Olivet Nazarene University

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Church of the Nazarene

9-1-1959

Preacher's Magazine Volume 34 Number 09 Lauriston J. Du Bois (Editor) Olivet Nazarene University

Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.olivet.edu/cotn_pm Part of the Biblical Studies Commons, Christian Denominations and Sects Commons, International and Intercultural Communication Commons, Liturgy and Worship Commons, Missions and World Christianity Commons, and the Practical Theology Commons Recommended Citation Du Bois, Lauriston J. (Editor), "Preacher's Magazine Volume 34 Number 09" (1959). Preacher's Magazine. Book 341. http://digitalcommons.olivet.edu/cotn_pm/341

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SEPTEMBER 1959

^ Jh e

r e a d ie r J

Volume 34

W

a f a z in c

September, 1959

Number 9

C O N TE N T S The Boneless W onder, Sim eon S tylites .................................................

1

A Fam ily-centered Church ..........................................................................

2

The Preaching of Peter Marshall, Jam es M c G r a w ................................

6

The W ork of Entire Sanctification ( I ) , Earl E. B a r r e t t ...................

10

The M inister as Shepherd, C. E. S h u m a k e .............................................

13

If I A m N ot Sanctified, L. K. M u l l e n .......................................................

16

Gleanings from the G reek N ew Testament, Ralph E a r l e ...................

21

A Pastor W rites an E v a n g e lis t....................................................................

26

One M an’s M ethod, W a lter M iracle .........................................................

29

“ Q ueen o f the Parsonage,” Ruth Vaughn .............................................

30

M usic in the Church ( I I ) , A n d rew F. C o n e ..........................................

32

Serm on W orkshop, N elson G. M ink .........................................................

37

Serm on Starters ...............................................................................................

38

Preaching Program .........................................................................................

39

B ook Briefs ........................................................................................................

47

C over— P eter

M arshall

(S ee page 6)

LAURISTON J. DU BOIS, Editor

Contributing Editors

Hardy C. Powers

Samuel Young

G. B. Williamson

D. I. Vanderpool

Hugh C. Benner G en eral S up erintend ents, C h u rch o f the N azaren e

Published m onthly by the N A Z A R E N E P U B L I S H IN G H O U SE, 2 9 2 3 Tro ost Avenue, Box 5 2 7 , Kansas C ity 41, M isso u ri. Sub­ scrip tio n P rice: $ 1 .5 0 a year. Second-class postage p aid a t Kansas C ity , M isso u ri. P rin te d in U .S.A.

The Boneless W onder* By Simeon Stylites Q

ir :

“ The M onday m orning preachers’ m eeting,” said the pastor of St. J oh n ’s-by-the-G as-station ov er a ham on rye, “ had some tough luck yesterday.”

was upon the face of it.’ Listening to it, I told m y M onday m orning colleagues, was like playing a game of blindm an’s buff, reaching out for an idea, if haply they might find one. The M am m oth C ave Serm on had sev­ eral illustrations w hich helpfully e x ­ plained the unknow n in terms o f the unheard-of. The language was so w rapped up around w hatever it was w rapped around that a bit of advice was fitting to the speaker: ‘D iscocoon you rself.’

“ H ow co m e ? ” I asked. “ W ell,” he said, “ the Dem onsthenes from on high w ho was to have orated failed to show up. The m eeting had to get b y on local talent, and before I k n ew what dirty w ork was going on I was elected to m ake a few remarks. So I told them about m y travels fro and to in the sum m er and of the ser­ mons I had heard.

“ A few times this sum m er I heard an achievem ent w hich deserved the name of the ‘Em ily Post Serm on.’ N ot that Em ily w rote it. B ut it was done in such ‘taste, perfect taste, in all this w orld of w ron g.’ It did not involve any noisy cavortings in the pulpit, nothing that might offen d some deli­ cate soul. But as a hearer said on one occasion, if man cannot live by bread alone neither can he live by perfect taste alone. There ought to be som ething to be tasted. B ut in this Em ily Post Serm on there was no meat of the W ord, just a bit of skim milk. Think o f the terribly p oor taste shown at certain lively m om ents in history— for exam ple, Peter and John telling the High Priest that he was a ‘whited sepulcher,’ or W illiam Penn calling the V ice-C h a n cellor o f Cam ­ bridge U niversity ‘Y o u p oor m ush­ room !’ There are a lot m ore lovely bits of English prose that Em ily Post could not possibly approve.

“ I m entioned one discourse I heard several times, one that might w ell be called the ‘B oneless W on d er.’ There w ere no bones, no skeleton in this serm on, not even a backbon e to hold together the points, if any. It was an interesting thing to w atch— like a large jellyfish trying to w alk on land and collapsing gelatinously all over the place. Y o u have seen it at the I I o ’clock service. “ A n oth er type o f serm on that is p o p u 1 a r— particularly among the you n g m en w ho have vocabularies full of jargon — is the ‘M am m oth Cave S erm on .’ The M am m oth C ave is a big, dark place, one of nature’s w on ­ ders. So is this serm on. It abounds in Stygian darkness. Som eon e has said that this type o f oration is best d escribed in the w ords o f Scripture, ‘w ithout form and void, and darkness * C hristia n C e n tu r y

(u sed b y p e rm is s io n ).

1

“ Then there is a serm on of m y ow n w hich I have developed to a high point of frustration. I call it the ‘ Cape Canaveral S erm on.’ The reason for the nam e is that it doesn’t get off the ground. The load is too heavy for the pow er of the blast. O ften this m odel starts with great preparation, such as a short history of the H ebrew s

from the G arden o f Eden to the M ac­ cabees. There goes the fuse— look out! But alas, it does not get the serm on off the firing platform .” The pastor of St. J oh n ’s-by-the-G asStation regarded his em pty plate and sighed. “ That’s what I told the preachers,” he said. “ They h aven ’t asked me back again. Th ey n ever d o.”

A Family-centered Church of th e thrills of a life-tim e com es w hen a minister has the privilege of serving a truly “ fam ily” church. B y this is not meant a church w hich is made up o f one fam ily or a church ruled b y one fam ily but rather a church w hich is made u p of solid fam ily units. There is no type of ser­ vice w hich can quite equal this.

In recent years and even within recent months considerable thought has gone into this m atter o f im prov­ ing fam ily-church relationships. In the program s of all too many ch urch ­ es the fam ily has been pushed aside, with such demands made b y church organizations upon m em bers of the fam ily at various and sundry times during the w eek that the fam ily has little time to solidify itself as a unit or participate as a fam ily in activities within the church. W hile some see this only as a casual problem , yet a m ore careful look at the issues involved w ill show that it 2 (386)

is very serious. It is, indeed, one of the critical, yet subtle, problems w hich w e face in ou r churches today. In a recent issue of Evangelical Friend, the general superintendent of the Ohio Y early M eeting o f Friends, Dr. E verett L. Gattell, w rote on the su bject “ The S elf-sufficien t Family and the M onopolistic C h urch .” He began by quoting Elton Trueblood, w ho said, “ The self-sufficient family hurts the church and the monopolistic church hurts the fam ily.” F ollow in g are som e excerpts from Dr. C attell’s article: “ The ch u rch and the fam ily need each other and must treat each other with the greatest respect.” “ In the hom e, rather than in the church, ch ild ren ’s attitudes toward ch urch and spiritual things are made.” “ It is im portant to see whether re­ ligion is a thing reserved for the church or w hether it is an essential part of hom e life. A child growing up The P reach er's M agazine

in a hom e w hose atm osphere is satu­ rated with spiritual life, in a sense becom es naturalized in things of the Spirit and the church seems like an extension of the h om e.” “ B ut what o f the ‘m onopolistic ch u rch ’ ? This is the case w here a church begins to feel that it has a claim on the w hole of the time o f its m em bers and allows its m eetings and its organizations to so m onopolize its m em bers as to keep them out most nights o f the w eek and leaves no time for hom e life. Such a church is defeating its ow n purpose. O nly by nurturing fam ily life in its midst can the ch u rch advance p rop erly.” “ Som etim es I think it w ould be a good thing fo r an over-organized church to declare a m oratorium for a m onth on all m eetings but its Sunday services and m idw eek p rayer m eet­ ing and let folks get acquainted with their ow n families. C ould it not be that, just as the m idw eek prayer m eeting is a fixed feature in the p ro­ gram o f the church, also a fam ily night be observed b y keeping it clear of all m eetin gs?” It is an easy thing fo r ministers to think of their churches and the p ro ­ grams o f those churches as institu­ tions w hich must be run with little regard for people. W e frequen tly b e­ com e so statistically m inded, so p ro­ gram and m ethod conscious, so ab­ sorbed in the task of m aking the church go, that w e lose sight of the principal task o f the ch urch — that of helping the people w ho make up the church. The adm onitions w hich are com ing to us pointing us to the im por­ tance o f this fam ily-ch u rch relation­ ship are w ell taken. It is time for us as pastors to com e alive to this great responsibility. A recent b ook in this field w ould make reading fo r any pastor. John Charles W ynn in his Pastoral M inis­ Septem ber, 1959

try to Fam ilies1 places the entire parish and pulpit m inistry within the fram ew ork of ministering to the fam i­ ly units. H e recom m ends that the program o f the church be built around the fam ily, thus bringing the church and the fam ily closer together and at the same time strengthening both the fam ily and the church. F o r som e fifteen years churches have observed with grow ing interest and profit National Fam ily W eek— the first fu ll w eek o f M ay, closing with M other’s Day. Everything that is done during this w eek is certainly to be com m ended and certainly w orks in the direction of this fam ily-church unity. H ow ever, the responsibility is broader than one w eek in the year can possibly care for. W e need to catch the vision o f putting these prin­ ciples to w ork the year around. Let us notice some o f the basics to this task. 1. A s has been suggested, our church program s must be built and ou r schedules arranged so that w e have a m inim um of fam ily splitting and a m axim um of fam ily solidifying. The Sunday school has long appealed (in m ost places) to the entire family. T he you n g people’s society has in re­ cent years em phasized the place of every age in its training program . The m issionary society under its re­ organized plan seeks to enlist the en­ tire fam ily in missionary education and activity. O ur auxilaries are m ak­ ing progress in the right direction. It is a question, how ever, just what is the general philosophy regarding the w orship services of the church itself. T here are m any w ho feel that the m orning service is a “ fam ily” service and w ho encourage the families of the church to sit together. H ow ever,

'P h ila d e lp h ia : T h e W estm in ster Press, 1957.

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there are those w ho do not emphasize this idea and make little provision for fam ily emphasis in the w eek -byw eek pattern. T oo frequen tly even under the most favorable circu m ­ stances w e allow the fam ilies to scat­ ter during the evening service and the m idw eek service. W ithout doubt, even though w e are m aking some progress, w e do need to give attention to the fam ily as such in all of our services. 2. This need reflects itself not only in program but also in preaching. The average serm on from the average pulpit is adult-directed and adultcentered from start to finish. The con ­ tent, delivery, and direction of the message tend, b y their very nature, to divide the fam ily, even though b y physical location the fam ily is en­ couraged to be together. Som e pas­ tors are awakening to the need for “ fam ily” preaching, that is, preaching w hich is directed to the entire group — b oys and girls, you n g people, adults. This will mean that the serm on must be in theme, content, and appeal broad in its base, possessing som ething to w hich each m em ber of the fam ily w ill be attracted. This w ill mean that the pastor should face his congregation as a “ fam ily of fam ilies.” He w ill preach to the needs of families and bring their collective and individual needs into focus so that they can, later perhaps, face these needs to­ gether. 3. The church must also plan its program with the fam ily in mind. Som e churches are w orking to get as m any as possible of the meetings o f the church on the same night, so that the fam ily can com e together and each m em ber of the fam ily be occu ­ pied in one m eeting or another. This gives the fam ily the sense that the church belongs to all of them. They feel that the church is not a divisive factor but a unifying factor even 4 (388)

though each m em ber o f the fam ily may be in a different place. O ur m edium -sized churches are rapidly seeing that som e such solution to the problem s of “ over-organ ization ” is necessary. 4. W e see the principle in bold re­ lief in our visitation and in ou r evan­ gelism. W hile it is true that salvation is personal and that really no one ever gets saved unless he faces God alone, yet too frequ en tly w e have w orked against the laws o f the hom e and of human nature in these phases of our church program . T oo m uch of the time w e have isolated individual m em bers of the fam ily in ou r contacts for the church. In a sense w e have w orked on the principle “ D ivide and con q u er” rather than on the principle “ U nify and w in ” w hen w e have ap­ proached fam ilies w ith the message of the church. R oscoe Pershall, di­ rector o f evangelism o f the Oregon P acific District, w ho has been un­ usually successful in personal soul winning, makes an apt and long over­ looked suggestion regarding present­ ing the claims o f Christ in the home. H e states that the w ork er should find a time w hen husband and w ife can be together. H e shows that the per­ centage of success is m uch higher w hen the tw o hear the appeal to­ gether. Often it is possible to bring som e of the children into this decision for this hom e to accept Christ. The same principle applies to our public evangelistic endeavors. L et us make an endeavor to w in entire families. This is a challenge w hich lies before us w hich has not been fu lly explored. 5. B y a like token, some pastors seek to bring entire families into church m em bership together. Or, in case certain m em bers o f the family are already m em bers, the entire fami­ ly stands together at the altar as other m em bers of the fam ily are re­ ceived into ch u rch m em bership. We The P reach er's Magazine

must be on ou r guard lest ou r very m ethods of dealing w ith individuals about ch u rch m em bership seem to divide the fam ilies and m ake it m ore difficu lt for all o f them to see the relevan cy o f the church in fam ily life. W hile it is true that on occasion the gospel does divide families, w e should seek through every means w e kn ow to keep this from being true.

Thoughts on Prayer Contributed by Willard Taylor*

A ndrew M u rray: “ O m y Father, with m y w hole heart do I praise Thee for this w ondrous life of never-ceas­ ing prayer, never-ceasing fellowship, never-ceasing answers, and never6. M uch can be said about the need ceasing experien ce of m y oneness with Him w ho ever lives to pray. O for the ch u rch to encourage its fam i­ m y G od! keep me ever so dw elling lies to build strong inner ties. B roken and w alking in the presence of T hy hom es are com m on in the society in glory, that prayer may be the spon­ w hich w e serve. B rok en hom es are taneous expression of mv life with not uncom m on within the church. But Thee. in a far greater num ber are the church hom es w hich are incom patible “ B lessed Saviour! with m y w hole even though they are going through heart I praise Thee that Thou didst the m o t i o n s o f soliditarity. H om e com e from heaven to share with me problem s make up a sizable portion in m y needs and cries, that I might o f the problem s w hich the pastor will share with Thee in Thy all-prevailing face in his congregation. The church intercession. A n d I thank Thee that by precept and exam ple should en­ T hou hast taken me into the school courage fam ily activities— the fam ily of prayer, to teach the blessedness doing things together to assist in proand the p ow er of a life that is all m o t i n g interfam ily understanding. prayer. A n d most of all, that Thou The church might even give som e d i­ hast taken m e up onto the fellow ship of Thy life of intercession, that rection to fam ily hobbies, fam ily rec­ reation and vacations. Som e districts through m e too Thy blessings may have experim ented with fam ily camps be dispensed to those around me. during the sum m er. C hurches have “ H oly Spirit! with deep reverence put a “ stay at hom e night” on their I thank Thee fo r Thy w ork in me. calendar fo r the w eek. The solid It is through Thee I am lifted up onto Christian fam ily is a great asset to a share in the intercourse betw een the church. In the fam ily circle most the Son and the Father, and enter so of the graces o f Christian living are into the fellow ship of the life and first applied. W e just cannot separate love of the H oly Trinity. Spirit of con cern s of the church and the con ­ G od! perfect T h y w ork in me; bring cerns o f ou r families. me into perfect union with Christ my O ur society today is reaching to Intercessor. Let Thine unceasing in­ recapture som e of the values o f the dw elling make m y life one of unceas­ united fam ily. W e can be glad for ing intercession. A n d let so m y life every m ove in that direction. H ow ­ becom e one that is unceasingly the ever, the ch u rch has the additional glory of the Father, and to the bless­ responsibility of helping its fam ilies ing of those around me. A m en .” be vitally Christian as w ell as united. (W ith C hrist in the School of Let each o f us as pastors keep the P rayer, p. 254) issue before us and find w ays to m ake ou r churches truly fam ily-centered. *R ed D eer, A lb erta . Septem ber, 1959

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The Preaching of Peter M arsh all By James McGraw*

are not good enough for publication. A sk me again tw enty years from now. Perhaps by then I’ll have written som ething w orth putting in print.” serm on s

No doubt the editors of R ea d er’s D igest looked tw ice as they read these lines before they could believe they w ere seeing clearly. H ere w as a m inis­ ter declining their invitation to sub­ mit articles for publication, w hile hundreds o f unsolicited articles w ere being received b y them almost daily from w ou ld-be w riters from all walks of life. H ere was a letter from a man o f G od w ho didn’t want to see his nam e in print, didn’t care for the honorarium his articles might bring, w asn’t interested in the publicity or fam e they might have brought him. Further, here was a man w ho seemed genuinely hum ble. “ M y sermons are not good enough . . .” W hatever m ay have been the effect of this unusual letter upon the editors o f this m aga­ zine. it expresses m ore eloquently than a thousand w ords som ething of the character and spirit o f the man w ho w rote it— a man called Peter, as his w ife entitled his biograph y— the man Peter Marshall. One o f the most patriotic citizens ou r nation has ever had, he was an A m erican b y adoption. He was a Scotsm an b y birth, born near Glas­ gow in Coatbridge, Scotland, in 1904. R eared in a bleak, uncongenial b ack ­ ground— his father had died w hen he ♦ P rofessor, N azaren e T h e o lo g ic a l S em in a ry. 6 (3 9 0 )

was a small child, and his stepfather did not like him — he earned his bread as a laborer in his youth. U nhappy at hom e, he ran aw ay to join the British navy at the age o f fourteen, but was discharged tw o days later w hen it was discovered he was underage. His boyish pride w ounded, he w ent to w ork as an office b o y rather than to return to his unsym pathetic high school chums, to w hom he had boast­ ed o f his forth com in g naval career. In his serm on “ The Tap on the S h ou lder,” Peter M arshall tells of his life and the w ay G o d ’s hand of p rovi­ dence “ tapped him on the shoulder” with the call to preach, and with the leadership he needed to bring him along in the center of His will. He tells o f his intense love o f the sea, his disappointm ent at being rebuffed in his attempt to join the navy, his w ork and his dreams that he might som eday fulfill his wish to sail the seas. “ I realize n ow it was an escape I sought, rom anticized in the glamour and the call of the sea,” he tells. He w orked in an accountant’s of­ fice, then as a machinist in an iron and steel tube w orks. H e studied six years in night sch ool in a technical college, and in the m eantim e accumu­ lated three years’ exp erien ce in prac­ tical engineering. Then a critical m om ent in his life cam e when his stepfather, in a fit o f tem per, gave him an ultimatum to leave hom e. “ How could I have kn ow n . . . that even this w ould w ork out to the glory of God, and that in the years ahead The P reacher's M agazine

there was to be a com plete recon cilia­ tion with m y stepfath er?” he said later. His m other, typical o f her d eep d e­ votion and her strong faith, h er in­ dom itable w ill and her Scotch cou r­ age, supported him in this severe crisis of his life with the w ords, “ Dinna w orry, Son; the L ord w ill provide. H e’ll open up the w a y.” Open up the w ay H e did, too. W ithin a fe w years P eter was in A m erica preparing to preach the gospel o f Jesus Christ. T w o incidents in his youth influ­ enced him to dedicate his life in fu ll­ time Christian service. W hen he was lost on the m oor at night, a voice called his name in time to save him from plunging into an abandoned stone quarry, and he realized it was the voice of G od that had spared his life. H e believed he was spared for a purpose, and he felt he should d e ­ vote his life to Christ. Then a few months later a returned missionary from China, seeking volunteers for the mission fields, spoke in his “ k irk .” D eep ly tou ch ed b y the appeal, he volunteered, and began studies in G lasgow in S h erry’s C ollege three nights a w eek. It was hard to con ­ centrate on G reek, H ebrew , and the­ ology after w orking nine hours a day at the mill, and he might have been discouraged had it not been fo r a cousin w ho influenced him to com e to A m erica and paid his passage on the ship that brought him to this country. The C olum bia T h eological Sem i­ nary at D ecatur, G eorgia, accepted his educational w ork in Scotland as the equivalent o f the A .B . degree (setting a p recedent fo r them ) and w ere rew arded b y his fine record. He was graduated magna cum laude in 1931, and ordained a m inister the same yea r just b efore his tw entyseventh birthday. Septem ber, 1959

His first full-tim e pastorate (he served tw o churches during his senior year at sem inary) was a Presbyterian church in Atlanta. A fter fo u r years here he received the call to the N ew Y ork A ven u e Presbyterian Church in W ashington— the so-called “ church of the Presidents,” w here eight presi­ dents o f the United States have been m em bers— and began an eleven-year m inistry w hich made an im pact upon the city, the congress, the govern ­ ment, and the nation. From 1947 un­ til the time o f his death he w on the hearts of the tense, harassed m em bers of the Senate as their chaplain, open ­ ing their sessions with pithy prayers w hich caused them to listen, to think, and to reverence the G od w ho seemed so near w hen Peter Marshall prayed. Catherine Marshall, his w idow , cap­ tured som ething o f the Christlike spirit o f hum ility o f the man w hen she relates h ow inadequate he felt w hen given the task o f Senate chaplain. O nce he began his opening prayer with the words, “ O ur Father, let not m y unworthiness stand betw een Thee and the m em bers x>f this body as we join in prayer. H ear not the voice that speaks, but listen to the yearn­ ings o f the hearts n ow open b efore Thee . . .” In his prayers and in his sermons he seem ed to w orship along w ith his listeners. W hen he prayed, he prayed for pardon and peace and strength for him self, and so other p eo­ ple felt that he was expressing their ow n deep needs. G ladys D odd m ade a study o f some of M arshall’s sermons, and in analyz­ ing them she makes some interesting observations. One is a serm on on im ­ m ortality, one on patriotism, one on forgiveness, one on “ spectator Chris­ tians.” There is one dealing with w orry and tension and one on prayer. These give an idea of M arshall’s em ­ phasis u pon the practical, everyday needs o f his hearers. In the six ser­ (391) 7

m ons m entioned above there are tw enty-eight d i f f e r e n t scriptures quoted, D odd observes. Tw enty-tw o o f these are from the Gospels-— ten from John and nine from M atthew, the other three from the other G os­ pels. There are fou r Old Testament quotations, and only tw o Epistles quoted— Ephesians once and Rom ans once. There are many illustrations in Peter M arshall’s sermons, and a large num ber o f them are from con tem po­ rary events. He speaks of the atom bom b, o f Hiroshima, of A lb ert Ein­ stein. There are illustrations from history— the “ M a yflow er,” the fou n d ­ ing fathers, V alley Forge, the Bill of Rights. He quotes lines from hymns, for exam ple, “ It Is W ell with M y S ou l,” “ Lead, K in dly L ight,” and “ Take M y L ife and Let It B e.” He quotes from a variety of sources, such as L in coln ’s “ G ettysburg A ddress,” Fulton Oursler, the W ashington new s­ paper, Dr. Glenn Clarke, Tim e maga­ zine, the British M edical Journal, and B illy R ose’s colum n, “ Pitching H orse­ shoes.” He mentions Keats, Shelley, Shakespeare, and B yron. A nd of course he quotes often from “ R ob b ie” Burns o f his b eloved Scotland. Marshall used frequent gestures in his preaching, but most of the em ­ phasis was achieved with his voice, which was extraordinarily reasonant, flexible, and dramatic. A journalist for Saturday R ev iew describes his voice as being “ soft but determ ined.” A W ashington radio newscaster m ar­ veled at his clear, precise diction. A speech teacher suggested to his stu­ dents that they should listen to Peter Marshall if they wished to hear an exam ple of perfect diction. A t y p i c a l Scotch Presbyterian “ evangelical,” w arm hearted and deep­ ly devoted, he believed that emotion, not intelligence and com m on sense, is the strongest m otivation, and that 8 (392)

it is the real springboard u nder the w ill to action. A n exam ple of such appeal in his preaching is the factual story he uses as an illustration in his serm on “ G o D ow n D eath.” A little b oy w hom M arshall kn ew lay ill with an incurable disease. H e asked his m other if it hurt to die. Praying for guidance, the m other explained death to the b oy in this way. She told him that w hen he was a tiny b oy, w eary from play and tw o tired to undress, he had tum bled into his m oth er’s bed and fallen asleep. That was not his bed, not w here he belonged. In the m orning w hen he awakened, he found him self in his ow n room and in his ow n bed; for his father, w ho loved him and cared for him, carried him there. Death is like that. In the resur­ rection m orning w e find that Jesus has taken us to ou r ow n room . P eter M arshall was told b y his professors in C olum bia Theological Sem inary to “ b e him self.” Th ey recog­ nized this was a style different from their ow n, and they very w isely did not attempt to shape him into their old m old. They encouraged him to use his “ sanctified im agination.” and this he did v ery vivid ly and v e ry effec­ tively. M arshall was a “ life situation” preacher. He preached on the text in M atthew 9:13, “ I did not com e to invite the pious but the irreligious” (G o o d s p e e d ), and gave it the title “ G allery Christians.” He began with the story o f one J oe Betts, of Betts and Son fish market, w ho encountered a stranger he had n ever seen before in his store one m orning, and the stran­ ger said, “ C om e with m e.” Betts left his half-opened keg of codfish right there in his market and follow ed that stranger dow n the street! Marshall explains this didn’t really happen in W ashington, but it happened in Gali­ lee, and the m an’s nam e was Simon The P reacher's Magazine

Peter. Thus he makes the Scriptures real and true to life, thanks to his “ sanctified im agination.” He was a “ pictorial preach er.” He told the students at G ettysburg T h eo­ logical Sem inary to “ con sider the needs of the people w ho w ill com e to hear you preach. Use y ou r imagina­ tion w hen you try to deal with the problem s that are most real to them. If, w hen you w rite you r sermons, you can see the gleam ing knuckles of a clenched fist, the lip that is bitten to keep back tears, the troubled heart that is suffering because it cannot forgive, the Spirit that has no jo y because it has no love . . . if you can see these things— preach fo r them, and get dow n d eep.” His “ pictorial preach in g” earned for him the affectionate nicknam e “ T w ittering-birds M a r s h a l l . ” He w ould speak of “ the pink and dim pled hands” o f the infant Jesus, bathed in baby tears, His D eity.” H e w ould d e­ clare that w e have had enough of the em aciated Christ, “ the pale, anemic, n am by-pam by Jesus . . . the gentle Jesus, m eek and m ild.” H e presented Christ as striding up and dow n the dusty miles of Palestine “ sun-tanned, bronzed, fearless.” In M arshall’s early m inistry he seemed to like playing with the alliteration o f w ords, as in this exam ple: “ So m uch of ou r m odern preaching

consists o f platitudes, polite and per­ fum ed philosophies . . . pacifistic pa­ laver . . . puerile palpitations . . . pal­ try phrases . . . in w hich a great deal is spoken and nothing said.” He got m any o f his serm on ideas from life, as he discovered the needs o f his listeners through pastoral con ­ ferences, hospital calls, and the read­ ing of periodicals. The idea for a ser­ m on on unused pow er came from reading a Sinclair gasoline advertise­ ment, w hich claim ed that the potential kinetic energy of one gallon of gaso­ line w ou ld lift an ocean liner, the pyram ids, or the Em pire State B uild­ ing. His serm on titles reflected his desire to preach to the life situations of his hearers. Th ey took such names as “ The D ice of D eath,” “ Y o u C an’t Postpone the Sunset,” and “ Mr. Jones, M eet the M aster.” “ M y sermons are not good enough for publishing,” he had w ritten to the R ea d er’s D igest editors. B ut the w orld has thought differently on that score. F or within a fe w years after his untim ely death at the age of only forty-six, his life and m inistry w ere w idened and deepened through the writings of his w idow , Catherine M ar­ shall, and through the publication of his serm ons and prayers. This “ man called P eter” has indeed left an exple in Christ-centered preaching for all o f us to follow .

V ic t o r y o ver S u f f e r in g :

W hen R obert Louis Stevenson, as a youth, took his first book o f poem s to the publisher, the b ook was refused. The publisher said that those poem s w ere w ritten b y one w h o kn ew only the sunny side o f life, and not reality. The poem s did not reveal that the author was bedfast, and a su fferer all the w hile he was w riting them. Stevenson had so trium phed over his pain that the readers of his poem s could see only beauty. John H. B lough in Streams of Healing com piled b y Lester R. Liles (Flem ing H. R evell Com pany) Septem ber, 1959

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The Work of Entire Sanctification

1. Entire Sanctification as a Second-Crisis Experience By Earl E. Barrett*

e c r u c i a l issues on the nature of the experien ce of sanctification are its entireness, instantaneousness, and subsequentness to regeneration. The w riter knows of no attempt to exhibit this threefold character by a synoptic view of the six outpourings o f the H oly Spirit as recorded in the B ook of Acts. The purpose of this article is to link these outpourings with entire sanctification as an identi­ cal second-crisis experience, and to do it by an em pirical appeal to history— chiefly, history recorded in the di­ vinely inspired, absolutely depen d­ able, and ultim ately authoritative W ord of God, in the confidence that such an appeal w ill be decisive to the conservative reader.

'T 'h

B y “ sanctification” is meant “ the act of G od ’s grace by w hich the af­ fections of men are purified or alien­ ated from sin and exalted to a su­ prem e love to G od and righteousness” ' “ E ntire,” etym ologically related to “ integer” and “ integrity,” m e a n s “ com plete, w hole, undivided, without m ixture or alloy, m orally whole, sin­ cere, and p erfect.” - “ Sincere,” in turn, is derived from the Latin sine cera, “ without w a x,” or from sin cerno, “ separate,” '1 (the equivalent of

♦ P rofessor, O liv et N azarene C olleg e, K a n k ak ee, Illin ois. ’ D a n iel W ebster, N ew In tern a tion a l D iction a ry. -Ibid. sIbid. 10 (3 9 4 )

the G reek su n tested ) and means “ w h ole” and “ p u re.” So the very idea of purity in “ sanctification” inheres in the adjective w hich is used with it. “ Crisis” is “ the point of time when it is decided w hether any affair or course of action must go on, or be m odified or term inate; decisive m o­ ment, turning point.” A s a second w ork of grace, the experien ce is “ a free gift of G od to man for his . . . sanctification.” 4 I. Sanctification Is an E xperien ce S u bsequ en t to R egeneration. V iew in g together the outpourings, and indicating their location in Acts by chapters alone, w e note that the Spirit fell upon Jew ish Christians (2 ), persecuted Christians (4 ), Sa­ maritan converts (8 ), converted Paul (9 ), righteous Cornelius and house­ hold (1 0 ), and the Ephesian disciples ( 12 ).

F or His disciples, w ho w ere al­ ready “ clean,” w hose separation from the w orld was as distinct and com­ plete as was His ow n (and thus in­ itially sanctified and accepted with G od, evidence fo r w hich there are at least tw en ty-fou r statements in the im m ediate co n te x t), Christ prayed that (hey m ight be sanctified (John 13:10; 15:3; 1 7:1 -2 6 ). This prayer, im plicitly for their entire sanctifica­ tion, was answered at the first out4Ibid.

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pouring (A cts 1 5 :8 -9 ). Those of this num ber present at the second ou t­ pouring received, o f course, an anoint­ ing for boldness in service ( “ one bap­ tism; m any refreshings” ) , but for those o f the five thousand converted in the m eantim e, it was the second answer to the prayer of Jesus (John 1 7 :2 0 ). Then, all signs point to the fitness o f the converts in Samaria to be baptized with the H oly Spirit. The “ certain disciples” at Ephesus, h av­ ing received J ohn ’s baptism “ unto repen tance” (M atthew 3 :1 1 ), and b e­ ing rebaptized in the nam e of Jesus (eviden tly indicating the m eeting of a technical requirem ent rather than a character change, A cts 2 :3 8 ), w ere baptized with the Spirit. A n d is there any doubt o f the conversion o f Paul, upon w h om the light o f heaven shone, w ho saw and talked with Christ, and entered Dam ascus with changed p u r­ pose, conduct, and career? Som e have assumed that Cornelius and his household p rior to the falling o f the Spirit w ere not justified b y faith, due to the use of “ repentance” and “ saved” in the account (A cts 10: 43-44; 1 1 :1 4 ). B ut in favor of their acceptance with G od as prop er candi­ dates for the baptism of the Spirit are the follow in g considerations: (1) Jesus declared that the w orld — those unacquainted with the Spirit b y an initial exp erien ce— could not receive Him (John 1 4 :1 7 ). (2) There was that about the gen­ tile outpouring that rem inded P eter of the Jew ish P entecost and the p re­ diction Jesus m ade about the baptism of the Spirit (A cts 11:15-16; 1: 5; see 5 :3 2 ). A re sinners baptized with the H oly G host? (3) The Spirit m ust have com e upon believers in this gentile ou tp our­ ing, or Jesus was in error and the Spirit out o f harm ony with Jesus. (4) D o the prayers and alms o f sin­ ners com e u p before a h oly G od as Septem ber, 1959

a m em orial? The best they have— their righteousness— is as “ filthy rags” in the sight of G od (Isaiah 6 4 :6 ). (5) This justification appears m ore than the justification o f Old Testa­ ment saints or o f proselytes, for these gentiles previou sly had heard the preaching o f “ peace b y Jesus Christ” (A cts 11:36-37; see Rom ans 5 :1 ). (6) It was b efore the Spirit fell that P eter declared, . . I perceive that G od is no respecter of persons: but in every nation he that feareth him, and w orketh righteousness, is accepted with him ” (A cts 10:34-35). (7) In falling, the Spirit put His seal upon all this, for His com ing is the crow ning evidence that one has received “ rem ission of sins” (A cts 10 :4 4 ). (8) O bviously, the Early Church did not consider one fu lly saved or safe until he had been cleansed by the H oly Spirit. W e still use “ salva­ tion” in this broad sense. C onsequently the recipients of all these outpourings m ay be considered Christians. But does not one receive the Spirit when he is born again? Yes, for “ . . . if any man have not the Spirit o f Christ, he is none of his” (Rom ans 8: 9 ). This union of “ C hrist” and “ Spirit” works. H ow ever, in the sense used in these outpourings, “ re­ ceiv e” is a technical term fo r the w elcom e the Christian gives the Spirit for a m inistry different from any m inistry p rior to that time. II. Sanctification as a Second-Crisis E xp erien ce Is Entire. R eferring to the gentile Pentecost, Peter said, “ Then rem em bered I the w ord of the Lord, h ow he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the H oly G h ost” (A cts 11:16; see also 1 :5 ). The prim ary thought in “ baptize” is cleansing, and is so used b y Jewish, (395) 11

Protestant, R om an Catholic, and the Eastern churches. B ut P eter’s w ords have far-reaching im plication. They tie together the Jew ish and gentile Pentecosts, as did his w ords later— “ A n d God, w hich know eth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the H oly Ghost, even as he did unto us; and put no differen ce betw een us and them, purifying their hearts b y faith” (A cts 1 5 :8 -9 ). A s shown, what Jesus actually prayed for was the entire cleansing of the disciples, as they w ere already initially pure. Thus both Jews and gentiles w ere entirely sanc­ tified. Y et A cts 11:16 implies more. W hen Peter saw the outpouring, he rem em ­ bered what Jesus said; and Jesus, in turn, recalled what John said: “ I in­ deed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that com eth after m e is m ightier than I, w hose shoes I am not w orthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the H oly Ghost, and with fire: w hose fan is in his hand, and he w ill throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he w ill burn up the chaff with un­ quenchable fire” (M atthew 3 :1 1 -1 2 ). H ere are seven expressions o f cleans­ ing, three being of com plete cleansing. III.

The E xp erien ce of E ntire Sanc­ tification Is R eceiv ed Instantane­ ously.

Sanctification as an experience is by the “ grace” of G od and not b y the grow th of man (see definition at b e­ ginning) . E very one o f the six out­ pourings was a crisis experience. The prayer of Jesus for the instantaneous purifying of His follow ers (progres­ sive cleansing w ould have been e x ­ pressed by the present, not the aorist, tense) was answered, and His p re­

12 (3 9 6 )

diction of their cleansing b y the bap­ tism of the Spirit “ not m any days h en ce” (A cts 1 :5 ) was fulfilled, when “ su dd en ly” (A cts 2 :2 ) the Spirit in the sym bolism of “ a rushing mighty w in d ” separated the chaff from the wheat in their hearts, and as “ fire” consum ed the chaff. A s soon as the persecuted Christians p r a y e d “ . . . they w ere all filled with the H oly Ghost . . .” (A cts 4 :3 1 ). A rriv­ ing in Samaria and not taking time even to preach, P eter and John prayed, laying their hands on the new converts, w ho “ im m ediately” re­ ceived the H oly Ghost (A cts 8:17). Three days after his conversion Paul received the sanctifying baptism “ im­ m ediately” follow in g the imposition of hands and p ra yer (A cts 9:17-21; 1 3 :9 ). A t the Ephesian Pentecost, likew ise instantaneously the Spirit cam e upon these disciples w ho had just b ecom e aware that there was a H oly Spirit (A cts 1 9 :1 -6 ). H ow swift the action! There is a significant item in P eter’s making the outpourings and the S pirit’s baptism one. Jesus had declared that through the Spirit His friends w ou ld recall His words. P eter said that he rem em­ bered, yet he did not quote all the short prediction, om itting “ . . . not m any days h en ce” (A cts 1:5; see Acts 1 1 :1 6 ). W h y ? D oubtless he had seen or heard of case after case of the falling of the Spirit w ithout delay. Perhaps the Spirit checked him. At any rate, “ not m any days” has been w iped out. G od set the date for the com ing o f the Spirit into the world on the Jewish Feast of Pentecost, but after that there is no command to tarry and no case of tarrying. W e set the date. It is for us all today if we trust and truly pray.

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The Minister as Shepherd By C. E. Shumake* S

: . . . the sh eph erds o f Is­ rael . . . (Ezekiel 34: 2 ).

c r ip t u r e

W ithout exception, the faithful m inister has the greatest and most varied task given to men. He must be able to do many things well. No one w ho b y nature is indolent can w ell su cceed in the Christian minis­ try. The m inister must be a preacher, but he must be m ore than a preacher. W e certainly in this country face a need fo r strong preaching, but there is also a need fo r m ore efficient ability in all the phases o f the m inistry. The minister, particularly, the pastor, must be a good shepherd. B eing a good shepherd is a good job , but a most difficu lt one. W e face a great need in the chu rch for emphasis upon this phase of the w ork of the ministry. G od, through the v oice of the prop h ­ et of old, has this to say to the “ shep­ herds o f Israel.” “ Thus saith the L ord G od unto the shepherds; W oe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed them selves! should not the shepherds feed the flo c k s ? ” (E zekiel 3 4:2 ) This was quite an indictm ent against the shepherds of old, but aren’t there m odern shepherds w ho might be equally indicted? It seems that there are still som e shepherds w hose main ob ject is to “ feed them selves,” w hile the flo ck to w h ich they have been called slow ly starves to death! The faithful Christian m inister can­ not lay aside this duty, that o f being responsible fo r the care and safety of the flock. Y et what a responsibility is this! F or the flock of G od is con ­ tinually exposed to many dangers. * S u p e rin ten d en t, T en n essee D istrict.

Septem ber, 1959

It is surrounded always b y enemies! T o safeguard the flock against many o f these dangers G od has ordained shepherds to have the oversight of the flock. One of the im portant duties of the shepherd is to feed the sheep. This is done b y leading the flock into “ green pastures” and beside “ still waters.” These are evidently divine truth. It seems that almost everything is being heard from the pulpits to­ day. The need is still fo r the deep and refreshing truths from G od! It is said that the average m odern con ­ gregation is spiritually famished. If that is true, w ho is to blam e fo r it? Preachers often becom e apt students in the art o f rationalization and shift­ ing responsibility. But the plain truth is that, if ou r people do not develop and grow in grace and love, the shep­ herd is to blame. It hardly ever occurs to the preach­ er to stop and seriously exam ine the diet that has been handed to the flock. W e say what w e need is m ore “ g lory ,” and then proceed to give it in every conceivable fashion. W e try to run on em otionalism until ou r p eo­ ple have to stay on the mountaintops of ecstasy or feel that they are b ack ­ slidden. W e think the m ourners’ bench solves every problem , so we proceed with an almost endless cycle of good people back to the altar. W e hasten to get m ourners to com e for everything and anything. If m ore preachers w ould pluck a few feathers from the wings o f their imagination and stick them in the tail o f their judgm ent it w ould often be a lot bet­ ter for som e local congregations. It is (397) 13

a sad indictm ent, yet a true one, against the character o f ou r preach­ ing w hen the churches that w e serve are characterized as unstable and spiritually weak. Y et w hen the cause for spiritual in­ stability and weakness can be plainly identified and justifiably laid at the door of the shepherd, w e often refuse to face it. In ou r processes of ra­ tionalization w e proceed to dissect the church to find the causes. In plain terms, rationalization is ou r attempt to justify ourselves for ou r acts and failures. Thus if the church starves to death, surely it is not the shep­ h erd’s fault. I have often w ondered if m any church splits and scandals could not have been avoided if the shepherd had know n h ow to feed the flock until they w ou ld live so close to heaven that em ulation and dissension w ould have been forgotten in the real joys o f feeding and living upon the bread o f heaven. It is pretty hard for the preacher to see this. B ut I think the real shepherd does see it! Super­ fluous living among the flock is in­ evitably caused b y superfluous feed ­ ing o f the flock! The laws of logic make it evident that, if the sheep are poorly fed, the one charged with the responsibility of feeding them is not w ithout blame. H ow can w e escape this con clusion? Y o u do not have to be around peo­ ple v ery long to understand them fairly well. It is not a secret to say that some congregations are running on emotionalism. N ow w e do not deny the elem ent o f em otion in ou r h oly religion. L ove is an em otion, and our religion is founded upon love. Jesus som ewhat summarized His gospel when H e replied to the scribe that one should love G od with all the heart and love his neighbor as himself. W e cannot separate em otion and religion. But som e preachers seem to attempt to run their program s upon the crest 14 (398)

of em otional outbursts. R eally, noise and com m otion is no m ore o f an e vi­ dence of the S pirit’s presence than the “ unknow n ton gu e” is a sign of the Spirit’s presence. A critic o f the program told m e recen tly that the young pastor that I had placed in charge of a new w ork was “ just not spiritual enough fo r that place.” Y et in just a few days this you n g preacher had visited and prayed in num erous homes and was doing m ore to build the church than others had been d o­ ing. The truth of the m atter is that som e preachers just do not k n ow how to feed the flock and are not interest­ ed enough to learn h ow to do so. Their m inistry in each pastorate is short­ lived, and they always w on d er why. Feeding and caring for the flock takes time and energy. It is not as “ glam orous” as other phases of the ministry. In the first place it takes hard study of the great truths of the W ord. It also takes time. I read an im pressive article in one of the peri­ odicals w ritten by a d octor of medi­ cine. It concern ed the diets of teen­ agers. The high school boys and girls of the age are underm ining their health b y their eating habits. They “ snack” on candy bars and ice cream and sandwiches, w hen they definitely are in need of w ell-balanced and wellprepared meals. This m edical authori­ ty stated that perm anent injury will be the inevitable from such habits of diet. Y et som etim es the program of the church is that w e rush around to get a crow d and run them through the “ m ill.” W hat real advantage is there in getting people to the house of G od unless they receive something from G od w hile th ere? T oo many Christians are living upon spiritual sandwiches instead o f getting wellbalanced spiritual meals. I know there is a danger of being “ too slow ” for the times, but I also realize a danger The P reach er's Magazine

of just playing religion, and it seems in some instances w e are doing just that! The indictm ent rem ains in many instances— w e are not adequately fu l­ filling ou r responsibility to feed the sheep. Their diet is not sufficient to produce deep spirituality and strength and force of Christian character. A nd who is to blam e? It must be those in charge o f the feeding. A n d that is you, pastor! A re w e the shepherds that G od intends for us to b e ? W hat a tragic thing to fail here! F or as shepherds of the flock w e shall not be w ithout accountability at that great day w hen w e must answer to the Chief Shepherd for ou r stewardship. The m inister as shepherd must give diligent and tender care to the weak and afflicted of the flock. E ven in the flo ck o f Christ, weaknesses and infirmities often prevail. A n d though our h oly gospel proclaim s the glad truths of deliverance from the pow er and presence o f sin, there are still human im perfections that are not co r­ rected b y an im m ediate act of the grace of G od. A sanctified man is still a sanctified man— not even a superman, and surely not an angel. Elijah was a man “ su bject to like passions as w e are.” Elijah had to obey G od in ord er to achieve. H e had to keep him self in the w ill o f God for victory. Perhaps there w ill always be those w ho are spiritually weak. A n d it takes a lot of patience on the part o f the shepherd and on the part of other m em bers of the flock that these m ay grow and b ecom e strong. A n d though there is a place for discipline in the matter of developm ent, som etim es the discipline is not m easured b y the fact that som e have not had the years of grow th that others have had. It must always be rem em bered that discipline is designed to correct and not to de­ Septem ber, 1959

stroy. Som e seem ingly take the atti­ tude that it is their duty to purge the flock. B ut discipline is a means used to im prove and strengthen. If every pastor w ou ld have a real shep­ herd heart it w ou ld often save the church from setbacks and splits w hich take years for it to get over, if in­ deed it ever does. I have yet to see one church trial that adds anything but confusion and dissension to the cause, and I ’ve seen m any attempts. Too many! If preachers could only see their ow n faults and weaknesses (and w ho does not have some of th e s e ? ), it w ould go far in giving them the patience and gentleness that are necessary for the shepherd to deal happily with problem s in hum an re­ lations that he must face and help to solve. The minister as shepherd must give account of the flock. W hat a tre­ m endous responsibility is this! In a very definite sense the shepherd is responsible to G od for the flock — not responsible for every individual act, of course, but responsible to G od for the w ay that he has led them. E very shepherd and every sheep must stand before Christ in the accounting o f his stewardship. A n d the faithful shep­ herd w ill receive from the hands of the C hief Shepherd “ a crow n of life that fadeth not aw ay.” H ow truly solem n is the responsi­ bility of the Christian shepherd! He has the charge of souls! The neverdying souls of m en are his charge! W hat a responsibility! A h, shepherds of Israel, do not w eaken y ou r high and h oly office but pray fo r strength and fo r divine guidance in you r holy task. There is no joy , outside of the jo y of personal salvation, like the jo y of know ing that you are a co-w ork er together with G od in the building of His kingdom ! O G od, m ake us faithful shepherds over T h y flock! (399) 15

If I A m Not Sanctified By L. K. Mullen* F or t o be carnally minded is death (Rom ans 8 :6 ).

Text:

I n t r o d u c t io n :

W hat G od demands cannot be op ­ tional w ith us. W hen G od said, “ B e ye h oly ,” there was placed b efore the child of G od a spiritual im perative from w hich there could be no escape. G od intended from the beginning that holiness o f heart should be the norm of Christian experience and conduct. N othing less could satisfy the stern requirem ents o f Christian discipleship. Y et too often, and quite strangely so, w e find in our midst the attitude that sanctification is optional. To some, at least, entire sanctification is con ­ sidered to be a spiritual lu x u ry ra­ ther than a spiritual necessity. Those having this attitude do not necessarily oppose the doctrine of the second blessing, but w hen the call goes out fo r seekers, and fo r clear-cut witness to the experience, they just are not there. Failure to press on unto perfection, h o w e v e r , always leaves certain m arked conditions and characteristics in the life of the unsanctified. Let us consider som e of these at this time. I. Ip I

A m N o t S a n c t if ie d ,

I

L iv e in

C o n f l ic t .

Both scripture and experience bear testim ony to a con flict that exists in the heart of the unsanctified. N othing could be m ore certain to happen, for *P astor, W oo d sto ck , N ew B ru n sw ick .

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the new man in Christ could not be expected to dw ell in peace and har­ m on y with the old man of sin. C on ­ flict is the norm al ou tcom e of two opposing pow ers, each contending for the m astery o f a soul. M an ’s redeem ed self is spiritually m inded and seeks to be governed by the law of the Spirit. On the other hand, m an’s old self is carnally m inded and refuses to be governed b y any law, except the law of sin. Som e w ould deny that this conflict exists, but denial does not change the fact. The data o f exp erien ce bear ade­ quate witness to this civil war in the soul. No amount of external polish can disguise it. W ith God W hen G od says, “ D o this,” the old man begins to argue b y saying that to ob ey w ill mean sacrifice and diffi­ culty. T o obey, he says, w ill mean u npopularity and poverty, separation and loneliness. W hile the n ew man says, “ Y es, I delight in doing the will o f G od ,” the old man says, “ N o.” Thus the first area of conflict is with G od and His will. With O thers N ot only do I find m yself at odds with the will of G od, but I find that m y unsanctified self gives m e trou­ ble with m y fellow man. Selfishness manifests itself w hen I do not get my share. Stubbornness manifests itself when things do not go m y way. Covetousness manifests itself when The P reach er's Magazine

m y n eigh bor does better than I. Jealousy m anifests itself w hen som e­ one else gets m oved ahead of me. Pride manifests itself w hen the call of Christian duty lays upon me a hum bling demand.

w holesom e effect of keeping him hum ­ ble; that sin in the heart must con ­ tinue until death; and that sin in thought, w ord, and deed, every day, is the norm al expression o f the Chris­ tian life.

The sincere Christian cannot have feelings like these w ithout sensing that som ething is w rong. Such mani­ festations are contrary to the clear call of the Scriptures to be forgiving and hum ble, long-suffering, generous, and kind. Though I should wish it otherw ise, these carnal traits are rec­ ognizable by others, and they erect a barrier betw een us. O ur fellow ship loses its sweetness. E ven our testi­ m ony loses its ring.

Satan glories in the proclam ation of such a hopeless theology, a theology w hich exalts neither G od nor man, and w hich offers to the Christian nothing but defeat and despair. In its b roader im plications it discourages the attainment of the highest goal in Christian living, that of perfect love com ing from a pure heart.

W ith M yself I am in con flict with G od and with others because I am in con flict with m yself. The external manifestation sim ply dem onstrates the inner con ­ dition. I have a divided will, a divided loyalty, and a divided love. O nly the grace of G od can help me. The tension resulting from such a con flict has a devastating effect upon the sou l’s peace o f mind. Soon er or later one of tw o things w ill happen. Either the n ew man in Christ cries with St. Paul, “ W ho shall d e liv e r?” o r else he succum bs to the p ow er of the old man and surrenders his soul to Satan. II.

If I A m

N ot

S a n c t if ie d , I F a l l

S h o r t o f G o d 's W h o l e W i l l .

G o d ’s alternative to the carnal heart is the pure heart. The change is effected by the sanctifying grace of God. A n d it is within the w ill of God fo r such an event to happen. “ F or this is the w ill o f G od, even you r sanctification . . .” (I Thessalonians 4 :3 ). Som e at this point w ou ld encourage argument, saying that a little sin in the heart of a Christian has the Septem ber, 1959

Dr. H. E. Jessop says: “ The ‘must sin’ theory has no place in the N ew Testament. There is no Scripture any­ w here within the covers of the Sacred B ook which can be rightly interpreted as sanctioning such teaching.” 1 The doctrine of holiness is not a heresy, though it has been placed at times in that category. If holiness teaching through the years has been heretical, then am ong the heretics are som e illustrious names. The names o f the A postles P eter and Paul are regis­ tered, for they w ere none other than holiness men. To these m ay be added such w orthy names as Irenaeus, C yp ­ rian, M artyr, and Origen, men o f the Early C hurch w ho maintained that on ly a h oly life was acceptable to God. Later history added the names o f Fenelon, G uyon, F ox, Law, Taylor, and the W esleys— all dedicated to the concept of holiness and to its procla­ mation. The name o f the Son of G od must be added as well, for w hen Jesus prayed, “ Sanctify them ,” He left fo r­ ever stam ped upon the minds of His follow ers His ultimate purpose for them.

‘ H. E. Jessop, W e— th e H olin ess P eo p le. (C h i­ ca go, Illin o is : C h ica go E va n g elistic Institute, 1948), p. 57.

(401) 17

In a recent serm on, R oy S. N ichol­ son, president of the W esleyan M eth­ odist Church of A m erica, stated, “ If holiness is a heresy, then the doctrine that sin must continue to dw ell in the heart of a Christian is a greater heresy.” This puts it bluntly but ef­ fectively. Once on being accused o f extrem ­ ism because he preached that one cou ld be saved from all sin, J. B. Chapman admitted the charge. He added, h ow ever, “ There is no escape from being an extrem ist— either for Christ or for sin; for if w e hold that Jesus Christ can save from all sin, we are extrem ists for Christ, but if w e hold that Jesus cannot save from all sin, then w e are extrem ists fo r sin. A n d I elect to be an extrem ist for Jesus.” 2 From the Beginning The doctrine of holiness is not the product of a denom ination, of a par­ ticular grou p or class of people, or of any one individual. True, denom i­ nations, peoples, and the individuals have preached and practiced the d oc­ trine, but it is bigger than all o f them. F o r from the beginning the w ill of G od fo r His people was that they should be holy, separate, and devoted to His will. This applied to Enoch, Noah, and A braham , Job, Isaiah, and the saints of all ages. The record of those w ho have pleased G od has al­ ways been a record o f holy living and h oly conduct. For A ll Men The call unto holiness it not selec­ tive, but is universal. W hen Jesus said, “ N either pray I for these alone, but for them also w hich shall believe on me through their w ord ” (John 1 7 :2 0 ), He opened the d oor unto all

2J. B. C hapm an, H olin ess T riu m p h a n t. C ity : B e a co n H ill Press, 1951), p. 16.

18 (402)

(K ansas

men w h o w ou ld believe and avail them selves of the provisions of divine grace. The message of St. Paul was the same: “ F or the grace of G od that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and w orld ly lusts, w e should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present w o rld ” (Titus 2 :11 -1 2 ). In This L ife The Scriptures m ake clear also the w ill of G od concerning the time ele­ ment and the experien ce o f holiness. “ In this present w o rld ” is w here G od wants His people to be sanctified. The norm al ou tcry of the sincere seeker after G od and holiness is aptly expressed in the w ords of Charles W esley: Oh, that in me the sacred fire M ight now begin to gloiv, B urn up the dross of base desire A n d m ake the m ountains flow ! Oh, that it now from h ea v’n might fall A n d all m y sins consum e! C om e, H oly G host, fo r T h ee I call. Spirit of Burning, com e. R efining Fire, go thro' m y heart. Illum inate m y soid; S catter Thy life th ro’ e v ’ry part And sanctify the whole. III.

If I

B eneath

A m

N o t S a n c t if ie d ,

I

L iv e

M y P r iv il e g e s .

“ W h erefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his ow n blood, suffered w ithout the gate” (H ebrew s 1 3:1 2 ). Tragically true is the fact that some born-again people live a lifetim e un­ der the constant sound o f holiness preaching, yet fail to enter into the promised exp erien ce of entire sancti­ fication. The reason? It is not easy to give, to be sure. P ossibly one reaThe P reach er's Magazine

son is the failure on the part of the preacher to m ake the issues clear to those in the congregation. M uch too frequen tly what is clear in his mind is not clear in the minds of the people. This fact is verified sim ply by listen­ ing to p eop le’s attempts to explain the m eaning of holiness. C onfusion in concept quite naturally produces con ­ fusion in experience. A nd the reason is to be found in the very nature of the second-blessing experience. W hereas in conversion one experien ces a birth, in entire sanctification one experiences death — the death of the old man and his carnal deeds. This death does not com e easily. Som e com e to the very border of the sanctified experience, even seek it at a public altar, yet fail to step into the joy s of full surrender. The price of death is too high! B ut these reasons, and m any others added, do not in any sense justify on e’s continuing in an unsanctified state. F or the fact is that Christ on the Cross provided for ou r sanctifica­ tion. The cost of our sanctification was too high for us to fail to claim it and receive into our hearts its benefits and blessings. A businessm an w ou ld be charged with insanity w ere he to build a huge plant to generate electricity and then fail to put that p ow er to w ork. In­ quirers w ould soon begin to ask, ‘W h y the p la n t?” If G od, w ho kn ow s us perfectly, felt it w ise and necessary to purchase our sanctification at the price of Jesus’ blood, then it behooves us to seek it with all ou r hearts until w e find it. W e dare not consider it optional, a spiritual lu xu ry, som ething to have or not to have. T o do so insults the very m ercy and w isdom of G od. The precious privileges m ade available to us b y the b lood of Christ m ust not be Septem ber, 1959

treated lightly, for it is what w e do with them that determ ines ou r spirit­ ual destiny. IV . Ip I M y

A m

N o t S a n c t if ie d ,

I

R is k

F u t u r e D e s t in y .

“ F ollow peace with all men, and holiness, w ithout w hich no man shall see the L ord: looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of G od; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled ” (H ebrew s 1 2:1 4). One fundam ental teaching o f this verse is that it is possible to fall from grace. E qually fundam ental is the teaching that holiness is G od ’s mini­ m um requirem ent and is the best guarantee of spiritual success. Para­ phrasing the above verse of scripture, Dr. J. B. Chapman put it this w ay: “ Get sanctified w holly, lest the root of inbred sin w hich rem ains in the heart o f the regenerated spring u p and give the individual him self trouble and de­ feat, and bring an occasion for stum­ bling to m any who observe his un­ becom ing break.” '* W hat is the root of inbred sin that can spring up and cause trou ble? The Scriptures call it the “ carnal m ind” and the “ old m an.” This inherited condition persists even after regen­ eration and, if left there, w ill surely cause trouble. The original act o f sabotage is said to have been com m itted b y w orkm en who slipped a w ooden shoe or sabot into a loom in the early days o f ma­ chinery in ord er to hinder production. A Christian discovers that after being saved from his sins there remains som ething in his life that must be guarded lest it becom e a sabot in his spiritual progress. This presence of evil m ay exercise its influence through a spirit of indifference, or idleness, or

-Ib id ., p. 31.

(403) 19

by a violent outburst of temper. The sabot must be destroyed if the Chris­ tian is to save himself!

istence within me. “ B ecause the car­ nal mind is enm ity against G od: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can b e ” (Rom ans 8: 7 ). B. G row th in grace is necessary fo r continuance of the spiritual life. A static condition soon produces petri­ faction. This can be m ore destructive in its total bearing on the Christian than even deliberate disobedience. F or whereas an open break with God is instantly recognizable, the slow process of spiritual hardening is so subtle it scarcely can be discerned. Failure to walk in the light of h oli­ ness im plies that the Christian has chosen not to grow . This means death for the soul. C. B y failing to “ go on unto per­ fection ” I deliberately drag m y feet against the kn ow n w ill of G od. This involves m e in disobedience, and dis­ obedience is sin. G od is patient at this point, not expectin g me to de­ velop beyon d the light w hich has com e. But persistent rebellion against the light of entire sanctification will necessarily cause me to forfeit my justified state and eventually to lose m y soul.

Som e ask, “ Is holiness necessary in order to reach h ea v en ?” In the first place, let it be said that the person interested only in reaching heaven has not plum bed the depths of the riches o f Christ; he is but a babe in spiritual things. The scripture says, “ W ithout . . . [holiness] no man shall see the L ord .” N othing unholy shall enter the presence of a h oly God. H eart holiness is G od ’s m inim um re­ quirem ent for acceptance in Him. W e must not, h ow ever, entertain the idea that everything w hich goes by the name “ h o ly ” is holy nor that what does not com e under that par­ ticular name is necessarily unholy. U nfortunately, m uch misunderstand­ ing and p reju dice have com e to sur­ round the w ord holy, until som e good and god ly m en use the term with caution. Likew ise, other terms are used with caution, e.g., sanctification, perfection, and Pentecost. B ut these terms are scriptural, and ought to be used, fo r they refer to experiences or states of grace w hich are for us to experience and to enjoy. A t least one argum ent for the use of these terms is the fact that, w here they are not used, there is an accom panying lack of understanding of the exp eri­ ences of grace w hich they signify and define. If I fail to be sanctified, there are at least three ways in w hich m y spirit­ ual w ell-being is placed in jeopardy. A. The carnal mind is still with me, and as a sabot, it m ay destroy m y soul. I cannot predict w hen it will destroy me, nor can I control its e x ­

C o n c l u s io n :

To the unsanctified, let us urge you with all Christian love and concern to press y o u r claims in Christ and re­ ceive y ou r “ inheritance among them w hich are sanctified.” D o not con­ tinue trying to satisfy y o u r spiritual man with som ething less than the full­ ness of the blessing. F or you r own peace of mind, the influence of your life, and the destiny of you r soul, seek a place o f p rayer today and enter, by faith, into the grace of entire sanc­ tification.

S u ccess

The hard part of m aking good is that you have to d o it again every day.— R a l p h B e l l a m y , radio program . 20 (404)

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G le a n in gs from the Greek N e w Testament** By Ralph Earle* Romans 8:1-4

m o s t significant single chapter in the N ew Testam ent on the H oly Spirit is the eighth chapter of R o­ mans. W hile the H oly Spirit is m en­ tioned only once before in the Epistle, He is referred to nineteen times in this chapter. H ere is portrayed clear­ ly the fact that victoriou s Christian living com es only from the indw elling pow er and presence of the Spirit of God. '

I ’h e

T h erefore

The S pirit-filled life is possible only “ through Jesus Christ our L o r d ” (7: 2 5). That is the force o f the “ there­ fore” in verse one. O un is translated “ th erefore” 263 times and “ then” 197 times. But here the G reek w ord is ara. found only about 50 times in the N ew Testament. W hile oun is fre ­ quently m erely a resum ptive con n ec­ tive ( “ then” ) , ara has a m ore dom i­ nant inferential emphasis; that is, it underscores the conclusion drawn from a previous statement. Paul fre­ quently uses the tw o particles to­ gether, and w hen he does, ara “ e x ­ presses the inferen ce and oun the transition.” 1 So ara here emphasizes the con n ection of this verse with 7:25a. N ow There are about a dozen different G reek w ords w hich are translated “ n o w ” in our English N ew Testa­

**S tu d ies o n th e B o o k o f R om a n s con tin u e d fro m D e c e m b e r, 1958, issue. ♦ P rofessor, N a za ren e T h e o lo g ic a l S em in a ry . 'A rn d t an d G in g rich , L e x ic o n , p. 103.

Septem ber, 1959

ments. Som e of them are m erely re­ sum ptive, furnishing a loose con n ec­ tion betw een what precedes and what follow s. F or instance, de is rendered “ and” or “ b u t” hundreds of times. B ut it is also translated “ n ow ” some 166 times in the K ing James Version. This is obviou sly the weakest m ean­ ing of “ n ow ,” sim ply introducing or resum ing the narrative. In this passage the w ord is nun. A bbott-S m ith says that it is used properly of time, now , i.e. at the pres­ ent time: as opposed to past . . . [o r] future.” - O ccurring some 139 times, it is translated “ n o w ” 121 times in the K ing James Version. Its use here emphasizes the fact that one does not have to wait until he gets to heaven to k n ow that he is saved. Freedom from condem nation is an experience that can be en joyed in this life. It is the happy lot of all w ho are “ in Christ Jesus.” No

C o n d e m n a t io n

The G reek w ord translated “ n o ” is a strong term, ouden. D enney writes: “ The ouden is em phatic: condem na­ tion is in every sense out of the ques­ tion.” '1 W uest translated thus: “ There is not even one bit of condem nation.” 4 The w ord for “ condem nation” is also a strong term, katakrima. The simple noun krima means “ judgm ent,” but in the K ing James V ersion it is

-L e x ic o n , p. 306. "EGT, II, 644. 4R om a n s, p. 127. (4 0 5 ) 21

translated that w ay only thirteen times, w hile seven times it is ren ­ dered “ dam nation” and five times “ condem nation.” The latter tw o might be classified as over-translations. The noun com es from the verb krino, “ ju d ge.” B ut katakrino means “ condem n” and is so rendered in the K ing James V ersion in seventeen out of its nine­ teen occurrences. “ D am n” in the other two (M ark 16:16; Rom ans 14: 13) is probably not best, in view of the popular use of the w ord today. So katrakrim ia clearly means “ con ­ dem nation.” It is translated thus in all three places in the N ew Testa­ ment.5 Two

L aw s

The secret of victory for the C hris­ tian is stated in the second verse: “ F o r the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” V incent defines “ law ” (nom os) as “ regulative principle.” 0 A bbott-Sm ith suggests “ a force or influence im pelling to ac­ tion.” 7 Thayer calls it “ the im pulse to action.” N E very unsanctified person is con ­ scious of an inner influence or im­ pulse m oving him to do wrong. This is “ the law of sin,” which produces death, since death is always the con ­ sequence of sin (Rom ans 6 :2 3 ). But in the believer this is to be replaced by a new vitalizing force, “ the law of the Spirit,” w hich gives life. In other words, the indwelling H oly Spirit m oves us constantly to do the right. M ore than that, the Spirit actually provides life, the p ow er and strength to do what w e should. He is not only an influence; He is a positive force, enabling us to live righteously. W hat

• r,C f. R om a n s 5:16, 18. '•Word S tu dies, III, 85. 7O p. cit., p. 304. sL e x i c o n , p. 427.

22 (406)

a w on derfu l exchange: to lose an inner influence tow ard sin and re­ ceive a living Person w ho w ill guide and em pow er! T h e W eakn ess

of

the

L aw

The exact interpretation of verse three is a bit difficult. The first clause has no gram m atical relation­ ship to the rest of the sentence. It is probably a nom inative absolute, al­ though, being neuter, it could be ac­ cusative. A lfo rd favors the second.1' D enney thinks there is no w ay o f de­ ciding betw een the tw o.1" Sandy and H eadlam con clu de: “ On the whole the passive sense appears to us to be m ore in accordan ce with the Biblical use of adynaton and also to give a som ew hat easier construction.” 11 They w ould thus agree with A lford in adopting the accusative. B ut V in cent disagrees. H e labels it: “ A n absolute nom inative in ap­ position with the divine act— con­ dem ned sin.” 1- In other w ords, “ God condem ned sin, w hich condemnation was an im possible thing on the part of the law .” l:l The R evised Standard V ersion reflects this m eaning in its rendering: “ F or G od has done what law, w eakened by the flesh, could not d o.” A s Paul avers in the previous c h a p t e r , the law itself was holy (7 :1 2 ). B ut its fatal weakness was that it furnished no p ow er for carry­ ing out its com mands. F or S in

In the latter part of verse three it states that G od sent his Son “ for sin” (p eri ham artias). The G reek phrase is used m ore than fifty times in the B ook o f Leviticus, besides elsewhere in the Old Testam ent ( L X X ) , for the “ sin offerin g.” So this could be trans-

0G r e e k T esta m en t, II, 386. '"E G T, II, 644. 11R om a n s, p. 192. v-'Op. cit., I l l, 85. " I b id .

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lated “ as a sin offerin g.” The English Revised V ersion (1881) reads: “ as an offering for sin.” But both A m erican revised versions (1901 and 1946) re­ verted to the K in g James rendering, “ for sin.” W illiam s has “ as a sacri­ fice for sin.” But the m ajority of the best com m entators feel that the con ­ text favors the w ider, m ore general sense of “ for sin” or “ concerning sin.” That is, Christ came to deal with the entire problem of sin. R ig h t e o u s n e s s o f t h e L a w

The w ord dikaioma is here given its m ost usual meaning, “ righteous­ ness” (so fou r times in the K in g James V ersion, w hich translates it f o u r different w ays— righteousness, ordinance, judgm ent, justification— in its ten occu rren ces in the N ew Tes­ tament) . But that m eaning does not seem to fit very w ell here. A rn dt and Gingrich note that in the Septuagint it generally means “ regulation, re­ quirem ent, com m andm ent” and sug­ gest “ the requirem ents of the law ” as the best translation h ere.14 Tyndale caught the correct sense when he ren ­ dered it “ the righteousness required of [b y ] the law .” V incent translates dikaioma as “ r i g h t e o u s requ ire­ m ent.” lr> The English R evised V e r­ sion has “ ordinance” (so A .R .V .) . But the R evised Standard V ersion has “ the just requ irem en t.” W e w ou ld recom ­ mend V in cen t’s rendering as best. The last half of verse fo u r 1'1 shows h ow one m ay fu lfill “ the righteous requirem ent of the law .” It is b y con ­ tinually w alking (present tense) , “ not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” The Spirit-filled, Spirit-directed life alone can fulfill G o d ’s law w hich is sum m ed up in the w ord “ lo v e ” (Gal. 5 :1 4 ). ,4O p. cit., p. 197. lsO p. cit., I l l, 86. lfi“ W h o w a lk . . .” is n ot fo u n d in verse o n e in the ea rliest G reek m an u scrip ts.

Septem ber, 1959

A Father's Prayer No m ore im pressive language could be uttered from any platform , no m ore golden wisdom could com e from the voice of the greatest orator— than the hum ble, simple, yet m agnificent truth expressed in a father’s prayer b y G eneral D ouglas M acA rthur, for m any years a general in the A m erican A rm y: “ Build me a son, O Lord, w ho will be strong enough to know w hen he is w eak— and brave enough to face him ­ self w hen he is afraid. One w ho will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, but hum ble and gentle in v ic­ tory. “ B uild me a son w hose wishes w ill not replace his actions, a son w ho will kn ow Thee, and that to kn ow him self is the foundation stone of know ledge. “ Send him, I pray, not in the path of ease and com fort, but in the stress and spur of difficulties and challenge. H ere let him learn to stand up in the storm ; here let him learn com passion for those w h o fail. B uild m e a son whose heart w ill be clear, w hose goal w ill be high— a son w ho will master him self before he seeks to master others. “ One w ho w ill learn to laugh, yet n ever forget h ow to w eep; one w ho w ill reach into the future, yet never forget the past. “ A nd after all of these things are his— this I pray—en ou gh sense of h um or that he m ay always be serious; yet n ever take him self too seriously. “ G ive him hum ility so that he may always rem em ber the sim plicity of true greatness, the open mind of true wisdom , the m eekness o f true strength. “ Then I, his father, will dare to whisper, ‘I have not lived in vain.’ ” — from Sunshine. (407) 23

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LET'S BUILD A NEW HOUSE By J. E. W IL L IA M S . Homey discussions of the safeguards n e e d e d to keep a home C h ristia n . 22 pages. Paper. 2 5c

$1.00

/mm■I ORPHAN BY CHOICE

REVERENCE IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE

By C L A R A V E R N E R . A b ­ sorbin g fictio n wherein C h rist de live rs P h y llis from a tra g ic web of divorce. 2 0 0 pages. C lo th . $ 2 .5 0

By L. J . DU B 0 IS . An a ttra c tiv e ly presented study on a sub ject v ita l to a ll young people. (C .S .T .) 72 pages, P a ­ per. $ 1 .0 0

TEEN-AGE WITNESS

AS VO U fi STWBNOTH IS

ES

By PO N D E R G I L L I L A N D . Y o u th 's challenge to per­ sonal evangelism . 31 pages. Paper. 50c

THE TORNADO IN THE SKY By T . W . W IL L IN G H A M . S tirrin g and tim e ly read­ ing on present-day events in the lig h t of B ib le prophecy. 7 2 pages. Paper. $ 1 .0 0

AS YOUR STRENGTH IS

C. BENIMER. w to do i t " n the im porbetter church i pages. Paper.

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W HY I AM A NAZARENE By C. W I L L I A M F IS H E R . Frank, in fo rm ative views of m odern-day b e liefs con trasted w ith s o u n d s c rip tu ra l teachin gs. 1 43 pages. C lo th . $ 1 .5 0

Septem ber, 1959

WORDS OF CHEER By C. E. C O R N E L L . D aily devotions in cap­ sule f o r m fille d w ith crisp, soul-e n r i c h i n g thoughts. Pocke t s i z e . 1 3 6 pages. L ea th e rette . $ 1 .2 5

(4 0 9 ) 2 5

A Pastor Writes an Evangelist D ear

E v a n g e l is t :

W e are looking forw ard to ou r date w ith you , W ednesday ov er tw o Sun­ days. W e shall look forw ard to you r com ing to us here at First Church. I w ould like to brief you as to the preparation that w e have made for the Crusade, so that you m ight w ork with us in the salvation of souls for the above date. W e have appointed the follow in g com m ittees and they are already functioning at this date, w hich is about a m onth b efore the Crusade: P rayer Com m ittee: Chairman

Mrs.

B-------,

Finance Com m ittee: R ------- C-------, Chairman Visitation Com m ittee: K -------B--------, Chairman P u blicity Com m ittee: J-------K -------- , Chairman H ospitality C o m m i t t e e : J------P-------, Chairman Choir: J------- M -------, Chairman M usic: C------- W -------, Chairman I have written ou r singer for the meeting and inform ed him of our plans as well. The services w ill b e­ gin at seven-thirty each night with the exception o f Saturday, w hen there w ill be no services. Let us look at these com m ittees and their w ork: Section I , P ra yer C om m ittee: Mrs. B -------, Chairman W e have asked for individuals to pray fo r the revival. Seven weeks preceding the date we have asked in­ dividuals to pray and fast each Friday noon. C on trib u ted b y V. H. L ew is

26 (410)

On our financial pledge cards (see “ Finance” section) w e have asked, not only for m oney, but fo r a pledge for prayer for the revival. This Sun­ day, with the m eeting one m onth away, w e are asking for each person to turn in a prospect that he is en­ deavoring to win to Christ during the m eeting. These p rayer prospects w ill be given to the groups w hich we will describe below : 1. Teachers and officers. W e are beginning ou r prayer this Fri­ day with the teachers and offi­ cers, feeling that these w ill be instrum ental in w inning m any if they w ill but pray; therefore w e have called a prayer service around the altar o f the sanctu­ ary for the teachers and officers on Friday, F ebru ary 13. 2. W e are calling all teachers and pupils of ou r adult departments — A du lt I, A du lt II, and Adult III— to meet on the second Fri­ day precedin g the revival for p rayer around the sanctuary al­ tar. 3. The follow in g Friday before the revival begins on W ednesday there w ill be “ zon ed ” cottage p ra yer meetings. W e have di­ vided the city into five zones (see “ V isitation” ). 4. P r e - s e r v i c e prayer, seven o ’clock. Our p rayer chapel will be open with a leader each night of the Crusade. 5. W e have pledged ou r shut-ins to take a night during the meet­ The P reacher's Magazine

ing and spend this time in prayer for the Crusade. 6. O ur you n g p eop le’s P A L grou p w ill spend their entire h ou r on the last F riday preceding the revival around the sanctuary altar. 7. Each day on ou r daily broadcast we w ill m ention the “ Crabtree C ru sade” in prayer, that God may inspire you and us to win souls during this period. Section II. Finance C o m m i t t e e : R------- C-------, Chairm an W e are attempting to have our fi­ nances in hand before the Crusade begins. This Sunday, with the re­ vival fou r Sundays away, we are ask­ ing for a three-w ay pledge: 1. I w ill pray. 2. I will attend. 3. I w ill pay. A ll pledges are to be paid b efore the revival begins. The Crusade begins W ednesday, the fourth. H ere is the p rocedu re we are using to finance the revival: W e are using an envelope with an inserted card. In each Sunday school class from the oldest to the youngest we will pass out these envelopes. W e w ill give one to each individual. W e will ask each teacher then to pledge— (1) to pray; (2) to attend; (3) to pay a certain amount before the re­ vival. Then we w ill ask each individ­ ual to keep the envelope and return the card to the Sunday school office, w here the pledges of prayers, attend­ ance, and m oney w ill be totaled and announced in church, w here addition­ al pledges of these three vital things w ill be given b y departm ents. Our budget for the Crusade is $800. Goal for A du lt III— $300; A du lt II— $200; A du lt I— $200; other departm ents— $200. If additional m oney is received for the Crusade, it w ill be spent in advertising to a greater degree and a better paym ent of ou r w orkers. Septem ber, 1959

S ection III. Visitation C om m ittee: K ------- B— , Chairman The w ork o f this com m ittee is di­ vided into three parts: 1. B efore revival 2. D uring revival 3. A fter revival This com m ittee w ill be made up of the chairm en and five zone chairm en (see “ P rayer C om m ittee” ) . This com ­ m ittee w ill follow up: (1) Prayer requests given before the Crusade begins, inviting attendance. (2) S eek ­ ers w ho have com e to the altar dur­ ing the m eeting will be follow ed up and encouraged to continue to attend and encouraged to live for Christ. (3) A fter the Crusade, seekers will be asked about baptism and church m em bership. These zone chairmen w ill serve as advisers to these per­ sons until they are firm ly established in ou r church. Section IV.

P ublicity C om m ittee:

1. N ewspapers. W e w ill use w rite­ ups as w ell as space advertise­ ments. If you have feature arti­ cles that other pastors have used in their newspapers, please rush them along to me, so that I might use them here. W e have ar­ ranged an interview with you and the church editor of the A rkansas D em ocrat on Thurs­ day morning. A nything that is unique and interesting about you, you r fam ily, or you r w ork w ou ld be o f interest to ou r read­ ers here in Little R ock. 2. W e have arranged for you to be with us in several of the service clubs of the city, so that ou r businessm en m ight becom e ac­ quainted with you. 3. A lso, w e have arranged that you w ould be on “ Little R ock T o ­ d ay,” a local telecast of prom i­ nent Little R ock personalities. A s you w ell know , we have our daily radio broadcast and you (411) 27

w ill be expected to bring fiveminute messages each and every day with the exception of Sun­ day, closing with an invitation for people to turn to Christ and also an invitation to the services each night. 4. W e have approxim ately two thousand names on ou r direct mailing list. These names are up-to-date. The addresses are correct through last week, and w e w ill be sending circulars from V isual A rt to all of ou r addresses. 5. W e have given each teacher a card with each night of the re­ vival listed from top to bottom. Beside each night is a blank space for the num ber in attend­ ance from that class and the n um ber saved. A t the bottom of the card is a place for the total num ber attending each night and the num ber saved during the Crusade. W e w ill give rec­ ognition to teachers and super­ visors w ho have good attend­ ance records. It is obvious that a teacher cannot keep a record o f attendance unless he is pres­ ent himself. Each one uniting with the church at the close of the revival w ill have his teacher or another b y his side, giving recognition for soul-w inning ef­ fort. 6. Each night of the Crusade we w ill have special emphasis, that is, Sunday school departments, class night, youth night, etc. Y o u r suggestions are w elcom e. Section V. H ospitality Mr. J P—-— , Chairman

C om m ittee:

W e w ou ld like for you r to be convenient fo r you the church studio for the and the church services. W e 28 (412)

stay here to get to broadcast want you

to be com fortable, so that you might have opportunity for prayer and m editation as w ell as study. W e want you to stay w here it w ill be econ om i­ cal for the church budget, so that we might pay you the m axim um fo r you r services. Mr. P-------, the chairman, will see that you are transported back and forth to the church and that you have any con venien ce you might desire, that is, a typew riter for you r correspondence, etc. Please let me k n ow you r preferences in this regard. W e will do our utm ost so that you m ight be at y ou r best fo r the meeting. Section VI. C hoir C om m ittee: J------- M -------, President.

Mr.

W e have enlisted the ch oir for every-night attendance. W e have en­ listed volunteers for “ m inutem an” service in case of absenteeism on the part of a regular m em ber. W e are urging “ on tim e” attendance with prayer before entering the choir loft. The ch oir w ill be behind you, not only physically, but spiritually and prayer­ fully. S ection VII. M usic C om m ittee: C-----W -------, Chairman Mr. W -------, our m inister of music, will arrange the accom panim ents, that is, the organ and piano, for the re­ vival. W e w ill assist the song evange­ list in any w ay possible. In all prob­ abilities ou r regular organist w ill be at the console and Mr. W ------ will be at the k eyboard of the piano. If the song evangelist should so desire, Mr. W ------- w ill arrange additional spe­ cial songs fo r the Crusade and supply choir specials upon request. The Cru­ sade w ill be announced on all radio broadcasts, including daily “ Songs in the E vening,” the 11:00 p.m. daily “ N azarene H ou r.” Y o u w ill find the chairman m ost co-operative and vital­ ly interested in the Crusade. The P reach er's Magazine

Section VIII. U shering C om m ittee: The ushers w ill be at their post of duty each service. Th ey w ill be p re­ pared to seat persons w ho desire to be seated. They w ill w elcom e new people b efore the service begins, se­ cure their names and addresses, and pass them to the platform , for the pastor to recognize the visitors. In addition to the norm al activities of the usher, w e w ill have this one fea ­ ture: ou r ushers w ill be stationed in different parts o f the auditorium . Each one has been assigned a given num ber o f pews. If y ou so desire, w hen the invitation is given, those who raised their hands for prayer will

be given a personal invitation to step forw ard to the altar. The usher will offer to assist the inquirer in any way possible. The Sunday school is de­ partm entalized b y ages. W henever anyone steps forw ard to the altar for spiritual help, the teacher o f that agegroup is obliged to counsel with him im m ediately before the close of the invitation service. If there are additional ways that I m ay be of service to you, please let me kn ow imm ediately. Y o u rs because of Calvary K -------D -------- , P a s t o r (N e x t m on th , a re p o rt on this re v iv a l and the results o f th e org a n iza tio n )

ONE 3VLA .JSTS METHOD By Walter Miracle* i n t e r e s t i n g m e t h o d of creating interest in the pastor’s preaching program was carried out b y an In­ diana pastor. T w o new spaper clip­ pings tell the story. “ W alter M iracle, pastor of the Fortville C hurch of the N azarene, decided that during the m onth o f Septem ber, in ord er to create m ore enthusiasm and interest, he w ou ld let the people help decide w hat he w ou ld preach. Therefore, he handed m im eographed Serm on Topics, asking all m em bers of the congregation to ch eck one of the fou r different categories. The sub­ ject in each category receivin g the highest n u m ber of votes w ill be used to build a serm on around in the m orn­ ing services during the m onth o f Sep­ tember. “ T hinking it m ight be of interest to the com m unity, here is the list o f sub­ jects the congregation had to choose from : W h en the final cou n t is in, we w ill announce the subjects that will

A

n

’“ P a stor,

F o rtv ille ,

Septem ber, 1959

Indiana.

be used. Trees, Pom egranate, Deer, H ornet, R ocks, R azor, Cold, and T h under.” A w eek later the follow in g clipping told the results of the ballotting. “ R everend W alter M iracle, pastor of the F ortville N azarene Church, has announced the results of the voting on the serm ons his congregation w ould like to hear. There w ere four groups of w ords to choose from . The w ords w hich received the highest num ber o f votes, also the date on w hich the serm on w ill be preached, are: Septem ber 7th, a.m.— Trees, Psalms 92:12, “ The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree” ; Septem ­ ber 14th, a.m.— H ornets, D euteronom y 7: 20, “ The L ord thy G od w ill send the h ornets” ; Septem ber 21st, a.m.— R ocks, I Sam uel 14:4, “ There was a sharp rock on the one side, and sharp rock on the other side” ; and Septem ­ ber 28th, a.m.— Thunder, Psalms 81: 7, “ I answered thee in the secret place of thunder.” (413) 29

"QXJIEIElSr o

f

tlxe

PARSONAGE”

M ay she w ho in the parsonage dw ells, be radiant, poised, se re n e; A n d ev e r y m om en t of each day be e v e r y inch a q u een !— R. V.

Supplied by Ruth Vaughn*

Portrait of a Queen

Charming, lovely, and devout, Mrs. O rville Jenkins has proved herself to be “ every inch a q ueen ” since her debut into a hom e m ission par­ sonage. Through the shining splendor of her influence, many have been led to the Master, Christ Jesus. Through her strength, m any have gained the courage to press on “ toward the prize of the high calling.” T hrough the beauty o f her life, m any have dis­ covered the full rich joys that com e through serving the Lord. F or tw elve years she served as a “ parsonage q u e e n . ” There w ere storms and battles, but she proved that His grace was sufficient, and the strength she received at her secret altar o f prayer was enough fo r all of life’s demands. She loved everyon e: rich or poor, sick o r well. She w on people every­ w here to herself and ultim ately to her Saviour. There is no greater chal­ lenge, no greater accom plishm ent than this. She show ed forth to her parishioners the beauty o f Jesus. Eight years ago Dr. and Mrs. O rville Jenkins w ere called to the A bilen e D istrict to serve. H ere she becam e a “ district parsonage queen,” and here again she m easured up. She is loved b y all on the district— but in a special w ay b y the m inisters’ ♦Pastor’s w ife , A m a rillo, T exas.

30 (414)

wives. F or w ith all of the problem s, pressures, and demands, w e som e­ times feel sw am ped with the task set before us. B ut with a smile, a word, a gesture, she has led us to the Master, show n us h ow to pray ou r problem s through, proved that His prom ises are sufficient for all of the pressures and demands of the parsonage. She attends all of the district camps, speaks fo r classes, engineers the dis­ trict N.F.M .S., m akes all of the mis­ sionary tours, cares fo r three chil­ dren, keeps a spotless hom e, plans distinctive m issionary conventions, holds special services in local church­ es, keeps everyon e inform ed on dis­ trict happenings, smiles and speaks to everyon e at a gathering, rem em ­ bers to com plim ent on a n ew hat, laugh at an old jok e, and “ o o h ” at a new baby. W e, m inisters’ w ives of the A bilene D istrict, feel that she is a perfect pat­ tern by w hich to m old ou r lives. And w e are v ery grateful that Mrs. Orville Jenkins is ou r “ district parsonage q ueen ” !

R oyal C ookbook

Potatoes are a pretty standard com­ m odity in the parsonage, but what to do with the leftovers can prove to be quite a standard problem . I ran across this recipe recently, which takes care o f this problem and is real­ The P reach er's Magazine

ly delightful w hen served hot with straw berry preserves. H ere is the w ay to m ake potato scones: 3 tsp. baking p ow der % tsp. salt IV2 c. sifted flou r 1 c. leftov er mashed potatoes 2 tbsp. shortening 1 beaten egg % c. m ilk Sift flou r, salt, baking pow der; cut in potatoes and shortening with pas­ try blender. A d d egg and milk all at once; m ix till dough follow s fork. R oll or pat to % inch on lightly flou red surface. Cut 2-inch squares; half for triangles. B ake in v ery hot oven (450°) about fifteen minutes. M akes 2V-z dozen. O ver T ea cu ps

“ I want to be a good m inister’s wife. But I d on ’t play the piano, sing, or any of the w onderfu l things that seem to mean so m uch to others. H ow can I w in the hearts o f ou r church people in spite of m y lack of ability? W hat can I give to th e m ?” The ability to play the piano and sing beau tifu lly are not the most im ­ portant. The greatest abilities w hich you can possess, the greatest gifts you can give to you r people are those w hich com e from you r heart. These have no price tag, no great applause, but they mean the most for those w ho speak o f these gifts with a tear or a tw inkle in their eyes. These are the priceless abilities, the cherished gifts. There is the gift of help. This is the gift w here the w ords of Jesus, “ It is m ore blessed to give than to re­ ceive,” b ecom e a glorious and w on ­ derfu l fact. There is the w ondrous gift of friendship w hich is free to all. There is the delightful gift o f laughter w hich lightens hearts, lifts clouds, and makes life m errier. Th ere is the gra­ cious gift o f w elcom e w hich opens y o u r hom e and heart to others. There Septem ber, 1959

is the beautiful gift of responsiveness: expressing consideration and spon­ taneous interest in others’ lives and problem s. These are the priceless gifts, the greatest abilities. F or the most w on ­ drous ability w hich you can possess is the ability to give freely of y o u r­ self. The greatest gifts w hich you can give to you r people are those w hich com e from you r heart, radiating in glow ing splendor the lives w hom you are privileged to touch. B o o k sh e lf w it h

L ace

In ou r role o f a m inister’s w ife, it is our opportunity to deal m uch with the w inning of souls. There are fou r small books w hich give m uch-needed instruction in this important phase of ou r responsibility. These are W in Them (5 0 c ), w hich gives h elp in m eet­ ing inquiries and arguments o f those seeking salvation; “ Save S om e” (6 5 c ), w hich gives advice and suggestions fo r our dealing with people at the altar; In vite Them (6 5 c ), w hich in­ structs on the inviting o f sinners to the altar; and A d d Them (6 5 c ), w hich gives the w ay to lead new converts into the m em bership of the church. These are written b y Jarrette A y co ck and may be purchased at the Nazarene Publishing House. A dd these to you r library soon! T h e K in g ’s H o u s e

N eed som e place to get toys and books up out of the w a y ? A n e xcel­ lent w indow seat, toy shelf, and b ook ­ case m ay be made from three orange or lem on crates. The center crate is laid on its side, so that it w ill fit under the w indow . The tw o ends stand upright on each side of the w indow . W ith sandpaper, smooth off all exposed surfaces. Fas­ ten the crates together with small w ood screws and put fo u r metal straps to the underside w here the tw o ends fasten onto the center crate. R ein­ force the center crate, w hich will (415) 31

serve as the w indow seat, w ith an e x ­ tra thickness of wood. This w ill be v ery attractive if tw o shades of paint are used: light color outside, darker inside. Y o u m ay paper the inside of the b oxes if the w ood is rough. Paint the outside and front edges the same color. M ake a tufted cushion for the w in dow seat. H eart T a lk

W hen problem s arise, w hen the thread of you r fam ily life or your church life becom es tangled, when pressures descend un m ercifully on

every side, G od has given a prom ise that w ill take you through every storm successfully, sm ooth out the thread o f life, and give strength for each pressure. It is this: “ B e strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid o f them: fo r the L ord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he w ill not fail thee, n or forsake th ee” (D eu teron om y 3 1 :6 ). W ith such a prom ise w e cannot fal­ ter; with such a G od w e cannot fail. IS in ce this m a teria l w a s p re p a re d , D r. and Mrs. Jen kin s h a v e b e e n ca lle d to th e p a storate o f K a n ­ sas C ity F irst C h u rch and assum ed th e ir duties th ere in th e m id d le o f A u g u st.— E d.]

Music in the Church

iL C o n gre gatio n al Sin gin g By Andrew F. Cone* T f h e choice of songs is another important element. It should go w ithout saying that norm ally the songs chosen for a devotional w orship service w ill differ from those chosen fo r an evangelistic w orship service, although we must be careful not to classify ou r hym ns and songs so rigid­ ly as to forbid the S pirit’s leading to a hilarious Sunday m orning service or a quiet, m elting Sunday evening evangelistic service. A b o v e all, keep sensitive to G o d ’s leading. There are tw o m ethods fo r choosing songs, both o f w hich are acceptable and effective, while both have advan­ tages and disadvantages. W e w ill waste no time elaborating upon the self-evident fact that a last-minute, haphazard, lottery-type c h o i c e of songs— leafing through the hym nal for the next choice w hile the con gre­ *P astor, G a rd in er, M aine.

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gation is m urdering the first— is sim­ ply, strictly, em phatically, and cate­ gorically out. The first of these tw o m ethods is to choose songs m ore or less as they appeal to us, all built around a par­ ticular them e o r m ood. This tends to concentration and intensification of the m ood o f the service. It also, un­ fortunately, tends to n arrow the choice o f songs to a few fam iliar favorites, w hich consequently are often sung threadbare. It also lends itself to abuse b y a lazy man, resulting in a h odgepodge w ithout plan or purpose other than to fill in a period known as the “ prelim inaries.” Right here w ould be a good place to inject a b rief w ord about this mat­ ter o f planning and its possible result, form alism . One of the greatest difficulties in the field of church music, as well as in other fields, is to prevent overcom ­ The P reach er's Magazine

pensation— the w i l d , undisciplined swing of the pendulum w hich so often drives us to live in the extrem es. Actually, w e are not lim ited to a choice betw een a rigid, prearranged program w hich, like the laws of the Medes and Persians, brook s no in­ terference from man or God, and a limping, inadequate, insipid con glom ­ eration of haphazard grabs from an oftentimes too em pty hat.

w ell-chosen words, show ing h ow the announced song is a natural outgrow th o f the message of the preceding one, so that the service is an artistic whole, depicting some scriptural thought. W hen w ell done this is very effective and usually results in a m uch better variety of songs, including many of rich beauty and deep meaning which are quite often overlooked in the other type of song service.

To m y mind nothing is so boring, lifeless, and uninspiring as a program so rigid and hidebound that it practi­ cally requires an act of congress to change one item. W e m ust rem em ber that in program ing w e are using m od­ eling clay, not plaster of Paris.

H ere again, h ow ever, we find some disadvantages. If the preacher is d o­ ing his ow n com m enting, the danger is not so great (excep t in the case of m en w ho cannot control their yen fo r p re a ch in g ). B ut w hen a separate leader is involved, the few w ellchosen w ords often becom e m erely w ords to the w earying of the people and the destruction of the song ser­ vice. The trend is also away from the spontaneous tow ard the rigidly form al, depending o f course upon the adaptability of the leader. A gain the effort to carry this type of service o v er a considerable period of time som etim es results in a strained arti­ ficiality.

On the other hand, nothing is so nauseating and boring as a sloppy p r o g r a m revealing thoughtlessness and carelessness, if not w orse. A s someone was overheard w isecracking, "I d on ’t like anything cut and dried, but if it’s going to be dry, it may as well be cu t.” W e must have a flexib le program which has been carefu lly preplanned, with wise use o f available talent, and arranged in such a w ay that aw k­ wardness and hesitant fum bling w ill not evoke a sense of contem ptuous pity in place of the attitude of w orship we had planned to foster. A program must have enough form so that in use it w o n ’t fall apart like a handful of “ squish y” tapioca p u d ­ ding, and yet be adjustable enough so that there is room for the Spirit of G od to have His way, not only in the long-range planning, but in the adjustm ent to the em ergencies of the moment. The second m ethod is the planned song service in which the emphasis is not so m uch on the em otional effect of the singing as upon the continuity of theme running through the suc­ cessive songs. This continuity is brought out by the leader in a few Septem ber, 1959

The w riter personally prefers the first, with special care in the choice o f songs to insure a healthy variety. This is one of the w eak spots in our m usic program . W e should sing ou r songs often enough that they becom e fam iliar friends but vary them enough that they do not w ear out their w el­ come. This does not rule out the value of the second m ethod as an occasional change or special emphasis, provid­ ing the w ords are kept at a minimum. Frankly, I have always had a private peeve against song leaders w ho adul­ terate the poetry of beautiful songs with the m ediocre prose of their im­ prom ptu ideas. M y ow n opinion is that if I cannot see that the artist has pictured a horse, posting a sign, “ This (417) 33

is a horse,” w ill neither m ake the artist any better nor m e any w iser— so if you take m y advice, “ y e ’ll not be after gilding the lily.”

responsive reading or the scripture reading, w h ich ever is used that m orn ­ ing. In most cases this is a song of testim ony or challenge.

Leaving the unscram bling of the m etaphors to the grammarians, we want to think briefly of the choice of songs. A s a rule you w ill not choose a slow, m editative type of hym n in conjunction with those of a livelier and brighter vein unless you are de­ liberately using it as a brake upon a high em otional plane to bring it into a calm er spirit for the time of prayer. D o not, h ow ever, feel that this is necessary or even desirable in every sei'vice. F or sometimes prayer rises in paeans of praise from the wings of a victorious song of testi­ m ony, to break through and precipi­ tate G o d ’s glory upon the service in a way w hich might never happen if every time w e rise to an em otional height we feel w e must cool off and calm dow n before w e dare approach God. W e must ever and always reiterate the fact that G od is not bound b y any system, w hether the form ality of ritu­ alism or the form ality of spontaneity. Som e feel that G od is not present un­ less the thunders roar and the light­ nings flash; others are as certain that G od never speaks except in the still, pregnant calm of quiet meditation. L e t’s face the fact that G od uses both, and co-operate with Him. A s a rule the devotional w orship service calls for a Christ or G odcentered hym n for a first selection, i.e., a hym n in w hich the them e is prim arily some attribute of G od or His general excellen ce rather than our relationship to Him or the experience we en joy in serving Him. This would be follow ed by a hym n on a general salvation theme, such as faith, love, heaven, etc. In m y services, w hen only one special is scheduled, I usual­ ly plan a third hym n follow in g the

In cases w here the transition from Sunday school to m orning w orship service is made by the singing o f a song, it w ould be w ell to use a hym n of testim ony or a general hym n, put­ ting the G od-cen tered hym n second, in order that any attendant confusion may not detract from the w orship and exaltation of G od. O ccasionally a chorus could be used in place o f this hym n in striking the keyn ote of the service, such as “ Spirit o f the Living G od ” or “ Fill M e N ow .” But nothing can equal the old, m ajestic hym ns in their p ow er to express ou r heartfelt w orship of God. If time permits, and you have an appropriate hym n, a stanza or tw o in closing makes an effective close to the service. A n oth er effective close is the singing of the d oxolog y. This is all right if in harm ony with the service. A n y excessively long preach­ ing or extrem e dryness of the service w hich leaves a w ide-op en opportunity for levity w ould, of course, rule this out. A closing hym n has been found useful in churches w here the congre­ gation persists in beating the preacher to the door. The preacher has time to make a dignified exit, pronouncing the benediction at the door. Another method for accom plishing this end is to have the congregation seated fol­ low ing the benediction w hile the preacher is taking his place at the exit. The pianist m ay either com­ m ence playing im m ediately following the benediction or w hen the preacher has taken his position, making that the signal for the congregation to de­ part. Use w hatever means works best, but in no case should the preach­ er be com pelled to run a “ rat race” in order to reach the exit first. F or the evening service, shift your

34 (418)

The P reach er's M agazine

emphasis. Traditionally ou r evange­ listic services have included enthusi­ astic singing of gospel songs of the testimony type. To leave these out of our service is to rob our people of their rightful heritage and hinder our ministry. I do not mean that we must choose light, jazzy tunes with meaningless jingles just to w ork up some noisy enthusiasm. C hoose songs with a message and a singable m elody — songs that touch the heart and tell forth the experience of y ou r people — and y o u ’re on you r way to having a good song service. C horuses also fill an im portant part in the total music program of the church. W hether as a five-m in ute side dish or sprinkled here and there as a condim ent, chorus­ es in you n g p eop le’s services, evange­ listic services, or p rayer m eetings are invaluable. A m im eographed chorus sheet can be turned out inexpensively and w ill be v ery rew arding. If y ou r pianist is able to play choruses w ithout the book, do not be afraid to slip them in at unexpected moments. The testim ony tim e should be liberally interspersed with ap­ propriate choruses. If you r pianist cannot do that, then you still have tw o alternatives. Y o u or some of you r people can strike up a chorus w ith­ out any instrument. M aybe you w ill strike it w ron g som etim es, but the increased spontaneity of the services w ill m ore than make up for any slight em barrassm ent involved. Then again, you m ay do as one pianist of m y acquantance did in follow in g an ou t­ standing pianist. She collected and com piled in sequence all the choruses she cou ld find o f those on the church chorus sheet, num bering them to co r­ respond. In spite of the handicap, the system is w orkin g out v ery well. This discussion of congregational singing w ould not be com plete with­ out a glance at that m oot question of the speed at w hich the songs should Septem ber, 1959

be sung. I realize that I am on con ­ troversial ground in this m atter but, as I give m y considered and settled convictions, you are at liberty to take them or leave them and p roceed on y ou r w ay according to you r ow n be­ liefs. T o m y mind there is a proper speed for every song, just as there is a proper speed for a 78, 45, or 33 1 3 rpm record. A n y deviation from the true speed results in distor­ tion and deterioration of tone. Of course the time signature gives us a basic idea, but the type of song and the inherent tem po of the w ords and m usic— we might call it the m ood of the song— are the deciding factors. Som e feel that anything slow er than a dogtrot is dead, and therefore all songs must be speeded up until the crow d is left either far behind o r else w eak and panting from the race. This is to yield to the pressure of the age and deny the fundam ental genius of music, w hich is the pow er to create and express all the thoughts, em o­ tions, and aspirations of the human soul. The tem po of the song must be m oderate enough to give the singers a chance (o enunciate the w ords and sing the notes. Intelligently enthusi­ astic singing is im possible if you are gasping for breath and com ing crop ­ pers at constantly m ultiplied hurdles. I have figuratively throw n up m y hands in despair as some song lead­ ers have belabored the congregation for p oor singing w hile at the same time making it im possible for them to make a genuine singing tone. A s for song leading itself, there is no one right way, although some defi­ nite system is desirable. The prim ary purpose of song leading, let me re­ peat, is to get the people to sing. So, although the average m em ber of the congregation does not watch the lead­ er continuously nor even most of the time, it is still good song leading to (419) 35

use arm m ovem ents even w hen the singers have no idea what they mean. A motionless song leader almost in­ variably results in a dead song ser­ vice. These m ovem ents may vary all the w ay from the w ildly enthusiastic — endangering the life and lim b of all on the platform — to the barely percep­ tible m ovem ent of the hands indicat­ ing the tempo. Som e have en joyed a great m easure of success in spite of using the same tw o-beat swing for all tempos, but there is really no excuse for not k n ow ­ ing the very few basic m ovem ents w hich make it possible for you to accurately lead any congregational song. In song leading there are actually only three fundam ental patterns and these, far from being bafflingly m yste­ rious, are simple and easily mastered. Th ey are, first, the 4 /4 time pattern featuring a dow nbeat to approxim ate­ ly waist level, a swing to the left, across the chest, a swing back along the same line to the right, and then a sweeping upcurve to the starting point again. It w ill help in visualizing this to think of you rself with a pencil inscribing a gigantic plus sign on the air in front of you. N ext com es the 3 /4 time pattern, featuring a triangu­ lar figure with its apex in front of and just above the head and its base running along a line about chest-high. The beat follow s the side o f the tri­ angle dow n to the left, across to the right, and back up to the starting point. The final pattern is the 2 /4 or 6 /8 measure. This m ay be a simple left-right w aving m otion of the hand if the tem po is rather rapid; or a

dow n sw ing to the left, bringing the hand back along the same line in tw o distinct steps, then sw inging dow n to the right, returning to the starting point in tw o steps again, thus giving a distinct m ovem ent of the hand for each count in the measure. This em­ bellishm ent is used w here the tempo is slower. The same m ethod of vari­ ation applied to 4 /4 and 3 /4 time may be used in leading songs in 9 /8 and 12/8 time. Each pattern begins with the lead­ ing hand held above the head, so that it is clearly visible to the congregation as w ell as the pianist— y ou r light is not meant to be hidden behind the pulpit. In ordinary congregational singing use fu ll arm m ovem ents. With smaller groups less extravagant m ove­ ments are in order, except that they must always be crisp and w ell de­ fined. A small grou p deserve as much care and attention as a fu ll auditori­ um, and p rob ab ly requ ire m ore. Give them the best you have and th ey’ll surprise you. A little practice w ill m ake these m ovem ents natural and graceful. Any stiffness or m echanical appearance should be avoided like the plague. It will com m unicate itself to you r crowd. Y ou should be relaxed and confident. K n ow w here you want to go and start with the idea of taking you r crowd with you. A ban don you rself to the music, and the people w ill see and feel what you see and feel. M ore detailed assistance together with helpful illustrations may be found in any of the m any books on song directing.

S u ccess

Som e people believe that success depends entirely on lu ck and pluck: luck in finding som ebody to p lu ck .— Tim es of Brazil. (Sao P aulo) 36 (420)

The P reacher's M agazine

SERMON W

O

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K S H

O

P

Contributed by Nelson G. Mink*

S

entence

S

A

erm ons

If you have the right key you can sing in any flat. Som e people never change their op in ­ ion because it’s been in the fam ily for generations. One of the best erasers in the world is a good night’s sleep.

C

h r is t ia n

A father was telling his young son about the life of a Christian and describ­ ing the virtues of the same. When he had com pleted the discussion the father asked if there w ere any questions. “ Y es,” said the boy, “ have I ever seen o n e ?”

— Selected

— Selected “I W

hat

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o u ’r e

A

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?

The preacher does better when you are there; ’Tis hard to preach to an empty chair. But your seat is not empty when you’re away, For Satan’s imps are there that day. They make faces at the preacher’s tex t; They nudge the folks that are sitting next; They show them how much the church is down. And it’s all because you're out of town! — C

ollege

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ark

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Steady to the m orning services Steady to the evangelistic services Steady to prayer meeting This keeps our rom ance with God pleasant and enjoyable. Breaking dates with G od could cause us to miss the M arriage Supper of the Lamb. — A

l ic e

T

ucker

Elkhart First Church Bulletin * P astor. W aco, Texas.

Septem ber, 1959

od’s

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— Columbus, Georgia

First Church Bidletin T

Steady to Sunday school

G

He was not an outstanding church mem ber, as such. He quietly came and went each week. It was not expected that he could give m uch to the cause, yet each month on payday he made a special trip to the church office with the tithe from his modest salary. One day the secretary asked him: “ W hy do you make this special trip each m onth?” To this the man replied: “ A s soon as I get paid I must bring my tithe to the Lord. Y ou see, I have a bad heart and may go at any time and I don’t want C o d ’s m oney in my pocket when I go.”

Lake Charles, Louisiana, Bulletin

G

D

he

L

evel of

G

iv in g

1. The tip level— tipping the L ord as you do the waiter. 2. Entertainment level— g i v i n g like you do w hen going to a game. 3. Emotional level— only when em o­ tionally stirred. This may happen once or tw ice a year. 4. The promise level— the ones who pledge but forget to pay. 5. The Bible level— “ Tithes and o f­ ferings”— “ Upon the first day of the w eek.”

—Selected (421) 37

Sermon Ammunition “T

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on

S econd

the

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”

1. Joe Louis lost only three of seven­ ty -on e contests. Retired in 1949. S ur­ prised everyone in 1950 by saying, “ I will return.” He did so and knocked out R ocky Marciano. 2. General Douglas M acArthur, forced out of the Philippines in 1942, said, “ I will return.” He did so triumphantly in 1945. 3. Spain terminated her sovereignty over Cuba in 1898. Our governm ent set

up a system to maintain order, telling the Cuban people, “ I will return,” meaning of course their governm ent of self-ru le. In 1902 the Cuban R epublic was instituted. 4. Fidel Castro, some time ago with the odds against him, said, “ I will re ­ turn” — and he did. 5. Jesus said, “ I will com e again.” A b o v e we have accounts of returns in the recreational, military, interna­ tional, financial, and political. M ost of all is the spiritual. R

T

I W an t to See a Revival in Our Church Because: ext

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: . . . for 1 have much people in this city (A cts 18:10).

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38 (422)

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B iblical exam ples under­ line the im portance of settling our choice while we have opportunity.

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d e c id in g . “ A lm ost thou persuadest me . . .” (A cts 26:28). A. A grippa thoroughly understood the call. B. A grippa considered the call. C. A grippa decided against the call. S e l f - d e c e iv in g . "B u t when the you ng man heard that saying, he went away sorrow ful: for he had great possessions” (M atthew 19:22). A . He exhibited m orality to the public for personal respect. B. He expected self-su fficien cy to ease his mind. C. His illusion was from the care for the earthly.

S elf-

The P reach er's Magazine

III.

C

d e s t r u c t io n . “ B ut the Spirit o f the L ord departed from Saul . . .” “ T herefore Saul took a sword, and fell upon it” (I Samuel 16:14; 3 1 :4 ). A . It was Saul’s fault that the Spirit of G od left him. B. He personally ended his chance to choose the right. C. This ushered in eternal destruc­ tion for him.

The All-sufticient Christ

Self-

: The time passed for these to make right decisions. Each m arched on, perhaps expecting to have another opportunity to choose. Scriptural accounts record that their decisions becam e past due and they paid the supreme price— a lost soul.

o n c l u s io n

— J. E. P P

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Beaumont, Texas

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(N ote the man with w ith­ ered hand in this same chapter.) II. H is S u f f i c i e n c y i n C o m b a t i n g E v i l S p i r i t s . “ A nd they that w ere vexed with unclean spirits: and they w ere healed” (L uke 6 :1 8 ). III. His S u f f i c i e n c y i n M a k i n g M e n W h o l e . What He did physically here, He desires to do spiritually. IV. H i s S u f f ic ie n c y in S a t is f y in g fuln ess.

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Texas

P R O G R A M

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A. Some accuse us of having stand­ ards that are too high. W e b e ­ lieve that if one is a real Christian he has no difficulty in keeping our standards. B. The big questions are these: What is im modest dress? What are questionable places? What is worldliness? T o pinpoint these down is a difficult process. It is also a dangerous thing to do. Phariseeism may creep in un­ awares. A bitter spirit may arise.

Standards or Spirit T

ext

I.

: Ye have heard that it ivas said by them of old time . . . But 1 say unto you . . . (M atthew 5:2 1 -2 2 ).

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A . W e have standards of money, weights, measures, etc. We w ould not be w ithout them. T hey are necessary. M a n y w ou ld get out of line w ithout standards. M ost of us prefer to do business with the man who sells, not b y standards alone, but also by a right spirit. B. W e need standards in the church world. W e do have them. Think of a church w ithout standards. R eally hard to understand how it w ould turn out w ithout them. E veryone going his w ay with his own peculiar ideas, whether they hindered others or not. Septem ber, 1959

III.

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A . He said there was a spirit to be reconciled with. From His words we gather that correct dress does not make one a Christian, that refraining from going to ques­ tionable places does not make a Christian, that ceasing from w orldly habits does not save. B. W e must find the “ spirit of the thing” and do just that. Did (423) 39

1. Som eone has said that "the poet is never o v e r p a i d , the artist barely gets by, the author seldom gets his due." A ll in all, those doing the most good are the least paid from a material standpoint. 2. The lover never stops to co n ­ sider the cost if he can benefit his loved one. 3. No matter how menial the task— love can be injected in­ to it. Even the street sweeper can have a rom ance in his work. The kind rem arks of the t o u r i s t— the healthful conditions brought about by a clean street, etc.

not Jesus say, “ Of old you had to kill a man to be a murderer, but I say unto you, Be angry with him and you sin” ? C. Som eone has said, “ A man is not a thief because he steals; he steals because he is a thief. A man is not a m urderer because he kills; he kills because he is a m urderer.” C

: Standards are great. I am for them. They are needed. I b e ­ lieve in upholding them. But I am also for the “ spirit of the thing.” Jesus was. A ccordin g to Him, to be a successful Christian, I must live a life that exceeds the life of the ritualists— those who are for stand­ ards only. — M . C. G a r r i s o n

o n c l u s io n

Hot Springs, Arkansan

Romance in Living the Christian L ife T

ext

:

II Corinthians 5:14

Emerson wrote, “ A ll m an­ kind loves a lover.” This is true . . . in all realms of life. The individual that loves his w ork is sought after. The one w ho loves his com m unity is pushed forw ard. The one in love with his country is almost idolized. The one who serves mankind b e ­ cause of love l ather than because of a sense of duty has begun a rom ance that makes his w ork all the more enjoyable. If he continues it, his life will blossom and grow, inspiring others.

I n t r o d u c t io n :

I.

In

the

M

a t e r ia l

R

ealm

A. Many w ork to keep from going hungry! “ To get more than the Joneses.” T o make a mark in the world. “ To get on top.” 1. Many plod desperately along to make a living. 2. Thought never occurs they have a life to live and enjoy. B. Man should so w ork that he is creating something for others to enjoy. 40 (424)

II. In

the

P

h y s ic a l

R

ealm

A. Many practice health measures because o f a fear of sickness. Others because they may miss a d ay’s w ork and consequent pay. B. W hy not make a rom ance of that b y practicing health measures in order to en joy the wonderful, tingling sensation resulting from a body toned up and “ fit as a fid dle” ? C. Physical health, a d e q u a t e strength, makes every jo b lighter and w ork a joy. III. In t h e S p i r i t u a l R e a l m A. This being the most important one, let’s give it m ore thought. This life em braces prayer, Bible reading, faith, service, soul w in­ ning, loyalty, etc. B. M any pray, serve, read the Bible — because it is expected o f them if they testify to being Chris­ tians. C. I like to do these things because o f the w ords of our text— “ the love of Christ continuously con­ strains m e.” T here is romance in it for me. I’m in love. — M. C. G a r r i s o n

Hot Springs, Arkansas

One loving spirit sets another on fire.— A u g u s t i n e . The P reach er’s Magazine

heaven’s court, where Christ is K ing and all are courtiers. Christian politeness. The G reek is Philophrones in some manuscripts, meaning “ friendliness.” John W esley observes: “ Courtesy is such a behavior toward equals and inferiors as shows re­ spect m ixed with love.” — Notes. But some G reek m an­ uscripts read Tapeinophrones — “ h u m b l e - m i n d e d , ” i.e., having a modest opinion of oneself.”

How to Achieve Harm ony S c r ip t u r e :

I Peter 3 :8-9

In t r o d u c t io n :

A t chapter 2:11, Peter began a long and sincere exhortation to the believers, w hom he addressed as “ beloved .” He has told us that the Christian is but a sojourner here as one whose hom eland is elsew here; then he has exhorted us to subm it to human ordinances, and to honor all men: the king, one’s master, on e’s hus­ band, and on e’s wife. He now gives us the general sum ­ m ary (cf. the term “ finally” ) o f the duty of each to all, as he turns to further exhortations which co n ­ clude with his first amen ( “ so it is, and so let it b e” ) at 4:11. These two verses focus prim arily upon the brotherhood o f believers, but also apply to each of life’s re ­ lationships. The harm ony of holiness is not an accident; it is an achievem ent through grace. I.

T

he

T

h in g s

T

hat

M

ake

for

H

ar

5. B l e s s i n g (verse 9 ) — the G reek indicates “ bestowing a blessing or benediction upon any who treat you evil or revile you .” (See Romans 12:17, 21.) II.

h in g s

T

hat

D

efeat

H

arm ony

B. Harm ony cannot be achieved in a “ tit for tat,” “ give as bad as they send” relationship. These are the things that sow discord among the brethren. III. This is the vocation with blessing (verse 9). A. B elievers are “ called” to this harm ony of holiness. 1. O ne’s life must be a benedic­ tion. 2. This is the heavenly vocation.

bey.

Septem ber, 1959

T

1. Returning evil for evil. Evil deeds for evils done you never enable you to “ get even.” 2. Railing for railing. Reviling w ords must never be retali­ ated.

­

B. Its characteristics: 1. Sym pathy— “ R ejoicing a n d sorrow ing together.” — John W esley. 2. B rotherly love ( G r e e k— Philadelphia ) — “ Fond of the brethren.” — Rotherham. 3. P ity— i.e., “ of tender a ffec­ tion,” showing concern for the afflicted. 4. C ourtesy— and courtesy is the manners of the court—

he

A. R ecom pense in kind.

m ony

A. The one mind for all Christians is the mind of Christ. 1. This alone makes for har­ m ony in the faith and polity of the church. 2. “ There is but one w ay to obey our L ord ’s com m and that all Christians shall be like minded, and that is for all to get rid o f the carnal mind and possess only the mind of Christ.” — W. B. G o d -

T

B. One who lives after this m an­ ner inherits the fruits of his actions and attitudes, the bless­ ings of G od and the eulogies of his brethren. C

: The achievem ent of har­ m ony edifies the w hole body of believers. — R oss E. P r i c e

o n c l u s io n

Pasadena, California (425) 41

The Good Life S

c r ip t u r e :

I Peter 3:10-12

2. C

I.

(verses 10-11) A. Rule one: Speak advisedly! 1. L et him cause the tongue to cease from evil. Refrain from insolence and slander. 2. Let him cause the lips to cease from fraud and d ecep­ tion.

T

he

R

ules

B. Rule tw o: Shun evil and do good! 1. Let him decline the evil. A b ­ stain from any action that is w icked and injurious to others. Turn away from m is­ chief. 2. Let him incline tow ard the good. D o that which is phys­ ically and m orally good. C. Rule three: Seek peace! 1. Be zealous for peace. P eace­ ful relations with all men. 2. Pursue it as a wild beast does its prey. Strenuously endeavor to secure peace, though it seems to flee away in this world o f trouble. II. T h e R e a s o n ( v e r s e 1 2 ) : For . . . but A. The L ord regards the righteous favorably. 1. His eyes express His anger. 2. The prospect is bad for ev il­ doers. B. The L ord is not unaware of moral issues among mortal men. 1. He is not indifferent. 42 (426)

“ Thou, L ord, seest m e.” :

Speak, practice, desire the good— and the good life w ill be yours as surely as God is righteous. Character makes a difference.

I n t r o d u c t io n :

These verses are almost a v e r­ batim quotation from Psalms 34: 12-16 in the G reek version o f the Old Testament. Peter uses them here to enforce his exhortation to Christian har­ m ony in the tw o preceding verses. He that loves to live and resolves to make his life happy and prosper­ ous must heed these imperatives ( “ Let him ” . . . “ let him ” . . . “ let him ” . . . “ fo r” ). “ These rules are despised b y the wicked, kept with difficulty by the unsanctified . . . but the delight of G od ’s holy people.” — Godbey.

o n c l u s io n

— Ross E. P r i c e Pasadena, California

|E V E N I N G

Choices That M ade Destiny 1. Orpah— Moved Upon but Unmoved S

c r ip t u r e :

Ruth 1:14-15

W e know but little of the native country of Orpah, the land of M oab. A pparently it was a fertile section to the east of the Jordan, and for years in tugs of war the boundaries w ould alternate north and south as w ent the victory of battle. M oab, the father of this people, was the son of L ot’s eldest daughter.

I n t r o d u c t io n :

Near the close o f the forty -y ea r wanderings, M oses was led b y God to M ount N ebo in M oab to view the land of Canaan. From the sublime heights of this mountain he saw the verdant valley o f the Jordan, the misty mirage of ancient Jerusalem silhouetted against the horizon, and view ed the “ Land o f P rom ise” with a longing to go over and assist the people in possessing it. But here he died and was buried by the angels o f Jehovah. C hoices sometimes seem to be in­ significant, o f little value. W e live much o f our time in the light of the present. T om orrow is a closed book: hence a survey of what might result is pushed aside. Orpah made a decision and that one decision made destiny. She is heard of no more. Let us analyze the situation and if possible ascer­ tain the factors which bring her to our attention. The P reach er's Magazine

I.

O

rpah

, H

er

C

C

hance

A. A t the time of the story, the country of M oab was on friendly terms with the children of Israel. 1. This was during the time of the judges, and as yet Israel had not turned away from Jehovah to idols. 2. The news of G o d ’s m arvelous dealings had swept the cou n ­ try, and surely the folk of M oab w ere made to fear b e ­ cause o f this God. B. Her marriage into a fam ily from Bethlehem. 1. N otice the names o f the hus­ band and wife. 2. Elim elech— “ M y G od is K in g ” ; and Naom i— ‘'Pleas­ ant.” II.

O

rpah

, H

er

C

h o ic e

A. The zero hour arrived. Sorrow, and n ow preparation. B. M oved upon but unmoved. 1. She returns to her gods. W orshipers of fire, or that which resem bled fire; the sun, m oon, etc. 2. N otice how tradition binds, and how association ties one to the lesser of values. C. The ch oice— what augmented it? W e can only venture, but let us look. It could have been; 1. Just a refusal to make a change. Stubbornness with the asserting ego. 2. A new love affair among the follow ers of the gods of the Moabites. 3. Fear of what might com e to pass in the new country. 4. It might be that the hurt of m isfortune w hich had com e to the fam ily caused her to steel herself against anything with which Jehovah was con ­ nected. 5. Inability to understand the w orship of the invisible. III.

O

rpah

, H

er

C

a t a c l y s m ic

P

lunge

A. Into oblivion. Heard o f no more. B. Her golden m om ent was sudden­ ly blacked out and her hope of salvation gone. Septem ber, 1959

: Choose you must! Choose you will! Then, friend, be sure you make the right choice. Choose God and His way; it is the best w ay b e ­ cause it is the right way. — L. A. O g d e n

o n c l u s io n

P

astor,

Tulsa, Oklahoma

Choices That M ade Destiny 2. Thomas, the M an W ho Doubted but Dared! S

John 14:5 Choices make character. A ll that is involved neither the per­ son making the choice nor the on ­ looker is conscious of. That which enters into decision likewise is not always known. M an’s judgm ent is based on circumstantial evidence. Integrity is what counts: upright­ ness, sincerity, wholeness. This can be recognized, and even though it m ay appear to be somewhat off center, yet the heart may be nearer right than the heart of the critic. Thomas is one of the “ back num ­ bers” in the list of Jesus’ disciples. W hen he is spoken of, it is generally as “ doubting Thom as” and then in a censorious manner. Little is known about him; the Synoptics list him as one of the apostles, and it is the G ospel of John which brings him into any light. He was a twin and here again the problem deepens. Som e say he was the twin o f Judas, not Iscariot; and others that his twin was a sister b y the name of Lydia, renow ned as the seller of purple w hose h e a r t the Spirit opened and w ho offered her home to Paul as a meeting place. H o w ­ ever, this is not important; for while a man’s heritage may bless or blight, yet what he does is more im portant than where he came from. There are courage and faith for many a soul in the consideration of the choice Thomas made. W e desire to see what we can locate from the study o f his relationship with the Master.

c r ip t u r e :

I n t r o d u c t io n :

(427) 43

I. A

F

ellow

D

II. A F a l t e r i n g F a i t h . A . He lived close to the present and could not grasp the “ in ­ tangible” path to reality (John 14:5). 1. A s long as Christ was pres­ ent in the flesh, fine— “ But if He leaves, then how are we to have assurance?” 2. There are those today who wish they could have lived then, thinking it w ould have been easier. B. He despaired w hen he could not see and feel (John 20:19-25). 1. He was not with the group that first Sunday follow ing the Resurrection. a. A bsence possibly by a c­ cident. 44 (428)

b. Perhaps by characteristic

is c ip l e .

A. A ssociated with the group who listened attentively to the m ar­ velous words of Jesus the Naza­ rene. 1. I can imagine he was thrilled to the depths as Jesus uttered the Serm on on the Mount. He must have been intrigued, for as our evidence will show, he had a questioning mind. 2. F ollow ing a night of prayer, Jesus chose him as one of the disciples. B. Som e might suggest that he was only a “ moral support” and that at times m ore of a liability than an asset. 1. There is strength in numbers and a crow d begets a crowd. 2. W ho does the choosing? W ho among us has discernment sufficient to evaluate the depth of a person’s spiritual ebb and flow , just by the surface m ovings? C. He was an ardent admirer of the Lord, insomuch that he recom m ended to the group that they return to Judea and die with Christ at the time of Laza­ rus’ death (John 11:16). This may have been done with fear and trembling, but we must give him credit for the suggestion.

default— this too is preva­ lent. 2. He was pessimistic— “ Nothing has happened to entice me yet; this is a hard day and place.” 3. Seekers who want to know are not to be criticized. Some instructors are at fault; some criticism has been blinding. III.

H

e

F

D

in a l l y

A. Because Lord.

ared.

he

view ed

the

risen

1. G od answers prayer today. 2. If you are inclined to be skeptical, stick around a little w hile; you will see and feel aplenty. B. His decision— “ M y L ord and my G od .” C. His daring. 1. T ook him to Pentecost (Acts 1 :13). 2. H istory tells us that he be­ cam e a flaming herald of the good news, preaching in Persia and India. 3. He was m artyred for his faith and today he is honored by the Latin church on D ecem ­ ber 21; by the G reek church on O ctober 6; and by the Indians on July 1. C

: W ho here tonight will turn to reality? W e want you to know; you should know ; and thank God, you may know. — L. A. O g d e n

o n c l u s io n

P

astor,

Tulsa, Oklahoma

A ctive Faith H ebrew s 11:23-29 Faith is necessary to re­ ceiving the provisions of divine grace. Faith is the antenna through w hich w e receive from the heavenly world. But faith must not be merely passive— it must be active; it must take the initiative in a sinful world

S c r ip t u r e :

I n t r o d u c t io n :

The P reach er's Magazine

in accom plishing “ that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of G od.” I.

Home M issionary Responsibilities S

c r ip t u r e :

e r it a g e .

T

ext

A . Moses was hidden three months by his parents. B. They w ere unafraid of the king’s com m andm ent in discern­ ing G od ’s will (v. 23).

I.

It

P

r o v id e s

a

C

H

h r is t ia n

Acts

1 :1 -8

: “ Ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the utter­ most part of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

W e h a ve a r e s p o n s ib ilit y t o o u r p io ­ n eer p red ecessors.

II.

It L

eads

to

P

o s it iv e

L

C

if e

h o ic e s .

A. Moses refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. B. He chose to suffer affliction with the people of G od (vv. 24-25). III. It E s t e e m s C h r i s t a s S u p r e m e . A . Moses esteem ed the reproach of Christ as the greatest riches of his day. This is the pattern for every life. B. He regarded the reward rather than tem porary trial and a fflic­ tion ( v. 26). C. He forsook Egypt to do the will of Him w hom he esteem ed as supreme. D. He endured, as seeing Him who is invisible (v. 27). IV. It

C

t ia n

om pletes

L

th e

C

ir c l e

of

C

h r is ­

if e .

A. Moses kept the Passover. B. He kept the sprinkling of blood as com m anded of God. C. He led the people through the Red Sea as by dry land, all by the pow er of active faith in obedience to the w ill o f God. C

: W e can fight the good fight, finish our course, and keep the faith only as we maintain an active faith. W e can give to every man the g os­ pel in the m easure that we have re ­ ceived it only as w e com plete the circle by giving to the next genera­ tion the true Christian faith, m ain­ tained as such by keeping it alive in doing exploits and believing God.

o n c l u s io n

— R

upert

C

ravens

Lawrenceburg, Tennessee

A living faith needs m ethods.— H a r n a c k . Septem ber, 1959

no

special

A. To preserve their aggressiveness. Early Church leaders not content to merely hold their own, or we would not have 300,000 members today. Home missions will help us to preserve their spirit of ag­ gressiveness. B. To preserve their enthusiasm. Not of the devil, but a mighty force ordained of God to increase our courage and faith. Let us use our enthusiasms to win the lost in othther communities. II.

W e have

a

r e s p o n s ib ilit y

to

ou r­

s e lv e s .

A. To keep us spiritual. Many cooled off because satisfied with being Christian statues. We pray for God’s Spirit to move upon us, and then if He comes, and we do not use that Spirit to win the lost, God is displeased and He may with­ hold future visitations. Home mis­ sions will assist. B. To maintain the spirit of sacrifice. To do our best we need constantly to have a goal before us that will challenge us to do more than just what is easy. The very nature of Christianity is sacrifice. Home missions provides a challenge to keep alive the spirit of sacrifice. C. To keep alive the passion for the lost. A Christian who fails to be persistent in winning souls will get careless, and interest will lag, and soon he will be content to go through the routine of the spiritual life without ever trying to win a soul. Home missions provides the opportunity and the vision. III. W e h a v e a r e s p o n s i b i l i t y t o G o d . A. For He sought us. The least we can do is to try to win others. There are souls that need to be rescued (429) 45

in nearby comm unities that will never be found unless we find them. B. For He made the atoning secrifice. Gratitude should incite us on to get the gospel of full salvation to every community. C. For the K ingdom ’s progress is d e ­ pendent on us. Every church we organize means m ore help to ad­ vance the Kingdom . IV. W e

h a v e a r e s p o n s ib il it y t o o t h e r s .

A. To give them the message of Christ. We may say that all around have heard. They might have with ears, but the truth has not reached their hearts. A church in their co m ­ munity with holiness preaching and holiness living will help b et­ ter to reach their hearts. B. To save them from a life o f sin and eternal destruction. During the time taken to count to ten, about eleven persons have gone out into eternity. Can we sit idly b y w ith ­ out doing anything to rescue them? W e have a responsibility. C

o n c l u s io n

:

A minister tells about talking to an undertaker in a county of 10,000 p op ­ ulation and found that an average of 100 persons die each year, or 1,000 in 10 years. The question struck him, “ H ow many of these souls could the Church of the Nazarene have influ­ enced for G od and saved from hell had we been in there with our church door op en ?” A s he thought o f the crimes that had been comm itted in that locality, the question came, how many hundreds might have been averted had the Church o f the Naza­ rene been there? W e have a responsibility! — H

ow ard

S. S y l v ia ,

Pastor

Toledo, Ohio

The Christian is p roof against the w orld w ithout so long as he is clean from the w orld within. — J. B. C h a p m a n 46 (430)

^ ____ ____

^ M I D W E E EC

Isaac’s Four W ells S

c r ip t u r e :

Genesis 26:20-33

I. Esek— “ Contention.” Natural clash of personalities. II. Sitnah— “ H atred.” Result of con ­ tention w ithout grace of God. III. R ehoboth— “ R oom .” Com prom ise of the peacemaker. Result of grace. IV. Shebah— “ Oath” or “ R econciliation.’' Result o f effort of the peacemaker. — V

W

ernon

il c o x

Pastor, Portland, Oregon

David, the Modern Psychologist Psalms 37:1-11 I. “ Fret not thyself.” D on ’t w orry.

S c r ip t u r e :

II. “ Be not envious.” D on ’t harbor re­ sentment. III. “ Trust . . . and do good .” Get your mind off self, on G od and others. IV. “ Delight thyself . . Have an integrated V. “ Com m it thy w a y.” leave the rest with — V

ernon

W

.

in the Lord.” personality. D o your best— God.

il c o x

Pastor, Portland, Oregon

W h at Isaiah Saw S c r ip t u r e :

I. He A. B. C. D.

Isaiah

6

saw the L ord: High. Holy. Glorious. Pow erful.

II. He saw himself: A. A s undone. B. A s unclean. III. He saw a needy w orld: A. A lso as unclean. B. W hen cleansed himself, he of­ fered to go. C. Though the mission was unat­ tractive, he w ent anyway. — V e r n o n L. W i l c o x

Portland, Oregon The P reach er's Magazine

b

o

o

k

:

b

r

i e

f

s

Book of the Month Selection, July, 1959 SORRY!

SORRY!

SORRY!

Though I have read many, many books in a search for a worthy choice for this month—not one has come. This is the first time since I have been Book Editor that we have had to pass by a month without a Book Club selection. I feel sincerely that each monthly choice must merit its place in our Nazarene Ministers’ Book Club. So I prefer to pass this month rather than put in a book that does not seem to merit a place. I hope you will agree with this decision. You will not object if I include an unsolicited word from one member of the club: “ Beyond Conformity (the February selection) surely gives us plenty of taffy to chew on. Brother Mavis does a commendable job. A p ­ preciate your selecting it for the Book Club.”— R e v . C h a r l e s M c M i n n , Pastor, Henderson, Texas. EVA N G ELIC A L C O M M EN TARY, THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

Charles W. Carter, Ralph Earle (Zondervan, $6.95) The Evangelical Commentary is being prepared by an editorial board of writers who are loyal to the Wesleyan and holiness position. The Com­ mentary will be an immeasurable asset to teachers and preachers of the Wesleyan persuasion. This volume, The Acts of the Apostles, is the second one to be released and will be found helpful, inspiring, scholarly, and thorough. Nearly four hundred pages gives adequate treatment to this entire book of the New Testament. Dr. W. A. Carter of Marion College, Marion, Indiana, and Dr. Ralph Earle of Nazarene Theological Seminary, Kansas City, Missouri, collabo­ rated in the preparation of this splendid commentary. Dr. Carter provided the expositions; Dr. Ralph Earle provided the textual exegesis. The re­ search on this is utterly up-to-date; the text is treated sufficiently carefully without becoming wearisome with unnecessary detail. Each chapter is given a very splendid outline. All in all, this will be a commentary on the Acts of the Apostles, indispensable on the library shelf of every minister, Sunday school teacher, and thoughtful layman of holiness persuasion. THE OPEN FO UN TAIN

Joseph Gray (Beacon Hill, $1.00) Six sermons, all from Old Testament texts. These sermons are pre­ pared in a format that make them exceptionally readable. There is a very splendid outline of each sermon maintained with subheads, which lets the reader follow the pattern of thought easily and logically. This gives it lay appeal. This also makes these sermons more than usually helpful to pastors, for each one opens up very readily to sermonic use. The author has done a good job in choosing titles for his sermons— note the topics listed. He has shown a yen for interesting material. There is a strong element of human interest throughout that will make these appealing to lay readers. The illustrative material is pointed and well placed. Septem ber, 1959

(431) 47

CHRIST AND MODERN WOMEN

R. Guy Briggs (Eerdmans, $2.50) In twenty-one stimulating chapters the author presents the major conflicts faced by modern Christian women. Each chapter is based upon an encounter which Jesus had with women as recorded in the Bible. This is both an intriguing and penetrating study of women’s plight and place in modern society. The author is perhaps too strongly addicted to self-pity but on the whole presents a very fair and helpful case, and has given us a book that will be appreciated by women everywhere. JUST C ALL ME PASTOR

Robert E. Segerhammar (Augustana, $2.00) This would certainly be classified as nostalgic. Here a pastor reaches back into memory and reminisces relative to the various lights and shadows of his pastoral ministry. This is relaxing reading and the publishers would be the first to admit it was not intended as a research item. There are times however when every pastor should sit back, relax, and giggle at himself. That might be better than tranquilizing pills. Some pastors’ wives could do the husbands a favor by presenting this to them as a Father’s Day, birthday, or anniversary gift and relieve the tension of the vivid realism of everyday life in the pastorate. A SPIRITUAL CLINIC

J. Oswald Sanders (Moody Press, $2.75) This is really a comprehensive handbook on the Christian life. Chris­ tian experience and Christian service are treated with sanity and spiritual wisdom. Strongly based on the Word of God, the author believes that help for the strains of modern life should not come from tranquilizers or stimu­ lants, but from spiritual principles. For us, the book loses its merit in the chapter on “ God’s Part and Ours in Sanctification.” This doctrinal position unfortunately leaves the book less than acceptable. RURAL CHURCH IN TRANSITION

Carl A. Clark (Broadman Press, cloth $2.25; paper $1.50) This book probes the problems and prospects of churches in rural communities. It would be excellent reading for every rural church pastor, from the standpoint of a better understanding of the trends in rural com­ munities, of program, and also of his basic attitudes towards rural pas­ torates. Every illustration is of Baptist churches and the book is definitely denominational in its beaming. It has some very worthwhile material in it for any rural pastor. (Alpin P. B ow es). WHERE TW O CREEDS MEET (A Biblical Evaluation of Calvinism and Arm inianism )

O. Glenn McKinley (Beacon Hill, $1.50) This book makes a very distinct contribution to all of us who classify ourselves as Arminian or Wesleyan. It gives a brief historical background to both Calvinism and Arminianism and will acquaint our people with the term and the meaning of Arminianism. There are pointed out the distinc­ tive tenets of each of these creeds and they are placed side by side, that one may better evaluate them. Saturating his entire discussion with scrip­ ture, the author points out the three places where these two creeds must face each other frankly: (a) justification by faith, (b) the security of the believer, and (c) Bible holiness, or entire sanctification. 48 (432)

The P reach er's Magazine

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M u s ic C ata lo g with s e v e n - p a g e S o n g F in d e r

Nazarene Publishing House

2 9 2 3 T ro o st Avenue, Box 5 2 7 , Kansas C ity 4 1, M issou ri W ashington at Bresee, Pasadena 7, C a lifo rn ia IN C A N A D A : 1 5 9 2 B lo o r S tre e t, W est, Toronto 9, O ntario

R e j o i c e a n d s i n g .'— M U SIC

YEAH. 1959

60c 60c