HAS THE WORLD BEEN WARNED?
We are prone to prove on the basis of statistics that the task of enlightening the world through the gospel of Christ is almost completed. Statistically that is incorrect, for, as P. E. Hughes points out in Christianity Today, July 31, 1961, "1,800 of the world's 3,000 languages are still awaiting the translation of even a part of Holy Scripture," and "1,500 millions of the world's population of 2,900 millions have never heard the message of the Gospel."
We must not be slaves to statistics, it is true, but neither must we ignore the fact that God's work is not finished among men. On every side of us and in every land there is work to be done for God. So colossal is the task, humanly viewed, that it can be done only by hitherto unknown spiritual power. Pentecost will be exceeded; the closing work of the gospel will be marked by greater manifestations of divine power than marked its opening. All this will be done "not so much by argument as by the deep conviction of the Spirit of God" (The Great Controversy, p. 612).
This surely implies more consecrated service, more dynamic witness. It may well mean conditions the like of which we have never seen. It must not be assumed that such changes could not mean the deprivation of facilities hitherto considered essential, the loss of liberties we regard as vital, and the disturbance of our soft way of life. Can we expect Pentecostal power without the rugged fortitude, the sacrificial service, and the spiritual unity that faced and conquered the world's hostility following the resurrection?
H. W. L.
"PURE RELIGION . . . IS TO VISIT"
A minister is called to a work of vast proportions. As a pastor he naturally is expected to be a good preacher, and this means he must be a thorough student of the Word. But he must also be a good organizer and know how to keep the church finances sound. Promoting the total church program in all its departments is also essential, and he must make his influence felt as a friend and counselor to the whole community. Yet no feature of all his work is more important than visiting the flock.
Speaking from experience, there is nothing that will strengthen one's ministry so much as his work in the homes of his members, especially those who are sick, or those who for other reasons find it difficult or impossible to attend services regularly.
Recently our attention was called to a member who had developed a heart condition. He had hoped for a call from the minister, but it was nearly a year before that visit was made. The reason? The pastor said he did not want to "intrude"! That is as amazing as it is alarming. When a person is physically ill, the doctor is certainly not intruding when he calls, and a minister ought to feel the same responsibility as a doctor. Unless for medical reasons it would be unwise for anybody to visit, then above all people the minister should feel the urge to bring assurance and spiritual encouragement.
Other cases similar to this have also been called to our attention. It is good to know that such ministers are few and far between: but even one such is one too many. To visit and pray with the sick, the fatherless, the widows, and all who are in trouble is one of the most sacred privileges ever given to men. Under a well-organized program a pastor can visit twenty-five or thirty homes a day, as well as carry his work of organization and the preparation of sermons. But those visits must be short and well planned. And every visit should leave a spiritual impact upon those visited. In homes and hospitals a minister can often do his most effective work.
Let it never be said of us that we have neglected the poor, the needy, the sick, the discouraged. Our work will not be evaluated by the number of sermons we preach but by the kind of visits we make. "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me" (Matt. 25:40).
R. A. A.
NEWS NOTE
Religious instruction in all state schools was banned in Warsaw when the Polish Parliament passed an educational reform bill over protests by Roman Catholic deputies. For the first time in Polish history the measure provides legal grounds for completely removing religion from public schools. The bill decrees that Polish children must be taught a "scientific world outlook," making Communistic indoctrination and Marxist study a legal obligation. Under a second law passed by the Parliament, the Communist government will receive title to all public properties, including churches, in the western territories taken over from Germany following the last war. This legislation will require the Polish Catholic Church to give up ownership of about 3,000 churches and parish buildings abandoned by German church bodies in 1945-46.
R. N. S.
