Forward and Upward

"Take Heed Unto Yourselves"

By Carlyle B. Haynes

My mind carries me back to a ministerial institute of nineteen cen­turies ago. This was not the first min­isterial institute ever held, for I look upon the three and a half years' train­ing of the twelve disciples by Christ as the first occasion of this nature. But the institute I have in mind was held shortly after that, and the instructor was the greatest human preacher, the most earnest and successful servant of God,—Paul, the apostle. Finding that on his way to Jerusalem there would be a brief stopover at Miletus, he sent word to the elders of the church at Ephesus to meet him there; and it was the instruction which Paul gave at this ministerial institute at Miletus to which I wish to call special attention.

There was a peculiar element of ear­nestness and sadness connected with this institute, due to the fact that Paul was on his way to Jerusalem, where bonds and affliction awaited him, and he knew that this was the last time they would all be together in such a meeting. After calling at­tention to his own example, and point­ing to the content of his preaching as timely instruction to which all should take heed, he addressed the delegates as ministers. So it may help us to remember that we are considering Paul's message to a group of ministers who had come together at his call, just as we are assembled today.

Paul was deeply in earnest. He was facing the end of his own life, and with all the seriousness which that fact brought to his mind, together with the things which the Spirit of God had revealed to him regarding the need of the church, he pours forth the burden of his heart to the reli­gious leaders of his day. He points out to them that apostasy is sure to come, and that this apostasy will be­gin in their own ranks, and then gives the admonition to which I wish to call particular attention: "Take heed there­fore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which He hath purchased with His own blood." Acts 20: 28.

Notice Paul's starting point in giving this admonition,—"take heed . . .unto yourselves." He talks to the ministers about their own needs before he talks to them about the needs of their work. That is putting things in their right order, and should serve as a guide in the program of all ministerial institutes. We would miss the whole objective of our coming together if we should spend our time trying to find more efficient methods of labor and leave out of our consideration our own spiritual needs. There is a min­isterial tendency to think that we are a little different from the ordinary people, at least in the matter of Chris­tian attainment—in other words, to feel that we, as leaders, are in a dif­ferent class from the average run of the flock. And there is danger that this tendency become cherished to such a degree that we pass beyond the realization of our real need.

In meetings of this kind, we should deal closely and plainly with each other, and I think you will agree with me when I say that we, as min­isters, must remember that we have the same sins to mortify as do other people; we have the same need of growth in grace. We must also rec­ognize that we have greater works to do than are required of other people, we have greater difficulties to over­come; hence our greater need to "take heed" to ourselves, and to be instructed by the Spirit of God. Our first need is to have the work of saving grace thoroughly inwrought in our own souls. We who offer this saving grace to other people, certainly ought not to be stranger to it ourselves. God does not save men simply because they are willing to become channels for the offer of salvation, unless they themselves accept the same offer for their own needs. God does not save men because they are preachers, able and efficient preachers though they may be. He only saves men who are justified and sanctified, and know from experi­ence the things of which they speak.

An unsanctified believer presents a very sad situation, but an unsanctified preacher is the greatest tragedy; for when an unsanctified preacher opens his Bible and warns men of their sins and of the consequences of sin, he is thereby reading his own condemna­tion. And it is possible for a minister to be in this situation and at the same time to be unconscious of the fact. In other words, there is a tendency for preachers to feel that they are rich, increased in spiritual goods, and have need of nothing, and be entirely un­mindful of their true condition. They may be relying upon their activities in the work of the church, or their knowledge of truth; they may come to rely upon the favorable impression made in the pulpit, or upon their offi­cial position in the conference.

They know the doctrines, they are faithful and successful in all the cam­paigns; they are preachers who know the truth, who teach the truth to oth­ers, and lead others in service; they commit no open sin, and are accus­tomed to reproving sin in others. There Is ever a subtle danger that preachers place dependence on any or all of these things, and reach the place where they do not sense any partic­ular need of their own, and think that they are getting along all right. It is a good thing for us as preachers to take heed to ourselves in matters of this kind. Let us preach awhile to ourselves, before we preach to others.

It is possible for men to become preachers before they become Chris­tians. Some men have been set apart to the gospel ministry by the laying on of hands before they have been set apart by the sanctification of heart; and all such preachers worship an unknown God, preach an unknown Christ, and pray through an unknown Spirit. There are such preachers, and only the power of God can bring about the needed transformation. In every ministerial institute, the admonition of the apostle Paul is needed, "Take heed therefore unto yourselves."

I came to a time in my experience, after I had been preaching for some years, when I had to face a new prob­lem brought to me by the Spirit of God. It was this: "Am I saved? Do I know that my sins are forgiven?" Now I am ashamed to confess that situation; but it was a very real ex­perience to me, and I had to settle it. It is a fact that I had been preach­ing, getting people to accept what I had preached, bringing them into the church, and baptizing them, while at the same time I did not have any absolutely certain assurance of my own salvation. That vital personal problem had been kept in the back­ground while I diligently and enthu­siastically studied how to preach on the subject of the 1260 days, the sanc­tuary, tithe paying, Sabbath keeping, the nature of man, etc. All these things were clear to me, and I was able to explain them to others in such a way as to secure their assent and consent; but the question as to whether I myself was accepted of God, was not clear, and I had avoided it until the Spirit of God brought me face to face with the all-important is­sue in my own life and experience.

Perhaps half a dozen times during the convention I was accosted either by some editor or peace worker some­what on this fashion: "We understand that you Seventh-day Adventists be­lieve that there must be wars and rumors of wars until the end of time, and that therefore there is no point to making any endeavor for peace." In fact some declared that they had re­ceived a very apathetic, if not mildly hostile, response when they had asked some of our people for the opportunity of addressing them on the subject of peace.

My reply, in substance, was this: Don't you think that it is hardly meet for those whose enthusiasm for peace is displayed chiefly in time of peace to say very much in censure of a body of people whose convictions for peace were displayed in war time, even at the risk of suffering and imprison­ment? And don't you think that such people who, by their noncombatancy, give to the world a practical example in their lives of what they believe to be the principles of peace, cannot prop­erly be said to be opposed to the cause of peace, even if they are not able to see eye to eye with the various peace movements as to the best means of bringing about this desired state?

This answer, of course, brought the discussion to a close. However, since then, in private meditations, I have wondered whether perhaps the gen­eral attitude of our people toward all peace movements is wholly warranted. Most of us display at the present time a total apathy, if not mild hostility, to these organizations. Might we not perhaps be justified in displaying a little warmer and more definite inter­est in certain of the endeavors of these peace movements? If it is our duty to pray for kings and dignitaries and for the peace of the city in which we abide, what material responsibility is ours in endeavoring to fulfill such prayers?

Does it necessarily follow that be­cause a group of people are working earnestly for peace, they are there­fore merely deluding the world and bringing themselves and all associated with them under the terrible condem­nation that God meets out to those who proclaim a false cry of peace and safety?

Again, if we should give any support to peace endeavors, would we to just that degree contradict our preaching as to future wars? But if we so con­clude, then what shall we answer to those who declare us unreasonable when we work with all our might against Sunday legislation while ad­mitting that it is inevitable?

None of us believes that all the en­deavors of prohibition organizations will really reform the world. In fact we preach that the world will grad­ually grow worse and worse. Yet we believe in throwing all of the influ­ence possible on the side of temper­ance, in an endeavor to at least stem the evil tide. We cannot agree with all the methods employed, or the ob­jectives reached after, by the prohi­bition reform organizations in their political fight. Nor could we feel to make any organic alliance with them. Yet we believe it proper and right to give them a certain measure of co­operation. Might we not perhaps find in this relationship to the temperance movement a suggestion as to how we ought to relate ourselves to the peace movement? What position should we take in this matter that will not neces­sitate our weakening any point of our message and yet will enable us to ex­ercise an influence for peace even as we have for prohibition?