The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1915, Page 58

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58

to lives and money; people may speak of their ap-
parent failure in many cases; people may claim
that the heathen are well enough situated without
the Gospel,—such and all other objections are
answered by this one sentence: Christ commands
missions! Would it be well to disobey Christ?
It is not a question of feasibility, desirability, or
utility, but a question of obeying or disobeying
Christ. Christ wills it; and we dare not disobey.
That should be our position,,and it is a position
that is simply unassailable.
It is the will of Christ!
Here is where the emphasis belongs. And with
that motive let us arouse the Church for the glo-
rious work of missions, and strengthen our own
hearts for ever greater achievements. “It is the
will of God!” With this cry upon his lips Peter
the Hermit aroused all Christian Europe to its
deepest depths, and enkindled the enthusiastic wish
in every heart to rescue the Holy Land fiom the
hand of the Turks. Peter was mistaken; he could
bring forth no passage of Scripture to prove his
assertion. But the motive he selected kindled an
enthusiasm rarely, if ever, equaled in history. “It
is the will of Christ!” This is our chief motive
for ‘all missionary enterprises. And in selecting
this motive, we are standing on firm foundation ;
for Christ’s command is plain. His will could
not be more clearly expressed than in His Great
Commission. Oh, that this motive would arouse
us all for a grand crusade against the strongholds
of Satan and the bulwarks of sin, and give us
strength to pass on from victory to victory!
F. J. L.

An Address.

My Derar FeLtow-Curisrrans, BrerureNn AND
Sisters IN Curist: —

I am glad that I had the opportunity of being
present at one of your services. I consider it a
privilege and a pleasure. Mission-work among my
fellow-citizens of African descent has always been
of special interest to me, and I have tried to
familiarize myself with the work by reading church
papers and synodical reports on the subject. But
reading of a thing is not like seeing the thing
itself. Now that I have been present at one of
your services and have seen and heard with my
own eyes and ears what I heretofore knew only
-by report, my former impressions have undergone

That is our motive. _

‘tyranny of Satan.

The Lutheran Pioneer.

And the change has been decidedly in
your favor. I have been agreeably surprised. ‘This
service has been an inspiration to me. I am now
more firmly convinced than ever before that the
Gospel of Jesus Christ is, indeed, a power of God
unto salvation to every one that believeth. This
service has brought home to me the great central
truth of the Gospel: “God so loved the world that
He gave His only-hegotten Son, that whosoever be-
lieveth in Him should not perish, but have ever-
lasting life.”

My friends, the Lord has been good to you.
Jf ever there was a people that had reason lo be
thankful to God, and to give glory unto Ilis holy
name, it is you indeed. You have special reason
to praise the Lord, saying, “Oh, give thanks unto
the Lord; for He.is good, and His merey endureth
forever.” The war of 1860—G65 abolished slavery
in this country, and freed your fathers and grand-
fathers from bondage. ‘The proclamation of Presi-
dent Lincoln gave you civil liberty. You are to-day
free men and women, free citizens of this great
Republic. But what does bodily freedom amount
to, if one remains in the bondage of sin? What
benefit is it to any one to be a free citizen of this
world, if he is not a citizen of Christ’s kingdom?
to be well educated in matters pertaining to this
life, if he is ignorant of matters pertaining to
eternal life?

On a certain occasion Christ said to the Jews:
“Tf ye continue in My Word, then are ye My dis-
ciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and
the truth shall make you free.” But the Jews
answered Him and said: “We are Abraham’s seed,
and were never in bondage to any man; how sayest
Thou, Ye shall be made free?” ‘The Jews thought
they were free because they were not slaves of any
man, and hence they did not understand Christ’s
saying, “The truth shall make you free.” Christ,

a change.

-however, answered them and said: “Verily, verily,

I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the
servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in
the house forever.” Christ tells them that there
is a slavery far worse than bodily slavery: the
slavery of sin, the slavery of the soul, under the
He who does sin, commits it
willingly, intentionally, is not his own master, but
a slaye, though he be ruler of a mighty empire.
He is not a free man or woman, but in the bondage
of his passions, lusts, and evil desires.

Into this terrible bondage of sin all men are
born: All men are by nature under the govern-