The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1919, Page 33

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— The Lutheran

Mioneer.

A. MISSIONARY MONTHLY.

PUBLISHED BY THE Evanernican Lutaeran SynopicaL ConFERENcE oF Nort Amurrtoa,

REV. F. J. LANKENAU, Epiror.

Entered at the Post Office at St. Louis, Mo., as second-class matter.

Acceptance for mnailing at special rate

Act of October 8, 1917, a

of postage provided for in
uthorized on July 5, 1918.

Section 1103,

Vol. XLI.

ST. LOUIS, MO., MAY, 1919.

No. 5.

Christ, Thou Didst Bless so Kindly
with Thy Hands.

Christ, Thou didst bless so kindly with Thy hands,
When Thou ascendedst heavenward, Thy own;
And having given them Thy last commands,

Thou didst sit down on Thy celestial throne.

But Thou art with us ne’ertheless each day ;
O thought of deepest, greatest, sweetest joy!
Thou’rt with us walking in the narrow way
Until we shall behold Thy face on high.

Thou teachest us to look each day above
Where our true treasures are, and to resign
Our life_to Thee and to mankind in love,

And walk with longing toward the goal divine.

Ascended Christ, Thou hast prepared for us

A pleasant home, and lead’st us safely there.

We thank Thee for these tidings glorious

With which no earthly message can compare.
H. Osteruus,

>>

~The Authority and Purpose of Missions.

“Jesus is the center of everything and the object
of everything, and he that does not know Him knows
nothing of nature and nothing of himself.” In the
spirit of this expression of a celebrated Christian
writer I may truthfully say that Christ is also the
center of missions. Christ is the authority for
missions, and He is the purpose of missions. He
is the source of all authority and the object for
which all authority is exercised. Christ declared :
“All power is given unto Me in heaven and in
earth,” and then He added the command: “Go ye
into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every
creature.” He that is the eternal Word, the only
Revealer of God, and Himself God; He that is
the Light of the world, the Way, and the Truth ;

He that joined Himself to our humanity to save us,
who became the Lamb of God for sinners slain —
He is the authority for missions. From the throne
of the Lamb, the throne of the once crucified, but
now exalted Savior, proceeds the command and ex-
plicit direction: “Go ye, therefore, and make dis-
ciples of all nations.” The Savior’s one invitation
to the world of sinners is: “Come unto Me, all
ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give
you rest.” His one direction to His followers is:
“Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel
to every creature.” A most wonderful and sublime
command! How small the number of those to
whom this injunction was first given, and how great
the task imposed upon these few! How impossible
seems the execution of the order, until it comes
home to us that He who gave the order is God,
and that He has all power in heaven and on earth!
But as the authority for missions is Christ, so
He is also the sole purpose. As He is the center
of the Gospel, so is He the final purpose of all
preaching of the Gospel. We say that the purpose
of missions is to teach the truth; but Christ Says :
“Tam the Truth” We say that the purpose of
missions is to show people the way to salvation ;
but Christ declares: “I am the Way.” Again we
say that the purpose of missions is to enkindle in
the dead hearts of men the life of faith; but Christ
insists: “I am the Life.” The purpose of missions
is to enthrone Christ in the hearts of men, to make
men His temples, to make Christ all in all. ,
There is but one authority for missions, and
that is Christ. There is but one purpose of missions,
and that is Christ. “For of Him and through Him
and to Him are all things. To Him be glory
forever. Amen.” F. J. 1,