The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-02-28
BY WILLIAM E. GILROY, d. d
Editor of The CongregatfouaIist


BY WILLIAM E. GILROY, D. d.
Editor Of The Congregationalist
The method by which Jesus pro-
claimed His message and made it
influential in'the brief years of his
ministry is set before us in the les
son that tells of the sending forth
Of seventy missionaries in addition
to the inner circle of twelve dis
ciples.
Possibly we are to apt to think
that Jesus had no systematic
method, that He depended simply
upon casual contacts and free
preaching from place to place as
opportunity arose, as some parts of
the New Testament story might
suggest. If we had only the gen.
eral record without the evidence of
the training of the twelve and of
the appointment Of the seventy to
go two and two through the land,
we should have much warrant for
assuming that Jesus had no method
other than that Of scattering the
seeds of truth and leaving the
spiritual results to the divine in
fuence.
Stressed Preaching
Here in our lesson, however, we
have a clear insight into the work
of Jesus, not only in preaching, but
also in organizing preaching. Per-
hapS we should lay stress upon the
fact that the organization that
Jesus effected was an organization
Of preaching. He did not, appar-
emily, establish an institution. He
did not start first of all by building
up great organization. His methods
and his organization were them
selves closely related to spiritual
ends.
Modern churches might stand
aghast at the taking of relatively
unframed men and sending them
out to preach; for it would appear
that Jesus did not subject the
seventy whom he sent forth to any,
thing like the long years of study
and training which are regarded as
necessary for a modern minister.
We may assume too readily, how
ever, that these seventy were I'M
trainSd. The Jews had one of the
greatest systems of schools and of
teachers ever known prior to the
development of popular education in
the modern world. Every Jewish boy
was trained in the law. We may
assume that the entire seventy were
of the type Of devout and earnest
people, trained in religion, who had
been looking for the coming of the
Messiah and whose background of
religious life and teaching prepared
them admirably for the task that
Jesus assigned them.
A Simple Message
Moreover, if one could sense at all
the message that these seventy had
to proclaim, we should find that
probably it was very simple mes
sage, based rather directly upon
their experience with Jesus and the
reception into their own hearts and
minds of the truth that he had to
declare.
One wonders at times whether we
do not make too much of preach
ing in the modern world in the sense
of asSociating it with extensive and
elaborate discourseS. Great preach
ing has always been characteristic
Of great religious epochs. And it is
impossible to disassociate the great
and large expression of religion with
the great and large experience of
it in the souls of men.
One would not in any sense dis
parage the need or power or preach
ing. But preaching is often apt to
become formal and involved, max
ing a mystery Of simple things and
departing from the vital realities of
experience and the elemental values
that all Christian preaching ought
to maintain. The preacher and the
teacher will always wish to bring
his methods and his work to the
test of New Testament simplicity
and New Testament effectiveness.
Must Garry on Mission
That the preaching of the seventy
was effective is evidenced in the
record. So successful were the sew
enty in proclaiming their word of
truth and in the exercise of their
ministry that they were evidently
Immediately assaulted with the temp
tation of n1agnifying his own
powers.
Success even for the teacher or
preacher brings its perils, and it is
in the very hour Of ones seeming
triumph that he needs to commit
himself anew to God in humility
and in conservation, rejoicing not
so much that devils are subject unto
him as that his name is written in
the Book of Life.
Out of these simple methods OF
the Master came ultimately a great
organization. far greater and vaster
than anything that He Himself es-
tablished, possibly greater and vaster
than He contemplated. But what
ever we may think of the church
and its organization, as found in
our day, it is necessary that we
should not depart from the simple
L