The Church of Tomorrow

The Church of Tomorrow THE CHURCH OF TOMORROW
By WILBUR H. WHITE

Exordium:

I always count myself happy indeed to enter into any­thing that enjoins itself with the service of God. I shall endeavor to speak to you in such a manner that I will open my heart in its fullness as to my feelings upon this lofty theme. In discussing the needs of the church today, we find so many things locking the wheels that we are uncer­tain as to which is the most important, but we hope to find an effective remedy in the removal of at least some of them. Such a discussion needs to be plain and direct, and we must approach it lovingly and in the fear of God. We cannot subtract ourselves, as we discuss “The Church of Tomorrow/’ from the church of today, be­cause the church of tomorrow will grow out of the church of today.

I trust I shall have your prayers and compassion as I begin with the first division:

I. The needs of the Church Today as Compared with Those that may arise to Confront
the Church of Tomor­row. The church of tomorrow will be great in propor­tion to its measure of helpfulness. She must not depend upon her pretensions but upon her performances. In other words the church of tomorrow must demonstrate the practical application of the principles of Christianity for which she makes such a vigorous plea. The church of today is weakened because of many things. We must be able to demonstrate our proof texts before the eyes of a criticising world. People believe in Medical Science because it helps and heals, it actually produces results. Christianity can become as helpful to the soul, as medi­cine and surgery to the body. We can prove its fruitful­ness as well as the physician. If the church will rightful­ly use her potentialities and possibilities she can surpass the influence of all other institutions on earth because she has at her command the hopes that lay hold of eternity. The gospel has more dynamic force and power when put into execution than the combined wisdom of men. Jesus has set a divine ideal before the church, and in His exhi­bition we find two elements: Ilis infallible authority, and his untarnished life that was lived in harmony with the principles he advocated. The church will never bring about results commensurate with its opportunities until it repaints before the world this lovely picture. The church must be effective in feeding the roots of life. This is the supreme purpose of all civilization. It is seen in the sports upon the playground, the training in the class room, in pure government, the ministries of art, and the operation of agriculture. The only way we can blossom into beauty and holiness is to strengthen and feed the tap root which is the heart. The only way to stir a community is to stir its heart. It is really the root and not the branch that bears the fruit. We are forever forgetting the fundamental directions of the Mas­ter, “Cleanse first that which is within the cup.” Put love in the heart and it will shine through the eye, speak from the lips, work through the hands, and through the feet run errands of mercy. A heart filled with the spirit of Christ will destroy every evil in the world.

Most of our education at present sadly lacks the spir­itual element. It trains the young too much for a liveli­hood and not enough for life. Eesearch work in a labora­tory is a useful employment, but as a preparation for the supreme moments of life it is almost wholly inadequate. A year spent in this sort of activity is not so valuable as a serious week’s meditation in God’s Word. The Word of God can enter the doors of an open heart, raise the flood gates and send forth an irresistible power with which there is no competition.

Many persons, unfortunately, leave no place whatever for the soul in the program of life. They dwarf and dwindle its hopes and aspirations. A life—program that neglects the soul is likq an engine builder who makes no provision for the steam by which to run it. These kind of people expect to pick roses without tending the soil or cultivating the bush. They want to trade with an hon­est market-man, but they do nothing to encourage hon­esty and morality. They wish to live in a community where there is a live church, where life and property will be safe, but they propose to do nothing for the church. The world today is blind as to the real sources of life. The popular plea of the optimist is, “wear a smile,” but the smile that is merely “worn” is a repulsive ex­pression. A true smile is more than skin deep. Smiling countenances do not make great hearts. We can never make the world great by this method. Peace of soul, joy and happiness, is not spread over society like a blanket. It comes up from innumerable roots that are grounded in the heart. To make the world truly happy we must dig about the heart. The thing I am trying to get before you is, how can we prepare the church and put it to work for the salvation of the community in which it lives. The greatest danger that is being broadcast today is, that social betterment is divorced from spirituality. A renewed society will never be produced until we have converted hearts, and we can never have regenerated hearts until men obey the gospel of Christ. A new heart is more important than an increase in salary; it is more important than for a man to make two blades of grass grow where only one grew formerly. More grass will make cattle fat, but it will not take away vice, dissolve heartaches or forgive sin. A consecrated heart will in­crease salaries and diminish the number of criminals. In a measure we are now prepared to seek:

II. The Characteristics of a True and Obedient Church, Patterned after the one Divinely Instituted, for these are the Elements that the Church of Tomorrow should contain.

Firstly, the ''church of the first century was pre­sented as a finality. It had no deficiencies, no redundan­cies, and could not therefore be improved upon. Let us go back to the fountain head and look at the church as the greatest institution on earth. Its greatness arises from its origin, its mission, its accomplishments, and its power to accomplish future good. For the denominations I have no apologies to offer. They are a hindrance rather than a help to the progress of the kingdom of God. They are a millstone about the neck of Christianity and should therefore be drowned in the sea of oblivion. But for the church of Christ I have the profoundest respect. For a period of fifteen years my life has been spent in her service as a- preacher and gladly will I spend my remaining days upon her altar.

It is not to he modeled after human sagacity, nor to he the pioduct of earthly wisdom. “The church, the manifold wisdom of God” (Ephesians 3:10). The church had a divine architect and was horn of God. It will still be m evidence when the empires and kingdoms of this earth have crumbled and decayed.

Secondly, the church of tomorrow' must he the custodian and guard of the Bible. “Holding forth the word of life.” She must take this in her hand and go forth as a conqueror. She must learn that she is to he “The pillar and support of the truth” (Php_2:16; 1 Timothy 3:15). God has made the church the depository of bis truth. Jehovah has ordained that it is the business of the church to break the “bread of life” to famishing souls.

“This Book I’d rather own Than all the gold and gems
That e’er in monarch’s coffers ghone,
Than all their diadems.
“Nay, were the seas one chrysolite,
The earth one golden hall,
And diamonds all the stars at night,
This hook is worth them all.

Thirdly, the church of tomorrow must he an earn­est advocate of the doctrine of Christian unity. The religious bodies of the world can’t unite on their respec­tive peculiarities. For instance a Baptist minister can’t go into a Methodist pulpit and preach the tenets of his church without conceding something. A Methodist min­ister can’t enter Ids pulpit and preach on Discipline without conceding something. Any minister in our ranks can go into any pulpit in the land and concede nothing. He simply goes to preach the gospel.

Jesus stepped into the arena of time and said, “I will build my church.” This is not the “community” church that we hear so much about today, for it has a world program. Jesus died to draw “all” men unto him. In John 14:6, Jesus states that he is the way unto the Fa­ther. He thus issues a call for mankind to follow him. In so doing he rejected all denominationalism and*voiced a plea for the unity of his disciples. The church of to­morrow is to plead for unity because it is the express will of Christ, the head of the church. God’s word teaches that it is not only a possibility but a necessity. Jesus makes it a part of his intercessory prayer in John 17:20. “That they all may be one.” It was so important that the salvation of the world depends upon it. John 17:21 : “That the world may believe.” The church of tomorrow must plead for Christian unity because it is a positive command of the apostles, the viceroys of Christ. See 1 Corinthians 1:10. “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no di­visions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined to­gether in the same mind and in the same judgment. “Un­ity can never be accomplished by cooperation and federa­tion for the reason that each church insists after the meeting is over to retain their respective peculiarities. This sort of thing is illustrated in the “Interchurch World Movement. ” Every religious body in America was represented save the church of Christ. In their last meeting, their leaders confessed that the move had been a colossal failure. The reason so stated was that the funds were appropriated to propagate the interests of the respective churches. Christ here lays down a prin­ciple for his disciples to imitate, “That they may all he one, as Thou, Father, art in me, and I in Thee.” Can Christ be a member of one church and God the member of another?

Fourthly, the church of tomorrow must possess an abundance of liberality. Church finance is admittedly not the easiest topic to handle. It is a matter of much concern with many churches. The very fact that diffi­culties surround it make it all the more important that we give it a careful consideration.

Under the Mosaic Law, God required the people to tithe their income. The New Testament does not repeat this law but it has erected a standard of giving. It does teach the principle of the tithe in so far as individual, proportionate, systematic giving is concerned. The -only way to reach a conclusion is to search for the acts of inspired men and churches. In the first place, in the beginning no two churches had the same plan. The Jerusalem plan This church practiced the “community” of goods. If this was a model, why did not other churches adopt this as an example? The*dis­ciples were of the opinion that the end of the world was near and that it would be better to dispose of their prop­erty and do good. They were not commanded to so act. Another reason for its rejection is, the church has a con­stant need for support. We must retain part of our pos­sessions in order to have increase. It was born of holy enthusiasm.
The Philippian plan. See Php_4:16. “For even in Thessalonica yc sent once and again unto my need.” This was repeated giving but it was irregular. It simply
was the haphazard plan. It was a great help to Paul but it could not be depended upon.
The Corinthian plan. See 1 Corinthians 16:2. “Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God has prospered him.” Here is regular giv­ing, here is “individual” giving. Every one should know what they are going to give before going to church. This plan left every man to judge as to how he had been prospered.
The Macedonian plan. See 2 Corinthians 8:1-5. “More­over, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia; How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their lib­erality. For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they are willing of themselves.” This is an illuminating passage. They gave of their own accord. They did not have to be urged. This stands out in contrast to bazaars, suppers, and the modern process of begging. They gave even more than Paul expected. They gave beyond their ability. Did those churches that stood by and permitted them to so give do right? This was the trouble with the Corinthian church, they stood by and let the Macedonians do what they should have done. •
The final program of Paul. See 2 Corinthians 8:12-14. “For if there first be a Avilling mind, it is accepted ac­cording to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not. For I mean not that other men be burdened and ye be eased; but by an equality.” This means that every man will give his proportionate part. But Iioav is each man to detennine his part? IIoav can tAvo men Avith different amounts give on an equal basis, for Paul says there must be an. “equality.’’ Percentage, the giving of a certain amount will answer these questions. This plan calls for a program of service. It requires that the whole field be surveyed. It means the whole church engaged in the task. It requires system and work. Perhaps this may be the reason why some brethren object to it.

Fifthly, the church of tomorrow must insist that the world avail itself of the blessings it has to offer. The church is the only institution in the world that Is con­nected with eternity. We should measure our plans by a line that will reach beyond the grave. An artist spent many weary months modelling a group of figures. At last they were completed and made ready to transport to the exhibition hall. At the last moment it was found that there was no way to get his masterpiece out of the room in which it was created. His work was a failure because he could not transport it. So we will meet him empty-handed unless our wnrk is accomplished through God’s ordained institution.

There is no such thing in the New Testament as one process to be saved and another to get into the church. The process that saves me makes me a member of his church. The church is the medium through wThich sal­vation is to be received. See 2 Timothy 2:10. “That they may also obtain the salvation which is m Christ.” To be “in Christ” is to be in his body, and to he in his body is to be in the church. Here is where salvation takes place. See Eph. 2:36. “And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross.” In Colossians 1:18; Colossians 1:24. Paul says, “the body is the church.” This being crue, reconciliation takes place in the body or the church. “All spiritual blessings are in Christ” (Ephesians 1:7). Then we are not to be blessed spiritually unless we come to the place where God promises to bless. We must be made to realize that “in Christ” we are complete in every re­spect. “Ye are complete in him” said Paul. In every stage of our existence we have been made to realize that we lacked something. In the early history of the Ameri­can Colonies, the Mother country sent out Colony ships for their relief. In this vessel would be food, ammuni­tion, clothing, etc. In time of want, they would stand on the seashore and gaze toward the Mother country. Fin­ally, it would appear and all their wants would be sup­plied.

Sixthly, the church of tomorrow must make Chris­tian living in the homes of its members a reality. Theft, larceny and crime today is in plenty. There are 26 mil­lion boys and girls in America under the age of twenty- one who are receiving no Bible teaching of any kind. The majority of these crimes are being committed by the young. It is not so much a question of what to do with them as it is, what will they do with the world? The pressing need of the hour is a regeneration of the homes. Much is being said about the revolt of youth. Are the crimes they are committing wholly due to their rebellious character? There is more to consider than their lawless­ness. Here is an example. A short time since a young lady of sixteen said to her father, “I don’t see why I can’t drive the car.” The father replied, “because the law of this state forbids you as you are under age, and I am a law-abiding citizen.” The girl answered by say­ing, “then what do those two cases of liquor mean in the cellar?” When the parents are lawless, gamble, dance, care nothing for the Bible or the church, how can we expect the children to be other than lawless ? Then what ought a Christian home to be?

It should be a powerful test of character. Many men act one way in the home and another in public. As play actors may appear in one way on the stage and quite another behind the scenes. Many men are honest and courteous to their customers because it pays. At night­fall they are sour and engage in many things that are not conducive to the best interests of the family. We must respect God in the home as well as in the church on Sunday.
It should be a place of refuge. It is more than a place to eat, grunt and sleep. But instead we find it a place of high carnival where pleasure and frivolities hold sway. It ought to be a place where our minds receive ease after the trials and storms of life.
It should be the cornerstone of civilization. The hearthstones are the foundation stones of this nation. They are more defense than jails or armies. No nation is stronger than its homes.
D. Every home should be a schoolroom of prayer and Bible study. Many of the homes have no family altar, neither do they make God’s word the standard. Every parent is writing the history of their children. The child has been in school long before it goes to the public school at the age of seven. It has had many reading lessons before this hour. Its mother’s face is its first reading lesson. If then they are walking in your steps, in what direction are they travelling?
E. Home is a type of heaven. How glad are parents when they learn the children are coming home. Home! No crying. No death. But home sweet home, beautiful home, with Christ, the angels, God, the redeemed of all ages, and our loved ones. A family reunion never to be broken. A foreigner came to this country. He fell in love with an American girl and was married. Finally his mother came. She was despised by the new daughter and finally had to leave. Here she was in a strange land, unacquaint­ed with the language, and without a home. Oh! What will it mean to you to be a stranger at the gate in that day, without a promise of entrance, and not being ac­quainted with heaven’s blessings. In conclusion, the church of tomorrow will sorely need men and women of conviction. It must be a big-hearted, sacrificing, hard working family. The church of tomor­row is as much commissioned of God as the one of today He has sent us forth fully equipped to save and renovate the world. Brethren, will we be equal to the task?