Devoted to the Propagation and Defense of New Testament Christianity
VOLUME 11
October 1, 1959
NUMBER 21, PAGE 4-5a

Today's Challenge In Tomorrow's Land

Editorial

Leslie Diestelkamp, Box 48, Uyo, Nigeria

Many American brethren have asked me to write, giving my impressions of gospel work and opportunities in Nigeria and in Africa. We have been in this land only a few weeks and it is evidently too early to be certain about many things, but I believe we can make some observations that may be interesting and helpful to many. This shall not be a history of the work in this nation nor in Africa, for we presume that most readers are aware that the pure gospel has been preached in Africa for many decades and in this nation for eleven years. The growth of the Lord's work in Nigeria has been so significant that it has drawn the attention of brethren everywhere, and readers are perhaps aware that about thirty thousand souls have been baptized here in these eleven years. Two or three hundred churches exist and scores of natives go about over the land preaching the gospel of Christ.

What I Like And Dislike About Nigeria

I don't like the tropical climate which saps ones energy so quickly. The sight of so many nude people everywhere — in the "bush country", in towns, villages and cities — is repulsive. In an average assembly of fifty people there may be a half-dozen nude youngsters. Before we could step from our cars when we first arrived here, we were almost surrounded by the friendly, curious people of the community, many of whom were completely naked. The weird, pagan chants (noises) that go on far into the night and that sometimes awaken one in the very early morning (before dawn), the narrow, rough roads that so often are nothing more than a path, but over which one must travel many, many miles each day in reaching the preaching appointments, the loneliness which comes to the family as they stay here day by day, surrounded by people whose language they do not understand and whose customs are so strange, the craving, especially on the part of children (in our case one boy, eleven) for just a few of the things they liked so much in the U.S.A., the impossibility of attending school and the necessity of keeping up with such work by correspondence work, the buzzards hovering over the fresh meat market, the desolate feeling one has when his motor stops and he realizes he is miles and miles from home, from a mechanic or even from another motor vehicle, and many other such things are such as cause us to sometimes wonder if it is all not just a dream — a bad dream.

On the other hand, in some ways this land is a preacher's paradise. Compensations are so very great. Day by day one sees multitudes of souls — lost souls — hungering for truth. The very eagerness with which they listen for long periods and the sensible, earnest questions which they propound every time they are given a chance, brings a challenge to any man who truly loves the Lord and lost souls. The determination with which so many come to a preacher and almost demand that he go with them to their village to preach and to help establish a church there and the unlimited opportunity that any Christian has to minister to needy, sick, ignorant people, makes every sacrifice worthwhile. I believe most gospel preachers would like to be much busier in real gospel work — preaching at least daily — and here one can preach as often as he cares to and as his body is able. If a thousand American preachers would end their sermons with "Are there any questions", very, very few would get any response at all. Here it is different. Always there are a number of good, intelligent Bible questions, and usually the question and answers have to be stopped because of time rather than because of lack of questions. So many of us take education for granted. Here very few, comparatively, get a grammar school education, but it is refreshing, sometimes to note the sacrifice some parents make for their children. Some natives must give up about one-third of their annual earnings to send their children to school (would you do that, reader? How much education would your children get if you had to give up four month's wages to pay the bill?). The ones here who can read, read almost everything they can get and also read to others. Tracts are snatched away faster than they can be supplied. More than three thousand natives are enrolled in a Bible correspondence course.

Grave Dangers

There are many, many things that endanger the cause of Christ here. Moral problems are so great. Polygamy is rather prevalent among older ones and is a hard problem to cure. Sincere men find themselves vexed with a problem that is impossible to cure and still leave everyone happy. Some are unwilling to make the necessary sacrifice even though they can be made to see the evil in the system. Poverty among most of the people is very extensive and it is reflected in meager contributions in the churches. A church with one hundred people may have an average contribution of only a few shillings per week (one dollar or less). The contributions will often pay for little more than the fruit of the vine for the Lord's Supper — which is expensive here.

Other dangers are even more grave (though they are the same dangers that also prevail in America and elsewhere), and threaten the purity of the Lord's church in this fruitful field. Many people think a certain thing is true because "the church of Christ teaches it". Oh if we could just get everyone (preachers included) to see that a thing is only true if Christ teaches it through the New Testament! Here, and everywhere, some say, "The church of Christ is right", but we must remember that only Christ is right and that the church in any community is usually far from truly right (perfect). Sectarianism that identifies the Lord's church alongside the denominations and that only recognizes it as a little better than "the others", can destroy the true nature of the Kingdom of Christ and reduce it to the status of a human body only a little closer to truth than other human bodies. These dangers prevail here and elsewhere, sometimes as a result of weak, inaccurate teaching, and sometimes because of poor comprehension but always it prevails only because we have failed to stress the true nondenominational nature of the Lord's church and the unlimited authority of Christ's will as it is revealed in the New Testament.

Abundant Opportunities

It is true that opportunities for preaching the gospel abound all over the world, but it is significantly true that such opportunities here in Nigeria provide for a fruitful harvest of saved souls. Perhaps no nation since the days of the Apostles has seen so much progress in so little time. It is estimated that this nation of about forty million souls now contains more faithful children of God than all other nations combined except the U.S.A. and this has been accomplished in about eleven years. Yet we have only begun in Nigeria. Almost all of the gospel work has been done in the Eastern Region, and even only a small portion of it has been thoroughly evangelized. In a few days I am to accompany brother C.A.O. Essien on a trip into the Northern Province in an effort to establish the cause in that vast place. On our first Lord's Day in Nigeria we were able to be a part of the first assembly of saints for regular worship in the city of Lagos, Nigeria's capital and chief city.

There we saw a native of that Western Region immersed in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean (he had been taught by correspondence course). The correspondence course now goes to literally hundreds of people in the Western Region, and that populous and more progressive land beckons gospel workers for immediate labor. Just beyond, west, is Ghana, and already a little work has been done there and the door seems to be open for a great work in that progressive little country.

There is a need for more consecrated workers here immediately. We need workers in the Lagos area now (and at Ibadan, one of Africa's largest cities, just 85 miles north of Lagos). Other cities are places of urgent need. Most of the gospel work has been done in the "bush country" (rural areas) and few of the large cities have churches now. Yet many young people from this area go to the cities to live and can form the nucleus for churches in the large centers. The work will be hard, the sacrifices will be many, the discouragements will be numerous but the compensations will far outweigh the obstacles. Capable men who are true to God's word, with devoted families who will endure hardship are needed, and they will need the assistance of sound churches who will support them well. Write me if you want to give some of your life to the people of this land of future greatness and/or if you can help support a man in this field.