KB 299
September, 1944
who will defame your character and undermine your u s e f u l n e s s . When these attaeks come, you must be able to take it. In Luke 2:52, we have set forth the well-rounded life. As the Son of man, the Lord Jesus grew spiritually, in tellectually, physically, and socially. The minister must do the same. What ■'does it take to be a minister? It takes the whole life, everything, a l l ' you have and are. • OCTOBER 8, 1944 WHAT KFF.PS OUR CHURCH GOING? E phesians 2:19-22 By Claude F. Moffitt Stately edifices, richly carved pul- 'pits, magnificent o r g a n s , beautiful stained-glass windows, fashionable worshipers: these in 'hemselves never make, a “going” church. Let us see wherein lies the .secret of a successful church. For Those Who Have Topics I. WHAT IS THE CHURCH? The true church is the body of Christ composed of all born-again believers. Pau l , speaking to the Ephesian Christians said, “Ye are no more stran gers and foreigners, but fellow citi zens.” When we accept Christ’s fin ished work of redemption on Calvary, we become, through faith (Eph. 2:8), members of the household of God. Be fore this experience, we were alienated from God and His family, and did not belong to the true church. II. THE FOUNDATION OF THE CHURCH. The foundation of any building is its most vital part. The foundation of the church consists of the prophets who preached of the kingdom to come, and the apostles who were personally trained by the Saviour, who is the “chief corner stone.” “For other foun dation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 3:11). III. THE PURPOSE OF THE CHURCH. Just as the ore of the earth, and brick,: mortar, and lumber are all necessary for the construction of a material building, in the same manner we, as Christians, have been redeemed and gathered from all walks of life, and ijave become one building. The purpose of this building, or body, is to give God a dwelling place here on earth; therefore this edifice must be a hoJy temple (cf. 1 Cor. 6:19, 20). IV. THE POWER OF THE CHURCH. What is the motivating or driving power that keeps the church going? The words in Ephesians 2:22 tell us that all this building and work are brought about “through the Spirit.” This therefore implies that the Holy
IT’S AN IDEA The ideas for this month will help to increase the En- deavorers’ appreciation for the local C h u r c h congregation w h i c h gives the society a home. • Idea 1. Restudy ' Peter's great confession (Matt. 16:16) and Jesus’ declaration of the founding of the' - Church—its divine origin (Matt. 16:18). Also, read again the account of the. birth of the Church (Acts 2). This will give you a proper setting for the topics of the month. • Idea 2. Appoint several society members to havd con ferences with the C h u r c h leaders or officers, and then to report back at the desig nated C. E. m e e t i h g . One. member should confer with the Pastor, another with the Church Clerk, another w i t h the Treasurer, another with the Choir Director, and anoth er with an Elder. • Idea 3. Ask for v o l u n teers from the society to as sist the Pastor, the Janitor, and the Office Secretary dur ing the week and then report back to the following C. E. meeting. These reports should d e s c r i b e the “behind-the- scenes” work that is necessary in order to keep the program of the local Church going. • • Idea 4. T h e l a s t t w o topics of the month of Octo ber have to do with the alco hol problem. Invite a local W. C. T. U. woman to come before the society and give one or more of the education al demonstrations now avail able through that organiza tion.—Carlton C. Buck.
Dudley L. Girod matters oí religion. The men will want the Chaplain’s slant. Then he must be able to answer their questions and to give an intelligent reason for the hope that lies within. Only live shells get results. There is no room in the ministry for a dud. III. A PHYSICAL FITNESS. The minister must possess a strong body. Uncle Sam takes only the best of our young men. Jesus Christ must have the best. The minister will {>e called upon to carry tremendous loads. Many godly men find the burdens too heavy, and suffer nervous breakdowns. The ministry is no eight-hour job. Ac tually your work is never done, for there are always some calls you should make. It takes a strong body to house a spirit determined to forge ahead. IV. A SOCIAL BALANCE. The minister must also be well-bal anced socially. In the service, when you eat, sleep, and live with so many men for several weeks, you become well acquainted. You learn what a man thinks about in his unguarded mo ments. The men in turn learn to read you. They can tell the difference be tween the genuine article and the coun terfeit. You will have greater influ ence if you will mix with the men socially, learn their námes, and listen to their problems. The Lord Jesus mixed with the people. There are times when we must halt, to avoid a compromise of our position as ambas sadors of Jesus Christ, but certainly ministers should not be antisocial. V. ABILITY TO ENDURE HARDNESS. When we Marines crossed the equa tor, every pollywog was initiated in a ceremony before King Neptune. A pollywog is a man who has never crossed the equator before. During this hazing, the Chaplain comes in for his share. If he can’t take it, he had just as well quit. You have to take it for Christ in high school and college, too. Likewise, the minister must be able to take it. L o o k w h a t Paul went through (2 Cor. 11:23-28)! There are people
Spirit who brought the body of Christ or the church into existence, is the one who keeps our church going. This fact may be illustrated by an incident that took place at Biola, when I was a student there. Onë of the gen erators in thé basement of the school ceased -to operate, and instantly the elevator stopped, the lights went out, the radios were silenced, and every thing came to a standstill. Why? The g e n e r a t o r that furnished power to operate that great institution h a d stopped. A similar thing can happen in our churches and personal lives. When we allow sin to hinder the flow
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