Trouble at the Altar

"LEANNESS of soul" threatens the life of the I church. If spiritual nourishment of greater quantity and higher quality is not forthcoming, the "gates of hell" are certain to prevail. With human flesh the Majesty of heaven would stem the tide of worldliness that would engulf the church. Through lips of clay He would thunder His reproofs and tender His pleadings. Jeho­vah's voice must be heard if the church is to be saved. The preacher is His channel, His in­strument, and His messenger. "How then shall they call on him in whom they have not be­lieved? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?" (Rom. 10:14).

But there is "trouble at the altar." In too many pulpits men open their mouths, but God does not speak through them. Their messages do not light revival fires. "We've had a throm­bosis in the preaching department."—Frank S. Mead, The Pulpit Digest, May, 1959. The saints no longer tremble at the voice of God. The church becomes more Laodicean. Oh, now and then Christians are treated to a faint glimpse of the forked lightning flashing about the throne. But some ministers apparently glean most of their material from where the cactus grows. The result? Much activity, little Spirit, and the ten virgins sleep on.

The Curse Causeless

There is as little excuse for the existence of a preacher who cannot preach as for a doctor who cannot prescribe, or a farmer who cannot farm, or a dentist who cannot pull teeth. The world's most expensive mistake is a man who claims to speak for God, having neither His message nor the ability to deliver it. A man is at war with his Maker who thus misrepresents Him. Laymen have every right to expect a pre­pared man to be prepared. "I am ashamed to ask visitors to our church, and only go myself out of loyalty" is a complaint too frequently heard in Zion. May this picture wherever it exists soon be changed. Let men of God every­where shut themselves in with the Master until Heaven's living fire ignites them. May they, like Jacob, wrestle with Omnipotence until the promised blessing comes. Let them pray for power until their words bring revival to saints and repentance to sinners.

"Best Laid Plans—"

What man of God has not at one time or another resolved to devote more time to medi­tation and sermon preparation, only to find himself drifting back into the same old rut. There are several factors affecting preaching paucity, none of them immovable objects, thank God. Some of these here claim our at­tention.

1. Too much to do. There is certainly noth­ing wrong with being known as a busy man. Nor should one blush when his administrators regard him as a "hustler." But when pressing obligations interfere with the pastor's study-meditation hour, then he is too busy. One man doing ten men's work may bring "bravos" fr6m an employing committee, but it is sure to cost one in depth, power, and pathos in the ex­position of Holy Writ, and indeed, lead to un­necessarily early "ministerial martyrdom."

2. Self-confidence. To wander into the pulpit without adequate preparation is, to say the least, unholy presumption. To preach out of a spirit of self-reliance may yield a brash, bois­terous message, but in effect its deliverer is as "sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal." True men of God in all ages have recognized the fal­lacy of self-trust. They were at their best when leaning with childlike trust on the arm of the Infinite. "If they could get linked on to God, they could do mighty works. When Samson got linked to the jawbone of an ass he was a mighty army, because he was filled with the Spirit. . . . Show me a preacher who stands in the pulpit and acts as if he has a wet noodle for a back­bone, and I will show you a preacher who does not know what the filling of the Spirit of God is."—E. J. Daniels, Techniques of Torchbear-ing, p. 75.

3. Low estimate of intelligence of congrega­tion. This has led to carelessness in sermon preparation and presentation in some quarters. We live in an enlightened age. Today you can­not fool any of the people any of the time; they know when they are being fed "scraps." With the abundant materials supplied the minister by the three angels of Revelation, there need never occur a shortage of information or in­spiration.

4. Limited concept of the importance of the message. Only a man who takes his calling lightly would distribute crumbs in the very pres­ence of the loaf. In the minister's possession is the last warning message to a doomed age. This fact alone should charge him with an enthusiasm that cannot be contained.

5. Lack of ambition to become a true artisan. To accurately reflect and interpret God to the world is the supreme goal of the gospel ministry. There exists no science more difficult to mas­ter. The heart of the man of God should thrill with pride in his craft. The painstaking care with which the auto designer labors over a new design should be matched or excelled by the gos­pel minister seeking to satisfy his Master's tastes.

6. Lack of correlation between principle and practice. Some congregations are dying because of the "depth" of the sermon presented, and the failure of the sermonizer to reach the sur­face where the people think and live. This is no criticism of scholarship, the evident need of which is most painfully obvious to all. It is, however, a call to practical preaching. Many a point is lost because it is not given a practical application. Sermons too deep induce sleep. "When the truth in its practical character is urged upon the people because you love them, souls will be convicted, because the Holy Spirit of God will impress their hearts."—Evangelism, p. 124. "Those who will study the manner of Christ's teaching, and educate themselves to follow His way, will attract and hold large num­bers now, as Christ held the people in His day." —Ibid. (Italics supplied.)

"A Stitch in Time—"

Reformation "at the altar" will involve the demolition of many a cherished idol. A man must first of all become disenchanted with his "old" outlines. Nor would it hurt his cause if he discarded all ancient materials such as out­dated statistics, voluminous quotations from numerous authorities, and news clippings grown yellow at the edges with age. Type has met antitype, but some still worship shadows. Oh, the excitement that comes with beginning again! Old truth in a new setting, old wine in new bottles! Heaven sings and the saints rejoice. Charged with new fire, the man of God follows his new venture with the eagerness of a child witnessing his first winter snow.

There must also occur a revolt against the use of the printed sermons of "name" preachers, the David-wearing-Saul's-armor routine. No sincere minister can claim one hundred per cent origin­ality either in substance or procedure in ser­mon production and presentation. However, enough of the personal touch should color the presentation to give the speaker a sense of ownership. Daily Bible reading would eliminate much of this "me, too" preaching. To the minis­ter himself comes a confidence born of personal perusal. Conviction marks his presentation. His words, bathed in Heaven's power, become fire in the hearts of his hearers. Sinners will leave their sin haunts and saints their firesides to hear him preach. For such a spokesman for God there is no "trouble at the altar."

But nothing improves preaching like preach­ing. Ministers are not made in classrooms. They are merely trained there. It is in practice that perfection is achieved. The men who preach most, preach best. God honors the active. He speaks through the ready spokesman. An injustice is done when young men are taken out of school and given immediate oversight of churches. Nothing could cripple them more in outlook or exercise. The time-honored practice of placing the young graduate in a public cam­paign with an experienced man cannot be im­proved upon as a preacher-producer. Any young man who has not had this privilege should be­labor his employer as did the woman the un­just judge until this need is supplied.

Church organization and a free pulpit are not necessarily incompatible. There is plenty of room in the divine operation for both. It is a complaint being increasingly heard that the min­ister's preaching time is under constant pressure from the claims of the organized church. Christ must have His full hour without promotional competition! The saints expect this, the min­ister desires it, and Christ deserves it. By the "foolishness of preaching" do sinners become saints. And the church's greatest need is saints.