The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1927, Page 7

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THE LUTHERAN PIONEER. 7

and cents in the way of increased commerce or by
inestimably great spiritual blessings that it brings
to us at .home or to those whom we send the
Gospel, — it pays: it pays a hundredfold; it
pays a thousandfold. If you ever had an oppor-
tunity offered you to make a good investment, it
is this opportunity which is given you by the for-
eign mission enterprise. It is a good investment
for this life and for the life to come. Put your
money, your prayers, and your sympathies into
this great cause, and yours will be a hundredfold
reward in this world, and in the world to come you
will reap a thousandfold!

If we could only make every one who bears the
Christian name believe this! FP. J.

Do We Mean It?

Every day we pray, “Thy kingdom come.” Do
we mean it? Does it look as though we mean it in
the face of the indifference of many among us to the
fate of the millions that are living, suffering, and
dying without Christ ?

There is no doubt but that millions could be
reached by the Gospel of Jesus Christ within the
next few months if all who pray, “Thy kingdom
come,” would really mean what they pray and show
that they feel a personal responsibility toward those
who are still sitting in darkness and in the shadow
of death. Every twenty-four hours about 100,000
people are passing into eternity, and two-thirds of
these are dying in heathen lands, the vast majority
without even any knowledge of the Savior.

Our missionaries are putting forth heroic efforts
to reach as many as possible with the blessed story
of Jesus in our homeland and abroad. The terri-
tory occupied by our missionaries in India and
China has a population numbering many millions.
Many of these will die before we can reach them.
To others they will come in time to tell them the
sweet story of Jesus and His love.

But to how many more the saving story of Jesus
could be brought if our people actually showed that
they meant what they say when they pray, “Thy
kingdom come.” When wage-earning people find it
possible to give as little as 10 cents a month to mis-
sions and feel that this small sum can meet their

missionary obligations, can they really be in earnest ©

when praying, “Thy kingdom come”?

When we say with Peter, “There is salvation in
none other,” do we mean it? Can.it possibly be our
heart?s conviction that there is salvation in none

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other than Christ if we are unwilling to bring real
sacrifice and service to bring the story of Christ to
those who are sitting in heathen darkness? Ah, no;
we cannot possibly mean that Christ is the only Way
to heaven and yet do little or nothing to help people
to get on this only Way! Surely we must think it
possible for people to be saved outside of Christ,
else we could not be so indifferent in supporting the
work of missions.

Paul told the jailer at Philippi: “Believe in the
Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” And
Paul meant just what he said. He meant that only
faith in Christ could save and bring to heaven. And
because he was sure of this, he was ever busy in
bringing the message of Christ to the people of all
countries which he was able to reach. Paul’s

_actions showed that he meant just what he told the

jailer. Paul went to Lystra, and Ephesus, and
Athens, and Corinth, and Rome; and he went
all these places, and to many more, to tell the peo
of Jesus, the only Savior. Te brought sacrifice a
service to prove his sincerity. Not only did”
repeat the words, “Thy kingdom come,” with his
lips, but he really prayed them from the depths o
his heart. And having prayed these words,
labored and wrought all he could that his pray
might be fulfilled. Yes, Paul meant it when
prayed, “Thy kingdom come.”

Dear reader, do you mean it? Can you tru
fully say that you mean it, that it is your earn
desire that God’s kingdom should come to all men,
when you scarcely do anything in the way of sacrif
or service to have your prayer fulfilled? Can y
say that you really mean it, when you give onl
a dollar for missions though you could easily g
ten? ‘Can you say that you mean it when you ne
think of doing any personal missionary work am
the unchurched in your neighborhood ? Ay

Let us be honest with ourselves. Let us no
longer lay ourselves open to the charge of not
meaning it when we pray, “Thy kingdom come.”
That does not mean that we should cease praying
this prayer. Ono! Rather let us pray it more than
we ever have before, but, by God’s help, let us act
more consistently in accordance with our prayer.
Let us show that we really mean it when we pray,
“Thy kingdom come.” F. J. L.

An Old-Fashioned “Pounding.”

On Tuesday night, November 30, the members
and some friends of Mount Calvary Church, Kanna-
polis, N.C., met at the church, each bringing at

CONCORDIA SEMINARY

ST. LOUIS. MO.