Forward! — Forward-looking men are wanted and needed,— men who see beyond the immediate circumstances to the larger issues and the final outcome; men of vision, of purpose, of integrity, of spiritual power. Wanted! a host of such.
Position! — The highest possible position any worker for God can ever have is as a direct, personal soul winner. Nothing can equal this. Official appointment is not to be compared with it, because of the attendant serving of tables, business routine, and separation from this direct contact with the people. Blessed is the man who is called to " prayer, and to the ministry of the word." Distorted is the vision of the man who personally seeks diversion from direct soul winning to less direct and effective lines.
Needed! Successful, scholarly, spiritual, inspirational Bible teaching is one of the greatest of the fine arts and the profoundest of the deep sciences. It calls for the finest intellects and the ripest experience in our ranks. Let us elevate this great work to its rightful place. A man may be a good speaker, and not have the teaching gift. He may not possess the knack of understanding and inspiring youth. Foreign service, while broadening, does not automatically give these qualities. The need for competent, spiritual, scholarly Bible teachers is one of the outstanding needs of the hour.
Staging! — It is possible to be mere staging that helps to erect the permanent structure, used temporarily during the period of construction, yet swept aside with no place in the building that endures. Applying the principle: There may be some who are used for a time, during this preparatory or earthly construction period of the kingdom eternal, who will be cast aside and have no place in the celestial structure that shall stand forever. God forbid that any workers in this advent movement should be mere staging, and miss inclusion in the abiding kingdom. Spiritual material alone will abide forever. (Read 1 Cor. 3: 9-17.)
Consistency!— It is not consistent for a minister closely following masculine style to arraign the sisters for following feminine style. Surely it is incongruous for a minister to declaim against bobbed hair from lips surmounted by a " Charlie Chaplin mustache," or to fulminate against silk stockings for the gentler sex while he is wearing silk hose. These living contradictions are resented by intelligent and consistent sisters of the faith. After all, there is a better and surer way than to attack negatively,— the constructive appeal, that deals with the heart and operates outwardly from within. While the objectives are the same, the results of the two approaches are as dissimilar as bitter and sweet.
