C ^ L r ió t iu n
By A rnold D. Ehlert, Th.D .
O VER fifty years ago Edward Talmage Root made this state ment in a magazine article, “ The great error o f modern Christianity is that it has substituted individualism for the community idea.” In the early church, while the in dividual believer was respected and honored as an individual, he neverthe less found his own personal glory and joy in fellowship with other believers. The church started, in fact, with a company of believers on the day of Pentecost who all met together with one accord in one place. A fter the mighty preaching o f Peter and the other apostles later that day, we read in Acts 2 :41 that “ the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.” Day after day we find the believers still continuing with one accord in the temple, and in the breaking o f bread from house to house, and in eating their meat “ with gladness and singleness o f heart, Praising God, and having favour with all the people.” The chapter ends with these words, “ And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.” The church grew, not by di viding, but by enlarging. There was still only one great organism with many members. The Apostle Paul, of course, devel ops the doctrine of the church as a body, and the individual believers as members o f that one body. Christian fellowship is based first o f all upon a fact, and secondly upon feeling. That is the order in salvation, and it is also the order in fellowship. The fact is, that every believer, upon be lieving, is joined to the whole body of believers, o f which Christ is the Head, Genuine Christian fellowship is im possible unless, and until, one is joined by the Lord Himself to His body. But the mere fact o f one’s con nection with the body does not guar antee fellowship. A believer must ex ercise his feelings toward his fellow- members in love and mutual joy. He must recognize the fact and build his relationships upon it. Boiled down to its essence, Chris tian fellowship is seen best and most clearly in one quality— love. “ Behold, how they love one another,” was the Page Twenty-two
thing that the astonished world no ticed about the early Christians. Thus the bases o f this fellowship are be longing and loving. But alas, how infrequently is this ideal realized and demonstrated with in our churches, and between them. Just as there is one element that ce ments fellowship, so one element may break it. That is individualism. The word itself begins with an “ I” and ends with an “ ISM.” The “ I” o f self is the cause o f all disruption. When a Christian seeks to stand alone, when the “ I” poses in egotistic defiance of the fact o f organic unity, it is a brazen affront to God, and a repudia tion o f fellow-believers. Such self exaltation is SIN, and you will note that “ I” is the middle letter o f that word. So also is it found in the center o f PRIDE, and pride follows the mag nification of self. Pride leads to schisms in the body o f Christ, and the unholy “ I” is in the center o f all schisms. The story is told concerning a type writer that was offered for sale. It was described as being in perfectly good condition, except for one thing— the capital letter “ I” was worn out. There is only one way to cure this malady o f disruption in the household o f faith, and that is to put the “ I” of self where it really belongs, and that is in the center o f CHRIST, yea, and in the center o f Him CRUCIFIED— fo r there is an “ I” in the middle o f that word, too. When we are crucified with Christ, and snuggled away in Him, then joy fills the air, and love abounds. Then sinners take note, and the Spirit is able to grip their hearts. Where is your ego? Does it stand alone— in sin, pride, or schisms? or is it nestled in Christ and identified with Him in crucifixion? X Let us not give up too soon! Some day, if we keep going along faith fully in'the way the Lord directs us, the answers t® our prayers will “ come out” all right. When they do, the melody will be so glorious that the angels will sing it as a special choir number in which all Heaven will join !
By Arthur H. Townsend I N the twelfth chapter o f Exodus, verse 5, we read these words of the Lord: “ Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male o f the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats.” The animal, a male o f the first year, could be taken out from the s h e e p or FROM THE GOATS! As we consider the lamb, our hearts and minds quickly register spiritual truth. The lamb’s blood was applied to the side posts and the upper door post o f the houses. “ And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post o f the houses, wherein they shall eat it” (Ex. 12 :7 ). The lamb’s blood was efficacious. But the goat’s blood was efficacious, too. The Israelites were equally protected by the blood of lambs and o f goats! Here is the dou ble cure! In Leviticus 16, verses 20 and 21, we read that symbolically all the sins and transgressions of the Israelites, were laid upon the head o f the scape goat which was then driven away into the wilderness. Christ Jesus be came our passover lamb and scape goat. His sacrificial death APPEAS ED the wrath o f God and the “ death angel o f judgment” has passed, and will pass, over the believer who has accepted the atoning work o f Christ. Too, our sins have been COMPLETE LY TAKEN AWAY ! Sin does not now hide us from the smile of God’s approval. Thus in the type o f the blood o f lambs and goats we see judgment STAYED and sin TAKEN AWAY ! It is the double cure! T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
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