THE SPARK THAT POWERS
The invisible urge, the spark that powers the man of God in daily search for sin-sick souls, comes from above. Such ardor cannot be dampened by external pressures or paralyzed by internal fears. To find and hold it is to seek it constantly. Morale! What a word! It is nothing more nor less than the spark that powers. Some have it, others don't. Do you? Morale is born of confidence. In whom? God. In what? In the movement and message. This is enough. But some go further. They dare to trust their fellow men. These are the true movers of mountains. But what if a colleague proves a traitor? Possessors of the spark still carry on with confidence in God, man, movement, and message. To such a man, raging debate, or contrary (to him) vote, carping criticism, and even reduction of responsibilities, are but a part of the slow process of refinement and rebirth.
Depressed? About what? A personal shortcoming? Or do others disappoint you? Due to either or both of the above factors, some have lost the spark. Still others have retired to Elijah's melancholy cave of "I only am left." Morale is genuine enthusiasm. It is not contagious. Excitement can be stimulated, but not abiding optimism. The latter is a trait of character, not fickle emotion. It has to be sought for, and when received, cherished. It is imparted to individuals, individually. It is handed down, not over or up. Heaven has plenty to spare. The "dim view" is both unnecessary and paralyzing, a luxury that few ministers can afford. It was not without reason that the Master counseled "Then, look up."
The spark that powers. Some have it, others don't. Do you?
E. E. C.
FRESH EVERY DAY
A preacher was seeking to impress the necessity of daily renewal of spiritual experience. He was eager to use the passage regarding the manna in Exodus 16:16-21, but wanted a more modern and refined rendering of verse 20.
Finally, he decided to adhere to the King James Version, realizing that he had a tremendous point in the fact that, like the manna, religious experience, as he put it, "stinks when it is hoarded." That is blunt, but true. It is true of many things in the spiritual life besides old and dead experiences.
WThat about old sermons? Some have never even been refurbished through the years. Hoarded sermons gather cobwebs. Obviously the sermons are not to blame, but the preachers are . Dead sermons mean dead preachers! And preachers who are dead on their feet breed discontent and spiritual death in the congregation.
There is no place in the pulpit for the self-indulgent, halfhearted, unfervent. "The efficiency of the church is precisely what the zeal, purity, self-denial, and intelligent labor of the ministers make it."—Testimonies, vol. 5, p. 582.
If we as ministers enjoy "a fresh conversion every day" (ibid., vol. 1, p. 699), remembering that "the mind and heart need culture daily" (ibid., vol. 4, p. 443), then our congregations will gather spiritual manna that is fresh every day. They must then be encouraged to pass it on.
It is vital that, quite apart from professional study and duty, we keep our souls refreshed and enjoy a deep experience in spiritual things. This, and this alone, is what gives life and spiritual fire to our preaching. "Is not too much at stake to preach in an indifferent manner, and without feeling the burden of souls?"—Ibid., p. 447.
WINNOWING THE CHURCH
News out of China comes slowly and sparsely today. It is persistently reported that the commune system is unpopular, and that it is being dropped or modified in certain places. The disruption of family ties is a bitter price to pay for economic progress, and in China it may prove to be too bitter. Modern society has not done outstandingly well in strengthening home ties. We must not be too smug in frowning on attempts in other parts of the world to do by more rigorous methods what we have done to the home by our laxity in divorce, our pornographic literature and sexy films, our inordinate love of money, pleasure, et cetera.
Other news suggests that in China "one has to search for churches and Christianity with a microscope in most towns." This is the reported word of a former German missionary who recently visited her former mission field. Most Chinese pastors seem to work in factories or other places full time, and Christians are tolerated as a minority group. Clearly the church is passing through an acid test.
There are mysterious providences in the hardships of God's people, and it is not ours to question the situation we do not understand (see The Great Controversy, pp. 47, 48). When the church is winnowed, the grain and the chaff are revealed. We should be prayerfully mindful of fellow believers everywhere, and we may rest assured that the purposes of God will ultimately justify themselves,
H. W. L.
