Leadership!—Work, more work, then still more work is the price of strong leadership. A real leader must abandon himself to a life of unremitting toil. He must work harder than his fellows,— studying, assembling, fortifying, verifying, preparing for the future. He must be ready for the opportunity when it comes. He who waits for a more propitious day will fail at the crucial hour. The times demand prepared men. The movement needs more leaders.
Concession!—Undoubtedly sanctified discretion is often the better part of valor; and in the matter of non-essentials, expediency unquestionably has a rightful place. Especially is this true of equally legitimate methods. But in the matter of principle and conscientious conviction, compromise and concession are the bypaths to disaster. Let us rightly differentiate, and act accordingly.
Patience!—Truth cannot be crushed, pilloried, or suppressed. Eternal values are hers, and ultimate triumph is certain. If your brethren are slow to see light that has been revealed to you, be patient. Remember, God waited over a thousand years for the Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century, and another three hundred years for this remnant movement to appear. Truth is bound to triumph, though the impatient herald may lose out by the way. Patience, fidelity, tact,— these three;
but the greatest of these is patience.
Unsafe!—It is unscholarly, illogical, and unsafe to develop a theory or assume a position first, and then seek corroborative evidence in substantiation. Very likely much evidence that would modify or lead to a different conclusion will be unrecognized, if one is intent on corroboration. The only safe, sound, and fair method of investigation is to take all the evidence from the sum total of facts and factors, and thus arrive at unbiased conclusions. This method of procedure is Christian, schol
arly, ethical, and scientific. Well did an ancient writer say: " Whoso seeketh interpretation from the Book shall get an answer from God; whoso bringeth an interpretation to the Book shall get an answer from the devil."
Courage!—Multitudes of men and women, unsatisfied with the world, the churches, and the negations of the multiplied isms, or the heartless philosophies of evolution and atheism, are awaiting the positive affirmations of present truth. Those who walk in the darkness of error want the Light of truth. Those who have wandered into treacherous bypaths of sin want the Way. And those who are dying from the disease of sin long for Life. Jesus Himself is what they need, and having
Him, His message for to-day becomes the all-absorbing theme. Many are the pilgrims and saints who have longed for this hour of opportunity.
It is a glorious time in which to live. Workers for God, take courage!
Costs!— Current statistics reveal a relentlessly rising cost per net member increase. What can be done to reduce these figures? One of the great contributing factors to the present situation is the percentage of losses through apostasy. Stop that leak, and the cost will be cut in half. More thorough instruction, the assurance of sound conversion, and more faithful follow-up work when the feet are slipping, will check the trend. The situation calls for the united efforts of all evangelical laborers in the cause of God.
L. E. F.
