"Our Bit" Let’s do it Quickly
by C. T. Studd

The Battle of Marathon, between the Persians and Athenians, was one of the decisive battles of the world. Victory rested with the Greeks; but among the people at Athens there was a pacifist pro-Persian party seeking to sell their country to the Persian Kaiser. In order to defeat these traitors and their cowardly counsels it was necessary to get the news of victory to Athens in the shortest possible time.

Miltiades, the victorious Athenian General, therefore called upon Pheidippides, a young and athletic Athenian soldier, to run to Athens   with all possible speed and announce the victory.

Though Marathon to Athens was 26 miles over a   mountainous track, and Pheidippides had fought all day, he   applied for no exemption, but ran. Racing all the way,   he got to Athens in record-breaking time. In one sentence be   announced the victory and bade his countrymen rejoice, then   he fell down dead, the result of his self-sacrificing   exertions.

Pheidippides did his bit, though he died in the   doing of it. So let us Christians do our bit for Christ, no   matter what the cost.

“OUR BIT.”

WHAT IS IT? To do our Father’s Business! To destroy the works of the devil! To war the Good Warfare!

The only sane and humane policy is to bring   this war to a speedy and decisive conclusion.

Finish it! Cut it short!

Bring back The King! Hallowed be Thy Name—Everywhere. Thy Kingdom Come—Quickly. Thy Will be done, as in heaven so on earth.

It shall be done!

Jesus shall reign where’er the sun Doth his successive journeys run.

The earth shall be filled with the gospel of God as the waters cover the sea.

There must be no frontiers to the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus   Christ. Our marching orders are to evangelize the whole world. If we   Christians refuse to be Christ’s witnesses to the uttermost   regions and to every creature therein, we deliberately deny the   claim of Christianity to be the only true and sufficient religion. We   must be about this our Saviour’s business, and the King’s   business requireth haste.

COME! LET US BEGIN AT ONCE.

Let us quit ourselves like men and face the   facts, shameful and ugly though they be.

“After 1,900 years we are a great Church, with   an open Bible, and boundless wealth, yet so faithless   that 800,000,000 of human beings on this earth have never heard of   Christ.” —Dr. C. I. Schofield.

“There are still a score of wholly unoccupied   fields, great stretches or areas, countries or provinces,   wholly untouched by missionary effort and not included in any   existing scheme of missionary operations.” “In this twentieth   century of Christian history there should be no unoccupied fields.”

“The unoccupied fields of the world have a   claim of peculiar weight and urgency upon the attention and   missionary effort of God’s people.” “The closed doors are   few compared with the open doors unentered.” “It is the   neglected opportunities that are the reproach of Christians.”—Dr.   Zwemer.

“SHALL THIS CONTINUE?”

Are these fortresses never to be stormed and   won? Is the reproach of our neglect to attack them never to   be rolled away? God forbid! God’s people are bound to remedy   this lamentable condition of things with the least possible   delay.

“My time is running out,” said that   hero-evangelist, Dr. Baedeker. “I am seventy years of age, and I   wish, therefore, to stir up the Holy ambitions of younger   brethren to take up this glorious work of carrying ‘The   Light’ into the darkest places of the earth, where sin rules   over the hearts of men, and where nothing but the gospel and redemption by the blood of Jesus can be of any avail.”

The unoccupied fields await the advent of men of a similarly heroic spirit, with a simple, unwavering faith in the faithfulness and power of God.

“WHAT DOTH HINDER?”

“The greatest hindrance to the occupation of the whole world for Christ has undoubtedly been within the Church itself.”—Dr. Zwemer. The chief reasons why the unoccupied fields are   still without the gospel, indeed the primary ones,   are a blindness of vision to the world-wide commission of our God   and Saviour, a lack of faith, enterprise, and obedience,   whilst the great cause of all these lacks is the lack of a real, deep   love for our Lord Jesus.

FAITH DEFIES DIFFICULTIES.

World-wide evangelisation is neither a small   nor an easy task. But difficulties are not without their   compensations, for they daunt doubters, cowards, and hypocrites,   debar such as desire easy jobs but draw the faithful with an   irresistible attraction. Difficulties were not made to unnerve nor to   cause inactivity, but to be overcome; they appeal to all that is   good in a genuine Christian, and are the best recruiting   officers for men and women with the proper fighting spirit. All   difficulties can be surmounted by those who have a simple faith   in God. “I can do all things through Christ which   strengtheneth me.”

“EXCUSES ARE INADMISSIBLE.”

“Qui s’excuse s’accuse,” say the French, “He   who excuses himself accuses himself”; of what? Of cowardice   of course, and that in face of the enemy. No excuses can   justify deferred action. Because a land is hot, and far, and   fever-ridden, or cold and dismal, because the people are ignorant, fanatical,   stupid, or repulsive, does that exclude them from the benefits of the   gospel or excuse our neglect of them? Nay, rather the   greater the difficulties, discomforts, and opposition, the greater the   glory of the conquest. Every year we hear of further advance   into these regions of the world by commerce, by   travellers, and by men of science. If they can open a way for   themselves in spite of all these difficulties shall the ambassadors of   the Cross shrink back? God forbid! As a victorious army   presses on to the conquest of the yet remaining   possessions of the enemy, without which commander-inchief will not close the campaign, so must Christians march forthwith on those lands hitherto left without the gospel.

THE GRIM FACT.

Our character and loyalty are at stake. To put the case in a nutshell, unless a serious effort to occupy all the unoccupied fields and to carry the gospel to the uttermost part of every unoccupied field is made, and   that at once, our loyalty to Christ is manifestly   nothing but a miserable sham. What else did our Saviour   mean when He said, “Why call ye Me Lord, Lord, but do not   the things that I say?” “If a man love Me he will keep My   words.” “He that loveth Me not keepeth not My words.” The shame   of being a sham ought to move the most thick-skinned among   us. Can we suffer our loyalty to Christ to be questioned?   What further incentive do we need? Our faith, honour,   courage, loyalty, and gratitude are all at stake.

NO ALTERNATIVE.

There is no alternative open to us. The effort   must be made, and at once. Henceforth this must be the main   object of the life of every loyal Christian, as he says, like Martin   Luther, “I can do no other, may God help me, Amen.” Let the devil   and his agents do as they please. Should there be as many devils   in the way as fish in the sea, we must advance. Let men help or   hinder as they will. We must and will march forward, our hearts   trusting in God, our eyes upon the Saviour, to death for His sake it   may be, to glory it assuredly shall be.

OUR METHOD.

And how, pray, shall this be done? (i.) By   prayer to God. (ii.) By faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. (iii.) By the   guidance and power of The Holy Ghost. (iv.) By the consciousness of   our own utter impotence and foolishness. (v.) By supreme   sacrifice. We will pray for God’s blessing on every existing   missionary society, that each, mightily quickened by God may extend   the spheres of its operations. We will seek to help to the   utmost of our power every missionary society or individual that   loves the Lord sincerely and seeks to “do his bit” to overthrow the   devil’s kingdom and establish that of Jesus Christ.

PERTINENT QUESTIONS ANSWERED.

Are we presumptuous? Is it presumptuous for men   and women, conscious of their own utter inability,   to obey God and seek by faith in Him to execute His well?

Are we fanatical? Then the roots of our   fanaticism are the commands of Christ and the words of Holy   Scripture.

Are we premature? “Is it a time to dwell in our   ceiled houses while God’s house lieth waste?” “Go up,” “build   My house, and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be   glorified, saith the Lord.” “Consider, I pray you, from this day will I   bless you.”

What will be the cost? Our all; but no more,   nay, less than it cost our God and our Saviour to redeem us and   all mankind.

By what authority do we these things? By the   will of God, by the command of Christ, by the constraint of the   Holy Ghost, and by the Word of God.

What if we fail? We shall not fail; but it were   better to fail obeying, trusting, and fighting than to fail   disobeying, doubting, and living at ease.

Whence shall come the men and the means? From   God. Are not the hearts of all in His hands? Do not   silver and the gold belong to Him?

WHERE ARE THE MEN?

Have we the men? Who can tell? That remains to   be seen! There are, of course, Church members by the   million, “There are,” says Mr. Wishard, “forty million   evengelical communicants in Christendom”!!! At least ten millions of   them must be males. Are they real “men” or mere   “make-believes?” Will they quit themselves like men or will they be   shirkers? The forty millions of Britain produced five million soldiers, who   at the call of King and Country went forth to fight the   Germans! How many Christian soldiers have the forty million   Church members sent forth at the call of their Saviour to fight His   battles? A paltry twenty thousand, nay less! How superb is our   vaunted reverence and Christian devotion! How magnificent are the   results of our boasted intellectual Christianity! All head but   no or little heart. A tree is judged by its fruits! “If any man   cometh unto Me and hateth not his father, mother, wife, children,   brethren, sisters; and his own life also, he cannot be My   disciple” “Whosoever he be of you that renounceth not all that he hath,   he cannot be My disciple.” “Ye are the salt of the earth, but   if the salt have lost its savour it is good for nothing.” We have too   many wise men and too few fools. The call of God and of a lost   world is for more men who will be fools for Christ’s sake. Godly   fools in the hands of The Almighty are heaven’s most powerful   artillery. God will turn out His guns in sufficient quantity and   quality, no fear; but the Churches and societies are often too proud   to use them, and insist on cultured “pop” guns.

BUT WHAT OF THE MEANS?

God has provided the means, “The money-power in   the hands of believing Christians of our generation   is enormous.” “The resources of the Christian Church are more   than adequate.” Thus declared the famous Edinburgh Conference.   The only questions are: “Shall we be unrighteous   stewards and successors of the wicked husbandmen?” Is our faith dead or   alive? “Lay not up for yourselves treasures on earth,”   commanded Jesus. “There is that scattereth and yet   increaseth, there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth   to poverty,” said the wise king. “If a brother or sister be naked   and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them, Go in   peace, be ye warmed and filled, and yet ye give them not   those things which are needful to the body, what doth it profit?   Faith without works is dead. Can that faith save?” Yet how   much worse to withhold the food of the soul, the Bread of   Heaven! “Lord, when saw we Thee an hungered?” “Verily I say unto   you, inasmuch as ye did it not unto one of these least, ye did   it not unto Me!… Depart!” Nineteen centuries ago the converts of   Macedonia, but recently won from heathenism, though in deep   poverty and dire affliction, were so prodigal in their   liberality as to call forth the following testimony from the great Apostle of   the Gentiles: “For according to their power I bear witness, yea,   and beyond their power they have of their own accord, beseeching   us with much entreaty in regard of this grace.” Depend upon   it, if the Christian stewards to whom God has entrusted so   great riches refuse to devote it to the purposes for which   He gave it to them, their wealth will be taken from them; they   shall be His stewards no longer.

THE OPEN SESAME.

Is there no “Open Sesame” to unlock the hearts   of God’s people and constrain them to go or to give,   that God’s house may be filled? There is! The one word   “Quickly.” We love to hear Christ’s words, “Yea, I come quickly.” We   even make so bold as to reply, “Amen, even so come Lord   Jesus.” Yet somehow we fail to catch the answer of Christ, “Go   quickly” “unto the uttermost parts,” “and compel them to come in,   that My house may be filled.” “The gospel must first be   preached to all the world for a witness.”

QUICKLY, IF WE PLEASE.

“Do we all consider,” says the Rev. Hubert   Brooke, “that we can have a hand in hastening that coming of our   Lord Jesus?” “It is not only that you are to hasten unto it,   but you may actually hasten its coming unto you.” “It is laid upon   our hearts to be speeding His coming, by spreading the gospel   to the world’s end.” “We must be labouring that this glorious   day be hastened, by carrying the gospel to the world’s end, by   bringing within the reach of every nation the salvation   of His First Coming, and so being ready for and speeding on   the glory of His Second coming.” “The times of the Gentiles   are running out, and when the last souls out of the Gentile   races have been gathered to Christ, the Lord will return.” “He   has told us that on the day the work is done He Himself will   return.”

It was well said concerning the Great European   War: “The only sane and humane policy is to bring the war   to a speedy and decisive conclusion.” But such words are   yet more true concerning the war of God in the evangelization   of the world. That we can accomplish this if we please is   evident.

The original motto of the Student Volunteers   proclaimed the fact that the gospel can be preached   throughout the world in the present generation. Sir William   Stephenson, a few years ago, at Newcastle, publicly declared that the   Wesleyan Methodists alone, if they set their hearts on   so doing, could put a girdle of gospel witness throughout the world   in less than ten years’ time. And this very startling statement   was confirmed by the President of the Wesleyan Methodist   Conference a few months later. Then how much more easily can   this be done if all believers in Christ join in so glorious a   crusade. It is evident, therefore, that we can have Christ back, and   that quickly. Do we really desire His speedy return? If we do not,   are we genuine Christians? If we do, right well do we know how   to bring it about. We must live for this present generation   and not for the next. When Christ returns, money will be at a   discount, while a large balance at the bankers will be not merely   useless, but a great condemnation. If we live for a future   generation we shall hoard and be eternal losers. If we live for the   present generation we shall lay up our treasure in heaven, and   make all haste to spend and be spent in His service. We shall not   consider our own comfort nor profit, but only how we can   increase our forces and our output of “ammunition,” lest   through our selfishness God’s war become a protracted one and the blood   of many be required of us. I speak a word   concerning bringing our King back, a feeble one no doubt. ‘Tis a   theme worthy of a better pen.

But if human words avail not, hearken at least   to those of God, for such we neglect at peril— “He that bath ears to hear, let him hear what   the Spirit of God saith to the Churches!” “It is high time to awake out of sleep!” “Remember thy first love!” “Behold the Bridegroom cometh!” “Go ye forth to meet HIM.” “Unto the uttermost parts of the earth” “Quickly.” “Fight! The fight will not be long, Soon shall vict’ry be our song.” Christian! Do your bit! Do It with all your might!! Or Quit!!!

THE WORLDWIDE EVANGELISATION CRUSADE AND HEART OF AFRICA MISSION.

Object:

The Evangelisation of every part of the   Unevengelised World in the shortest possible time, beginning   with the Heart of Africa.

Doctrinal Basis. 1. Absolute Faith in the Deity of each Person   of the Trinity. 2. Absolute Belief in the full Inspiration of   the Old and New Testament Scriptures. 3. Vow to know and to preach none other save   Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 4. Obedience to Christ’s command to love all   who love the Lord Jesus sincerely without respect of persons. And   to love all men. 5. Absolute Faith in the Will, Power, and   Providence of God to meet our every need in His service.