BY ELDER ALLEN MOON.
[President Foreign Mission Board, Philadelphia.]
THE Gospel "is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth." To the church the Saviour said, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature." "And, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." The promise of His presence is on condition that His people engage in the work of carrying out the commission.
So long as more than half the people of the world have never heard the Gospel, the church can not be excused for inactivity. Nor can it expect to retain the presence of Christ and spiritual power while it goes on in neglect of the commission conferred on it by the Head of the church. Never before in the history of the world were conditions so favorable to the preaching of the Gospel to every creature as now. Turn almost where you will—to continent, nation, or island—the gates are open, and the truth may be given to the millions of earth's inhabitants. It is little wonder that the church is shorn of its power, when under these circumstances nine-tenths of all the contributions for foreign missions are given by one-tenth of the church-membership, and, further, the members of the evangelical churches in the United States contribute for the conversion of a thousand million heathen, less than one penny a week each, and ninety-eight per cent. of all the contributions of the church for religious purposes is spent at home, and only two per cent. is devoted to the foreign-mission field
It is estimated that if evangelical church-members would devote a tithe of their increase of wealth to the work of foreign missions, it would amount to the sum of $4,347,900 annually, whereas the contributions to foreign work amount to less than one-thirty-second of one per cent. on the valuation of the property held by them at the present time.
There is no lack of means in the hands of the church. If this was consecrated, the Gospel could be given to the heathen quickly; but if held, even to be devoted to the home field, on which so much labor has been bestowed, the church certainly can not expect God's approval.
It is evident from such scriptures as Rev. 14:6 and Matt. 24:14 that the heathen are to have the Gospel. The Lord has waited for the church to use the means He has placed within its reach, and it has not as yet accepted the blessing in store for the faithful. Will He continue to wait for me and for you? or will He find other agencies and means to accomplish His work? It will be done.
