It is not the number of sermons, but the number of souls, that counts.
It is possible to know a thousand things about Jesus, and never to know Him.
Let us look after the primaries of Christianity, and the secondaries will care for themselves.
We all want power. But are we willing to pay the price of power? That is the acid test of our sincerity.
Christian service is a question that concerns only Christian disciples, for none other have Heaven's high commission to do anything for God.
The danger spot of this movement is not in the laity, but in the ministry. Our peril lies not in what the membership may do, but in what we fail to do.
Brother Preacher, are you feeding your people with the bread from heaven or with the bread from earth —human thoughts, human quotations, human philosophies, human futilities?
Are your converts converted? Our distinctive doctrines are essential; we believe in and love them. Our understanding of prophecy is important; we revere it and should study it more. But what will all this avail if the soul is not regenerated? What eternal profit is there In mental assent without spiritual transformation? We live in a godless age when genuine conversion is rare. God wants subjects for His kingdom; and only twice-born folks will enter there.
We need to be constantly reminded that growth, numbers, and material equipment are not trustworthy evidences of God's benediction, nor do they constitute evidence of truth. In 1906 there were 635 Christian Science churches with 85,717 members, while to-day there are 1,912 churches and 202,098 members. Let us stress statistics less and " the truth as it is in Jesus " more.
Truth is eternal, while error passes with the exposure of time. Truth has nothing to fear, for it is bound to survive amid the collapsing ruins of unsound argument, untrustworthy evidence, and distorted facts. Therefore the challenge is to scrupulous fidelity in the presentation of God's final proclamation of His truth to men.
Inventory time in 'business? Why not in the personal life of the minister? Retrospect and prospect, assets and liabilities, inventories and balance sheets in evaluation. Where stand we? Let us individually seek an answer in the secret presence of our God.
The central principle of Christianity is Christ's death for us and our acceptance of Him as our Saviour. Such is the heart of this threefold expansion of the everlasting gospel.
Even we who are preachers of the word can keep our souls alive only by daily, vital contact with Him who is the way, the truth, and the life.
Every minister should be an active recruiting agent for the ranks of the ministry. Look out young men of promise and encourage them.
Never trim your message; God wants men with a spiritual backbone.
Some folks are not actively harmful; they are simply passively harmless. God give us the power to grip and lead all to the transforming Christ.
Never should we introduce personalities into our discussion of great principles, else we weaken our case. Prejudice and suspicion should have no part in the defense or investigation of truth which transcends time and men.
Heaven save us from the blight of cramped and contracted heresy hunters that have marred other movements,— men who are forever whetting their theological razors to split ecclesiastical hairs. Let us exclude nonessentials from the arena, and hold unitedly to the great verities upon which we are united.
Preachers are human, having " like passions " in common with other men. And our allotted work brings its temptations. Therefore in dealing with members of the other sex, we must guard so carefully the barriers of Christian reserve that every thought, word, and act shall be spotless in purity and integrity, and our reputation untarnished, even though we must deal with sin and sinners.
Some men are reputedly better speakers than others,— more interesting, forceful, persuasive. But this is not simply a matter of natural endowments. It is the outgrowth of deeper study, clearer vision, better organization of material, keener understanding of the laws of effective approach to the mind, and above all, abandonment to the operation of the Holy Spirit. We must never be content with less than our best.
L. E. F.
