The Vital Place of Sermons
We are not called to preach great sermons, but -we are called to make great Christians. The "foolishness of preaching" is still God's way of saving men; therefore, the sermon is vital. It must be plain; it must be purposeful; it must be winsome; it must be moving. And above all it should be vital.
As pastors or evangelists our work is varied. Teaching the flock and seeking the lost require sympathy, care, and courage; but nothing is more important than feeding the flock of God. Some-.one has said that "the making and delivery of an effective sermon is not only the most conspicuous but the most influential single service the minister is privileged to render." The danger is that we accept the responsibility too casually. The man -who merely 'occupies the time" is neither a preacher nor a prophet, but a disgrace and a sham. Blessed is he who, having nothing to say, refuses to give wordy evidence of the fact. He has learned -one of the fundamental principles of effective preaching.
John Ruskin said that "a sermon is half an hour to wake the dead." This is what it should be, and if it is full of HIM who is the Resurrection and -the Life, it will cause men to live.
We speak of the third angel's message as "the -truth." Truth makes men free. Do our Sabbath sermons always free our congregation of grief and -care, anxiety and discouragement? Do all our evangelistic messages raise men from the stupor -of spiritual death to new life in Christ? If they -do not, they have failed to measure up.
"Art thou He that shall come, or do we look for another ?" was the question put to the Master. His answer is arresting : "The blind receive their sight, . . . the deaf hear, the lepers are cleansed, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the :gospel preached unto them." He needed no other -credential.
As we preach Christ we should see men begin to live the abundant life. Preaching which brings such results will never come through indolence. The backgrounds of such sermons are toilsome study and prayerful meditation. To preach the Word with power and appeal, the minister must spend long hours in preparation, not altogether preparing his sermon, but preparing himself as -well.
Less time would need to be spent in settling differences between brethren if our preaching were stronger. "It is hungry animals that fight," declares Spurgeon. How true ! Our congregations have no right to be hungry, but all too often they are. "Shearing" and "marking" the flock is not -our only responsibility. We must "feed the flock 4)f God;" bringing to them healing leaves from the
Tree of Life and living waters from the River of Life. To do this requires self-discipline and self-sacrifice.
To spread the table of the Lord in every sermon and in every evangelistic message requires a diligence all too rarely seen. But the nurture of the flock demands nothing less. "Woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel."
Road to Evangelistic Success
To win as many converts as possible, I made myself everybody's slave." i Cor. 9:19, Twentieth Century translation. In these words we find one of the great secrets of Paul's evangelistic success. To be everybody's slave was no hardship, no humiliation; it was his joy—yes, even a passion. He lived to win men from sin to holiness. Forgetting position and dignity, he became the slave of those he sought to save. He knew the power of individual appeal.
To say there is no substitute for personal evangelism is to repeat something with which we all agree. But are we not in danger today of trying to save men by proxy or by some mechanical means? The radio, the Bible ' correspondence class, the question column in the newspaper—all are excellent aids to evangelism, but the evangelist who would win more souls must visit more homes. The public Bible class can never take the place of the personal visit. And when decisions need to be made, no other has so much influence as the preacher himself. A visit from him at the right time is not only wise but imperative.
The Master Evangelist sent out His servants two by two. How wise ! A visit from two workers together at the psychological moment brings great strength. Fortunate indeed is that associate minister or Bible instructor who at such times can confidently count on the presence of the evangelist or the pastor. For the preacher to leave all the personal evangelism to his associates, while he concentrates on preaching, is an evidence that he has really missed the way.
The greatest joy of all soul-winning endeavor is to have a part in personal decisions for Christ. It is said that when the Romans shortened their swords they lengthened their territories. Coming to closer grips with men made them more successful soldiers. Soul-winning ministry demands a closer contact with the individual. Clay Trumbull, a newspaper editor, is credited with - having led one hundred thousand souls to Christ by personal contact. Mass evangelism is a delusion. Consecrated adaptibility, together with personal appeal, is the road to evangelistic success.
R. A. A.
