5.05 - THE MISSION AND WORK OF THE CHURCH

THE MISSION AND WORK OF THE CHURCH When I consider the unfavorable night for church attendance, I am deeply impressed with your presence. I am thoroughly convinced that most people are anxious to hear the simple story that never grows old. They like plain preaching, easy illustrations, and all things freed from an appeal to the galleries. I have not announced to you any sensational subject in order to arouse your curiosity. It has ever been my ambition to speak so that common people may hear and understand. Such has been my motive and intention all of my days. Such, I trust, may be characteristic of my efforts as long as I am able to appear before an audience. In Ephesians 3:8-11 you will find a good foundation for the subject—viz., "The Mission and the Work of the Church." "Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; and to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: to the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord." The church, friends, has been in existence from the depths of the eternal past. It first existed in purpose in the mind of God Almighty. It was later promised to Abraham, and hence existed in promise. It next existed in prophecy. Later on it existed in preparation, and, on the day of Pentecost, when filled with the Holy Spirit, it existed in perfection. It was represented by Christ (Mark 4: 25) as: (1) seed unplanted; (2) seed committed to soil; (3) the blade; (4) the ear; (5) the full corn in the ear. From its completion it has been God’s missionary society, through which His wisdom was to be made known unto the sons and daughters of men. Every organization, necessarily, has a purpose, and likewise has work to be done. That is true of all human fraternities and associations of men. It is no less true of the church of the Lord. But I must know just what the church is. I know the Bible calls it the body of Christ, and I know that Paul said to the Christians: "Ye are the body of Christ." I must not, friends, view the church as some artificial body or as a cold-blooded corporation, but as a company of men and women over which Christ reigns as head and in which the Spirit dwells. The church, therefore, is made up of men and women. It is no stronger than the sum total of the men and women who compose it. It has no more influence in the world than the sum total of all of its members. It has no more money to carry on its work than that given to it by the different members. That it has a work and a purpose in the world goes without saying. Surely, God would not send His Son to suffer, bleed, and die to purchase and establish a church, and to become head of it, if He had no intention, or no plans, or no purposes for it to accomplish. God appointed work in the church because He wanted all members to be happy in this world. Happiness depends upon having something to do. To my mind, the most miserable soul on earth is the man that rises in the morning with no responsibility, no obligation and nothing depending upon him. Then he pillows his head at night without having done one single thing. I cannot see why a man like that wants to live unless it be to save burial expenses. What good is he to the world? When God created man and put him in the Garden of Eden, He could have fixed it so he could have been idle all the day long. But God wanted man to be supremely happy. He was the climax of all of His handiwork, and so for the purpose of rendering him happy, He imposed upon him an obligation and a responsibility. I would hate to claim membership in the church and have no part in carrying on its work. I certainly do not want to be a parasite. I wish I could put that across to every member, and make each one have a burning desire to find out what the will of the Lord is; and then have a firm resolution to be about our Father’s business. A working church is always happy and free from troubles. Remember that even a mule cannot kick while he is pulling and neither can he pull while kicking. Now, the amount of service to be rendered is like every other obligation imposed upon us, and that is according to our ability. I must study, preach, pray, sing, and give according to this principle. Concerning my giving, the Bible speaks in sounds not uncertain. "Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him." Again, "If there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hash, and not according to shalt he hath not." Jesus truly said: "It is more blessed to give than to receive." A stingy, penurious, closefisted person is more unlike God and Christ than any character you can imagine. God gave His Son, and the Son gave his life a ransom for man. Do not let stinginess send you to hell. Now, may I ask, what is the purpose of the church of the Lord? Suppose I discuss the negative side first. I may say some things with which you do not agree, but I bid you hear me regardless. I do not consider it a part of the work of the church to try to run the government. I am taught in the Bible to be subject unto the powers that be, just so far as I think they do not conflict with some law of God. Again, I say to you, with caution and thought, that it is not the work of the church to furnish entertainment for the members. And yet many churches have drifted into such an effort. They enlarge their basements, put in all kinds of gymnastic apparatus, and make every sort of an appeal to the young people of the congregation. I have never read anything in the Bible that indicated to me that such was a part of the work of the church. I am wholly ignorant of any Scripture that even points in that direction. Furthermore, it is not the work of the church to try to adjust labor troubles, or to supervise our social conditions. It was never intended that the church should run politics, stop wars, supervise public morals, or to be any kind of a collecting agency to pile up a large sum of money. The church should not go into the banking business. Money is contributed for the work of the Lord, and my observation is, that if you want to take the life out of a church, and rob it of doing good, just pile up a big fund in the church. Many will quit giving altogether or reduce their amount to a minimum. Churches should be encouraged to give liberally, and the money should be used, as it accumulates, for some worthy cause. Let the churches look ahead and keep the good work going. I would not criticize young preachers, to their harm, for any reason. They have my deepest sympathy, but I have thought many times that they have erroneous conceptions of success. Soon after their getting a place with some church, they make a glowing report, somewhat as follows: "When I came here, our weekly contributions were thirty dollars. Now they are up to a hundred." I must grant you that the amount contributed does indicate an increased interest, but I doubt that we should determine the whole success by the dollars collected. Why not have a report about like this? "When I went to a certain place, there was vice, and wickedness, and apathy, and carelessness on the part of the members. Not half of them attended the services. Since I came, we have about 100 per cent of attendance. Many members have quit their wicked ways; the church has become more spiritualminded; and they look upon the work of the church with a greater solemnity." I verily believe that would be most encouraging. Let us not get it into our minds that money counts for everything. Success in life ought to be determined, not by its accumulations, but by its contributions. Each one ought to ask: "What have I done in the name of the Lord and as a member of the church to advance the spiritual welfare of mankind? What have I done to lift men and women to higher heights? Is the world better as the result of my having lived?" I have an idea that the sweetest joys that may come to any of is will be the assurance that we have plucked the thorns and thistles along life’s way and have planted sweet-scented flowers in their stead. If we measure our success in life by our contributions, our only regret will be that we have not been able to contribute more of our time, talent, influence, and dollars for the advancement of the kingdom of God. I think that such is the standard that ought to characterize all of our efforts. I do my best down at FreedHardeman College to impress this ideal upon every student. Young men, get the right conception of life and duty, understand what the church is, and learn its mission upon this earth. The work of the church can be stated under three heads: (1) the building up of every member in it; (2) the work of benevolence; (3) the preaching of the gospel to sinful humanity. Now, back to the first, the building up of the membership. I think if you will travel around as much as some of us do and have your eyes open, you will observe that about twenty-five per cent of the average church assumes its whole responsibility. I have thought many times that if just a few members of any congregation were to quit, the doors would be closed altogether. There are just a few that are on the front line. I like the policy of General N. B. Forrest, the wizard of the saddle, during the Civil War. He disregarded all military rules and ordered every man to the firing line. He had no use for a lot of reserves. Such was his philosophy of warfare. Surely every member of the church should be developed and thus stand on the front line. There is no place for the weakling. We enter the church as newborn babes, regardless of our years, our furrowed cheeks, or our silver hairs. The natural law is to grow and develop. There are some fundamental facts to observe in order to our physical growth, and the same is true in matters spiritual. Let me name some of the essentials. If a child born upon the earth ever develops, it must have: (1) the right kind of food; (2) proper exercise; (3) be kept free from disease. These statements are so simple that anybody can understand and endorse them. When we first entered the church, we were babes in Christ and our need was to grow and develop. There was a demand for food. "What shall it be? Shall we feed upon the literature of man? Shall we take the moving picture and present the food that is flashed upon the canvas and expect a spiritual babe to grow?" To mention such carries the answer. Peter says: "Laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby." Milk belongs to babies, and God’s order is to feed them with it. Many times we convert men that are quite intelligent and they are in fine circumstances. They have much influence and are prominent in all affairs. The temptation is to put them in the pulpit or appoint them as elders of the church. Let us ever remember that they are as yet babes and that it takes time for them to grow. They are novices. Feed them with the milk of God’s Word and give them proper exercise. It is the duty of the overseers to feed and to develop the members of any church. To do so does not require the organization of something unknown to the Bible. Many brethren have looked upon our young people’s meetings with some degree of suspicion. If we are not careful, we may have an organization not at all different from others which we now condemn. Really, brethren, I have failed to find anywhere in the Bible where there is a difference made in teaching or church work between a young fellow and an old fellow. Just where is that passage which intimates that the church should be divided according to years? Brethren Srygley and Tant thought that such distinctions evidenced our drifting away. To say the least of such, there is danger. I submit to you preachers that we should be exceeding careful lest, in our enthusiasm to make a big show, we turn apart from the straight and narrow path and have within our midst something that the Lord does not want. I said to you that a child must be kept free from diseases. They hinder its growth. Now, I need not tell you that the world is filled with attractions that appeal to the "just of the flesh, and the just of the eyes, and the pride of life." Sometimes we look out upon things that have germs within themselves. Too often they lodge within us. Many times the movies present a very fruitful field for such affairs. Suppose you take some of the stars in that realm and consider the lives they live, the looseness of their relations, and their example in undermining the very foundation of our homes. We go wild over them; we clap our hands, and think it terrible if we have to miss a single picture. Let me ask, Would you invite them into your home and have them associate with your children? Is that the company you would want to have in your parlors? Do you want to entertain, in your home, those who play the part of murderers and thieves and real divorcees, whose pictures you pay to see? Our children and some of their parents go to church on Sunday; spend thirty minutes in the study of the Bible; hear a long list of painful announcements; listen to a preacher thirty minutes; go to the young people’s meeting in the evening; and then leave before the night sermon. They then spend three or four nights that week in revelry of the type that I have mentioned. After all of this, brethren often wonder why- the church does not grow. I want to say some more about our food, its digestion, etc. I know that simply to eat food does not accomplish the end in view. Your experience is that many times you have eaten and the result has been unpleasant because you could not digest what you ate. With some it necessary to have "Tums" ever present. Now, will you bear with me if I just suggest to you some simple facts? In the process of physical digestion, there are several acts before any good results. May I name them? There is the process called prehension, then comes mastication, insalivation, deglutition, chymification, assimilation, and absorption. All must be completed before you are really benefitted by what you ate. Now let us pass to the application. Many people hear the word of God gladly; they will even swallow it; but soon they will have a real case of indigestion. The Word, therefore, is never assimilated and never becomes a part of their being. I am ready to make another statement which you may consider. There never has been a strong Christian upon this earth who was ignorant of the Bible. You can have a strong church member. You can have a strong partisan. But Bible knowledge is the stuff upon which a Christian must grow. Paul said to the elders at Ephesus: “I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up." Such is the Christian’s food. Upon such only can he be built up. No uninspired matter can take the place of God’s Word. To build up every member, I conceive to be one work of the church. See to it, brethren, that in your congregation every member is builded up and knows what it is all about. In 1 Corinthians 14:12 Paul said: "Forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church." Here are two thoughts exactly the opposite: Brethren, you are quite zealous when it comes to receiving. Now, seek to excel in building up the church. Upon this our ambition ought to be centered. Let us see how much we can give rather than how much we can receive. If all of us would do that, I believe the finest results would be seen. In Ephesians 4:8-14 Paul urged the use of spiritual gifts until full manhood in the church was attained. But again I said to you there is a benevolent work to be done. In Ephesians 4:28 Paul said: "Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth." It is surely a false conception and a mistaken idea for a preacher to fancy that he is too good to use his hands in doing that which is honorable and needs to be done. This letter was written to the saints at Ephesus and to the faithful in Christ Jesus. It, therefore, includes preachers, elders, and all members. It is my conviction that every preacher ought to have some work to do along with his preaching. I think he would feel more independent and less inclined to feel that everybody should help him. Let him work and have something to give. So long as I am mentally and physically able to work, I do not want to be an object of charity. It never has been noised abroad that I am over industrious, nor am I noted for my energy, but one thing is sure- viz., when something needs to be done, I am none too good to lay aside my coat and go to it. I would be ashamed of myself if I did not have that attitude toward the affairs of life. I love to be in POSITION that I can give to some worthy cause. "As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men." Be like the Christ, who came not to be ministered unto, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. If you want to have a church fuss, and want things to go wrong, just let the members quit doing something. In Acts 11:27-30 we have an account of a young prophet who came to Antioch and announced that there was going to be a dearth throughout all the world, which would come to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar. Upon hearing this, every one of those brethren at Antioch determined to send relief unto the poor saints in Judea. This they did, every man according to his ability. I now read to you only one more passage, from Romans 15:25-27. Paul said: "But now I go unto Jerusalem to minister unto the saints, for it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem. It hath pleased them verily; and their debtors they are, for if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister unto them in carnal things." But enough on that phase of church work. I have reserved for the last the discussion of what I consider the supreme and most important work of the church of the Lord. To teach God’s Word and to preach the gospel of His Son to dying humanity is the noblest work on this earth. You may feed and clothe humanity and provide for them good homes, but if you fail to induce them to obey the gospel, they will die and land in hell at last. The church is God’s great missionary agency for proclaiming to a lost, ruined, and recreant race of mankind the hope of everlasting bliss. Any church, therefore, that is not interested, is not active, that is not doing something for the spread of the gospel among the denizens of this earth is not a distant relative of the church Christ died to establish. The church will attract the attention of the world in proportion to its efforts to preach only the gospel and to save mankind. You know that Christ said: "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." Do not add to, nor take from, nor substitute for it. Just be content to preach the old-time gospel. Know nothing save Christ and him crucified. The Lord never commissioned any man to preach his philosophy, his theory, or his wild speculations. There are preachers who boast that they have a thousand sermon outlines and that they never repeat. The chances are that nine hundred seventy-five of them are not worth repeating. I have been told that Dr. T. W. Brents never had more than a dozen sermons, but be assured they were real sermons. Moses E. Lard was, perhaps, the most interesting preacher of the Restoration, but no one ever knew of his great number of sermons. A good sermon should be preached over and over. A bad one ought not to be preached at all. Do not be tempted to use the pulpit for any theme except the gospel of Christ. Be neither afraid nor ashamed to declare the whole counsel of God. Men’s souls are at stake. Human lives are precious in God’s sight. They are dying day by day. Many are hungering and thirsting for the Bread of Life. I now ask, upon whom does the responsibility to preach the gospel rest? Certainly no political party is expected. No human fraternity ever considers it its business, and no denomination on earth will preach a full gospel. The obligation rests upon the church of Christ. Such responsibility belongs to members of the body of Christ, and if they do not, they will lose their own souls. "Ye are the salt of the earth; but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted?" The implication is that it will be lost. Hence, in self-defense, I must try to save somebody else. The commission was given unto the twelve, but before all of them passed away, Paul said to Timothy: "Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also." This explains how the gospel is to be perpetuated, and it also names the two qualifications for a gospel preacher. He must be faithful to God’s Word and then have ability to teach. There are many brethren who are just as true to the Book as the needle ever was to the pole, but they are unable to teach. When they get up, their thoughts sit down. Combine fidelity and ability and you have God’s preacher. Friends, I have talked as long as I should. If there is present tonight anyone impressed with duty’s demand, who understands the will of the Lord, and at this time has the disposition of heart and mind to comply with heaven’s terms, the opportunity is gladly tendered to you while together we sing His praise.