The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-09-25
World-Winners and Their Ways.
Terse Comments for September 26
"How Missionaries Win Souls fol
Christ" 1 Cor. 9:19-23.
BY WILLIAM T. ELLIS.

BY WILLIAM T. ELLIS.
A common delusion among unthink-
ing persons is that missions is easy
work They have a vague notion that
! the missionary has only to appear in
the midst of the heather for the lat
ter to welcome him with open arms
and to give glad hearing to his mes
sage. On the contrary missions is the
most difficult enterprise imaginable.
Humanity speaking, it is impossible.
There is not enough power in man to
convert other men to new religion.
! The best political brains of the coun-
try find it difficult to change mems
thought upon political questions. How
much harder, then, to effect a radical
transformation in their spiritual ma
lures? Somebody has well called this
work 1.-The miracle of missions" Only
the Intervention and assistance of a
supernatural agency can win the world
to Christ.
The missionary is a finger board on
the worlds highway, pointing out the
Way.
AS yet, no religion has conquered.
the whole world. Christianity in some
form has mastered much of it, but an
almost equal number of persons are
nominal followers of Buddha. Con-
fucianism probably comes next, with
Mohammedanism following. Hindu
ism, the oldest of all the living faiths,
survey of the worlds religious condi-
lions reveals the significant truth that
of these five great religions all but
the first have relinQuished the dream
of universal dominion. Even Moham-
mechanism no longer expects to con-
quer the world. In truth, these four
faiths are not holding their own Pow
erful forces of disintegration are at
work in their midst. 1t is not uncom-
mon to call them dead and dying"
u
SO vigorous, never so confident. and
never sd conquering as today. Relying
for its power upon the intelligent faith
of its adherents, rather than upon the
might of monarchieS or ecclesia stical
machinery. the religion of Jesus is to-
day covering the whole earth with
its evangelizing agencies. 1.-THE world
fir Christ" is a cry that is rising in
increasing volume daily. The extern
sion of the world campaign of Chris
tianity is one of the broad, onsweep-
ing tendencies of our times The ul-
innate absorption or elimination of
all these other great religions IS the
imperial purpose of the disciples of
the lowly Nazarene.
The missionary lives the life before
he breaches the doctrine.
Like the Son of Man, the mission
airy comes mot to be miniStered unto,
but to minister" He makes himself
the servant Of those whom he would
save. So the entire mission field is
dotted with schools, hospitals, dispen-
saries industrial missions, hospiceS
and other forms of Christian service
Thus the work of the missionary at
tests his word.
Fifteen years ago DR.. Samuel Moi
felt went to Pyeng Yang, in north
Korea, with one Christian helper from
Seoul. The latter found an old friend
in Pyeng Yang, who came frequently
to call. Naturally, the new religion
was frequently discussed. After some
time the friend declared, "I think I'll
do this Doing the doc
trine" being a happy. Korean phrase
for becoming Christian. To his
amazement, DR.. Moffett's helper re-
Joined, "You can't do the doctrine"
Not until after some discussion was
the point made clear to the inquirer
that unaided human power is unable
to live the Christian life, and that
only Christ can enable a man to "dO
the man, and he clearly laid hold upon
the strengthening grace of Jesus, be-
coming the first Christian convert in
all that wonderful group of Pyeng
Yang, believers.
The best that any missionary can
do is to introduce person to Jesus
Christ Subsequent conversion and dis
c1pleSh1p depend upon the relatloh-
ship of these two.
A widespread scattering of the seed
of the written truth is a part of Chris
tan propaganda that bears unexpected
fruit Undoubtedly the greatest liter
ary achievement of the ages has been
the translation and dissemination of
the Scriptures and Christian teachings
among the non-Christian peoples.
There is power in the simple telling
of the "old old story" Occasionally, |
although only rarely, single nara
ton of the Good News has converted |
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