The Bible makes it plain that preaching can accomplish its real missiononly when it places the emphasis where God calls for it. When we consider the matter of the content of the sermon let us keep in mind the fact that the most effective content for any sermon, whether it is to be delivered to non-Adventists at the evangelistic meeting, or to the saints of God on the Sabbath day, is a presentation of those truths that place the emphasis where God wants it placed. Paul in 1 Thessalonians 2:4 affirms: "But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts."
Every preacher who takes his task seriously must naturally be concerned about his preaching. And well he may be, for eternal results are at stake. A misplaced emphasis in preaching will result in the eternal loss of souls. This is true of Adventist preaching as well as the preaching of the ministers of other churches.
Think for a moment of the preaching of the Jewish church when our Lord was here. Their misplaced emphasis on the externals of religion, and a misapplication of the Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah and the kingdom of God, led God's own chosen people at that time to reject their own Saviour and His message of salvation. How is it today? Are we misplacing our emphasis in our preaching of the great truths of salvation only through Christ? We must never permit ourselves to lead Christ's followers today to reject Christ's own message for this closing period. There must never be a misplaced emphasis in the preaching of the great doctrines that are of special significance to the people of God in the closing days of pre-Advent history.
Are not we as ministers considerably responsible for the condition of our people? Does not a lukewarm, sleepy state of the church members indicate to a large degree the kind of preaching that comes from the pulpit on the Sabbath day? Are we fully aware that one of the most subtle perils that we face in our preaching is shifting our emphasis according to what the congregation likes best, instead of what they need most? A man can make himself popular by preaching on subjects the congregation likes to hear, and by holding back on preaching self-crucifixion, self-denial, repentance, sacrifice, separation from the world, and Christlike living. This is a case of "like people, like priest." But never forget in true preaching the emphasis is regulated according to God's message for the time and not by the spirit of the times.
Everybody knows that the preaching of John the Baptist, of the Lord Jesus Christ, and of the apostles and the Reformers struck home with compelling force. They set in motion chords that are vibrating today and will vibrate throughout the eternal ages. How did they do it? They placed the emphasis where God called for it. It is essential, however, to note that in each case their preaching ran counter to the spirit of the time.
This brings us to this question, How can you place the emphasis where God calls for it? One of the secrets of this kind of preaching is found in the words of 1 Chronicles 12:32: "The children of Issachar . . . were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do."
Every Adventist preacher who places emphasis in his preaching where God wants it, will necessarily have to have the outstanding twofold qualification of an understanding of the times and knowledge of -what Israel ought to do. He must have a true interpretation of God's message for the hour. He must know what is God's program for His people in this day and age. It is very significant that God's program for His people from this very day to the triumph of His church at the second advent of Christ can be compressed into just five words.
The Five R's of Adventism
Each of these words begins with the same letter, R. These five words may well be called the five R's of Adventism. The entire future of the Seventh-day Adventist Church is wrapped up in these five words. They are of vital importance, for they indicate where God wants the emphasis placed in our pastoral preaching.
Return
Every Adventist minister knows that the last item on God's program for this present age is the return of His own dear Son. Paul expressed it well when he said: "Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ" (Titus 2: 13). Take your pen or pencil and write the word "return" at the bottom of a sheet of paper, leaving room for four other words above it.
Refreshing
We all understand that the return of Jesus will not take place until the work of the gospel is finished. And we can go a step further. We know that the work of God will not be finished until the refreshing, or latter rain, comes in its fullness. So write the word "refreshing" above the word "return." The Bible reference for this is Acts 3:19, 20, where Peter speaks about the times of refreshing that will come from the presence of the Lord before He sends His Son back to this earth again.
Reformation
We can now go a step further. Every minister knows that the refreshing or the latter rain will not come until there is a spiritual reformation. In Early Writings, page 71, we are advised:
I saw that none could share "the refreshing" unless they obtain the victory over every besetment, over pride, selfishness, love of the world, and over every wrong word and action.
Did you get the sweep of those four words, "victory over every besetnaent"? Do we, by the grace and righteousness of Christ, have that victory today? Victory over every wrong word and action—do we have this kind of victory? This is the reformation that must take place before the refreshing will come. So take your pen, or pencil, and write the word "reformation" above the word "refreshing."
Revival
There never has been, and there never will be a spiritual reformation without a spiritual revival. Reformation is the fruitage of revival. So write the word "revival" above the word "reformation." Do we know how necessary this revival experience is? The deepest longing in the true Adventist heart is to go through to the end with the people of God. It is going to take the spirit of revival to accomplish this.
This revival experience must be developed. It is not obtained in a day, in a week, or in a month. It is not matured by coming forward to the altar one time. It must be developed, as the fruit blossoms in the spring develop into the ripe fruit in the fall.
What does a revival spirit mean? It means a state of aliveness unto God, in which the heart is warm and glowing with the love of God and the grace of God. It means a mind that is stayed on God and not on houses and automobiles; a mind that moves in the constant atmosphere of prayer. It means the practice of the continual presence of Jesus Christ, with a keen realization that Christ is within every moment, and that every act, look, and thought is to be the outliving of the indwelling Christ. It means a great love for lost souls such as the love Jesus had. This is what it means to develop a revival spirit. To think of what this means is to pray: "God, help me to develop this revival spirit."
Revival Is the Key to Survival
When you look back over the history of God's people you find that though they faced crisis after crisis, in every case they found the way through by revival and reformation. The key to survival is revival. Those who can now develop a revival spirit will survive the final crisis of crises. We can now go a step further. We know full well that there never has been a true revival without repentance, without making things right with God. So write the word "revival," and above it the word "repentance." In Acts 3: 19 the first word begins with R—"repent."
Repentance
Repentance is the key to revival. Look now at the five R's: Repentance, Revival, Reformation, Refreshing, Return. These few words summarize God's program for Seventh-day Adventists. They are a chain of five links that will take the Adventist people from where they are today, to where they want to be—redeemed with their returning Lord.
Make no mistake about it. There is no other program by which this work will ever be finished. We are in full accord with every resolution that the Fall Councils and Spring Councils and the General Sessions have adopted. But it is this program of the five R's by which this work will be finished. These five R's are the only way through for Seventh-day Adventists. They express God's program for this hour.
Preaching the Five R's
I am not suggesting that preaching be confined merely to these five words. Their application is exceedingly broad. An experienced minister could preach twenty-five sermons on each of those five words and still not exhaust their meaning. We should ever keep before us in our preaching the fact that these five words represent the personal experience through which God's triumphant people must pass. They help us to know where God wants us to place the emphasis. These five R's are God's program for His people and hence must be given first place in their lives.
With such an endless array of subjects as are today pressing for our attention, and for our presentation in the pulpit, it is so easy to imperceptibly shift our emphasis from what God wants us to emphasize. As the marine navigator takes his bearings constantly, so must we check our preaching constantly to make sure that we are on the main line to the kingdom of God. Too many today are lost in the side paths. The servant of the Lord has left us this good counsel:
We must turn away from a thousand topics that invite attention. There are matters that consume time and arouse inquiry, but end in nothing. The highest interests demand the close attention and energy that are too often given to comparatively insignificant things.—Testimonies, vol. 8, p. 316.
This principle holds good in our preaching. Mrs. White speaks of turning aside from a thousand topics. If one should use fifty different topics on fifty Sabbaths of the year, it would take twenty years to handle a thousand topics. One could almost waste twenty years of preaching if one dwelt on those subjects that are not pertinent to God's program.
Our evaluation of what is good preaching differs much in our varied viewpoints. It is doubtful that any of us would think that loud preaching is good preaching. Some, however, think that a fine flow of words, flowery speech, and flights of oratory constitute good preaching. We must never forget that the Word of God is the essence of the good, the helpful, the transforming, and the saving. Preaching is good to the extent that it really places God's Word in human hearts. Therefore "preach the word." Any preaching falls short when it fails to "preach the word" and to place the emphasis where God and the Bible place it.
We are God's messengers. Our business is to make men see and follow His program, His will, His plan. I appeal to our young men especially to make sure that their preaching hits the mark that God has appointed, rather than the mark that some professor of homiletics has placed in a book on sermon preparation and delivery. These books are valuable. But we face the danger of leaning too much on books and techniques and on ethical sermons.
The Ministerial Personal Relationship
Preceding the preaching of these five R's to our people, there is a personal relationship that we as ministers must enter into. Especially is this true regarding the first three R's. There is little use for you or me to preach repentance, revival, and reformation unless we are experiencing these in our own souls. Mr. Moody once told his co-workers, when they worked with souls in the aftermeetings: "Don't talk one inch beyond what you have experienced in your own heart, or are practicing yourself." This is a good rule for Adventist preachers. God does not need lawyers to argue for Him. He wants witnesses. As ministers we need to apply repentance, revival, and reformation to our own souls. As Jesus said: "Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth" (Acts. 1:8).
The Blueprint for Soul Winning
We are deeply grateful for the progress of the Advent Movement from year to year. But we must confess that it has not attained to the progress the blueprint of the Spirit of prophecy calls for in the soul-winning achievements in these closing days of the threefold message. It is not decided progress in relation to the gigantic task of the finishing of the work in all the world. We need to face up to the statement that before the work of God can make any decided progress—the ministers must be converted. . . . They should not preach themselves, but Christ and His righteousness. A reformation is needed among the people, but it should first begin its purifying work with the ministers.—Testimonies, vol. 1, p. 469. (Italics supplied.)
Reformation is to begin with us as ministers. This is a case where every minister should examine himself. It is not my business to examine my fellow minister. "Let a man examine himself." This is a personal matter between each worker and God. It is well for us to ask ourselves some questions. Do I need to repent for not praying as much as I should? Do I need a reformation for failing to feed on this precious Word for my own soul culture? We do not neglect the Bible in our sermon preparation, but how much do we make use of the Book for our own soul's spiritual life? Do I need to repent for being light and frivolous—a joking, jesting preacher? Do I need to repent for not loving lost souls with the same love that Jesus had for them? Brethren, how far we fall short here. Remember Jesus at that well—tired, hungry, thirsty—forgetting His thirst, His hunger, His fatigue, in order to help an outcast woman into the kingdom. Do I have a real burden for souls? Do I harbor in my heart feelings and grievances against any of my brethren? Do I need to repent for holding an unkind feeling against the personnel and the conference committee because they did not grant my request, or because they promoted some other minister ahead of me? Do I need to repent for saying unkind things to my wife or my children? Do I need a reformation about getting impatient and losing my temper? God calls for victory through Christ and His imparted righteousness over every be-setment.
What would happen today if the ministers in any given conference would apply repentance, revival, and reformation in every area of their lives where it is needed? The church members would quickly catch the spirit. It would spread like fire in dry grass. The great reformatory movement would begin, the refreshing would come, the work would be finished, Jesus would come and we would go home.
