Where is The Mission Field?

The following is an extract from a letter written from these shores by a "stranger".

Dear Brother,

Just to write your name, think of you, warms my heart. It reminds me of the good times that we have had with our brethren at O… … as we have studied God's Word together and talked of the Lord's gracious dealings with us and sought Him in prayer – yes, and found Him too! But, you will wonder at my writing from Christian Britain about the Lord's dealings with us at home. Didn't I, and all of you, think that when I got here I'd be so full of the glories and joys of the Christians that I should be writing to encourage you by sharing my experiences, rather than that I should need to think back to the times at home in order to encourage myself.

But, Alas, so it is. Though let me say at once, I have met some noble and precious saints and my soul has been enriched just be being with them. But sadly, I have to tell you that these experiences have been the exception and not the rule. These people here, dear brother, do not seem to glory in coming together for prayer. I think of old granny G … … walking twenty miles to our meetings, and all those who give up food and sleep to pray with us. It is not common to do this over here, it seems. It is the same with much of the preaching I hear. Many talk knowledgeably, but I don't get the feeling that what they say is real to them. The words are all right – almost too good – they are never overcome by the blinding reality that they are talking to perishing souls on the brink of eternity and addressing a dying, putrefying world; nor does the reality of glory and of our wonderful Lord seem to overwhelm them. But it has surprised me how little Christians seem to understand about the power of sensual temptations which we, in our country, are so aware of.

You would be surprised at the Christian women in mini-skirts, nylon blouses and painted faces. Also the amount they spend on themselves compared with what they give to the Lord's work. They are sometimes blind to what is sensuous as compared with what is spiritual – you know the difficulties that many in our country have found over this. But I didn't expect in Britain. Yet you have only got to listen to what they call "gospel beat music" for it to remind you of the jungle beat we have turned our backs on as belonging to the god of this world and devilish, sensual. "Why do you listen to such devilish stuff I exclaimed one evening, hearing only the beat and not the words. "But it is about Jesus," said my companion. "The Lord Jesus," I said, "told us to worship; in spirit and in truth, not in carnality." My companion was offended and so was everyone else. My soul was grieved in my stupidity in speaking too quickly – me a coloured man, too. But yet was I not right in what I said?

Oh, dear brother, there is so much I could tell you sadly of unbelief in the churches who degrade the name of our Lord and Saviour and who deny God's Holy Word. There is so much confusion, too. We think there is a lot at home that has come through different mission societies, but here you see the source of all these confusions and it makes me sad. Even among those who profess to believe the whole Bible and to know the need of being born again, there is confusion. Sadly I have to say that many Christians I have met seem to have lost (the) vision today. They are aware of all the powers of ungodliness and of the secular world, and they seem to be apologetic and fearful and depressed instead of setting their eyes upon the unseen and speaking with power and authority.

Brother, we must not forget how much the people here have given us in the past nor the godly sacrifices they have made to send messengers of the Gospel to us. Let us praise God for all this, but do urge the churches at home to repay our great debt by giving ourselves to urgent prayer for those of our brethren and the churches in Britain who, rich as they are in so many ways, yet I fear, yes I deeply fear, have lost their first love.

"You'll not misunderstand me, brother, when I say that I feel am leaving a dead church in this land to return to one that is alive and loves the Lord."

From a missionary soon to complete his furlough and return to the "field."

"I'll need to get back to my own people on the field again. If I were in this country much longer they would burn me at the stake for my preaching."

Another missionary with forty years service overseas who was handed two-and-sixpence (22½p) "expenses" after speaking at a united woman's rally.