Methods

Let it be distinctly understood that “no method, however perfect, is substituted for power. The method is only the way in which intellectual, emotional, volitional and spiritual power is manifest. Method without power is a locomotive on the track without steam; power without method is the locomotive with steam in the boiler and pipe, but derailed and plowing its path to its own destruction. Power manifests itself in method but method is no substitute for power.”

The other day I came across the following in the book of a well-known author. He had been giving an account of a notable revival of other days, and he said,” This solemn story of Divine dealing lays peculiar stress upon united prayer, a pure Gospel, hand to hand contact with souls, and simple faith in God’s present power to save. Here was no grand array of agencies, no unusual

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and striking combinations — no far-famed evangelist sent for to inaugurate a revival, no appeal to novelty, nothing dramatic, spectacular, sensational. The whole work began in the prayers of a few fervent believers for the church with which they were connected, and particularly their own minister. Their prayers first brought to him new blessing and new power in preaching; then, as souls were won, the work spread to other congregations; the circle of prayer expanded and became more inclusive; differences of doctrine and polity were forgotten in the bond of unity; variety of congregational life was merged into community of work for souls. As aid was needed, the most spirit-filled helpers were sought and dependence was never transferred from God to man, but the power of a God-given Gospel and of a God-given spirit constantly and reverently recognized.

Contrast all this with modern efforts to secure revival. A private pamphlet, prepared by a certain evangelist as a guide to committees who were making ready for his coming, proved to be shockingly full of dependence on ‘business methods, such as advertising, striking announcements, big posters, etc., etc., he would have everything done to create public furore in advance. This is the way of the world, and it is now fast becoming the way of the Church.

‘’We are getting away from dependence on ordinary means of grace, whenever we do not expect any widespread blessing on the preaching of the simple Gospel and on prayer, and on personal contact with souls. We must have several Churches united, and great meetings with distinguished evangelists and great choirs with far-famed Gospel singers, or we look for no divine outpourings. All this is unscriptural, unspiritual, abnormal.” 1

But why insist that the Holy Spirit must act in every succeeding age as he has moved in the past, why criticize any one whom God uses in his service, and why object to any method which seems to have been used of God in these day when the need for workers is so apparent on every side, when so many are hopeless, helpless and lost, why not each work in his own way with all his ingenuity consecrated and all his life separated unto Christ, confident of this, as he labors on, that while his methods may be very different from those of his brother worker, yet he “Forward Movementi of the Last Half Century.”

may be assured while he toils that he has the sympathy and support of all who have the interests of the kingdom of heaven at heart, and need expect no harsh criticism. Quite the opposite is too frequently true. There are Christian workers to-day who feel that nothing is doing except it is being done according to their plans and have only criticism for those who attempt the use of a new method, or put in operation some new plan which they have never before tried. This is, to say the least, not brotherly, and to put it more emphatically it is not Christlike. Let this be the test of any and every method. It is useful and of value only in so far as it works to bring men to the hearing of the Gospel, and eventually persuades them to come to Christ. However there are certain suggestions of a general character which may be useful to us.

“Every pastor has his methods in working with and for his Church, and in getting his Church to work. The exact nature of these methods is of less importance than the fact that the methods are his own, — methods with which he is acquainted and which he can handle. Ecclesiastical methods, like personal habits, are constitutional. If they are not his own, if he fails to understand them, he is quite as helpless as David in Goliath’s armor, or as Goliath with David’s sling and stones. In his use of methods of work the pastor is exposed to perils.

“Among these perils is the danger of believing that methods which are successful in one Church will prove successful in another, or that methods which succeed in a Church at one time will always succeed. Methods should be very elastic. They should be capable of great adaptiveness. They should be adjusted to the peculiar needs of each Church.

“In every respect a pastor should hold himself ready to surrender or to alter his methods according to the demands of the place or the time. In thus doing the pastor is guarded from a not uncommon peril, — namely, of believing that methods have intrinsic worth. Of course we all know that they are good only so far forth as they do good; yet long associations with methods may result in transferring our regard for the end to the means by which the end is gained.”

Jesus had innumerable methods. Sometimes he talked in a conversational tone, again he

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cried out after the manner of an evangelist; sometimes he told stories as in the parables of the kingdom; again he enunciated great principles as in the Sermon on the Mount. Sometimes he taught just by his presence as in the wedding at Canaan of Galilee, and again he stood on the mountain-top and cried out with an ahnost breaking heart, “Oh Jerusalem! Jerusalem!”

There is a Scriptural warrant for changing our methods in the Church until we have one which compels the attention of the lost and seems to have the approval of Grod.

How long did the shepherd look for his sheep; the woman for her lost piece of money, and for how long a time did the father wait for his boy? Until the lost was found, and this word “until” gives us our Scriptural authority for repeated change in methods of service.

I spent one summer on the shores of Lake George and was told that if I would anchor my boat early in the morning at a certain point I would be assured of a successful catch of fish. I followed instructions implicitly and fished from early morning until ten o’clock with never a strike. Then the old fisherman who gave me my information came out, anchored his boat about twelve feet away and cast his line with the same discouraging results. I saw him bend over in the boat and work for a little while and then cast his line the second time and almost instantly had a strike which resulted in a beautiful fish, and with open eyed wonder I sat and saw him pull in fish after fish for at least an hour. When I asked him the secret of his success, without stopping his fishing he answered back, “I just changed my bait”

How often this is necessary in the Church and how frequently it is true that we are unwilling to change the method we have used for years, that which has been in vogue in the lives of our fathers, just because the method is old.

Jesus was not such a teacher as this. He said, “I will make you fishers of men.”

With regard to methods of evangelistic work it is almost dangerous to write for fear that men may trust the method rather than look to him who is the power back of it, but there are certain general principles which may be always kept in mind.

In a recent sermon the Rev. David Gregg, D. D., has said, ‘^ We have one grand fact which we should constantly keep in mind, and that is this, Men have been successfully reached and brought to Christy and in the New Testament the different way in which men were brought to Jesus in the beginning are plainly set before us. They came by means of the Gospel sermon; thus John and Andrew were converted. They were brought to Jesus by means of family influence; it was in this way that Peter came.”

They were brought to him by the personal efforts of their converted neighbors; it was in this way that Nathaniel was brought to Christ. Philip was Nathaniel’s neighbor and he went to Nathaniel and told him that he had found Christ.

They were brought to him by a combination of personal forces. This was the way the paralytic was brought into his presence. He was borne of four, one man had not the power to carry him, neither had two; three could possibly only have done it with difficulty, but the combination of four made the effort a success.

Men were brought to Jesus by the creation of a Christlike atmosphere in the community. The Disciples in the beginning filled the air with the name and the works and praises of Jesus Christ. They repeated his sayings, retold his parables and preached over his sermons as they went, they actually talked him into popularity, they made the air literally ring with his coronation, shouting, ‘’ Hosanna to the Son of David, blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord, Hosanna in the highest”

It is no wonder that in those days the Church made progress by leaps and bounds. It would be so to-day if the conditions were only once more fulfilled