The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1928, Page 178

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178 THE LUTHERAN PIONEER.
a

Individual Mission-Work.

Some time ago I preached a mission-sermon on
a text in the Book of Acts which excellently shows
us the three important stages of all personal and
individual mission-endeavor. In order to impress
the outstanding points more firmly upon your
hearts, I repeat them here. Read Acts 8, 35 together
with the context.

1. “Philip opened his mouth.’ The Holy Ghost
had a reason for putting these words into the text.
We think it superfluous for the holy writer to tell
us that Philip opened his mouth; we think it self-
evident that he opened his mouth if he spoke at all,
until we ourselves try to open our mouths for the
purpose of speaking the Word of God to others. Our
mouth is open wide and our tongue is loose at both
ends when we speak to others about politics, business,
weather, or just plain gossip and small talk, but
when we try to speak to other men about Christ and
about faith and righteousness and forgiveness and
heaven, it is as though seven devils were holding
our jaws together and sealing our lips. The first
and most important thing that is required of you
when you speak to another in matters of faith is
this, that you make the beginning, and the begin-
ning is made by opening your mouth.

2. “And began at the same scripture.” Not: ,

“He began about the weather or the crops,” etc.,
and then gradually shifted over to matters of the
soul and wound up by hanging on an admonition
or two about coming to church.

I am very sure that your mission-endeavors will
not be crowned with very much success unless you
‘observe that first of all you must'begin with the
Scripture. Whether you yourself take a bunch of
Bible-passages along, as in this case, or use those

- suggested by your subject, a very important thing
is to jump right in and “talk shop” at once. ‘Time
is too short to waste with other drivel, and the devil
is too busy getting you off the track if you make
a different start. :

And the second thing: Talk Scripture, not
church. No man was ever converted by telling him
to come to church. It is self-evident that a Chris-
tian also attends church; but what does an unbe-
liever care about church? Bring the church to him
(for where two are gathered together in Christ’s
name, there is Christ in the midst of them, and
there is His Church). Use those almighty means
which God has given to all Christians for the con-

_ Yersion of the world. “He that hears you hears
_ Christ,” is said not only of the preachers, but of the

most humble child of God, if he will but make use
of the means. Diligent use of one half the Bible
verses in the Catechism will make you a great suc-
cess as a missionary.

3. “And preached unto him Jesus.” Not: “He
continued with the Scripture and showed the eunuch
the wonderful skill he had in handling Bible-truths.”
If you have to show other men how much you know,
do this elsewhere, but not. to a soul in darkness and
walking the way to destruction. Such a man is lost,
and what he needs first is Jesus, his Savior. Preach
to him that Savior.

Nor did he preach about Jesus, but we are told
that he preached Jesus. When you are preaching
about Jesus, you are preaching the entire doctrine
of Christianity, including also those things com-
manded and those things forbidden those who have
already come to faith in him. That is necessary
among those who are converted, but entirely out of
place when you are speaking to one who is not yet
a child of God. You have no business telling a man
what is expected of him when he has become a fol-
lower of Christ, before you have made full use of
the only means which alone can make him such
a one.

Only eternity will reveal how much damage has
been done the kingdom of God by telling people
that the church is “awful strict”; that we don’t
allow lodge-members; that this and that and the
other thing is forbidden in the church. First of all
fill a man full of Jesus, and by himself he will then
become one who will gouge out offending eyes and
lop off offending hands and feet.— Rev. O. W.
LINNEMEIER, in Good News.

The Need of Africa.

“Africa has suffered many wrongs in the past at
the hands of the stronger nations of Christendom,
and she is suffering wrong at their hands to-day;
but the greatest wrong, and that from which she is
suffering most, is being inflicted by the Church of
Christ. It consists in withholding from so many of
her children the knowledge of Christ. The flags
of Christian nations float over nearly the whole of
Africa, but there are large domains in which not
a mission-station has been planted. The untouched
regions of Africa are a clamant call to the Church.

“Tt is true that the population of Africa is com-
paratively small. But no one acquainted with its
history and observant of its resources can doubt that
under more settled and propitious conditions in the

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