They Still Speak - Howard L. Cummings

They Still Speak
Compiled by Howard L. Cummings
Morris Publishing 2006

Motivating messages by great missionaries

“The Twenty-sixth Row” – Rev Morris Plottis
To cut story short, Rev Morris preached from Mark 6, where Jesus and His disciples fed the 5000 people with 5 loaves and 2 fish. He wanted us to imagine that the crowd was arranged in 50 rows of 100 people whilst the disciples are feeding them row by row, and He wanted us to imagine…

We’ve arrived at the row 25 in the ministry of the bread and fish to those hungry men on the hillside… They wind back from row 25 to row one and those Apostles are handing now the bread and fish the second time to the hungry, greasy-faced, becrumb-lipped Hebrews! Bread and fish. More bread and fish and they are grabbing again. Row 26 has not been served! Row 29 has been forgotten. Row 49 has been forgotten.

They are as hungry in row 50 as row one, but they are overlooked. They are forgotten. They are omitted, while the Disciples are giving the 2nd helping to the front row, the front two rows, the front four rows. They have arrived at row 25 the second time (It didn’t happen. It’s a lie)

Now those on the first 25 rows are complaining! One old fellow is saying, “Did you see that rig that Peter’s wearing? What a garb!” Another says, “Did you hear John’s speech? He dangles his participles and splits his infinitives”. Another group over here is fussing about this and that and one says, “There should be a certain color of carpet to serve bread and fish like this.” Yet another remarks, “I’ve tasted better bread than this. I’ve had better fish than this!” A voice from row 24 cries out, “Hey do you have any tartar sauce? I could use some ketchup! This stuff is bland!”

Now, these once hungry people be-served, if you please, are beginning to find fault with the servitors of the blessing, while the back rows go famished.

We have done just that – the awful, crushing, staggering fact that I can scarcely live with! The fact that in this world of 4 billion 400 million ppl, half of that number – 2 billion 200 million people have never had one adequate presentation of the Gospel.

Is it fair for me to hear the Gospel twice when there are those who have never heard it once? Is it fair for me to hear the Gospel 1000 times when millions have never heard it once?

“What is a missionary?” – Rev Morris Plottis
Every man. Every woman. It’s a generic term. It stands for all humanity. Everyone of us in our work. We’ve got a job to do. God called each of us to do something in His Kingdom. It may not be something that will put your name in lights on a marquee. It may not be something that will make people praise you. They may not understand you. They may know nothing about you, but to every man his work. There is a job for you to do, and when you came into the Kingdom of God at that altar, weeping your way to Christ, finding salvation on that wonderful occasion, God didn’t turn around and say “Who’s that? Where did he come from?” He knew all about you and you were born into the Kingdom with a plan, bless God, and that plan is that every man has his work to do!

“The man and the woman God uses” – Rev Morris Williams
I believe that God is looking right here for men and women He can use, because the truth is there are many Christians in the world, but so many of them God can’t use because they won’t make the type of consecration necessary.

A Nazarite was an Israelite who was specially selected by God to do a particular work of deliverance. Now, remember there were lots of Israelites, but not all Israelites were Nazarites. Conversely, there are many Christians whom God can never use because they will not make the commitment necessary to be specially used of God. So the eye of God is roving on us tonight looking for a young man or woman who’ll say “Yes, I’ll consecrate above the norm. I’ll do more. I’m ready to move.” Anybody who will say “I’ll serve, I’ll teach, I’ll give myself, I’ll give my time.” Somebody who refuses to settle for the norm of ordinary Christian behavior and says, “Lord, I’m ready to rise above it that I might be used of God.”

“The Primary Goal of the Church” – Rev. Delmar Kingsriter
Someone once asked David Livingstone that question: “Why would you give your whole life to Africa?” It was well known that Livingstone could have enjoyed a life of luxury. He was now famous. He replied, “If it be considered an honor to obey a commission by an earthly king, can it be a sacrifice to obey the Commission of the King of kings?”