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Oswald J. Smith Preaching - Part 2
Oswald J. Smith
Oswald Jeffrey Smith (1889–1986). Born on November 8, 1889, in Embro, Ontario, Canada, to a Methodist family, Oswald J. Smith became a globally influential pastor, missionary advocate, and hymn writer. Saved at age 16 during a 1906 Toronto revival led by R.A. Torrey, he studied at Toronto Bible College and McCormick Theological Seminary but left before graduating due to financial strain. Ordained in 1915 by the Presbyterian Church of Canada, he pastored small churches before founding The Peoples Church in Toronto in 1928, leading it until 1958, when his son Paul succeeded him. Smith’s church sent millions to missions, supporting over 400 missionaries, earning him the title “the greatest missionary pastor.” He pioneered radio evangelism with Back to the Bible Hour and authored 35 books, including The Passion for Souls and The Man God Uses, emphasizing evangelism and prayer. A prolific hymnist, he wrote over 1,200 hymns and poems, like “Then Jesus Came.” Married to Daisy Billings in 1915, he had three children and died on January 25, 1986, in Toronto. Smith said, “We talk of the Second Coming; half the world has never heard of the first.”
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This sermon shares the journey of a young man who traveled thousands of miles to preach the gospel to the indigenous people near Alaska, only to face rejection when applying to be a missionary to India. Despite being turned down, he decides to send substitutes in his place, highlighting the resilience and determination to fulfill the call to spread the message of Jesus Christ.
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I left my home. I traveled between three and four thousand miles to the Indians up near Alaska. There I settled down among those Indians in British Columbia right on the borders of Alaska and preached the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to them. I batched it alone among those Indians. I was the only white man living on the reserve and I was just 18 years of age. After spending a little over a year among the Indians and last realizing that I needed more education, more preparation, I left my Indian mission field and I returned to civilization. Then I settled down to six years of theological studies and after graduating from seminary and after having been ordained to the gospel ministry, then I have to face the issue again. And this time I applied to the foreign missionary board and I asked to be sent as a missionary to India. My application was very carefully, very prayerfully considered. I was summonsed to appear before the board. I did so and I answered all the questions that they asked and then I settled down to wait for the verdict. Finally it came in the form of a letter. I had been flatly, definitely and finally rejected for missionary work. The board considered that I was not built of missionary material and therefore I was turned down. Then I realized that there was only one thing left for me to do. If I could not go myself as a missionary, I would have to send substitutes.
Oswald J. Smith Preaching - Part 2
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Oswald Jeffrey Smith (1889–1986). Born on November 8, 1889, in Embro, Ontario, Canada, to a Methodist family, Oswald J. Smith became a globally influential pastor, missionary advocate, and hymn writer. Saved at age 16 during a 1906 Toronto revival led by R.A. Torrey, he studied at Toronto Bible College and McCormick Theological Seminary but left before graduating due to financial strain. Ordained in 1915 by the Presbyterian Church of Canada, he pastored small churches before founding The Peoples Church in Toronto in 1928, leading it until 1958, when his son Paul succeeded him. Smith’s church sent millions to missions, supporting over 400 missionaries, earning him the title “the greatest missionary pastor.” He pioneered radio evangelism with Back to the Bible Hour and authored 35 books, including The Passion for Souls and The Man God Uses, emphasizing evangelism and prayer. A prolific hymnist, he wrote over 1,200 hymns and poems, like “Then Jesus Came.” Married to Daisy Billings in 1915, he had three children and died on January 25, 1986, in Toronto. Smith said, “We talk of the Second Coming; half the world has never heard of the first.”