The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1961-02-10
Light Of the World
Lesson for February IL, 1861

ACSSOu IOE February IL, 1cO1
Timid Christians, especially
nowadays. sometimes wonder if
we haven't set our sights too high.
Missionaries have had to leave
China and parts of Africa; they
have had a hard time in sections
of India. and elsewhere. Are we
meddling where we ought not to
be? Intelligent Japanese Chris
tians will tell you frankly why it
is that Christianity has grown
so slowly in Japan: 1t is because
it is regarded as a western reli-
gion. an importation, and to be a
Christian Is Tin the eyes of mil
lions of Japanese) to be unpa-
triotic.
Wouldn't 1t be better. some
American church members say,
if we just recognized that the
Japanese are right, Christianity
is a western religion, it suits
America and maybe Europe, so
let's cultivate it here and leave
Asia to the Asiatics?
Bold From Birth
The cure for such tirnid Chris
tianS is a good look at the New
Testament, and at history. Take
the history first. The Christian
religion did not start as q west
ern religion; it began in Asia. It
had its roots in the Jewish reli-
gion, and that also was a reG-
gion of Asia. One of the big ques-
tons that stirred the early
church. was Can the Christian
religion take in non-Jews? In
other words. can the Christian
religion be acceptable in Rome,
Spain, Germany, Britain? No
body thought about Britain at
first, to be sure; and when Chris
tan missionaries first went there
it was dangerous in the extreme
But they went. There we're tirnid
Christians then as now, salts
fled with Christianity as a home
town religion. But ther were al
so bold Christians. far-sighted
Christians, and with or without
the backing of the whole church
they went. in time. over the
wide world. Christianity today
is the one world wide religion.
Our nearest rival has less than
half the number Of adherents
that Christianity has.
Light Of the World
AL this was not an accident, not
an after thought. Jesus him,
self though a loyal Jew had a
world vision. He called himself
the Light of the World. This was
a kind of divine audacity. It
didn't look like it in his lifetime
There he was, off in a very OBJ
scure corner of the world. with
out one single follower who could
have been called distinguish
ed" The intellectual and eco
nomic and political centers OF
the world were elsewhere. There
was no religious vacuum for a
new religion to fill. There was
no welcome mat at the world s
front door when Christianity be.
gan to knock. But Jesus called
himself, all the same, the Light
of the World.
Jesus could rightly say this
The light he came to bring, the
light he personally was, is diff.
ferent from all other lights. II
is a light from God and also q
light on God. Jesus is God-mak.
ing himself known. A well.
known atheist said he would
believe in God on one condition
"Trot him out and let me see
him do something" Well. a
god who could be- trotted out
would not be God at all, but as
for doing something. Christ is
what God has done. he is what
God has said.
How He Shines
Jesus said. also, to his friends
and followers: You are the light
of the world. This is no contra
diction. He shines through those
who share his spirit and his ser
vice. Through the gradual Chris
tianizing of society. through the
freedom and dignity that has
come to those who have entered
the Christian way: through
every school apd church and
hospital and orphanage that
works in his name and service
through the preaching Of the
Word in the languages Of the
world: through the day-by-day
living Of genuine Christians, the
light of Christ shines every day
around the world. christianity
is possible only in a nation OF
ChristS,' said a famous non
Christian. G. B. Shaw. He was
more right than he knew; it is
precisely the nation of ChristS'
that is our aim everywhere
Lights in small corners are good
81 far as thew GO. but Christ sets