The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1902-11-23

have an after meeting AS members OF
this church we will distribute ourselves
Though the aisles and buttonhole every
man, woman and child, so that no one
shall leave the building without having
special invitation for this after meet
ing" there will be no disappointment IN
the spiritual results. Why? Because the
church members themselves are asking
their friends and the strangers to meet
Jesus Christ in a specified place at
specified time. General invitations IN
reference to the gospel banquet as we'll
as to an earthly home. as a rule. are
worse than no invitations at all.
The Fault Of the Pews.
So, today. 1 lay the blame for the lack
of spiritual results in our churches far
more upon the pews than do upon the
pulplts. God knows, I do not believe
that our ministers are perfect men. but
most of them are earnest men, intense
men. They would do anything in their
power to bring immortal souls to Christ.
But the trouble is when the average min
| lister of the gospel announces an after
meeting where sinners can be brought
face to face with Christ, nine-tenths, aye
ninety-nine hundredths of all the church
members will get up and put on their
hats and go home. They viii not only
by their action refuse to personally ex-
tend an Invitation to the men and women
will absolutely refuse to go into the
after meetings and talk with sinners who
are trying to find Christ. This charge
which I make against the church MEM
bers make not only against the laymen,
but also against the church officers.
make 1t against the elders and the dea-
cons and the trustees. I make 1t in the
strength of the overwhelming fact that
| you derellet church members cannot find
great evangelistic preacher who is ac-
| complishing any great good for Christ
who is not backed up by a praying, con-
secrated band of earnest church workers.
Yet you can find today church after
church in our land that is nothing more
or less than slaughter house for min
isterial usefulness. Their pastors will
win great spiritual successes before they
come to them, and those pastors will win
great spiritual successes after they leave
them, but while they are in those spirit
ually dead churches the pastors will
stumble about blinded and helpless as
did the mighty Samson. bound with fet-
tiers of brass, with his two eyes out,
grinding about In the prison house of
GAIA. Those evangelistic ministers are
spiritually helpless in such churches be-
cause the people. the common church
members. will not unite as a working
force and personally present the gospel
of Jesus Christ to strangers who come
among them. Instead of deridihg and
Understanding the powers of the minis
try, 1t Is high time for some one to thun-
der a philippe against the Indifference
of the selfish church members who refuse
to spiritually support the pulpit as the
pew always ought loyo1ly to do.
The gospel invitation should be present.
ed by the church members to their friends
and to the strangers wherever they may
be found, because the vast majority of
sinners never enter the church at ALL
Therefore, If they do not have Christ pre-
scented to them on the street, in the office,
in the railroad trains, and even in the
kitchen, they will never be invited at ALL
Mr.. Beecher once said, 1.-The longer live
the more confidence I have in those SER
mons preached where one man is a min
lister and one man is the congregation,
where there is no question as to who is
meant when the preacher says, Thou
art the mani" l believe Mr.. Beecher
was right when he made that statement,
but believe he was right even In larger
sense The longer I live the more conf
dence 1 have in those sermons that are
preached where one man is a minister
and one man is congregation, because
such a gospel service can be held every
| where. 1t can use the mechanics bench
for a pulpit; 1t can have the iceman's
cart for a moving tabernacle; 1t can carry
the Bread of Life to the sinner who
would otherwise never be willing to re-
ceive that bread over the pulpit desk.
Besides, the minister in such a case does
not have to be an ordained theological
student. but need be simply an earnest
consecrated layman pleading for Christ
with the sinner who is standing by his
side in the village store.
| IL all church members were to become
| earnest and consecrated evangelists il
would not take very long for this whole
sinful world to see the sunrise burst Of
the millennial dawn. Surely 1t would not
| be too much to expect that one such
evangelist as Mr.. Beecher described
should at least win one soul a year for
Christ, yet DR.. William Morley Punshon.
the great English Methodist, once made
the startling statement: If every dis
ciple today were to call only one person
to Christ each year and that one wero to
call one other how swiftly the world
would be wholly converted There are
today millions of true believers in the
world. But If there wer only loo see how
quickly the work would grow. In less
than twenty-five years the world would
be converted. for this would double the
number of disciples each year" After
such an impressive statement, will any
one say that the gospel invitation, which
can be given daily by the church members
would amount to but little in the saliva
ton of sinful world?
To show the Importance of Christian
layman's work cannot do better In clos
Ing this sermon than to quote two illus
trations from the personal experience OF
III. Clay Trumbull, the wcll-known edi-
tor Of the Sunday School Times Mr..
Trumbulls early life was spent in Ston-
ington, Conn. There a great revival
swept the town, and many of the compan-
ions Of his youth Joined the church.
among whom was a young man who
was one of his most intimate friends.
For many years these two as boys and
young men lived near each other, but
his Christian friend never spoke to him
about religion. After awhile they sep
arated. Mr. Trumbull became an engin-
eer in Hartford; his Christian friend went
to Yale, but during his last year at COL
lege he sent letter to his old chum
pleading with him to become a Christ
Ian. That letter was the means Of saw
ing H. Clay Trubulls soul. In his en-
CINE ROOM upon the receipt OF it. he then
ana there gave his heart to God.
He Immediately said to himself, ''If the
personal work of a layman can do 40
much in the salvation of an immortal
soul, | will never make the mistake my
friend made with me by postponing for
so long personal invitation to another
So, the same night on which he was con-
verted, Mr. Trumbull went to one of his
fellow workmen and told him he had been
converted. He urged his friend also to
accept Christ. "Trumbull your words
cut me to the heart. You little know how
they rebuke me- | have long haar a n.y.