I Peter 2:9

One Saturday afternoon in 1924, two brethren and I drove into the country about 24 miles from Vancouver, looking for a suitable building for gospel meetings. We had heard that there was a little hall on the Jericho Road which might be available for our purpose. Eventually we found the hall. With the assistance of my brethren I was able to see into the hall through a small window a number of feet from the ground. There were benches sufficient to seat about 75 or 80 people; also a platform with a nice desk on it; an organ; a quantity of hymn books; two velvet collection bags, and at the front of the hall a plank resting on two chairs, which we afterward learned was called the 'mourners' bench.' On the wall behind the desk there were two flags; a Union Jack, and the Stars and Stripes. On the side walls there were some nicely framed verses of Scripture.

We walked around to the back of the building and found the owner, who invited us into his humble dwelling. He was an aged black gentleman, a bachelor, with a most pleasant expression, and white hair. He greeted us very heartily, and in the course of the conversation that followed he informed us he had been born in slavery in one of the southern States. Then he related to us his conversion; how he came to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as his Saviour when he was a young lad. He inquired where we came from, and what was our business. We told him we were looking for a place in which to hold gospel meetings and that we heard of his hall. After a little testing concerning our doctrine and what we preached, he said with his face beaming, "Brethren, the Lord sent you here. The hall was erected for that purpose and it is at your disposal." We made an arrangement to pay a nominal rent for the use of the hall, something which he was very reluctant to accept.

The following afternoon we visited the people, inviting them to the gospel meeting to be held that night. We found that our good friend had been at some of the homes already, urging his neighbours to come to the meeting. The response was good. The dear old man enjoyed the preaching. His face would beam and he gave us a frequent 'Amen' and a 'Hallelujah.' However, he could not understand why we didn't use his organ, nor his collection bags. On several occasions he asked us who we were; what denominaton we belonged to; and how we were financed. We had some nice after-meetings with him, showing him from the Scriptures "those things which are most surely believed among us" (Luke 1:1). One night we overheard him speaking to another Christian man on the way out of the hall, "Brother So and So, I cannot understand these men. They preach a good gospel and with power; they know their Bible, but they do not use my organ, they do not take up a collection, they do not call for any to give their testimony, and they never invite a poor sinner to come forward to the mourner's bench. Can you tell me who they are? I feel sure they must be mentioned somewhere in the Bible." A few mornings later at 'family alter' as he called it, his reading was in 1 Peter chapter 2. He came to verse 9, stopped and exclaimed, "There they are, Lord: now I know who they are." He arose and almost ran to his neighbour, the professing Christian of whom he had enquired of concerning us, and he exclaimed, "I found who those people are, see here, the Lord's peculiar people. I knew they were in the Bible somewhere." He imparted his findings to us at the next meeting. His attitude did not change toward us and the meetings continued with blessing from the Lord.

The dear man did not have the true interpretation of the verse which reads, "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praise of Him who had called you out of darkness into His marvellous light." The Revised and other versions read. "a people for God's own possession." True, we may seem odd to many in the world, but we have been bought with a price for God's own possession. Long ago God said to His earthly people, Israel, "If ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people"
(Exodus 19:5).