Part 11 (1/2)
”_Grace_ and _peace_ be _multiplied_ unto you through the _knowledge_ of G.o.d and of Jesus our Lord. According as his divine power _hath given unto us all things_ (in Bible) that pertain unto _life_ and _G.o.dliness,_ through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue. Whereby are given unto us _exceeding great and precious promises;_ that by these ye might be partakers of the _divine nature_, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through l.u.s.t. And beside this giving all diligence,
ADD TO YOUR FAITH
_virtue_ (courage); and to virtue, _knowledge;_ and to knowledge, _temperance_ (self-control); and to temperance, _patience;_ and to patience, _G.o.dliness;_ and to G.o.dliness, _brotherly kindness_ (love of brethren); and to brotherly kindness, _charity_ (love of _everybody_).
For if _these things_ be in you, and _abound,_ they make you that ye shall _neither_ be _barren nor unfruitful_ in the _knowledge_ of our Lord Jesus Christ. But _he that lacketh these things_ is _blind,_ and cannot see afar off, and hath _forgotten_ that he was purged from his old sins. _Wherefore,_ the rather, brethren, _give diligence_ to _make_ your calling and _election sure,_ for if ye do these things, ye shall never fail: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you _abundantly_ into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 2:2-11).
”GOOD WORKS.”
”For the _grace of G.o.d_ that bringeth _salvation_ hath appeared _to all men, teaching us_ that _denying unG.o.dliness_ and _worldly l.u.s.ts,_ we should _live soberly, righteous_ and _G.o.dly_ in this present world; _looking for that blessed hope_ and the glorious appearing of the great G.o.d and our Saviour Jesus Christ, who _gave himself for us,_ that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a _peculiar people, zealous of good works_” (t.i.t. 2: 11-14).
”WORKS OF THE FLESH
are manifest, which are these: _Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions (parties), heresies (sects--R. V.), envying, murders, drunkenness, revellings,_ and _such like;_ of the which I tell you before, as I have told you in the past, that _they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of G.o.d._ But
THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT
is _love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance,_ against such there is _no law”_ (Gal. 5:19-22).
”FINALLY,
brethren, whatsoever things are _true,_ whatsoever things are _honest,_ whatsoever things are _just,_ whatsoever things are _pure,_ whatsoever things are _lovely,_ whatsoever things are _of good report;_ if there be any _virtue,_ and if there be any _praise, think on these things”_ (Phil. 4:8).
”Now
unto him that is able to do _exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think,_ according to _the power that worketh in us,_ unto him be glory _in the church by Jesus Christ_ throughout all ages, world without end. Amen” (Eph. 3:20, 21).
CHAPTER IV.
OUR NEGLECTED FIELDS.
NOTE.--This chapter is an address that was delivered at the Centennial Convention of the movement for the restoration of primitive Christianity, held at Pittsburg, Pa., during October, 1909. It is here given because it deals with the same general subject as the rest of the book and shows why and how the reunion of the followers of Christ on the primitive gospel is the greatest issue before the Christian world to-day.
Ask the brotherhood what ”Our Neglected Fields” are, and the answer will come in a mult.i.tude of voices speaking from diverse viewpoints according to each speaker's knowledge, experience and field of operation. This is natural and proper. If your wife is not the best woman in the world, you are not much of a husband. If your country is not the best country on earth, you are not much of a patriot. Love for everybody and everything in general is a good thing in its way, but the specialized affections are of still greater importance in the world's progress heavenward. But while this babel of appeals in behalf of different places, cla.s.ses and kinds of work is natural and proper, it does not solve the problem as to what are really our neglected fields and as to the relative amount of work and money we should give to the various calls.
Standing on the banks of the Mississippi, it is impossible to determine the origin of the various color elements in the water; but if we go to the source, it is easy to discover that the red mud comes from the Arkansas, the black mud from the Missouri and the coal dust from the Ohio. So if we wish to discover the principles that will guide us in selecting fields of operation, we must go back to the fountain-head of the New Testament. If we are in the streets of a strange city, all is confusion as to the lay of the land; but if we climb to the hilltop in the rear of the city, we can readily get our bearings. So we must climb to the hilltop with Christ and the Apostles and from there get our bearings in our missionary operations. Let us then turn to the New Testament and see if we can discover where we should go first and the relative importance of the individual and society, the earthly and the heavenly, the temporal and eternal, the material and spiritual, and their relations.h.i.+p to each other.
In looking for the scope of gospel work, we discover that the salvation of the individual and his attainment unto eternal life is the supreme aim in view. From the mult.i.tude of Scriptures that teach this we select the following: ”For G.o.d so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16). ”Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to the whole creation. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved” (Mark 16:15,16). ”Who will render to every man according to his works: to them that by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and incorruption, eternal life” (Rom. 2:7). The Scriptures are just as clear in placing the spiritual, eternal and heavenly infinitely above the material, temporal and earthly: ”We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Cor. 4:18). ”Set your mind on the things which are above, not on the things which are upon the earth” (Col. 3:2).
”Took joyfully the spoiling of your possessions, knowing that ye have for yourselves a better possession and an abiding one” (Heb. 10:34).
”Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth... but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven... for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matt. 6:19-21). ”For our citizens.h.i.+p is in heaven; whence also we wait for a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: who shall fas.h.i.+on anew the body of our humiliation, that it may be conformed to the body of his glory” (Phil. 3:20, 21). At best a very small per cent of Christians can ever hope to attain unto wealth and worldly success; and to present these things as an incentive to G.o.dliness is but mockery, for ”if we have only hoped in Christ in this life, we are of all men most pitiable” (1 Cor. 15:19). We are constantly tempted to be deceived by the delusion that wealth, health and worldly success necessarily bring happiness, while the opposite is as often true, as these things are not an end in themselves.
While the Scriptures thus clearly teach that the supreme effort of Christianity is to prepare people for a glorious hereafter, good works in this life are demanded and are of vital importance. It is the nature of G.o.dliness to seek the well-being of others, in this life and the life to come, and no soul can remain saved without doing all in its power to minister unto others. ”Ye t.i.the mint and anise and c.u.mmin and have left undone the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faith: but these ye ought to have done, and not to have left the other undone” (Matt. 23:23). ”Created in Christ Jesus for good works, which G.o.d afore prepared that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:10). The promise of eternal life is to them who continue patiently in well-doing (Rom. 2:7). ”Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh it away” (John 15:2). In all his works and words G.o.d seeks to reveal his love to men with the purpose of wooing them back to himself, and good works of love have an important place in winning souls to Christ. Thus Jesus did many works of mercy through which he made manifest his and the Father's love for sinners. ”Even so let your light s.h.i.+ne before men that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 5:16). ”Having your behavior seemly among the Gentiles, that wherein they speak against you as evil-doers, they may by your good works, which they behold, glorify G.o.d” (I Pet. 2:12). ”That even if any obey not the word, they may without the word be gained by the behavior of their wives” (I Pet. 3:1). Emerson says, ”What you are speaks so loud, I cannot hear what you say.” This is, alas! too true of our Christianity. Unless our love for people is incarnated in the good works of our lives, sinners will lose faith in us and in our religion.
This does not mean that the church is to forsake prayer and the Word of G.o.d to serve tables, or forsake its spiritual ministries and mainly turn its energies to ministering to the physical, social and intellectual man. Chiefly, the church, through its spiritual ministries, is to inspire its members and others to good works of love in their daily walk and conversation. As the anchor of the buoy or the ballast of the s.h.i.+p holds it upright, so the good works of Christians hold the spiritual salvation aloft to be seen of men, and commend it to a dying world.
Having considered the scope of gospel work as revealed in the New Testament, let us next inquire where we shall go first. As we cannot go everywhere at once, where shall we begin, and where shall we go next?
Is this left to chance, or is an order of procedure revealed in the New Testament? We believe that there is, and that it is of the greatest importance that this order should be followed. Christ gave the order of march in Acts 1:8, ”Ye shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea and Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” If we have any doubt as to the interpretation, the Apostles interpret it for us in their work under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Other things being equal, they went to the nearest territory first. Again, we notice that the Apostles were especially led to the cities, the great centers of population. This enabled them to reach most people in a given time. Beginning at Jerusalem, their missionary journeys were determined by the location of the leading cities. Furthermore, we learn from the teaching and practice of Christ and the Apostles, that they went to the ripest fields first. Christ came to the Jews, the best prepared people on earth, to gather a nucleus for his coming kingdom and to scatter preparatory light for the gospel message. The Apostles commenced their gospel work at Jerusalem on Pentecost because the most devout and enlightened saints on earth were gathered there. For this reason the order was first the Jews and then the Gentiles (Acts 13:46, 47). Paul pa.s.sed through Amphipolis and Apollonia and came to Thessalonica because a synagogue of the Jews was there (Acts 17:1). The Spirit forbade him to go to Asia and Bithynia and led him by Mysia into Macedonia because there were hearts there ready to receive the message (Acts 16:6-10). Christ commanded Paul to depart from Jerusalem because they would not receive his testimony there (Acts 22:17-21). Open doors were considered as guides by Paul in his missionary operations (I Cor.