"SUCH AS I HAVE"
Imagine what these words by an outcast preacher meant to that lifelong cripple! Organized religion had not and could not do anything for that wilted beggar at the gate of the Temple. But now, in the name of the One who had been rejected by the nation and crucified by the world a few weeks before, this cripple leaps for joy and enters the Temple praising God. Think of the astounding witness that healed man bore to the multitude. Things could never be the same in Jerusalem again.
Though Peter and John lacked many things we might regard as essential to the ministry today. they certainly did not lack power or persuasion. The words of the Lord were real to them—"Ask what ye will in My name." What tremendous power there is in that name! To speak the name of Jesus was no mere slogan; it represented all the power of Heaven. Through that name those preachers became conquerors, even more than conquerors. What they had we need. And there is no greater need than a rediscovery of the virtue and victory of that name. We sometimes sing about the "sweet name" and the "dear name" of Jesus, but what we need to experience is the power resident in that strong name—power to destroy the works of the devil and deliver those whom Satan has bound. When we can say with certainty, as did those first evangelists, "Such as I have give I thee," then the church will move forward in conquest. God haste that day!
R. A. A.
LAST STAND
Disagreement need not always be disagreeable. Most of us are just human enough to want our opinions to carry. But because people differ in terms of experience and training, their opinions do not always concur. Disagreement has led to war, divorce, broken friendships, and the dissolution of spiritual, economic, and other social ties. A negative reaction to opposition may indicate the following: (1) Excess self-respect, (2) a childish immaturity that must have its way, (3) ignorance of God-ordained limitations of human rights, which require that we extend to others what we expect of them. Temper tantrums, sharp words, and threats to abandon ship are symptomatic of the above-listed ills.
A man is not a martyr because he stands alone. He may be a fool. Majority rule that respects minority rights is still the safest form of government —secular or religious. This system requires free exchange of opinion prior to the vote and conscientious cooperation thereafter. Sound policy can be perfected only when sifted through man) minds. To maintain a positive though philosophical attitude when voted down is the desired posture.
Nor is there any glory for the quiet one whose sole function on the board is to endorse the will of the powers that be—or of the hopeful. With an eye only for his own security he never takes a stand. He is content with "Whatever the brethren think." Would someone remind him that he is also one of the brethren!
This is no plea for longer committee meetings. A case may be made for shorter speeches, and a greater variety of speakers. But the peril of any organization is a self-opinionated Maverick who, when the committee has done all, still stands! This writer would not dare to reflect on the glory of Custer at Little Big Horn, but some historians still question his judgment.
E. E. C.
THE LABORERS
There is much to do but few to do it. Jesus said it this way: "The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few" (Matt. 9:37). A glance at denominational worker rolls would indicate many, though not enough, employees. The challenge of the text is less an appeal for numerical expansion than for increase in individual productive capacity. The burden of our Lord is that each minister become a laborer. These, said Jesus, are few. There is inherent in the text a defined difference between being a laborer and being busy. "Mark this, 0 ye heralds of God! You cannot hasten the millennial glory by making the Church of Christ a vast soup kitchen, or club house, or lectureship platform, with gospel attachment.. . . Go, preach."—HERRICK JOHNSON, The Ideal Ministry, p. 22. Yes, the living man must confront the living lost with the living Word. The hardest job in the world is persuading sinners to become saints. Men are constantly being "promoted" out of it. If this trend continues, the laborers will always be few.
The solution here is to accord to the soul winner all the privileges and status granted any other branch of church activity. While the evangelist is not a status seeker, he is human. Hence, he finds it amazing that his profession is extolled in word but treated as a side line in fact. Be it remembered that the evangelistic thrust of the major Protestant bodies has been stymied in this same ditch.
But the minister himself has a responsibility here. He may accept activities that are evangelistic in a secondary sense, but he should preserve some time each year to confront the unsaved with the gospel of Christ.
The field is white with grain. But the laborers to harvest the crop are few. Let us pray the Lord of the harvest to send forth workers, then let us arise and go ourselves!
E. E. C.
