The Church of Christ

We have now considered the birth of the Church of Christ, and its first manifestation in the world, in the light of Pentecost as the fulfilment of the Father’s promise. To realize the full meaning of what was contained in that promise we must now look for a moment — at the further history of the Church, to see in how far the Promise provided for its needs. The answer will fill us with shame and sorrow as we find how far the Church failed in that life of prayer in which she was to be endued from on high for her great work of making Christ known to all.

We know how, somewhat towards the end of the first century, our Lord

gave to John the command to write his

Seven Epistles to the Seven Churches of Asia. Of these seven Churches there were only two, Smyrna and Philadelphia, of whom the Lord could speak with approval as being what he desired. To

five of them came the call to repentance.

In Ephesus there was much activity and zeal for the truth, and yet — they had forsaken their first love. To Sardis

the solemn word is spoken: “Thou hast

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a name that thou livest and art dead.” To Laodicea: ‘ Because thou art luke- — warm I will spue thee out of My mouth.” And both Pergamos and Thyatira had been unfaithful in bearing with false doctrine. The impression that the whole makes is that the Churches had already departed very far from the leading and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Church History teaches us that it was not much later that the office of the ministry began to exalt itself above the ordinary Christian and that gradually the error crept in that the minister was a priest who could act as mediator between God and man. The Church gradually became a human society to such an extent that by the year 300 A.D. it had an organization very like that of the state, in which one of the chief bishops, and later on the Pope was the head. It was at this time too that it became manifest how the fervent brotherly love which had made such a deep impression on the heathen, had given way to jealousy and contention, which were only too manifest in the great Councils. As we then follow the story we find that in the Middle Ages such darkness and ungodliness reigned at Rome that the Church became a reproach to the whole civilized world. When the Reformation came there was a great change both in life and doctrine. And yet how far the Reformation was from being a return to Pentecost. The disputes and bitterness among the Reformers themselves, the lack of a powerful, holy, Christian life among the members of the Church, and even among its teachers, was proof of how little the Spirit of God indeed ruled. Later on more than one great movement strove to lead Christians to a holier life, as the work of the Pietists and Moravians in Germany, the work of the Puritans and John Wesley and Whitefield in England and Scotland, gave proof of the power of the Spirit. And yet throughout the Church as a whole how far the life was from being after the New Testament model.

With the commencement of the nineteenth century the great revival in connection with Mission work proved the presence of the power of the Spirit. This was confined to a comparatively small circle. Compared with those who were zealous for the extension of the Kingdom a large majority took no part in the work. In later times God sent men through whom the great Evangelistic missions were carried on, and proof was given of the power of the Spirit to convert multitudes.

And yet at the close of the last century how frequently the remark was heard as to the terrible power of the world and of temporal things with the great majority of Christians. As a result of that, in the present century what a painful discovery has been made as to the loss of members, as to neglect of Church-going and family-worship, and the comparatively small number of Sunday scholars who become members of the Church. As yet the Church has found no means for meeting the difficulty and recovering what she has lost.

And now with this war, what is the influence that it is likely to exert on the Church as a whole? At its commencement there appeared to be in England a greater seriousness among the people. Prayer meetings were

E better attended. With the Day of Prayer on 38rd January 1915 many thought that there were signs of confession of sin and repentance as a people. But the religious magazines complain that these promising signs have not been realized. The power of the world, with its business and its pleasures and its devotion to the seen and temporal, is too much in evidence.

From America many months ago there came an invitation to pray for a Revival as marked and mighty as the war is; but there are no signs of such a hope being realized. As yet we can hardly say that God’s judgment is teaching the nations righteousness. For all the many cases of the acceptance of Christ and the bold confession of Him in connection with the distribution of the New Testaments among the men at the front, we are deeply grateful, and yet it is to be feared that the very great majority are as yet untouched.

And now the great question ever returns: What can be the reason that our Christianity is so impotent that it could not prevent such a war? What can be the reason that the preaching of the Gospel has so little power in most cases to train men to a life of undivided consecration to Christ and His service? What can be the reason that while there are openings in the world for reaching millions on millions the Church finds it so difficult to find the men and means to extend its work? What can be the reason that even from the missionaries themselves the voice is heard that there is not that spiritual efficiency, and that power of leading the native Churches into the abundant life of joy and holiness which God’s Word has promised to bestow?

The question is ever one and the same throughout the Christian world: What can be the reason that with Christ upon the throne clothed with Divine power, with the Holy Spirit to endue God’s servants with all the grace they need, with all the glorious promises that in answer to prayer God in heaven will do whatsoever we ask — what can be the reason of this sad state of things?

The more one thinks and seeks and prays, the more we are compelled to the conclusion: the Church lacks THE POWER OF THE Hoty Spirit THAT HAS BEEN PROMISED TO FIT HER FOR HER work. When we further ask, what can be the reason of such a lack of the Spirit Who has been so definitely promised, and who yearns in love to take possession of God’s children and to fit them for their work, the question has but one answer: ‘‘ Ye have not, because ye ask not.’’ And when the further question comes: What can be the reason that there is, comparatively speaking, so little prayer, while the promise is so rich and sure and blessed? — then there is no answer but the confession, with shame — God grant, with deep sorrow and penitence — that we are too slothful, and too worldly to pray in power the prayer that availeth much. We are too lukewarm and self-contented and blinded really to see that it actually depends on us whether God will pour out His Spirit in greater power. And then further that no change can come until a larger number of God’s people yield themselves as living sacrifices in full surrender to the Holy Spirit, to be renewed and filled and sanctified and strengthened for the great work which God has promised to do through us, and which, alas, is suffering through our unbelief and our unfaithfulness.