HUMILITY
One who speaks for God, whatever his educational or cultural background, never has any reason to feel superior. Meekness is a characteristic of all true leadership. Neither should a herald of God ever belittle his calling by telling his hearers that he lacks training. For one to say, as did a prominent evangelist recently, that he comes with no doctor's degree, nor has he even attended a seminary, nor taken speech training, is regrettable to say the least. That unfortunate remark led many to ask, "Why did this man not take time to thoroughly prepare himself before coming to teach others? No medical doctor would dare begin his practice without first having taken time to master his profession. Should not a physician of souls be as thorough in his preparation? Surely he should not content himself with less training than a doctor!"
Our Lord, the model for every preacher, did not attend the schools of the rabbis, but He did not parade the fact. Nor did He feel constrained to say He was unlearned. On the contrary, those who heard Him realized that He spoke with authority. And they were led to wonder how He, never having graduated from the schools of His day, could have such a thorough grasp of the subjects Ile taught. Jesus did not parade His lack of formal schooling as if He had to offer apologies. He had a training superior to that of the schoolmen, and that superior training is the right and privilege of all His servants. Without that teaching of the Holy Spirit no preacher is truly equipped no matter what degrees he may have.
A few years ago the mayor of one of our large cities was addressing a group in one of the finest hotels of that metropolis, and to the amazement of all present he said, "I know why I was elected. It is because I am a common man and my wife is just a common woman and my children are common childrin." A speech of that kind leaves unfortunate impressions and actually disqualifies a man for the office to which he has been called. True humility does not need to parade itself; it will be self-evident in every action.
R. A. A.
MAN'S ONLY HOPE
"It is Satan's studied purpose to keep souls from believing in Christ as their only hope." This striking sentence from Gospel Workers, page 162, stresses the urgency for Adventist ministers everywhere to present Christ in all His fullness, both to our own church people and in all of our evangelistic efforts for the conversion of the lost. There is no other denomination in the world that possesses more complete doctrinal truth about the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe in the virgin birth, His sinless life, His atoning death, His bodily resurrection, His literal ascension to heaven, His priestly ministry, and His Second Advent. And yet in spite of all our doctrinal concepts of the matchless salvation offered in Christ we frequently fail in our presentation of Him to needy man as the all-sufficient Saviour for every needy soul. Yet this is the one must of the gospel.
The messenger of the Lord emphasizes this point in these words, "The people must be instructed that Christ is unto them salvation and righteousness." —Gospel Workers, p. 162. As ministers we must be more faithful in our presentation of the great theme of righteousness by faith. We must proclaim that no merit on man's part can adequately meet any requirement of God's law, but that all righteousness must be received as a free gift from God.
We are further told that "the enemy of God and man is not willing that this truth [righteousness of Christ] should be clearly presented; for he knows that if the people receive it fully, his power will be broken."—/bid., p. 161. It is high time that the power of Satan be broken by the proclamation of the righteousness of Christ, which removes doubt and unbelief and darkness from the troubled minds and hearts of struggling sinners. Without the righteousness of Jesus all our preaching is as dry as the hills of Gilboa without rain. Christ in His righteousness has not found its place in the experience of many because divine power has not been permitted to enter into their lives. Their faith has been primarily a belief in doctrine rather than the acceptance of the Christ life.
Everyone within the hearing of our preaching should be brought to understand how the trusting believer can appropriate the merits of Christ's righteousness to personal living and how to maintain that attitude of surrender to the will of God which will guarantee the imputed and imparted righteousness of Jesus for the saving of that individual's soul.
Let us each and all rededicate our lives to the proclaiming of the righteousness of Jesus and the fullness of the saving power of Christ. This will be the effective ministry that will revive our churches and set them on fire for the finishing of the work of God in all the world. Christ in all His fullness is our only hope. No other need among us is greater than the need for Christ-centered preaching and practicing realized by the indwelling of the righteousness of Christ.
J. A. B.
HIGHWAY TO THE HEART
To beChristian is to be distinct. The man of God in our world cannot escape the high privilege of peculiarity. Representing decisions of heavenly origin, he often walks as a stranger among men. He must be conditioned to misrepresentation and even ostracism for the distinctive tenets of his faith. He does not forsake them for the privilege of acceptance. The consequential loss would far outweigh the gain. Abandonment of principle is not necessarily implied by change of attitude or shift of emphasis. Indeed, harshness Must yield to kindness, and tactlessness to tact. Moreover, Christ must permeate every doctrinal presentation. This will result in the exposure of untold thousands to the claims of heaven, nor will it lessen the conviction of the messenger in his presentation. That highway to the human heart is smoothest, which avoids, where possible, the wilderness of disagreement. It is, nevertheless, imperative that distinctive truth be proclaimed and the gospel invitation extended. Positive truth will claim its own adherents.
E. E. C.
THE PERSONAL CONTACT IN PREACHING
Biblical sermons should meet modern needs. John Knox, in his excellent book The Integrity of Preaching, says that preaching is personal, that "the preacher is a person addressing other persons."—Page 59. Dr. Knox further points out that a preacher is not to assume the attitude of an expert on the subject of religion, informing his hearers, but rather of a person "who is sharing some of his most intimate and profound experience with other persons. Preaching is not speech about religion; it is a religious person speaking. It is this personal character of preaching which makes the moral integrity of the preacher so important."—Page 59. Thus good preachers must inevitably be good men. Good preachers, as the apostle Paul infers, impart themselves to their people.
Dr. Knox further observes that the personal character of preaching has a direct bearing on the preparation for the sermon. It must always be kept in mind that the nature of preaching is that of personal communication. This principle must not be violated. To achieve a sense of personal contact between preacher and hearer is vital. Dr. Knox emphasizes the importance of learning "how to make the necessary preparation without losing the reality of personal communication." He refers to a common criticism, which is usually worded something like this: "If he would only throw away that sermon and really talk to us, things might begin to happen."—Pages 64, 63.
Barriers to communication include such obvious errors as lack of preparation and preparation that concentrates the attention on the preacher himself. Knox points out that the true purposes of preaching are violated both "by the sermon which calls attention to itself by its skillfulness" and "by the sermon which calls attention to itself by its sloppiness." He sums up the aim of the preparation made for preaching in this vitally significant sentence:
"But the aim of the preparation is clear; it is a man prepared, not a sermon prepared."—Page 67.
All of this highlights the heart experience of the pastor himself. What comes from his heart will doubtless reach the heart of those who listen. Truths that are presented as a part of one's experience and not mere abstractions, profound as they may be, can be understood and grasped by those who hear. In other words, the true preacher puts his life into his ministry and his ministry into his life. This can be summed up by the illustration referred to in John Knox's book regarding Ghiberti, who labored on the doors of the Florentine baptistry for fifty years. "The great doors were not so much his work as his life. The preacher's work is personal in the same intimate and essential way."—Page 69.
J. A. B.
HUMILITY
Humility is perfect quietness of heart. It is to have no trouble. It is never to be fretted, vexed, irritated, sore, or disappointed. It is to expect nothing, to wonder at nothing that is done to me, to feel nothing done against me. It is to be at rest when nobody praises me, and when I am blamed and despised. It is to have a blessed home in the Lord where I can go in and shut the door and kneel to my Father in secret. I am at peace as in a deep sea of calmness.—ANDREW MURRAY.
