The Greater Need
By Roy Loney
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One of mankind's greatest failures is the inability to understand that which is of supreme importance and to avoid the trifles. The vast majority places the greatest emphasis on the needs of the body while neglecting the spirit. The struggles for food, clothing and education, take precedence over the development of the moral and spiritual life. "Life is more than meat, and the body than raiment." To seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, is to place the emphasis where it rightfully belongs. Placing the wrong emphasis is a grievous fault even on the part of those who are supposed to minister to the souls of men. I am simply amazed and greatly depressed at the great amount of space used in religious papers on matters that will never build up the souls of men in the most holy faith. We argue, debate and dispute about some of the most trivial matters of religion, like the Pharisees of old, who tithed mint, anise and cummin while omitting the weightier matter of the law. The farmer who spent a day gathering up loose used nails while the weeds devoured his crop, was not as foolish as the preacher who wastes precious days and weeks on obscure points of theology that have little to do with the vital matters of salvation and a closer walk with God. The fragrance of the rose that is wasted on the desert air is nothing compared with the waste of precious time and opportunities in religious matters.
The cause of Christ will never grow until we rearrange our thinking as to what is incidental and what is important. Our need is to find out that which is most lacking and to supply that need. In so doing we are not left to the vagaries of the human mind but to the inspired revelation of God. Just at present a great deal of space is being given over to a discussion of instrumental music in the worship. Page after page is being used to justify its use, and I have been asked to join in the fracas, but only a few moments of thinking convinced me that I could make far better use of my time. If a cow bell in a concert will add to the finer points of classical music then I concede that the blaring of trumpets will make the soul of man more spiritual and bring it closer to God. The story of the death of Christ upon the cross of Calvary is the only thing that can quicken a soul lying dead in the tomb of sin and make it walk with God (John 12:32). The only hope of the world is in that Cross and not in blaring trumpets and tinkling cymbals. If there is a single advocate of instruments of music that will
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In my travels among the churches I'm often in homes where the grim Reaper called death has left the terrible shadow of his presence and a vacant chair is the visible evidence of his mighty power. Hearts that are numb with grief may lose sight of the beautiful rainbow of the Father's promise. The comfort and consolation of his word is always a vital factor in bringing refreshing relief to a broken heart. How very few there are who can effectively speak words of sympathy and love. We have talked endlessly about developing the talent, and generally, all that it means is to make a smart talk in public. We need training classes to teach how to offer sympathy and compassion to a soul in sorrow.
So many parents reveal to me their deep concern for the moral and spiritual welfare of their children. The pull of the world is terribly strong, and the pitfalls of Satan are legion. Many parents are at their wit's end as to how they can turn these immature, adolescent lives into paths of morality and sobriety. Nothing is more vital to the advancement of Christ's kingdom than the enlistment of the young. Just here I'd like to ask a few editors just what there is in their papers that will stimulate the young to a dedicated life. Many of these editors get way up in the clouds of technical scholarship and forget that down on earth there are unnumbered thousands of young people being led into the pits of hell by the simplest of Satan's devices. It is not enough to state that we have some fine books for sale for the benefit of the young while we float in the stratosphere of innocuous scholarship! It is time to reach out the understanding hand of counsel and advice and thereby lead our young people in to the arena of real usefulness of Christ. Speaking personally, let me state that there is no present happiness of mine that is as satisfying as my constant association with young brethren who are being trained into the service of the great King.
No matter where you go, the constant complaint is made that many of the members are indifferent and cold. The leaders know not how to lift them from the morass of their lethargy and make them useful workers for Christ. The thorns and briars of Satan are not complicated technicalities, but the simplest of earthly matters. Ponderous debates and legalistic hair splitting about minor points of the law will not fill such souls with ardent zeal nor make them glow in devotion to Christ. They can never be made into efficient soul savers if all they hear is unspiritual discussions as to when and where we can invite the sinners to Christ. Only the pickaxe of love can root out the stones of carnal indifference and make these careless lives fruitful for Christ. The high idealism of the cross requires no Master of Arts degree, and the simple fishermen of Galilee became past masters in the art of soul winning. The woman of Samaria heard from the thirsty lips of the dust-stained stranger astonishing words. Wonder added wings to her feet as she rushed into the city with the news of a man who "told me all things that ever I did." Then breathlessly she asked "Is not this the Christ?" The mysterious stranger did not try to teach her the science of chemistry nor the mysteries of the universe, but he told her all about herself. Can there be a greater need than to tell people of their worth and great possibilities? Men can be rescued from the ash heaps of uselessness and transformed into characters of infinite worth when told in simple words of Him who came to seek and save the lost.