TH E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
65
February 1925
c U kj ^ ^ A P r e s e n t P r e s s i n g N e e d B u rton L. Nay, Cedar Falls,, Iowa
of Christ never has claimed per fection in th e flesh, bu t to me it is the dearest church because my Christ claims it for His own. Hence let me exhort th e house hold of faith to experience and esteem th e one all-conquering, inspiring, God-appointed remedy for our present state. Before
The w rite r is a m in ister who trav els much in th e in terests of his church. In emphasizing th e “pressing need of th e church” he says: “Before nam ing it, le t m e once again urge a negative again st th e though t of ‘aids’, ‘auxiliaries’, ‘com m ittees’, ‘b etter music’, ‘g rea t preachers’, ‘a new leadership’, or any o ther featu re of hum an expe diency as such need. The one essential need, co-extensive w ith th e church’s bounds, is daily, definite, fervent, personal, prevailing p ray er.” The style is unique and refreshing. The m a tte r is strong and sterling.
jREEDS, like castings, may be correct and ju st as cold; practices, like paintings, may be
perfectly outlined, yet th e cross lines lacking in perspective. An experience, like plowing, may- be w ritten in th e chosen soil with in strum en t unerring (God’s own
nam ing it, le t me once more urge a negative against the though t of “aids,” “ auxiliaries,” “ comm ittees,” “ b etter music,” “ big” preaching, a “ new leadership” or any o th er featu re of hum an expediency, as a prime solution. The one essential need, and co-extensive w ith the church’s bounds is, daily, definite, fervent, per sonal, prevailing prayer. This opens volumes of though t, bu t space forbids all bu t h in ts and, I hope, helps. W h at B eal P ra y e r Is and Does P ray er is more th an a desire to pray. P ray er is plead ing God’s prom ises before Him as would an atto rney in court. P rayer consists no t in fine words, many or few ; prayer is coming direct to God, telling Him of a desperate, definite need of ourselves or another. Real prayer obtains answers. P rayer is more th an carelessly w ishing and hope lessly hoping; prayer gets through to our F ath e r, God, and finds Him lovingly ready to g ran t and give, or do, or some times deny. Yet finding in prayer th a t it is verily God’s denial, th is discovery sweetens th e bitterness of th e disap pointm ent. As a man prays, so will he preach. As a church prays, so will they hear and do and enjoy. P ray er brings our poor self-centered, self-righteous selves in sweet h ar mony w ith th e F a th e r’s will. Through prayer, fiction and fancies pass, and faith sees so surely and accurately th a t “ seeing” becomes th e very “ substance” till th e th ing hoped for is given us of God. The word of God th e F ath e r, th e example of God th e Son, th e draw ings of God the Spirit are each and all a call to prayer. The experience of prophets, th e trium ph an t faith of m artyrs, the m andates of ap o stle s,. th e crying need of our souls, and th e present and fu tu re usefulness of th e church of God is a grand symphony, harmoniously v ib ran t w ith the music of holy prayer: “ Ju s t as I am w ithout one plea, It is wonderful th a t a Sovereign God bids poor-sinners, saved by grace, to come to Him, and H im alone, w ith all our needs “ and guilt oppressed,” prom ising us to receive and hear and answer. This being true, it is astonishing how few of us make th is privilege th e joyful experience and the happy, holy habit of our lives. “ I know your needs, I know them all, I love and care, bu t come and ask, and in asking thou shalt receive.” O beloved, go a t once in all your pov erty of spirit, and “ Ju st as I am Thou w ilt receive, W ilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve. F o r in Thy prom ise I believe; O Lamb of God, I come, I come.” (Continued on page 96) But th a t Thy blood was shed for me, And th a t Thou bid’st me come to Thee, O Lamb of God, I come, I come.”
sp irit) yet for very shallowness of afte r processes yield meagerly th e fru its of righteous ness. Gospel services which are free from ritu alistic rig h t eousness, formalistic foolishness and fanatical fervor should enjoy the S p irit’s presence and the preaching be w ith divine unction, bu t ninety-nine per cent of both preaching and hearing is colder th a n it ought to be. (I am speaking now from personal experience and observation.) This com parative coldness is traced to something very secret, subtle, and subverting. Many have succeeded in th e ir fight against the maxims, machinery, and methods now dom inating so many schools of thought, bu t in the meantime have breathed into their sp iritual lungs th e stifling, sleep-begetting anaesthetic of th is world’s money-getting and pleasure-hunting, personal- com fort spirit. Exceptions? Scores and scores of them can be found th roughou t th e land. These notable exceptions are th e very sa lt of our cause, too. We did not mean to do so, bu t we have fallen asleep, and the apostle still cries “Awake, thou th a t sleepest!” We feel very “ easy” b u t the prophet of God still hurls his lu rid warning “Woe to them th a t are at ease in Zion” ! The fervor of our fath ers seems to have died w ith them . We need a sweeping revival of the desire of David, th e determ ination of Daniel, th e persis tence of P aul and even th e zeal of Zaccheus. “Dens” o r “D inners” ? My g rand fath er could walk four miles to a prayer meet ing. We can walk four blocks .if th e preacher is th ere and th e sun shines. We are in a different frame of mind. We have fallen a prey to modern customs and conditions. We th ink in term s of cars and w eather and roads instead of determ ination, devotion, and th e joy of meeting Jesus and His church in worship. As our fath ers defied beasts and faggots and prisons, le t us literally defy th e elements, the roads and th e com forts and the cares of home and business. The prophets weht to dens; we have gone to dinner. They fasted physically, feasted sp iritu ally ; we are “ in reverse” . We believe in justification by faith ju st as they did, bu t it seems we love it less for we listen less. We preach salvation by grace ju st as fervently, bu t find fewer going th a t way by profession. We tell our experiences ju st as sincerely, but no t quite so sweetly, for so much of th e syrup of sacrifice is gone from our lives. My aged b reth ren will bear me witness. Beloved, these observations are neith er cant nor criti cism; th is is a call. These rem arks are not aimed to kill, b u t to cure. I would not destroy, bu t diagnose. L et me help, and neith er h u rt nor hinder. The God-appointed Remedy My m other may not be a perfect woman, b u t she to me is th e best and dearest mother in all th e world. The church
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