“THEIR SOUND WENT OUT INTO ALL THE EARTH”—By Owen Aikin

“THEIR SOUND WENT OUT INTO ALL THE EARTH”---By Owen Aikin “THEIR SOUND WENT OUT INTO ALL THE EARTH”
(Romans 10:16-20; Cf. Psalms 19:5)
Owen Aikin To those who made possible my participation in this lectureship program I owe a great deal for it is a distinct honor and a real privilege. No one could fail to be thrilled to his innermost being by an occasion such as this and by the audiences we have already been having. It is especially a rich privilege for those of us who have been away from America for a period of time. The theme of this portion of the program is evan-gelism, often called ‘missionary work/ with special emphasis on the field of France. Appropriate words upon which to build our remarks concerning this particular labor are noted in Romans 10:18 : “Their sound went out into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.”

Since the first century, I believe we can safely say that there has never been a time more opportune for the preaching of the gospel to the nations of the earth than at the present time. Briefly here is why we say this:

1. America and her people are held in very high esteem in most of the countries of the world, with the possible exception of the Iron Curtain countries and even here I am certain that the people in general are well disposed toward us. This gives us more or less free access into most of the countries of the world.
2. The strength of the churches here in America. Never before have we been able to count as many who wore the name of Christ in its true sense. Further, there has never been a time in her history when financial conditions have been better. In connection with the latter we observe the following which also contributes to the truthfulness of our premise:
3. America today enjoys a standard of living unparalleled in any other place in the world. Recent figures indicate our standard of living is six times higher than the nearest rival. Think of the number of comforts we have in our homes. No one thinks anything about having a refrigerator, a washing machine, an automobile or a number of other similar items in their home, but such is true here alone. The people of Europe do not have them as we have them. Then the very high rate of pay we enjoy here points up our advantages over those of our national neighbors. In France, for example, a foreman does well to receive $100 per month. Then I would suggest that the time is opportune for preaching the gospel to all the nations of the earth because of:
4. The firsthand reports of conditions in the various countries throughout the world, brought back by those in the service or others from over here. They have told us clearly of the need for the gospel in these places. In addition, they have told us how the people are literally begging for this bread of life.

Now, when all these conditions are present in a greater measure than since the beginning of the church, the ‘sound’ of which the prophet first spoke, in the words of our introductory reading, and the words of that sweet refrain caught up by the apostle need to—yea, MUST, go out into all the earth, and to the ends of the world. By the grace of God and armed with the power of his might and the sword, against which no foe can stand, a beginning has been made! The footprints of those bearing ‘glad tidings’ have been seen in places which have long known the gloomy night of ignorance, superstition and oppression. From the continent of Europe, from Asia, from Africa, from the scattered inhabitants of both isolated and well-known regions has come the oft-repeated cry “Come over into Macedonia and help us!” One of the nations from which this appeal seemed to be coming in great strength was France. Now France bears a strong resemblance to the Macedonia of the Roman Empire, in the following respects:

1. She has been and still is a great seat of culture and learning.
2. Her people are of a very philosophical turn of mind. They, like the Athenians, spend much of
their time in hearing or learning something new.
3. The moral restraints have largely been thrown off. Corinth, in ancient Macedonia, had
her temple of Aphrodite, the goddess of love, with a thousand high priestesses dedicated
to immoral purposes. Paris, in modem France, has over 500,000 whose functions are basically
identical.
4. She has been dominated by a religion which has made of true religion one of pagan nature.
Virtually all of the principal ceremonies and rites of the Catholic church have their origin in
pagan religions. But let us now look at this country, into which a little of the leaven of the kingdom of Christ has come. That you may understand some of the attitudes and habits of these people, may I briefly tell you of the way of life in France, as compared with our own here in America. We will hurriedly note three phases of life in France: the living conditions, some customs which differ from ours and some of the shopping habits of the French people.
As I have already intimated there are few of the comforts such as we have in our homes here in those of France. In a conversation with a French industrialist, I was asked about living conditions here in America in comparison with those of France. Never wanting in any way to boast of our superior possessions in this respect, for others are very sensitive because they do not have them, I hesitantly affirmed that most of us did have a refrigerator and a washing machine, at which point he interrupted me to say that while I began in my comparison at the point of the refrigerators and washing machine not one house out of every fifty in Paris had a bath and that fully one-fourth of the houses in Paris did not have running water and therefore did not have indoor toilet facilities. Think about that, in a city of 4 million people! The salaries of the workers are very low and there is little chance for advancement in France. As already stated a foreman rarely draws over $100 per month though he may have worked at the job for several years.

Despite the lowness of the salaries in France, prices are higher in many instances than here in the States. For example, a 7 cubic foot refrigerator will cost you over $600; a Bendix washer, made in France, will cost $500. Food prices, while in some instances the same or lower than here, are in most cases higher. A number 2Vt can of green beans will cost 65c; pineapple on the French market is over $1.00 tor a number 2 can In general, however, canned goods are not in great demand in France, and there is no frown food at all. The people use that which is in season. Relative to heating in France, the basic fuel is coal and it costs $55 a ton, with a 7 month minimum for heating.

Now let us glance at some of their habits, or customs. One difference is readily seen in the manner of greeting used by a great many people in France, although I believe this custom is gradually dying out. The French use a kiss on first one cheek and then the other as a greeting and if relatives or close friends are involved the process is repeated. Another difference is observed in their eating habits. The French people will not eat beef that we would consider well- done, they like theirs rare at all times; they are great lovers of snails, the common giant, garden variety. Wo have also eaten them and they are rather tasty aside from the thought of it. Oysters are always eaten alive. A dead oyster, according to them, should be buried, not eaten. Those of France love very strong cheeses, especially Camembert, which is one of the smelliest things left on top of the ground. Further, the French are great drinkers of wine, having done so for thousands of years. Strangely enough, though, drunkenness is less of a problem in France than here. We teach concerning the dangers of it and we do not drink it ourselves at all. The people of France will not eat corn. To them, corn is exclusively for the animals. They eat foods highly seasoned with herbs. They will not feed their small children ice cream. It gives them sore throats and colds, they say. But this part of the subject is unlimited. We must pass on. The stores in France are largely specialized. To buy dairy products, one goes to a dairy store; to buy bread, it is the bakery; to buy beef, a special store is visited where only beef is sold; pork is likewise separate from the others and so on down the line. There are a few exceptions to this but the vast majority of stores in France are specialized. Open air markets are popular in France with all sorts of products sold at open-air stands, also specialized. Thus a great deal of time is spent in shopping and a lot of distance covered.

Before we pass from this point, let me tell you of the ‘baguette’. This is the most popular type bread in France. It has a very hard crust and is very tough in texture. About an inch in diameter, it is about a yard long. We have never ceased to be amused by the small-fry who go to the bakery shop to buy bread for their mothers. They will come out of the bakery with these sticks of bread in their hands and immediately begin to duel with them, using them as swords. Then, as they walk along they will run the sticks along the iron bars of the fences or hit the telephone post with them. Let a dog come near enough and he will feel the lash of this stick of bread across his back. After working so diligently the appetite is thus increased, and the child tears off a piece of this bread and happily goes on his way munching it. And don’t worry about germs! The crust is so hard on this bread that the germ foolish enough to try getting in invariably winds up with a fractured skull!

Let us emphasize here that I am not making these comparisons in a disparaging manner, but am simply pointing out some of the major differences between their way of life and ours.

But, let us now pass to another consideration of this great nation and it is in this respect that we are par-ticularly interested in France. We have no interest whatsoever in making over the French people into Americans nor do we want to change their customs to fit ours for WE are THEIR guests! We are there for a different purpose. We want them to be like us in one respect and that is to the extent that we are like Christ. We want to establish and encourage a common resemblance to Christ.

Let us consider then the religious condition of France. Because of her long connection with the Catholic church, France is called “the eldest daughter of Rome,” and rightfully so for Romanism is almost as old in France as in Italy. This religious body has wielded great power and influence in France throughout many of the centuries of her history, choosing her rulers and guiding the affairs of state both internally and externally. According to present day figures, the Catholic population of France is estimated at 39,600,000, or 90% of the 44 million population. But another fact must be considered in this connection and that is that only 4 million, or 10% of this figure can be considered devout. This includes, of course, the priests and other officials. In addition, there is also a small Protestant element in France. The strongest group is the Reformed church, constructed around the work of John Calvin, the great French reformer. The Baptists are also represented in France by a single body uniting all other Baptist groups and much nearer the truth then their cousins here in America, generally speaking. There are also representatives of almost all the other sects known and some virtually unknown in France.

However, the majority of the people of France, and we include here most of those who have left the Catholic church, are confessed atheists. The reason is given that the leaders of the Catholic church are corrupt and that this organization has so much of a commercial aspect. Unfortunately, these people have seen no alternative but atheism. Of course, other factors have entered into the picture in making them this way. Rationalism, which flourished for a long time in France, encouraged many of them in this direction. The love of pleasure has fastened itself firmly upon the people of France and has also caused them to throw off the restraints imposed by religion.

Thus no nation on earth could have presented a greater need for the ‘glad tidings. The Shepherd of the sheep was unknown to them. Someone had to rend the veil of ignorance and tradition so that the light of God’s love manifested through Christ might be revealed. But the time has now come for us to speak of ac-complishments from the sowing of the seed in France and let it be clearly remembered that we are not pointing boastfully to anything that WE have accomplished. It is rather an emphasis of the power of God’s word in changing the lives of sinful men and of the unselfish interest of brethren in America. It is true that we have been the instruments of actual contact but without the other two elements involved the people of France would have continued to slip silently into eternity unprepared to meet God. From nothing prior to 1949 to over 100 members among residents of France, the church has grown. Now there are seven churches of the Lord in France, including congregations established among English- jspeaking people, chiefly among American service personnel. There are three of the latter. From zero in 1949 the number of preachers of the gospel in France has grown to six Americans and one ‘native.’ The latter is not actually a native of France but of the Ukraine, in the southern part of Russia. He is a very devoted young man and a very capable preacher, speaking fluently Ukranian, Russian, Polish, German, French and English.

Then, when we arrived in France four years ago, there was not a single piece of literature in French, to our knowledge, that could be used to point the people of France to the Way. Today, there are four tracts already translated, written and published, along with a small invitation to be handed out in the various places where services are held. On this invitation there are facts concerning the church and obedience to the gospel. In addition, we now have a Bible correspondence course translated, adapted for French use and ready for printing as soon as funds are available. It is not difficult to see that much more is needed in the way of printed matter and we are pushing this matter as rapidly as funds become available.

People often ask us how we go about making contacts among the French and how they receive the teaching we give. In so many ways the making of contacts in France is similar to the methods used here in the States. We meet people on the street, in business establishments, through meetings and classwork, through correspondence, through house-to-house work and through members of the church. In general, the people of France are perfectly willing to listen and to discuss religious questions and yet, because of such a vast change necessary in their lives and because of their past experiences with religious frauds time is required to convince them that they must accept it. Most of the people of France possess total ignorance of the Bible so a foundation must be laid. They need greatly to see Christianity in practice.

Because of complete separation of church and state in France and because of the great tolerance of the French government, our relationships with the government are just about as perfect as could be demanded. We have no difficulty ih securing visas, even when the inaividuals enter the country originally without them. All of us there have at least three year visas and I have a permanent visa. Our activities are not restricted in any manner. We have been able to hold meetings and classes anywhere we have chosen and have been able to carry on unrestricted advertising in every way. In this respect we could wish earnestly that we might be able to share some of these privileges we have in France with our brethren in Italy. But these things serve to point out the great opportunity for the preaching of the gospel in France and the consequent responsibility for doing so.

It goes without saying that in any work there are hindrances, some of which have to be overcome over a long period of time. Others can and must be overcome more rapidly. In closing now, I want briefly to point out two of the greatest hindrances to our work in France, and emphasize that the work will make more rapid progress only to the extent that these hindrances are overcome. The greatest need that we have in France today is more ‘pioneers for the truth’. We have only touched the hem of the garment in preaching the gospel in France. Opportunities are abundant in other cities and areas but there is no one to go. To our ears come these cries for aid and to them we must answer “We shall do all we can to help find someone to come to you with the message of Christ.” The need is boundless for those who are willing to suffer a few hardships as good soldiers of Christ and who are not interested in a ‘position/ Men are dying without Christ every second while preachers here in the States are competing in many instances for higher salaries, bigger preachers’ homes, bigger expense accounts and a ‘position/ Oh my brethren, what will you say when the millions of the earth who have never heard the gospel once accuse you in that day? You say, “I have faith . . ” Show me your faith by your works! Come over into Macedonia and help us! God and good faithful brethren here in America will take care of your material needs.

Congregations are needed who will look out men and send them into these needy fields. Brethren, lift up your eyes to the teeming millions of unsaved on this earth and then have the courage to raise your sights to send Christ to them. The work at home will grow—it has never failed, and others will hear of Christ. Don’t let these young men have to come to you and get down on their knees to beg you to send them. Put the initiative where it ought to be.

Another critical need in the work in France is for a small building to serve the needs of the church in Paris. We are now having to meet in a disreputable section of town, on the third story of an old building above a jiu-jitsu gymnasium, from which come the noises to disturb our meditation during services. Though we have searched diligently we have been unable to locate anything as good or better than what we now have. We have been forced to watch people turn away from the entrance to our meeting place because of its appearance. A contractor has given us a price of $30,000 for a very nice little building to seat 250, with classrooms, baptistry, central heating and two apartments for workers, and of solid masonry construction. To buy the land those of us in the English-speaking church in Paris have given over three thousand dollars in the last year and a half. Three thousand dollars will come back out of our lease and around five thousand dollars are already on hand to go toward the purchase of land but help is needed for the building. I might add, too, that the Paris church is caring for all expenses, outside of personal support for the preachers which must come from outside France. Our budget last year was over $3000, or about $65 per Sunday and this for a group of about 15 members, including several women. Will you help the work in France by helping us secure this much needed tool?

Many will say “We are doing all we can . . ” ARE WE? When we spend hundreds of thousands of dollars in a mad race to keep up with the denominations on their buildings, luxurious trappings and so forth; when individual Christians waste money without end on cigarettes, picture shows, new automobiles, finer houses, television sets and a million other items that are not needed things but in many cases offerings to the god of pride and luxury, I say, when we act in this manner, HOW IN THE NAME OF GOD CAN WE SAY “WE ARE DOING ALL WE CAN?” When, oh when, my beloved brethren, are we going to stop playing at being as our heavenly Father would have us be? We have the potential so that the ‘sound’ and the ‘words’ of our text can go out ‘into all the earth and unto the ends of the world.’ May we labor together toward the salvation of our own soul and the souls of men everywhere.
Pray on our behalf that God may open for us a door for the gospel in France.
Thank you.