Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 34, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 February 1912 — The Christian's Obligation [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

The Christian's Obligation

By Edward A. Marshall,

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structor of Minions, Moody Bible Institute, Chicago

Who is there among the Christian young people of today who has never asked himself the question: “Should I be a missionary?" especially during spiritual awakening; when devotion to Christ was being emphasized. Such ft questioning of conscience is usually followed by an inner conflict of reasoning and excuse

making, all of which silently but surely test the solidity of the heart’s consecration. You may ar'% "After all, why should this question trouble me, I have no call?” Have you forgotten that when you accepted Christ this was, Included among the items for your consideration? You have passed it by. If; in the cffurch where you are a member ,a notice was read from the pulpit inviting every member to attend a social, the following evening, would you be foolish enough to afterward insist that yon had received no Invitation and refuse to attend? Tbe opposite would be the rule, for any candidate for. membership, expecting to unite soon, would expect such a purpose sufficient ground to entitle him to be present Thus your church membership and mine involves our responce to the call of the Great Commission. The plan of God for appointing and directing the work of his children Is a most natural one. When a person is converted, God would have him come to the bureau of divine commissions and there receive his appointment for service, one can rightfully excuse himself, for when he accept* the benefits of the salvation of Christ he thereby obligates himself to obedience in the service of'Christ God could not have a book on earth containing all the names of Christiana throughout the age and giving the life work of each; for our free agency would then be lost. God chose tbe better plan: to have each child come to him in prayer and talk bis life work over. Do not ask, and' rda away, but tarry until your conviction, has become settled, for It is this Divine conviction' which constitutes God’s call. Many have committed spiritual suicide by hastening away with some Impulsive conclusion before God had a chance to speak. Such people have often wondered why they make shipwreck in their faith Jife or why spiritual things seem closed to them. It is no mystery. Divine teaching and guidance are given only to those who follow closely the instruction of the Teacher in God’s school of learning. Deception and delusion always follow self-will In gaining spiritual things. Every Christian should therefore definitely present himself before God for the assignment to his life work Have yon? Public sentiment, however, seems to have laid this responsibility only upon those who go as missionaries. Dare you say that it is not realty necessary for every Christian to obtain from God a conviction aa to what be should do with his life. The logician will at once take the words from yonr lips and declare it is then not necessary for any Christian. Wisdom, like water, floats everything on a level surface. Bring these false theories concerning missionary work before your better judgment, and ecclesiastical distinctions and privileged classes will sing to the bottom, leaving all Christians on an even footing, and each responsible before God for hfs share of the eyangelizatibn of the world. Public sentiment has poisoned the atmosphere with so mricb anti-mission-ary sentiment that many children have grown up with no little prejudice against becoming missionaries/When a person does go frqm a eommmunity these children see so many tears and hear so many words of regret they feel that going ta be a missionary is a misfortune. This adds very materially to the difficulty God encounters in human wills in trying to secure obedience in enough of his children to evangelize the world in this generation. All this prejudice and bitterness must be worked put of the mind, and A transformation wrought, before sympathy and love for the. heathen will be a conviction of personal obligation can be possi- : Crushing such a'conviction of personal responsibility to take the Gospel to the heathen* is a spiritual crime. It affects every spiritual nerve just as girdltqg tree, affects every branch and leaf. The one who disobeys his eall ta the foreign field finds himself strangely paralyzed Is his work here at home, esgaeially in his pleas for foreign missions. The question of today Is not, “Will you be a mlߣionarjt|| but will; yon present yourself before God for apLThtT work?. 8 yOU !- *