The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1914, Page 10

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10 — The Lutheran Pioneer.

service of evil, to the young man or young woman
whose heart dances to every note of sinful pleasure,
to the little child in the cradle. The dear Savior
who received the publicans and sinners that came
to Him in the days of His flesh just as willingly
as He accepted the innocent children that were
brought to Him by their mothers, the gracious
Savior who did not reject the persecutor Saul when
he came to Him, has not changed. He that comes
to-Him will not be cast out, but will be received
in His loving arms, where he will be safe from all
harm and danger. The tender Shepherd will not
close.the door of His fold to any bleating sheep, but
will bring it in where it will be safe against the
attacks of Satan who goeth about like a roaring
lion seeking whom he may devour.

This blessed assurance of Jesus should be to us
that are with Christ a strong incentive to call the
lost sheep to Him, to call all the lost sheep to Him.
We need have no fear that He will reject any. No
matter how bedraggled they may be, no matter how
scrawny they may appear, we need have no fear of
their rejection. Jesus receives sinners, all sinners;
He receives them at all times; “Him that cometh
to me I will in no wise cast out.” And let us not
grow weary and impatient if the lost sheep do not
come at the first call. Just as Jesus sets no limit

-of time, so let us likewise go out again and again.

Perhaps they will come at the second or third or
fifth or tenth call if we continue faithfully with
our work of love. ‘Therefore, may we never grow
weary of repeating to a world of lost sinners the
gracious invitation of the Savior, “Him that cometh
to me I will in no wise cast out.”

>—————_>--——_—______

Missionaries Are Your Representatives.

Those whom you have commissioned, the various
mission boards of the Church, have sent the mis-
sionaries forth for you and in your name. ‘These
missionaries are your substitutes, your agents.
When you became a member of the Church, you

_ made its business your business, and shouldered

the responsibility for it. You actually became a
partner in a business, the greatest enterprise in
the world. And if the missions of your Church do
not grow, or get weak through your neglect, you are
disgracing yourself, just.as much as does the man
who becomes a bankrupt. in any other business he-

cause he has been careless and neglectful.

Think this over, dear Christian, think it over

—————

carefully, and I am certain your prayers for mis-
sions will be more sincere and your gifts more
regular and larger. Too many of us look upon
the work of missions as something that we may
take part in or not, just as we please. We are not
as conscious of our responsibility as we should be.
Just as surely as you pray the Second Petition of
the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy kingdom come,” just so
surely do you make yourself responsible for the
work of missions. Go, then, and do your duty;
do not shirk your responsibility; do not fail to be
an active pariner in the business.
Se

Let Your Light Shine.

Which is the best way to fight unbelief? What
did Philip do in Samaria? He preached Christ.
Simon Magus there opposed him, but Philip con-
tinued to let his light of the Gospel shine. We did
not argue down Simon, he superseded him. ‘The
daylight does not argue with the light of the candle.
The sun does not say to the candle, “Come, little
candle, let us talk this matter over in a kind,
friendly way. Let us sce which of us ought to rule
the earth.” The sun does nothing but simply
shine. And what happens? Why, men put out
the candle.

Here let us learn a lesson. God has given us
the light of the Gospel. This light let. us not hide
under a bushel, but let us make it shine. Let us
not waste too much time in arguing with infidelity ;
let us rather proclaim the Gospel. Nothing else
can put out unbelief.

And then, let your light shine in still another
sense. Life is unanswerable logic. Toliness is an
invincible argument. Love, charity, benevolence,
self-sacrifice — these form a shining host to put to
flight the powers of darkness.

Have you ever heard of the old Greek torch-
race? A band of youths would be stationed at inter-
vals along a certain course. A lighted torch was
handed to the first runner, who was bidden to carry
it at his topmost speed to the next, while maintain-
ing it still alight. He, in turn, passed it on until
the goal was reached. So we are to be torch-hearers
to all who need the light, carrying to others the
Gospel which has been handed down to us from
apostles, teachers, and parents. Are we doing our
duty, our full duty? Are we carrying the lighted
torch of Christ’s Gospel and of a Christian life in
among those who sit in darkness and in the shadow
of death?