The Worker's Use of His Team*
By W. T. BARTLETT, Secretary, Ministerial Association, Northern European Division
Time is the stuff out of which lives are made. The right use of time largely determines one's advancement in service. The worker has temptations to waste his time. His overseer cannot always be with him, and he is often left to himself. If he is unfaithful in the use of his time, he may for .a while conceal the fact. But in this respect more than in anything else the hidden things are revealed. It soon becomes manifest who is putting to good use the flying hours, and who is allowing them to pass idly by. Even though the worker may not always be under the eye of his conference president, he should always remember that his life is lived under the eye of the Great Overseer, who will judge every man's work.
Each day is likely to bring its own perplexing items and problems. It is hard for a busy worker to plan his time in advance, for interruptions are always coming to him. For this reason he should at least make a weekly program, seizing opportunities to crowd in the items he has planned for, and then tick them off in his diary until he has disposed of each one. Experience will enable him to judge his possibilities and plan his time to the best advantage.
What must the worker put into his program ? There will be services to conduct, sermons to prepare, Bible studies to be thought of, visits to be made. He must spend some time with his fellow workers. He must help build up the Sabbath school, the Missionary Volunteer Society, and the home missionary department. He must prepare new sermons, always having some on hand for emergencies. Various talks will be called for. He must spend some time in his important task of training the membership along lines of Christian activity.
He must maintain his own personal fellowship with Christ, finding time for Bible study for his own benefit, as well as for the edification of others. He has his own Reading Course to pursue, and should also be familiar with the Reading Courses that he has urged upon the laymen of the church and upon the Sabbath school teachers. He must read the Review and The Ministry, the division and union papers, and if there be one, the conference organ. He must read carefully whatever is sent along to help in the work of the various departments of the church. He must attend to his correspondence. He will sometimes be called upon to write articles for publication, and these demand careful Study.
Every worker should be pursuing some special line of study which appeals to him, and which he intends to make use of in his ministry. He may be reading up on church history or investigating some portions of the history of nations. Such a line of study will enable him to preach more interestingly and intelligently on the fulfillments of prophecy. He is probably carrying on some study that he began at college, in order that his ministry may be stronger. He sometimes lectures on astronomy from a Bible point of view or on other wonders of creation. He may lecture on matters of health, and may need to refresh his knowledge of physiology, balanced dietaries, etc. He must read the current press, so as to keep an eye on the signs of the times.
As a public worker, he is necessarily a student of human nature, and therefore he reads helpful books on psychology. The minister has an excellent opportunity for broadening and deepening his knowledge of human nature by his contacts with all kinds of human beings. These he will find more interesting than any book he reads, short of the Bible, which itself is truly a human document, in this sense.
A worker must be determined to go as far as his limitations permit him to go in becoming a well-informed minister of the gospel. He must be thoroughly versed in all that pertains to the doctrines of his faith, able to help the young as well as the old in meeting their problems, and must be in a position to deal intelligently with the doubts and skeptical arguments that face young people in their daily contacts.
As a married man, he has home duties, and to these a due share of his time and attention must be given. He must also devote some time to social and Christian intercourse with church members and interested people.
Being minded to live a full, active life of prolonged usefulness, he will appreciate the importance of maintaining his body and mind in the best condition. He will take the sleep he needs and no more, and will secure sufficient suitable exercise to keep his circulation vigorous, and will keep his digestive powers at their best. He will understand the dangers—physical, mental, and moral—that beset his calling. But he will set himself to rise above them all, and be in every respect a model and a credit to the truth he preaches.
With regard to holidays, the good worker will feel that he is having a holiday all the time, and will desire no release from the labors of his ministry. If he were free to choose just what he would do with his time, he would choose the very life he is living, with its unending flow of responsibility and strenuous effort. He can conceive of no greater enjoyment than his active life affords him. Yet he knows that it is good for him to unbend, and when legitimate occasion presents itself, he can plunge with zest into wholesome games, or any suitable form of recreation with his fellow workers, his family, his church members, his young people.
He will never forget, however, that he is a follower of that Jesus who could attend a wedding feast or a social gathering, and irradiate it all with His uplifting and inspiring personality. If the holiday consists of more than an odd day, it will effect a welcome opportunity to clear off some arrears, restore worn nerves, give opportunity to cultivate a closer acquaintance with the members of his own family, to deepen the love that binds him to his wife and children, and to put by a few more fresh sermons. It will be the chief advantage and justification of his holiday that he comes back to his work with a keener interest and a fresh store of physical and mental energy.
How much time should he take for Bible study? It would be futile to lay down a timetable for this. If a man's reading is done merely from a sense of duty, or because his profession demands a technical acquaintance with the Scriptures, the reading would be a lifeless performance. A man ought to go to his Bible as a miner goes after gold, or as a hungry man turns to a well-spread table. A worker should always have a host of questions for which he is seeking a Bible answer. He ought to be reveling in the depths and heights of the glorious revelation that floods his own soul with light and life. He ought to feel that he never can find time enough for his Bible study. At every opportunity he should return to it. He should devote enough time to prayer to realize the quickening touch of the divine upon his own heart, and the satisfaction of a happy, uplifting, saving contact with his Lord. Morning and night he must spend enough time with his Master in prayer and Bible study to fully establish the sense of intimate association with his Redeemer, to establish the reality of cleansing from sin, and to bring entire union with the Master in sympathy and desire.
The worker should put in at least one hour a day in earnest Bible study, and three would not be too many. The benefit of genuine Bible study is that it enlarges and transforms the nature, bringing men into touch with God, and filling the soul with divine energy. Whatever time is needed to bring this blessing into the life is time well spent for a busy worker. His life may be more than crowded, but he must learn to put his heart into what he does, and to plunge ardently and immediately into every task as it comes. He must sink himself in prayer like a saint, read with the keen appetite of an eager student, meet his fellow men at any moment with a ready sympathy. When this habit of downrightness is formed, one hour spent in real Bible study will mean more in blessing and enrichment than three hours spent in wading through so much allotted reading.
* Presentation at Northern European Presidents' Council.
Pastoral Visitation Imperative
By W. M. ANDRESS, Chaplain, New England Sanitarium
O work which falls to the lot of a pastor or evangelist will bring him into closer relationship with his people than will his visiting work. When the sermon is preached from the sacred desk, his work is only begun. As he meets his people in their homes, many things will be learned about them and their needs that could never be learned through any other contact. It is here that he will obtain sermon material which will be most powerful in winning and keeping souls.We must ever remember that those meeting in a public place, especially for a religious service, may only be on moral parade. The real soul needs are made apparent as we meet the people at their work or in their homes, amid the stress and strain of everyday living. For many a man engaged in the ministry, his pulpit work is a pleasure, but the daily routine of visiting is irksome. This need not, yea, must not, be. We must so learn the art of pastoral visiting as to make it a powerful agency in our ministry.
When entering upon this phase of our work there is need for just as earnest prayer as when entering the pulpit to preach. We would do well to ask ourselves a few questions before visiting among the people:
Are my social contacts made with the purpose of giving definite help?
Is my visit timed so that it will not bring embarrassment to others?
Am I dressed so that I will feel at ease and promote the same feeling and attitude among those visited?
Have I learned the art of true courtesy?
Am I prepared to listen as well as to talk ?
Am I interested in the things which interest others?
Am I truly interested in other people's children?
Will I be able tactfully to direct conversation into profitable channels when gossip is encountered?
Does my love for souls really prompt my visit?
Am I in the spirit of prayer, so that I can, without embarrassment, invite the family or individual to kneel with me before the throne of grace?
Not infrequently will we be called upon to pray for the sick, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. This should always be considered a most sacred privilege, and should never be entered into without carefully searching our own hearts and removing any obstacles which might hinder our prayers. Perhaps we have all experienced the transformation of a sickroom into a Bethel as the Lord has drawn near to extend the touch of healing. Such occasions have often marked vital turning points in the lives of those whom God has seen fit to heal, and have proved a great blessing to those taking part as well. Let us ever seek to strengthen the visiting side of our ministry, and we shall find it to be our strongest agency in bringing blessing and help to those for whom we minister.
Radio Narcotic Talks
By R. S. FRIES, Evangelist, Denver, Colorado
In our radio programs we presented three talks on temperance in its larger aspects. After the first lecture, "Cigarettes—America's Curse," we were pleasantly surprised to receive over four hundred letters commending the talk and asking for copies. One large firm wrote us an encouraging letter, endorsing our stand against the cigarette evil. After a personal interview with me, the representative asked for permission to copy the talk and send it out to all his employees. He had his stenographer send out hundreds of copies.
Altogether quite a number of people wrote in asking for a small tract on the subject of my talk. I had printed a modest leaflet * of six pages, and the first five thousand copies were soon gone. Several physicians ordered five hundred each, and a number of prominent women have since been using them. This talk on cigarettes did more to gain favor for us than anything we had yet presented. During the week following the presentation, the radio station had fifty telephone calls asking where we preached.
The next temperance talk was on "Narcotic Drugs." We appreciated the help of the Federal narcotic superintendent for this district, from whom we secured much valuable information. This lecture also met with a hearty response. A number of prominent people wrote in, commending us for warning the public of the dangers of narcotic drugs.
The third talk was on "Booze—the King of Killers." It took seven of us to give this presentation, in dialogue form, against liquor. The head of the Anti-Saloon League had a thousand copies mimeographed, and sent them to the clergymen in his district. He also read it before the Denver Ministerial Association, at a meeting in the Y. M. C. A. We received quite a few letters from ministers, warmly congratulating us for doing what they did not have the courage to do. They knew we were Seventh-day Adventists, but they wrote very cordially.
All these talks were given on fifteen-minute programs. We wish to recommend to our radio ministers that they present these three subjects. It is surprising how many friends this makes for us. People are still deeply interested in these problems. The tide against prohibition is turning. Hundreds are having their eyes opened to the evils of all narcotics. An abundance of material along temperance lines may be found in our published literature:
"The Cigarette as a Physician Sees It," by Dr. D. H. Kress ; "Temperance Flashlights ;" "The Shadow of the Bottle ;" "The Cup That Cheers ;" "Charged With Murder ;" "Wounds Without Cause ;" "Shall We Use Tobacco?" (Bible Truth Series tract) ; Good News series Nos. 37, 38, 39; Life and Health Library leaflets ; "Gospel Temperance Work" and "True Temperance" (tracts) ; special numbers of the Signs of the Times and Our Little Friend; the recent series of articles on alcohol by Julius Gilbert White in The Ministry; etc. Consult your Book and Bible House for prices and fuller information. The latest information on the growing menace of "Marijuana, the Weed of Madness," will be found interesting and helpful, and may be obtained free of charge from the United States government officials. Address U.S. Commissioner of Narcotics, Washington, D.C.
We should, be careful to check our facts and not make fantastic, extreme statements. I had to completely rewrite one of my talks, after I had consulted with a Federal officer about narcotic drugs. Some of the statements I had gathered proved to be unture.
I have found that talks of this kind help draw audiences for our evangelistic meetings, as well as large numbers of listeners over the air. The world awaits hearing what God has committed to our charge. Let us be in the forefront of the battle against all narcotics, from cigarettes to liquor.
* Elder Fries will send our workers, on request, copies of his tract, "I See You Enjoy Smoking," and, as long as they last, copies of his material on "Dope" and "Booze—the King of Killers." Address him at 1400 S. Downing St., Denver, Colo.