hundreds of sermons on evangelism are produced but a strange silence prevails for the most part when someone reminds us that our Lord’s last call to the churches is “Repent!” We wonder whether a shallow generation can experience a deep revival. Broad rivers usually are not very deep. We have gone in for breadth at the expense of depth. Our Lord told us in his parable of the sower, the seed, and the soil, about the type of hearer who receives the word with joy but is soon offended because he has not root in himself. Mark says the stony ground “had no depth of earth.” Any serious attempt to break up fallow ground and disturb the status quo is looked upon with disfavor. To use the figure of the repair shop, at most we want only a “ tune-up” and not an overhauling. Of course tune-ups do not cost as much. Most of our goals and objectives presuppose a revived church and assume that our present membership is in good condition. That is an unwarranted assumption for we have gathered a mixed multitude, many of whom are not saved and most of whom are living in worldli ness and indifference. What would happen if we declared a moratorium on everything else long enough to major on soul-searching and repentance within our present flock? Are we afraid to risk it? We had better be afraid not to do it. Some have supposed that all our proposed activities will revive the church but that is working in reverse, as though the result would produce the cause.
we are sick but because we do not want to get sick. It is not a sign of weakness. It is good sense to have periodic examinations. Believers need a going-over at the hands of God that he may search us and know our hearts, try us and know our thoughts and see if there be any wicked way in us. Sometimes surgery is indicated. Some times we need to trim off the fat. Sometimes diet is at fault or we are not getting proper exercise. Are we w ill ing to submit to His examination? It has been a long time since I have heard much about getting low in the dust before God, confessing and for saking our sins, making restitution to those we have wronged, giving up the world, submitting to the Lordship of Christ and being filled with the Spirit. Amidst all the pep speeches, the pointing with pride to what We intend to do, one hears little of our unworthiness, our sinfulness, our utter dependence on God. After all, we have nothing that we did not receive. Our friends have come to us in their journey and we shall have nothing to set before them unless we borrow bread at the Father’s house. It would be a great day if some of our great convoca tions were so melted under the power of God that a divine visitation would sweep aside the printed program and send us home to start a thousand revivals. If it be objected that we gather for business, not revival, we ask: “What greater business do we have than to seek such a visitation? That would solve more problems in a day than we shall ever unravel without it. I do not underrate our present blessings. God has been good to us. Here we raise our Ebenezer, hither by his help we have come. But the goodness of God is meant to lead us to repentance, not soothe us into complacency. If we judged ourselves instead of justifying ourselves, we should not be judged and it would not be necessary for God to teach us by adversity what we refuse to learn in prosperity. The goodness of God ought to put believers at the mourner’s bench, counting our richest gain but loss and pouring contempt on all our pride. It should send us forth, “our sinful selves our only shame, our glory all the cross,” ashamed of nothing but ourselves and proud of nothing but the cross. No combination of earth or hell could stand before an army like that! A Price to Pay There is a price to pay to be what believers used to be and what believers ought to be. If we do not pay it the living faith of the dead will become the dead faith of the living. For five years I was pastor of the oldest Baptist church in the South. I have wondered what William Screven and the rest of his worthies would say today. Our predecessors were called radicals and sectar ians in their day. Why should it be thought a strange thing now to wage a battle as they did for a regenerated church membership, separation from the world, soundness of doctrine and purity of life? That is the way we started. Alas, it is easier to commemorate prophets than to copy them. It is easier to build monuments to them than to walk in their succession. “ Seven towns contend for Homer dead, Through which the living Homer begged his bread.” Joseph Parker said that there were those who would clap their hands applaudingly at the name of Bunyan who would not admit a living Bunyan to their fellowship but might give him something at the back door. I hear it said that we need an Amos but what kind of reception would Amos get today at the First church? I have observed for years that we seem to have a blind spot in our eye as to our primary need, individual Christian and local church revival which must precede and will produce true evangelism. Tons of literature and
Revival is not a backwash, a secondary benefit, it is the original stream from the throne of God that overflows in a thousand other streams. We are on solid ground when we “ begin at Jerusalem” for God begins with his own people and his people begin with themselves. Believers face no greater challenge than the.need of the average Sunday morning congregation. We can be so occupied with prospects on the outside that we over look prospects within our membership, prospects for sal vation, discipleship, stewardship, deeper Christian living in home and shop and office. It is a poor orchestra that spends all its time performing and recruiting new mem bers but has no time to tune its instruments. Marshal Foch is reported to have said: “ The battle is won the day before.” It is certain that Gideon won his battle in advance. He had thirty-two thousand men on the day before but God said they were too many. Twenty-two thousand cowards and ninety-seven hundred careless were eliminated and three hundred competents remained. Such procedure might have seemed disastrous by human standards but God’s ways are not our ways. This does not mean, in its application, that we should dismiss a comparable proportion of our membership to day but it does mean that we need to marshal a “Mas ter’s Minority” of effectives and expendables who mean business. There may be more carnal security in great numbers but battles are not won by motley multitudes. We need a revival that calls out the “ three hundred” and wins the battle the day before.
SEPTEMBER, 1963
21
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker