"Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread"
One of the most satisfactory experiences of carnal man is to arise from a table after completing a well prepared meal of one's favorite food, and saying, "How I enjoyed that!"
In Mexico, the simple meal of frijoles and tortillas is the meal of the common people, and is enjoyed by all in that it is filling as well as pleasant to the taste. In the United States it is our custom to give thanks before the meal, and then perhaps compliment the good wife on her special effort to prepare something particularly appetizing. For my part, I like the Mexican custom better; for here we express thanks to God both before and after the meal, as well as expressing our appreciation to the one who has prepared the food.
I refer to these simple customs to introduce a subject much more important than food for the body. I refer to that spiritual food which sustains the soul. Is our appetite for that spiritual food as keen as is our appetite for the carnal food? Do we express our thanks to God for that food both before and after we receive it? And are we grateful to those who have spent long, long hours in preparing the lessons for this feast?
My wife and I have learned many things from our associations with our Latin-American friends and brethren. At the close of each day we have the same feeling of deep satisfaction from partaking of the spiritual food that we have physically from eating of carnal food. Each day at 10:00 o'clock in the morning, five days in every week, the preacher for the local church in Mexico, together with several men of the congregation, will arrive at my trailer home for an intense study (lasting an hour and a half) of the word of God. At the present we are using brother Roy E. Cogdill's book "The New Testament Church" which we have in its Spanish translation) as a guide in our study of Bible subjects and topics. Each member of the class is prepared in advance before he comes to class, and takes an active, eager part in the study and discussion. Illustrations are simple and down to earth, such as Christ used in his parables. At the close of our study we spend half an hour in singing gospel songs. We have started at the first song in our book, and are learning each song as we go along, studying first its message, and then its music. We sing a new song over and over again until we know it thoroughly. How quickly the time flies as we happily and joyfully blend our voices in praise of our Father! We never have such a meeting as this without discussing plans and procedures in taking the gospel to others.
In our fleshly lives in Mexico, most of us eat one big meal each day, and then have a very light lunch or supper, depending somewhat on our work schedule. But spiritually speaking, we have two big meals each day. The first is in these morning classes, and then throughout the week we meet almost nightly in the homes of different members, studying, teaching, and answering questions about Bible teaching. In this way new contacts are constantly being made in the different neighborhoods. At the present time we have an aunt and an uncle of one of our members who drive 24 miles each way to meet with us as often as they can. These people want "their church" to hear "our doctrine," and are working now to get an invitation extended for one of our faithful gospel preachers to preach in their church (Apostolic).
The songs we learn in the morning class are then used in the evening meetings in order that the women and children may become familiar with them, too. Often it happens that these earnest Christians have gone home from the morning class and already taught the songs to their families before the time comes for the evening gathering. What a joy and what a privilege it is to be thus associated with these childlike Christians who truly put Christ first in their lives!
And what about you, Gentle Reader? Could you be suffering from spiritual malnutrition? Do you receive as much deep joy and satisfaction from your daily spiritual food as from your fleshly food? God has provided both food for the body and food for the soul. We dare not neglect either!
(Special note to elders: I would be most interested in hearing now from some sound congregation interested in supporting work in Mexico on a long range basis. I am seeking one or two (not more than two if possible) congregations who would be willing to fully support my work beginning on January 1, 1964. I would like to start forming my plans in this direction as early as possible, rather than waiting till the end of the year. If you are interested at all, will you write me? Thank you.)
— P.O. Box 641, San Luis, Arizona