The D.C.D. by C.T. Studd

Greetings all in the name of our glorious Savior Jesus Christ.I just wanted to share something with everyone. I did a search on SI and did not find much from or about C.T. Studd, so I don't think I am repeating. I am sorry if I am.Anyway, I came across a remarkable writing by this brother from the early 20th century called the D.C.D. I was very edified, challenged and motivated in reading it.You can find the booklet at http://www.smithworks.org/stephen/dcd/index.htmlI have to warn you that the main article is kinda long, but it is well worth the time you put into it. Be prepared to have you heart stirred!Your brother and co-laborer,D.

Reason # 5 of 7 for printing the bookletD.C.D. is necessary because of the Namby-Pamby-Milk-Sop-Softie lives of so many who call themselves Christians, and whose caricature of Christ’s religion deters hundreds of thousands of embryo heroes from enlisting for Christ.From the body of the bookletHearts began to burn! Tongues of flame shot out! Words came quicker and sharper! till the inevitable occurred. The glory of the deeds of those heroes of old seemed to scorch hearts and souls. What noble and utter sacrifices they made! How God honored and blessed them, and made them a blessing to others—then, in their lifetime, and again and again throughout all subsequent ages, yes, and now here tonight! "What was the spirit which caused these mortals so to triumph and to die?" "The Holy Spirit of God! one of Whose chief characteristics is a pluck, a bravery, a lust for sacrifice for God, and a joy in it which crucifies all human weaknesses and the natural desires of the flesh." "This is the need of Christians today! This is OUR need tonight!" "Will God give to us as He gave to them?" "Is He the same, yesterday, today, and for ever?" "Is He a respecter of persons?" "Will He befriend the rich only and not the poor also? whether the riches or poverty be represented by money, talents, scholarship, blue blood or red?" "But Jesus was poor Himself! took no degree! and never while on earth called a single scholar, professor, or titled person to be with Him. The only rich man He called to follow Him refused the honor." "Then call all and any have this glorious life?" "Yes!" "What are the conditions?" "They are ever the same, for God is just." "Then what must we do?" "Sell out!" "He went and sold all that he had and bought that pearl." God’s men were ever soldiers! Their lust, "to fight for God." Their desire, "to abide with Him." Their hoped-for privilege, "to die for Him." But all these old-time heroes lived on the wrong side of the Cross! They knew nothing of Jesus dying in agony for them on Calvary. We, disciples of today, live on the right side of the Cross. We know of , and declare as a fact, the death of Jesus and His utter sacrifice for us. Do we see the measure of His love? Yes, but only the measure of one drop of it. If they could thus live, triumph, and die for God, how much more devotion must we require of ourselves, in our service of Christ and humanity for whom He died? The record of every present-day Christian should certainly eclipse that of all these pre-Christ heroes.What then must we do to receive the Spirit and so be enabled to live like these men of old—these prophets, apostles, martyrs? How can we become so hot for Christ that others will be scorched: so ablaze for Him that men will either love or hate us as they loved or hated Christ and His apostles and martyrs?There came a pause. You could have cut the silence with a knife. The thoughts of all seemed one; the air was electric. An explosion was evidently overdue. Up jumped old Rip, he was young again: his eyes were fierce and fiery, as he looked toward heaven; his fist was clenched; his arm shot up! "That’s what we need and that’s what I want!" "O Lord, henceforth, by Thy grace I’ll be a D.C.D. soldier of the Lord Jesus Christ. I D.C.D. what happens to me, life, or death, aye, or hell, so long as my Lord Jesus Christ is glorified." Then, bowing his head, he prayed for grace and power to ever act according to his oath, as a good old English gentleman, one of the olden time," whose "word was his bond," aye, as a real soldier and not a "sham fighter": not "as idle as a painted ship upon a painted ocean," but a real red-hot soldier of Jesus Christ.He sat down. The silence was yet more intense. Would the cubs follow the old dog? The suspense was not for long; thank God! Up rose one, thanking God for the privilege—for the privilege, mark you—of being allowed to give himself, body, soul, and spirit, to God, and to be a real "D.C.D." soldier of the Lord Jesus Christ, "for here and now I give myself to be for ever a ‘D.C.D.’ soldier of Jesus, and I D.C.D. what happens to me, joy or sorrow, health or pain, life or death, so long as Jesus is glorified! Amen!" Hallelujah! came from the others.Silence again; then another arose and followed suit, and then another, and so on till every one of the little company had given himself to be a D.C.D. soldier of the Lord Jesus. Each had vowed his D.C.D. vow to God, and each had prayed for grace and faith to be loyal. Hearts were too full for more. The company prayed in unison the prayer our Lord taught His disciples, and the blessing finished the meeting. The books were closed, the heads were bowed once more in silent prayer, then all arose to disperse. But it was a new company that left that hut that night, and by no means the company that had entered it two hours before. None that left that hut that night can ever be as he was before those two pregnant hours. There was a laughter on their faces and a sparkle in their eyes, a joy and a love unspeakable, for each had become a soldier, a devotee to death for the glory of King Jesus his Savior, Who Himself had died for him; the joy of battle possessed them, that joy that Peter described as "unspeakable."Sounds like revival...

"Victory or Westminster Abbey," said Nelson. That is the D.C.D. spirit. In the end he won both! Of course.I see an old man boldly march across the waste howling wilderness, with no human guide, at the command of his God, thus apparently devoting himself, and all he held dear, to certain destruction. Later I see him devoting to God his last real treasure on earth. Assuredly that man was a D.C.D. No wonder he was called the Friend of God.I see another D.C.D. of some forty years of age, in the prime of his life, renouncing the throne of the richest and mightiest kingdom on earth, to endure hardship and contempt, with a crowd of slaves, for the love of truth and loyalty to his God and the joy of self-sacrifice for others. At a great price Moses bought his membership among the D.C.D.’s.I see a lad with his sling and stone rush boldly towards a giant, in the act of chasing thousands of armed soldiers, fleeing in deadly fear. I see this lad conquer the giant and save the thousands of that craven army. God put it thus, "A man after my own heart." Thus did God describe this D.C.D.Is there any other road into Heaven so delightful as that by death for Christ? Be blind to all odds, to death, to the world, aye, and to the Church. Look to God alone. Let go your own life! Lay hold of Eternal Life! If Christians would only be D.C.D.’s, they could evangelize the world in under ten years. Men would run to enlist as they enlisted for the Great War, and such as could not go to Christ’s War would do as Jesus told the rich young man to do; then there would be no Missionary Society debts, no talk of retreat, and no inability to send out to the War suitable men. The crux is the D.C.D. If the Missionaries will only be D.C.D. funds will pour in. If the homestayers will only be D.C.D.’s, the true followers of Jesus will pour out to fight the battles of the Lord, and the greatest Revival the world has ever seen or will see will have begun.Ye that fear God, but fear not death nor devils nor men nor hell, come forth! Join up! Now!This is the passage that hit me the hardest:"Shall the soldiers of King George by their heroism put to shame the soldiers of Jesus?" If so, can we, clad in such awful shame, venture into the presence of the King? And if we could, would we? Have we indeed sunk so low as to seek to enjoy the favors of the One we have betrayed so damnably? Even Judas suicided rather than do that.This is the law of the battlefield--Conquer! or return on your shield."

Then the Lord used parables, which compelled the people to sweat their brains and think of the meaning of the words they heard. This is a great find here nacl ... scratch that.Damn this is a great find!

It's exciting to see that God is using SmithWorks and The D.C.D.Stephenwww.smithworks.org