WORLD EVANGELISM
WORLD EVANGELISM WORLD EVANGELISM
Claude A. Guild
Introduction
“Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory? And how do ye see it now? Is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing?” (Haggai 2:3). The language of Haggai the prophet is an applicable text to the general theme of our lectureship, “Back to the Old Paths”, and is apropos for my specific assignment, “World Evangelism”. The house addressed in the text was God’s house of the Old Testament, Israel. “Behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that I will make a new convenant with the (house of Israel, and with the house of Judah; not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was a husband unto them, saith Je-hovah.” (Jeremiah 31:31-32). We will address our remarks relative to this text to God’s house of the New Testament, the church of God. “But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how men ought to behave themselves in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15).
Aged brethren enjoy dreaming dreams or having- reminiscences of days past. They like to recall experiences they had in the church in its first glory. It is my purpose in this address to take you back beyond the days of aged brethren to apostolic times. The church in its first glory is revealed to us in the New Testament. Our principal concern today is, what is the glory of the church today in' “World Evangelism” as compared to the first glory of the apostolic church? We will name three reasons why the glory of the New Testament church does not shine forth in all its splendor today like it did in apostolic times in “World Evangelism” The church was a sacrificial church:
“And all .that believed were together, and had all things common; and they sold their possessions and goods, and. parted them to all, according as any man had need” (Acts 2:44-45). “And Joseph, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas (which is, being interpreted, Son of exhortation), a Levite, a man of Cyprus by race, having a field, sold it, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet”. (Acts 4:36-37). “And this, not as we had hoped, but first they gave their own selves to the Lord, and us through the will of God.” (2 Corinthians 8:5). Love for the brethren and for the cause they had subscribed to, caused the early church to know no bounds to their liberality. The spirit of David in liberality was comparable to the spirit of the New Testament church. “And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will verily buy it of thee at a price; neither will I offer burnt-offerings unto Jehovah my God which cost me nothing”. (2 Samuel 24:24).
David was seeking a threshing floor from Araunah, the Jebusite, to use for an altar for burnt offerings. The Jebusite was responsive to the king’s desire. He offered the threshing floor free of cost, but David said, “Neither will I offer burnt-offerings unto Jehovah my God which cost me nothing”.
In this unselfish expression from David, we see weli expressed the attitudes of about four classes of brethren in the church today:
Firstly: “I will not give.”
This attitude is in opposition to the song we sing, “I Surrender All”; but this niggardly, selfish attitude is not only expressed in a few individual Christians but is expressed in some congregations in the whole, relative to “ World Wide Evangelism”. Their response to dying souls to date is, “No, I will not give!” They need a lesson from the man who was to be baptized and the preacher noticed he had his watch in h'is pocket and suggested that he leave it writh someone on the bank. The old fellow saicj, “No, I have both my watch and pocket-book. I’m baptizing all of it!” He wanted his time and money, as well as himself, to be used for the propagation of the gospel.
Secondly: “I ivill not give unto the Lord.”
Brethren will consume funds given into a common treasury for buddings, air conditioning, church towers, paved parking lots, padded pews, flowers and quilts for quiltings, but when it comes to missions, they say, “Count me out!” They have become selfish in their thinking.
Thirdly: “I will give unto the Lord a sacrifice”.
If a gift into the treasury of the Lord is from our abundance, we will give it, but if it calls for sacrifice, We are restrained. The following story has warmed my heart many times: Bro. Lyle Delzell was ministering for the church in Wieser, Idaho. They had about thirty members and were meeting in the basement. Bro. Delzell and the members had exhausted all the funds they could gather to get the building on ton of the ground. They had the walls and rafters up. Winter was coming on and they just couldn't see how they could get the roof on the building. A Christian family was traveling from Texas to. British Columbia to be with Sister Guild and me in the work there. When they reached Idaho on their long journey, they ran out of funds. They picked prunes to continue their journey. They started toward British Columbia again and the first night found them in Wieser and they stayed with the Delzells. Bro, Delzell related his plight—no funds, no roof and winter drawing near. After they had gone to bed, unknown to Bro. Delzell, this traveler stole into the front room, found Bro. Delzell’s Bible, opened it at 1 Corinthians 13, and laid. $60.00 in it.
They had breakfast and when the goodbyes were being said, this traveler told Bro. Delzell how to get the roof on the building. He said, “Bro. Lyle, go into the house and read First Corinthians, thirteenth chapter, and you will see something in it you have never seen before!” You know the rest of the story: they were able to get the roof oil their building. These funds came as a sacrifice from prune picking wages.
Fourthly: “I will not give a gift which costs me nothing.”
This should be the attitude of every Christian. In the days when the church did nothing, it cost nothing. Today, we are catching a vision of our world wide, responsibilities and it is going to. cost us something,, however, it is regrettable to know that the responsibility of “World Evangelism” is carried by only about ten percent of the members in congregations doing mission work, and only about ten percent of the congregations in the brotherhood are missionary minded. A vast majority of brethren are hitch-hiking on the efforts of others. The first glory of the New Testament church was a sacrificing church.
2. The Apostolic Church had faith in God; less faith in funds:
Although apostolic brethren were liberal, their faitli was manifested in God, not money: Luke said, “Now' after these things were ended, Paul ‘ purposed in the spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, After I have been there, I must also see Rome” (Acts 19:21). Members of the church were carrying the word forth: “They thereiore that were scattered abroad went about preaching the word” ( Acts 8:4). Today, members of the church are going everywhere, but not preaching the word. (A good many of them are going to the devil!). In business meetings conducted by officers of most congregations, ninety-nine percent of the time is spent talking about funds. You would think we were in the banking business! Some of their time is consumed in preparing a soft way to say “no” to missionary appeals. One. percent of their time is used discussing souls.
Preachers are (not in the absolute), looking for guarantees, fixed salaries and vacations with pay.- ..If these things are not forthcoming, a good many preachers are not interested. We have very few tent- makers among us today. “And because he was one of the same trade, he abode with them, and they wrought; for by their trade they were tentmakers” (Acts 18:3). There is an unseemly market in the church of Christ today. Churches are playing these shameful markets by bidding for- the best talent among us in preaching. Too, preachers are present at this market, selling their talent to the highest bidders. Mission fields cannot compete with this market. A good percentage of this trade is the manifestation of a lack of faith in God and a demonstration of faith in funds.
Brother Chas. Roberson taught in Abilene Christian College when I was a student, “The big preachers in the brotherhood are those who will go where others won’t go!” I hope this is still being taught in Abilene Christian College. Paul was a great preacher, but some of the greatest pulpits he ever filled was a whippmg post or cell-block in Rome’s prison house. An infidel once said, “If I firmly believed, as millions say they do, that the knowledge and practice of Christianity in this life influences destin-es in another world, Christianity would be to me everything. I would cast aside earthly thoughts and feelings as vanity. Christianity would be my first waking thought and my last image before sleep sank me into unconsciousness.
“I would labor in its cause alone. I would take thought for the morrow and eternity alone. Earthly consequences would never stay my hands or seal my lips. I would esteem one soul gained for heaven worth a lifetime of effort.
“I would go forth to the world and preach Christ in season and out of season, and my text would be, ‘What shall it profit a man if he gam the whole world and lose his own soul?’ ”
3. Passion for Souls; not passiveness:
The reason the apostle Paul could say, “If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister” (Colossians 1:23), is because he had a deep passion for lost souls. He found no rest, day or night, until he had done his part in pleaching the gospel world-wide. “That I have great sorrow and unceasing pain in my heart; for I could wish that I myself were anathema from Christ for my brethren’s sake, my kinsmen according to the flesh” (Romans 9:2-3).
We cannot find rest until they are saved in Asia, New Zealand, South America, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Russia, Israel and the islands of the sea! We should pray God that he will grant us time for repentance! The church in its first glory had one congregation, three thousand members and twelve preachers! In forty years, every creature under heaven had heard the gospel. This is the question: How did they do it? The answer is simple; the brethren sacrificed, they had faith in God and a deep passion for the lost. Today, we have one million members, seven thousand congregations, three thousand preachers and maybe ten percent of the world has heard the gospel. We should be ashamed!
Haggai, the prophet, wanted Israel to come to re-pentance. He entreated them, saying, “Be strong, all ye people of the land, saith Jehovah, and work; for I am with you, saith Jehovah of hosts” (Haggai 2:4).
God has promised to be with us if we will be strong and work for him (Matthew 28:20). It is my prayer that God will stay the day of retribution until we have made an honest effort to evangelize the world!