I am in full sympathy with the keynote sounded, because I sense the need of this experience of which Brother Watson has spoken, in my own life. I feel that we here at the headquarters of the work need special help from God. I think we are in special danger. We are under the pressure of a routine and a continual grind all the time. And I feel that our great danger, my great danger, is that while we are doing work for the Lord, we will backslide from Him. We will lose out of our hearts His Spirit, and trust to our own plans and devisings for power instead of to His Holy Spirit.
Unconsciously, in the multitude of things, I find myself drifting away from God. I must get back to Him by prayer and Bible study and by working for others. So I feel that this seeking after God is particularly needful in my own case. I feel that the church of God needs a leadership that I at least am not giving. I think they are expecting a leadership that is not being furnished today.
There is a growing expectancy in the church of something that is about to happen. On the part of many of the believers there is a weariness coming into their hearts, especially among the old-time brethren and sisters. They have looked for years for the coming of the Lord, and He has not appeared, and they are growing weary. They are wondering if their hope is ever to be realized.
I feel that unless we as leaders can get a new hold upon God, and set a new pace of spiritual advancement, the church itself is going to be overwhelmed by the evils that exist in the world. Of course that is impossible, for if we fail in leadership, God will set us aside and put in our places those who will do the work.
The church is confronted with the danger of great delusion. I tremble when I think of the delusions that are sweeping over the church, and I believe it is only by spiritual leadership that these delusions can be successfully met.
We have built up through the years a great financial system, and we know that, from the human standpoint, it has pretty nearly reached the breaking point; but I believe the only hope of safeguarding our work in a material way is by a spiritual leadership, such a leadership as was shown on the day of Pentecost, that led those men and women to place all they had upon the altar. That must be done by us as leaders, and by our people, if we ever see a Pentecostal movement in the closing days of this message. I pray that God may lead in the plans that shall be laid.
