A Preacher on Missions

“I mean not that other men be eased, and ye burdened.” 2 Corinthians 8:13
We often hear it said by short-sighted Christians that the work at home is likely to suffer if the church pays too much attention to missions and missionary giving. This has been disproved over and over again. A preacher was taking an offering for missions, when a close-handed deacon in his congregation called, “Preacher, you is goin’ to kill this church if you keeps on taking up money for missions.”
“Brother,” was the reply, “Let me tell you somethin’. Churches don’t die that way. An’ if you ever can show me a church what died of giving to missions, I’ll go out an’ climb upon the ruins of that church in the light of the moon and preach on the text ‘Blessed are the dead what dies in the Lord!’”