# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1941_S11
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

President’s Address 7

to withstand these attacks and even greater courage to press aggres-
sively’ forward against the forces of hell. When you view the
alarming situation on earth today, which the devil is employing to
harm and to hinder the progress of the Gospel, when you consider
the dreadful impoverishment of mankind, which is so sure to follow,
Jit will require courage and willingness to bring greater and greater
sacrifices for the extension of Christ’s kingdom. Like David of old,
» Jet us ask God for such willingness and courage and pray fervently:
~ “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within
.me”; “O Lord, open Thou my lips.”
es At a dreadful cost David had learned the lesson that in his own
strength he could not prevail. Hence he pleaded: “Uphold me with
Thy free spirit.” Even so you and I, realizing the staggering prob-
lems and difficulties which confront us and at the same time con-
scious of our own weakness and inability, plead with our God:
“Take not Thy Holy Spirit from me.” The Holy Spirit is the Spirit
of power and of strength. The Lord Jesus has promised us His
Spirit for our work in the Kingdom. Christ said: “If ye, then, being
evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more
shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask
Him?” Sunday after Sunday in the offertory you and I pray to
God: “Take not Thy Holy Spirit from me.” Oh, let us make that
a daily prayer. That will give us positive assurance of strength to
carry on the great work which has been assigned to us during these
abnormal days.
David was assured of success. He told God frankly: “And
sinners shall be converted unto Thee.” Even so you ahd I today are
. to be assured positively that the message of the Gospel, which we
are permitted to preach, will never be without results. The Lord
~ has promised: “My Word shall not return unto Me void.” As cer-
tain as we proclaim the message of the cross, so certain may we be
-_ of results, and so confidently may we say to God: “Sinners shall be
converted unto Thee.” Friends, this positive statement follows the
words of the offertory which you and I sing every Sunday. Know-
~ ing this, we shall sing it with deeper understanding and with greater
fervor and with the positive assurance of success. The success of
the Church may be challenged and hampered by conditions on earth
‘today, but it can never be prevented. Conditions may become so
alarming as to threaten the very existence of the visible Church,
‘but they will never destroy the Church itself. There always will
sbe believers to carry on God’s work, and their work will meet with
success. Oh, what comfort and encouragement and strengthening
is: should inject into our deliberations on the affairs in Christ’s
kingdom. World conditions today present seemingly insurmount-
le obstacles, but they are not insurmountable for our God. Stag-