Fellowship on the Mission Field
by C. T. Studd

The following is a brief glimpse into the chalenges of maintaining a daily walk with felow believers–amid the front-line spiritual warf a re of the mission field. Taken from C.T. Studd’s personal correspondence, these excerpts from Fool & Fanatic (see page 35 for ordering info ) also give a delightful taste of the wisdom and wit of that remark-able and unique warrior for Christ.

Hard Reality

Now about your query as to how we should treat these people. As you s a y, there is the hard and the soft method. China, India and now here, have taught one a lot in a pretty long life. There is only one way to look at it. We have come out here primarily to make known the gospel. They need to know about hell and the result of their sin; that produces the fear of God which is the beginning of wisdom. Once they get this fear, all will be comparatively easy, but if it does not lay hold of a man, his so-called conversion is a sham. Take the case where a man has taken opium to commit suicide. You have to get him awake, you slap him, you throw water on him, you prick him with needles, you galvanize him with electricity, anything to get him awake. If you use gentle, sloppy soft-soap measures because you love him, that doesn’t wake him and you’ve lost your chance and have killed him. True love awakens a man to reality: sham love soaps him down to hell. You have to teach them what obedience and disobedience means.

Apology from the Heart

Regarding your apology, I don’t think you have done yourself justice in your apology to H. Your accusation was so severe and grievous that when proved to have no ounce of evidence or foundation it required a very handsome apology. But I cannot say your apology was from your heart. Do you not think you could write him another letter coming from you heart this time and not your head?

Had H. been the offender I should not have been content for him to make a similar apology to you, for the object of any apology is to make the two bruised hearts united in love and esteem towards each other. I want you and H. to love one another, but when we sin against a brother we sin against Jesus. H. forgives you and he will forget, but I doubt you will ever forget unless you make a really loving apology. So in sheer love just let your heart go out to him in another letter.

Two bears walked along a narrow mountain path. From the other side of the valley a man shot the foremost bear on the rump. He at once turned round and knocked his brother bear on the nose. You see the point? Can two walk together unless they be agreed? Well, we have a glorious Saviour and a great work which angels would give their wings to come and do. Let us get on with it and keep our great opportunity before us, and heed not the devil’s shot.

Reconciliation–by Kiss?

By the way, that brings me to another invention, and old-fashioned one. I had been reading of dear Father John of the South of England who wrote me a delightful letter urging us not to fall short of our Biblical standard–that of Paul’s to greet the brethren with a holy kiss. Since then a missionary came to tell me of two men who were quarrelling and asked what was to be done. "Oh," I said, "Make them kiss and be friends." To my consternation he took it up and gave the verdict, "Tweedledum and Tweedledee will oblige." And sure enough they did. Their style was artistic and utilitarian to a degree difficult to imagine, but it did the trick and in no time the two culprits in the case had kissed each other. So surely the WEC is not lacking in initiative nor in pluck and you never know, ere you sow your seed, as the Scripture says, which will prosper, whether this or that.