surely this is not natural; it is not of man or of earth but of heaven and God alone. As Christians we are each one of us called to be good “ministers” of Christ. But ministering in its true sense means serving others in the name of Christ. We are to minister to the saints, to look after the “household of faith,” to visit the sick and the fatherless in their affliction, to take care of the needy, comfort the troubled, build up and strengthen the faith of others. We are to give of our substance. Do you imagine that God prospers any of us in this world that we may wholly spend our substance on ourselves? The only time I recall that the Son of God applied the epithet “ fool” to anyone was when He spoke of the man who laid up treasure for himself and “was not rich toward God.” So, He said, was every one like him who made his own life the deposit of the wealth and had nothing for God— a very fool, a fool of fools. We are here as the stewards of God. We are here to give liberally, and that liberality is measured not alone by the amount but by the impulse of the heart, the quickness of the hand and the spirit in which the gift is made. We are here to win souls for Christ, to bring them to Him that He may save them. As of old, wherever He came they sought out the sick, the lame, the blind, the leper and the halt, that they might but touch the hem of His garment and be healed; we likewise are to seek the sin-sick, the spiritually blind, the morally paralyzed, the social leper, those who are undone and lost, and bring them with the hands of faith and prayer and lay them at His feet. We are to speak the simple word and tell them to touch Him with the touch of faith, to believe and “ only be lieve” and they shall be saved. We are to speak this word of hope and invitation on the street corner, in the office, in the store, wherever and whenever the door of opportunity is opened by the Lord. A word spoken in season, how good it is. It is like apples of gold in pictures of silver. We are here as Christians to do whatever our hands find to do. We are to do it with all our might, for the night cometh when no man can work. We are here to mean business for God, and we shall be examined at the Judgment Seat of Christ for the way in which we have endeavored to fill our mission as Chris tians. It is for this we shall appear at the Judgment Seat o f Christ. At this Judgment Seat our Lord will reveal Himself as very God, and each Christian will have to give a faithful and intimate account of himself or her self to Him as such. You cannot give an account for me. I cannot give an account for you. You must give an account for yourself. I must give an account for myself. We will have to make our speech to Him, give a narrative of our lives as Christians. We shall have to give a reason for what we did and what we did not do. We shall have to tell Him why we neglected His Holy Word, the exercise of prayer, the Page Twelve
house of God; and why again and again we refused to meet the responsibility of the profession we made for the service into which He called us. Everything will come out in the all-searching light. But there is a way in which the sins and failures, the shortcomings and the mistakes of your life as a Christian may be removed from your soul. One way in which these things may not be known, may not confront you at the Judgment Seat of Christ, and that way— confes sion; as it is written: “ If we [Chris tians] confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Confessed sins will not appear at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Unconfessed sins will be revealed and will weigh the scales of judgment in relation to our work and service.
and paid. If a Christian has wronged you in any fashion, hurt you by an idle word or the spreading of a false and irrespon sible report, such an one will have to apologize to you before high heaven and the assembled host. At that Judgment Seat no good thing you have ever done in the name of Christ and for His sake will be forgotten; as it is written: “ Judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of dark ness, and will make manifest the coun sels of the heart; and then shall every man have praise of God.” The kindly smile, the cup of cold water in His name, the cheery word spoken in the fitting season, the clasp of hand by which you lifted another to firmer footing in the way of faith, all this will be remembered. The Christian who at the Judgment Seat of Christ is judged and determined as faithful will receive a reward. He will be permitted to enter in and share the joy of the Lord. The “joy” of the Lord is twofold. There is the joy which en abled Him to endure the cross, despising the shame; as it is written: “ Who, for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame.” He was crucified as the King of the Jews. He will come back to be enthroned as the King of the Jews. Not only of the Jews but of the Gentiles; as again it is written in that second Psalm: “ Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen [Gentiles] for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.” Consider what a joy it will be for Him to come back as the King of the Jews! What joy it will be to enthrone Himself at Jerusalem, to sit on Mount Zion and for a thousand golden years to administer righteousness and truth to the glory of God the Father, and to the far-reaching and measureless blessing of men. This will be the consummate joy of the Lord. The Christian who has passed his civil service examination at the Judgment Seat of Christ will be invited to share that joy. The Lord will say to him: “Well done . . . good and faithful ser vant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.” Here as plainly as language can put it, the Lord’s power and authority to appoint rulers on the earth is His joy. That appointment of rulership is the declaration that He is acting in His office as King; that the region and sphere of appointment is the Kingdom. Acting as King on the earth is His joy. The faith ful Christian will share this joy by being appointed a ruler in the earthly or mil lennial kingdom. Thus it is evident that rulership with Christ on earth is not a common but a restricted privilege, re stricted to those who are faithful, to whom the Lord can say specifically, “Well done, thou good and faithful serv ant.” The Christian who shall not be found faithful will suffer loss. He cannot enter into the joy of the Lord. Those who have preached and by their preaching have T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
“So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.” Rom. H :12
Oh, that I could impress you as Chris tians with the necessity of confession. The mode and way of this action is very simple. Come to Him. Confess all that is upon your heart and soul. Keep nothing back. Make no attempt to exculpate or justify yourself. Give up the idea of seek ing scapegoats for your own responsible failure. Tell the truth at any cost to your pride. Take sides with the Lord against yourself. Put your confession free and full into His hands and leave it there. He will take that confession and spread it before the Father. And the Father will hear the priestly and interceding plea and because He is faithful and just to His covenant He will forgive the con fessing believer and cleanse him from all unrighteousness; as it is written: “ If we confess our sins, he [the Father] is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteous ness.” At this Judgment Seat all things will be adjusted by the Lord. All things will be righted and regulated. If anyone owes you a debt, it will have to be acknowleged
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