WEAKNESSES' OF THE PRESENT—By G. H. P. Showalter

WEAKNESSES' OF THE PRESENT---By G. H. P. Showalter WEAKNESSES OF THE PRESENT
G. H. P. Showalter

We have under discussion the general theme of “Tendencies” and Webster defines this word as “A proneness to a certain course of thought or action, a propensity.” Weak tendencies would be a proneness in thought or action to a course of weakness. We may observe people’s actions and know what they are: their thoughts we may never know, and we may reach safe conclusions only by a careful consideration of their actions, or their conduct. Our Lord, and he only knows the thoughts and intents of the hearts of people, either as individuals or in groups, has said: “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh” (Matthew 12:34). In the prayer of Hannah this great and good woman said: “The Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed” (1 Samuel 2:3). The God of knowledge knows our thoughts; men are left to surmise them, or infer them in connection with actions.

1. People are thoughtless. In all ages this has been the trouble with God’s people. “Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider” (Isaiah 1:3). These words of the great Jehovah set forth the fundamental reason why the Israel of God in the days of Isaiah were a “sinful nation.” They were wayward and sinful. The extent and the limits to which the people of the Lord had gone—their awful condition into which they had fallen was expressed in the plain, piercing, awful words of God himself: “Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evil doers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.” But what was the cause of it all? Or as the Lord would say: “Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.” They had heart trouble; that was God's diagnosis. Their trouble was in the head and heart; it was in the realm of the mental, the intellectual, the spiritual. They plunged into their reckless way of life and into the quagmires of sin, corruption, and degradation for lack of knowledge. Hosea said of this same people, They were destroyed for lack of knowledge. They were busy doing things that they did, and all they did was displeasing to the Lord. They were thoughtless; they proceeded in the ways of inconsideration and downright ignorance. They were responsible for all the troubles and sorrows that came upon them. The desolation of their country, the burning of their cities, the occupation and devouring of their lands—their farms and their vineyards—and their utter overthrow by invading hordes of strangers—all of this wreck and ruin and its consequent destitution, suffering and sorrow, they brought upon themselves, simple because they did not think; they were thoughtless. That was the explanation that was given by the Lord.

2. Are there iveaknesses in the church today? And what is the cause of them? Also of greater importance is the question, What is the cure for them? Some of our brethren don’t think we are weak, or at least that we are afflicted with any very serious cases of weakness. We persuade ourselves that we are strong, great and mighty, and that the church is in every way doing well. That the churches of Christ are doing well in many ways cannot be denied. There are more of them being established; their financial and numerical strength is clearly recognized, and there is a spirit of optimism that is entitled to merit. But there are many evils among those who make up the children of God in the day in which we live. Yes, we have weaknesses. And as one old brother expressed it: Many of these are mighty strong weaknesses. The cause of ‘'Weaknesses of the Present” is the same as of the past. It is primarily, as with God's ancient people, a trouble of the head and heart. People do not think. Troubles and sorrows are in the churches today because Christians are thoughtless in their attitudes and activities. They do not consider. And their inconsideration brings on innumerable troubles of varied nature and of different kinds.. There are many weak brethren—weak in faith, in courage, in knowledge, in many other of the virtues of the life in Christ. This weakness should be cured, but it is not. Those who are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak and not to please ourselves. But this forbearance as it is required and urged in the word of the Lord by which we claim to be governed, is not observed. The weak brother is offended and falls, and the cause of the Lord Jesus Christ suffers. It could easily be that the weak brother will be lost eternally, and all because a “strong” brother in the church, who knew his Lord’s will did it not, was both thoughtless and neglectful in the exercise of Christian love and a Christian’s forbearance.

3. An Inefficient Eldership: We have more men of ability in the church than usual and more elders that ought to be well qualified for the oversight of the congregations. Some seem to think that the most of their work is to hire and fire preachers. They have litle general knowledge of the Bible; many of them have never read it through; many more have never studied the Bible in its entirety; and another considerable percent of them exercise very little of their ability as teachers. They are not apt to teach. In some localities they select the best business men, or the richest man, or the banker, thinking that his standing will help the church; but this is not always the case. Sometimes he hurts instead of helps. It is true that he must have a good report of those that are without, and it is also true that he must not be greedy of filthy lucre, “not a lover of money.” Many men seem to be too busy to be elders. Do they frequently visit in the homes of the people? Do they know the names of the members of the church where they serve as elders? I have observed the behavior of elders in many congregations for many years. My father was an elder and they thought he was a good one. Seventy years ago elders were conspicuous for visiting in the homes of the wayward and for their prayers and Bible reading where people were sick— as much so as they now are for building fine meeting houses. And it is certainly right to provide houses that are comfortable to accommodate those who repair to the house of the Lord for worship, or as “outsiders” to witness our devotions and receive our teaching. The Savior said to certain ones whom he criticised: “These ought ye to have done and not to leave the other undone” (Matthew 23:23; Luke 11:42). These Pharisees thought they were sufficiently liberal in giving—maybe they were, but they had passed over justice and the love of God.

Well, when we get properly started on weaknesses we can find lots to say—fault-finding is easy, it is easy to find fault, there is so much of it. After all, it is so much easier to pull down and destroy than it is to build. But again, after all, to locate weaknesses and correct them is a very essential part of the work of building up the spiritual body of Christ. We have larger churches, larger and. far more expensive church buildings, and many other things that seem favorable. But these, in and of themselves, will never accomplish what God has designed should be done. And I am fully persuaded that as a class the elders in our congregations do not compare favorably with what they were a half century ago. There are exceptions.

4. A Social Affair. The church of our Lord is not a “Social Affair.” In some localities those who are leaders in the churches of Christ are undoubtedly too much concerned over recreational and social entertainments and social pleasures. Bridge parties and forty-two are the order of the day or night in many of the homes of the members, and an enormous amount of valuable time is wasted, and all this at a fearful sacrifice of spiritual development. Most gaming to my mind is beyond all doubt to be classed with the pleasure of this life, the lusts of the flesh, and the pride of life. Brethren and sisters who are wild about “bridge parties’' and who spend three or four days of most weeks in these games, up till near the midnight hour, in their own homes or in the homes of others, have so far failed to demonstrate the spiritual values of this course of conduct.

A brother in another congregation in my home city rang me up to say, “Brother Showalter: I just called to ask if we might use the basement auditorium of your church for a special meeting; we have about 50 young people who may be present.” “And what is the nature of the entertainment?” I asked. “A bridge party,” he promptly replied. “I can answer that question without waiting to see the other elders. No.” We do have a large and expensive building for the University Avenue Church of Christ, but it was built and is being used for the convenience of people who come to worship, and for teaching the Bible, and for the proclamation of the gospel. We have never used it for “Bridge Parties,” nor offered its use to others for that purpose. In fact we don’t believe in church bridge parties. The Christian Church has such parties, and adds to them bazaars, raffles, auctions and many such things in order to have a good time and lots of pleasure while they raise money for the Lord. Perhaps the greatest iveakness in the church today is worldliness, and a love of carnal pleasures, in this pleasure-mad age.