Striving Together For The Faith Of The Gospel LOI 1934-7
From BrethrenPedia
"It is the purpose of this bulletin to stir up the hearts of the Lord’s people to our great responsibility of carrying the gospel to the needy parts of the United States and Canada.
True it is we all cannot give our entire time to the Lord’s work, but we can all strive together for the faith of the gospel in the sphere in which God has called us. Today as never before conditions call for a greater effort on the part of our assemblies in every phase of Christian activity. Many of the Lord’s people are out of work and are hardly able to make ends meet, thus the offerings in our assemblies have been greatly reduced and as a result the assemblies are not able to minister to the evangelists as they did when times were better.
[Had] it not been the experience of many of us to come in contact with some of the Lord’s servants laboring in out-of-the-way places and whom we knew were in need of practical fellowship, yet the assembly with which we are connected could not forward practical fellowship on account of the present economic conditions, and we also found ourselves withholding personal fellowship due to the fact we felt we did not have enough to give. It is understood that each assembly has fellowship with the Lord’s servants from time to time, yet many are forgotten because they are not quite so well known. A letter has just come to our attention where a brother laboring in one of the Southern states did not have bread to eat for three days.
A number of the brethren in the Chicago assemblies being exercised before God about these things, after much prayerful consideration thought it would be wise to issue a bulletin giving short accounts or" the pioneer and his work and mailing them to every assembly in the United States and Canada and in this way keeping the work before the saints so that they may be exercised to send support to any brother laboring in neglected places.
A fund has been started whereby we can have fellowship with pioneer laborers thus enabling them to remain in their field of service until a work is established. There are nearly eight hundred assemblies in the United States and Canada and if each would undertake to send to this fund the small amount of one dollar each month the amount of eight hundred dollars per month or nine thousand six hundred dollars per year would go a long way toward sending the gospel to many needy places which are now neglected.
Brethren, let us strive together for the faith of the gospel remembering when we all put our small gifts together which we would hardly give otherwise because they are so small, they will make up quite a sum which can be used for God in the spread of the gospel.
It would be well for every child of God who reads these lines to heed the solemn warning in Proverbs 24:11 and 12: “If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain; if thou sayest, ‘Behold, we knew it not’; doth not He that pondereth the heart consider it? and He that keepeth thy soul, doth He not know it? and shall He not render to every man according to his works?”
And again in Ezekiel 3:17 to 21: “Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at My mouth, and give them warning from Me. When I say unto the wicked, ‘Thou shalt surely die’ ; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.
Again, when a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die; because thou has not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Nevertheless, if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul”; and upon bended knees seek God’s grace to allow ourselves to spend and be spent that the glad tidings of great joy may reach the unsaved.
Brethren, pray for this effort to help those who are out preaching the gospel and pray that we all might be one in this great work, contending earnestly for the faith once delivered unto the saints.
We have been greatly encouraged in this work we have undertaken to do for our Blessed Lord and Master from the many letters we have received from the Assemblies of God's people expressing their desire to cooperate with us in every way possible so that the work of the Lord might prosper in the many neglected parts of the United States and Canada. We have also received a number of letters from the Lord’s servants laboring in the out-of-the-way places stating that they believe a work like this is greatly needed and that if only our Assemblies could see the great need as they see it , much would be done to get the Gospel to those passing into Eternity without any knowledge of our Blessed Lord.
One brother writes, “Your letter on the subject of Pioneer work was received with genuine interest and an appreciation of the possibilities of such a move. I have long felt the very things you have expressed, and felt some of them keenly while out in that kind of work."
An Assembly correspondent writes as follows, “Your circular letter received several days ago and I assure you we are in hearty accord with the move to try to* get the outlying districts evangelized. There surely is a great need in the West and there are lots of places that have never heard the plain, simple gospel."
It should be noted here that in answering the question raised, "What is hindering the spread of the gospel in needy fields ?” there is a consensus of opinion that lack of funds hinders, and also too often cripples the work. There is therefore real need for detailed publicity being given to the entire field. The saints are now in the position of having accurate, detailed, reliable, up-to-date information. Brethren, look on the field. Look to the Lord in prayer for the work and workers. As the Lord leads you, help in the work of the Lord."
