Page 20 - incense-bearers of han
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“Aha!” we thought, “the erstwhile book-sales-man of the chequered career and the
new name.”
After the usual salutations, my correspondent went on to tell of his spiritual history
since he had become Lee-Born-of-the-Spirit. “I have preached the Word of God
wherever I went as I have distributed and sold portions of Scripture. God has given
me deep understanding of His Word and I have become mighty in faith and prayer, so
that the Lord has been glorified in me in the salvation of many souls and the healing
of many bodies. All the people know that I can prevail in prayer to God.
“I will give a specific illustration, so that you may know that God‟s Word through
you to me was not in vain. Last spring the drought in our section was very severe. The
wheat sown in the fall had had no snowfall to blanket it during the winter, which was
extremely dry. In the early spring no rains came to soften the ground. The villagers
were busy invoking their gods, stretching the usual willow sprigs on strings across the
streets. The village idol had even been brought out and carried around so that he could
see the arid conditions of the land. But still he did nothing about it.
“The people became alarmed as week after week passed and there was not a drop
of rain. Famine was staring them in the face.” (Where there is such a short interval
between hand and mouth, the farmer‟s concern is everyone‟s concern.)
There came a day when Mr. Lee-Born-of-the-Spirit heard a knock upon his door.
Sliding the wooden bolt he opened it and found four of the elders of the village
standing without.
“Come in gentlemen, and sit down!” As they crossed the court to his guest room,
he shouted the command “Pa‟o Ts‟a—Brew tea!” in response to which his wife came
with a teapot and several cups. The beverage served on this occasion could be called
tea only by courtesy. It was not the aromatic tea of the ”Dragon Well,” usually served
in the homes of the wealthy, but the willow-leaf home-brew in common use in the
rural homes.
“What can I do for you today?” inquired Mr. Lee. “We know, Mr.
Lee-Born-of-the-Spirit, that you pray to a certain Jesus, and we are told that you
receive remarkable answers to your prayers. We are requesting, therefore, that you
shall pray to your Jesus to send rain upon this dry and thirsty land. You know we are
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