(The following address was given by Rev. P. Mzamo at the ordination and induction of the Rev. Donald Ross to the Bulawayo Mission).
Now we shall address a few words to you, Mr. Ross. The Lord says in another place, “Be thou faithful unto death.” The Word of God makes this clear to us when we read it with understanding. The Lord Jesus Christ was faithful to His Father who sent Him—unto death—and so He has sent you to work in His vineyard.
It is not easy work to be in the ministry. It is a most difficult work and one which has many disappointments, many discouragements, many heart-breakings. What are we to do?
The Lord commanded that His servants are to be faithful; so first of all we are to be faithful to the Lord, for it is He that hath called you, “Go ye therefore.” We must first of all be faithful to the Lord. How can we be faithful to the Lord? It is by doing His will, obeying His commandments and preaching the Gospel according to His mind, according to His will.
You have come into a country where there are many churches, but where it is very rare to find the pure Gospel. There are many churches in Bulawayo, beautiful churches, magnificent workmanship, but no Gospel. I remember a London Missionary Society minister who came to Hope Fountain when I was a student at the time of Mr. Fraser. We discussed the minister’s first sermon which was good. But as the days went on living in this country he lost all that goodness and the value of the Gospel and he became Arminian. Error was ruling in all his teachings; but you will find the faithful minister when he is alone in the midst of an unfaithful world he will keep the truth. He will do as the Lord says: “Teaching them to observe all things, whatsoever I have commanded you,” and what the Lord commands is in the Bible. This is the first thing—being faithful to your Master.
The second thing is, one has to be faithful to his own conscience. If you are born again your conscience is purged by the blood of the Lamb of God and made pure, purged from all evil; that is a living conscience, a clean conscience. Whatever you teach and whatever you preach, your daily life and conversation is to be in agreement with a conscience that has been purged from dead works to serve the living God.
Also you are to be faithful to your own people, to the people you labour among. How are you to be faithful to the ignorant who have no interest in Christ, no interest in the Gospel, who will hardly come to hear the Gospel? By being an example in your own life, in your own conversation. Be faithful to them by teaching them and by rebuking them when occasion is given, warning them to flee from the wrath to come.
You are to be faithful also to the brethren, to the Church as a whole. You are to be faithful to the people of God to whom you preach. They will look to you as a faithful minister, to your preaching and to your life. How can you be faithful? By keeping to the Word of God; that is the standard. Keep to the Bible, avoid false doctrine. Remember what Paul said to Timothy: “Hold fast the form of sound words.” The Word of God is able to instruct you, able to keep you. Be faithful then to the Word of God.
Be faithful also to the Church in Scotland who have sent you out here. If you read in the Third Epistle of John where John is writing to Gaius, he rejoices to hear that his children walk in the truth. You can read it for yourself. So even with the Church in Scotland, they are looking to those they send out to be faithful to them.
May the Lord, the Divine Head of the Church, keep you from error and strengthen you. His grace is sufficient for you; His power is made perfect in weakness. May His Presence be with you, blessing your work so that Ethiopia may stretch out its withered hand and touch the hem of the Saviour’s garment.