Nine of the most prominent features of our time is uncertainty,—uncertainty in the nation, uncertainty in the church, and uncertainty in the life. If there ever was a time when Seventh-day Adventist preachers should be definite and positive, it is now, in this time of unsettled purpose, vain visions, and variant voices calling out of the night of fog. No tame message should be given now, but one as direct as that sent by Nathan to David: "Thou art the man?"
Men are needed, filled with dynamic power,—men who are able to hit the mark and not shoot all around it; men of David's type, who have trained and practiced, and then go forth in the strength of Jehovah. We must keep going, or we shall block the traffic. As long as a top is kept spinning, it stands. Long ago Carlyle said, "The race of life is becoming intense, the runners are treading on each other's heels. Woe unto the man who stoops to tie his shoe strings." How much more is this true today!
The old leisurely ways of life are gone; a thousand interests demand attention today where formerly there were but few. The tendency of the world is to speed up. It is not an admirable tendency, perhaps, but it must be faced. To illustrate, few men spend an hour at the table anymore; they demand that meals be served on time, and quickly. So with our gospel feasts. If we expect men to come to them, we must not only make the courses tasty, but we must also not keep the audience waiting. If there is anything that will destroy a man's influence and hinder his success in soul winning, it is services that are too long. Men and women stood for two hours beneath the burning sun to listen to Wesley preach. It is doubtful if they would do the same today. Not being Wesleys, it would be safer for us to study to give our message so clearly and forcibly and briefly that it will arrest the attention and lodge in the hearts of the men with whom we have to deal.
"Words are like leaves; and where they most abound,
Much fruit of sense beneath is rarely found," wrote the poet Alexander Pope. And Martin Luther said: "The fewer the words, the better the prayer." Therefore come quickly to the point. Begin very near where you mean to leave off. Stop when the people wish you would keep on, and they will come back.
Begin on time, and have all arrangements for the service made beforehand. Never select the hymns to be used after going into the pulpit. Allow no delays. Open the service promptly. Do not preach a sermon to the Lord in the opening prayer. Ask Him to help you deliver, and the people to receive, the message. Announcements should be few and take but a moment. Singing should be appropriate and not exhibitions of voice culture. If the good old hymns are sung by the congregation with the Spirit's presence, and if the minister is filled with holy zeal and with a message from heaven, his life a burning witness of the gospel's power to save, the people will go home saying, "Did not our hearts burn within us as he talked to us today?"
The reason for lack of interest in the pew is that there is not fire enough in the pulpit. When the revival starts with the minister, the whole church will receive an awakening. Long, dry sermons reveal a lack of study and preparation—the minister gets into a field he is not acquainted with, and spends the rest of the time trying to get out. Some think we should depend on the Spirit to put the message on our lips; but the Spirit can help us in our study as well as in the pulpit. The admonition is, "Study to show thyself approved unto God."
If we as ministers would give more earnest heed to these fundamental principles of gospel order, we would have a stronger ministry, our churches would be strengthened, and heavenly angels would rejoice over the progress made.
Chicago, Ill.
