How to Help the Church by T. E. BOWEN

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Washington, D.C. · Jul 20, 1905

How to Help the Church

By T. E. BOWEN

T. E. BOWEN

SOME people spend more time in lamenting about the terrible spiritual condition in the church than it would take to at least begin a genuine reform.

“O,” but some one says, “our church is in a terrible condition, almost beyond help. The elder and superintendent do not help us much, and no minister is sent our way, and —”

Yes, yes, this sounds familiar, but that is not the trouble with your church spirituality.

“Well, then, it is Brother So-and-so. He talks too much. He has said some things about me even, and —”

But stop. That isn’t the trouble with your church.

“What is your opinion, then?”

Well, brother, to be plain, “my opinion” was similar to yours until the other day I found God’s answer in the Testimonies, and since then I have been thinking considerably about that.

“Do tell me what it is; for if anything can help our church, I want to know what it is.”

All right. Turn to page 169 of “Testimonies,” Vol. VIII, and you will read this: “We are working for eternity. If we eat of the bread which came from heaven, we shall be Christlike in spirit and character. We are living in an age when there is to be no spiritual idleness. Every soul is to be charged with the heavenly current of life. The question is often asked, ‘What is the cause of the dearth of spiritual power in the church?’ [Note carefully the answer.] The answer comes, ‘The members allow their minds to be drawn away from the Word of God.’”

Ah! here is the secret. The blessed bread of life is not eaten by the members. They do not study their Bibles, sometimes not sufficiently to get the Sabbath-school lessons thoroughly. This thing and that thing of a trivial nature is allowed by the individual members to hinder them from feeding on the Word; and nourishing their souls by the contemplation of the sublime themes of thrilling interest found in the sacred volume of God.

Brother, sister, stop talking about the dearth in your church, and draw your chair up to God’s table, and eat for yourself of the Bread of life.

Rome, N. Y.