
of about 472,550 square miles, and is mostly composed of a high plateau,
standing high above the Atlantic and Indian oceans, which wash its shores. It is
a land of sunshine, with an average of twice as many sunny hours as London, and
a very mild and pleasant climate. It would seem to be a topsy-turvy place to us,
for winter comes in July and summer in January. The Union is sparsely settled,
due mainly to the arid condition of the plains. However, the British government
is at work now on irrigation projects which will greatly stimulate agriculture
and industry. The South African Board of Trade has predicted that by 1955 the
population will exceed 14,000,000, while it stands now at about 12,000,000, of
whom about 2,500,000 are Europeans, 7.250.000 are Bantu (Negro), and the rest
are mainly Jews and Asiatics. The white peonle live mainly in the towns located
on the “gold reef,” which is a backbone of mountain ranges that makes up the
southern end of the great east- central range that stretches the entire length
of the African continent. These people dwell m about fifty towns that range in
population from about 25,000 to a million in Johannesburg. South Africa is the
last large relatively undeveloped country in the temperate zone left on the
earth, and the British government predicts that the Union will support a
population of 200,000,000 people, and that Johannesburg will be the largest city
on earth, within a hundred years, larger than either London, or New York City.
This points up the importance of the church getting there now, so that the
Master’s cause may grow wi1h the country. The Dutch and the English are at this
time engaged in a “cold war” between themselves for the control of the Union.
The outcome of this struggle will nave its effect on the future of the church in
South Africa. The preaching of the gospel began in South Africa through the
medium of the radio. Brother Reuel Lemmons, preaching over the government radio
station at J/OU - renco Marques, sunported by several Texas churches, began to
receive mail from several denominational preachers who w'ere interested in the
“Back to the Bible” plea of the Lord’s church. As a result of inquiries for more
information, a Bible correspondence course, especially fitted to the needs of
the searchers after truth was made available. At this time, 500 are enrolled for
this course, and perhaps placed on a permanent list, and each succeeding sermon
is mailed to those so contacted. At the present time, about 1,000 receive a copy
of the weekly sermon, while about 150 who have shown a marked interest are
receiving the Gospel Advocate through gift subscriptions solicited by Brother B.
C. Goodpasture. Out of the young people who have written, about fifty are now
receiving the 20th Century Christian through gift subscriptions. It is estimated
that some 1,800,000 persons hear this gospel each week, carried on by means of
trans- scriptions.

Incidentally, time has also been offered for this same broadcast of gospel
sermons over station KCJB, “The Voice of the Andes,” located at Quito, Equador,
South America. This is reputed to be the strongest radio station on earth, and
can be heard over the entire world. It is also entirely possible that these same
transcriptions will be used over the GOA chain of radio stations that blanket
the sub-continent of India. You may watch for later developments along these
lines.

Now those who have journeyed to the Union of South Africa went there to follow
up the work that had been done through this radio preaching. These radio sermons
had been continued for over two years before any of the evangelists reached the
field. In May of 1950, the first workers reached the Union. Brother Waymon
Miller, supported by the Tulia, Texas church; Brother John Hardin, supported by
the Riverside church in Fort Worth, Texas; Brother Guy Caskey, supported by the
Edgefield church, Dallas, Texas; Brother Eldred Echols, supported by the Pearl
and Bryan congregation, also of Dallas, Texas, along with the families of the
first three men, went to Johannesburg. This city is a modern, Americanized city,
with a population of one million, 360,000 of which are white or European, and
the remainder is native, colored, and Asiatic. Johannesburg is very much like
the average American city of comparable size, with a climate described by the
brethren as “ideal.” As soon as the brethren were settled, they began to contact
the names of those who had written in from Johan-nesburg to the radio program.
At first, the work was slow, and interest was small. However, the brethren
persevered, and by personal visits and the teaching of Bible classes in the
homes, greater interest was aroused. Soon the preachers began to baptize the
taught, but they encountered great difficulty in obtaining suitable places for
baptizing and greater difficulty in obtaining permission to use the places
located. People were immersed in public swimming pools, fish ponds, and rivers,
at every hour of the day and night. Soon, the difficulty along this line was
solved by having a canvas, collapsible, portable baptistry made. The brethren
also had made a tent, forty feet by sixty feet, which they used for meetings in
various parts of the city. Up to January 30th, thirty-five had been baptized in
Johannesburg. The leading religious denominations are the Dutch Reformed church
and the church of England, and the people belong to these churches like they
belong to a certain nationality of people. They are social and political in
nature, with the church of England characterized by cold, ritualistic formality,
while the Dutch Reformed church is marked by an ardent, partisan spirit for the
country and the government. Other denominations exist, such as the Baptist,
Methodists, Seventh-Day Adventist, Catholics, and the Holiness groups. Coupled
with this, the people of the city are concerned much in sports, such as tennis,
golf, hockey, softball, and Sunday is the day used for indulgence in these
things. Indifference to religion is noted, but this is due in some measure to
the cold and formal atmosphere of the established state churches. All of this
adds up to a great opportunity for the Lord’s church, for we have something to
offer these people that they do not have, and the inhabitants have noticed that
there is a difference, and this will attract their attention in the days ahead.
The brethren in this city feel very strongly that in a few years, good strong
churches can be built in Johannesburg; and finally, that the Lord’s church can
be planted throughout the Union. One of the needs at this time is suitable
locations for church buildings, so that the work can be carried forward. An
ideal location for a church building has been located now by the brethren in the
southern section of Johannesburg, and the lots have been purchased at a cost of
about $5,100. These lots are situated in a section of the city inhabited by
home-owning people, close to some nice apartment hotels, Soon a modest, but
adequate building will be erected on these lots, and grant to the work there a
foundation of permanency. The evangelists have also begun the publication of a
monthly gospel paper, known as the Christian Advocate, which is designed to meet
the spiritual needs of the South Africans. The mechanical make up of this
publication is pleasing and attractive, similar to those of the brotherhood in
this country. l\one of the workers have any financial interest in this paper,
and no profit accrues from it, since it is mailed free to those who will receive
and read it. About a thousand copies have been printed the first three months,
but the mailing list ’is increasing rapidly. The financial cost of this paper is
about $85 a month, which is supplied by the ISlorth Side church in Fort Worth,
where Brother Miller, who is the editor, preached before going to Africa.

Thirty miles to the north of Johannesburg is Pretoria, the executive capital of
the Union of South Africa, with a pooulation of about 230,000. It is here that
Brother Bon Gai dner, supported by the Highland Avenue church in A.bi- lene,
Texas, began his work on January 1st. Four have been baptized there, and a
congregation of some ten to fourteen members has been started. A song director
is needed to assist in the work at that place in a very bad way. The formation
of this congregation means that now there are three churches composed of white
people on the great African continent, counting the one at Bulawayo, in Southern
Rhodesia, where Brother Foy Short is laboring, supported by the church at
Ferris, Texas.

Churches are needed now at Durban and at Capetown, and then a chain of New
Testament congregations, stretching out over 1600 miles at 400 mile intervals,
shall stand like candlesticks along the rocky backbone of the southern part of
Africa. In this connection, we hasten to add that Brother Martelle Petty, with
his family, has landed in the Urn on. After some time in Johannesburg, where he
will orient himself, he shall begin his work in Durban, supported by the Peak
and East Side church in Dallas. Durban is a city of paradox, where graceful
minarets rear their domes to the sky, and electric trolleys dash through busy
streets; where veiled Indian women gaze into the windows of modern European
shops, and native chieftains lead their scantily-clad wives through the city,
while Zulu ricksha boys ply for hire. In Capetown are a few members of the
church already. Here it was that a white man heard the radio broadcast, and
wrote for a copy of the sermon, which he received. Later, as he walked through
the streets, he came to a little Negro church, and paused to listen to the
native preacher through the open door. The words sounded strangely familiar to
him, and he took the radio sermon from his pocket, and found that he could
follow the sermon word for word, since the Negro had memorized it! This same
Negro man baptized him and his son, and now these two order correspondence
courses three dozen at a time, which they distribute in Capetown. The names of
the prospects in the Capetown vicinity are sent to this man.

Yes, the work in the Union is on the upsurge, and this ringing challenge can be
made to any congregation who wants to send a man there to preach the gospel—just
close your eyes before an opened map of the Union, and then jab out with a pin.
Select the name of the town nearest your pin point, and you can be furnished
with the names of people in that place who have taken the correspondence course,
and by checking their answers to the questions, you can just about tell what
they are religiously. Try it and see!

What does South Africa need? More preachers is the answer, and more
congregations to support a man there! Others may go to South Africa if they
desire, and find employment to support themselves while they aid the work of the
Master there. You may write to the Embassy of South Africa, Washington 8, D.C.,
for information concerning the country and employment. For centuries, Africa has
been known as the Dark Continent. But today, the world is becoming more and more
aware of the importance of this vast continent, with its supplies of gold,
diamonds, vanadium, coal, iron ore, uranium, great forests, and its great
potential crop land of more than 25 per cent of that of the world. What has
hindered the spread of the gospel in the past, which is the fact that these
places were hard to reach, is now overcome with the radio and through air
travel. Truly Africa is white unto harvest. In the opinion of competent
authorities, the native religions of Africa will gradually be superseded by
either Christianity or Mohammedanism. At the present time, these two theistic
missionary faiths are contending for the hearts of the people of Africa. Which
shall it be for them —Christ or Mohammed, the Bible or the Koran, the truth or
error? To a large degree, the answer depends upon us in the church of Jesus
Christ in America. In the Dark Continent, the glorious light of the gospel has
sprung up, like brush fires that have been lighted on the mountain tops. In
parts of Africa, these fires of truth burn brightly today, but they appear as do
the stars to a man in the depths of a deep well. Shall we add fuel to the fires
by our own sacrifices in talent, in energy, in money, and in prayers ? Or shall
we be content to allow the shroud of ignorance and superstition, error and
falsehood, once more to drop over the benighted millions who roam the jungles
and plains of this vast land? Let us rise up, and with faith in our God, and the
spirit of sacrifice in our hearts, claim Africa as a rich prize that we may lay
with toil worn hands at the pierced feet of our blessed Jesus. Let us rise up,
and with heart and hand, see to it that these little fires of truth shall not be
quenched, but that from these, many others shall be lit, until in the years
ahead, as God may will it, all of Africa shall glow with the knowledge of Christ
as a precious jewel in the canopy of God’s universe !


========================================================================
  CHAPTER 12: THE WORK OF THE CHURCH IN LATIN AMERICA
========================================================================

The Work of the Church in Latin America THE WORK OF THE CHURCH IN LATIN AMERICA
J. W. Treat

Introduction and Definitions A few observations and clarifications are in order
always as one approaches the study of a given subject or field of knowledge.
Especially is that true when the field is a broad one, as is the case now, “Work
of the church in Latin America.” Briefly, then, let us define terms.

“America” unmodified refers to two continents with the various outlying islands
and territories. “Latin America” limits to that part of the Americas where Latin
backgrounds have prevailed, especially as reflected in the countries or
territories where Romance (or Latin-derived) languages are used. Sometimes the
expression “Spanish America” appears, but this term is too limited, excluding
the Portuguese and French speaking countries. “Iberoamerica” is better, because
that does suggest the backgrounds of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal).
The term “Latin America” is, therefore, most acceptable.

Geographically, then, we have to do with Mexico, Central America,. South
America, and the West Indies, although in a very real sense there is a little
“Latin America” within our own borders—the French of Louisiana and the
Spanish-speaking peoples of the Southwest. Specifically we are to consider
Mexico, the six Central American countries, Cuba, Santo Domingo, Puerto Rico,
and the nine South American countries—or in other words, nineteen of the
twenty-one Pan American countries of the Western Hemisphere.

Possibly one of the most misused and misunderstood ex-pressions in our
language—and in others as well—is “the church.” Today, in this study it is not
being used in its historical sense—as books of history use it—nor in the vague,
ethereal or unreal sense implied in “the church invisible.” Neither is it being
used in a denominational or sectarian meaning. Reference to “the church,” then,
signifies “the called of Jesus Christ” (Romans 1:6); “the church of God’' (Acts
20:28); “the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12); or in the congregational sense,
“the churches of God” (1 Corinthians 11:16); “the churches of Christ” (Romans
16:16); or “all the churches” (Romans 16:4; 1 Corinthians 14:33; 1 Corinthians
7:17).

I should also like to make it clear that my talk, “The work of the church in
Latin America” is of necessity limited to what I know—from my own observation
and reading and from reports received from brethren in Christ. In no wise would
I imply that only where some English-speaking preacher (or one thoroughly
indoctrinated by such) has gone is there a church. Wherever the seed of the
kingdom has produced its fruit, there the church is. I cry out against the idea,
in whatever quarters it may be found, that Christianity must wear a U. S. or
Yankee brand: three songs, a reading and prayer, another song and a sermon;
anti-this and anti-that. We are to preach Christ and not the American way of
life!

Latin America—A General View In a lecture here four years ago, Brother Pedro R.
Rivas of Torreon, Coahuila, Mexico, gave a masterly study on the Latin American
countries as to history and topography, etc. Let us today simply make a few
sweeping statements—a bird’s-eye-view (or worm’s-eye-view) of Latin America:
historically, geographically, economically, racially, and educationally. Time
permits only a broad outline. The early story of Latin America is that of the
Spanish conquistadores. Significantly the soldier-Catholic priest combination
over three and one-half centuries stamped upon Latin America in general the
Roman Catholic religion and the Spanish (and in parts French or Portuguese)
language and culture. The surge of Independence came to these various countries
between the years 1810 and 1824, except that of Cuba much later, 1898.
Geographically, as has already been indicated, many coun-tries and all kinds of
terrain are included, one of the countries alone—Brazil—being larger than our
own United States. In passing I would point out the great economic
potentialities as indicated in comparatively recent statistics. Latin America
comprises 1-20 of the world population and about 1-5 of the world land area. It
produces about 1-30 of the wheat of the world, about 1-8 of the cotton, 1-6 of
the cattle, 1-8 of the wool, nearly 1-2 of the cane sugar, about 4-5 of the
coffee, 94 per cent of the bananas, over 1-5 of the copper ore and a like amount
of lead ore, about 1-7 of the tin ore, and 1-6 of the crude oil.

Mexico exports 30% of the world’s export of silver, 74% of chicle (that’s
chewing gum to you and me, and 37% of henequen (hemp). Central America exports
30% of bananas; Cuba, 10% of sugar; Colombia, 5% of platinum; and Venezuela, 10%
of petroleum. As to imports-exports ratios, in the chief countries they are
about even, a good balance of trade. There are more exports than imports in
these: Mexico, Cuba, Venezuela, and Chile. Argentina has slightly more imports
than exports.

Racially, Latin America is another great melting pot: European whites (mostly
Spaniards, originally), Indians and Negroes. The percentages vary from country
to country.

Educationally, too, a varied picture prevails in most of the countries.
Everywhere there are the upper groups of highly cultured, refined, educated
people. Usually, there are the uneducated masses. However, other countries offer
a high percentage of literacy, for example, Uruguay. The Work But now more
directly to the question—the work of the church in Latin America. In the first
place—aside from Mexico, Cuba, and the Panama Canal Zone—it is very easy to tell
that story in four letters: none!

Panama Canal Zone During World War II, members of the church among U. S.
military personnel stationed in the Canal Zone formed the nucleus of a beginning
work there. Under the guidance of the church at Cleburne, Texas, this work has
had a continued growth. At the present time, there are three congregations: one,
at Balboa Road (in Balboa); one meeting in the American Legion Hall in
Cristobal; and the third— composed entirely of native Panamanians—meeting in a
school building in Panama City. The congregation in Balboa owns its property
(less than $1,000 indebtedness now against it).

One of the first preachers to work in the Canal Zone was Brother Gerald Fruzia.
Brother D. P. Craig spent about a year and a half there, returning to the States
in June of 1950 (Christian Chronicle, April 12, 1950). From Grand Prairie,
Texas, went Brother W. Harlan Dilbeck and family to preach for that
congregation. In a fairly recent report (Christian Chronicle, October 25, 1950),
Brother Dilbeck announced eleven responses to the gospel in the Balboa work:
eight baptisms, two to place membership, and one restoration. A native preacher
may have joined forces in the work by now. Problems in building a good permanent
work there stem from the ever-shifting personnel, the lack of native leadership,
and the ubiquitous worldliness.

Cuba The story of the work of the church in Cuba revolves around two great
soldiers of the Cross: Brother J. R. Jimenez and Brother Ernesto Estevez. These
two men, sponsored by the Nebraska Avenue church in Tampa, Florida, have
gradually gathered around them a teaching force which now numbers seventeen
others. Brother Jimenez began that work in January of 1937. In January of 1940
Brother Estevez joined him. These brethren have kept most complete records. A
monthly detailed report is sent to all who help support that work or who are
interested. These reports give the number of services held during the month and
the number of localities; the total attendance and the average weekly attendance
and the average attendance per service; the number baptized; the number of
visits made; the distance traveled by bus, by train, on foot, and on horseback;
number of radio broadcasts; the literature distributed. Thus can be given the
complete summary of the work of the church in Cuba from its beginning in 1937
through the year of 1950. Here is the picture: Services held—21,420 (7429 by
brethren Jimenez and Estevez; 13,991 by their Cuban helpers; Total
attendance—601,148; Average weekly attendance—828; Average attendance per
service—28; Baptized—1469; Number of visits made— 84,930; Total distance
covered—524,155 kilometers (By bus and train, 465,158; on foot, 31,881;
horseback, 27,116); Radio broadcasts—228; Individual classes—498; Literature
distributed—Bibles, New Testaments and portions, 8027; tracts, etc., 73,389.

These brethren estimate the loss from the number baptized (1469) from 25% to
33%, due to death, moving away, indifference, and backsliding. Of unusual
interest is the work of Brother Luis Moreno in El Cristo, Oriente Province. A
victim of Hansen’s disease (leprosy), Brother Moreno has continued preaching the
gospel in that colony, establishing a congregation there. He and his wife, both
successfully treated, are substantial citizens of the colony community in
addition to their fine religious leadership. The Cuba work needs more financial
support. This is not said to the discredit of those who have made possible the
work already done and now being done. It simply means that additional help in
the form of preachers’ salaries, money for more radio programs, a station wagon
for the Havana area, and a jeep for the inland work would double the amount of
fine work being done now. Very powerful Havana stations can reach practically
all of Spanish America. Although within the last year or two property has been
acquired both in the Havana and the Pinar del Rio provinces (in Havana, a church
building and a printing press; in Concepcion del Sur, property for residence of
Brother Estevez and a temporary meeting house), there is still a need of modest
church buildings for the work in the many outlying points where preaching
services are regularly held. The leadership-training work being done by the
Cuban brethren needs support. Unseflishly, Brethren Jimenez and Estevez, both
very capable teachers, have given of their time and energy “beyond the line of
duty” to train other natives for the program of evangelization. Brother Estevez
has made a very valuable contribution to the field of agriculture, having gained
the attention and appreciation of the Cuban government. It is not strange, then,
that he and a fellow-Christian, trained in that field and commercial work,
should have a special agricultural project in its formative stage.

Mexico We come closer home now—in fact, right next door— to our sister-republic
south of the border, Mexico. Although denominationalism has been active in
Mexico for a century (including a conservative Christian church element in the
Monterrey area and Northern Mexico), we of the church of the Lord have not seen
Mexico, strangely enough, until a decade ago. Present work stems from a lone
preacher in Torreon, Coahuila, Brother Pedro R. Rivas, and the year was 1940.
The following summary tells graphically the progress in eleven years. The church
in Mexico now: 21 part-time or full-time gospel preachers; 6 states in which
there are congregations; 18 congregations (numbering from some 75 members each
on down) ; 5 church buildings ; 4 other properties (lots or residences for the
preacher with space for a temporary meeting place) ; 4 annual Spanish Bible
lectureships (Austin, Harlingen, Austin, and Torreon, Coah., Mexico) ; 4
leadership training schools in El Paso and C. Juarez; 2 leadership training
schools in Torreon, Coah. (1949, 1950) ; 600, the approximate number of
baptisms. This does not begin to tell the heroic battle waged by soldiers of the
Cross on both sides of the Rio Bravo, as our Mexican brethren call the border
river. That story alone merits a separate volume, but in passing I do want to
pay tribute to these preachers along with Brother Rivas from Mexico who, often
with very meager or no support and never with support comparable to that of
preachers here, have pioneered the cause of New Testament Christianity in that
republic. These preachers are Avila, Villagrana, Varela, Carrillo, Augustin
Figueroa, Santiago Figueroa, Humberto Figueroa, Ruiz Cruz, Arturo Rodriguez,
Maximo Zamorano, Saucedo, Epigmeneo Zuniga, Ortiz, Alvarado, Garcia, Reyes,
Gutierrez, Lopez, Villa, Cano, and Sanchez. Today, in their behalf I bring
greetings to you brethren in Christ of like precious faith, and I simply re-echo
their frequent expressions of deep gratitude to you for all the help which
“hands across the border” have brought to them. These men have met fearlessly
the charge that they are not true Mexican citizens if they do not adore the
Virgin of Guadalupe. Threats, and in some instances stonings,, have been their
lot. One sister died the martyr’s death: her assassin testifying that he killed
her because she did not believe in the “santitos” (saints or images).

Hand in hand with the work south of the border has been that north of the Rio
Grande—the “Latin America” in our country. The picture of the Spanish-speaking
work would be incomplete without such names as Schug, Cantu, Wolfe, Gill, Dias,
Zamorano, Gomez, Fuentes (deceased), Kercheville, Hiler, Arrieta, Zuniga,
Reeves, Partain, Stivers, Vasquez, Lujan, and many others. Three dozen
congregations from Texas,' New Mexico, California, Tennessee, and Oklahoma could
be named which have encouraged and helped financially in the spread of the
kingdom in Mexico over a part or all of this eleven-year history. Many others,
along with individuals, have given once and again.

Yet the needs are still very great. Present workers need more adequate support.
Money for printing books and literature in general in Spanish is needed. At
least two standard books in English have been translated into Spanish in
manuscript form but await the necessary finances for publishing. Spanish papers
now in circulation need some underwriting. Help is needed on buildings now
planned as follows: Central (Houston), on a $20,000 building in Monterrey;
College congregation here in Abilene, bn a $10,000 building in Durango, capital
of the state of Durango; Hope congregation (near Merkel), on a $2,000 building
in San Pedro, Coah.; Brownsville, on a $10,000 building in Mata- moras and a
$1,000 one in Jimenez. Then there are some seven or eight other places needing
houses of worship now.

Added to the already-named opportunities are two others which fit into the Latin
American field. Brother James D. Bales has already accepted the offer to furnish
daily fifteen-minute sermons (tape recorded at Harding College) for two years
over the world-wide short wave station at Cape Haitien in the Haiti republic.
Brother D. L. Lawrence, 925 Acklen Avenue, Nashville 4, Tennessee, has a chance
to broadcast at first in English and later in Spanish over HCJB, “The Voice of
the Andes,” in Quito, Ecuador. This station is heard all over South America.
Lacking on this opportunity according to the last report I had about it is the
financing of the program at $15 per fifteen-minute program on a year’s contract
basis.

Some Observations I would not close without pointing out that persecution is
promised the evangelists of the Lord’s church in Latin American work. This is
not a new observation by any means. The apostle Paul told Timothy, “Yea, and all
that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12).
This takes a special form in Catholic-dominated countries. In the words of
another (Converted Catholic, December, 1950, page 319) : “The Roman Catholic
holy office of the inquisition in Rome has never been closed, and unless every
American Protestant constantly defends his right to freedom by using that
freedom to denounce undemocratic actions, the Roman Catholic holy office of the
inquisition with all its atrocities might become active in America.” Destruction
of Protestant church property and of Bibles and Testaments has already come
through mob violence stirried by zealots and leaders of Romanism in Latin
American countries. Instances in Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, Venezuela, and
Bolivia too lengthy for this treatment can be cited. The movement of
church-state, Spaininspired coalition has already taken five South American
countries politically. But Jesus still says, “All the world.” Latin America is a
large section of that world, and there are seventeen countries without a single
church after the New Testament pattern! Some brethren have planned to go to
Brazil but those plans have not yet worked out. Brother D. H. Had- win and
family (and as many others as they can persuade to go with them) are now
readying themselves for work in Uruguay. What are you and I going to do about
it? In Jno. 13:17, Jesus said to his disciples what can also be applied to us:
“If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.”

You say that you cannot speak the language? Then get busy and learn it! You
think you are too old to learn another language? Then at least begin with your
children. The Lord’s selective service laws, (his draft call), have been in
effect a long, long time, but oh, how many deserters there are from the Army of
the Lord! We too generally exalt and make heroes out of all soldiers except
soldiers of the Cross! We are as a people not even willing to throw aside our
carnal weapons of destructive arms, hatred, avarice, selfishness, and
worldliness in general much less put on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6).
Where is our shield of faith when we venture nothing for God? Where, our
breastplate of righteousness, when we waste our time, energy, and substance in
crass materialism and in fighting each other in fruitless wranglings and sinful
animosities ? Where, our “feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace”
when our feet won’t move into regions beyond? Where, our “sword of the Spirit”
when we don’t know what the book teaches; and about the only reason so many can
give for the hope that is within us is: “Brother So-and-So says it is this way”?
“Say not there are four months and then cometh the harvest—” As to Isaiah of old
the call comes—“Whom shall we send, and who will go for us?” Where are the
hearty, brave soldiers of the Lord who, like Isaiah, will rise up and say, “Here
am I, Lord; send me”?


========================================================================
  CHAPTER 13: THE WORSHIP OF THE CHURCH
========================================================================

The Worship of the Church THE WORSHIP OF THE CHURCH John H. Banister

It is axiomatic that man is a worshipping being. Throughout history man,
regardless of his moral or spiritual condition, has always paid homage to some
power or being supposedly greater than himself. Man must worship for he has
needs which only worship can satisfy. Man has an inherent desire for worship. He
longs for a higher power before whom to bow and he instinctively recognizes his
need of, and desire for, worship. Man will worship. If left to himself, he will
find his own object of worship, but worship he will! Since, therefore, man needs
to worship, has a desire for worship, and will, in spite of all hindrances
;thrown in his way, worship some higher power it is obvious that he must be
taught concerning worship. Man must Jearn the true object of worship and the
scriptural method of worship.

Jesus taught that some worship in vain (Matthew 15:9). Since this is true, man
must learn just how to worship. Man cannot learn to worship acceptably through
his own unaided experience. Both history and experience show that man, when left
to himself in worship, always ends in idolatry. If man is to learn how to
worship acceptably, he must have a divine revelation. In the New Testament, God
has told man, in great detail, just how to worship. To it he must turn, then, if
he would worship aright. The New Testament reveals that the worship of the
Apostolic church was one of its strongest characteristics. Worship was so
precious and meaningful to the early Christians that, when outlawed by
persecution, they met in secret places to engage in it. To them worship was a
deeply moving and spiritually enriching experience. Worship must be the same to
us today. Though we in this Twentieth Century have succeeded in restoring the
correct outward form of. Apostolic worship, we have not completely Succeeded in
restoring its true spirit and meaning!

What, we might ask, is the purpose of worship? Is it just a “going to church”
because of habit-or custom? Is it nothing more than the recitation of certain
rites and ceremonies? Surely worship is more than this. One of the main purposes
of worship is to draw nigh to God. In worship, we are to commune with God, and
meditate upon the majesty, glory, power, and mercy of God. We are to thank him
for his blessings; we are to praise, adore, honor, exalt, magnify, and eulogize
him. “Bless the Lord, 0 my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name”
(Psalms 103:1). In worship we draw nigh to God that we might receive his
blessings. We need help and strength, we need forgiveness, we need divine peace!
All these blessings come to those who truly worship God. This worship is more
than the perfunctory performance of rituals, it is the conscious, active drawing
high of the soul into the very presence of him who fills us with his own fuhiess
and gives strength and courage to face life’s difficulties. If religion is
personal fellowship with God, then worship is personal communion with God.

Another purpose of worship is that we might become like God. It is axiomatic
that man tends to become like that which he worships. If man worships the god of
sensuality, he will become morally degraded. If he worships the god of mammon,
he will become covetous. If he worships the God of pleasure, he will become
worldly. But if he worships the God of holiness, beauty, and truth, he will
become holy, beautiful and true! To worship such a God as Jehovah elevates man
morally, ethically, intellectually, socially, and spiritually! In the very
nature of things, man cannot worship God without striving to become pure and
loving like him! “But we all, beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are
changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the
Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18). Christian living makes us like God, it is true; but
it also takes Christian worship to make us God -like.

What is the scriptural method of worship? To be acceptable, | worship must have
the correct outward form of expression and the true inward spirit of devotion.
In Matthew 15:8-9, Jesus indicted the Jews for vain worship on two counts.
First, it was not in the right spirit; it was from the lips and mouth, but not
the heart. Second, it was based on unscriptural teaching, the doctrines and
commandments of men. A failure in one, or both, of these, essential items will
render worship unacceptable to God! The worship of the Apostolic church
consisted of five distinct acts, or items, of worship on the Lord’s day. First,
they observed the Lord’s Supper (Acts 20:7); second, they sang psalms, hymns,
and spiritual songs (Ephesians 5:19) ; third, they prayed (Acts 2:42) ; fourth,
they preached and taught (Acts 2:42) ; and, fifth, they gave of their money as
they had been prospered (1 Corinthians 16:1-2). To be scriptural our Lord’s day
worship must contain all of these five required items. No specific order of them
is given. We can just as scripturally open the worship with prayer, as with a
song. We can have the Lord’s Supper either before or after the sermon. We can
have the contribution at the beginning, the middle, or the end of the service!
These details are unimportant. The essential thing is that, when we worship, we
engage in all these scriptural acts! To have less than these required five is to
render the worship vain! To have more than these, is to corrupt the worship!
Some brethren who could not conscientously miss the communion will miss the song
and prayer service and often refuse to contribute of their means! We cannot
consistently criticize sectarians who corrupt the worship with instrumental
music, incense, candle burning, etc., when we neglect some of the required items
of worship. That denomination that leaves off the weekly observance of the
Lord’s Supper is not a greater sinner in God’s sight than those brethren who
leave off the singing or giving or who, perchance, are so indifferent to worship
that they come so late as to miss them! To deviate from these scriptural items
of worship, either by omitting some of them or corrupting others of them is to
vitiate and corrupt the worship. When this is done, history shows that apostasy
always results! But we may observe these items of worship with exactness and
still fail to worship. The Pharisees had the correct outward form but they left
out the spirit of worship. Herein lies one of our greatest dangers today. We
need to restore the apostolic spirit as well as the apostolic form of worship.
Jesus taught that worship, to be acceptable, must be in the spirit as well as in
truth (John 4:23-24). It is not enough to sing, we must also make melody in our
hearts unto God (Ephesians 5:19). God does not listen primarily to the sound of
the voice; he listens to the melody of the heart, and the beauty of the voice
fails to impress him in the absence of the heart melody! We may “say” beautiful
prayers that greatly “impress” the audience, but unless they come from sincere
hearts, they are an abomination unto God! We may eat the bread and drink the
wine but there is no intrinsic merit in mere eating and drinking. We must have a
heart communion with Christ crucified, and such eating and drinking are vain in
God’s sight if we fail to “discern” the Lord’s body! (1 Corinthians 11:27-29).
Since, then, worship is an inward spiritual act, as well as outward observance
of correct forms, we must be certain that we approach worship in the right
spirit. We should never go to worship without first engaging in prayer. We
should always arrive at the house of worship several minutes ahead of time, then
go immediately into the auditorium and spend a few minutes m quiet meditation
and silent prayer.

Deep spirituality should fill our hearts and pervade the place of worship.
Noises, talking, “back-slapping” and other distractions are travesties on true
worship. We do not go to church to see and be seen, or to talk of the ordinary
af-fairs of the day! Rather we go to meet God and to adore him in prayer,
praise, study, and communion! How humble, reverent, and solemn we should be! We
worship as we live. If during the week, we live in a state of indifference, our
worship will be indifferent and desultory. If we live close to Christ during the
wnek, it will be easy to worship him on the Lord’s day! Many Christians do not
enjoy worship, nor derive any positive benefits therefrom, all because they have
not yet learned to enjoy living with Christ in daily communion! Let us be
certain that we, in worship, neglect neither the scriptural form nor the
reverent spirit of worship. They who corrupt the worship with unscriptural
innovations sin no greater than those brethren who (while holding strenuously to
the correct form of worship) go through the worship without any real and vital
communion with God! Let us today restore the spirit of quietness and reverence
that characterized the worship of the Apostolic church.

Let us restore the true meaning of worship. Let us restore the Lord’s Supper to
its place of prime importance. Today, the sermon has become all-important and
the Lord’s Supper secondary in too many places. The disciples did not come to
hear Paul preach and take the Lord’s Supper incidentally (Acts 20:7). They came
“to break bread” and the preaching was secondary! Christ, not the preacher, is
the center, and chief attraction, in worship. It is the opinion of this writer
that our worship would be more meaningful if we gave more prominence to the
communion and less to the sermon. Let us impress Christians with the fact that
they have come to commune with Christ, and not to hear their favorite preacher!
The •reason some brethren absent themselves from the worship when the preacher
is away, is because they have come to think of worship as revolving around the
preacher rather than centering in Jesus Christ! Let us restore this emphasis to
our worship. Let us restore the beauty and holiness of Apostolic worship. Let us
make the worship service so spiritual, so reverent, so prayerful, so rich and
up-lifting, that no one will want to miss it! When worship is thus conducted and
engaged in, it brings untold blessings to all participants! In worship we find
peace and joy. There we obtain forgiveness as we confess our sins. There we find
help for our needs, strength for our weakness, assurance for our doubts, courage
for our fears, and comfort for all the sorrows of our hearts! In such worship as
this we see our own insignificance, and God’s greatness! We feel our own
weakness, and realize God’s great power! We see our own sins, and God’s
redeeming grace. We see our own spiritual poverty, and God’s great storehouse of
spiritual blessings. We see our own shortcomings, and God’s perfection. We leave
the place of worship humbled and chastened by a realization of our own
unworthiness; yet, strengthened and encouraged by a realization of what God can
do for us and with us. We then are determined to love God more, serve the Christ
better, and be holier m thought, word, and deed! If this is our attitude in
worship, we will never miss such an enriching experience. No** will we approach
it carelessly or listlessly. The Lord’s day will be the climax of our own
wreek’s activities and we shall look forward, with joyous anticipation, to the
hour of worship '‘as we see the day approaching” for this will be the holiest
and most sacred hour of the week!


========================================================================
  CHAPTER 14: THE HOPE OF THE CHURCH
========================================================================

The Hope of the Church THE HOPE OF THE CHURCH John H. Banister

It was hope, more than anything else, that gave the Apostolic church faith,
courage, assurance, and joy in the midst of severe persecution and martyrdom. To
the early Christians, hope was more than a religious subject to be studied and
discussed; it was a real, living, and vital thing. The abounding joy,
indomitable heroism, unquenchable zeal, and conquering faith which characterized
them were possible only because they looked past their present circumstances and
saw the “hope beyond the veil.” It was this hope which proved to be the real
anchor of their souls in all life’s trials and tribulations! The Apostolic
Christians abounded in hope and, when everything else was lost, they clung
tenaciously to it. They rejoiced in their hope. In a world of suffering and
martyrdom they were supremely happy because they knew that things would be
better “farther along,” and that eventually they would be in glory with the
Lord! In these times of fear, doubt, and unrest, we Christians need to capture
this blessed hope. So many of the professed followers of Christ are living in
sadness, sorrow, worry, doubt, and fear, all because hope is not as real, to us
as it should be. We are of all men most miserable if we fail to utilize to the
full this precious hope. The hope of the Apostolic church was three-fold. They
hoped for their Lord’s return; for their resurrection after death; and for
heaven their eternal home. This three-fold hope is emphasized in Paul’s famous
passage to the Thes- salonians: “But we would not have you ignorant, brethren,
concerning them that fall asleep; that ye sorrow not, even as the rest, who have
no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also
that are fallen asleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto
you by the word of the Lord, that we that are alive, that are left unto the
coming of the Lord, shall in no wise precede them that are fallen asleep. For
the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the
archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first;
then we that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up in
the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Wherefore comfort one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). In
this passage note that Paul assures them that “the Lord himself shall descend
from heaven”: that when this takes place “the dead in Christ shall rise first,”
and after that “we shall ever be with the Lord” in heaven! The Apostolic
Christians were absolutely certain of the second coming of Christ. This was the
“blessed hope” to which they looked forward with anticipation (Titus 2:13).
Christ had told them that he would some day return for them (Jno. 14:1-3) and,
at his ascension, the angels had promised that Jesus would come again! They
believed this and all their hopes were based on it. Many of them expected Christ
to come even in their day. To them the second coming of Christ was not a subject
merely for religious debate; rather it was a living, vital hope that caused them
to count all things as loss for the sake of Christ. Though they knew not the
hour of his return, they lived as though every hour would be that hour—as though
every day would be their last day on earth! They watched and prayed unto the
coming of the Lord. Like the wise virgins, they endeavoured to keep their lamps
trimmed and burning bright so as to be ready when the Lord returned! Christ’s
coming was so real to them, that they ceased to be overly interested in this
world. They became increasingly interested in the next world realizing that
their real treasures were in heaven and not on earth. Like Abraham, they
realized they were “strangers and pilgrims” on the earth and they looked for a
city which hath foundations whose builder and maker is God. This they desired
and for this they worked and prayed! They knew this world was not their home and
that material things could not give the bliss and satisfaction for which they
sighed. Because of this blessed hope of meeting Christ, they set their
affections on things above and not on things on the earth. They sought the
things above and looked not at the things which were seen but at the things
which were not seen. To them this world was only a temporary stopping, place.
Their real home was with Christ in heaven and, in their earthly sojourn, they
never forgot that they were marching to Zion! The Apostolic Christians had more
than the hope of Christ’s return to cheer them! They had the hope of the
resurrection as well! Death was abroad in the land. Many of them became martyrs
and others knew that, ere long, they too, would go the way of all the earth.
Though they faced the ordeal of death, they were assured of a glorious
resurrection! Jesus Christ had been raised and he was the first fruits of the
dead. Though in Adam all mankind had died, yet in Christ all would be made
alive. This was their hope. Because Christ lived, they would live also. They
believed that death, to Christians, was not a defeat, but a victory; not a loss,
but a gain. Death would be a promotion, an advancement to a better state! Beyond
death was life—life eternal! To depart was to be with Christ and, to them, this
was “very far better.” They had no fear of death. Though the earthly house of
their tabernacle would be dissolved, all was not lost. They would have something
better, a house not made with hands eternal in the heavens! In the resurrection
they would experience a glorious change. Though sown in corruption, their bodies
would be raised in incorruption. Though sown in dishonor, they would be raised
in glory. Though SQwn in weakness, they would be raised in power. Though sown as
natural bodies, they would be raised as spiritual bodies. As they had in life
borne the image of the earthly, they confidently believed they would some day
bear the image of the hea-venly ! Whether they died or remained alive unto the
coming of the Lord, they knew that they would experience this glorious change.
If dead, they would be instantly raised at Christ’s coming. If alive, they would
be immediately changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. This change was
absolutely necessary, for they knew that the corruptible must put on
incorruption and the mortal must put on immortality. Of this future change these
early Christians had not one doubt. Because of this they rose above the fear of
death and, when facing it, died with the assurance that they were falling
“asleep in Jesus” soon to waken “on the happy golden shore, where the faithful
part no more.” They knew the time would come when death would be swallowed up in
victory. They believed that death would eventually lose its sting and the grave
its power. With this triumphant assurance, they shouted the hallelujah, “Thanks
be to God, who giveth us the victory through the Lord Jesus Christ.” In this
hope they exaulted and because of it they were steadfast, unmovable, always
abounding in the work of the Lord. They knew that their labors and sufferings
would not be in vain in the Lord. Because of this hope they courageously faced
death and patiently waited the time when it would blossom into glorious fruition
(Romans 8:23-25). The Apostolic Christians had a third hope to inspire them, the
hope of heaven. The second coming of Christ and the resurrection would have been
of little comfort to them without this hope of heaven. Whether one wants to live
eternally or not, depends on the kind of life to be lived there. Under some
conditions life is unbearable and not worth living. Endless life would not be
attractive if it were nothing but eternal misery, sorrow, and shame! God,
however, did not promise them such a life as this! Rather he promised them, and
all faithful Christians, eternal life, ihis means more than endless life, it is
life in its fulness, life at its best. Heaven is to be a place of perfection, of
happiness, and of holiness. It is to be a place where the spirits of just men
are made perfect. It is to be an eternal city, a better country, a new garden of
Eden, a sabbath rest for the people of God. Moreover, heaven is an inheritance
that is incorruptible, undefiled, and a place that fades not away smce it is
reserved for all who are guarded by the power of God through faith! This the
early Christians believed. To them heaven was a very real and distinct place
which Jesus had gone to prepare and to which he would some day bring them. They
therefore looked forward with joy to the time when they would spend eternity in
heaven with God, Christ, and the redeemed of all ages. Because heaven was so
real to them, they lost much of their interest in material and secular things
and developed an “other-worldliness’ which constantly beckoned them on to their
eternal reward. Because of this hope, they cheerfully and patiently endured
persecutions, sorrows, trials, and tribulations. Their earthly afflictions were
light, and but for a moment, but they would work for them an eternal weight of
glory. Because of this they felt that their present sufferings were not worthy
to be compared with the glory which was to be revealed in heaven. This hope of
heaven caused these primitive Christians to live pure lives, for they wanted to
be like Christ and see him as he is (1 John 3:2-3). It caused them to greatly
rejoice in a world of suffering and sorrow (Romans 5:3). It brought comfort and
assurance in the hour of bereavement for they did not sorrow as those who had no
hope. It caused them to count all earthly things as but loss for the exalted
privilege of gaining Christ and being found standing in his righteousness at the
last day. The church of today must capture the hope of the Apos-tolic church if
it is to effectively accomplish its mission in the world. Individual Christians,
too, must do the same if they would overcome their worries and fears! The only
cure for worldliness is to get Christians to set their hopes and affections on
heaven and the life beyond. When this is done, worldly things will cease to
attract and entice. The only cure for the gross materialism—the striving for
things of a material nature—that now pervades the church and threatens its
spirituality, is1 to get Christians to realize the transient and unsatisfying
nature of things material and the eternal and satisfying nature of things
spiritual. The only cure for worry is to get Christians so absorbed in spiritual
and heavenly things that secular and material things will matter but little. To
teach them, through prayer and trust, to cast all their anxiety on the Lora and
find his peace that passeth all understanding! If we Christians today would
overcome our fears—fear's of poverty, war, sickness, old age, death, etc.—we
must, l5ke the Apostolic Christians, have a triumphant faith, fervent love, and
abounding hope of the life beyond this veil of tears. To lose our interest »n
things of the flesh, we must cultivate an interest in things of the spirit. To
lose our love for material things, we must fall m love with spiritual things. To
be absorbed in heaven and eternal life, we must lose, to the extent of
subordinating it, our interest in this world.

We members of the. church should live every day as though it were our last day
on earth; as though Christ were coming now! We should live each day with the
thought that life is short, death is certain, and the judgment is sure. Though
it is appointed unto man once to die and after that the judgment, we Christians
need have no fear of the outcome. If we are living for Christ, if we are
faithful, God in his mercy will save us and give us an abundant entrance into
the everlasting kingdom above. This is the hope of the church, this is the hope
of every true Christian.


========================================================================
Source: https://sermonindex.net/books/abilene1951-lectures/
========================================================================