The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-02-25
International
Sunday School Lesson
BY W. T. ELLIS.

For February 27 is THE Seven
CHI. 6.
Putting Efficiency Into the Church.
When men and religion experts
lew about the land with their slogan
If efficiency they were hailed as a
new force and as bearers of new
Message AS a matter of fact, they
really only illustrated the truth that
Christians have to get back to the
New Testament to be up to date" for
4 better program of efficiency than
heirs was laid down for itself by the
early church in Jerusalem, as sue
,inctly told in the seven verses from
The sixth chapter of the Acts, which
constitute this Sunday school lesson.
Now in these days, when the
number of disciples was multi
plying, there arose a murmurings
of the Grecia1. Jews against the
Hebrews, because their wild ows
were neglected in the daily min
istration And the twelve called
the multitude of the disciples
unto them, and said, 1t is not fit
that we should forsake the word
of God. and serve tables. Look
We out therefore, brethren, from
among you seven men of good re-
port, full of the Spirit and of wis
dom, whom we may appoint over
this business. But we will con-
tinue steadfastly in prayer, and
in the ministry of the word. And
the saying pleased the whole
multitude: and they chose Ste
phen. a man full of faith. and of
the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and
Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Ii
mon, and Parmenas, and Nico-
laus, a proselyte of Antioch;
whom they set before the apos-
ties; and when they had prayed,
they laid their hands upon
them.
And the word of God in
creased; and the number of the
disciples multiplied in Jerusalem
exceedingly, and a great company
of the priests We're obedient to
the faith"
Some timorous souls are disturbed
by the discomfort evident in the Apos-
tolic church. Wherever there is life
there is movement and unrest. All
progress is a series of adjustments
The one place of perfect placidity is
the graveyard, and often the citye
causes that to be dug up and
built over. A big hint is hidden. not
very deeply, If this New Testament
to the effect that the form
and usage of the Christian church is
not fixed and rigid thing, to which
all generations should conform, but an
adaptation to the changing needs and
of every century. [ pity
the pastor of a local congregation who
is dominated by a few conservative
members who want things done in the
good old way.
church are eternally unchanged; but
her methods may vary from year &c
year.
Some one has said that the two
angels of progress are the angel o.
birth and the angel of death: boil
bring changes In this instance it wa!
growth that caused the church t.
modify her methods. That growth
as DR. Torrey points out. was not b,
addition, but by multiplication. SueI
an accession of new life made change
inevitable.
An old-new evil seems to have de
veloped early in the Jerusalem church
too few men had too much response
bility. The whole load was on tn
shoulders of the apostles. They wer
the busiest men in the city. No maj
can do efficiently as many kinds o
work as were required of them.
talked with layinan recently who hat
ton, member of twenty-eight boards
committees and societies. Obviously
no one man could do effective work il
so many different capacities Eve
the apostles, trained in the presence 0
Christ Himself, were not equal to tn
burdens laid on them by the rapid
growing church.
One Man, One Job.
I'VE must save ourselves for GU
highest work. said the apostles. Tha
is a good life rule for everybody. w
must confess that even the apostle
were not success at work for whic
they were not suited. ITO every ma
his work" is a Scripture that need
often to be preached upon.
If the churches today would ador
the motto, lone man. one job" Their
would be a swift increase in efficiency
The notion that certain few "leadin
men, must hold most of the offices i
a congregation is a grave mistake.
cuts in several directions. The bus
good men do not put their whole pow
ers into any one task, so that the wor
suffers. Others, who might do tn
work, are kept therefrom, to the los
of themselves and the church. That
a wise fashion which is growing
many churches of adopting the rotar
system of Office-bearing, with a CON
pulsory year of retirement betwee
terms. The plan promotes efficienc
as well as democracy. Our dearth
Christian leaders is partly due to TIL
unWlSe concentration o. OlIICSS III
| few men.
A golden word, fit to be embosse
and kept on his desk by every mini:
| ter of the gospel, was spoken by tn
apostles when they declared, 1T is NJ
fit that we should leave the word {
God and serve tables" Let all til
congregation cry "Ameni" Back I
your books and to your prayer-close
brother pastor. The church of toda
is suffering from intellectual an
spiritual barrenness in the pulpits. W
have raised up a breed of minstr
| committeeman and managers and e.
rand boys and social ornaments ar
after dinner speakers. All the viii
! the people are grooming for more
power in the sermon and prayer ar
family visitation. A famous Englisl
man once told a committee of parisl
toner's: Here are my feet and hel
is my head: chose which end of II
you will have" They chose pulp
power, and got a fair share of pa
toral work besides This present Sui
day School Lesson is one that shou
be studied in every theological sem