Emphasis Preaching Journal

Brother John, a devoted missionary, had labored for more than 50 years in a southern area of Africa, resulting in several churches and many converts. At his death, hundreds gathered for his funeral, held in the open near one of the churches he had organized. One of Brother John's church superiors from America was chosen to deliver the funeral sermon, and stood at a makeshift altar near the casket. As the bishop began his address, the crowd of natives began to shift their positions on the ground to allow an old warrior chief, carrying a spear, to make his way through the multitude of people.