Collection › The Lutheran Pioneer (St. Louis) › Vol. 53 (1931) › Page 178
The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1931, Page 178

Concordia Seminary Library, St. Louis (scholar.csl.edu/lutheran_pioneer/53)
Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

178

THE LUTHERAN PIONEER.

The World Mission of Our Church.

Is our Lutheran faith, the faith of the Bible,
suited only to one race of people or to one language
or to one locality? Is not the faith which we preach
the Gospel of which Christ said that it should be
preached to every creature? And did He not say
to us that have it that He wants us to carry it into
all the world? Have we only a very limited number
of openings and opportunities for our faith? Is it
not true that openings are presenting themselves to

not on our list of contributors to come to their ser-
vices, to worship with them, and to listen to the
preaching of their minister. And then there are
those who think that we Lutherans have no duty
resting upon us as Lutherans to carry the Gospel
to any people but those who may be of Lutheran
descent. We have met with German-, Swedish-, and
Norwegian-speaking Lutherans who felt themselves
under no obligation to bring the Gospel to any other
people but German-, Norwegian-, or Swedish-
speaking people, as the case might be.

The Board of Colored Missions in Plenary Session.

us everywhere and that our opportunities for preach-
ing the Gospel entrusted to us are actually world-
wide? We have the Gospel, we have the men to
preach it, we have the means to send these men with
the Gospel, and the doors of opportunity are open-
ing themselves to us on all sides.

Are We Improving the Opportunities?

If this is true, how are we improving the oppor-
tunities, and how are we discharging the duties
growing out of them? ‘There are some among us
who are of the opinion that they have no duty
resting upon them to carry the Gospel anywhere;
who think they are acting most magnanimously if
they permit people not in membership with us and

“Ye Are the Light of the World.”

These people have not grasped the purpose of
their calling as Lutherans. They have not yet
learned that they have been lighted to enlighten..
The fruit of their redemption by Christ is not
borne by them. They do not realize that Christ.
has redeemed them that they may be His own and.
serve Him with grateful and happy hearts, which
service includes the unselfish service of others..
They have not yet learned the blissful truth that.
Christ has given Himself to us that we should:
share Him with others and that, by sharing Him.
with others, we are having more of Him and:
His grace.