The Washington times., 1918-01-13
CHURCH TOO MUCH
LIKE FUNERAL, IS
B|LLY'S PROTEST

He said:
There is much more than mere his
tory in the chapter from which this
text Is taken, just a. there IL mare In
a picture than can be seen at the nrst
glance. The state Of AFFAIRS ct the
time the chapter opens IL about ~ bad
a. II is possible to Imagine. The eoun-
try was in an awful condition Of idola-
try. AhAb and Jesebel we're on the
throne OF Israel, and wlckedness Of
the most abomihable kind had the
right OF way throughout their king
dom.
$50 rampant had, idolstry become
that to stem its deadly tide the GOD OF
Israel had sent Elijah, with power to
shut on the water supply and bring
famine to the whole country.
mo doubt most Of you have noticed
as you read your Bibles that 1t was
always in q dark time that q prophet
made his appearance. II vas when
the situation looked black and hope
less that Goo would send . man with
. message OF warning against COM
ing judgment.
The fishbIte popped up before
weak-kneed Ahab with the abTupt-
ness Of q thundefeIap, snd without
any salaans or furbelows he spoke
out In the very frat breath in . way
that must have brought psllor 70 his
eowaTdly face and tremor to his
knses. Hear him:
Z "'As the Lord God Of Israel liyeth,
before when ! stand. there shall not
be dew nor Fain tAsse years but ae-
cordilG to NY verd?
There was talk that had no As II
were or In . decree OF so 70 speak
about Il, hut every word had the fipg
of chilled steel. As the Lord 0od
liyeth before whom I stand! ought
to be the preachers faith every time
he goes 70 the pulpit.
RSAt KIiA Of Faith.
The faith that will make the devil
ret Up and dust. no matter where It
dads him, must be Of that kind- Such
conAdenes In God as that old prophet
had would make granite out OF soap
stone. 49,. -.
have the same unbroken sense OF His
presence 10 q better preparation for n
great career In the ministry than a
degree from any college, and am not
DESIGNATING the value OF education
either. I believe In It viii both hands
up, but education alone can never.
make character. 1t take acquatnt-
anee with God 10 do that
Leaping to the rostTum fTont and
shaking a. elsnehed nst. the preacher
shouted:
when Ged eails a man 10 preach he
expects him to DO Il a. naturally as
he SHseses or coughs or sH' IeP.
"if I'd stepped pFspehIns because of
,sveTy mutt who att4eke-ns,I 10 have
sR s;. up a; sss ,.s ss vIs,,.,Itv . to5b,m
what the steel frame Is to the sky
scraper. AID when he s1rrChders II in
vain endeavor to be like some one else
down gees his ministerial rneathouse.
He has failed to become the bright
and shining Hight be might have been
and 50 his candiestick Is taken away
fFom him. (RsV. II. 81 Many preach
efs have a barren ministry because
they loss the power OF their person
Atty BY Initiating some one who has
been successful
"A lot Of qs, too, are afraid Of doing
anything sensational. have no more
patience with such than ] hSvs VITA a
a woman who goes into Mysteries at
the sight OF mouse.
All SensatI0asL
STUDY the chapter of the text,
and you will discover that about
everything the Carmelte did was
sensational and it was because of
this that he woke UP the whole coun-
try. II shutting on the rainfall for
three years wasn't sensational, moth
ever was. 1t raised the biggest stir
the country had ever known. and
made Ahab and JeZebel mad enough
TO bite themselves.
III you want to see a dead town
or a dead church wake up: don't be
afraid OF doing something out OF the
common. There Is plenty OF Bible
warrant for not pushing things aside
just because they may happen TO be
a little sensational.
at was sensational when Noah
built the atk and loaded il with its
Grange cargo, and u was sensational
Of Nineveh, covered with dried sea
weed and graphically. told the story
OF his three days experience in the
belly OF the whale.
The first time Jesus went into a
synagogue after beginning his. min
istry he created a big sensation by
teaching not as the scribes. but as
one having authority. The preacher
who cannot teach as one having su-
thority has no call from God TO teach
at all. Read the twenty-third chap
ter OF Matthew, and you will find
sensational preaching, every sentence
of which cuts like a razor.
And then look at Pentecost. Can
you imagine anything more sensa-
tional than what was said and done
in Jerusalem that day? Note, too,
how sensational John the Baptist was
in what he was and in what he said
and did. No doubt IL was because
he was not one OF a bunch that all
Jerusalem went out TO hear him.
Why Net Go to Churehf
why don't people go to church, is
a great question that Is always being
asked. Ny guess Is. that II is because,
in many cases, It is SO much like going
to funeral. Put more life into things.
and you will have no complaint to make
about empty paws. Prayer meetings are
dead mainly because so little life is put
into them by thosA who lead them.
II wouldn't give q rap for the preach
ing that never makes a sinner realize
that he 10 one. There Is sure to be moth.
ing but constant disappointment for the
preacher who Is always shooting at bear
with nothing In his gun but blrdshot.
David killed Goliath because he
went against him with suitable am
and plenty OF it. He loaded
his sling according to the size of the