The Edification of the Church
The Edification of the Church THE EDIFICATION OF THE CHURCH
Leroy Brownlow
I. Introduction
Let us read:
“But we do all things, dearly beloved, for your edifying” (2 Corinthians 12:19).
“Let every one of us please his neighbor for his good to edification” (Romans 15:2).
“Let us therefore folloiv after the things which make for peace, and things ivherewith one may edify another” (Romans 14:19).
The word “edification” means building up, upbuilding. Hence, we are taught to follow after things wherewith one may build up another. May I now call attention to some things which I believe will build us up in the Lord’s service.
II. Leadership
Let us start with the leaders of the church.
1. A few years ago a motorist was flagged to a stop by a colored man who said, “Mista, has youse seen a group of colored people down the road?” And when the gentleman in the car replied, “Yes,” the colored man said, “I’d betta hurry on down dare, because Ise da leada.” They had already gone off and left their leader. Here is a lesson for us. Leaders ought to lead. Elders ought to “elder.” A business cannot rise above its leadership; a nation cannot progress above those who guide it; and likewise it is difficult for a church to become stronger than the men who oversee and lead it.
2. The elders, as the overseers of the church, should see that the church has a program of edification that will strengthen and build up its members; because they will have to account some day for the flock. “Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you” (Hebrews 13:17).
III. InI am more than glad to have this privilege again on this lectureship, I thank Abilene Christian College faculty for this privilege. Last year they gave me the subject, “The church in Korea.” I have again the same subject, “The church in Korea.” Last year I told that the church in Korea needed many things, but first of all, she needed two American missionaries and asked you friends to pray “the Lord of the narvest, that he would send forth laborers into his harvest” because Korea is the field white already to harvest. Thank the Lord that he called two young couples to go to Korea as missionaries to help the Korean young and weak Christians grow in the wisdom of our Lord, and teach them to be teachers, preachers, and leaders in the future churches. One is Brother C. W. Rhodes, Man- gum High School Principal, Mangum, Oklahoma, who decided to go to Korea as a missionary with his fine young Christian wife; and the other is Brother "Wallace White- horn, one of the Abilene Christian College graduates and one of the Mars Hill Bible school teachers in Florence, Alabama, who also decided to be a missionary hi Korea with his good Christian wife. Certainly, it is wonderful that the young people gave up everything—their fathers, mothers, relatives, and friends—to do the will of our Lord in Korea. I thank the Lord for them and thank you friends wTbo prayed to the Lord. I hope they will go to Korea as soon as the conflict is settled and do the great work of our Lord m Korea.
Now I am standing before you again to speak on the subject, “The church in Korea.” I will not tell you about the church in Korea—when and how the churches were established there or other things concerning her. But one thing I want to sayr to you is that the church in Korea needs good Samaritans today. A long, long time ago a very intelligent and well educated young man came to Jesus and asked two questions— first, “Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” and secondly, “Who is my neighbor?” The result of these two questions was that there appeared three classes of men— namely, priest, Levite, and Samaritan—besides the thieves and wounded and half dead man, I will read the parable of the Good Samaritan according to the gospel of Luke (Luke 10:25-37). I am sure that you all know this parable well, but I want you to refresh your minds in this parable. “And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tempted him saying, Master what shall I do to inherit eternal life? . . . Then said Jesus unto him, Go and do thou likewise.”
Let us think about this parable. I believe that it is the best and greatest teaching of Jesus Christ by the parables, for both humanity and morality. In this parable there are. five kinds of men—namely: priest, Levite, Samaritan, thieves, and wounded man. I think this parable represents the five human races in the world or the first three classes of men represent us m this room religiously. That is, according to the teaching of this parable, every one of us belongs to one of these classes—namely: priest, Levite, or Samaritan. Now where shall we put ourselves —in the place of the priest, Levite, or Samaritan. As far as I am concerned, I do not belong to any of these because I am a Korean and standing before you m behalf of the Korean refugees who are. starving to death and frozen to death as you know through the first- pages of the newspapers every day.
I would t'ke to emphasize one word in this parable; that is, the word of “chance.” Jesus Christ said, “And by chance there came down a certain priest that way; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.” “And likewise a Levite” and the Samaritan. These three men all had the same chance to prove themselves—what kind of people they were. I do believe that there is a chance for the world to be peaceful or to be in chaos. Each nation has also a chance to prove what kind of nation she is. So individually, every person has his or her chance to prove to be good or bad. .
The priest and Levite had exactly the same chance as the Samaritan had. But the first two men when they saw the chance, they passed by on the other side. I am sure that chance never came to them again. Thank the Lord that the third man, a Gentile or heathen, yet instead of passing by on the other side, took the chance “and went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow when he de-parted, he took out two pence and gave them to the host, and said unto him, take care of him; and whatever thou spendest more, vdien I will come again, I w ill repay thee.” Indeed, he was wise enough to take the chance and use it. Certainly, he was gracious enough to have “compassion on him” who fell among the thieves and was half dead. Surely, he was merciful enough to go to him, and bind up his w ounds pouring in oil and wine and set him on Ins own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And. on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence and gave them to the host saying unto him, “Take care of him, and whatever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.” Indeed, he was lovely enough to be the “neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves.” I am sure you will agree with me if I will say that our lord had said to that Samaritan, “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” because, “Inasmuch as ye did it unto him that fell among the thieves, even this least, ye did it unto me.” Don’t you think it will be a fine and wonderful thing if all of you put yourselves in the place of the Samaritans and can hear the voice of our Lord? We should take the chance and do it.
Now I will show you a picture that we Koreans have never passed away the chance, when we get it, by telling my own experience.
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In June, 1935, I came to Nashville, Tennessee, for my third trip to America. In Nashville I went to the graduation exercises of Mon Suk Kang (some of you might know him) who was a very intelligent and faithful young Methodist preacher. Dr. Yang, a Methodist bishop, brought him to Vanderbilt University and educated him four years because he thought that he would be a very useful man in Korea if he had an American education. After the graduation exercises, we went to a restaurant and had a fine dinner. Then we went to the capitol grounds and sat down on the grass and were talking about different things. Finally he said, “Oh, I am happy.” I said to him, “Why are you happy?” He said, “I will go back to Korea and will see my wife and daughter.” I said, “When will you go?” and he answered, “Next Wednesday.” I then said, “I am very sorry about it.” He got mad at me and said, “What is the matter with you?” I said, “Because it is exactly my experience. You have been in Vanderbilt only four years, but I was in Northwestern University seven years and went back to Korea. I preached for fourteen years nothing but Methodism to the Koreans. So you will preach Methodism only because you have nothing but Methodism.” He said, “What is the difference between Methodism and Christianity?” Then I took out my New Testament from my pocket and showed him the differences. Then he said, “It is different.” “Where will you preach next Sunday?” I said to him, “I will preach in Waverly-Belmont.” He asked me where the church was and I showed him how to get there. He came, and I preached on the subject, “What must I do to be saved.” Then I went to the 12th Avenue church of Christ in the evening to speak. Mon Suk Kang went to Waverly-Bel-mont that very evening and was baptized by one of the elders, Brother Lipscomb. Indeed, he took the chance to be saved. Certainly, this story proves that the Koreans never pass up the chance, if they have any chance to be saved. The next Monday morning he came to me and said, "Oh, I am really happy now.” I said, “I am happy, too.” He said, “I will go to Korea with you.” I said, “It is right, but I would like to make a suggestion. If I were you, I would stay in one of the colleges of the church of Christ at least two years. You have the truth but just enough for yourself. You don’t have enough truth to give to the Koreans. Therefore, you must have plenty truth first in the, college of the church of Christ, then you will go back to Korea with plenty of truth to give other Koreans.” Then he said, “Oh, I would like to do that, but how can I stay here two years because I haven’t any money. The Methodist church people supported me entirely for four years.”. I said to him, “Never mind about the money part, if you really want to stay in one of the colleges of the church of Christ. They will help you finane-ally better than the Methodist.” He said, “Yes, I will.” So, I wrote to Brother N. B. Hardeman about him and Brother Hardeman wrote me back sayi ng for me to send him there and they would take care of him. So he took that chance again and went to Freed-Hardeman College and got plenty of truth in two years there. Then he went back to Korea to give the chance to those Koreans who were in the shadows of death to be saved by the preaching of the simple New Testament truth. Do you think we Koreans pass away the chance as the priest and Levite or do we Koreans take the chance as the Samaritan? Certainly, we Koreans have never passed away the chance.
Now I will prove to you that the church in Korea has never failed to take the chance as Brother Mon Suk Kang did. Brother Kang went back to Korea and began to give the chance to the Koreans to be saved. In the first place, he gave the chance to his mother and wife by preaching the New Testament truth. They took the chance to be saved. His mother had been a Presbyterian Bible woman for thirty years. She had the highest salary among the Bible women because she worked longer than others, but she gave up the highest salary and poeicion to take the chance to be saved. Then she began to help her son, Brother Kang.
I am sorry to say that Brother Kang got sick and died, then she couldn’t live with her daughter-in law because they had no income to support them. So she went to China because her daughter who married a Presbyterian preacher was in China working among the Koreans. She stayed in the Presbyterian church preacher’s home and got all of her support from him financially, but she kept the truth just the same. We have a proverb in Korea something like this, “If a man has a needle in his pocket, the needlepoint comes out when the pocket is touched outside.” She had the truth in her heart. When she spoke with the Presbyterian women, the truth came out from her heart just a little, as the needlepoint came out from the pocket. One woman said, “Oh, I never heard that. Let me see my Bible.” She looked up her Bible then. She was interested and another woman did the same thing. There were four women who wanted to know the truth. They asked her to teach them the Bible regularly on every Sunday. It is the Korean women’s characteristic that when she sees something good, she wants to have it. She was very glad to have the chance to teach them the simple New Testament truth. Of course, it is a natural thing that those women were talking to their husbands at their homes, that they were learning the truth. One man was interested about it and said to his wife, “I would like to go to your Bible class and hear about the truth.” So she brought her husband to her Bible class. Another woman talked about the Bible study to her husband, and he wanted to come to the class, too; so she brought her husband there, too. Finally the four women brought all their husbands to the Bible class. Then the other Presbyterian church people joined the Bible class to learn the New Testament truth. Indeed, it is in the Koreans’ characteristic that if they know something good, they want to have it. Also, I may say it is the Korean church characteristic today because the Christians are the members of the body of the church of Christ.
Now they learned the truth fully how to be saved and wanted to be baptized in immersion for the remission of their ‘sins, but who could baptize them? There wasn’t anyone who was baptized in immersion except Brother Kang’s mother, but she was a woman so she couldn’t do it according to the New Testament church. Their hearts were burning for the truth more and more. They wanted to obey the Lord in the baptism for the remission of sins. They knew through the Bible studies that they had to be buried with Jesus Christ in the baptism to be a new creature. Their hearts were burning continuously for the truth; therefore, they decided to collect some money and send one of the them to Korea to be baptized in immersion and come back'to China to baptize them all. So they did it. One of them came to Seoul, Korea. I was in the North and he couldn’t come to me for he had limited money so he went to one of the digressive preachers, Mr. Sung, and was baptized in immersion by him. Then he went back to China and baptized all of them there. It is the characteristic of the church in Korea. Did you ever hear such a story as this? Indeed, the Koreans are trying to have the truth, if someone will teach it to them. That is how the church in Korea wants to grow in wisdom of God and in the grace of our Lord.
Then the Presbyterian church in Korea heard about how their members in China had been baptized in immersion. They wrote to the missionary, “What was the matter? We sent you money every month to preach Presbyterianism, but you did something else.” Of course, the preacher didn’t want his mother-in-law to stay in his house any more so she had to come out from her son-in-law’s house. Then all of the new born Christians came out from the Presbyterian church and had their own worship services to worship the Lord in spirit and truth as the apostolic church did, and they collected money on the first day of the week to support Sister Kang. They kept the Lord’s Day, just as the churches of Christ in America, having communion services every Lord’s Day and had no musical instruments in the worship of the Lord. They were getting along very nicely; but when the second World War was stopped, then the Chinese rose up and killed the Japanese and Koreans. All the Koreans were trying to come back to Korea. Three families of Christians came to Seoul and joined the Nasoo Chung church of Chust which was the first of the four churches in Seoul and my family attended there. They were very active. The name of one of the three families is Ohai. That family saved my family at the time of the Red’s occupation of Seoul. It is also a wonderful story which shows the characteristic of the church in Korea. When the Reds captured Seoul the first time on June 27, 1950, the Reds came to our home and forced all of my family to go to the outside of the city where no one could see them to kill them. But my wife and whole .family were crying out and making a big noise. Then the Reds let them stay at the home, and they took away all the rice and money that my wife had, leaving them to starve to death. The Reds did this twice. After that robbers came with pistols and took away everything they could. Then my wife had absolutely nothing for the family to live on. There were many people around our home whom we thought were our friends. But they did nothing for my family. Even Mr. Lee, a son of the Methodist preacher who was very rich, and wrho I thought was our best friend and neighbor and who lives in the next house to us, did nothing for my family. But Brother Chai and his family brought a few pounds of barley to my wife, although they live a long way from us. My wife put a handful of the barley into a big kettle with lots of water and boiled it. The whole family ate the barley soup winch helped to keep them alive until the IT. N. Forces recaptured Seoul, September, 1950. Thank the Lord that he saved my family through Brother Chai and his family. This event proved the parable of the good Samaritan and the characteristic of the church in Korea. The church in Korea is certainly like the church at the apostolic age; they helped each other as they could. The above event reminds me of a proverb in Korea which says, “Anything comes out from you will return to you.” And I also remember the scripture which says, “Every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor.” I hope you all see the picture that I have tried to show you; that is, if I hadn’t helped Mon Suk Kang in Nashville, June, 1935, to have the chance to obey, the Lord, do you think my family could have been saved in Seoul last year? Surely 'it couldn’t be. How wonderful the work of our Lord is! I did just little work of salvation in Nashville in 1935, but it went around to Korea and China and came back to Seoul and saved my whole family. Indeed, this event proved the parable of our Lord of the mustard seed (Matt. 13: 31-32). By the way, I don’t know how long I will speak this morning. The program shows that there isn’t anyone going to speak after my speech until this evening. It means that I can speak all day long if you will listen to me that long. Well, I suppose you like to have your good dinner rather than to hear my poor speech; so I will stop my speech at twelve because I don’t want you to miss your good dinner. In conclusion, again I say to you, friends, I am standing before you and am seeking to find “Good Samaritans” for, as you know through the pictures on television, and through the voices on the radio, and from the first pages of the newspapers daily, the terrible conditions in Korea. Indeed, millions of Koreans fell among the thieves of communism. Some of them are the members of the church of Christ who are your brethren and sisters. Certainly, they are wounded and half dead physically and spiritually. Won’t you have compassion on them? Won’t you bind up their wounds and pour in oil and wine? Won’t you take care of them? Won’t you be a neighbor to them as the Samaritan was for the wounded man? I am sure if you do it, likewise you will hear the voice of our Lord, “Well done, good and faithful servant—enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.” “Inasmuch as ye did it unto one of these, my brethren, even these least, ye did it unto me.”
dividual Cooperation
1. If leadership is essential in church work, then “fel-lowship” is also essential. This word “followship” is not in the dictionary, but you know what I mean. Neither can it be found in the lives of some church members. But there is no point in having leadership unless you have “followship” and vice versa. In the same passage in which Paul taught that the elders would have to account for the flock, he also taught that the flock should cooperate and allow themselves to be led. “Obey them that have the rule over you and submit yourselves” (Hebrews 13:17).
2. Paul teaches that unity and cooperation are helpful in edifying the church: “From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of‘ itself in love” (Ephesians 4:16). The human body is used to illustrate the church, the spiritual body. By every member working in his place and performing his duty, all of them together “maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love” (Ephesians 4:16). Paul emphasized that every member has his . work to do. By this joint and harmonious working of every member, the church increased. One of the faults in the church today is that we put too much emphasis on the work of a few in the church to the neglect of the universal work of every member of the church. We must work, and work together. “We then, as workers together with him ...” (2 Corinthians 6:1).
IV. Teaching Program
1. There is power in God’s word to edify or build us up. Hear Paul as he speaks to the Ephesian elders: “And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified” (Acts 20:32). God’s word is our spiritual food. It is milk to the newborn babe (1 Peter 2:1), and it is the meat to give older Christian (Hebrews 5:12-14). All scripture furnishes us unto doctrine, reproof, correction, instruction in righteousness and unto every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
2.Nothing will take the place of this spiritual food. Nothing will take the place of the word of God in the heart of a Christian. You may read newspapers, magazines and novels galore, and they may or may not help you in some respects, but they definitely will not take the place of the word of God and build you up spiritually. God’s word has no substitute. Christians are to long for the sincere milk of the word (1 Peter 2:1). But the less converted a Christian is, the more he longs for something else. The less converted a congregation is, the more “oyster soup” it demands to keep it going. JMany Christians are spiritually weak and puny because they have not had the proper spiritual diet. Many have been destroyed for the lack of knowledge. “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6).
3. In the teaching program we should have an efficient Bible school on Sunday morning, Sunday evening classes (some designed for training), ladies’ classes during the week, men’s training class during the week, a class or two in singing, a class to train teachers, a class in personal evangelism, etc. We should take inventory and learn what our needs are, and then make plans to supply those needs.
4. The success of a class is chiefly dependent upon the teacher.
(1) For that reason, the elders should have high standards for the teachers. Too many congregations have almost no standards for their teachers, except a willingness to take a class. The public schools do not select teachers on that basis, and neither should we. A few years ago we set up some standards for our teachers in the Polytechnic church in Fort Worth. Consequently, it is an honor to be one of the teachers. For instance, one of the require-ments is that a teacher, if possible, attend every service of the church. We think'a Sunday-morning Christian is not spiritually qualified to take a class. A person who is no more interested in the church than to attend on Sunday morning only is not interested enough in the church to build up his class. This is just one of the requirements. If you will make it an honor to be a teacher (and it should be) you will get better teachers and better results.
(2) We should be sure that the teachers are sound in the faith, and that they are using sound gospel literature. In the midst of our glorious success, it is easy to forget the struggles of the past. Success may become failure. Brethren, how short is our memory? Have we so soon forgotten the digression of the past century which crept into the church? The first religious body of any kind ever established in Fort Worth was the church of Christ. It was back when there were only a fort and a few cabins along the high bluff overlooking the Trinity River. The big valley along the river was then in harvest fields. A fellow by the name of Dean with a pistol in one pocket and a Bible in the other rode his horse into this little settlement and secured a job as a harvest hand. He would work all day in the grain fields, and at night he would preach the gospel. At night, he brought in a different kind of sheaves. When the harvest was over, he got on his horse and rode away, leaving a church of eight members. The congregation grew. In time, they had three hundred members. But they began to use teachers weak 'in the faith and literature poisoned with error. The story can be summed up by saying the whole church, except a handful, went into digression, and a few faithful brethren had to start all over again. Yes, the church went into digression under the coveted name of progression; but, you know, there is a vast difference between digression and progression. The church is strong in Fort Worth today, but think how much stronger it would be if the church had been edified instead of being sabotaged, because we got there first* A faithful, loyal brother who earns his bread as a ditch- digger, cotton picker, or a harvest hand, and who signs his name with a mark, may help to build up the church, while some of us who have gone to school a little may help to tear down and vice versa. I say “and vice versa” because some brethren who sign their names with marks have almost marked out the church in some places. So the point of this remark is that in selecting teachers for our Bible classes, we should put a greater emphasis on soundness in doctrine and life than on secular training. The teaching program is a major item in the edification of the church. If you will build up the Bible classes and teach the right things in them, you will in time, all other things being equal, build up a strong church. A few years ago, I heard one of our evangelists say in a sermon that some churches today have so many classes: ladies’ class, men’s class, training class, etc., that they could not obey the great commission, and he quoted Matthew 28:19-20. But he quoted the wrong verse, for that passage says that not only are we to teach the alien, but that we are to teach the baptized all things that Jesus commanded. We are to do both. Neither should be done at the expense of the other. Both can be done, or both would not have been commanded.
V. Program of Work
1. Putting the church to work is very vital in edifying it. Work strengthens; idleness weakens. A working church is warm and enthusiastic. A lazy church is cold and indifferent. Did you ever walk into a church building of worshippers that reminded you of a refrigerator? Icicles hanging down from the ceiling? The worship seemed cold, lifeless, and formal. The people in the pews seemed like corpses? And the man in the pulpit reminded you of a dead man? Oh! They are too dignified to work! Yes, and too dignified to go to heaven, too, unless some changes are made.
2. If we would become great in God’s sight, we must serve. Jesus said, “But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant” (Matthew 23 :11). Brethren, here is a point that needs much attention in the average congregation. So many who have named the name of Christ want to be served rather than serve. A teacher related the story of the good Samaritan to her class. Then she asked, ‘‘Boys and girls, what have you learned from this story?” One little boy said, “I have learned that .when I get into trouble my neighbors ought to help me.” The old selfish, self-centered spirit! “When I get into trouble my neighbors help me.” Wonder where he learned that? Remember: “Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28).
3. Some things which concern work and service are going to come up at the judgment. Jesus will say to those on the left hand, “For I was ahungered, and ye gave me no meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not” (Matthew 25:42-43). Since Jesus commanded us to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” then this will come up at the judgment, too. Christ said, “The word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day” (John 12:48). The duty to be a personal evangelist and a soul winner is enjoined upon every Christian. Remember: the alien cannot obey the latter part of the great commission until we obey the first part of it.
4. Some say that there isn’t enough work for everybody. Maybe they do not know what work is. They have reference to leading the songs and prayers, preaching the/ sermon, and waiting on the Lord’s table. Well, that isn’t work; that’s worship. Some who complain about not getting to work enough really do not want to work; they want to lead in the worship. There is plenty of work for everybody, more than we shall ever get done. We need a program of work to aid the needy, visit the sick and the shut- ins, take census, pass out literature, comfort the bereaved, greet the strangers in our communities, visit the new members, strengthen the weak members, restore the fallen, con-vert the aliens, etc. There is no question about the amount of work to be done. The question is: Are we going to do it?
5. If you will work for Christ, you will be happier and become stronger. If you will lead a soul to Christ, the experience will strengthen you. If you will take some groceries to a sick, starving family, you will go away as a better Christian. Brethren, if you will sit by the bed of a dying man, it will do something to you. Watch over him through the long hours of the night. Life is slowly ebbing away. One night seems like an eternity. You minister to his needs as best you can. You feel of a weak and jerky pulse. You lay your hand on a heated brow. You helplessly gaze into glassy eyes. You listen to the death rattle in the throat. You see the bosom rise and fall in the awful struggle between life and death. You see it fall never to rise again. You see the color of life as it gradually fades into the color of death. You go to break the news to the world that the end has come. My brother, you will be a better man and a better Christian because of the way you spent that night. We need to work and serve for our own good as well as for the good of others.
6. For five years now in the Polytechnic church we have had an organized system of personal work. On Sunday the worker will go to one of the offices and get a slip of paper showing the necessary information. The visit is made and the worker writes up a report of the visit and turns it in next Sunday and gets another assignment. The information on the returned slip is trans-ferred to the permanent file. We have tried three or four different systems of personal work, and find this one the most satisfactory.
7. Organized personal work is good, but it only goes so far. It cannot take the place of individual initiative. Every Christian should work. Did I hear someone say, “I would like to serve, but I don’t know where to start.” If so, let me tell you this incident. In the Civil War a soldier, who had lost his place, timidly asked General Sherman, “Where shall I step in?” “Anywhere,” said the General, “There is fighting all along this line.” That is precisely true of the spiritual combat. You should not have to be told everything that needs to be done.
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VI. Books and Tracts
A good church library is another helpful avenue in edifying the church. Religious papers and magazines serve in the same field. The teacher of our high school class has found it profitable to operate a small library right there in the classroom. It contains material on marriage, divorce, dancing, drinking, modernism and other problems boys and girls have to meet in the public schools. The results have been marvelous.
VII. Church Bulletin
A church bulletin or paper can accomplish much in a program of edification. It can be a “booster” for the church program. It can keep before the church the program of work and talk it up. Tell the members what you are doing, what you want to do, and ask them to help you. I think this should be the bulletin’s mission rather than a medium to reach the alien. There are several pe-riodicals especially designed to reach the alien which I think will serve better in this field than any church bulletin. For best results, it should be mailed out so that it will reach the members’ homes on Friday or Saturday each week. Go into the members’ homes through the bulletin week after week and appeal to them in different words and in different ways to cooperate. At first, it will seem hopeless. After about a year, it will begin to bear fruit.
VIII. Discipline
1. Here is another thing we can do to strengthen the church: exercise some discipline. When the worldly and unconverted think they can live any way they please and still enjoy the fellowship of the church, it has a weakening influence over the whole body. We have discipline in the army, school, government and home. We should have it in the church. The Bible says, “Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly” (2 Thessalonians 3:6). A few evil members ma^ weaken the whole congregation. Paul said, “Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump” (1 Corinthians 5:6-7). I think you will agree that we have too little discipline in the church today. Instead of rebuking before all them that sin that others may fear (1 Timothy 5:20), we are prone to want to call on them to serve the Lord’s supper. The Bible teaches that we should exercise discipline for the good of the guilty party, and for the good and edification of the church. If we expect to succeed, we must do it God’s way. God’s way leads to success. Man’s way leads to failure.
2. I think some of these things will edify the church, but do not expect too much. These suggestions won’t “whip in line” all church members. Nothing else will. Several years ago a family consisting of the old man and three boys lived over in the river brakes. They thought they no longer needed God and his church. The preacher and other Christians had talked to them about Christian living, but father and sons mocked and ridiculed. One day they, with alarm and haste, sent for the preacher. One of the boys had been bitten by a rattlesnake and was at the point of death. When the preacher arrived he was asked to pray. They all kneeled and the preacher prayed, “0 God, we thank thee for rattlesnakes. We thank thee that one bit Jim. We pray that one will bite Bob, and we pray that thou will send another to bite Henry, and, 0 Lord, we pray that thou will send the biggest one of all to bite the old man; for only rattlesnakes will do this family any good.” Only rattlesnakes will edify some indifferent members of the church.
IX. The Preaching
1. The preaching has a big influence in the edification of the church. There is power in the preaching either to build or to destroy the church. The soundness of a church
does not depend upon its size, but upon its teaching and preaching. Hence, let us now consider the preacher and his preaching.
2. First, it is hard to edify a church when there is a change of preachers every year or two. It keeps the membership in a turbulent state. They cannot get down to work for spending so much time “trying out” preachers. Oftentimes the preacher is to blame for this condition because he has “itching feet,” but oftentimes the members are to blame, because they have “itching ears.”
3. If we would edify and keep the church strong, we must indoctrinate it and keep it from compromise. We are taught to take heed in a twofold manner : “Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee” (1 Tim. 4,:16). So we must take heed to both the doctrine or teaching and to our personal manner of living in order to save ourselves and others. Then doctrine is essential in the edification of the church. It is so important that we cannot fellowship those who bring a different doctrine (2 John 1:9-11). We must indoctrinate each generation to keep the church strong. If we should fail to indoctrinate just one generation, it would be tragic for the church. But today in some places the cry is for something practical; however, if we indoctrinate the children so that when they get older, they will not be “tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine” (Ephesians 4:14), then we have certainly given them something that is practical. Of course, there are other practical things we are to teach them, too, but that does not mean that this is not practical. We do not want to be religiously “lopsided” in any respect.
4. We must watch our attitudes, for apostasy begins with an attitude. Paul in speaking to Timothy has given the steps in apostasy: “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables” (2 Timothy 4:3-4). First, “Will not endure sound doctrine”—an attitude. Second, “Heap to themselves teachers”—segregation of teachers who tickle their ears; have only the teachers that teach what they want taught and refrain from teaching what they do not want taught. Third, “Turn away their ears from the truth”—refuse to hear it; will not have it. Fourth, “Shall be turned unto fables”—out; gone into error and apostasy; and it all began with an attitude. There are certain attitudes today toward preaching, which, in my belief, if they were universally accepted, would before long cause the church to be weakened and destroyed instead of edified hnd builded up.
(1) For instance, “Preach the gospel, but let people alone.” Suppose the high command were to say to the army, “Boys, shoot, but be sure that you do not hit anybody.” Such tactics would bring defeat. A few years ago I went to a certain place to preach in a meeting. After a few days, one of the elders said, “The trouble here is that our preacher is a professional ball player. He winds up on Sunday morning and throws a curve around everybody in the house.” Well, it is a mighty poor teacher who can’t hit some of us sinful creatures once in awhile. This reminds us of the preacher who would preach on neither heaven nor hell, and they said it was just because he had friends in both places. God intends for us to wield the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17) and a sword isn’t something to spread butter with. It is something that cuts and pricks. This thought also: preaching over the heads of the people will not edify them either. Preacher friends, for the best results, we should aim low enough to hit the heart. We must “stand fast in the faith” (1 Corinthians 16:13). Standing for something necessitates our standing against something. You cannot stand for certain things without standing against certain other things. The Psalmist said, “I hate every false way” (Psalms 119:104). The person who loves truth hates error; therefore, a person’s hatred for error is in proportion to his love for truth, and vice versa. If one does not have much hatred for error, then he does not have much love for truth.
(2) Here is another attitude: “Don’t preach a negative gospel.” The person who lays down this rule violates his own rule by saying, “Don’t preach a negative gospel.” The person,who lays down this rule indicts God, for God did not follow it.- Eight of the ten commandments are negative. Paul said, “Reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine” (2 Timothy 4:2). Two out of three are negative, Paul, in giving the works of the flesh, names seventeen negatives, things we should not do. In naming the fruit of the Spirit, he lists nine positive qualities. If this spirit of laying down human rules for preaching should prevail, it will lead to another apostasy. Those in the past century who had this idea are the ones who left the church and founded the digressive Christian Church.
(3) Here is something else: the attitude which attempts to please the people instead of save the people. This is a prevalent idea in denominationalism. This article that I clipped from the Fort Worth Star Telegram reveals the thinking in denominational circles. It is headed: “Showmanship for Churches Is Urged by Detroit Pastor.” We now quote: “Showmanship that matches competition in other fields is a definite need of the church today if it intends keeping pace in a fast-changing world. Churchmen of the Southwest studied this advice as they met Wednesday in the third-day session of the Texas Pastors’ School. A prominent Detroit Methodist and principal lecturer at the school, Rev. Frederick B. Fisher, Tuesday told the ministers that ‘if 'it takes showmanship to draw customers to the churches, then let’s give them exactly that.’ He developed his theme with the assertion ‘the petty ideas that ministers have been harping on for the last few hundred years, like smoking, dancing and the like, must not be played up. Only by putting on a better show than your competitor,’ he added, ‘can you hope to draw the business.’ ”
Anything which may interfere with drawing the crowds and the business is to be omitted. Business has priority over the soul. It is evident that denominationalism is partially responsible for the moral decay in our land. It happened like this: One preacher on one corner began to wink at sin and lower the standards for his people. It appealed to the worldly and consequently he began to build up a crowd. The preacher on the opposite corner saw what was happening, so he lowered his standards still lower (in commercial language, he cut prices way down) in an effort to draw the crowds, too. So on and on it has spread. Denominationalism is in a mad race to see which one can make religion the easiest instead of the safest. We must watch lest we be overcome by this spirit. In edifying the church, we must teach against worldliness, idleness, covetousness, lukewarmness, compromise and “softism,” pre- millennialism, denominationalism, modernism and everything else that threatens the welfare of the church of our Lord. We should fortify and strengthen our people against sin regardless of the clothes in which it may come dressed. We must teach them to love the truth and the church and to defend the same, to love God and to love one another, to be spiritual, and to be strong and steadfast in their calling.
I hold in my hand a copy of the Fort Worth Star Telegram, evening edition, November 11, 1947. Dr. Jeff D. Ray of Baptist fame, a professor 'in the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary for many years, is a columnist for this paper. Dr. Ray in his column says, “The most rapidly growing religious denomination in Texas today is the body calling themselves ‘The Church of Christ.’ Naturally they would expect me to admit that in certain vital matters I regard their teachings as erroneous. But why do they make such rapid growth? “I think there are three reasons: (1) While I think many of their interpretations of Scripture are hurtfully fallacious, they, both preachers and people, do stick to the Bible; (2) They definitely believe something and know what they believe; (3) They defend and boldly seek to propagate their views on every part of the ground.” Our growth has been wonderful and marvelous—the fastest growing religious body in the state. It has not been due to the finest church buildings; others have finer ones. It has not been due to the most accessible locations; others have better locations. It has not been because our preachers have had more college and university training, for they haven’t. It has not been due to a larger number of paid workers, for others have more. My friends, this unusual growth which has attracted the attention of others has been due to the position we occupy and the plea we make. May we never forget that. Dr. Ray, an observer, says it is because we “stick to the Bible.” May we ever be loyal to the principle, “Speak where the Bible speaks, and be silent where the Bible is silent.” This motto has brought us a long ways. In the second place, Dr. Ray says that we “definitely believe something and know what we believe.” A wonderful compliment. And one that cannot be paid the majority of religious folk. For us to edify the church and keep it from decaying within, our people must believe something and they must know what they believe. In the third place, Dr. Ray says that our tremendous growth is because we “defend and boldly seek to propagate” our “views on every part of the ground.” There are some who are tired of this method, but Dr. Ray says it is one of the reasons we have come so far. I think he is right. It has brought us a long ways. Don’t you think we had better stick with it and include it in any program of church edification? Dr. Ray, the Baptist preacher and educator, in speaking of our tactics and methods, says, “In their process of practically propagating their views it seems to me they are on the right trail. ... I wish that all our religious bodies could see the wisdom of adopting that method of propagating and perpetuating their faith. Spreading yourself out so thin that you hold nothing and propagate nothing that people of other faiths could not adopt, is a hopeless method of promoting Christ’s cause or bringing about vital Christian unity. Let every man personally know what he believes, proclaim his faith, and in the' spirit of the gentle Master defend it.”
Brethren, spreading ourselves out so thin that we hold nothing will destroy the church. An observer from the outside says that our glorious growth is due to our holding to something. May we not turn loose! Let’s keep holding! Our methods are often criticized and many times by some of our own people, but if they are so bad and need changing, why have they been so successful? Our uncompromising attitude is often criticized, but it together with the truth and with God’s help has raised up a powerful people. In edifying the church we must teach our people the principles of the restoration movement and loyalty to the truth. If we fail, decay will set in and success will be turned into failure. If we are true to the Book, our successes have only begun, and the future of the church will .be far more wonderful than a glorious past.