The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1920, Sheet 75

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he Lutheran Pioneer.

A MISSIONARY MONTHLY.

PUBLISHED BY THE EvANGELICAL LuTiERAN SynopicaL ConFERENCE oF NortH AMERICA.

REv. F. J. LANKENAU, EDITOR.

Published monthly by Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, Mo. Subscription price, 50 cts. per annum, payable SCH in advance.
Entered as second-class matter at the Post Office at St. Loul: is, Mo., under the Act of March 3, 1879.

Acceptance for mailing at special rate of postage provided for in section 1103, Act of October 3, 1917, authorized on July 5 , 1918,

Vol. XLII. ST. LOUIS, MO., OCTOBER, 1920. No. 10.

Martin Luther.

(After the German of H. Fick.)

The sainted hero now in peace doth slumber,

Who at God’s hour, baptized with Spirit and fire,
By ‘strength from heaven wounding Rome, the liar,
The truth restored, and blessings in great number.

But we must still press on, and dare not slumber,
The Lord’s great day is ever drawing nigher,

The waves of unbelief are rising higher,

And sin and falsehood this old world encumber.

Like Luther let us, then, assail all error,
And voice the truth that frees men’s hearts from terror,
Firm and immovable in our endeavor,

Nor leave the narrow path that leads to heaven.
God, grant this by Thy grace to sinners given;
Then shall we be Thine own, above, forever.

H. Osterius.

—_——»—

Fruit-Bearing.
JOHN 15, 16.

Before Jesus parted from His disciples to suffer
and die for the world, He mercifully consoled them
with words of love and cheer. This He did, because
He was well aware that deep sorrow and gloom
would fill their minds’and hearts when He would
be taken from them so cruelly. He also prayed for
them lest they be deprived of faith and godliness,
and fall a prey to despair. He freely uttered sweet
words of tenderness, speaking to them as a parent
would to his beloved children going out into the
world. These chapters of John’s Gospel are among
_ the most precious passages of the Bible. In John

15, 16, Christ tells His disciples that He chose them
and ordained, appointed them, that they should go

and bring forth fruit, and that their fruit should —

remain.

Christ’s going to the Father, by His suffering
and death, was productive of the most valuable, im-
perishable fruit. He purchased forgiveness of sin,
life, and salvation for us on Calvary. These bless-
ings were to be transmitted to the world by the
apostles’ testimony, whom He accordingly appointed
that they should go and bear fruit. Hence He said
to them before He ascended: “Go ye into all the
world,” ete. This they certainly did, in this way
bearing fruit. Thousands were gathered into the
anedom of Grace on Pentecost. “The Word of
God grew and multiplied.” The apostles rescued
multitudes and finally died as martyrs in their
Lord’s service.

After their death their fellow-workers and suc-
cessors continued their labors. The Christians of
the present time have naturally entered into their
work. To us also our Savior says: “I have chosen
you, and ordained you, that you should go, and
bring forth fruit.” We, too, have been chosen by
our God. We have the confidence that we are
among the elect. Us, too, Christ has called and
appointed that we bear fruit. Faith bears the fruit
of a Christian life. The branch that abides in the
vine becomes fruitful, for apart from Christ we can-
not perform any good work. In our verse, however,
Jesus especially points to missionary activity. We
too, like the apostles, should go and bear this fruit.
We should help to gain others for Christ. We
should either go ourselves as missionaries or min-
isters, to those that are in need of our services,
or send our substitutes. The harvest is truly plen-
teous, in our immediate surroundings, and also
afar off. It is our sacred duty and blessed privilege
to assist in making wretched souls glad causing
them to become God’s children and heaveh’s heirs.