Certain Victory in the Spiritual Conflict Ahead

 I wrote the following in 2012 for another blogsite:

Since the election, I've noticed that as the initial finger-pointing and blaming ebbed, it gave way to hand-wringing and moaning. Then, some folks remembered God's sovereignty and adopted an attitude of somber resignation.

This past November's post-election trauma have displayed a higher intensity, but essentially remain the same. The appeal to placing one's hope in God rather than man has come AFTER the hopes placed in a candidate failed. The cycle repeats every four years.

What if, instead of making God's sovereignty our fallback position, we made it our first priority now and through the next four years? This would require us to take Christ's command to disciple the nations seriously (Matthew 28:18-20).

I really like this Gospel song, "The Kingdom is Coming" because it expresses the attitude of the Church militant going forth to conquer in the name of the King. Mary B. Slade wrote the words in 1876, and Rigdon M. McIntosh composed the melody. (CLICK HERE to hear the melody.)

From all the dark places of earth’s heathen races,
O see how the thick shadows fly!
The voice of salvation awakes every nation,
Come over and help us, they cry.

Refrain:
The kingdom is coming, O tell ye the story,
God’s banner exalted shall be!
The earth shall be full of His knowledge and glory,
As waters that cover the sea.

The sunlight is glancing o’er armies advancing
To conquer the kingdoms of sin;
Our Lord shall possess them,
His presence shall bless them,
His beauty shall enter them in.

Refrain

With shouting and singing, and jubilant ringing,
Their arms of rebellion cast down;
At last every nation the Lord of salvation
Their King and Redeemer shall crown!

Refrain

Free Burma Rangers in the Middle East

Two years ago today, I published a post about the Free Burma Rangers, a group dedicated to the security and safety of the persecuted ethnic minority groups in Miyanmar (Burma). David Eubank, their leader has expanded their work beyond the borders of Burma into Africa and the Middle East.

The video below details their activity in Mosul, earlier this year. An incredible sheepdog ministry.

Gravelbelly Meets South African Sheepdog/Missionary

In South Africa, Charl Van Wyk preaches the Gospel of Christ, wages warfare against the spiritual forces of wickedness in high places, and stands ready to use lethal force to protect those under his care. Oh, and after nine years of knowing about him, last Saturday I met this missionary sheepdog brother face to face in Wyomissing, PA.

In 2008, I blogged about a Reformed Christian Martialist who had stopped a terrorist attack on his church in 1993 (see here). I followed up with another blog several months later (see here), and then just two years ago, I referenced him in a post about the inadvisability of turning churches into gun-free zones (see here).

Last week, God granted me the privilege of chatting with him before and after his lecture "Fighting Demons in Africa, Body and Soul." You can hear his lecture below. It runs over an hour, but it includes teaching 99% of American evangelicals have not and will not hear in their churches

Hebrew Battle Cry

Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them. (Joshua 1:6)

I have written before on the utility of the battle cry in controlling adrenaline stress (See here and here). This video came to my attention through a niece of mine, and it gives a lot of insight into a Hebrew battle cry based on the verse above.

Come O Thou Traveler Unknown

“Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him til daybreak.” Genesis 32:24

Before wrestling with forces of wickedness in high places, we would do well to wrestle first with God. I could not find a performance of this hymn that included all 14 stanzas, but I have provided them below the video.

Come, O thou Traveler unknown, Whom still I hold, but cannot see! My company before is gone, And I am left alone with Thee; With Thee all night I mean to stay, And wrestle till the break of day. I need not tell Thee who I am, My misery and sin declare; Thyself hast called me by my name, Look on Thy hands, and read it there; But who, I ask Thee, who art Thou? Tell me Thy name, and tell me now. In vain Thou strugglest to get free, I never will unloose my hold! Art Thou the Man that died for me? The secret of Thy love unfold; Wrestling, I will not let Thee go, Till I Thy name, Thy nature know. Wilt Thou not yet to me reveal Thy new, unutterable Name? Tell me, I still beseech Thee, tell; To know it now resolved I am; Wrestling, I will not let Thee go, Till I Thy Name, Thy nature know. ’Tis all in vain to hold Thy tongue Or touch the hollow of my thigh; Though every sinew be unstrung, Out of my arms Thou shalt not fly; Wrestling I will not let Thee go Till I Thy name, Thy nature know. What though my shrinking flesh complain, And murmur to contend so long? I rise superior to my pain, When I am weak, then I am strong And when my all of strength shall fail, I shall with the God-man prevail. My strength is gone, my nature dies, I sink beneath Thy weighty hand, Faint to revive, and fall to rise; I fall, and yet by faith I stand; I stand and will not let Thee go Till I Thy Name, Thy nature know. Yield to me now, for I am weak, But confident in self-despair; Speak to my heart, in blessings speak, Be conquered by my instant prayer; Speak, or Thou never hence shalt move, And tell me if Thy Name is Love. ’Tis Love! ’tis Love! Thou diedst for me! I hear Thy whisper in my heart; The morning breaks, the shadows flee, Pure, universal love Thou art; To me, to all, Thy bowels move; Thy nature and Thy Name is Love. My prayer hath power with God; the grace Unspeakable I now receive; Through faith I see Thee face to face, I see Thee face to face, and live! In vain I have not wept and strove; Thy nature and Thy Name is Love. I know Thee, Savior, who Thou art. Jesus, the feeble sinner’s friend; Nor wilt Thou with the night depart. But stay and love me to the end, Thy mercies never shall remove; Thy nature and Thy Name is Love. The Sun of righteousness on me Hath rose with healing in His wings, Withered my nature’s strength; from Thee My soul its life and succor brings; My help is all laid up above; Thy nature and Thy Name is Love. Contented now upon my thigh I halt, till life’s short journey end; All helplessness, all weakness I On Thee alone for strength depend; Nor have I power from Thee to move: Thy nature, and Thy name is Love. Lame as I am, I take the prey, Hell, earth, and sin, with ease o’ercome; I leap for joy, pursue my way, And as a bounding hart fly home, Through all eternity to prove Thy nature and Thy Name is Love.

Free Burma Rangers: Mission in the Midst of War

In 2010, I wrote about the Christian tribal people of Burma fighting to survive a genocidal war waged by the central government of that country. (see Christian Freedom Fighters in Burma & the sequel)

The interview below reveals the testimony and ministry of former Army Ranger and Green Beret, David Eubank. It tells of his calling and present work among the beleaguered ethnic minorities of Burma.

The video will engage you, and you will count the half hour it takes as well spent.



To learn more, click here: Free Burma Rangers

Forty Brave Soldiers for Christ

Some people know the account of The Forty Brave Soldiers for Christ as The Forty Martyrs of Sebaste. Rather than comment, I will let you hear the story for yourself as presented below.

The Insane Warrior

David Watson, a missionary who has seen extraordinary church planting results has recently written a blog post entitled "The Insane Warrior" that gives great insights on warriors who battle on the physical as well as the spiritual planes.

The article begins:

Warriors, by necessity, are mentally imbalanced, when viewed by non-warriors. To put one’s self in harm’s way for another is not natural, regardless of politics, and requires a degree of insanity to do so. From the warriors’ perspective, the rest of the world lacks balance because it fails to understand the unique role of the warrior and what he or she has sacrificed in order for others to feel and/or be safe, often without even knowing they were not safe.

To read the rest, CLICK HERE.

We Rest on Thee, Our Shield and our Defender!

I remember, as a boy, gazing with horror at the pictures of bodies in Life Magazine as they lay face down in the river, spears sticking out of them. I also remember Elizabeth Elliott's book Through Gates of Splendor on our shelf at home.

The death of five missionaries slaughtered by the Auca Indians in January of 1956 reverberated through the Christian world. So did the song they sang before embarking on what would be their last mission: "We Rest on Thee, Our Shield and Our Defender".

 Elizabeth Elliott, wife to one of the slain used a line from that hymn as the title of her book about the five missionaries. The book, and the event that inspired it . . . .

To continue with this post as it appears on christianwarrior.co click here.

The Christian Warrior's Mission Impossible

Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw Him, they worshiped Him: but some doubted. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. (Matthew 28:16-20)

Mission Impossible?

Let me paraphrase what Jesus said to His disciples in this Great Commission: "Since I am the ultimate authority, I want you to take over the world and bring all its nations under My rightful rule. You are not to do this by force of arms or political machinations. You are to conquer the world by converting and discipling the nations. You must also transform their pagan/humanistic cultures by teaching them to observe everything I've taught you. You won't be in this alone and in your own power, for I will be with you."

Any way you look at it, that's a pretty tall order. It goes way beyond what we normally think of as evangelism, or even world missions. In fact, it's so far out of line with what most churches teach, that evangelical Christians tend to dismiss it out of hand. Here's a dialogue based on actual objections raised to me  by people who call themselves Bible-believing Christians.

Objection: It won't work; it's impossible.

Answer: While I believe it is possible, it makes no difference; it's the mission assigned to us

Objection: This would sidetrack us from the main business of the Church: saving souls.

Answer: It's the mission our Lord assigned to us, and it includes saving souls.

Objection: That's not how I interpret the passage.

Answer: But that's what the passage says in clear terms -- disciple all nations and teach them to obey Christ.

Of course the mission is not easy; it's well-nigh impossible. So is healing the blind, lame j& sick with a touch, raising the dead and saving sinners in rebellion against God. Yet, Jesus has done all these things, and He has promised to be with us as we carry out our mission.

Your mission, should you decide to accept it -- and the King leaves no room for the idea that His command is optional -- requires that you think strategically and tactically about how to accomplish it. A serious consideration of Matthew 28:16-20 will require that your church recognize and organize itself in terms of that mission. It will also require that you teach your converts a new, Biblical worldview, and that you teach them to think self-consciously and to act in terms of that worldview.

In other words, to understand the Great Commission correctly and purpose to obey it will necessitate enormous changes in the way you view and conduct yourself, your family and your church.

Oft in Sorrow, Oft in Woe

My wife sent me the words to this song. You may hear the melody here.

Oft in sorrow, oft in woe,
Onward, Christian, onward go:
Fight the fight, maintain the strife
Strengthened with the Bread of life.

Onward Christians, onward go,
Join the war, and face the foe;
Faint not: Much does yet remain,
Dreary is the long campaign.

Shrink not, Christians will ye yield?
Will ye quit the painful field?
Will ye flee in danger’s hour?
Know ye not your Captain’s pow’r?

Let your drooping hearts be glad:
March in heavenly armor clad:
Fight, nor think the battle long,
Victory soon shall be your song.

Let not sorrow dim your eye,
Soon shall every tear be dry;
Let not fears your course impede,
Great your strength, if great your need.

Onward then in battle move,
More than conquerors ye shall prove;
Though opposed by many a foe,
Christian soldiers onward go.

The Speech You Will Not Hear from a Candidate in 2012

Although the next national election is over a year away, potential candidates are jockeying for position as pollsters and pundits make their projections. So, I will step outside the normal parameters of WARSKYL to comment on the political status quo -- Latin for the mess we are in.

A roundup of the usual suspects, er candidates, will include the usual sprinkling of those who profess evangelical faith. Since the media will either dismiss or calumniate them, politically conservative evangelicals will tend to close ranks behind them and vote for them.

Therefore, as a public service, I want to present to you the speech that you will not hear from any of the conservative evangelical candidates running for office in 2012.

My fellow Christian Americans, I come before you today a changed man. Since the last election, God has severely convicted me of how I have put political expediency above my loyalty to Jesus Christ. 


I have repented of that grievous sin, and I also ask you, my supporters to forgive me. Specifically, I ask you to forgive me for hedging my faith in the last election. 


Two years ago, I told you that I would go to Washington to support traditional Judaeo-Christian values. I used the term Judaeo-Christian in order to seem more inclusive . . . less offensive to those who did not share my faith in Jesus Christ.


Since then, one of my supporters has sat down with me in a study of Paul's Epistle to the Galatians, and I have learned that Judaeo-Christianity is a departure from the Christian faith. Therefore, during this campaign, I want everyone to understand my position regarding my faith.


First, let me declare that Jesus Christ is not only my Prophet, Priest and King, He is the rightful Ruler over this and all nations. If God sees fit to allow me to go to Washington, my first allegiance will be to Him. The political machine, special interests, and even the will of the people must take a back seat to the fact that I will use my office first and foremost to serve my Lord and Redeemer.


Second, as a corollary to my first point, let me say that I will weigh all legislation by the standard of God's Word, the Bible. The Constitution may be a great document, but Holy Scripture reveals the will of the Creator and Governor of the universe, and as such I will treat it for what it truly is, the Supreme Law of the land.


Finally, let me say that I fully believe that public welfare programs, whether for the rich, like the bank bailout, or the middle class, like public education or for the poor, like food stamps are all contrary to Scripture. I will vote against any bill that seeks to redistribute wealth in any way, shape or form.


My advisors tell me that if I stand on this platform, I will not be electable. Over the past several months, however, I have come to realize that when I one day stand before the Great Judge of all men, He will not be interested in how electable I was. He will be much more interested in how faithful I was.


If I am elected, I will serve my King. If I am defeated, then at least the electorate will have had a real choice -- one which they have, perhaps, not had for over 200 years. One for which God can and will hold them responsible.


Amen.

Another Soldier Down

There is a young soldier in God's army who has been struggling for some time. He's on my daily prayer list.

I'm sure there are others like him, engaged in spiritual warfare, struggling, standing for the King, though wounded with failing strength. I dedicate this song to all Christian Martialists who share in those struggles, and to all of you who hold each other up.

My prayers are with you.

Thanks to my daughter Merrianna for the link to this video.

The Death of Osama Bin Laden

Very rarely do I read an essay that so completely expresses my own thoughts as one that deolexrex called to my attention yesterday. It's called "Thoughts on the Death of Bin Laden" by James B. Jordan.

Here are some quotes that I hope will move you to click the link and read the whole article.

On September 11, 2001, Jesus brought judgment upon the United States of America. Following His normal procedure, He used an even more evil force to do it (Habakkuk 1-3).


Certainly the United States has not repented. It burns Bibles sent to Afghanistan. It promotes child murder. It steals from future generations in order to preserve prosperity by increasing debt. It does all but promote homosexual activity in its military. And so forth. The election of The Fool in 2008 shows the willingness of the American people to promote antichrist through the most sickeningly degenerate association of people the United States has ever known: the Democrat Party.


. . . as Christians we tread a tightrope between being favorable to much of what America used to stand for (because it was Biblical), and against almost everything America stands for today (because it is anti-Christ).

I will not quote what Jordan says about the actual death of Bin Laden. I'll let you read than for yourself.

Oh, and by the way, have you noticed that the liberal media have dropped the "O" from Bin Laden's first name and replaced it with a "U"? I suppose they want to deemphasize any similarities between the antichristian terrorist and President Ubama.

The Day after Tomorrow Will Be Better, 2

Continued from "The Day after Tomorrow Will Be Better"

Once when Alex and I were driving through the suburbs of Modrice, a group of young German hoodlums about fifteen years old threw stones at us. Our car windows were open, but fortunately,we were able to duck. A policeman was on the corner and Alex stopped the car immediately to ask him to arrest the boys.


The officer explained that it was impossible because Czech police were not permitted to arrest German-speaking citizens. That was disturbing. We were in our own country, and yet a minority siding with our professed enemy seemed to be gaining the upper hand. The incident upset us profoundly. (Zdena Kapral, Tomorrow Will  Be  Better, p. 43)

The fruit of thy land, and all thy labours, shall a nation which thou knowest not eat up; and thou shalt be only oppressed and crushed alway. (Deuteronomy 28:33)

Under the Mosaic Covenant, God told His people that unfaithfulness to Him would result in subjugation to aliens, even within their own land. Did they ever give heed? 

Have we?

If you have followed the news these last few weeks, you know that in the southernmost regions, our own ATF has deliberately allowed large numbers of firearms to be shipped south of the border to the drug cartels. Our leaders, no doubt will note the increased firepower and call for greater restrictions on gun ownership among the citizens.

You may have also read, in addition, that bureacrats have pretty much disallowed the arrest of those crossing the border illegally. But don't you try to take a day trip into Canada and expect to return to your homeland without a passport. If your papers are not in order, you could end up in the pokey for an indeterminate amount of time.

In the northernmost regions (i.e., Michigan), Muslims have assaulted Christian evangelists distributing Gospel literature. When the police arrived, they arrested the Christians.

Is God trying to tell us something? If so, I don't think it has anything to do with voting Republican -- even "Tea-Party Republican" -- in 2012.

The answer to our problems does not lie in political elections or political revolution. It lies in finding where we have strayed -- in our personal, family and church lives -- and then repenting and getting on board with God's objectives and agenda as laid down in Scripture.

. . . or as an alternative we could all learn Spanish and Arabic and get used to bowing and scraping to bureacrats and aliens.

An Observation

Possible reason atheists are so cranky: They realize that even if they were right, they'd never be able to say, "I told you so."

Christianity vs. Islam: A Strategic Assessment

As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate. (Psalm 127:4-5)

My pastor emailed me a copy of an essay by Jeff Myers entitled Fatherhood and the Implosion in the Middle East. It makes some insightful connections between a culture's worldview, the stability of families and the consequent effects on society. (Click the link above to read it -- highly recommended.)

One particular passage struck me.

Meanwhile, the demographic time bomb is ticking. Ironically, a faulty view of fatherhood doesn't seem to correlate with actual biological reproduction. Christians have stopped having babies. Muslims have not. Christianity is aging. Islam is youthful.

Whereas youth make up about 20% of the American population, more than 2/3 of the population of Iran is under 30, 25% under 15. Across the Middle East and North Africa, the average age is 20-25. In a matter of just a few years, the majority of Americans will be retired, and these other nations will be in their prime.

Demographics aren't necessarily destiny, but if they were, the future of the world will look a lot less like everyday life in America and a lot more like what is happening in the Middle East.

In the providence of God, some Christian parents cannot have children. But if the low birth rate in America indicates high levels of infertility, we must reckon with the fact that this is one more sign of God's judgment on a morally corrupt nation.

If, on the other hand, Christians choose not to have children or to severely limit the size of their families because they don't want to sacrifice their toys or their lifestyle, that's another matter entirely. They put themselves in the position of rejecting a blessing from God (Deuteronomy 28:11).

They also put all of us at a strategic disadvantage in terms of fulfilling the Great Commission. Within a generation, there will be so few of us, that Islam -- or any other ism -- could conceivably overrun us.

Although this WARSKYL blog tends to focus more on tactical considerations, I want to suggest that defending our families, churches and nation from militant Islam will require a lot more than weapons and tactics. It will require a host of believers with the faith and character of a Charles Martel or a Charlemagne.

If you, as a Christian Martialist, want to be part of the strategic solution rather than the problem, you need to carefully consider the size of your family. And please don't think in terms of numbers alone. You should have as many children as you can faithfully train as disciples of the King.

Your objective, in other words, is Rearing Faithful Children.

The Book of Eli: A Review

Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) (2 Corinthians 5:6-7)

Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart. (2 Corinthians 3:3)

My own DVD copy of The Book of Eli arrived in the mail a couple of weeks ago. I watched it (for the third time), and several previously unnoticed nuances came into focus. One of the marks of a classic is that  every time you go back through it, you see something new (or see something old in a new perspective).

Review:

I first watched the action drama The Book of Eli at my pastor's recommendation. He told me that the Bible was the Book referred to in the title. That's not really a spoiler, because you find it out pretty early in the film.

In the story, Eli is a man with a mission. He lives in a post-apocalyptic America and owns the last extant copy of Scripture, which he protects with a sawed-off Remington 870 and a razor sharp machete.

He has carried his copy of Scripture and read it daily for 30 years as he has carried it westward in accordance with his prophetic calling. As a steward of Holy Writ, he fulfills the roles of  both prophet and warrior.

The film's major point of conflict revolves around Eli's mission vs. the ambitions of another character named Carnegie, who sees the Bible as a means to consolidate and expand power. One of the special features on my DVD relates the background info that before TEOTWAWKI, Carnegie grew up in a home where his parents fell prey to manipulative televangelists and sent off checks they could ill afford to support the glitzy lifestyle of those false teachers.

Thus, he sees the Book as a means to achieving his own goals at the expense of others. Eli, on the other hand, 

 takes the message of Scripture to heart: he walks by faith, and does more for others than for himself.

Gary North has written about the three approaches to religion:

1. Escapist religion -- found in many evangelical churches today (probably what Marx had in mind when he called religion the opiate of the people);
2. Power religion -- not only Islam, but also "Christian" power religionists who exploit the Escapist religion sheeple;
3. Dominion religion -- the true message of Scripture, that God redeems men from sin and sets them to the task of bringing society and the physical realm into subjection to Christ the King.

So a major part of the action and drama depict the conflict between the demagogue who would use the Bible to enslave the people and the prophet who would set them free to exercise dominion over their own lives. As a plus, the movie has no nudity, no depicted sexual activity, and not as much foul language as many movies today.

At this point, I must mention that the film's title has deeper meaning than simply the Book that Eli carries, but to say more would involve major spoilers, so if you haven't  yet watched it, you may want to stop here.

Major Spoiler Alert !!

*****************

*****************

Near the end of the movie, after Eli loses his copy of the Bible to Carnegie, he arrives at his destination -- a museum and archive of pre-apocalyptic knowledge and wisdom. The one major work they lack is a Bible.

It is then that you discover that in thirty years of daily reading and study, Eli has committed the whole of Scripture to memory -- book, chapter and verse -- from Genesis to Revelation. He carefully and deliberately dictates it word for word to the curator of the archive.

So, on one level the Book of Eli is the copy of Scripture that he carried with him for 30 years. On another level, Eli himself is the Book, for he has committed it wholly to memory.

But Eli is also himself the Book in another sense. His life has revolved around his calling and mission, so that you see the message in his actions as well as his words. I believe it is that fundamental integrity that caused Solara to pick up his mantle and carry a copy of Scripture back to her people.

I don't know what the writers and producers had in mind when they made this movie, but I find in it the essence of what it means to be a Christian Martialist: A man with a sacrificial calling and mission who immerses his life and thought in the very words of God found in Holy Scripture.

Christian, Dost Thou See Them?

The Seventh Century (A.D. 600's) saw the rise of Islam and the beginning of its bloody conquest of the Christian Middle East and North Africa. Andrew of Crete (660-732) served the Church in Jerusalem, Constantinople and Crete during the stormy days of Islam's bloody rise.

That background should help you see the significance of Andrew's hymn, Christian, Dost Thou See Them? In it, he clearly identifies the demonic influence that lies at the core of Mohamed's  false religion.

John M. Neale translated the hymn into English in 1862, and John B. Dykes composed the tune, St. Andrew of Crete in 1868. (Thanks to my wife Laura for sending me the words to this great & ancient hymn.)

Christian, dost thou see them on the holy ground,
How the powers of darkness rage thy steps around?
Christian, up and smite them, counting gain but loss,
In the strength that cometh by the holy cross.

Christian, dost thou feel them, how they work within,
Striving, tempting, luring, goading into sin?
Christian, never tremble; never be downcast;
Gird thee for the battle, watch and pray and fast.

Christian, dost thou hear them, how they speak thee fair?
“Always fast and vigil? Always watch and prayer?”
Christian, answer boldly: “While I breathe I pray!”
Peace shall follow battle, night shall end in day.

“Well I know thy trouble, O my servant true;

Thou art very weary, I was weary, too;

But that toil shall make thee some day all Mine own,

At the end of sorrow shall be near my throne.”

If you need some motivation to sing this hymn from the heart, try reading this article:


The Muslim Brotherhood in America

Letter to the Heathen

As quoted at the Christ Church, Moscow Idaho website:

Dear Heathen:
The Lord Jesus Christ hath promised that the time shall come when all the ends of the earth shall be His kingdom. And God is not a man that He should lie nor the son of man that He should repent. And if this was promised by a Being who cannot lie, why do you not help it to come sooner by reading the Bible, and attending to the words of your teachers, and loving God, and, renouncing your idols, take Christianity into your temples? And soon there will not be a Nation, no, not a space of ground as large as a footstep, that will want a missionary. My sister and myself have, by small self-denials, procured two dollars which are enclosed in this letter to buy tracts and Bibles to teach you.
Archibald Alexander Hodge, and Mary Eliz. Hodge, Friends of the Heathen.
(June 23, 1833. A letter to the "heathen" from ten-year-old A.A. Hodge and his sister Mary Elizabeth, given to J.R. Eckard, a Princeton Seminary graduate who was to go to Ceylon. Quoted in Princeton Seminary: Faith and learning 1812-1868, v. 1, p. 193).

When the Hodge children wrote this, they were not thinking of America. Today it applies here and to Europe as well as to Africa and the East (Middle and Far). Thanks to my wife for sending me the link.