# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1934 masthead not in scan _S106
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

106

Reformation, that he leaned more toward Calvin, the founder of the Reformed church, than toward Luther. But Spurgeon preached sin and grace at a time when in England people often proudly set themselves above God's Word, so that poor and rich, high and low heard him gladly. He also bore witness against the unbelieving preachers of his time by his deeds, keeping aloof from them and refusing to tolerate any unionism. The Baptists of today, who so often pay homage to modern unbelief, would do very well to let Spurgeon remind them how necessary it is that they return to the preaching of sin and grace.
J. T. M.

The Mission in Egypt. At present Egypt, like all of Africa generally, stands at the center of Christian mission interest. While Mohammedanism there rises up furiously against Christianity, the Christian mission is bringing forth fine fruits, though often in secret, since the Christian converts would otherwise expose themselves to severe persecution. The Egyptian city of Cairo has three large universities: the old El-Azhar Great School, which is entirely Mohammedan and counts some ten thousand pupils and students; the modern government school, which is organized roughly on the pattern of English universities; and a Christian university maintained by Christians in America. The last is connected with a school for Oriental languages and serves especially the missionaries there. At this school Missionary Enderlein of the Wiesbaden Mission is now teaching Nubian. At the same time, however, he continues his missionary work among the Nubians in Cairo. According to his report, a real hunger for reading prevails among the Egyptians of today, and indeed also for the Holy Scriptures. Thus he recently found a well-worn Gospel of Luke in a barber shop, and when he inquired further, he learned that the men often gather in this shop to have the Gospel read aloud to them. So even today the prophecy is being fulfilled: "I will have Rahab [Egypt] and Babylon preached, that they shall know me," Ps. 87:4.
J. T. M.

Great Mission Progress in Korea. This year the Christian church in Korea will celebrate its fiftieth anniversary and in doing so will also point to the wonderful progress which the mission in this country already made in the last century. When in the year 1883 a Christian Chinese distributed the first portions of the Bible there, he was expelled from the country. The first baptism took place behind closed doors. In the year 1888 a persecution of Christians then broke out, which brought the whole work to a standstill. Today Korea counts 316,356 Christians, with 255,286 children in the Sunday schools. In the last year 633,839 Bibles were sold or given away there. In addition, 1,400,000 copies of a "Life of Jesus," told entirely in the words of Scripture, were put into people's hands. While modernism, or present-day unbelief, has otherwise also gained entrance into the mission fields, the Korean church has remained entirely free of it. The churches are all self-governing and, in spite of their great poverty, contribute annually a round sum of $500,000 to the mission. The Korean church carries on mission work in China, in Japan, in Manchuria, and in other northern regions of Asia. That is a glorious fruit of the Gospel within half a century. May God give us all true courage for mission!
J. T. M.

Our Lord Christ has servants whom he sends out into all the world. . . . They do nothing except preach the Word. Thereby he destroys the devil's kingdom and builds for himself a church which the gates of hell cannot overcome. (Luther.)

For the Parents of Our Confirmands.

The devout Lutheran preacher Christian Scriver writes in his "Seelenschatz," the well-known devotional book (Part One, fifth sermon): "I have known a father who was accustomed, when his children had reached the twelfth or thirteenth year of their age and he wanted to take them with him to the table of the Lord, first to instruct them diligently about their baptismal covenant and its renewal and confirmation in the Holy Supper, then to lead them into a little room, have them kneel down before him, and he himself knelt behind them and, laying his hands upon their heads, with flowing tears and heartfelt prayer offered them up to his and their heavenly Father. Such diligence, such devotion and prayer is required of all Christian parents. Oh, that it might be more diligently heeded! I hereby testify before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who is to come to judge the quick and the dead, at his appearing and his kingdom, that you parents who hear or read this will let yourselves be moved by it to watch diligently over your children, and to do this and the like with a sincere heart in faith."

Since in our time confirmation and Confirmation Day in particular are bound up with a great many externals, which are apt to distract the children's thoughts from the one great main thing, and as a result there is the danger that the blessing both of the preceding confirmation instruction and of the subsequent first partaking of the Lord's Supper will be lost or at least greatly impaired, this story and the admonition attached to it by the godly Scriver are urgently recommended to all parents of our confirmands for their attention and imitation. (Ev.-Luth. Freikirche.)

On Partaking of the Holy Supper.

Commendable as it is that at Eastertime many Christians present themselves at the table of the Lord, there is nevertheless also the danger close at hand that quite a few come only out of habit and not out of longing for the treasures of grace which the Lord distributes in the Holy Sacrament. Therefore we would like to give our readers who intend to go to the table of the Lord the following to take to heart:

1. Let not the calendar remind you of the Holy Supper, but the admonition of the Lord Jesus and your own need.

2. Before you go to confession, do not merely step before God to prepare yourself well for the holy work, but also go, if necessary, to your neighbor, that you may be reconciled with him; for if you are not reconciled with your brother, God will not forgive you either.

3. When you come to confession, have already examined yourself, so that in confession you truly confess your sins to God. A troubled spirit and a broken heart are the sacrifices that please God. Ask for such a spirit and such a heart, and do not dissemble before the confessor; for know that you are lying not to men, but to God!

4. Some fast before partaking of the Holy Supper. You may do so as well, for it is a fine outward discipline. But by no means think that by it you already become a worthy guest at the table. In that case you had better leave it alone. Likewise you should not distract yourself with the preparing of your Lord's Supper attire, as many do who want to shine in splendid clothes even at the table of the Lord. Let your finest garment be true repentance, that is, sorrow over your sins and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior.