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the solicitude of His servants as they seek for the lost. He imparts His
Spirit to them, and by their efforts souls are led to turn from sin to
righteousness.
God is calling for men who are willing to leave their farms, their
business, if need be their families, to become missionaries for Him.
And the call will be answered. In the past there have been men who,
stirred by the love of Christ and the needs of the lost, have left the
comforts of home and the society of friends, even that of wife and
children, to go into foreign lands, among idolaters and savages, to
proclaim the message of mercy. Many in the attempt have lost their
lives, but others have been raised up to carry on the work. Thus step by
step the cause of Christ has progressed, and the seed sown in sorrow
has yielded a bountiful harvest. The knowledge of God has been
widely extended and the banner of the cross planted in heathen lands.
For the conversion of one sinner the minister should tax his re-
sources to the utmost. The soul that God has created and Christ has
redeemed is of great value because of the possibilities before it, the
spiritual advantages that have been granted it, the capabilities that it
may possess if vitalized by the word of God, and the immortality it
may gain through the hope presented in the gospel. And if Christ left
the ninety and nine that He might seek and save one lost sheep, can we
be justified in doing less? Is not a neglect to work as Christ worked, to
sacrifice as He sacrificed, a betrayal of sacred trusts, an insult to God?
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The heart of the true minister is filled with an intense longing
to save souls. Time and strength are spent, toilsome effort is not
shunned; for others must hear the truths that brought to his own soul
such gladness and peace and joy. The Spirit of Christ rests upon him.
He watches for souls as one that must give an account. With his eyes
fixed on the cross of Calvary, beholding the uplifted Saviour, relying
on His grace, believing that He will be with him until the end, as his
shield, his strength, his efficiency, he works for God. With invitations
and pleadings, mingled with the assurances of God’s love, he seeks to
win souls to Jesus, and in heaven he is numbered among those who
are “called, and chosen, and faithful.”
Revelation 17:14
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