Conquer by Love
ARTHUR W. SPALDING: Collegedale, Tennessee
In the war between Christ and Satan there stand op posed two principles: motives, incentives. On Christ's side is love, unselfish, sacrificing, ministrative love, the creator and preserver of men. On Satan's side is rivalry, selfish, possessive, combative rivalry, the cause and container of all the injustices, miseries, and violent death of men through all ages.
In evolving rivalry and making it the chief incentive of men, Satan has seized upon one of the good gifts of God and turned it to evil. That is the pattern and formula of all his work. He cannot create, for he is not the Creator. He can only take what God has created (and that is good), and by applying his ferment of selfishness, he can divert it to something evil. Every evil trait in man is but the perversion of a good trait; every wrong habit is but the corruption of a good impulse. But it makes all the difference in time and eternity whether the good is preserved or whether it is corrupted. Good comes from God; evil from the devil. They who are on the side of God hold to His pure creation; they who are on the side of the devil use and advocate his substitute.
Rivalry or Emulation—Which?
Rivalry is a perversion of emulation. We have no better term than emulation for this God-given constituent of man's nature, though in usage it has spread from its innocent meaning to an obnoxious sense, and is sometimes used as a synonym of rivalry. But in its primary sense emulation is that impulse in man, whenever he sees another doing well, to seek to equal or excel that other. The little child through emulation learns to walk, to talk, to take on the pat tern of life that his home, his community, and his church afford. And the impulse continues into adult life.
"Lives of great men all remind us
We may make our lives sublime.
And departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time;
"Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing o'er life's solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again."
But mark this: Emulation remains pure, beneficent, helpful, only as it is motivated by the love of God. This love God gave with life; it has never wholly departed from any man, unless and until he has aligned himself completely with the devil. Devils have no love of God; the life they received from God has been poisoned with self-love, and it is now near to extinction. But pure emulation, energized by unselfish love, seeks the betterment of its possessor, not to triumph over another, to cast down another, to rise by the defeat and destruction of another; but to add its improved powers to the powers of the one emulated, that together they may better serve and secure the triumph of their common cause. They remain brothers; they rejoice in each other's success; their love is multiplied, and by its very nature serves others rather than being served by others.
Emulation is the pure wine of God. Press the juice from the grape; it is sweet, exhilarating, life giving. But let that pure wine stand out in the open for a time; there enter into it the germs of fermentation, and it becomes alcoholic, intoxicating. Rivalry is the wine of the devil, changed from the purity of emulation, through the ferment of selfishness, into that stimulating but narcotic beverage that drives men to confusion, riot, and war.
The line is clearly drawn by Christ. His disciples strove and disputed among themselves as to which of them was the greatest in His church, His kingdom. Two of them, James and John, tried to settle the matter by boldly asking Him for the two highest places. He refused their request. But when the affair became known to their fellow disciples, they had great indignation against the two brethren. Then Jesus called them all to Him, and said:
"Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them. But so shall it not be among yon: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: and whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all. For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many." Mark 10:42-45.
The Law of Service
This is the basic law of the kingdom of Christ; it is Christ Himself: to serve, not to be served; to give, not to be given; to be called slave, not to be called master; to take the lowest place, not the highest; to love with the love of God, not with the love of self. That all this unselfish love wins love in return, is a natural consequence, but he who seeks it selfishly will never win it. The seed that is buried in the soil produces a hundred more seeds; but if it is hoarded, it will bring forth not one. No one can win love by demanding it. Only as he gives it unselfishly, without hope or design of re ward, will reward come to him.
There is reward immediately. That re-' ward, the greatest possible reward, is the fellowship of Christ. He who opens the door and lets Christ into his heart, who communes with Him at festive board, who lives constantly in His presence, asks nothing more, but he receives ever more and more. He gains in power, in life, in character. He becomes an instrument in the hand of Christ to accomplish and complete His work in the earth. The Holy Spirit descends upon him in power and glory, and by this almighty power the field of the world is made ripe to the harvest.
This power we need; this power we must have to finish the work of God in the earth; for this power we pray. But can we hope for answer to our prayers if we refuse to follow Christ's directions as to the spirit of our service?
"But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is. there is confusion and every evil work." fames 3:14-16.
The love of Christ, if it be received in fullness into our hearts, will cast out all rivalry, all envy, all strife for precedence and supremacy.
Rivalry and Competition
What shall we say, then, if not only do we harbor such evil in our hearts, but teach it to others? Shall the ministers of Christ's grace foster rivalry in their churches and congregations? Is there no incentive known to leaders other than competition, contest, rivalry? Must we resort to the wine of the devil to set the table of Christ? To set party against party, band against band, class against class, in the drive for goals, or for any objects whatever, is to surrender ourselves to the enemy while we ostensibly fight his legions. There are examples aplenty of the discouragement and the desertion of some who have been incited to work for the highest place on a list or for distinction as the specially honored, but who have failed in their ambition. On the other hand, there are too many who win, and gloat over their triumph. In neither case is the spirit of Christ manifest.
"When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honorable man than thou be bidden of him; and he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room." Luke 14:8. 9.
"In God's plan there is no place for selfish rivalry." Education, p. 226.
The leaders of a Christian people must have the discipline of Christ, the spirit of Christ, the teaching of Christ, in their own souls and in their ministry to others. Are we the hired servants of men, or are we the consecrated apostles of Christ? Have we to prove our worth by an imposing number of converts, or are we to reveal our connection with Christ by a teaching of the truth? How many followers had Jesus when He went to the cross? Had He failed? We will not come to Pentecost by elbowing fellow servants. The upper room must first be consecrated by a washing of others' feet and the washing of our own hearts in the humility of Jesus.
"But," objects one, "I can rouse my people to enthusiasm in a campaign only if I employ the competitive principle. Unless they are fired by a desire to win a race they will do nothing," Oh, shameful confession! What have they been taught? Has the world been held up before them or Christ? It is such an one who makes of the Sabbath service an auctioneer's mart, selling the sacrifices of God within the temple walls. What if One should enter with a whip of small cords!
"But if we abandon this incentive of competition and contest, will we not fail to reach our goals? Will not the foreign missions program, the evangelistic program, the missionary program, fall down? Can we risk failure for the sake of a principle?"
We risk nothing when we do Christ's bidding! When the level of faith and love in the church rises to its rightful place, the program of Christ in every field of effort will leap to the zenith. What we require is not an iconoclastic smashing of an evil incentive; it is the substitution of a far mightier incentive, the love of God. Let us de vote ourselves to the impartation of Christ's love to our people, and we shall see the power of God take hold of the church. Arid then shall the end come.
To him who knows not the power of the love of God there is no incentive so powerful as the competition of rival persons or parties. This is the world's greatest lever. But in comparison with the mighty force of love, rivalry is as a feeble finger to a Niagara of power. It can make war, but it cannot save a soul from hell. It can destroy, but it cannot create. If we would move our people to rise and fight for God, we must know the doctrine of Christ, not in words only, but in spirit and acts; we must sound the depths of love, and call upon God for its power in our lives. Then we shall despise the trappings of the world's pomp and war; we shall answer to the trumpets of God rather than to the snare drums of the devil; and we shall triumph with Christ in the glory and power of love.
Love Never fails
ADLAI A. ESTEB: Associate Secretary, General Conference Home Missionary Department
As workers in the cause of God we are to seek for new and better ways of advancing the kingdom of God. Some of us have used procedures that work sometimes under some conditions. As pastors of churches we have tried many "solutions" to solve certain problems, and occasionally we have had to confess that some of our remedies have failed. In our zeal and eagerness to reach certain goals or achieve certain results, we have experimented with many plans. Some of them have worked at least some of the time in some places. But who can say that all our methods have worked all the time in all places? As we contemplate that penetrating question it is supremely refreshing and encouraging to find that there is one method that never fails. Here it is: "Love never fails." 1 Cor. 13:8, Weymouth. As ministers, as executives, as departmental workers, how wonderful it is to finally discover at least one thing that never fails!
Here is the universal panacea. But the big question is, How can we apply this remedy as the solution to all our problems? To be specific, how can we use this method in our next Signs of the Times campaign, or our next Ingathering campaign, or our next evangelistic campaign? Does this mean that all I need to do to reach any church goal is to preach a sermon on love, and presto! the goal will be reached?
No! It is hardly as simple as that. Yet if it were an ideal sermon given by an ideal preacher to a church full of ideal people, I fully believe that church would set an all- time record in whatever undertaking they were engaged. Nevertheless, the pastor who will consistently, over a period of time, train and lead his flock in the right way can begin to approach this ideal.
But we must be realistic as well as idealistic. We must be practical as well as theoretical. We must be clinical as well as psychological! We must believe in ideals, for, as J. G. Holland wrote, "Ideals are the world's masters." And although we recognize the fact that ideals can only express themselves ideally through ideal people, yet the most practical results come from the blending of realism with idealism.
Who is sufficient for these things?
Will one sermon on love be enough to reach any goal or objective set for your church? Doesn't our text say that love never fails? Yes, that is the divine method, and it never fails. That is the divine promise. But is preaching a single sermon on love or even two sermons on love enough to qualify for success? Does our text say preach about love, and you will never fail in any campaign in which you are engaged? Or does it say, "Love never fails"?
The Character of Love
Love is positive, not negative. It is dynamic, not static. It is creative. Love is, as Henry Drummond put it in the title of his remarkable little book, The Greatest Thing in the World. Yet some seem to think it is passive, whereas it is active. The true love of Jesus implanted in the human heart ignites the fiercest fires ever kindled on this earth. Such love is the greatest driving force known to man. It is greater than the lust for power or the lure of gold. Paul cried out, "The love of Christ constrained! us." Few have ever permitted that fire to burn with such intensity in their souls as did Paul. It drove him from house to house, pleading with tears for the salvation of souls. It drove him from city to city, delivering the message "publicly, and from house to house." It drove him from island to island, continent to continent, over deserts, mountains, seas. He shook the Roman Empire and established a church in the very court of the Caesars. He altered the map of the world. He changed the philosophies of men. Some people talk about Napoleon or Alexander making the world tremble with his armies. This little self-sup porting missionary, this tentmaker from Tarsus, made the world tremble without any army at all. He was armed only with faith, hope, and love; and the greatest of these, added Paul, the battle-scarred hero, is love.
Love never fails. It never failed Paul. But what kind of love was it? Notice that it was a vital, living love it worked. Do we have that kind of love? Ah! There's the problem. "Faith without works is dead." James 2:26. We often quote that verse to our friends who want to avoid keeping the Sabbath, when they tell us they are "saved by faith" blind faith. It is blind, all right, and deaf, also; in fact, it is "dead," wrote the apostle, if it will not work. But what about love? Is a love that will not work the genuine article? "Where there is no active labor for others, love wanes, and faith grows dim." The Desire of Ages, p. 825.
Brethren, let us face the real issue. Some of our church members do not want to work. As a matter of fact, sometimes I do not want to work. It may be that some of my fellow ministers are troubled with the same temptation. Some of us may not like evangelistic campaigns or Signs campaigns or Ingathering campaigns or Field Adventuring campaigns or any fund-raising campaigns. We don't like campaigns, period!
Service or "Seats"?
Fellow workers, just what do we like? What do we want? Do we desire only to supervise and let others do the work? Others have been similarly tempted. James and John came asking Jesus to give them seats. But it was not the time for seats. It was the time for action, for work. The seats would be given out when the great work was all over. Jesus asked those disciples, "Are you able to drink of the cup . . . , and be baptized with the baptism?" No! Jesus did not offer them seats but offered them a baptism of blood and sweat and tears.
This fact leads us to think that Christ wants us all to be participators and not mere spectators. Indeed, the Spirit of prophecy speaks of those who think they can be "mere spectators." Then the messenger of the Lord says, "Never was there a greater mistake." Testimonies, vol. 5, p. 386.
Yet some of us, like James and John, are still subject to the natural desire for seats. Poor, weak human beings,, we often join with Peter in our human tendency to want to stay upon the mountaintop. But Jesus led Peter down to the needy plains of service. It would be dangerous to stay on the mountain!
True love will "drive" us to service.
Brethren, how do we love? The shortest verse in our English Bible says, "Jesus wept." And the very next verse reads,, "Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him!" How many tears have we shed over the city in which we live? How many have pointed at me, saying, "Behold, how he loved"? How many tears do we shed for the lost? How much do we love? It is a wonderful art to preserve our capacity for emotion unblunted to the end of life as Jesus did. "Never was there another whose sympathies were so broad or so tender." Education, p. 78.
Paul shed some tears also. Paul had a love that worked. He engaged in a house-to- house soul-winning campaign all the year round, and not just a couple of times a year in a national Field Adventuring campaign. Paul engaged in fund-raising campaigns too, and gathered quite an offering to take to Jerusalem. And he told the Corinthians what the Macedonian churches had done and urged them to emulate their worthy example and "abound in this grace also."
There is a danger here. The Spirit of prophecy has pointed it out: "In God's plan there is no place for selfish rivalry." Education, p. 226. Correct. But notice that word "selfish." What was the motive that Paul had in urging the Corinthian church to match the splendid giving of the Macedonian churches? Was it selfish, or was it to advance the cause of God? What is our motive in all our campaigns? That is the important thing. This same apostle Paul wrote, "Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works." Heb. 10:24, R.S.V. Sometimes we may even have to "provoke" one another to "love and to good works," as our King James Version gives it. What a shame that we have to "provoke" one another to work! But we are not in heaven. It only reminds us that we are not yet perfect.
Fellow minister, Christ "desires to perfect His household through the perfection of His ministers." Testimonies, vol. 9, p. 151. We all want a perfect church, but are we perfect? Do we have the kind of love that never fails? True love never asks, "How much must I do?" but "How much can I do?" "Love makes the heaviest load seem light." Someone has said, "We can give without loving, but we cannot love without giving."
Look at Jesus. Listen to Him as He says, "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you." John 13:34. What was to be the measure of our love? "As I have loved you." How did He love us? He died on a cross for us. Then the cross is to be the measure of our love! That means sacrifice. That means death to our pride, death to the old man.
That is to be the measure of our love. No wonder He called it a new commandment, to love like that. It was new historically, for no one had ever loved like that before. It was a new application of love! He gave a new interpretation of love. He gave the world a new demonstration of love. He gave a new meaning to love. That kind of love never fails.
In that stirring word picture of the judgment in Matthew 25, Jesus tells us that He will divide us into just two groups, and His searching, penetrating question will not be, What have you believed? or How have you preached? No! It will be, How have you loved? To some He will have to say: De part from Me. I never knew you. You were never inspired by My life or death to live and love as I left you an example. You never came close enough to My heart to feel its throbs of compassion for the poor, the needy, and the lost of earth. You never captured My Spirit. You have never learned to love. What a tragedy! Our eternal des tiny determined by how we loved!
May God give us a fresh baptism of love. For love never fails.
Making Our Campaigns Spiritual
WESLEY AMUNDSEN: President, Madison College
With the lapse of the centuries the church has come into strange and difficult times. Prophetic utterances of Holy Writ indicate that as the church continues its career toward the end of time, impurities and worldly attitudes will increase. It is not without purpose that the last church, the remnant of Israel, has been named the Laodicean church. Not cold, or hot, but indifferent, apathetic, without zeal and living faith in God.
Living in this present world, we are in danger of imbibing the philosophies of the world. Preaching may take on a theatrical tone; education may follow in the footsteps of modern philosophies; Christian living may pattern after the formal church attitudes; money raising may take on the tone of Community Chest or other secular methods.
But how shall we raise funds for the work of the Lord? With what shall we come before Him? Is God any more pleased with our gifts than He was with the gifts of those to whom He said: "I hate, I despise your feasts, and I will take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Yea, though ye offer me your burnt-offerings and meal-offerings, I will not accept them; neither will I regard the peace-offerings of your fat beasts." Amos 5:21, 22, A.R.V.
We think of some of the methods used for reaching many of our denominational goals. Although it is true that we are obtaining millions of dollars through the various avenues, nevertheless the question still remains: Are we following God's methods in this campaign work, or do we follow the "drive" plan of the world?
If we will think back to the humble beginnings of the Ingathering plan, when Jasper Wayne obtained his first offerings for foreign missions through the use of the Signs of the Times, we can readily see that God's hand was in the plan. Later, when the idea was presented to Ellen G. White, she wrote:
"One of the new plans for reaching unbelievers is the Harvest Ingathering campaign for missions. In many places during the past few years, this has proved a success, bringing blessings to many, and increasing the flow of means into the mission treasury. As those not of our faith have been made acquainted with the progress of the third angel's message in heathen lands, their sympathies have been aroused, and some have sought to learn more of the truth that has such power to transform hearts and lives. Men and women of all classes have been reached, and the name of the Lord has been glorified." Manuscript, "Consecrated Efforts to Reach Unbelievers," June 5, 1914.
It Can Be Done
For years it has been part of my work to organize and lead churches in Ingathering solicitation. In some cases the plans for competitive fund raising by bands has dominated the campaign in spite of my personal attitudes to the contrary. And, as far as money-raising success, most of the campaigns have been successful. On the other hand, I recall a certain conference, of which I was the home missionary secretary, in which we abandoned even the use of ribbons and pins, much to the dismay of some. We called all our workers together, the conference president being there also. The matter was presented to the pastors on the basis of a spiritualized campaign rather than one in which we would offer premiums or tokens- of any kind. The vote for this type of campaign was unanimous. But there were dire forebodings by some who heard about the plan. They predicted that we would fail to reach the goal.
However, the, Campaign among the churches was on a high level, and we presented the need of our mission fields from a strong spiritual angle. There was, as I recall it, no rivalry among the church members, and as a conference we went over the goal assigned to us within the time allotted.
Somehow it does seem to me that we need more of the Spirit of Christ in all our campaigns. We need to evaluate the purpose of the endeavor. We need to bring in more spirituality and less of worldly methods. We might do well to acquaint men with the work that we are doing for lost souls, with perhaps less emphasis on our work of building institutions.
We were conducting an Ingathering campaign in the island of Jamaica, and I was privileged to accompany Alien Stockhausen on a round of visits among the leading businessmen in the city of Kingston. It was during the terrible days of World War II. We visited a certain firm and met the manager, a fine British gentleman. He met us courteously, and we told him what our business was. He listened attentively, and at the close of our presentation he said, "I am sorry, gentlemen, that I can do nothing for you today. The condition of things in England is such that as a firm we do not know what the outcome will be, and we are doing very little business just now."
We ceased talking about our needs and turned our attention to the war situation. Then I called his attention to the words of the prophet Daniel regarding the dream of King Nebuchadnezzar. He listened gravely as the picture of the rise and fall of nations was brought before him. When I had finished he pressed a button, a clerk came into the office, and the manager scribbled a few words on a pad, tore off the paper, and handed the note to the clerk, with the words, "Take this to the cashier and bring the check back to me."
We might have talked to him of the need of building our schools and other institutions, but that would not have obtained results. It was when we made the spiritual approach that the barriers were swept away 'and the donation was forthcoming spontaneously.
So it should be in our churches. Our church members should be taught that the work of Ingathering for missions, for work at home and abroad, is based upon spiritual foundations. "If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?" Ps. 11:3.
The one dollar brought in by the timid, stammering sister in the church is of more value in the sight of God, because she went out to get it for the work of Christ with tearfulness and trembling, than is the one thousand dollars that someone else solicited through his high-pressure salesmanship methods with intent to show how much he could do in soliciting. God's method of evaluating our work for Him is so different from our methods. We would do well to think of this often!
We need to follow the counsel of the Lord through His messenger:
"To all who are about to take up special missionary work with the paper prepared for use in the Harvest Ingathering campaign, I would say: Be diligent in your efforts; live under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Add daily to your Christian experience. Let those who have special aptitude, work for unbelievers in the high places as well as in the low places of life. Search diligently for perishing souls. Oh, think of the yearning desire Christ has to bring to His fold again those who have gone astray! Watch for souls as they that must give an account. In your church and neighborhood missionary work, let your light shine forth in such clear, steady rays that no man can stand up in the judgment, and say, 'Why did you not tell me about the truth? Why did you not care for my soul?' Then let us be diligent in the distribution of literature that has been carefully prepared for use among those not of our faith. Let us make the most of every opportunity to arrest the attention of unbelievers. Let us put literature into every hand that will receive it. Let us consecrate ourselves to the proclamation of the message, 'Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.'" Ibid.
Certainly this counsel is basic in the organizing of any church for the Ingathering ' campaign. The blueprint is before us. The manner of holy living is enjoined. The responsibility is placed upon us for warning souls with whom we come in contact of the impending judgment. The necessity of letting our light shine, in the church and out of it, cannot be overlooked. The whole passage is fragrant with pure, holy counsel to the church and to the individual who is to go out in the Ingathering campaign. In the experience of Nehemiah in building the wall of the city of Jerusalem we find no trace of competitive methods. His building and solicitation campaign was carried out on a high level of spirituality.
"When he called the people together on the morrow, he presented such arguments as were calculated to arouse their dormant energies and to unite their scattered numbers. . . . And having laid the matter fully before them, showing that he was sustained by the combined authority of the Persian king and the God of Israel, Nehemiah put to the people directly the question whether they would take advantage of this favorable occasion, and arise with him and build the wall. This appeal went straight to their hearts; the manifestation of the favor of Heaven toward them put their fears to shame. With new courage they cried out with one voice, 'Let us rise up and build.'" Southern Watchman, March 29, 1904.
May we as the remnant of Israel adopt the same principles in all our efforts to raise funds for the Lord's work, in order that we too may have the approval of Heaven upon the methods we use. Let us keep in mind that God is ready to move upon the hearts of unbelievers and impress them to give to support His work in the earth. May we never attempt to bring God's sacred work down to the common everyday level of commercialism, but seek to keep it high and lifted up in holy endeavor for God. May the ministry of the remnant church ever seek to lead the people heavenward in all the campaigns and projects that are essential today. But we must not forget that ours is a spiritual work, to be led by Spirit-filled workers.
Effectual Pastoral Suggestions
M. K. ECKENROTH: Instructor in Evangelism, S.D.A. Theological Seminary
Evangelistic work, opening the Scriptures to others, warning men and women of what is coming upon the world, is to occupy more and still more of the time of God's servants." Evangelism, p. 17.
These words stand forth today in a new and bold relief against the background of a church engaged in multiplied enterprises. Since 1906 many burdens and responsibilities have rolled upon the servants of God unknown to the church at that time. Today the executive, the pastor, the evangelist all ask, "How can we order our program so that more and still more of the' time of God's servants can be devoted to evangelistic work?"
This is no simple question. It cannot be answered by merely shrugging one's shoulders and passing it off and resigning oneself to a program made up of competitive frustrations. It is a very real and basic problem. We are becoming more and more conscious of the futility of any program that substitutes competition for corporate consecration, or work for worship. It is a fact that impoverished sheep produce inadequate wool, but well-fed and well-cared-for sheep always feel good when the wool is shorn!
We make bold to venture a few suggestions drawn from years of pastoral-evangelistic field experience. These are by no means exhaustive, but are plans that have, at least in part, helped to relieve the necessity for competitive scheming and enable the minister to fulfill his main task of leading his congregation to worship. The test of true worship is measured by the way the congregation responds to the call of God as He again asks, "Who will go for us?"
The pastor may either lead his congregation forward by leading them into an experience of fellowship with God or incite or urge them onward through the artifice of competitive promotion, pressure, and appeal to the sense of loyalty.
The wise pastor will therefore endeavor to meet his problem by studying it in the light of at least six basic techniques.
Practical Suggestions
FIRST. Distribute responsibility to competent lay leadership. If such leadership is lacking, take time to train it. Not only does the distribution of such responsibility relieve the pressure on the pastor, but laymen thus entrusted with responsibilities remain true to the church and their God. Meet regularly with missionary committees and worker groups who have assigned responsibilities. Map out broad plans with them. Let them execute these plans. Pass any pro motional material and ideas on to the responsible committees or individuals.
SECOND. Where possible let the distribution of promotional materials be by direct mail to the members' homes. Let accompanying letters explain the specific technique for carrying out the project.
THIRD. If the church publishes a Sab bath bulletin, call the attention of the people through this medium to the urgency of the matter before them. Refer to the material sent them. Thus the pastor can in a few moments call the attention of the congregation to a specific program without taking long periods of time primarily dedicated to worship. Remember, mere activity is not worship. A congregation that has truly worshiped and been led to a new glimpse of God and His love will go forth and do great things for Him, and will from experience have the knowledge that "it is working together with Christ that is true worship." Testimonies, vol. 2, p. 24.
FOURTH. The pastoral letter. The regular issuance of a pastoral letter, preferably once a month, will prove to be a wise investment. Here the pastor has his intimate chats with his people. He explains the monthly activity program. He can endorse or enclose promotional materials. As with the bulletin, so in his letter, he can repro duce some simple chart or device to show exactly how the congregation is relating itself to the current project. The need for charts, devices, and goals to adorn the church walls is obviously removed. Too often these destroy the atmosphere of wor ship. Many a successful pastor today testifies how impossible it would be for him to carry on his program without his monthly pastoral letter. Remember, some of the books of the Bible are actually pastoral letters! The pastoral-letter plan is a vital part of the program for the busy pastor.
Experiences
FIFTH. Make sure the pastoral visit is not neglected. But make sure also that it is not always connected with some promotional effort.
lose to his flock that when the time came for the Signs campaign he simply went around and visited his members, many of them right at their work. To one member who was operating a business he offered the gift of a magazine rack and made some practical suggestions as to how he might witness daily at his place of business. The idea, presented tactfully and prayer fully, so appealed to the brother that when the pastor suggested he take fifty subscriptions, he said, "Make it sixty. I am sure I can use that many." The next year this same brother said, "Pastor, raise my club to one hundred. The sixty are usually gone by the time the week is half over."
A doctor in the same church who had been concerned about professional ethics and just how far he should go with missionary work, was intrigued by a similar plan and later told the pastor that the plan had been a great spiritual boon to him. So the pastor continued with his round of visiting, and when the Sabbath for the official opening of the campaign rolled around, the goal of his church had been oversubscribed by a good margin, and very little had been said about it in public.
SIXTH. Finally, but by far the most important, is the insistence of the pastor to hold inviolate the hour of worship. Center every sermon in Christ and lead the people to discover their Saviour and their God. Be prepared to emphasize practical godliness in your sermons.
This broad outline of a detailing of responsibility and the central function of the pastoral letter and the insistence of maintaining true worship will, if earnestly tried, give the pastor more and still more time for evangelistic work.
What Are Our Tests of Fellowship?
W. H. BRANSON: General Conference President
Tests of fellowship for the Seventh-day Advent- ist Church are established by the general church body and are not left to the discretion of the individual church congregation, pastor, or elder. This plan makes for unity and strength and avoids much confusion that otherwise would be found in the church.
In the Church Manual, 1951 edition, pages 224, 225, the reasons for which a member may be disfellowshiped are stated as follows:
"1. Denial of faith in the fundamentals of the gospel and in the cardinal doctrines of the church or teaching doctrines contrary to the same.
"2. Open violation of the law of God, such as worship of idols, murder, adultery, fornication, stealing, profanity, Sabbath breaking, willful and habitual falsehood, and the remarriage of a divorced person, except of the innocent party in a divorce for adultery.
"3. Fraud or willful misrepresentation in business.
"4. Disorderly conduct which brings reproach upon the cause.
"5. Persistent refusal to recognize properly constituted church authority or to submit to the order and discipline of the church.
"6. The use, manufacture, or sale of alcoholic beverages.
"7. The use of tobacco or addiction to narcotic drugs."
"A minister, an individual church, or a conference does not have the authority to set up or establish tests of fellowship for the denomination. This authority rests with the entire church body, and is exercised through the regularly constituted organization of the church in the General Conference. Anyone seeking to apply tests other than those herein set forth does not, therefore, properly represent the church." Ibid., pp. 226, 227.
Desiring to safeguard the purity and unity of the church, the leaders have set additional standards before those requesting baptism and church membership. These apply to principles of Christian living and Bible doctrines, which the members should believe and obey, although some of them do not constitute standards for which one found in violation would be disfellowshiped.
Many years ago the General Conference adopted a model series of questions for those seeking membership in the church, to be used as a guide to our ministers and elders who preside on such occasions. These are printed by the Review and Herald Publishing Association on the reverse side of a baptismal certificate, copy of which should be furnished to each person received into the church.
This list of questions covers all essential points of doctrine and reads as follows:
"1. Do you believe in God the Father, in His Son Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Spirit?
"2. Do you accept the death of Jesus Christ, on Calvary, as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of men and believe that through faith in His shed blood men are saved from sin and its penalty?
"3. Renouncing the world and its sinful ways, have you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour, and do you believe that God, for Christ's sake, has forgiven your sins, and given you a new heart?
"4. Do you accept by faith the righteousness of Christ, recognizing Him as your Intercessor in the heavenly sanctuary, and do you claim His promise to strengthen you by His indwelling Spirit, so that you may receive power to do His will?
"5. Do you believe that the Bible is God's inspired Word, and that it constitutes the only rule of faith and practice for the Christian?
"6. Do you accept the Ten Commandments as still binding upon Christians, and is it your purpose, by the power of the indwelling Christ, to keep this law, including the fourth commandment, which requires the observance of the seventh day of the week as the Sabbath of the Lord?
"7. Knowing and understanding the fundamental Bible principles as taught by the Seventh-day Adventist Church, is it your purpose, by God's grace, to order your life in harmony with these principles?
"8. Is the soon coming of Jesus 'a blessed hope' in your heart, and is it your settled determination to prepare to meet Him in peace, as well as to help others to get ready for His coming?
"9. Do you believe in church organization, and is it your purpose to support the church by your per sonal effort, means, and influence?
"10. Do you accept the New Testament teaching of baptism by immersion, and do you desire to be so baptized as a public expression of your faith in the forgiveness of your sins and of acceptance with Christ?
"11. Do you believe that the Seventh-day Adventist Church constitutes the remnant church, and do you desire to be accepted into its membership?"
There are of course many things taught by the church that are not covered by the above list of questions. These things are important, but are not required of those coming into the church. The observance of these additional points of teaching must be left to the individual conscience and not become a matter of requirement.
For instance, the church teaches the value of a strict vegetarian diet, the harmful effect of the use of tea, coffee, cola drinks, and so forth, but adherence to this teaching has never been made a test for admission into the church.
In order to maintain the unity of the church, each minister and leader should always carefully distinguish between the teachings and the requirements of the church. No minister or church elder has the right to set up standards of his own that have not been made standards by the general church body. To do so could only result in confusion. There would be as many sets of standards as there were leaders.
It is reported that one minister requires women seeking membership to entirely dis card the use of cosmetics.
We have heard a few ministers say, "I hold the standard high," And that should be true of all of us. But in requiring these new converts to pledge themselves to up hold the standards set by the church, we should be exceedingly careful not to add a lot of standards of our own making, that we have no right, as representatives of the church, to enforce upon the people.
Some of these matters that are not tests for membership should be taught but not enforced upon the people. After proper instruction is given, then the matter of compliance must be left to the individual con science.
Sabbath Morning Evangelism
ROGER W. COON: Secretary, Public Relations Department, Southern California Conference.
We all recognize that our first work, regardless of our sphere of influence, must be the saving of men's souls for the Lord's kingdom. Since it is virtually impossible to win souls to Christ without first making them our friends, the work of public relations ceases to be solely a function and activity of a conference department and becomes the concern of each worker.
Since the ultimate burden of denominational promotion and district evangelism falls heaviest upon the individual pastor, a moment's reflection on a progressive public relations program on the church-unit level may suggest ways of easing the burden.
A simple, successful, and inexpensive method of acquainting our non-Adventist friends and neighbors with our distinctive teachings is to persuade them to attend our regular Sabbath morning worship services. There are naturally certain limitations in such a program of evangelism; yet over a period of time it may prove quite rewarding.
Where such a plan is undertaken the pastor will at once face a threefold problem.
1. To interest prospective visitors to the point where they will attend their first service in an Adventist church.
2. To inform the visitors who attend these services regarding not only our doctrinal teachings but also the nature and scope of our church and its activities.
3. To increase the number of those guests who continue to return week after week.
How can we get our non-Adventist friends, neighbors, business and social acquaintances, and the populace at large to make their first visit to our local church? Spiritual inertia is one of our biggest obstacles. How may we overcome it?
I. Inform the public.
The placing of a one-inch advertisement in the "yellow pages" of the telephone classified directory brought a comparatively small Los Angeles congregation dozens of visitors each Sabbath. City directories and the church directory in our local newspaper are excellent means not only of identifying our respective churches with the spiritual leadership in the community but also of informing the public as to the day and hour of our various services.
One of the finest ways to arouse interest in your church is to conduct an aggressive program of "press evangelism" by placing news stories in the local newspaper. There is no charge for this service, and it is far more valuable to us than paid advertisements. An active church press secretary can usually find some activity or meeting to spotlight each week, and in a short time the pastor will find that his church is surprisingly well known.
An example of what this can mean in dollars and cents is found in the experience of a small sixty-member congregation in a southern California city with a population of fifteen thou sand. Two years ago the average evening of house-to-house solicitation by about eighteen faithful members netted approximately fifteen dollars. This year, after two years of publicity regarding the work of Seventh-day Adventists, the solicitors found that a seventy-five dollar or eighty-five dollar evening was not uncommon. i There's a reason for a 100 per cent gain for ' two consecutive years. This kind of publicity pays handsome dividends.
II. Reach the public.
This cannot be done by the afore-mentioned methods alone they are only aids to an end. Soul winning cannot be done by proxy. Christ had to seek the lost before He could save them.
Through the Ingathering campaign and the now-popular "Operation Doorbell," we have an opportunity of making personal contacts with residents in our communities. A warm invitation "to attend the services of the local Seventh-day Adventist church over on Blank Street next Saturday morning," accompanied by a winning smile, will go far to break down resistance. But even this is not enough. Many plan to visit our church "sometime," and when they finally do get around to doing so they find that they are unable to locate our churches.
To solve this problem, the little church already mentioned decided to distribute to every housewife and businessman in town a little folder which nicely met these needs, along with the regular General Conference booklets. A 3-5/8" x 6-1/4" folder with an attractive color portrait of Christ was used (see cut). Underneath the picture was printed the invitation to the local services, the address of the church, and the telephone number. Inside, a summary of our doctrinal tenets was briefly listed. The copy on the back page consisted of a few paragraphs dealing with the nature, scope, and activities of this denomination; an announcement of the time and nature of the various services; and an invitation to listen to our radio and television programs.
These folders may be secured in quantity through the Augsburg Publishing House, Minneapolis. The particular folder with Christ's picture was chosen because many folk, particularly Catholics, will not throw away anything that bears a picture of Jesus. Though they may not read the printed matter, they will often place the folder in an honored place on the mantel, where it rests until someone else is attracted to it who may read its contents.
III. Bring the public.
An offer to bring someone to church is often all that is necessary to increase the number of visitors in our churches on Sabbath. The organization of a select group of lay members into automobile transportation pools has worked miracles in augmenting attendance in many cities. There are many lonely, elderly, or infirm people who would welcome such an opportunity for social fellowship and spiritual ministry but who lack adequate transportation.
Visitors carry not only impressions good or bad but also information from our services. Because they are not likely to take notes either on the sermon or the announcements, a church bulletin provides a unique and valuable service for the public-relations-wise pastor. Pastors who limit the usefulness of their church bulletins to listing the order of service and the usual weekly announcements miss a worth-while opportunity of presenting their visitors with a graphic picture of the scope and purpose of the denomination's activities and teachings. The last page of the bulletin, so often left blank or filled with nonessential material, can be used to excellent advantage from the stand point of interesting our weekly guests in the over-all church program.
A non-Adventist printer in Los Angeles told me some time ago, "I wish church pastors would list their doctrinal beliefs and Scriptural proofs in their bulletins so that those who are strangers may know what the members believe and why."
Many of our pastors follow this plan. Some print a summary of our doctrinal tenets with supporting texts on the back page. One pastor, feeling that mere enumeration of the doctrines fell short of the needs of the people, prepared a series of brief "snapshot sketches," which he mimeographed on the back cover over a period of twenty-six weeks.
A suggested variation for a lifeless, dull, stereotyped back page of the church bulletin might include the following:
1. A welcome to visitors, urging them to include their mailing address in the guest registry to facilitate mailing announcements of future programs of general interest. This inconspicuous way of getting names and addresses will appeal to all who know the value of follow-up work.
2. An invitation to nonmembers as well as members to call on the pastor if in need of spiritual counseling, special prayer, or minis try to the sick. "There is no charge for this service."
3. An invitation to attend the various services and meetings of the church and its organizations throughout the week, these being listed by day and hour.
4. An invitation to become a member of the church, with an explanation of the purposes and functions of the church, and that entrance is through baptism by immersion after a course of study dealing with "the great fundamentals of the Bible and the truths of historic Christianity"; an invitation to join such a Bible study group or to take the correspondence course in the privacy of their own home; and an offer of free literature on any subject.
5. An explanation of church finance, with an invitation to participate in "systematic benevolence" and receive the spiritual blessings and benefits that follow as promised in God's Word.
6. An invitation to meet with the Dorcas Society in the welfare assistance program and a request for information regarding destitute families.
7. An invitation to listen to the Voice of Prophecy and Faith for Today over the local radio and television outlets.
Admittedly this is an open bid for the attention, assistance, and participation of nonmembers in the integrated program of the church, but where such a plan has been used more than one pastor reports that the results have been gratifying! There are often many who are waiting for just such invitations to become one with us in faith, in practice, and in service.
Pastors of small churches may feel that bulletins are prohibited by their expense. A number of pastors have the outside cover printed -in quantity with the desired information, and then they mimeograph the required number each week, with the order of service and the announcements inside. Still others purchase suitable stock and mimeograph both sides, some doing a very artistic piece of work.
We spend many dollars for literature each year for the purpose of telling others about ourselves and our work; why not utilize our weekly bulletins to this same end, and reap the bountiful harvest such a plan ensures?
Christ's instruction to "compel them to come in" carries an obligation to every worker and lay member. A pastor who conducts an active and aggressive program of public relations will soon be looking for extra chairs to seat his visitors each Sabbath morning, and will baptize many of them as the months go by.
