July 1925
TH E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
303
is that humanity is going down to everlasting destruction because they know not that God has given His only begotten Son as the cure, and the only remedy for all the ills of life that sin has brought. And are w e ,. as laymen, making Christ known to these people who know Him not? The cry, “Sirs, we would see Jesus,” comes to the laymen today as much as it did to Philip in the day that Christ walked on the earth. No Other Way We, as laymen, must make Jesus known to the people. No zeal, no enthusiasm, no courage and determination to do service, can take the placé of presenting Christ crucified to the people. There is no way home, except the way of the cross. When Jesus said, “And I, if I be lifted up from the
earth, will draw all men unto Me,” the Spirit was careful to add “This He said signifying what death He should die.” We cannot substitute any other message for the message of the Cross, and expect to win souls to Jesus. Other methods may add names to the church roll, but the only method that can add names to the Lamb’s- Book of Life is by presenting the message of the Gospel of a Crucified and Risen Saviour, No wonder Paul exclaimed, “God forbid that I should glory save in the Cross of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” There are a multitude of duties for the laymen to per form, but I only mention this one, for if this- one we do, all others we will seek to do; but if this one is neglected, all others that we may perform will be as leaves without the fruitage that God demands of a. consecrated Christian life.
Can a Christian Do Without the Church? By Rev. Keith L. Brooks, Secretary Correspondence School, Bible Institute of Los Angeles
“Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received ns” (Rom. 1 5 :7 ).
. tity of the work it has turned out is sufficient testimony. Apart from churches, Christianity would never have been preserved in the land, nor can religious feeling today be fostered in our country apart from it. Then as a matter of public duty, the professing believer should heed the words of the apostle: “Not-forsaking the assembling of yourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another and so much the more as ye see the day approaching” (Heb. 10:25). Nor can this mean attending religious services here and there, without assum ing any definite obligations in connection with the organized work of Christ in one’s locality. Who is not thankful that he lives in a land of churches through which the Gospel has been propagated in an effec tive, way? James Russell Lowell once wrote: “When the microscopic search of skepticism has found a place on the -planet t e n miles square where a decent man can live in decency, comfort and security, supporting and educating his children unspoiled and unpolluted, a place where age is reverenced, infancy respected, womanhood honored, man hood respected—when they can find such a place where the church has not gone and cleared the way and laid the foun dation, it will then be in order for them to move thither and ventilate their views.” . . • However, we are not writing to skeptics, but those pro fessing to be children of God. What shall be said of those who owe what they are to parents trained in the church and to the influences o f the church around them, yet stand aloof from the institution on the success of which our national well-being rests? For One’s Own Sake Furthermore, it is for one’s advantage to be joined to some body of the people of God. The Christian church is called a family (Eph. 3:14-15). A family is built upon affinities which are natural, not artificial. Men have always affiliated themselves together in order to foster principles appearing to them to be of importance. They do so largely because of personal benefits that accrue from such organization. All such leagues, how ever, are artificial and therefore dissolve sooner or later. The church of God in the world is. formed upon a different principle. Those who are born into a family are naturally supposed to want to live and labor with the family. We cannot choose who shall be our brother or sister. There is a natural bond that holds blood relations together, regard less of the manifold diversities in the family. These diver-
seem to be in these days, due to the increas- mfusion in the religious world, a growing er of people, claiming to be Christians, who
“I do not need the church. I belong to the invisible church and private worship is sufficient.” Thé apostasies due to fall upon the world in the last days, according to prophecy, are certainly upon us, and it is not strange that many are perplexed regarding the organized church and hold aloof from it. Yet what is the Christian’s duty as plainly defined throughout the New Testament? Surely one who professes to receive the Word of God as his all-sufficient guide can not escape all responsibility in connection with the organ ized church. . One might say : “I want to eat my meals alone. I don’t care to eat with the family.” Or he might say: “I have my own political ideas and do not need to be identified with any party.” Such an one -would simply cast his vote to no purpose, for all great measures are carried out by organized society, along lines of business efficiency, and strength is in union. For the Sake of Your Influence It is essential that Christians “receive one another as Christ has received them.” No great work for God can be carried out except in an organized way. Here and there may be found an unchurched man who is stirring multitudes for Christ, but even then his work can not be conserved if he advises his converts not to join them selves to other believers. Isolated souls there may be who are strong enough to preserve their faith without joining themselves with the larger forces of God in the world. These, however, should remember that the great majority cannot stand alone, but need the fellowship of the strong through common worship, public Christian teaching and union with some organization equipped to carry on Christian work in .an aggressive way. Even for social purposes alone, the organized church, of whatever name, is the greatest employment bureau in the world. It offers the Christian channels of service for God not to be found outside of it. For this reason alone, the professing Christian who withholds his support and influ ence is a traitor to society. There can be no doubt that God has owned the organized church. The quality and quan-
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