Part 14

I know of one man who was supposed to be preaching in a missionary field, not supported by Chapel Avenue incidentally, concerning whom I have received a report that the only thing he did was to teach a Bible class on Wednesday night. Over a period of several months he received a good income from churches throughout the country who were gullible enough to answer a call without knowing the condition of the field and the kind of work that was being done by the one who made the call; while being paid to preach he was working at a secular job, receiving a living wage therefor, and putting the money he received from the churches in the bank in his own name. This illustrates what I mean by saying that it is necessary that we keep a line on those who are being supported. Those who are worthy will welcome investigation and those who are not worthy certainly ought to be investigated.

I believe that I am, at least to some extent, qualified to speak here for I have worked at both ends of the line. As you know, I spent five years at Richmond, Virginia, in the missionary field, receiving support from you and others back home. I’ve also worked at this end of the line, and I think I know a little about how such work ought to be done. Surely regular and complete reports ought to be received, and careful supervision should be exercised by those who furnish the money. It is my conviction that, when God places resources in the hands of an individual or a congregation, they are responsible for seeing that those resources are properly used.

That’s the reason I am reluctant to tell a rich man how to give away his money. If he had sense enough to make it, he probably has more sense about how to spend it than someone who could never make any. Of course one should teach the principles that are revealed in the Bible concerning the use of money, but I believe that the responsibility of spending one’s money rests primarily upon the one to whom God has entrusted the money, and that will apply to a congregation as well as to individuals.

IV A Three-Cornered Affair

Now arranging a program of missionary work is a three-cornered affair. There is first of all the _missionary field_ in which the work is to be done, and next, there is the _preacher_ who is to do the preaching and third the _church_ to do the financing. By some means or other these three must be brought to an agreement upon a plan of procedure. That means that somebody must take the initiative in getting the work started.

Sometimes a few members who live in the missionary field take the initiative, and undertake to find a preacher and someone to support him. They contact a preacher and ask him to come and work for them. They contact some church or churches and ask them to support the man while he works for them. Whenever there is enough leadership in the mission field to take such initiative, that’s all right. But that is presupposing a goodly degree of leadership in a mission field! There are many mission fields which do not possess such leadership. Sometimes the few members who live in these mission fields are relatively indifferent. They are not always so. Sometimes they are the finest people on the earth, but often they are not. And maybe the reason it’s still a mission field in many instances is because they are not as wide awake and zealous as they should be. So if a great many fields are ever reached, some of them not having any members at all, someone else must take the initiative.

In other instances, the preacher takes the initiative. He selects a field to which he would like to go and then he gets some churches to support him while he does so. That’s the plan I used in going to Richmond. It sometimes works all right and sometimes it doesn’t. For very often a preacher who undertakes to do such work is comparatively inexperienced, and is not nearly as well qualified to plan the program of work as some congregation that helps support him would be. When I went to Richmond, twelve years ago, one had to do it that way, because at that time, so far as I know, no one congregation considered itself able to assume full responsibility for the support of a missionary. But I do not believe that this is the most satisfactory method.

In the third place, the congregation itself very often takes the initiative, selects a field, selects a preacher, and sends him there to work. Bro. Gregory gave us an example of that this morning. He told of a congregation which made thorough investigation of the places needing a preacher in East Tennessee and finally concluded that Kingsport would be the most advisable place for them to help. They’ve been following that plan for many years. Bro. Charles King has been on their payroll for quite a long time. Several years ago they sent a committee to East Tennessee, at an expense of $150, to select the best place for him to preach. At that time they decided in favor of Harriman, where there is now, I understand, a strong congregation.

In this case, you see, the church took the initiative; the church selected the field after proper investigation; the church selected a preacher and paid him a salary and supported him while he represented them in that field. Where this can be done, it seems to me to be a very fine plan. Hence, one way for an established congregation to contribute to the success of evangelizing the world is to take the initiative not only in planning, but also in supervising the work. With such an arrangement the work will be promoted according to the judgment of a seasoned and experienced group of elders rather than according to the judgment of some young, inexperienced fellow who gets the idea that he wants to be a missionary.

A few objections to this plan have come from preachers on the field. It has been said, “I’d rather have twenty churches supporting me than to have just one. For that one might get discouraged at my pessimistic report and cut me off.” The answer to that is that there should be a more definite agreement on the part of the preacher and the church as to how long he is to be supported. The man on the missionary field should not expect a guarantee of a lifetime job. And, furthermore, if his reports were too pessimistic, it may be that his support _should_ be discontinued. Or perhaps he ought to be advised to discontinue his activities in that field and to move to some other. It would not have been well for Paul to have remained indefinitely in the city of Athens. According to the inspiration guiding him, it was better for him to move on.

I would have welcomed counsel and advice from those supporting me when I was working in Richmond. There were about twenty different churches supporting me—too many for me to confer with each of them to get advice on questions that arose; and consequently in most instances I relied only on my own judgment, which meant that the work was being directed by the judgment of one young preacher rather than by the combined judgment of some experienced group of elders. And nothing would have given me greater encouragement than for a committee of elders of some church that was supporting me to have spent a few days in Richmond studying the situation and advising me on the problems which arose. There were times when I wondered if the results being accomplished justified the money being spent.

Of course, the money was well spent. For growing out of that work which I entered twelve years ago there are now two self-supporting congregations. One of them has a building completely paid for and supports a full-time preacher. The other has a part-time preacher. Coming from one of these congregations, a young man graduated from David Lipscomb last spring and has gone back to Virginia to preach the gospel in his native state. Another young man from one of these congregations is now at Lipscomb preparing himself to preach the riches of Christ. On the side, some work and encouragement were given at Norfolk, Virginia, where there is now a growing and prosperous congregation. These developments have come about in only twelve years. But I couldn’t see it then. Oftentimes I became discouraged. If some one congregation had been supplying all the necessary support and supervising the work, it would have been very helpful to me.

But after all, friends, when you contribute only five or ten dollars per month to a place, you are not likely to have a vital interest in the work. To give you a concrete example, an elder and treasurer of a church in Middle Tennessee which sent ten dollars each month to Richmond, year after year, spent several days in Richmond on a social visit and didn’t even come around to see what was being done. Well, they only had $10 per month invested there and so they were not particularly interested. But if they’d been spending $200 a month, paying the full salary of the man on the job, then an elder who spent the week end in town would have looked into the situation! Where a man’s treasure is, there will his heart be also!

In fact, I have said, and I’m about to say again, that to contribute just $5 a month here and there and elsewhere for mission work is somewhat like giving a nickel to a beggar on the street. Do you know why you give that nickel? Not because you are interested in the beggar and not because you are concerned about what he is doing, but to ease your own conscience. You are seeking to purchase ease of conscience with expenditure of a mere nickel! If the beggar is worthy, he ought to have more than a nickel; if he isn’t worthy, he doesn’t deserve even a nickel. And so when a congregation merely contributes five dollars to each of a few places, to soothe their conscience, they can say, “Yes, we are doing some mission work,” but certainly they are following the line of least resistance. They may have purchased ease of an untrained and misinformed conscience at a minimum cost, but this does not mean that they have done their duty in meeting the responsibility that God has placed on them!

Another way in which Chapel Avenue can and is contributing to the attainment of this objective, is by furnishing leadership for rural churches in reach of Nashville. Bro. Clark, Bro. Shacklett, Bro. Autry, and others who have been going out, know that there are many congregations within driving distance of Nashville which are almost totally lacking in leadership. They need someone to be there on Lord’s Day to conduct the worship and to teach and encourage them. And we have an opportunity to do a lot of good along that line.

V Practical Suggestions

Now these are just scattering thoughts and remarks on what we can do and, therefore, what we _ought_ to do to attain the God given objective of preaching the gospel unto the whole world. I advise you again that this list of activities is not exhaustive but suggestive. The same kind of treatment given this particular objective could be applied to the others in this outline as well. We don’t have time to do so tonight, but I want you to study it for yourself and consider how you, individually and personally, can do something to help us reach these scriptural objectives. And further, consider how the church itself may improve its efforts along this line.

If you think of some change that ought to be made in this outline, or some items that ought to be added to it, I would certainly be glad to receive your suggestions. Friends, remember that we are engaged in the Lord’s work, the greatest work in all the world! If there is any body of people on earth who ought to be enthusiastic, it is the church of Christ! We are working in the Lord’s kingdom, and we know that our labor will not be in vain. If so much can be accomplished by the little that has been done, I want you to think about what could be accomplished if we were all doing our best! It yet remains to be demonstrated what can be accomplished by a congregation which is wholly and completely dedicated unto the work of the Lord. I recommend that you give a practical and careful study then to each item on this list.

Consider our devotional program and how it may be improved. It can be improved! To claim that there is no room for improvement would be to claim perfection which none of us would like to do. Bro. Murphy has been making some fine suggestions in our Thursday evening work. Those of you who have missed them have been missing an opportunity to improve the effectiveness of your own service in the kingdom of God. He’s made some _practical_ suggestions. You may think some of them are not good, but certainly every suggestion he has made should be given very careful consideration by those who are supervising and taking part in the work here.

Perhaps our greatest sin is our failure to put into use the knowledge which we receive, to make practical use of suggestions offered. It would be easy just to let Dr. Murphy’s advice pass by and go unheeded. If we do that, it will mean that the church will be very little better off after this eight weeks of training than it was before. But, if his suggestions are promptly and faithfully heeded, the church will be a great deal further along toward the accomplishment of its scriptural objectives than it was before.

You will notice that the Wednesday evening meeting appears three or four times in this outline and might appropriately appear at even some other place. For instance, the Wednesday evening meeting may be used for devotional purposes. It may be used for instructional purposes and will be for the next eight weeks. It may also be used for the purpose of giving practical training to those who would be workers in the kingdom of God. If we’ll think about it like that, you see, it will give purpose to our mid-week meetings.

Here are scriptural goals. God is holding us responsible to do everything we can to attain these objectives promptly and effectively. Our mid-week program can be made to serve a very important purpose in the attainment of these ends. And, therefore, along with every other scriptural phase of the work, should receive the wholehearted co-operation and support of every member.

I’m looking forward to much greater things for the church at Chapel Avenue in the weeks, months, and years ahead. Don’t you want to have a part in it? If there are some here tonight who live in our community and would like to work and worship with the church here, we invite you to make that known by coming forward tonight. If there are those who have backslidden, you are invited to follow the Bible plan of repenting, confessing your faults, and praying for forgiveness, that God may save your soul. And, of course, you who have not been baptized, if you believe that Jesus is the Son of God, if you will repent of your sins and confess your faith and obey the commandment to be baptized for remission of sins (Acts 2:38) God promises that your sins will be forgiven, washed away by the blood of Christ, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit! Christ invites you to come to him and let him save you! Will you accept that invitation while together we stand and sing?

XIV HOW MUCH IS LIBERAL?

The subject of giving has been assigned to me for this occasion. This assignment pleases me for two reasons: First, it is a popular subject. Folk like to hear it because it hits them so hard. In the second place, it is a vital question. Those who have taken the time to count the instances say that the Bible mentions money more often than it does faith, repentance, confession, and baptism all put together. “The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.” Whether, therefore, we base our judgment on the danger of our sinning with respect to it, or the amount of space devoted to it in the Bible, the subject of money, or giving, is a very important one. I am approaching the subject from the standpoint of this question: “How Much Is Liberal?” The reason for this approach will appear as we proceed.

I New Testament Authority

You know, as well as I, that in every instance we must go to the New Testament for our guidance in matters religious. Our people have been thoroughly taught, but not too thoroughly, that we are no longer bound by the laws given to Moses and Noah, but by the law of Christ. In studying the subject of giving, therefore, we must go to the New Testament.

In First Corinthians 16:2 we read: “Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.” This Scripture teaches that we should give regularly, weekly (not weakly). The giving is to be just as regular as the eating of the Lord’s supper—upon the first day of each week. This quotation also teaches that we should give according to our prosperity. The more prosperity one has the more he is expected to give.

A third New Testament requirement is cheerfulness in giving. “God loveth a cheerful giver” (2 Cor. 9:7). Sometimes it is said that we ought to give until it hurts. It is all right to give until you can miss what you give, or until you have to do without something that you want. But you should never give until it hurts. It is all right to give until you can miss hurt you to give as God requires. He loves a cheerful giver.

Fourthly, we are taught to give purposely. The Christians at Corinth made a purpose a year in advance and were commanded to give as they had planned. “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give” (2 Cor. 9:7). They had not only purposed but they had expressed their purpose and when a Christian does that, it very nearly becomes a promise. The text does not specifically say that we should make a purpose, but it implies it; and if we purpose, we should give accordingly. In reference to this question on which we are so likely to stumble we ought to do some prayerful planning, lest we make the mistake of not giving as we should. The temptation to give sparingly is so great that one can not afford to depend merely upon the impulse of the moment. Make a purpose or plan and then give according to your plan.

Finally, the New Testament commands us to give liberally. “He that giveth, let him do it liberally” (Rom. 12:8, A.R.V. or footnote in the A.V.). The word “liberal” comprehends both the attitude of the giver and also the amount of the gift. The New Testament does not specify any amount or percentage that we should give. It does not tell us to give any certain amount or percentage of our income; but it does command us to give liberally. You have often heard the statement, “We are not commanded to give a tenth.” This statement is literally true, but it may imply an error. The inference is that the New Testament assures us that we need not give as much as a tenth. Such an inference is false. The New Testament does not command us to give _less than_ a tenth. It names no definite amount and no definite percentage.

In 2 Corinthians 9:5-7 we are not only taught to give liberally but we are encouraged to do so by the statement: “He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.” It appears to me that the New Testament thus puts us on our honor. If it had named a certain number of dollars or a certain percentage of our income, we might just give that amount and claim the rest to do with as we pleased. But God has placed us on our honor, the amount of our giving to be determined by general instructions and our love of Him and those to whom we give. When an honorable man is placed on his honor, it seems that he should do even more than when he is under definite laws. Some schools have what they call “the honor system.” According to this system, the teacher may put a test on the board and leave the room. The students are on their honor. It seems to me that one would be less likely to cheat under those conditions than with some one on guard. The New Testament puts us on our honor, so to speak, with only general instructions and commands to guide our giving.

II Individual Responsibility

Each individual must answer for himself this question: “How much is liberal?” The Old Testament required a certain percentage; the New Testament requires liberality. _How much is liberal?_ What does the Bible mean when it says, “give liberally?” Liberality would not mean the same amount in every case. Some must give more than others. This story was published some years ago in the _Gospel Advocate_: There was a certain rich man in a congregation who had as much money as all the other members. When money was being raised for any purpose he would propose to give as much as any other _one_. When the congregation was trying to raise money to put a new roof on their building, he arose, according to his custom, and said, “Brethren, I will give as much as any other man in the house toward putting on this new roof.” There happened to be a rich infidel present that day, who arose and said, “Well, Mister, you and I will pay for the new roof; I will give half the cost.”

Now, if you expect me to tell you exactly how much you should give, you will be disappointed. I am not going to tell you because the Bible doesn’t tell me. If I were to undertake to tell you, I might put it too low. I would certainly be afraid to tell any one that he was giving too much. A man once asked me a question which several other preachers had been unable to answer. He said, “My wife and I make $150 per month. We give $25 of that to the church each month. I want to know if we are giving enough.” When I heard the question I knew why the other preachers had not answered. He and his wife were giving more than a tenth. They were giving 16⅔ per cent, but I was afraid to tell him whether they were giving too much or not enough, because I didn’t know. Jesus Christ watched the poor widow give away all her living, and He didn’t tell her that she was giving too much. Some of our brethren today would probably have said, “Just wait a minute, lady, we appreciate your motive and admire your liberality, but you ought not give all you have. We wouldn’t want you to starve to death or to do without the necessities of life.” But Jesus stood there and watched her give away the very last thing she had and He made no effort to restrain her. So, I can’t tell any one that he is giving too much or the exact number of dollars that he should give. Each one must answer for himself.

_How much is liberal?_ I can’t answer for you; you can’t answer for me. You must answer for yourself and your answer must be a definite one, expressible in terms of a certain number of dollars and cents. You must decide how many dollars and cents you should give in order to meet the requirement of liberality. How much have you studied the question? How much have you prayed about it and investigated the word of God in your search for an answer? How much time have you spent on the question? Are you sure that you have reached a scriptural conclusion? You must not merely decide what is liberal according to your own standard, but what is liberal according to God’s standard. For, after all, God is to be the final judge as to whether you are giving liberally. You must reach a definite conclusion as to what God will consider a liberal amount from you. I urge you to study the question of liberality. Search the Scriptures, pray God to lead you to the right answer. Because the question must be answered. It is a commandment of God in the New Testament.

III Abram