A JOYFUL SOUND
The Christian should enjoy being one. Some feel that the "joys of our Lord" are to be entered into only in the world to come. They condemn any expression of fervor in devotions as emotionalism. The sound of an "Amen" has well-nigh disappeared from the eleven o'clock worship service, not because the sermons are lacking in fervor but because there seems to be a "gentleman's agreement" among the saints that the "night before Christmas" atmosphere (where not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse) must prevail. In some congregations, to say a fervent though cultured "Amen" is to subject oneself to the silent pressure of a thousand stares, or to frowns of disapproval equal in impact to the chilling blast of arctic air in midwinter. Worship actually has become the prisoner of "culture." And the fervent worshiper is quickly labeled the congregation's oddball and as such is apologized for.
This formal atmosphere was not characteristic of apostolic worship. To quote a minister at a recent gathering of the saints, "It was so finely organized and smoothly executed that I wonder whether the Lord could get into the line-up." This certainly is no plea for "unreined" emotionalism nor unlimited congregational expression, nor for the "panting, ranting" pulpit manner. Conversely, has it occurred to you, as it has to me, that the saints may also freeze to death? Said one of the fervent worshipers of another age, "Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound" (Ps. 89:15).
E. E. C.
ECCLESIASTICAL HERMIT
It is inconceivable, but sometimes true, that ministers often of the same faith spend years in the same city and never get acquainted. 'The most frequently heard excuse for this is, "I've been too busy lately." Beneath this veneer are problems so basic as to require attention, immediate and remedial. For that which separates clergymen weakens the church in its witness.
Chief among the "reasons" for ministerial estrangement is pride. Each man is waiting for the other to get in touch with him. This can go on endlessly unless someone breaks the ice. Another "reason" for lack of fellowship is fear—fear that one's own members may find the other pastor's ministry more to their liking. Yet others shield their provincialism behind the prevailing class distinctions of certain areas. And yet others are hermits by nature. They prefer to work alone. The impossibility of this has not yet registered with them.
Brethren, much of the joy in being a minister lies in fellowship with others of like profession. The enrichment is mutual. God has in His wisdom distributed His gifts over a wide area. Every man has something to offer you! It also is a relief to know that others have problems as do we. Shared suffering brings relief. Fellowship between ministers builds confidence in the clergy. For the reasons here mentioned, and many others, God's men ought to get together more often. In short, let the hermit forsake his lair, venture forth in today's world, and learn the reality of our Lord's prayer, "that they may be one."
E. E. C.
SOMETHING NEW
In evangelism there is no plagiarism of method. This is of necessity true as there is nothing being done that hasn't been done as it is being done. In short—there is nothing new under the sun. Occasionally we are treated with a fresh approach to our problems—fresh, I say, only because history has obicured the last practitioner who did it this way. There is little room for selfishness or pride in the practice of our saintly craft. To the extent of our willingness to share, we all grow.
To practice a successful method and hide it under a bushel makes little sense when you consider the basic issues. (1) We are working to get out of this world. It follows that the more men doing a better job in more places more often will hasten the end. (2) You cannot conceal a good method forever. A good plan will advertise itself. (3) Sharing is a law of life itself, and its violation can only bring misery and embarrassment upon discovery.
"There is no new thing under the sun." Only an omniscient God could make this revelation as man is often separated from the preceding generation by barriers of time and information. For instance, what advantage, structural or otherwise, does the Empire State Building have over the tower of Babel—except air conditioning? What secrets of antediluvian glory did the Flood bury? He who knows the end from the beginning declares that there is nothing new under the sun. Then let us in humility share the good so freely shared with us by others, till the day we meet above the sun—where I am told there is something new.
E. E. C.