Some Conditions of Success
WRITING in the Missionary Review of the World of one of those powerful revivals of half a century ago, Dr. Arthur T. Pierson makes some helpful suggestions to those who desire to see fruit of their labors for the salvation of souls. He says:— We venture, with modesty but with deep conviction, to suggest to fellow pastors and the churches of Christ some possible hindrances to the highest success in saving souls, and home helps. First of all, there is a kind of preaching that directly tends to salvation. It is of first importance to aim at a definite end, and then adjust means to the end. Pulpit essays and popular lectures may entertain and instruct, and many a good exposition of the Word may edify disciples, yet all these may have not the least tendency to bring a lost sinner to Christ. There may be nothing to arouse or awaken, to convince of sin or lead to repentance and faith. Many a sermon does not even appeal to men for a decision; the preacher expects no such movement among his hearers, and makes no effort to induce it. On the other hand, a man who is intelligently a fisher of men will see that all his method is adapted to catch them; and if there is a time of fruitless toil, will at least mend his nets, and see that they are not unfit for his calling. A man who preaches should definitely frame sermons with reference to constraining his hearers to a choice of Christ, and should insist on instant and decisive, if not visible, action on their part. A sermon is so far a failure that does not grip the conscience, using conviction and emotion as channels to resolution. Again: too great emphasis can not be laid on prayer. Over and over again has God taught us that on supplication and intercession everything else depends—power to present truth, to arouse and win souls, to conduct inquiry meetings, to feel the grand impulse of a mighty passion for souls. Prayer alone can command divine resources of thought and power, open the floodgates of heaven, awaken the careless, restore backsliders, quicken dead prayer-meetings, kindle the fire on broken altars—in a word, a revival of prayer is a revival of all else that is most precious and needful. And yet prayer is the most neglected part of personal and church life. . . . All revivals that are heaven born have been preceded by prayers that are heaven inspired. Once more we add, with deepest solemnity, that there must be a distinct revival of the sense of the supernatural.7We have fallen on days when naturalism, that twin brother to materialism, is having unusual sway. There is, even on the part of professed disciples, a decay of faith in the divine element in the Word of God, the work of Christ, and the operation of the Spirit. The days of the Ulster Revival [1859] were days when, whatever may have been the coldness of the churches, this awful blight of skepticism about the supernatural did not prevail. For ourselves, we have no confidence in any signs of a coming revival which are not attended by a new faith in God as an active, actual worker among men. While the Bible is assaulted, the infallibility of Christ’s teaching disputed, the reality of the Holy Spirit working doubted, if not denied, we are dishonoring the very means and conditions upon which all true, genuine, reforming, transforming spiritual work absolutely depends. Let us learn a lesson from the past. In a few words Dr. Pierson has given a clear view of the state of things in the churches. “There is,” he asserts, “even on the part of professed disciples, a decay of faith in the divine element in the Word of God, the work of Christ, and the operation of the Spirit.” This does not make the outlook very hopeful for a general revival of genuine religion, but it is a sign of the last days—a form of godliness without the power. The world needs the threefold message of Revelation 14, given in the demonstration of the Spirit. And these suggestions apply to the giving of that message.