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Oswald J. Smith Preaching - Part 3
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 emphasizes the power of sending out substitutes or representatives to spread the gospel when unable to go as missionaries ourselves. It highlights the exponential growth that can occur when individuals are commissioned and supported to share the message of Jesus Christ, leading to a vast network of missionaries working in various regions beyond. It showcases the impact of empowering and equipping others to be ambassadors for Christ in different parts of the world.
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If I could not go myself as a missionary, I would have to send out substitutes. Never will I forget when I placed the first five substitutes on the platform and challenged the congregation to send them out. Before long, the five became ten. Then the ten became twenty. In due time, the twenty became forty. Then the forty became a hundred. After a while, the hundred became a hundred and fifty. Then the hundred and fifty became two hundred. In due time, the two hundred became two hundred and fifty. And then last year, the two hundred and fifty became three hundred. And now, we have an army of substitutes out there in the regions beyond, under twenty-seven different faith missionary societies, working on thirty different foreign fields. Our substitutes, our representatives, preaching the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ in our stead and in our room.
Oswald J. Smith Preaching - Part 3
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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.”