"I sought a man"

CENTRAL to the procla­mation of the everlast­ing gospel is the living preacher. Others have their places in this great work. By every conceiv­able means and at all times the message of Christ's coming and of His saving grace must be given. All the meth­ods of communication and every avenue of thought exchange must be used if we are to accomplish our work in time. But behind all these things must be a man, living, loving, and full of zeal. When years ago the messenger of the Lord stated that "the greatest want of the world is the want of men," she was but giving expression to the obvious, but it is something that is in danger of being overlooked in this age of gadgets, satel­lites, and computers, even by us who are under obligation to preach the gospel to "every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people." It is not things that God wants and needs, it is men!

"But I Found None"

"And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none" (Eze. 22:30). This must have been a stag­gering disappointment to God, and the re­sults were so tragic as to almost defy descrip­tion. "Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord God" (verse 31).

These two verses have great significance to the preacher of the gospel today. The world stands in the same relationship to God's judgments now as Jerusalem did in the days mentioned in our text. We are matching our message, our energy, our zeal, with the needs of the world, and unless some changes take place in us we shall someday read the story of this lost generation in words very much like those spoken over Jerusalem. The cause will be the same. "I sought for a man . . . but I found none"!

Theological Colic

Ralph McGill, a columnist for some of the newspapers of America, recently com­mented on a statement by Dr. Albert Out­ler, professor of theology at Southern Meth­odist University and a leading Methodist historian, who was an official observer at the Vatican Council. Dr. Outler had said in a message to a university audience in Dallas: "We are still busy with our verbal isomet­rics, where you stretch the muscles but don't go anywhere. Protestantism is in the temporary throes of acute theological colic, and this is scarcely edifying to our Roman brethren newly interested in Protestant thought.

"Failing a renewal of authentic evangeli­cal religion we may be nearer the end of the Protestant era than we have thought—but by default and not transfiguration."—Quoted in Seattle Times, Feb. 14, 1966.

Mr. McGill said: "If there are sterile congregations that reflect no presence of a living God, is God dead or living in that congregation? Can modern man, wrapped as he inevitably is in the secular cocoon of his daily life, his work, his comings and goings, say that his life is a daily commit­ment to God? Or must he now seek for some other word to explain himself?

"What would an 'authentic evangelical religion' be like for our time? . . . How may 'authentic evangelism' be applied to our affluent suburbs and our eroding city cores? . . . Who can produce a form of evangelical religion to appeal to today's conditions?"

Not New Anything

What a challenge to the Advent Move­ment! What a call for men—true men who are not afraid to call sin—sin! "Men who will stand for the right though the heavens fall," and knowing full well that they soon will have to do so, will give the good news of salvation before it is too late.

"The greatest want of the world is the want of men"—not new theories, not new light, not new vocabularies, not new any­thing, but men who can use all these things to the glory of God; men who are sound in judgment, pure in character, having a proper sense of values, clear thinkers, and men of action. They must be men who are Spirit cleansed, Spirit guided, Spirit filled, Spirit controlled. For "how shall they hear" without such preachers?

And hear they must! It is our duty to present the message of salvation with such certain, clear, and unmistakable sounds that no one, anywhere in our world, shall by force of location or circumstances fail to hear and understand. This being so, and this is our mission, there is a tremendous need for the use of all our capabilities, facil­ities, ingenuity, and imagination to discover ways whereby the good news may be given.

There are numberless sounds clamoring for the attention of people today; sounds of music, some good, some bad; sounds of science—these are comparatively new sounds to many ears, but they are being heard. There are sounds of industry, ever increasing in volume and intensity; sounds of violence, heard everywhere in the world. But all these sounds when rightly under­stood speak the same message. Each gives weight and support to the other, and all declare in no uncertain way the existence of God, His love for man, and the soon coming of Jesus Christ.

We must all use the means at our dis­posal to rightly interpret these sounds to the souls of men. We must alert them to their need of speedy preparation for the coming of the Lord. We must give the mes­sage the sound of authority, the sound of authenticity, the sound of urgency, and the sound of certainty. This must be pro­claimed by men who know, believe, love, and live the message. This is the work of "authentic evangelism," the work of the ministry, and the work of every Christian.

Authority

Our authority is in the Great Commis­sion. This comes from our Lord and Mas­ter. We are called, cleansed, and commis­sioned to go in His power to all the world. We are not running without a message and without authority. Christ gives the commis­sion. Christ gives the authority. Christ gives the power, and His Divine Spirit gives the results. "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore."

Authenticity

We have the truth—divine, inspired, saving truth. "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth." We must not then preach speculation or hearsay or mere theory. We must declare with all convic­tion "Thus saith the Lord." Behind every message must be "It is written." With God's Word in our hearts we have enough au­thority to face the challenge of the enemy and the power to preach converting truth.

We are not to teach fables. We must avoid speculation. We dare not preach tame, lifeless discourses. Our message is the good news, the everlasting gospel, the last message ever to be given to the world. This message is reliable, authentic, unqualified truth, and should be presented everywhere with the love of Jesus filling our hearts.

Urgency

We have no time to lose. We are in a race with doomsday, literally. Vicious forces are at work. We are contested on every side, but we must not hesitate. Behind the command to go is all the urgency that our limited time imposes upon us. We must go in power, but we must also go in haste. We dare not be delayed by world conditions, nor by laxness in the church. The forces of evil are combining for the last great conflict. The devil knows that his time is short, and woe be to us if we fail to sense it too.

Certainty

Let us never be in doubt about the cer­tainty of our message. Let us be so con­vinced of it that we can preach it with all the conviction of our fully satisfied hearts and minds. Any message that we cannot preach with such certainty ought not to be preached at all. Therefore, let us study our message, examine our position, be clear on every doctrine, and then with all the power available to us let us proclaim this glorious gospel of our Lord with such fer­vency that men and women everywhere may hear the voice of God calling them to join with His church in preparation for the com­ing of the Saviour.

Let us not consult with our fears or the fearful. Let us not take counsel with our doubts or the doubting. Let us not worry about truths not yet fully revealed. Let us not wait for anything, except the experi­ence that we must seek with all our hearts that will open the way for the power of the Holy Spirit to rest upon us and send us forth in a mighty crusade for God. Let us use all the methods, ideas, and approaches within reach and go in the strength of the Lord and God will open hearts and doors of opportunity everywhere for the speedy finishing of His mighty work in the earth.

"Restore unto me the joy of thy salva­tion; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee" (Ps. 51:12, 13).

This is the day for "authentic evange­lism." This is our opportunity to let our voices be heard with the good news of saving grace. "I sought for a man!" By God's grace let us each be that man. For "how shall they hear without a preacher?"