The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-02-26
REVEALS NOT MERELY
TO BRING IN MEMBERS
Business AS Ministers and Men to
Make Men Not Sesfarians. says
Rev. Fred. Chcnault.
GIVE MENTAL ASSENT TO CREED
First Essential of Revival Is To &c
Endued With powcr--Pastor De-
clares We Must Serve God and Not
tho World.

anu tiit fStNiNdir NV. L itds ~
Chenault preached an interesting
sermon yesterday morning in Broad
Street Methodist church. He said
In part:
A spiritual church Is essentially
an evangelistic church \ revival is
not worked up so much as ii is pray
ed up. And the prayer that brings il
is not so much the prayer OF petition
rs the hearts desire. The members
OF church cannot bring about a
revival by saying they want il; they
must hunger and thirst for God be-
'ore they can find Him. If their
dominant desire is for revival. a re-
vival is bound to follow. The first
essential of revival is a spiritual
church And nearness to God Is the
secret OF spiritual power
i, \ church has not spiritual
power merely because ii is active.
"A church that has life has ac-
iivity. but a church may have a great
deal OF activity yet very little life. a
church may be efficient in its organ
izstion and indifferent To It's regener-
alton. We should not minimize the
value of organization. bat organize
-lnn- is-a-Yerx- useless-and- burden
some instrument unless empowered.
No amount OF machinery alone can
make a revival The force necessary
10 run the machinery comes from
above
-. We are not having a true re-
yiVal II We have no other gospel to
preach than dogma.
Give Mental Assent to Creed.
Men may give mental assent TO a
creed. but no spiritual response TO
God Doctrinal cXactness may mean
spiritual ustracIsm. The Pharisees
shAn4pa.fgrS
guides They were very exact In their
Interpretation OF ths Mosaic law. but
very imperfect Su tier Interpretation
ar life Jesus rebukcd doctrine hut
revealed Cod The beginning Of re-
l'eioa * To know God the end Of re-
Nsiau is 20 please God Jesus showed
Hs the Father, we must show men
'Ne Master.
s. \ true revival Is not the
q" agation ef denominattonalism.
"Gur htlsiness a. ministers and
a6ea j. fo rnake men, not sectarians.
f+ar may circle the globe 10 make
srrer,s5e when he wouldn't circle
~ s3t.- % make a man first "A Chris
t~N "" must love men more than
uG- church. or else We cannot love
.'7r church as We ought We must
'>v mems SCOUTS more than their
rs.ntes and membership. or our min
'sts-y is % traNestv on the gospel Of
Jesus Christ. We should love our
huTch much NJ should love our
Master more We should be glad
when men choose 10 come to our de
nomination. but We should rejoice
most when they have found the
Christ. The kingdom of God IL
bigger than any or all the denonlna-
lions It should therefore. he the
Supreme motive of our message.
~ Nor is n true revival the mere
bringing in Of members,
II heard OF q minister who said
that he was having a revival In his
church. not because he WAS receiving
members into his church. but be-
cause he was getting some out of it.
4 revival is not necessarily successful
In proportion to the members re-
ceived into the church. but rather in
proportion to their religious expert
ence their vision of new life, and
their determination 10 assume their
new responsibility. joyfully and un-
rescrvediy It's useless to inspire
men and women without giving them
a real outlet to their inspiration. SAL
walton is no doubt instantaneous. but
IL In also progressive. We must as
simulate our forces gained into active
constructive service, or else the work
OF SpEStdi SCdSpHS VI INNANat WIZ ioSS
It's ultimate purpose.
'"The first essential OF a revival is
TO be 'endued with power
Must Have Vision.
without vision we perish with
out Divine power there Is no vision.
He lives best In earth who lives most
In heaven. He gives most to earth
who gets most from heaven. We are
told that the apostles were endued
with power. For that reason and
that alone were they able to make
any impression upon the cold, hard
heart Of the heather world. And for
that reason and that alone were they
able to endure as seeing the Invisible
and to rejoice that they were count
ed worthy to suffer for the Lord
Jesus Christ We might well ask how
we're they able to possess such power
and how may we?
81. First, because they We're lin
the world but not OF the world
THE danger that confronts our
church today is that it will become
engrossed in the things that obsess
the world. Even some good people
thing that the way to save the world
il 10 go into partnership with tho
world The church is in danger of
letting the world become it's own
cviterion for standards of right and
wrong Jesus told His disciples that
Aha world would not love them even
ne 1t had not loved Him. that they
could not serve two masters. and ii
they loved the world the love of God
could not abide in their hearts. They
had the power of God because they
were willing, to give up everything
else to gain it. We gains one thing
as we give up other things. We can
inc "a.