Christ’s Etceteras
by C. T. Studd

In 1915, having established the Heart of Africa Mission, C.T. Studd wrote a little pamphlet entitled Christ’s Etceteras in an effort to galvanize Christians to recognize the urgency of taking Christ to all unevangelized parts of the globe. This call to arms is both a passionate rallying cry and a rebuke to those who do not share his urgency, and came from a man who sacrificed not only all his earthly goods to his Lord, but ultimately gave his own life that the good news might be spread to the lost. We are privileged to reprint it in its entirety.   

The Coronation of our Lord  Jesus Christ. 

“Crown Christ Lord of all.”  “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel  to every creature.”

“ Ye shall be My witnesses…unto the  uttermost parts of the earth.”

“ Whatsoever is commanded by the God of Heaven, let it be done exactly.”

“ If ye love Me ye will keep My Commandments.”

“ Why call ye Me Lord, Lord, and do not the  things that I say?”  The command of Christ settles the question once for all for every Christian as to whether the whole world should be evangelized or not. 

The prophecy of Christ that the Gospel should be preached in the whole world for a testimony unto all the nations similarly settles for ever the question as to the possibility of its accomplishment.

It is also evident that the whole world cannot be evangelized in this generation or even in this century by the present methods and existing forces, even allowing for proportionate progress for — 

1. The already occupied lands are admittedly very insufficiently manned and not half occupied.

2. The great missionary societies have declared their inability to make the great advances urged upon them by the needs of the world through lack of men and funds, and in fact several of the very greatest have found it extremely difficult to keep out of debt, and have had to threaten retrenchment, and even withdrawal from some fields already in occupation.

3. There remaineth yet very much land to be possessed, and many peoples therein who have never even heard the Name of Jesus Christ. Consequently unless some NEW HEROIC EFFORT is made by God’s people entailing great sacrifices, great faith, and desperate courage, the evangelization of the whole world in this and several future generations is a patent impossibility.

Here therefore are 3 Undeniable Facts :

1. The evangelization of the whole world has not been accomplished.

2. It ought to be done.

3. It can be done. 

WHEN?

 The answer to this question is surely unmistakeable.  

TO-DAY! 

“If ye will hear My Voice. Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.” 

Surely the time has come to make a definite attempt to fulfil Christ’s command.

The coming of The Saviour draweth nigh! The times of the Gentiles are manifestly drawing to a close! The World lies open to God’s people for the first time in all history! Christ’s Disciples are numbered not by thousands, but by the million: never before has the world held so many. God has so enriched His children that there is abundance of gold and silver at their disposal for the work. While so bountifully has God poured forth His gifts of knowledge upon Christendom that we have as our allies all the marvellous resources of present day science and civilization.

There can be No Excuse for further delay. We have talked loud and long enough about making Jesus King.   Now, then, let us DO IT.  We have dwelt long enough on the wrong side of Jordan. Let us now go across and go up to possess The Promised Land at once. Every place that the soles of your feet shall tread upon to you have I given it. We have lived too long in our ceiled houses while God’s House lieth waste.

GOD ASSURES US that HE will be with us — always. He commands us to be strong, to fear not, and to quit us like men.

HE DECLARES that the silver and the gold are HIS. Are not His PEOPLE His also? Are they not ready to do whatsoever Our King Jesus commandeth? Shall He who feeds the birds of the air fail to provide for His own soldiers engaged in His Warfare? God forbid! Let us rise up and build at once.  Let us Fight the Good Fight  and stop our sentimental singing about doing it.

GOD SAYS: “Speak unto My people that they go forward.”

“Consider from this day will I bless you.”

“Be not afraid.”

“Remember The Lord which is great and terrible, and Fight.”

“As I live,” saith The Lord God,”Surely with a mighty hand and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured forth,   I will be King over you.” 

“I will purge out from among you the rebels!” 

“Ye shall loathe yourselves in your own sight.”

“I will kindle a fire in you.” 

“The flaming flame shall not be quenched.”

“All flesh shall see that I have kindled it — it shall not be quenched.” 

Our God shall fight for us!

The Battle is not ours, but God’s!

The Lord will execute His Word, finishing it and cutting it short! We are running the last lap of the Great Race, let us spurt and finish it.  “He is strong that executeth His word.”   But HOW can it be accomplished?

1. Not by might, nor power, nor wisdom, but “By MY SPIRIT saith the Lord of Hosts.” “By The Word of Truth.” “By the Power of God.”

2. By our definitely undertaking its accomplishment.

3. By making an immediate start to do so.

4. By making its accomplishment the foremost aim and ambition of our lives.

5. By supreme sacrifice on our part and by Faith. Jesus Christ sacrificed His All and Himself for our Salvation. We must sacrifice our lives and our all for the salvation of others. “Can two walk together except they be agreed?” We must Go as He came! We must give as God gave! We must live and we must die as Christ lived and died. Giving our lives a ransom for many — for all — we must delight in running all risks for Christ’s sake, despising hardship, disease, danger, and death, nay rather, we must reckon them our best friends. In other words, we must gladly and grimly determine   To CROWN CHRIST Lord of All at All Costs   for in no other way can HE be crowned —  

“Unless we Crown Him Lord of All,

He never will be crowned at all.”  If the salt have lost its savour . . . it is good for nothing. Ye are the light of the world. Lighten it.

Believing that Further Delay would be sinful, some of God’s insignificants, nobodies in particular, conscious of our own impotence and ignorance, but trusting in our Omnipotent God to bring it to pass according to His Word, have decided on certain simple lines, according to the book of God, to make a definite attempt to render the evangelization of the whole world an accomplished fact. For this purpose we have banded ourselves together under the name of “CHRIST’S ETCETERAS,” and invite others of God’s people to join us in this glorious enterprise. Existing Missionary Societies and Missionaries we gladly recognise as GOD’S SOMEBODIES.

We are merely CHRIST’S Nobodies, otherwise CHRIST’S ETCETERAS. We rejoice in, and thank God for the good work being carried on in the already occupied lands by God’s Regular Forces. We seek to evangelize only such portions of the world as are at present unevangelized. We seek to attack and win to Christ only those parts of the devil’s empire which are beyond the extremest outposts of the regular army of God.  JESUS CHRIST’S ETCETERAS 

To crown Jesus Lord of all.

All these being men of war came with a perfect heart to make Jesus King over all the world. 

One army of the Living God

To His command we bow.

Part of His host have crossed “the flood”;

This part shall cross it now. 

Christ’s Etceteras recognize others as Regulars, and themselves as Nobodies, otherwise His Etceteras.

Christ’s Etceteras shall do His Etcetera’s work as hereafter explained.

Christ’s Etceteras are a Union Mission — a Christian and therefore an International Brotherhood and Sisterhood; a Supplementary World-wide Evangelization Society. Its Motto:

“Whatsoever is commanded by the God of Heaven, let it be done exactly.” Its Object:

The speediest possible fulfilment of the command of Christ to evangelize the whole world by a definite attempt to evangelize the remaining unevangelized parts of the earth. Rom. 15:20, 21.

 Making it our aim so to preach the Gospel not where Christ was already named, that we might not build on another man’s foundations, but as it is written: “They shall see to whom no tidings of Him came, and they who have not heard shall understand.” Its Prayer:

“Hallowed be Thy Name” (everywhere).

“Thy Kingdom come.”

“Thy Will be done on earth as it is done in heaven.” Its Convictions:

I. That the evangelization of the world is capable of accomplishment in the near future, if Christ’s people are willing to devote themselves to this glorious achievement.

1. By giving even as God gave for their salvation. 2. By denying and sacrificing themselves even as Christ did for them. 3. By truly becoming His disciples according to the rules of discipleship laid down by Christ Himself: “If any man cometh unto Me and hateth not his own father, mother, wife, children, brethren, sisters, yea and his own life also, he cannot he My disciple.” Whosoever he be of you that renounceth not all that he hath, he cannot be My disciple.” 4. By imitating the Christian heroes of old who overcame by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony, and who loved not their lives unto the death.

II. That in no other way can the command of Christ be fulfilled by this or any other generation.

III. That failure to fulfil this command of Christ spells eternal disgrace to the Christianity and Manhood of this generation of Christians. “No man,” said Archbishop Temple,”has any right to be called a Christian at all unless he is working up to the hilt to promote, by all means at his disposal, the fulfilment of Christ’s Command to Evangelize the World.” Its Authority:

If some as of old should ask by what authority it does these things, its reply is fourfold:

1. The command of Christ, whence was it, from man or from God?

2. The Words of Our Redeemer: “if ye love Me, ye will keep MY commandments.”

“Seek ye first the kingdom of God.”

“Ye shall be My witnesses . . . unto the uttermost parts of the earth.”

“Why call ye Me ÔLord, Lord,’ and do not the things that I say?” 

3. The Doctrine of the Apostles that “We MUST obey GOD rather than men.”

4. The Compulsion of the Holy Ghost.  Its Attitude:

1. Towards Christians is that of the Apostle Paul: “Grace be to all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity.” It therefore takes no account of National or Denominational differences.

2. Towards other Societies: It wishes to express its exceeding gratitude to Almighty God for having raised up the missionary heroes of the past and the already existing Missionary Societies, and for the mighty works He has accomplished through them in the evangelization of the vast fields already occupied by them; and it prays God to prosper and use them more and more in their efforts for His cause; furthermore, it prays that He may, by His Holy Spirit, still further quicken their enthusiasm and devotion, and cause them to launch out further into the deep to dispel the dense darkness of the yet unevangelized world. It is the friend of every Missionary Society, and the enemy of none. Its Foundation is:

The Fatherhood of God.

The Brotherhood of Christ and such as belong to Christ.

The Companionship of the Holy Ghost.

God shall provide for us as He chooses. Christ shall save us as He will.

The Holy Ghost shall teach and guide us where He pleases. Its Membership:

Anyone, small or great, young or old, rich or poor, may become a member by signing the Doctrinal Basis, by declaring that from henceforth his or her  MAIN PURPOSE IN LIFE shall be the Evangelization of the Whole World in the shortest possible time, and by applying to the Honorary Secretary for a card and badge of membership. The Duties of Membership:

To pray for the speedy fulfilment of cur Lord Jesus Christ’s last command, and for a mighty outpouring of God’s Holy Spirit on all His people. 

To enlist others in the same cause.

To further the cause at heart in every possible way — by life and tongue and pen, etc.

To acquire as much knowledge as possible of the state of affairs in the field, of the parts of the world as yet remaining unevangelized, and to circulate such knowledge everywhere.

To unite in prayer and conference on behalf of this cause with two or three or more members or others from time to time as God may direct. Its Method:

Is to search and find out what parts of the world at present remain unevangelised, and then by faith in Christ, by prayer to God, by obedience to the Holy Ghost, by courage, determination, and by supreme sacrifice to accomplish their evangelisation with the utmost dispatch.

1. By heartily helping and loyally cooperating with other Christians, and with the existing Missionary Societies, and 

2. By its own efforts to supplement their labours. The Heart of Africa being, as we believe, at present the greatest and neediest unevangelised part of the world is the object of its first operations. Other parts will be undertaken at once, as soon as God shall direct. Its Doctrinal Basis:

1. The full Deity of each Person of the Trinity. 

2. The full inspiration of the Holy Scriptures.

3. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself the only Message to be proclaimed according to the Scriptures.

4. Obedience to Christ’s command to love one another even as He has loved us.

5. Trust in God only, and appeal to Him only for the supply of all our needs. Its Resources:

(1) Humility (2) Faith (3) Prayer (4) Obedience

l . A full realization of its own utter impotence.

2. A simple trust in God’s omnipotence, wisdom, word, faithfulness, and the promised direction of the Holy Ghost. “Not by might, nor by power (nor by wisdom), but by My Spirit saith the Lord of Hosts.”

3.”If two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of My Father which is in heaven.”

4.”The Holy Ghost Whom God hath given to them that obey Him.” Its Government:

The Head, the Commander, the Director of this Mission is the Triune God.

“The Government shall be on His Shoulder.”  “Call no man your father, for One is your Father even God.”  “Call no man your master, for One is your Master, even Christ.” “Be ye not called Rabbi, for One is your Teacher (even the Holy Ghost) and all ye are brethren.” “The rulers of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, but so it shall not be among you, but whosoever will be great among you shall be your servant.”

A company of Christ’s disciples shall dispense such men and means as God from time to time shall place at their disposal, and as He Himself shall direct them after prayer and conference.

They shall appoint a chairman, a treasurer, and a secretary.

Such officers and members of committee shall not, by reason of their office, be considered responsible for the monetary support of the missionaries in the field. Their responsibility regarding such support is in no way greater than that attaching to every other disciple of Christ. Their responsibility is not that of Providers but of Administrators of the funds that God shall provide. Its Funds:

The funds for this work shall be sought from God only. Nobody else shall ever be asked for either a donation or a subscription. No collection for Etcetera Work shall be taken up at any meeting held or organized by this Brotherhood.

Such voluntary contributions as shall be sent for this work by God’s people shall be received by the committee with thanks to God and the Agents of His bounty, and used as God shall direct for the furtherance of His Work. The Accounts of the Etceteras shall be strictly kept, regularly audited, and published annually.

If we seek first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness we have the word of Christ that God will supply our needs. If we degenerate into seeking anything else, the sooner we cease to exist the better for ourselves, for the world, and for the cause of Christ. Its Evangelists:

On application, the committee shall arrange for the examination of would be Etcetera Evangelists. God and the committee require the following qualifications as a minimum:

An Etcetera Evangelist is one called of God to go forth to evangelise in some part of the unevangelized world at all costs and risks. He counts not his life as of any account dear unto himself. Difficulties, dangers, and death have no terror for him, but are rather his native element in which he flourishes and rejoices. He cares not to save his own life, but those of others, as His Master saved others but not Himself. He rather seeks to lose his life for Christ’s sake that Christ may find it for him.

He is A MAN of GOD and not a child of men.

He is not the salaried servant of the Etcetera Committee.

He is the Servant of Jesus Christ with Whom he has settled terms of agreement already. He knows no other Master. He looks to Christ only for payment of such agreed salary, and not to the Committee, although God may choose to supply his needs in whole or part through the Etcetera Committee.

He has not the ghost of a doubt about God supplying his need; he carries the Cheque-Book of God with him always, and has no fear of the cheques being dishonoured. Has he not declared his utter trust in the Scriptures as wholly from God and wholly true?

“My God shall supply every need of yours According to His Riches — in Glory — in Christ Jesus.”

“Ye are of more value than many sparrows.” God feedeth them. “He that spared not His Own Son, but delivered HIM up for us all, how shall He not with HIM also freely give us all things?” Christ has promised He will be with us always. If, therefore, death overtakes an Etcetera Evangelist on the battlefield, he knows such to be a special mark of Christ’s favour, who has thus honoured and promoted him sooner than he had any right to expect.

“To live is Christ; to die is gain.” As he looks to God to supply his needs, so also shall the Etcetera Evangelist look to God for his guidance, and shall obey HIM. To require a man to look to God for his support, but to a man for his guidance, is utterly contrary to morality, justice, and the whole teaching of God in the New Testament Scriptures.

“This is My Beloved Son: hear HIM.” “HE shall teach you ALL things. HE shall guide you into ALL the truth.”

If this is wrong, God’s Book is a lie; religion is vain. But God’s promises and commands are true, and intended to be trusted and obeyed.

Each Etcetera Evangelist shall report direct to the Committee, or to the Overseer if the Committee shall so desire. Overseers:

The Committee shall appoint an Overseer for each sphere of operations, who shall superintend the work, report to the Committee, and be its representative as required by the Government officials, to be responsible for the work and the workers. Its Request:

It earnestly desires the prayers of God’s people that, by the united and determined endeavours of all His servants, God may fulfil the command of His Beloved Son and shortly accomplish the number of His elect, and thus roll away the reproach of lack of sincerity, courage, and obedience so frequently, and not altogether unjustly, brought against the professed followers of our Lord Jesus Christ today. Our Resolve:

To know nothing else save Jesus Christ and HIM crucified, that we may by all means save some. I am willing not to be bound only, but to die for the Name of the Lord Jesus.

“ Love so amazing, so divine, demands our lives, our souls, our all.”

Now, once again, and for the last time.  THIS WORK OUGHT TO BE DONE,  AND IT CAN BE DONE,  but only by God Himself working through men and women loving HIM supremely, utterly abandoned to HIM, trusting HIM wholly, enthusiastically and joyfully desiring to run all risks, to stop at no cost, to fight against all odds, to live and to die to crown HIM King. Too long have we been waiting for one another to begin! The time for waiting is past! The hour of God has struck! War is declared! It can only end with the destruction of Satan’s kingdom and the Coronation of Christ.

Who will enlist for Jesus Christ today, to fight to a finish, to crown HIM Lord of all the world?

Had they but the chance, every saint and angel would enlist at once! Where saints and angels desire, but are unable to tread, fools for Christ’s sake have liberty to rush in. Christ rejects not fools, nor weak, nor ciphers. Someone must begin. So here goes. “I will! Set down my name, Sir.”

“I come to do Thy Will, O my God. I enlist in Thine Army for this definite purpose. My one ambition in life shall henceforth be to seek by all the means and powers at my disposal to live, pray, work and die to bring about the evangelization of every unevangelized part of the world, and every creature therein, and so crown Christ Lord of all. I admit to being the biggest fool on earth. All the better, for no other can henceforth fear being too small, too weak, or too foolish for the job.”

God loves to use such, that all the glory may be Christ’s. Consecrate yourself this day unto the Lord for this cause.

Dare you refuse?

You must ere long meet your Lord and Saviour face to face! How will you do so if, when you had the chance, you refused to fight for His Coronation?

You dislike the lines on which we propose to work? Then you dislike the Leadership of God, and the express teachings of the Holy Ghost in the Book of God. You prefer man to God, and Reason to Faith.

There is no middle course. You must be on one side or the other for Christ or against HIM. “He that is not with ME is against ME.” Wouldst thou be lukewarm? Neither hot nor cold? Christ says He will spue such out of His mouth.

“He that loveth his life shall lose it.”

“He that loseth his life for My Sake and the Gospel’s shall save it. Whosoever he be of you that renounceth not all that he hath he cannot be MY disciple.”  Don’t seek a long life — Christ had a short one. Don’t live in luxury — Christ lived and died poor. Don’t live in pleasure — Christ pleased not Himself. Don’t live for fame — Christ made Himself of no reputation. Don’t live at ease — Christ suffered for you the shame, the scourge, and the cross. Don’t lose your opportunity and inherit an eternity of shame and regrets hereafter. 

Think not I stoop to court you. I don’t. My decision is final. The fewer who join the better for me, entailing the greater honour.

So far as I am concerned, I care not whether few or many, or any enlist, except that I want the Coronation of Christ as soon as possible. And we shall win anyhow. God will see to that.

Should not one join to Crown Jesus Lord of All? I have done my best. I have called; and you refused. For me there can be no regrets.

Heaven can be but the sweeter for having had the honour of standing alone for this cause of Christ.

But for you? What will your heaven be when you stand face to face with The Saviour who died for you, and for whose Coronation you refused to fight?

 

All these being men and women of war came with a perfect heart

To make Jesus King over all the World.

Will you be one?

It is for you to decide.

Man! Be a Man! Play the Man! Shame the devil, and Crown Christ Lord of All.

His Crowning day is coming Mighty Soon.

Hallelujah!