Training the Saints

By Ellis Crum

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     While an evangelist is laboring with a congregation in an endeavor to train and develop them, he must be careful that he does not usurp the rights of the brethren. He is not their servant but the Lord's servant. His task is to help others do the work of Christ, not do all the work himself. At the outset of a very new work, an evangelist will have to do most of the teaching, preaching, and organizing. His aim should be to work himself out of the congregation as others are gradually worked into the public ministry of the saints. An evangelist is not a permanent fixture in a local congregation. His descriptive name will not let him be such. The conscience of the true evangelist, if properly taught by the New Testament, will prod him on to other fields as he heralds the terms of salvation to those who have never heard the good news.

     There is generally little excuse for the evangelist doing all of the praying in the public assembly. As souls are brought to Christ they will automatically want to communicate with the Father. Following the example of Jesus, the gospel preacher will teach the newly-made disciples to pray. They will be encouraged to pray from the heart for current needs.

     An active development program will be carried on by the true minister of God. Realizing the need of all members being trained for the ministry, the program will probably include both public and private instruction. Evangelists should make themselves available to any saint who needs help or desires assistance. The most difficult to help are those who feel that they need no help. An attempt should be made to create within the heart of every saint the desire to "grow up in all things." When a Christian stops growing, he ceases to be a true Christian. "On the contrary, you should grow in grace and in your knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ--to him be glory now and until the dawning of the day of eternity!" --(Phillips Translation, 2 Pet. 3:18).

     An evangelist has a responsibility toward his brethren in teaching them to use scriptural language. The deplorable condition of God's ancient people, who had pledged to keep themselves pure, is described by the prophet in these words: "and half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod, and they could not speak the language of Judah, but the language of each people" (Neh. 13:24, RSV). Today, many speak the language of their father, instead of the words of The Father. Evangelists should do all they can to stifle the lame excuses that are frequently offered for using the unscriptural language inherited from our forefathers. "We have always called it that," or, "We have used such expressions for years," are statements that contribute to the problem rather than the solution.

     New converts should be taught that the Lord's supper is not "the communion." While the breaking of bread is referred to as "the communion of the blood of Christ (and) the communion of the body of Christ" (1 Cor. 10:16), there are many things in which we share or participate, such as prayer, singing, and contributing--all forms of communion. To speak of "the communion" sounds as if there was only one form of communion. We should likewise be careful with such words as "church." Evangelists should teach the saints not to use such expressions as "going to church," for the word ekklesia refers to

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those who do the going. Christians would do well to avoid referring to the building as the church, as the true church is made up of "living stones" according to 1 Peter 2:5. Preachers should constantly remind their hearers that even scriptural terms can be used in an unscriptural manner. The words, "elder," "deacon," and "evangelist" are Bible terms, but to use them as religious titles is without apostolic authority or precedent. It is the writer's personal conviction that it can make a difference whether these words are used before or after a man's name, and if they are capitalized. Some might ridicule such distinctions, and call it hair-splitting, saying that we have always used it that way, and that we have to conform to the mechanics of grammar. Of course in talking to those in the apostate church we say that it makes a difference whether we use a capital "C" or lower case letter in spelling the word "Catholic." We will readily admit that the true church of Christ is catholic or universal in scope. It seems that it just depends on whose toes we are stepping whether we desire to see the point or not! I do not suggest that anyone make a "hobby" of such distinctions, but it might make for a purer church in the next generation if evangelists would teach their converts these "minor distinctions," as well as "the weightier matters of the law." There will probably be little need to suggest such changes to those who have been in the church for years, as some deplore changes. It has been stated that progress requires change; however, not all changes are progress! We must make sure that any changes are for the better and not the worse.

     Besides certain abuses of Bible terms, there are terms used which were not given by the Holy Spirit, and thus would be better if eliminated. Two words that I would like to refrain from using in connection with the Lord's work, are "sermon" and "mission." The reason: because of their connotation. Sermonizing is interwoven with the clergy system. While it is true that there was a great mission for the apostles and others to accomplish in the New Testament times, the word today is often employed by our brethren when referring to new congregations. Let's "start" congregations (not "mission points") and then "establish" them in the faith. The church was not really "established" on the day of Pentecost, but rather was started or set up.

     While on this rather delicate subject I would like to call your attention to the etymology of the word "chapel." "Late Latin cappa meant 'cloak,' and a diminutive form cappella, spelled also capella, meant 'a little cloak,' 'a hood,' 'a cowl.' The cloak worn by St. Martin of Tours, who died in the fourth century, was preserved as a holy relic, and the word capella was used to refer to the shrine in which St. Martin's cloak was kept. So capella came to mean a place for keeping sacred things, and finally any holy place, or place of worship, the meaning of the Old French form chapele, taken into English as chapel" --pp. 44, Picturesque Word Origins. Some do not object to its usage as they have used it "back home" as long as they can remember. Others object simply because it is new. Had we not all better watch lest we pick up some of the "language of Ashdod"?

     Evangelists owe it to the brethren to help them seek for perfection. "That [we might arrive] at really mature manhood--the completeness of personality which is nothing less than the standard height of Christ's own perfection--the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, and the completeness found in Him" (Eph. 4:13, Amplified N.T.). The story is told of an old Norwegian sculptor who burst into tears as he looked at his finished statue. His friends tried to console him, telling him that it was a perfect representation. He replied that that was the reason for his grief, saying, "I can no longer see any room for improvement; therefore, the only way I can go is down!" Let us not seek to improve upon the Lord's plan, but until He comes again let us constantly endeavor to improve our working of His plan. Present tears are premature! Let us serve acceptably!