THE K I N G ’ S BUS I NE S S
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a man into membership of the church without first securing his allegiance to Jesus Christ is to make his last state worse than his first. For when such an one is prevailed upon to observe one of the most important outward signs of an inward grace without being a possessor of the grace, his heart is almost unal terably hardened against subsequent en trance of the Word of God. He has a form of godliness, but denies its power — even though, as often happens, he at tains to office and authority in the church. Of such arp the most stubborn opponents of all true spiritual work. Many a minister, against whose zeal no -possible charge could be made, is simply making his church a mere collection of unsaved people instead of a living fel lowship of the redeemed. From the statistical point of view, his work leaves nothing to be desired. From the soul- winning and spiritual, which is the only point of view worthy of consideration, his success is nothing more than piti fully disguised failure. Nor is such personal. popularity as may be won by artfully distorting the truth as it is in Jesus any index of the Divine approval. Rather are these twain in inverse ratio. Yet we have known men who have loved the praise of men more than the praise of God, and have lived for it to the ut ter denial of the only authenticating purpose of the Christian ministry. Surely it is from all such mistaken and false emphasis that the world’s need in the present day is calling all those who hold themselves to be Christ’s ser vants. At the back of every absence of the urgent note from today’s preaching is usually to be found a personal confu sion as-to the Divine Word. Has God passed sentence on human sin, or has He not? Has He given His Son to save men from death, or has He not? Has He appointed a day in which He will judge the world, or has He not? Has
In the world today that can lift a man by a single bound to heights t;- which culturists would need years to raise him, if, indeed, they could raise him a,t all. And that power is the power of Christ. And while the great medium of education today is the printed page, the most thrilling medium for the trans mission of truth is a living person, stirred with a great passion for man kind. This is the opportunity of thè pulpit for the man who is called of God to occupy it— to unfold the message of the Old and New Testaments under the power of Christ, out of a heart quiver ing with interest in men.” We may add that such a ministry gathers.,fresh passion with its every accomplishment. It is not in the enthusiasm of the novice that the most convincing examples of the fruitfulness of urgent preaching are to be looked for, though we should be the last to disparage what the limited vision and power of youth can accom plish. It is rather in those men of out standing esteem, who through the years have never forsaken the first aims of their high calling, and who, whenever they speak, impress upon those who listen, that the issues raised are those of life and death. Thank God there are such in our midst, whose word is con stantly confirmed by signs following. The tragedy of the situation is that they should be so few. III. We aré not now speaking of the prob lem of the empty church, for many churches with a positively Christless pulpit are only too well filled. There will always be people who are glad to support a ministry which causes them no discomfort, while securing them a measure of social approval. And many a minister who has little, if any, avowed purpose of bringing men to Christ is full of keenness to bring them to church. It should not be necessary—but it is— to state as plainly as possible that to get
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