From The
Mission Field

      (In 1980, brother James Cox, of Tustin, California, retired from teaching school and began a career in preaching the Gospel around the world. Through short trips around the globe, he has worked with others in bringing lost souls to Christ and strengthening the churches in these difficult lands.
      Brother Cox has preached the Gospel on every continent and in numerous countries. The following article is his own account of the processes that he and his companions used in their mission work for the cause of Christ.)

I go mostly with small groups to the churches in countries around the world. We teach about the New Testament church and have some good re.sults. Preacher-training schools have been estab.lished in most of these countries. So we go to them and give the national preachers encouragement.

It has been my privilege and joy to preach the gospel on all the continents, except Antarctica. No restrictions have been placed on me, except the gos.pel itself. Nowhere do they expect me to condone changes offered in some quarters in the USA. The same hermeneutic as taught 2,000 years ago is used. The Bible approach to the fundamentals of salvation is respected in most foreign countries.

I usually go with others -- like the example in the travels of Paul. We show eagerness in preaching and soul winning. Along with the local help we usually baptize quite a few, and strengthen the members.

We encourage the men who show leadership ability to prepare to be elders. The local preacher is usually eager to promote this perspective. He has taken the lead for church growth and maturity in doctrine and wants to preserve the fruit of his labors.

A biblically organized church must be planned... God's way is elders and deacons in every church, where there

Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature.
Mark 16:15

are qualified men to serve. We offer the leaders an enrollment form for a correspondence course on church leadership.

When a person enrolls in the course, we send him a four-pound package. The package contains ar.ticles promoting sound doctrine. There are also about a dozen copies of gospel papers, 100 tracts on many Bible subjects, baptismal certificates, a dictio.nary, a sermon outline book, class lesson books, and a correspondence course and textbook.

The gist is to restore the original undenomina.tional church in the spirit of love without man-made creeds. This includes the distinctiveness and disci.pline laid out in the Bible.

We urge sharing of the materials sent to them among other Christian leaders in their area. An article entitled, To Restore the Original Church, is sent with instructions against man-made creeds, denominationalism, and proper application of the old-paths method of direct command, apostolic example, and necessary inference. An article is presented on The New Hermeneutic, giving properly how the Lord wants us to go about the science of Bible interpretation.

We urge preachers in developing churches to become tent-makers. This is necessary for most of them. There is a lack of distinctiveness in many areas, and the small focus on such subjects as hell, specific sin, false teachers, conditions of salvation, and godly living is a problem.

After a student has finished the course, we continue contact with him by sending packages of brotherhood papers and a little monetary "gift" to give encouragement. The letters they write back make it all worth while.

James Cox
Tustin, Ca.