Some time ago I set forth in the Ministry the importance of the appeal in evangelistic meetings. The appeal is closely linked to the success of aftermeetings; in fact, the appeal should lead up to every aftermeeting. No sermon, whether preached in an evangelistic campaign or on any other occasion, should lack some kind of appeal. And I might repeat the thought suggested in the former article, that the appeal is not tacked on to the end of the sermon, but is kept in mind throughout it all. A sermon without an appeal is a dead sermon. We may not always ask those in the audience to express themselves by the raising of the hand or by standing, but the sermon should contain so strong an appeal that such an expression would be forthcoming if requested,
Sometimes the preacher may be weary and the audience smaller than usual, and there is a temptation to "coast" through the sermon. But on such occasions we should catch a new glimpse of Christ upon the cross, and as we appeal to men's hearts, we will find that as our day so shall our strength be. On one occasion Dr. J. Wilbur Chapman, the evangelist, asked D. L. Moody how it was possible for him to preach with such zeal and earnestness on all occasions. Mr.
1Vioady replied, "I keep the vision of the coming of Christ ever before me as I am pleading with men to flee from the wrath to come."
If the thought of the coming of Christ could inspire this great evangelist so mightily, should it inspire us less who actually are called by the name "Adventist," looking, as we do, for the advent of Christ? And surely the very thought of being heralds of the coming King should find expression in deep earnestness and true eloquence in every sermon, especially now that we see how very near His coming really is.
Sometimes we are afraid of the word "eloquence," thinking that it consists principally of skyrocketing phrases and flowery expressions. But Thothas B. Reed, one-time speaker of the United States House of Representatives, defined eloquence as "logic on fire." Many are capable of putting forth arguments that are logical and tremendously convincing, but lack the divine persuasion fire, and consequently leave the congregation cold. Few are consequently led to make any decisive move to obey the truth presented. The earnest zeal of the preacher on fire for God, as he presents the mighty truths of the third angel's message, will stir men as he appeals to their hearts, and they will be willing to remain for an after-meeting.
Of course, it might be said in parenthesis, a long-drawn-out sermon is no proper preparation for an aftermeeting. The sermon can be so carefully studied and arranged that the sermon and the aftermeeting may not take any longer than the average sermon alone. In these times of hurry and counting the moments, the success of an aftermeeting may be lost by either making the sermon too long or the aftermeeting too long. Neither the sermon nor the aftermeeting should be a "hit-and-miss" affair, but both should be studied and carefully planned. Usually a good aftermeeting can be held within the compass of ten minutes. But in order to say something worth -while- in such a limited time, special preparation must be made so that the material to be presented shall be well in hand.
And it is not necessary to wait until toward the close of the campaign to begin holding these aftermeetings. They can be introduced in the series as early as the second week, or even the first week. The aftermeetings in the early part of the campaign set forth in a simple manner the first steps in conversion. The first aftermeeting I hold is usually based on 1 John 1:9, which shows that if we confess our sins, God will not fail to forgive us fully, and thus remove every obstacle that stands between us and heaven. In the second after-meeting I show how the inquirers can keep their records clear after conversion, using 1 John 2:1, 2.
I continue holding one or two of these after-meetings a week clear through the campaign. During these aftermeetings I introduce such subjects as "Christ is able to keep us from falling;" "Jesus can present us faultless before the throne;" "Jesus is able to do more for us than we are able to ask;" "Our case is not different from that of others who have followed Christ" (1 Cor. 10:13); "Not my will but Thine, be done;" "God accepts no excuse as valid for not obeying Him;" "Those invited to the marriage supper who asked to be excused will never taste of the supper;" "Start to live up to the light you have, and more will follow;" "You make the effort, God supplies the power." These and other similar subjects help people to decide to follow Christ.
When the testing truths of the message have been presented, I introduce illustrations of how men have stepped out by faith, keeping God's commandments against apparently impossible conditions, and how God helped them win the victory. I present examples from the Bible, showing how God brought the Israelites through the Red Sea, and similar experiences. And we can draw from experiences we have personally seen of men taking a stand for the truth, showing how wonderfully Christ helped them. We can also use examples drawn from the mission fields, of how miraculously men in heathen lands have been helped by the Lord as they have stepped out upon the promises of God, keeping the Sabbath under very trying conditions. We can urge upon them the thought that if God expects the heathen to obey Him in the midst of idolatry, and surrounded by priestcraft and gross darkness, and suffered the martyrs to die such excruciating deaths for their faith, we too must expect to make sacrifices in order to be saved. Each evangelist can, by study and thought, plan for a series of aftermeetings that will become increasingly useful.
Some may say, "Why cannot we use these subjects in our regular series of sermons, and therefore dispense with the aftermeetings?" In answer, I would say: In the aftermeeting you are talking to a group of people who have been willing to remain after the general congregation has departed, thus showing a special interest in the message you are presenting. They have overcome prejudice and fear of what people may say about them, and in a certain sense have begun to recognize your leadership. And I might add in passing, that when a person begins to come to you for information and help in clearing up his difficulties, instead of going to his own minister, you are on vantage ground with him. So, with this nearer relationship to those who remain for the aftermeeting, you can talk more confidentially with them, and watch more carefully what effect your stronger urge to obey has upon them.
From these aftermeetings your baptism classes can soon be developed. In fact, cards may well be used to obtain signatures of those wishing to prepare for baptism. Also, in these aftermeetings the workers can better get in touch with interested people, and see if those whom they are visiting are becoming more fully persuaded of the truth.
How to get people to remain for the after-meeting may be a problem to some. I have followed this plan: After the regular sermon of the evening I often appeal to those in the congregation who wish to be prayed for, to raise their hands or to stand. Those willing to so raise their hands or to stand, show confidence in the evangelist and belief in his prayers. They can almost invariably be counted on to remain for the afterservice.
But I do not confine the invitation to remain for the afterservice to those who ask an interest in our prayers, but invite everyone to remain for this important meeting. A number of our church people will remain, and their presence encourages others not of our faith to remain. And often our own people need the afterservice as much as the outsiders. All can profit by it.
Some of the best converts to the truth are earnest Christians of other denominations who might not feel that they need to remain for the afterservice in order to become converted. But when everyone is urged to remain, the way is open for them to profit by this afterservice. Our workers also invite people to remain for the afterservice, telling them of the benefits they will derive from it. We do not, however, unduly urge them to remain, but rather assure them that it will be a short service, and may prove more profitable to them than even the sermon itself.
I do not have any singing after the sermon, but close the meeting with prayer, and immediately make a call for those to come forward who wish to remain for the afterservice.
In all our campaigns, people have told us, both Adventists and non-Adventists, that these aftermeetings helped them more than any other service they had attended.
Cathay, Calif.
