WM THE SPIRIT SAITH 
 TO THE CHURCHES 
 
 J.NORMAN KING 
 
 UBRARV OF RELIGIOUS THOUGHT 
 
BV 601 .K56 1916 
 King, James Norman, 1880- 
 What the spirit says to the 
 churches 
 
What the Spirit Saith 
 to the Churches 
 
 J. NORMAN KING 
 
 O 
 
 BOSTON: RICHARD G. BADGER 
 
 TORONTO: THE COPP CLARK CO., LIMITED 
 
Copyright, 1916, by J. Norman King 
 
 All Rights Reserved 
 
 Made in the United States of America 
 
 The Gorham Press, Boston, U. S. A. 
 
WHAT THE SPIRIT SAITH TO THE 
 CHURCHES 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 It is In the spirit of humility and much uncer- 
 tainty that this book is allowed to go for publica- 
 tion. I have a full consciousness of the weakness 
 with which the subject has been handled, and a 
 whole-hearted concern for what it may mean to 
 the reader. 
 
 There has been no attempt to startle the world by 
 profoundness of thought, or to cover up the lack of 
 such profoundness with flowery language and beau- 
 tiful phraseology. Rather in plainness and simplic- 
 ity of speech, I have sought to express truths that 
 are well known, with the hope that they might be 
 made more practical and might leave a deeper Im- 
 pression. The reader who is seeking the unusual, 
 as well as the one who Is searching for a literary 
 treat, will be disappointed. 
 
 The general theme is the product of a growing 
 realization of the value of the Christian Church. 
 As we see many people living in apparent disregard 
 for the Church, and many who are members giv- 
 ing other Interests a more prominent place in their 
 
 5 
 
6 Introduction 
 
 lives, we have come to the conclusion that this Is 
 due to the fact that they do no fully comprehend 
 the vital importance of this organization. If we 
 could but realize that the founding of the Church 
 was the direct result of the presence and power of 
 the Holy Spirit, that she Is the custodian of God's 
 most precious promises, and that it has been 
 through her that God has accomplished His great- 
 est work for men, we would be more conscious 
 of her value and more concerned as to our relation 
 to her. And to add a little to this consciousness Is 
 the purpose with which I write. 
 
 As we study the history of the Christian Church, 
 we are surprised at the briefness of the time elaps- 
 ing before sin made its way into her sacred pre- 
 cincts. One would naturally think that those early 
 churches, founded by the Apostles, who received the 
 messages they delivered direct from Christ, would 
 remain shining examples of what God wanted His 
 Church to be. Surely we could follow the example 
 of these churches and feel perfectly safe. But we 
 find mistakes, we find blunders, we find sin. 
 
 And as the Church is composed of men and 
 women with human weaknesses, we find that the 
 conditions of the Apostolic Church are duplicated 
 In nearly every stage of the Church's history. 
 Truly the modern Christian Church Is guilty of 
 
Introduction 7 
 
 the same mistakes and the same sins as those ex- 
 isting in the Church of the Apostolic period. 
 
 In spite of our deep appreciation of this won- 
 derful organization, in all honesty we will have to 
 acknowledge that there are weaknesses in the 
 Church to-day, mistakes that need to be corrected, 
 sins that need to be wiped out. Any other view 
 of the Church is detrimental and dishonest. 
 
 The world at the beginning of the Christian era 
 did not realize the actual conditions that prevailed 
 until this was revealed through the messages of 
 the Christ. And men to-day are often content, 
 because unconscious of the actual conditions that 
 exist in their own lives. And it is, as we turn to 
 the plain messages of God's Word, that we find a 
 perfect diagnosis, also the certain cure, of the disease 
 of sin. The Apostolic Church was no doubt pretty 
 well satisfied with the conditions as they existed, 
 and you will often find a confidence and a self-com- 
 placency among Christians to-day in their attitude 
 toward the Church. 
 
 So Jesus, through the Apostle John, startled 
 those early Churches out of their self-righteous con- 
 dition by the messages He sends to the seven 
 Churches of Asia Minor. In these letters there Is 
 a plainness and a polntedness that must have punc- 
 tured the bubble of their pride and self-satisfaction. 
 
8 Introduction 
 
 As human nature remains much the same and the 
 Church changes but little from time to time, so we 
 find in these letters from the Master the message 
 that the followers of the Christ need to-day, both 
 in individual and in church relationship. 
 
 And we have taken these messages as the basis 
 of our line of thought. The condition depicted in 
 those letters was ancient, but it is also modern. If 
 such a message was needed by the Apostolic Church, 
 it is surely needed by the Church of to-day. We 
 have tried to be fair and frank in our conception 
 of the situation, and we feel that we are honest and 
 sincere in our application of these messages of the 
 Christ. 
 
 Our purpose is to present the truth in such a 
 way that it shall reach the reader. We have tried to 
 enable the reader to see the actual conditions of his 
 own life, possibly, and the Church life, not to dis- 
 hearten and discourage, but that progress may be 
 possible. We have also endeavored to make clear 
 what the Christian life and the Church life ought to 
 be, and to emphasize the promise and the power 
 of Christ to make it so. We only hope that some 
 one, reading these pages, may find a message that 
 will suit his own life. 
 
 The privilege of the Christian life and the op- 
 portunity of the Christian Church has never meant 
 
Introduction 9 
 
 so much to the writer as since the beginning of this 
 work. And If some reader Is led to see the beauty 
 of the life In Christ and the blessing of work with 
 Him, through His Church, so that this two-fold 
 relationship shall mean more to him and he shall 
 mean more to It, I shall feel that the hopes of this 
 book have been realized and that I have been fully 
 repaid for my labor and effort. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 Introduction 5 
 
 PAGE 
 
 CHAPTER 
 
 I. The Value of the Church 13 
 
 II. The Fickle Lover 37 
 
 III. Winning the Crown 59 
 
 IV. Faithfulness Minus Courage .... 83 
 V. Limitations in Service 109 
 
 VI. Alive in Name Only 137 
 
 VII. The Open Door 165 
 
 VIII. Lukewarm Religion 187 
 
 IX. Our Obligation to the Church . . . 213 
 
CHAPTER I 
 
"Ye that have escaped the sword, go ye, stand 
 not still; remember Jehovah from afar, and let 
 Jerusalem come into your mind." 
 
 Jeremiah 51 150. 
 
 *'And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art 
 the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus 
 answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon 
 Bar- Jonah: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it 
 unto thee, but my Father who is in heaven. And 
 I also say unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon 
 this rock I will build my church; and the gates of 
 Hades shall not prevail against it. I will give unto 
 thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and what- 
 soever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in 
 heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth 
 shall be loosed in heaven." Matthew 16:16-19. 
 
THE VALUE OF THE CHURCH 
 
 As a schoolboy came whistling in from school in- 
 stead of his usual restless activity, his mother no- 
 ticed a new expression on his face. He was looking 
 far off into space, and the air-castle, which he had 
 been building, for the moment controlled him. ''A 
 penny for your thoughts," said the interested and 
 curious mother, and unconsciously she was placing a 
 valuation on that which filled the boy's mind. An 
 English essayist has said, "Observe what direction 
 your thoughts and feelings most readily take when 
 you are alone, and you will then form a tolerably 
 correct opinion of your real self." So the prophet 
 Jeremiah is striking close to the vital spot in the 
 Jew's Hfe when he says to his people, "Remember 
 Jehovah from afar and let Jerusalem come into 
 your mind." He is laying the emphasis on that 
 which filled the Jew's mind, which was responsible 
 for his character. 
 
 There was nothing so strong in the life of the 
 average Jew as his religion. Even during those 
 times when he was compelled by circumstances to be 
 
 15 
 
1 6 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 away from the land he loved so well and from the 
 religion that meant so much to him, then also was 
 he inclined to be very religious. Oftentimes that 
 religion and his place of worship came into his 
 mind. 
 
 But the great body of the Jewish people had for 
 many years been, without their consent, in a foreign 
 land. They were far from that land which they 
 loved, far from that city which stood for all that 
 was beautiful and sacred, far from the privileges and 
 opportunities of their former religious life. Many 
 of their people had died in that foreign land, many 
 of them were interested in different pursuits in the 
 wealthy country into which they had been carried 
 captive. The prophet had lived in the midst of this 
 captive people and had endeavored to keep them 
 true to what they had been when they came to this 
 goodly land. But he had recognized that there was 
 gradually creeping into the hearts of his people, 
 and gradually showing itself in their lives, a ten- 
 dency to forget their home land and their home 
 religion. As he saw them engrossed with other 
 things, as he saw their minds and their lives becom- 
 ing filled with those things that did not suggest 
 religion and did not stimulate religious living, he 
 saw also that less and less frequently did thoughts 
 of their old habits of life and their grand religious 
 
The Value of the Church 17 
 
 centre, Jerusalem, find an entrance Into their minds. 
 So he calls to them. In anxiety and In anguish, to 
 remember the God whom they had worshiped and 
 the place made sacred by that worship. 
 
 All men are religious at some time In their lives. 
 Some In childhood, others In mature age, still others 
 In old age; some in times of joy and happiness, 
 others in time of grief and sorrow; some In pleas- 
 ure, others in pain. But In the life of each one of 
 us there has been a time when we were Inclined to 
 think religious thoughts and when we had prompt- 
 ings along the line of religious living. There was 
 a time when religion meant much to us, and we 
 recognized its value, when the House of God was 
 precious to us, when, either through training or a 
 recognition of our need, our Jerusalem was the 
 most Important consideration that entered the mind. 
 
 But who Is there that has not also felt the strong 
 and ever stronger tendency to allow other matters 
 to so engross our attention that we have at times al- 
 most forgotten our religion? Some are taken up 
 with business, which is so alluring and seemingly 
 so important; some have become puffed up with 
 success and feel no need of religion or a place of 
 worship In their lives, others so discouraged because 
 of failures that they cannot see how religion can 
 make any difference. Some have allowed sin to 
 
1 8 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 enter their lives and sinful thoughts to fill their 
 minds; others have been hardened and soured by- 
 disappointments and sorrow. And each with mind 
 full of one thing and another has allowed religion 
 and religious places and religious activities to slip 
 out of mind and out of life. To each and every 
 one there comes the message of the prophet, "Re- 
 member Jehovah from afar, and let Jerusalem come 
 into your mind." 
 
 Though it is important that we should call to 
 mind our religion and our Church, yet the result in 
 our lives will depend on what, in reference to this 
 Jerusalem, we allow to come into our minds. There 
 were no doubt some things, in reference to the 
 Jewish religion and their city, that were not reasons 
 for rejoicing to the Jew, and which, if called to 
 mind, would make him ashamed and lead him 
 farther from the life which he had lived in that 
 homeland. But these were not the things that 
 Jeremiah wanted him to remember. There were 
 many good things about that religion; there were 
 many grand things about that city. These were the 
 all-important things and these were the things that 
 he was to allow to come into his mind. 
 
 We have in mind many people, who are dear to 
 us, in whose lives there are those things that are 
 not beautiful to remember, and if we remember 
 
The Value of the Church 19 
 
 these things, they will not be a blessing to us. But 
 there are other things, those strong characteristics, 
 those things that took the predominant place in 
 their activities, and these tell the story of their real 
 lives. These are the things that, in justice to them, 
 we ought to call to mind. 
 
 There may be those things about our religion, 
 about our former relation to the Church, about our 
 experience with religion and with religious people, 
 that are not such as would give to us pleasant mem- 
 ories and would not be attractive to us. But these 
 are not the predominant things in religion, these are 
 not the principal characteristics of the church and 
 its workings, these are not the things, in all justice, 
 that we ought to remember. Let us put these aside, 
 and let the things about our Jerusalem that are 
 worth while, those things that have been and are 
 to-day the very centre of her life and her activity, 
 come into our minds. 
 
 We ought to allow to come into our minds what 
 the Christian Church has done, what the religion of 
 Jesus Christ has been in the lives of men. We 
 ought, in the spirit of fairness and honesty, to let 
 the past of the Church speak to us. In Munich there 
 prevails a singular custom. Every child found beg- 
 ging in the streets is arrested and taken to a charita- 
 ble institution. The moment he enters the hospital, 
 
20 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 before he is cleansed and gets the new clothes in- 
 tended for him, his photograph is taken in his ragged 
 dress, precisely as he was found begging. When 
 his education is finished there this picture is given 
 to him, in order that he may remember his former 
 \yretched condition, and the gratitude that he owes 
 to the institution that rescued him from it. 
 
 When Jeremiah called to the Jew in captivity to 
 let Jerusalem come into his mind, what was the pic- 
 ture that immediately arose in his imagination? He 
 would first think of the city as it stood in its glory, 
 but almost immediately his thoughts would be car- 
 ried back to the history of his people, back through 
 that terrible struggle and strife against the enemies 
 that would crush them, against the foes that would 
 tear them apart. He could not resist that back- 
 ward look, and into his mind would come the story, 
 told him by father and mother, how his nation had 
 at one time been in slavery in the land of Egypt, 
 and had been compelled to toil day after day for 
 cruel taskmasters. But as there rose before him 
 that picture of the wretchedness of the former con- 
 dition of his people, there would come the realiza- 
 tion, possibly the first consciousness, of that great 
 Power that had freed him through freeing his an- 
 cestors from that bondage. This was the Power 
 that had led them out of Egypt, the Power that had 
 
The Value of the Church 2i 
 
 led them through the wilderness, the Power that 
 had made success possible when they fought against 
 those fierce and strong foes. Into his mind there 
 would flood that great and irresistible history of the 
 Jewish people and the Jewish religion. 
 
 Every man likes to be proud of his ancestors, 
 though the condition of those ancestors may not 
 govern his own life. Those who have had the 
 greatest of all privileges. Christian training in 
 Christian homes, who can look back to a line of fore- 
 fathers famous for nobility of character, have a 
 heritage that is worth their time to consider; and 
 for such consideration they will be stronger for their 
 battles and will live truer lives themselves. 
 
 Every nation glories in the great heritage of a 
 noble past. Every organization will make her boasts 
 of the grandeur of her history, and will found her 
 appeal on what that organization has been and has 
 done. 
 
 Though the present is that in which we live, yet a 
 present that is built on a noble past is safe and se- 
 cure. And we to-day, as we feel our obligation to 
 the past, will be drawn to that which has made the 
 past possible. Though there are many things that 
 entered into the making of history, and every nation 
 can trace her glorious past to this and to that, 
 though we to-day may search the different lines of 
 
22 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 activity and of thought that have been Instrumental 
 In molding the past, yet, In spite of all that, as we 
 are carried back In the history of our own nation, 
 back Into the history of other nations, back In the 
 history of the world, even back to the time of the 
 Christ, we will find one factor prominent In It all. 
 If we go deeply In our study and search diligently for 
 that which has been most Instrumental In the mak- 
 ing of history that has been upgrade, that has worked 
 toward civilization, we will find at the very centre 
 and permeating the whole the religion of Jesus Christ 
 and the Christian Church. In that we are to-day 
 privileged to be connected with the Christian re- 
 ligion and to work through the Christian Church, 
 we have back of us a glorious heritage that ought 
 to cause the heart of every one to swell with pride. 
 We read our histories, and as we look Into the 
 lives of those nations many centuries ago, or as we 
 enter the life of our own land during those early 
 days, we are Inclined to be puffed up with a feeling 
 of superiority because we have advanced so far 
 ahead of them. But let us remember that all this 
 has been due to the uplifting Influence of the Church. 
 There have been many mistakes made in the history 
 of the Christian Church, but these have not worked 
 out for the uplift of mankind. There have been 
 many things In the story of the past that are Ignoble, 
 
The Value of the Church 23 
 
 but the very best in all history, along all lines, can 
 be directly and indirectly traced to the influence of 
 the Church of Jesus Christ. 
 
 No one can deny that there was a decided change 
 throughout all Palestine due to the spreading of 
 the Christian religion. The history of Rome is 
 black in spots, yet there are the white spots, which 
 we forget, and these in proportion as she listened 
 to the Gospel message. Greece made rapid advance 
 and because of the influence of Paul's message of 
 an Unknown God. The very best things in Eng- 
 land and Germany these nations owe to the religion 
 of the Christ. Scotland would be almost an un- 
 known island were it not for her relation to the 
 Christian religion and the Christian Church. Choose 
 from all those nations the men and the women who 
 are recognized to-day as truly great, and who have 
 really Hfted the world to a higher level, take that 
 from this past that is best and noblest and truest 
 to the highest ideals, and you will find the secret 
 to be the Christian religion and the influence of the 
 Christian Church. There have been noble men 
 who have not been professing Christians, but they 
 have been influenced and inspired by contact with 
 Christian principles. 
 
 And when we study the history of our own be- 
 loved land, we are filled with gratitude as we read 
 
24 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 the struggle of those early days. But what was it 
 in the lives of those who laid the foundation prin- 
 ciples of this government, that held them true to 
 that which was noblest and which has proven to be 
 best for our nation? It was their religious truth 
 and purity, their loyalty to God and to what God 
 demanded of them. 
 
 The religion of Jesus Christ has always led men 
 to live better than they would have done without 
 it. It has always influenced men to stand for the 
 best things, always strengthened them when they 
 were weak, always comforted them when they thus 
 sought comfort. Many can, as the Jew, go back 
 to their childhood days and hear again the story 
 of the love of God as it came from the lips of 
 those loved ones who trusted in that God. We 
 can feel the uplifting influence of those lives and, 
 as we search for the most important factor in their 
 lives, there is that which stands above all others, 
 their religion. Such a memory and such an heritage 
 is that of the Christian Church, and such will we 
 behold if we allow this, our Jerusalem, to come 
 into our minds. 
 
 Again let us call to mind what the Christian 
 Church and the Christian religion mean to the 
 people of the present generation. We are naturally 
 concerned with what is being done in the present. 
 
The Value of the Church 25 
 
 What the Church or any other organization has 
 done for the world or for individuals will not influ- 
 ence us, to any great extent, in our relation to that 
 organization. We want to know for what it stands 
 to-day. 
 
 So Jeremiah knew that as the Jew obeyed his 
 plea to remember his God and his religion, there 
 would also come to him the thought of what that 
 religion really meant to his nation as it then ex- 
 isted. And when you remember that at that time 
 the nation as such was destroyed, that Jerusalem 
 was burned almost to the ground, it was a severe 
 test, for the condition of the Jewish religion might 
 not be comforting and might not be inspiring. 
 Nevertheless the time of ease, the time of prosperity, 
 is not the true test of the strength of an organiza- 
 tion or of an individual, for any organization, any 
 man can stand, when all conditions tend to uphold 
 and help. 
 
 [And when the Jew, in Babylon, or in any other 
 country at that time, endeavored to find out what 
 was the true value of his religion to the world 
 and to those of his nation who were true to it, 
 there were abundant examples that would make 
 him think. Do you not suppose that the story of 
 Daniel had spread by word of mouth over that 
 part of the country, and that every Jew was well 
 
26 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 aware of all the details of that wonderful loyalty? 
 They knew how the strength of his religion had 
 enabled this man to stand against all opposition, 
 because he had prayed with his windows open to- 
 ward Jerusalem, regardless of the threats of men. 
 They knew that he was not only saved from harm, 
 but was elevated as no other Jew in the land. Do 
 you not suppose that all the captive Jews knew 
 the story of those of their nation who had been 
 thrown into the fiery furnace, and how they had 
 been saved? And there is no doubt that there were 
 many other instances that had occurred and of 
 which the thoughtful Jew was mindful. And what 
 do you think was the effect produced in the mind 
 of the Jew who listened to Jeremiah, when he saw 
 what actually occurred to those of his own age who 
 were truly religious and who did not allow any- 
 thing to interfere with the exercise of their re- 
 ligion? And the thoughtful Jew must have been 
 able to see farther than this. He would be com- 
 pelled to recognize that this, their religion, though 
 in the midst of heathenism and sin, though counter- 
 acted and countermanded by ruler and ruled, had 
 nevertheless been instrumental in improving those 
 conditions and in making that heathen land a better 
 place in which to live. The city of Babylon, and the 
 country controlled by that city, were better in every 
 
The Value of the Church 27 
 
 way because of the lives of a Daniel and his com- 
 panions, and their loyalty to their religion had been 
 rewarded by promotion in the government of the 
 nation. And wherever there was a Jew who re- 
 membered his God and was true to his religion there 
 had grown up about him a religious oasis, watered 
 and made better by his life. 
 
 Space will not permit details in reference to the 
 power of the Christian religion in fashioning the 
 histories of nations and the lives of men to-day, but 
 it can be most clearly seen in our own land. It is 
 safe to say that in this country a good majority of 
 men, women and children are identified, directly or 
 indirectly, with the Christian Church. And when we 
 consider the men and the women who are to-day 
 responsible for the best part of the nation's life, 
 we do not fear contradiction when we say that what 
 they are and what they are doing for their fellow- 
 men and for the nation can be traced to their rela- 
 tion to the Christian religion. Men may talk about 
 the terrible conditions that prevail in our land, and 
 there is truth in their talk, but this is not due to the 
 Church; it does not come from the religion of men; 
 in fact, these conditions, that every right thinking 
 man deplores, are due to a disregard for the Church 
 and a violation of Christian principles. And you 
 will find that the Christian Church and the Christian 
 
28 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 individual, who is standing true to the religion of 
 Jesus Christ, is directly opposed to these same con- 
 ditions. Scores of public men might be mentioned 
 who are standing for the highest and noblest policies 
 in national government and whose actions are due 
 to the influence, direct or indirect, of Christianity. 
 
 There are those in the experience of each indi- 
 vidual whose lives are better than they otherwise 
 would be, because they are endeavoring to live in 
 line with Christian truths. They are stronger in 
 temptation, they are more cheerful in sorrow, they 
 are more firm against sin, they are more faithful in 
 their friendships, because of the religion of Jesus 
 Christ in their lives. 
 
 But there are special problems that confront our 
 nation to-day and that must be considered in the 
 test of the usefulness of any organization. It is 
 a time of unrest and uncertainty here as elsewhere. 
 There is much that is wrong, much that is detri- 
 mental to mankind, and every one will acknowledge 
 that it is a time when any man or any organiza- 
 tion will be tested to the uttermost. There are prob- 
 lems that are diflficult to solve, and if Christianity 
 can and is solving these problems, then she is worthy 
 of our notice and consideration. This is first of all 
 an industrial age, when on all sides we are con- 
 fronted with industrial questions. Our education 
 
The Value of the Church 29 
 
 Is colored by Industrial demands, legislation Is con- 
 cerned with industrial life, and religious denomina- 
 tions have committees, the work of which Is to deal 
 with questions that are related to industry. 
 
 If, therefore, an individual is to live a modern 
 and a useful life, if the Church is to do a modern 
 work and to claim the attention of modern men, both 
 must be able, In a measure at least, to answer these 
 modern questions. And the Church Is answering 
 these questions wherever she Is allowed her say; 
 more than that, she has the only sure solution for 
 our industrial problems. The great question to- 
 day is, shall industry be commercialized or Chris- 
 tianized? And the Church is solving these troublous 
 problems by instilling into industrial life the spirit 
 of the Christ. The teaching of the Church Is that 
 the true spirit which should govern a man's rela- 
 tion with his fellowmen, either social or Industrial, is 
 social service, not self-interest, and the Church is 
 demanding, not commercial service, but Christian 
 service. When men will listen to the demands of 
 the Church strikes will cease, men will live at peace 
 one with another, and there will be a reign of love 
 Instead of law. 
 
 Again, the Church is teaching the right use of 
 Industrial power by inspiring industry to do the 
 work of Christ. When the industrial life of to-day 
 
30 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 becomes filled with the spirit of Christ and inspired 
 to do the work of Christ, industrial war and strife 
 will cease and industrial questions will be solved. 
 And there are those in our land to-day who, con- 
 trolled by their religion, are in their own lives and 
 in their industrial relationships showing that the 
 Christian religion is practical. 
 
 We may have been inclined to ridicule the Church 
 and to mock at religion, but if we let this, our Je- 
 rusalem, come into our minds and open our eyes 
 to see just what this religion has meant to the world 
 in the past and what it is meaning to the world to- 
 day, surely we could not scoff or scorn. There is 
 an illustration given by Lincoln, relative to those 
 who were finding fault with the government, that 
 can well apply to the tendency to find fault with the 
 Church. He said: "Suppose all the property you 
 were worth was in gold, and you had put it in the 
 hafids of Blondin to carry across Niagara Falls on 
 a tight-rope. Would you shake the rope while he 
 was passing over it, or keep shouting to him, 'Blon- 
 din, stoop a little more,' 'Go a little faster'? No, 
 I am sure you would not. You would hold your 
 breath as well as your tongue, and keep your hands 
 off until he was safely over." The plea of the age 
 is for a square deal. Let us give it to the Church. 
 The religion of Jesus Christ, in the Church and out 
 
The Value of the Church 31 
 
 of It, has brought to us that which Is most valuable 
 in our present civilization. It is to-day upholding 
 those things which alone will preserve our life, po- 
 litical, industrial, social, and moral, and is opposed 
 to that which is destroying life in all these channels. 
 That which is best for us, that which we most de- 
 sire, is in the custody of the Christian religion and 
 Christian people. Let us stand by that which we 
 know to be right I 
 
 The prophet knew he could not change the lives 
 of the Jews in their captivity, but he also knew that 
 they would be changed if he could persuade them to 
 think of their religion. The Jew could not think 
 of Jerusalem without being a better man for that 
 thought. It Is that which we are allowing to come 
 into our minds that is making us what we are. If 
 we are selfish, it is because we have allowed only 
 thoughts of self to enter our minds ; if we are money- 
 mad, only thoughts of making money; if we are 
 controlled by a desire for pleasure, because we 
 have allowed only thoughts of enjoying ourselves. 
 We have allowed all sorts of things to fill our minds 
 and have been fashioned by them. If we will clear 
 our minds of this rubbish and let this, our Jerusalem, 
 come into them, we will be better for that thought. 
 
 If men will think of the Christian religion and 
 the Christian Church and what this city of God has 
 
32 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 meant to the ages gone, and what it means to the 
 present age, their hearts will be filled with thanks- 
 giving for such a blessing. We are naturally grate- 
 ful and we despise the ingrate. There is no indi- 
 vidual who so quickly arouses our ire as the child 
 for whom the parent has done everything and who 
 accepts this service without a word of thanks or ap- 
 preciation. If another offers you a gift, you nat- 
 urally thank that person. How must God look on 
 men to-day in face of the evidence of their ingrati- 
 tude, for how few have ever thanked Him for that 
 which they have received through His religion and 
 His Church ! A farmer came to his pastor, say- 
 ing, ''I have here a thank-offering to the Lord," and 
 handed him a gold piece. "It is just two years since 
 my son fell in battle," he added in explanation. 
 "And for that you thank Him!" exclaimed the min- 
 ister. "Yes," replied the man, "for I know he 
 died a saved man. In a letter he wrote us the night 
 before the battle he assured us of his faith in Christ 
 and of the forgiveness of his sins. Therefore I 
 know that this our son is not lost to us, but that 
 some time we will go to him. Should I not be 
 thankful for this?" Surely when men will allow the 
 thought of all the blessings of the Christian religion 
 to come Into their minds they will have hearts filled 
 with thanksgiving. 
 
The Value of the Church 33 
 
 But we do not believe that the Jew, who listened 
 to the appeal of the prophet and called to mind his 
 religion, could stop with simply the feeling of thanks- 
 giving In his heart, for that feeling must find expres- 
 sion In his life. If men think of their religion and 
 their church and realize any feeling of thanksgiving 
 in their hearts because of all these blessings, this 
 must show Itself In the loyalty of their lives. We 
 will acknowledge our obligation to the past because 
 of what the past has done for us. We will acknowl- 
 edge that our forefathers did much for us, and 
 we will show our appreciation for what they did by 
 our loyalty to their memory and to the things for 
 which they stood. We will recognize that we owe 
 much to our parents and to our friends, and we will 
 show our appreciation by being loyal to them and 
 to their Interests. Men are loyal to themselves, 
 because they think much of themselves; they are 
 loyal to their business, for they think a great deal 
 about their business; they are loyal to their pleas- 
 ures, for these take a prominent place in their 
 thoughts. But how many men are disloyal to their 
 religion and to the Church; how many are even 
 traitors to the interests of the Church, though what 
 they have that they prize the highest is due to that 
 Church, and all because they do not allow the Church 
 and her Interests to take a prominent place in their 
 
34 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 thoughts I 
 
 The Church does not beg our loyalty; she de- 
 mands it as her right, for she has paid for it in 
 advance, and many times she is cheated out of what 
 rightfully belongs to her. Our homes with their 
 blessings, that prosperity of which we are so proud, 
 is due to that religion which we have neglected. 
 Many people are pushing off onto the shoulders of 
 some one else the responsibility for the upholding 
 of religion in their community, the establishing of 
 religious principles in the industrial life, the promo- 
 tion of Christian practices in social life. They re- 
 ceive the blessings from the Church, but give noth- 
 ing in return. If we are not ingrates we will feel 
 thankful to God for what He has done through 
 His religion. But, if we are thankful, if we are 
 not weaklings, we will show our gratitude by stand- 
 ing loyal to the Church as she endeavors to do the 
 work of God in the world. 
 
 "Thou hast not asked me. Lord, 
 
 To first of all love Thee, 
 
 But simply to believe the word 
 
 That tells thy love to me. 
 
 "Thou didst not bid me feel 
 An ardent lover for Thee, 
 
The Value of the Church 35 
 
 And fear affection is not real 
 That does not burn in me. 
 
 'But Thou hast said, 'My friend 
 
 Is he who keeps my word.' 
 This I can do even to the end; 
 
 I can be faithful, Lord. 
 
 'Then will the loyal heart 
 
 Find its reward above; 
 For when I see Thee as Thou art 
 
 I cannot help but love." 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
"To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: 
 "These things saith he that holdeth the seven 
 stars in his right hand, he that walketh in the midst 
 of the seven golden candlesticks : I know thy works, 
 and thy toil and patience, and that thou canst not 
 bear evil men, and didst try them that call them- 
 selves apostles, and they are not, and didst find 
 them false; and thou hast patience and didst bear 
 for my name's sake, and hast not grown weary. 
 But I have this against thee, that thou didst leave 
 thy first love. Remember therefore whence thou 
 art fallen, and repent and do the first works; or 
 else I come to thee, and will move thy candlestick 
 out of its place, except thou repent. But this thou 
 hast, that thou hatest the works of the Nicolaitans, 
 which I also hate. He that hath an ear, let him 
 hear what the Spirit saith to the churches. To him 
 that overcometh, to him will I give to eat of the tree 
 of life, which is in the Paradise of God." 
 
 Revelation 2 : 1-7. 
 
THE FICKLE LOVER 
 
 A German professor of chemistry has invented a 
 contrivance which enables one to see particles 200 
 billlonths of an inch in diameter. These particles 
 are so small that previous to this Invention the most 
 powerful microscope could not make them visible 
 to the eye. If man can make an instrument that 
 has such marvelous power of perception, surely we 
 need not marvel at the wonderful power of God, for 
 nothing that men do is hid from Him. The back- 
 ground of this message to the church at Ephesus 
 is this: "I know thy works.^' Let this be the back- 
 ground of this message, that God knows the content 
 of the life of Individual and of church. He Is look- 
 ing at us and is saying: "I know thy works." And 
 this should cause concern as to what those works 
 may be. 
 
 The writer of the text In a few words gives us 
 a picture of this church at Ephesus, in what God 
 knew about her. Men may see one thing in our 
 church life, but the vital thing is what God sees. 
 He says, "I know thy works," but what does God 
 
 39 
 
40 PFhat the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 know? And there were many things about this 
 church that were commendable. Those people had 
 been strong and faithful in upholding true religion 
 and in opposing that which was wrong. More or less 
 evil had crept into the church, but they had put it 
 out. Many errors had arisen, but they would have 
 nothing to do with these. Nevertheless in spite 
 of these commendable works about which God knew, 
 there were some things of which He did not ap- 
 prove. One thing God held against them, namely, 
 that they had left their first love. They had started 
 out in the Christian life and in Christian work with 
 great enthusiasm and zeal. This spirit had carried 
 them forward in their work and caused them to dis- 
 play a good deal of energy. But for some reason, 
 which is not mentioned here, they had cooled in their 
 ardor, they had lost much of that early enthusiasm. 
 So God criticises them, saying: "I have this against 
 thee, that thou didst leave thy first love." 
 
 They had been like the lover in the first days of 
 his holy passion, who is all wrapped up in the 
 thought of the lady of his choice — he can think of 
 nothing else. She fills his waking hours, she be- 
 comes the centre of his dreams, and his whole life 
 revolves around this object of his affection. But 
 after a time, due to some change of heart, he loses 
 his former ardor, he becomes tired of the object that 
 
The Fickle Lover 41 
 
 has stimulated his affection. His passion has cooled, 
 he leaves his first love. 
 
 And you will find this condition showing Itself 
 In the lives of people to-day, In the Individual's re- 
 lation to the Christian life and to the church life. 
 There Is the first stage In the Christian life and in 
 Christian service, when Christians are fired with 
 enthusiasm and zeal that carries them forward to 
 labor and to sacrifice. But how often a change 
 comes over individuals and Churches? They change 
 their attitude, they lose their first flash of passion 
 and love, and they drop back, apparently weary in 
 their relation to the Christian religion. Truly of 
 such it can be said, that they have left their first love. 
 
 What are the evidences of this condition? Every 
 condition of the Inner life will reveal itself in some 
 way in the outer life. And knowing what are the 
 evidences of a certain condition, It is well to see If 
 those evidences are present In the life. You will 
 find this same principle working in the relation be- 
 tween individuals. For when there Is a strong affec- 
 tion existing between two people the presence of 
 this Inner condition will reveal itself in the outer 
 life, in the relation each bears to the other In their 
 daily experiences. When the young man becomes 
 possessed by a strong vital affection for the lady 
 of his choice, that power within will show Itself in 
 
42 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 his actions. Try as he may to hid it, the inner love 
 will come to light. The opposite is also true. For 
 if the young man's love has weakened, his ardor 
 has cooled, there will be evidences of this changed 
 condition easily visible, try as he may to conceal 
 them. 
 
 Equally true is it in Church and in the individual 
 that the condition of the inner life will be revealed 
 in the outer condition. When the heart beats warm 
 and true and men are filled with a zeal and earnest- 
 ness for the Cause of Christ this will produce re- 
 sults that must be seen, for men must follow the 
 promptings of that love. But when that love has 
 weakened, when that first blush of ardor has cooled 
 and men have lost their enthusiasm for religion 
 and religious things, that condition comes to light, 
 try as we may to conceal it. And we want to know 
 what the evidences of waning affection are. For 
 what evidences shall we look? 
 
 One of the first signs of changing affection will 
 be a lack of progress on the part of the individual 
 and the Church. Love in the heart of man or woman 
 will produce service in the life for the one loved. 
 You have seen the zealous lover, how he will seek 
 for opportunities to show that love in the acts of 
 attention and service which he may render. And as 
 this love continues the deeds of service will increase. 
 
The Fickle Lover 43 
 
 But if on the other hand this service ceases to grow, 
 the little acts of attention are forgotten and the 
 opportunities for helpfulness are overlooked, there 
 can be only one conclusion, and that is that the love 
 has weakened, the affection has cooled. 
 
 When the love for God is in the heart this will 
 reveal itself in the service of the life. When that 
 love is fresh and warm, as in the first burst of 
 the new affection, men are anxious for opportunities 
 to prove their love. If our love for God is strong 
 and vital, we are seeking for new ways to show it, 
 we are concerned for opportunities to render service 
 for the God we love. But if there is a lack of 
 growth along this line, if there is a weakening in 
 our active service for God, if we are letting the 
 opportunities for such work slip past, this is the 
 evidence that there has been a change in our af- 
 fection, that we have left our first love. Men show 
 their love for God in endeavoring to live according 
 to God's commands, in trying to follow the example 
 of the Christ, in grasping the opportunities for Chris- 
 tian work and service wherever they find them. If 
 we find that there is a growing distaste for these 
 things, that we are not so much concerned with the 
 character of the habits that we have formed; if 
 we find that we are not thinking so much about the 
 conduct from day to day, and that we have dropped 
 
44 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 out of many lines of Christian activity, which was 
 once a part of our work, this Is evidence of chang- 
 ing affection. 
 
 The same is true of the Church. When the In- 
 ner Hfe of the Church is warm and active, that con- 
 dition will show itself In the enthusiasm for the 
 outer workings of the Church. There is much to 
 be done along the line of church work that demands 
 sacrifice which will only come from the loving heart. 
 The Church that Is alive and active to-day is the 
 one that has kept the inner fire burning, whose 
 spiritual life Is made prominent. And when you 
 find a decrease in the work that is to be done, or a 
 lack of real progress, there Is but one cause of this 
 condition, that the fire has been allowed to die out, 
 there has been a change In the affection. There Is 
 much of church work to be done, comprehended in 
 God's purpose in calling her into existence, namely, 
 to bring the Gospel message into the hearts and 
 lives of men. This work faces the Church and must 
 be done by means of the different branches of service 
 that are open. There Is work along the line of 
 the different organizations' In the Church, along 
 the line of evangelism, along the line of the mis- 
 sionary activity. All these are results of Inner af- 
 fection. If then there is a lack of progress along 
 these lines, if the organizations are not increasing 
 
The Fickle Lover 45 
 
 In their activity and efficiency, if the Church is not 
 meeting the needs of the community for evangelism, 
 that is. If the Church is not instrumental in bring- 
 ing men and women to Jesus Christ and If we are not 
 taking up and meeting the missionary problems and 
 taking the Gospel to the ends of the earth, this con- 
 dition is the evidence of one thing only — that we 
 have lost much of our love for God and His Church. 
 It Is the evidence of changing affection and growing 
 coolness. 
 
 Again It Is true that a change In the inner condi- 
 tion will be seen in a lack of Interest In Christian 
 living and In Christian work. This Is true of men 
 In their relation to each other. If a man loves a 
 woman he Is vitally interested in the things that con- 
 cern her. When the heart is warm towards God 
 there Is concern about the things of God, there Is 
 Interest In the life that God wants us to live. When 
 men truly love God they are interested In making 
 progress toward the Ideals of the Christian life, 
 they will think much about the things pertaining to 
 that life, and they show their love by their Interest. 
 When men become careless as to whether or not they 
 are living right, when they lose interest In the 
 Word of God, when they neglect their prayer life, 
 this is the evidence of waning affection. When they 
 go about their daily work in a careless fashion, so 
 
4-6 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 far as the character of their actions is concerned, 
 when they lose interest in the work of God's King- 
 dom, and become careless about the commands of 
 God, careless about God's Holy Day, careless about 
 God's Church, careless about the progress of God's 
 work for men, this is proof that they have lost their 
 love for God. If we recognize a lack of progress 
 on our part as Christians does this cause us con- 
 cern? Are we interested in that condition? Or 
 have we lost all interest in the things that pertain to 
 the Christian life? This will tell the story. 
 
 The Church that is warm and wide awake has 
 as the very center of its life, the work of God's 
 Kingdom. And whenever the Church loses this 
 vital interest it has lost its first love. If the love for 
 God and the things of God were warm and strong, 
 this would be shown in the interest taken in the 
 services of the Church, in the attendance, in plans 
 for progress, in the ideals for usefulness. And 
 when you find a handful at the prayer service, and 
 the church half filled on the Sabbath Day, while 
 many members are either loafing at their homes or 
 spending their time in pleasure seeking, and when 
 you find that the plans for progress are compelled 
 to go begging and are hindered and delayed and 
 often abandoned, because of a lack of interest, be 
 sure something is wrong at heart, for those Chris- 
 
The Fickle Lover ' 47 
 
 tians and that Church have left their first love. 
 
 There Is a French story of Madame Leport that 
 has a lesson in it. Her husband had been arrested 
 for conspiring against the French republic. She 
 gained admission to his cell, gave him her clothes 
 and put on his clothes. He escaped. At the foot 
 of the scafford she was recognized, but, at her com- 
 mand, the executioner did his work and she gave 
 her life for her husband. This was proof of a 
 vital, living love. But love for God will demand 
 sacrifice on the part of each one. And if to-day, 
 in our individual lives and in our church work, we 
 are not willing to sacrifice that progress may be 
 made, then we have the proof before us that our 
 love for God Is not what it should be. And God 
 will say that He has this against us, that we have 
 left our first love. 
 
 But what is the cause of this condition? It is 
 well to be honest and face the condition as it is, 
 and to know that it exists; but we need also to know 
 what has caused it and what lies back of it. If we 
 are lacking in progress in our Christian lives, if 
 there is a lack of progress in church work, and God 
 knows there Is, and if there is a lack of vital interest 
 and concern on our part because of these condi- 
 tions, either in our own lives or in the Church, what 
 we want to know Is, as to what has caused that con- 
 
48 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 ditlon to arise, for there Is a cause. There are 
 factors at work that have produced such a condition. 
 
 There Is often to be found back of this condition 
 of llfelessness and lethargy the feeling of disap- 
 pointment In some plans that we had In mind. Many 
 a love match has been broken off, many a divorce 
 has occurred, because of disappointment on the part 
 of one or both parties concerned. So men will start 
 out In the Christian life with high hopes and lofty 
 ideals. They enter their struggle for victory over 
 temptation with earnestness and zeal. All goes well 
 for a time. But soon things do not go as smoothly 
 as they expected. The fight Is harder and the vic- 
 tory not so complete as that for which they had 
 hoped. There Is more of sacrifice and not so much 
 of glory. And because of their disappointment they 
 lose their interest and their enthusiasm. And then 
 follows a giving up of much of the struggle and 
 finally a giving way to the temptation and a going 
 back to the old life of sin. Disappointment has 
 caused the change. 
 
 And how often the same can be seen In church 
 work? Men have their plans for the work In the 
 different organizations. They think the work ought 
 to be done after a certain fashion, that their plans 
 and theirs alone will succeed. But for some reason 
 their plans either are not adopted or do not succeed 
 
The Fickle Lover 49 
 
 as they expected, and they are disappointed and lose 
 their interest. How many people have dropped out 
 of church work and have turned their backs on God 
 and God's Kingdom, so far as any real activity is 
 concerned, simply because they had not the courage 
 to see their plans rejected? How many people are 
 lacking in their enthusiasm for the work of the 
 Church because some other plans have been adopted 
 instead of their own, either in the special work of 
 the different organizations, the work of bringing 
 men and women to Christ, or in the great missionary 
 work of the Church? Many stay away from the 
 services of the Church or refuse to help make them 
 a success because they cannot get past the rejection 
 of their plans. They do not like the way things are 
 done, so they refuse to do anything. 
 
 Another cause of weakening affection and chang- 
 ing love that is laying hold of the very heart of 
 Christians and of the Church is that of finding a 
 new affection. In the great majority of cases where 
 the young person tires of the one who has been the 
 object of love and affection it can be traced to the 
 fact that another object has been found, and the 
 first love is discarded for the second. In the ma- 
 jority of cases where divorce occurs, it is because 
 there is some other woman in the case, or some other 
 man, and one or the other has left the warmth of 
 
50 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 their first love because of the finding of a new one. 
 
 And this is working out in the lives of men to- 
 day in their relation to Jesus Christ and to His work. 
 We know that many are losing their zeal and en- 
 thusiasm for Christian living; possibly we have not 
 as much ourselves as we once had. We know there 
 are those who have lost much of their enthusiasm 
 for the work of Christ, and who can hardly be in- 
 terested in church work, and possibly we are not 
 so much interested in this ourselves as once we 
 were. And let us face the cause for this condition, 
 that men are not zealous as once they were because 
 they are zealous for something else. They have lost 
 their interest in the things of God and the service 
 of God because other things have come into their 
 minds and have driven out their concern and their 
 love for that which is higher. Men will leave their 
 first love when they will allow a second love to 
 interfere and take its place. And what are the things 
 that are taking the place of religion in the hearts 
 of men? 
 
 You will find that the vocation interest often inter- 
 feres. How many men who have begun the Chris- 
 tian life with a warmth and a glow and a determina- 
 tion to do that which was right at all costs have 
 lost much of that earnestness because they have be- 
 come so much interested in the affairs of their daily 
 
The Fickle Lover 51 
 
 lives? Their work has entered Into the innermost 
 center of the hearts and lives and has taken up all 
 the room, and interest in Christian living has been 
 cast out. They cease to love or to care for the 
 things that pertain to the Christian life; they violate 
 Christian principles, they turn from Christian stand- 
 ards, because their concern and their Interest Is 
 centered in their work. Equally true is it that men 
 are allowing their concern for their daily work, 
 whatever It may be, to take the place in their lives 
 that should be given to the work of God's King- 
 dom. True it Is that many people have not time, 
 money or energy for the service of God's Kingdom, 
 because it Is all tied up in their worldly affairs. They 
 cannot be Interested In any line of Christian activity 
 or be depended on for any part of the church work. 
 They cannot get time to attend the services of the 
 Church, or, if they do, their thoughts are far away. 
 The whole life is bound up in their work; they have 
 left their first love because they have found a new 
 one. This does not mean that a man Is to give 
 up his daily work, unless It Is wrong, but it does 
 mean that a man has no right to become so zealous 
 over his daily occupation that he forgets or loses 
 Interest in the things that pertain to his own Chris- 
 tian life or that concern the progress of Christ's 
 Kingdom. And to the man who Is doing this to- 
 
52 fFhat the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 day God says: "I have this against thee, that thou 
 didst leave thy first love.'* 
 
 You will also find that the social interest is inter- 
 fering with the interest that men and women are 
 taking in the Christian life and in Christian work. 
 The social life is of value and ought to be a part 
 of our interest, providing we keep it clean and un- 
 questionable. But how many people are so much 
 taken up with the affairs of their social lives, their 
 pleasures and their amusements, their clubs and their 
 social gatherings, that they have neither time nor 
 strength to attend to the afFairs of God? True 
 it is that many a young man and young woman who 
 started out in the Christian life with full purpose 
 of living true to Christian standards has dropped 
 from that high and worthy ideal, has lost interest 
 in the standards of the Christian life, and too often 
 turned aside from that which was absolutely right. 
 And this because of the interference of the affairs 
 of the social life. Many people have become so 
 taken up with their amusements that they are even 
 willing to violate, at least run the risk of violating, 
 the principle of the religion of Jesus Christ, by doing 
 that which is questionable. Yet these same people 
 were once zealous for these very principles. Many 
 people are so enthused over the lighter things in 
 life that they lose all concern for the Church and 
 
The Fickle Lover 53 
 
 the work she is trying to do. If Church and amuse- 
 ment conflict, they choose amusement. If the work 
 of God's Kingdom is in need of help, they are too 
 busy with the affairs of life that do not profit. How 
 many people are violating Christian principles, neg- 
 lecting Christian work, and desecrating God's Holy 
 Day, all because of the grip that has been obtained 
 over them by their love for pleasure! But let us 
 remember this, that God, who knows our works, 
 is saying to us: "I have this against thee, that thou 
 didst leave thy first love." What can we answer? 
 
 You have no doubt heard the story of the Ger- 
 man artist who spent seven years painting the face 
 of the Christ in an effort to blend the feeling of 
 joy and sorrow that he knew was expressed there. 
 After he had finished this great work he was asked 
 to paint a picture of Venus, but he refused, saying, 
 *'Do you think that I would try to paint a Venus 
 after working at Jesus Christ for seven years?" If 
 we have once been gripped by a deep and warm and 
 strong love for Jesus Christ and for his work, 
 surely we ought never to allow any other considera- 
 tion or other love to take its place in our hearts 
 and lives. 
 
 Let us think also of the results that will be pro- 
 duced by such a condition. Every condition that is 
 allowed to remain in the life is producing a two- 
 
54 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 fold result, on one's self and on others. We can- 
 not avoid this, try as we may. What we do to-day 
 will reap a harvest in our own lives and characters, 
 and it will also reap a harvest in the lives of those 
 about us. So also in this condition of changing 
 affections. 
 
 It results in a narrowness and a weakness in the 
 individual life. The object that we love, for it we 
 sacrifice, for it we live, for it we would even die. It 
 becomes the vital part and factor of the life. It 
 fashions the ideals and standards. The individual 
 you love will exert a power over you that gradually 
 moulds your character, for we become like the object 
 of our love. The man, therefore, who sincerely 
 loves God with that warm and strong and abiding 
 affection will center his thoughts on the object of 
 his love. And as that becomes the center of his 
 thoughts, it shapes his standards and ideals, and 
 fashions his life and character. So the man who 
 loves God gradually grows Godlike. When, there- 
 fore, we allow this love to cool and some other 
 love to take its place, which may not of necessity be 
 wrong but which, at best, is lower in ideals and mo- 
 tives, this will express itself in the life and char- 
 acter. The man who neglects Jesus Christ and his 
 work because of his interest in business or pleasure 
 instead of thinking about the best things in life, 
 
The Fickle Lover 55 
 
 Is thinking about the second best. He lowers his 
 Ideals and standards, he narrows the motives and 
 interests of the life, and he is less a man than he 
 might and ought to be. God said, '*I will come to 
 thee and will move thy candlestick out of its place, 
 unless thou repent.'* The candlestick represents the 
 life and there is a place where it ought to stand, 
 made possible only as men love and serve God. But 
 it is moved out of this place when, because of their 
 interest in something else, they leave their first love. 
 This condition of changing affection also results 
 in a weakness so far as our influence over other lives 
 is concerned. When we lose our interest in the 
 things of God we lower our standards of living, and 
 when we lower our standards of living we lead 
 others to lower theirs. When we reveal a weaken- 
 ing in our zeal for the Christian life and for the 
 work of the church, we cause others to underestimate 
 the value of the Christian life; we lead them to 
 weaken in their interest and enthusiasm for the work 
 of God's Kingdom. If the people in the Church 
 to-day would put the best into their Christian work, 
 showing to the world that they really valued their 
 religion enough to sacrifice for It, and that it held 
 first place In their thoughts and activities, then would 
 the people outside be drawn to the Church and to 
 Jesus Christ. 
 
^6 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 But, on the other hand, when professing Chris- 
 tians lose their zeal for their religion, when they 
 leave their first love and are more interested in their 
 business and their plans for amusements than in the 
 work of God's Kingdom, the world laughs at their 
 profession and turns from their church and frcrm 
 their Christ in derision and disgust. Truly God 
 does remove the candlestick that should be shedding 
 light to the world about us out of its place. For 
 the man or woman who is showing a lack of interest 
 in the progress of their own christian lives and in 
 the progress of the Christian Church, no matter what 
 may be their excuse for such a change of heart, they 
 are standing in the way of the advancement of the 
 Kingdom of God, and they are contributing toward 
 worldllness and irrellglon. God has removed their 
 candlestick out of Its place and it has taken its place 
 on the other side of the line. 
 
 An incident came to my attention a short time 
 ago that furnishes an illustration. A young couple 
 in a certain city who were conscientious Christians 
 were in the habit of expressing their thanks to God 
 before their meals. Across the street lived another 
 family who knew what was right but had neglected 
 their duty. One day the little boy in this home, 
 looking through the window, saw their neighbors 
 bow their heads for a moment before eating, and 
 
The Fickle Lover 57 
 
 he asked his mother about It. When she told him 
 the reason, he wanted to know why they couldn't 
 do the same. That night the little fellow put the 
 same question to his father, and the result is that 
 those people are being called back to the right path. 
 Supposing the other family had not been faithful In 
 the discharge of their duty! If we are faithful and 
 earnest In our Christian living some one, possibly 
 unknown to us, will be influenced by our example. 
 
 God calls on this church to repent and do the first 
 works. He calls us all to do the same, to remember 
 whence we are fallen, repent and return. It will 
 mean sacrifice, but it is worth the cost and we owe 
 It to God. A little girl who had a drinking father 
 was one night beaten by him because she was a Chris- 
 tian until the blood ran down her back. Her bloody 
 clothing was removed and she was tenderly cared 
 for, but she died. Just before she passed away she 
 asked her mother to bring to her the piece of her 
 dress on which was the most blood, and allow her 
 to hold it in her hand as she died. When her mother 
 asked her reason for this strange request, she an- 
 swered: "Because Jesus shed all His blood for me 
 I want to carry this piece of cloth when I go to 
 meet Him, that He may see that I shed at least a 
 part of my blood for Him." Seeing that He has done 
 so much for us, surely we ought to be willing to 
 
58 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 sacrifice, If need be, for Him and His cause. Seeing 
 He has loved us with such an everlasting love, let 
 us return to that first strong, warm love for God 
 and for His work, that we may present to Him the 
 record of a loving heart and a faithful life. 
 
 Love that wilt not let me go, 
 
 I rest my weary soul in Thee; 
 
 1 give Thee back the life I owe. 
 That in Thine ocean depths its flow 
 
 May richer, fuller be. 
 
 O Light that followest all my way, 
 
 I yield my flick' ring torch to Thee; 
 My heart restores its borrowed ray, 
 That in Thy sunshine's glow its day 
 May brighter, fairer be. 
 
 Joy that seekest me through pain, 
 I cannot close my heart to Thee; 
 
 1 trace the rainbow through the rain, 
 And feel the promise is not vain 
 
 That morn shall tearless be. 
 
 Cross that liftest up my head, 
 
 I dare not ask to hide from Thee; 
 
 1 lay in dust life's glory dead, 
 
 And from the ground there blossoms red 
 Life that shall endless be. 
 
CHAPTER III 
 
And to the angel of the church In Smyrna write : 
 These things salth the first and the last, who was 
 dead and lived again; I know thy tribulation and 
 thy poverty (but thou art rich) and the blasphemy 
 of them that say they are Jews, and they are not, 
 but are a synagogue of Satan. Fear not the things 
 which thou art about to suffer; behold, the devil is 
 about to cast some of you into prison, that ye may 
 be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days. Be 
 thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee the 
 crown of life. He that hath an ear, let him hear 
 what the Spirit saith to the churches. He that over- 
 cometh shall not be hurt of the second death. 
 
 Revelation 2:8-11. 
 
WINNING THE CROWN 
 
 The Apostle John has written messages to each 
 of the seven churches in Asia Minor. One message 
 has already been considered in "The Fickle Lover," 
 and we want to take these other messages in turn 
 and find their application to the life of the indi- 
 vidual and the Church. We will find that in each 
 one of these messages the writer emphasizes a spe- 
 cial feature, according to the special character of 
 the church to which he is writing. A general mes- 
 sage often goes wide of the mark because failing 
 of application, but the special message carries the 
 truth home. As we study these messages, though 
 each is different, yet in each there is something for 
 us and which we can apply. 
 
 The message we want to consider in this chapter 
 was spoken to the church, rather to the angel of the 
 church, at Smyrna. Smyrna was a city on the west 
 coast of Asia Minor of great antiquity. It formerly 
 belonged to the ^olian Greeks, then later to the 
 Ionian Greeks. It was destroyed by the Lidian 
 king, Alyattes, and lay a waste for about two hun- 
 
 6i 
 
62 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 dred years, until the plan for rebuilding was formed 
 by Alexander the Great and carried out by his suc- 
 cessors. After this it became a large and flourishing 
 center of commerce, and retained this importance 
 under the Romans. In 133 B. C. it became a part 
 of the newly formed province of Asia. In 178 A. D. 
 the city was destroyed by earthquake, but was speed- 
 ily rebuilt. Lying as it does at the extremity of the 
 fine bay of Smyrna in the track of trade, it is espe- 
 cially adapted for commerce. And even under 
 Turkish rule it remains a highly flourishing city, the 
 largest and most important in Asia Minor. 
 
 The "angel of the church," to whom the message 
 is written, is thought to refer to Polycarp, who was 
 bishop of this church and who suffered martyrdom 
 under Marcus Aurellus in 169 A. D. When he 
 mounted the scaffold for his execution, he answered 
 his accusers: "Eighty-six years have I served my 
 Lord Christ, and He has done me no wrong. How 
 can I blaspheme my King who saved me?" This 
 church escapes all censure but is exhorted to faith- 
 fulness in the midst of all trials. We can learn 
 something of great value from this message. 
 
 Notice first of all the character of the messenger. 
 This is a vital thing In any message, for the stand- 
 ing and the character of the one sending the mes- 
 sage will cause you to accept or to reject that mes' 
 
Winning the Crown 63 
 
 sage. So John Is told to Inform these people at the 
 beginning the character of the One who sends the 
 message to them. God had a message to deliver 
 to this church and He made John the mouthpiece, 
 through which He could speak. If you receive a 
 letter the content will not Impress you very strongly 
 unless the one whose name Is signed Is such a char^ 
 acter as to demand your attention. It Is a good 
 thing to remember that back of the teachings of 
 the Bible there Is God as the Messenger. Some- 
 times men think of the Bible as a book written by 
 men, but these men were the mouthpiece of God, 
 even as was John of Christ on the Island of Patmos. 
 And this message gains Its power from this fact. 
 
 And we find that the Messenger Is characterized 
 as "the first and the last." This Is an expression 
 often used In this book as characterizing the Lord, 
 and In the last chapter He says: "I am the Alpha 
 and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning 
 and the end." Now there must be a special mean- 
 ing to be applied to this expression that has a direct 
 bearing on the message that Is given. 
 
 He was the "first." He existed at the beginning, 
 he was present at the creation, and In eternity before 
 that. Therefore nothing antedates him. Our con- 
 fidence will be according to the messenger's acquaint- 
 ance with the facts of which he speaks. So there is 
 
64 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 the assurance that Christ speaks with authority, for 
 there was nothing before him. He knows the pres- 
 ent, also the past on which the present is founded; he 
 was at the beginning and therefore knew the plan 
 and the purpose of the creation. His message would 
 therefore be important, because the result of first- 
 hand knowledge, nothing back, nothing beyond of 
 which he is ignorant. 
 
 But Christ was also the "last." He not only 
 knows the beginning but also the end. He knows 
 what has happened, also what will happen. The 
 conditions surrounding these people at Smyrna were 
 related to the past, of which Jesus knew, but they 
 were also related to the future, which was also 
 known to Him. The conditions that surround our 
 lives to-day, whatever they may be, are directly 
 related to that which has gone before, and any mes- 
 sage that strikes home must be given with a knowl- 
 edge of that past. But you will readily see that these 
 conditions also reach out and touch the future ; their 
 explanation will largely be found there, and their 
 treatment must be in the light of that future. 
 
 Many things came into the life of this Church that 
 the people could not understand, because of their 
 ignorance of the past and the hidden character of 
 the future. What a vital message this would be to 
 them, coming from One who could cast his eye back 
 
JVinning the Crown 6^ 
 
 and see all that had gone before, and who could 
 also cast his eye ahead and see all that was to come 
 to pass ! Surely they could trust him. This message 
 has a direct bearing on our lives, for there are many 
 things that come to us that we misunderstand because 
 we cannot see their antecedents, we cannot see what 
 is to follow. What a great blessing that we can 
 listen to a message from One before whom there 
 was nothing and after whom there will be nothing, 
 who is the first and the last, the beginning and the 
 end. 
 
 Another prominent characteristic was that He 
 was the One "who was dead and lived again." The 
 former characteristic gives him knowledge, this 
 gives him experience; through the one he has au- 
 thority when he speaks, but through the other he 
 speaks with sympathy. In that he was dead he went 
 through all the intervening steps of life that finally 
 culminated in his death. How much Is contained 
 in those words, "who was dead," for back of that 
 is the life of hardship and temptation and persecu- 
 tion through which he walked step by step until he 
 gave up his life on the cross for sinful men! Surely 
 there must have come to these people something of 
 a realization of what Christ had suffered for them, 
 when this message came to them; and they would 
 meet all the conditions of their lives, even unto death, 
 
66 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 with greater courage because He had travelled the 
 same road for them. But when they realized that 
 He had died It also meant that He fully understood 
 just the experiences through which they were pass- 
 ing, trial, tribulation and persecution. And they 
 knew that whatever message came from such an 
 One, it would be from a heart that beat in perfect 
 sympathy for them. 
 
 Surely such an One ought to touch our lives with 
 power to-day. We sometimes wonder that we are 
 called on to suffer so much In this life and may be 
 Inclined to find fault with our hard lot. But surely 
 we ought to remember that Jesus passed through 
 even greater trials during His life and went down 
 Into the throes of death, all for us. This ought to 
 fill our hearts with courage to endure without com- 
 plaint. Along with this Is the other thought, that 
 He who suffered all this can surely understand just 
 what we are suffering and can certainly sympathize 
 with us In that suffering. Has not His experience 
 taught Him exactly the message we need, even as 
 men are better able to bring a helpful message when 
 they have suffered? This thought must bring com- 
 fort to men to-day. 
 
 But notice, not only was He dead, but is alive 
 again. We cannot tell or even know or think of all 
 there Is in this wonderful fact that He lived again, 
 
Winning the Crown ' 67 
 
 He passed through death on into life, conquering 
 that which we consider to be our greatest enemy. 
 We may suffer all kinds of trial here, even unto 
 death, but in that Jesus has gone the same road on 
 through death to life again we have the assurance 
 that we too will not end our existence when we die, 
 but will pass on through death unto life. What a 
 joy this must have brought to these people and what 
 a message of joy such an One could speak to them. 
 How attentively they would listen when they also 
 realized that the message was not from One who 
 was dead, but from One who had died and was 
 alive again. It was their living Lord who was send- 
 ing the message to them. And it would be a won- 
 derful thing to us to-day if we could allow this 
 thought of the resurrection of the Christ to sink so 
 deeply into our hearts that we would realize that 
 He was giving to us the promise of another life 
 beyond this, and that it is a living Savior and a 
 living Master who is speaking to us. 
 
 We are anxious for the opinions of great men on 
 all questions, and listen attentively to the expert 
 who speaks from knowledge first-hand and from 
 experience. What then should be our attitude to- 
 ward the Christ who brings to us a message to-day, 
 for He is ^'the first and the last, who was dead and 
 lived again" ! Old legends tell us of magic gates 
 
6S What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 that resisted all attempts to force them, but If one 
 drop of a certain blood fell upon them they flew 
 open Immediately. So Jesus Christ, by His limitless 
 knowledge, by His life ; by His death and by His liv- 
 ing again, has opened to us the gates of the boundless 
 riches of His knowledge and experience. 
 
 Notice, in the second place, the Content of the 
 Message. The character of the messenger will give 
 the message power, but the content of the message 
 will give it its application to our lives. Christ had 
 something to say to Smyrna, and He has a message 
 for men to-day, as individuals and as members of 
 the Christian Church. 
 
 And the first thing He tells them is in regard to 
 His knowledge of the special conditions of their lives. 
 If John had written this message in his own name 
 as coming from himself, though they loved this man 
 of God, they would no doubt have answered, in their 
 hearts at least, that he did not know or understand 
 the conditions through which they were passing. But 
 when this message came It was directly from One 
 who knew what they were experiencing. They were 
 passing through very trying times, as a church, and 
 no doubt also as individuals, and probably became 
 very much discouraged, as men are apt to become 
 when things go wrong. They believed in God but 
 He seemed so far away and really to have forgotten 
 
Winning the Crown 69 
 
 them and to be ignorant of their conditions. But 
 here was the assurance that He knew exactly what 
 they were suffering, and with this in mind was send- 
 ing them a message. Can you imagine them casting 
 this aside as unimportant? 
 
 Yet the same thing should lay hold of our hearts 
 to-day. How often we think that God is far off 
 and apparently ignorant of that through which we 
 are passing! We become discouraged and think 
 that no one knows what we suffer. But here is the 
 assurance that God knows all the conditions sur- 
 rounding our lives and sends us a message founded 
 on that knowledge. He knows the past, also the 
 future, but with that He knows, In a vital way, the 
 present, which is so important to us. 
 
 Christ says that He knew their tribulation; that 
 is, He was in close touch with their burdens, their 
 disappointments and their failures, their sufferings 
 and their sorrows. What a comfort this must have 
 brought to their hearts In the midst of all these 
 trials ! But w^e have these same tribulations to-day, 
 for we endure sorrow and suffering. We have dis- 
 appointments In daily life, we have failures in our 
 plans, we have temptations and defeat by these 
 temptations. We make our plans along the line of 
 Christian work and they do not materialize; we 
 do not see the things done for which we hoped. 
 
70 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 How often we get discouraged and too often give 
 up the struggle ! We think no one cares and no one 
 really knows what we suffer. But the message from 
 the Christ says that He knows our tribulations. Let 
 this thought stay with us and comfort and encourage 
 us In our labors. 
 
 Christ says that He knew their poverty. Smyrna 
 was a prosperous city with exceptional advantages, 
 but these Christians had no doubt been compelled 
 to forego many good opportunities for worldly suc- 
 cess because of religious scruples. Therefore many 
 of them were poverty-stricken. This may also refer 
 to the condition of the church at Smyrna, for made 
 up of a small band of people, usually of the poorer 
 class, she would no doubt have difficulty in carrying 
 forward the work. Many demands were made on 
 these Christians, with little resources to meet these 
 demands. Much work was to be done in their city, 
 but they had little with which to do it. How dis- 
 heartening this would be ! But here was a message 
 of encouragement, for He who had called them to 
 this work knew perfectly what they wanted to do 
 and why they could not accomplish more than they 
 did, for He knew their poverty. 
 
 Many people to-day are suffering because of 
 poverty. Conditions are such that they suffer want 
 and cannot make the progress that they would like 
 
Winning the Crown 71 
 
 to make. There are demands in the home, in the 
 community and in the Church which they would like 
 to meet and which would mean so much if they could 
 meet them, but their poverty holds them back. The 
 Church often feels this same burden. Great oppor- 
 tunities are before her, many of which are missed, 
 because of neglect. But there are churches that 
 would like to grasp these problems and meet these 
 demands and are kept from it because of poverty. 
 We make plans in our church work and they come 
 to naught because of a poverty of workers. How 
 often discouragement lays hold of the very heart of 
 the Church because there seems so much to be done 
 and so little with which to do the work, either of 
 money or of men ! We worry and we fret and we 
 complain, thinking that the whole burden rests on 
 our shoulders, but He who has called us to this 
 work knows the actual conditions that we encounter. 
 He knows why we fail, whether poverty or neglect, 
 and judges accordingly. He knows why we, as 
 Christians, are not making greater progress, whether 
 inability or carelessness. He knows why the Church 
 is not grasping the opportunities that are opening 
 to her each day, whether poverty or unconcern. 
 
 Christ says that He also knew their persecution. 
 There were those in Smyrna who claimed to be Jews, 
 who spent their time reviling and blaspheming these 
 
72 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 Christians and making it as hard as possible for 
 them to do the right. These, God says, belonged to 
 the synagogue of Satan. These things had troubled 
 them a great deal and had apparently counteracted 
 their efforts to some extent; but God says that He 
 knows this condition is facing them and making it 
 more difficult for them to carry forward the work. 
 
 How often the work of Christ is apparently hin- 
 dered and hampered by those who would tear down 
 and destroy His Kingdom and the work that His fol- 
 lowers are trying to do ! In every community you 
 will find those who, by their words and by their 
 lives, both public and private, are a menace to the 
 Cause of Christ. Faithful men and women get the 
 work of the Church going nicely, and the future 
 looks bright with possibilities, when Satan gets in 
 his work through some who are willing to serve him, 
 and all carefully laid plans are overthrown. But 
 the assurance of this message is that God knows 
 exactly what we encounter in the way of opposition, 
 in living the Christian life and in trying to build up 
 Christian work, and He judges according to these 
 conditions. 
 
 Professor Hilty, the famous Swiss statesman and 
 author, was an optimist, but he grounded his op- 
 timism on the victory of Christ. He said: "If I 
 could not believe the actual resurrection of Christ 
 
Winning the Crown 73 
 
 I'd long since have become a pessimist." Surely 
 this message ought to bring the spirit of optimism 
 Into our hearts to-day, as it must have done to this 
 church at Smyrna, when we realize that He, who 
 is the first and the last, who, though He was dead 
 yet is alive again and forevermore, knows and un- 
 derstands all the conditions of our lives, whether 
 tribulation or poverty or persecution; that He Is 
 ready to help and that He judges in the light of His 
 infinite knowledge. 
 
 Then God reveals to them something of what 
 the future would have In store for them. No doubt 
 they had wished that they might know what they 
 would have to encounter in the future days and years, 
 for surely it would bring a relief from all their 
 trials and troubles. When we are In the midst of 
 those things that cause us pain, that are difficult to 
 meet and to bear, how often we wish that the door 
 of the future could open to us, that we might have 
 a glimpse of what it would bring to us. But what 
 a blessing it is that God has closed that future ! 
 There are only special occasions in the history of 
 the world when it has been opened, and then It has 
 revealed, as In this case, a condition utterly opposed 
 to man's expectation. 
 
 The picture that is here displayed to their vision 
 is of a future characterized by even worse trials 
 
74 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 than yet experienced, for God says: "Behold, the 
 devil is about to cast some of you into prison that 
 ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten 
 days." What consternation this must have brought 
 into their hearts when first they heard this message, 
 for that which had kept them up through their trial 
 was the expectation that these trials would soon end, 
 and here they are told that the future will bring 
 even worse things than they have suffered in the 
 past. But surely they could not expect to follow 
 their Christ and have the way easy, for they must 
 suffer many things for a certain period of time. 
 
 It is a good thing for us to realize that the Chris- 
 tian life is not a bed of roses, but full of those things 
 that constitute trials and hardships. How often men 
 are disappointed because life is not easier and 
 smoother after they become Christians, but there is 
 no such promise in God's Word; rather the promise 
 is that if we would reign with Christ we must also 
 suffer with Him. Sometimes we think there must 
 be something wrong with our Christianity because 
 we have so much of trouble and trial. But this is 
 Christ's picture. The Church need not look for 
 her work to be easy and to be free from obstacles 
 and difficulties. And when she has passed through 
 such a period she has been weakened and lacking 
 in real power. God's promise is for trials and 
 
Winning the Crown 75 
 
 persecutions, for problems to be solved, for battles 
 to be fought, and by her attitude In the midst of 
 these unfavorable conditions has she Impressed her- 
 self on the world and won her way to victory. We 
 need not look forward to the time, either as Indi- 
 viduals or as a church, when there will be little to 
 trouble us and when we can rest on our oars, for 
 trials and persecution will continue until God's pur- 
 pose Is fulfilled, until the completion of the allotted 
 time. 
 
 But with this picture God gives them a promise 
 for the future that will sustain them In all these trials 
 and persecutions. The clouds may have looked dark 
 but over against this the glory of the sunset would 
 be all the brighter. God might demand much of 
 them in the future, but, as a result and a reward. He 
 had great things in store for them. And the whole 
 plan is made plain to them, for this promise will 
 be fulfilled when they have fulfilled certain condi- 
 tions which are directly related to that future with 
 its persecutions. And this time of trial predicted 
 for them was the opportunity to make good and 
 to realize the reward. And when we are compelled 
 to meet those things in life that disturb and that 
 test, that make the Christian life hard to live, that 
 make the church work hard to perform, let us re- 
 member that the blessings of God will be conditioned 
 
76 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 on how we live and how we labor in the midst of 
 these surroundings. Strength of character is not 
 acquired by the easy conditions but by the difficult 
 ones. 
 
 So God urges a continuance of their faithfulness, 
 for He says to them, "Be thou faithful unto death." 
 This was especially applicable to the people of 
 Smyrna because their chief characteristic was that 
 of fidelity. When the people of Asia Minor, in 
 general, opposed the Caesars, the people of Smyrna 
 remained aloof from all conspiracies and were faith- 
 ful to the existing government. When the Roman 
 a^'rmy was in difficulty and the soldiers were suffer- 
 ing the hardships of winter in the campaign against 
 Mithridates, the citizens of Smyrna stripped them- 
 selves of all the clothing they could possibly spare 
 and sent it to the army. So that they were known 
 far and wide for their fidelity. Surely they would 
 be willing to show the same characteristic in their 
 Christian lives. 
 
 When we look closely at our daily lives we will 
 find that faithfulness and not achievement is what 
 really counts. We will not have anything to do with 
 the man or the woman who proves to be unfaithful. 
 This is demanded in the home life and in our daily 
 associations with our fellowmen, whatever we may 
 be doing. We are ourselves faithful to the different 
 
Winning the Crown 77 
 
 relationships of life and would not expect to suc- 
 ceed on any other ground. In the home we would 
 not expect to be respected were we not faithful to 
 its vows. If this is true, how much more shall this 
 demand be made on us in the Christian life! But 
 are men showing the same faithfulness here as else- 
 where? 
 
 There is a call to be faithful to the very highest 
 and best in ourselves. We have high ideals, we have 
 lofty conceptions of right and wrong, we have 
 strong, vital Impulses that would pull us upward. 
 We have principles and aims and ambitions and 
 aspirations that are the very best and come from the 
 best part of our nature. But what are men doing 
 with them to-day? How often we let them pass with 
 little notice and give our attention to other things! 
 But in this we are guilty of the charge of unfaith- 
 fulness. 
 
 Again there is a call for faithfulness to the Cause 
 of Christ. The work of Christ, delegated to men, 
 placed for the most part in the custody of His 
 Church, is coming to us with certain demands in or- 
 der that this work shall be done. The need is for 
 money to carry forward this work; there is need for 
 men and women who will put the very best they 
 have, even their very lives, into the word, in order 
 to meet the demands and grasp the opportunities. 
 
78 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 There never has been a time when the Church had 
 before her such an opportunity for bringing the 
 world to the Christ, but what shall we do with this 
 call? How often we find ourselves too busy with 
 other things, too concerned for the opinions of our 
 fellowmen, too thoughtful for the attitude some one 
 may have taken toward us, or too insistent on having 
 our own way! And we prove ourselves unfaithful. 
 
 There is a call coming to us for faithfulness to 
 Christ Himself. Christ is making certain demands 
 on men to-day. He is asking that we shall accept 
 Him as our Savior, that we shall take Him as our 
 Master, that we shall listen to His voice, that we 
 shall practice His teachings in our individual lives. 
 Christ has given us standards. He has given us 
 principles. He has given us ideals, and asks us to 
 put these into active use. He requests that He shall 
 become the center of our lives, controlling us in 
 all our activities. But what are men doing with this 
 demand? Too often we say that the teachings of 
 Christ are not practicable, because we do not want 
 to practice them. We put our selfish interests, our 
 business, our pleasure, our ease, as the center, and 
 if Christ has any place at all let Him have an out- 
 side unimportant corner. But we have proven un- 
 faithful. 
 
 It is true that there are great demands being made 
 
Winning the Crown 79 
 
 upon us by the Christ and that to meet these de- 
 mands means sacrifice and possibly hardship; but all 
 the promises and rewards for following Jesus Christ 
 depend on being faithful. And you will notice that 
 Jesus tells these people that the limit of their faith- 
 fulness is to be death itself. Not that they are to 
 be faithful in their own way until they die, but that 
 they shall be faithful even if it costs them their lives. 
 And how real this must have been to them, espe- 
 cially in the later years during the persecution of 
 Nero, when so many were called on to give up their 
 lives because of their faithfulness! 
 
 Let us ask ourselves as to how much of life we 
 are giving up for those things to which God is call- 
 ing us. There is an ancient story of a pilot who was 
 sailing his boat on the T^gean Sea during a terrible 
 storm. At the very worst he was seen to rise in his 
 boat and to cry in his pagan way : "Father Neptune, 
 you may sink me if you will, or you may save me 
 if you will, but whatever happens, I will keep my 
 rudder true." Let us take this thought with us into 
 our daily lives, that no matter what may come to us, 
 sink or saved, we will keep our rudder true and 
 prove ourselves faithful to Jesus Christ and to His 
 Cause. 
 
 But what was the promised reward? God prom- 
 ises these people that if they will be faithful unto 
 
8o What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 death, "I will give you a crown of life." Here 
 again this was especially applicable to the people of 
 this city. Smyrna was called the City of Life, be- 
 cause of its brightness. It was likened to a glorious 
 statue with its feet in the sea, and, until a few years 
 ago, the hill back of the city was likened to the head 
 of the statue, on the top of which was a magnificent 
 castle. This was known as the "Garland" or the 
 ''Crown" of Smyrna. Often had the people of the 
 city been urged by their great men to seek to have 
 a real crown in good citizenship. Thus this promise 
 came with special force to the church at Smyrna. 
 
 Let us just notice, in a word, what this promised 
 crown of life means to us. It surely applies to some- 
 thing vital in our lives, something that we would 
 prize very highly. 
 
 Faithfulness to ourselves and the best in our- 
 selves gives the crown of life, in producing the high- 
 est type of life, in bringing real joy and success to 
 the individual. When men have those high and 
 noble aspirations, when they recognize those high 
 ideals and standards and find an impulse drawing 
 them upward, but still refuse to follow, they are 
 casting their lot on the side of that which will eventu- 
 ally bring defeat and sorrow. Those best things, if 
 followed out, will produce the best in our lives and 
 will lift us toward ideal manhood and ideal woman- 
 
fV inning the Crown 8 1 
 
 hood. 
 
 Faithfulness to the Cause of Christ will give the 
 crown of a successful life in its influence in the 
 world, and the result will be for the uplift of man- 
 kind. Every man and woman at some time In his 
 or her life has wished that there might come the 
 possibility and the power to touch their fellowmen 
 and to lift them by the power of their touch. God 
 has given this opportunity through the religion of 
 Jesus Christ. And through His Church He has 
 made this opportunity of such a compass that we 
 can lay hold of it. Through this organization we 
 can touch the home life, we can touch the community 
 life, we can touch the national life, we can touch 
 the world life, and lift It all nearer to God and to 
 the plane of righteousness. And this is only accom- 
 plished through the faithfulness of men to the Cause 
 of Christ. And if the Church lacks power in do- 
 ing this to-day some one is proving unfaithful. 
 
 Again, faithfulness to Christ himself gives the 
 crown of an ideal life realized to-day. Those stand- 
 ards and those principles that Christ taught have led, 
 are leading, and will continue to lead men upward 
 to that which is ideal life in all its relationships. 
 There Is not a man but who admires Jesus and rec- 
 ognizes the strength and the beauty, the power and 
 the purity of His life. Not a man but at his best 
 
82 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 moments has had a longing to live that kind of a 
 life, for we all acknowledge it to be the crown of 
 life here on earth, for there is nothing better. And 
 yet this is made possible through faithfulness to 
 Christ himself. And if we are not reaching that 
 ideal to-day, it is because there is something wrong 
 with our faithfulness. And with this is the greatest 
 of all crowns, the approval of the Master, both now 
 and in the world to come. What a commendation 
 on the life of the man in the story that Jesus him- 
 self tells, when his lord says, "Well done, good and 
 faithful servant — enter thou into the joy of thy 
 lord." Nothing better could be imagined or de- 
 sired, yet it is all attained through faithfulness. 
 
 In the life of Isabella Bird the story is told that 
 as she was passing through Armenia she was twice 
 attacked by Kurds. But in one wretched hamlet she 
 found a young Armenian who in conversation with 
 her said, "We don't know much, but we love the 
 Lord Jesus well enough to die for Him." 
 
 "Be faithful unto death; Christ proffers thee 
 Crown of life that draws immortal breath; 
 To thee He saith, yea, and He saith to me, 
 'Be faithful unto death.' " 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 
''And to the angel of the church In Pergamum 
 write : 
 
 "These things salth he that hath the sharp two- 
 edged sword: I know where thou dwellest, even 
 where Satan's throne Is; and thou holdest fast my 
 name, and didst not deny my faith, even In the days 
 of Antlpas my witness, my faithful one, who was 
 killed among you, where Satan dwelleth. But I have 
 a few things against thee, because thou hast there 
 some that hold the teachings of Balaam, who taught 
 Balak to cast a stumbling-block before the Children 
 of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to 
 commit fornication. So hast thou also some that 
 hold the teaching of the NIcolaltans in like manner. 
 Repent therefore; or else I come to thee quickly, 
 and I will make war against them with the sword of 
 my mouth. He that hath an ear, let him hear what 
 the Spirit salth to the churches. To him that over- 
 cometh, to him will I give of the hidden manna, and 
 I will give him a white stone, and upon the stone 
 a new name written, which no one knoweth but he 
 that recelveth It." 
 
 Revelation 2: 12-17. 
 
FAITHFULNESS MINUS COURAGE 
 
 The third letter in this series was written to the 
 angel of the church at Pergamum. This city was 
 the most important of Mysia, situated on the north 
 bank of the river Caicus, about twenty miles from 
 the sea. It was once the capital of a wealthy king- 
 dom, ruled over by a dynasty of kings, several of 
 them called Attalus. The first of these came to the 
 throne in 241 B. C. His son, Eumenes, who suc- 
 ceeded him in 197 B. C, founded a celebrated 
 library, which ultimately was second only to that of 
 Alexandria. Attalus III, who died in 133 B. C, 
 bequeathed to the Rornans his movable property. 
 They misinterpreted the bequest to mean the king- 
 dom and appropriated it at once. Marc Antony 
 promised the library, which did not belong to him, 
 to Cleopatra, and had it removed to Egypt, where 
 it was added to the famous Alexandrian library. 
 
 The city possessed a celebrated temple of the god 
 iEsculapius, the god of medicine. It is now called 
 Bregama or Bergma, and still exists as a town of 
 mean-looking, wooden houses, interspersed with the 
 
 85 
 
86 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 more splendid relics of antiquity. To the Christian 
 Church, founded in this city, Christ sends a mes- 
 sage through the Apostle John. And as was true 
 of the other letters, the message is according to the 
 special conditions surrounding this church, some of 
 which we may find existing to-day. 
 
 And again we want to keep in mind, from the be- 
 ginning of our study of this letter, the special char- 
 acteristic of the one sending the message, a char- 
 acteristic that bears special relation to the conditions 
 of the church and to her needs. As we found In the 
 case of the letter to the church at Smyrna that the 
 character of the Christ gave point and power to the 
 message, so this one characteristic, mentioned in 
 the introduction of this letter, gives point and power 
 to this message. And this is the introduction: 
 "These things saith he that hath the sharp two- 
 edged sword." This special power possessed by the 
 Christ In having this sharp two-edged sword, un- 
 doubtedly refers to his relation to the conditions of 
 this church, else there would be no reason for men- 
 tioning this quality. 
 
 The sword Is generally taken to mean the Word 
 of God and refers to Its power In the lives of men. 
 We find the following words In Hebrews 4: 12, 13 : 
 "The Word of God is living, and active, and sharper 
 than any two-edged sword, and piercing even to the 
 
Faithfulness Minus Courage 87 
 
 dividing of soul and spirit, of both joints and mar- 
 row, and quick to discern the thoughts and intents 
 of the heart. And there is no creature that is not 
 manifest in his sight; but all things are naked and 
 laid open before the eyes of him with whom we 
 have to do." The possession of a sword naturally 
 gives the idea of power to punish or to destroy, but 
 in this introduction we want to see principally the 
 power of discernment, representing the power pos- 
 sessed by the Christ to discern the thoughts 
 and intents of the heart. We want to emphasize 
 the fact that there is no creature that is not mani- 
 fest in His sight; but all things are naked and laid 
 open before Him with whom we have to do. One 
 thing men need to remember is that Jesus Christ 
 knows and understands all the conditions of Hfe and 
 of heart. We may hide things from men, but we 
 cannot hide them from God. 
 
 Notice the result of this power of discernment. 
 These people of Pergamum, especially the members 
 of this church to which the message Is sent, may 
 have thought that God did not know what was go- 
 ing on in the city and In the church. No doubt they 
 had covered up a great deal of actual conditions 
 from their fellowmen, as men to-day are able to do. 
 But here is One who asserts his knowledge of even 
 the thoughts and purposes of the life. It is really 
 
88 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 astonishing how little our fellowmen know about us, 
 either of the good or the evil, either our sorrows or 
 our joys; but there is One who has the power to 
 see and to understand all the conditions of heart 
 and life. So the message of Christ's power of dis- 
 cernment comes home to us to-day and we will be 
 interested in the result of this power. 
 
 Christ knows the predominant factor of the life, 
 for he says: "I know where thou dwellest, even 
 where Satan's throne is." This city of Pergamum 
 was the very center and stronghold of idol worship. 
 The symbol of this god of medicine, i^sculapius, was 
 a serpent, which is also the symbol of Satan. So 
 Christ takes this worship of the heathen god as the 
 embodiment of the power that is opposed to him. 
 A beautiful temple of this god was in Pergamum 
 and the city seemed to be under the control of this 
 heathen worship. It was appealing to the lower ap- 
 petites and animal impulses of men and was the 
 predominant factor in the city, so much so that 
 Christ describes it as being the place where Satan's 
 throne is. 
 
 No doubt the people in this church had been very 
 much discouraged because of these conditions, and 
 they could not make progress against such over- 
 whelming opposition; but Christ assures them that 
 He knows the whole situation, the temptations that 
 
Faithfulness Minus Courage 89 
 
 come to them because of their surroundings, and 
 the discouragement of fighting against such a strong 
 force. In the letter to the church at Smyrna the 
 fact was brought out that Christ knew their troubles 
 and their tribulations and their poverty. But the 
 message here is that Christ possesses the power of 
 discernment, which enables Him to know also the 
 conditions of sin and the factor in life that is pre- 
 dominant. 
 
 Let us get from this that Christ knows the pre- 
 dominant factor in every community. In every 
 community there are two distinct factors seeking for 
 control, that of Satan in the evil tendencies and that 
 of Christ in the good tendencies. These may exist 
 side by side but one or the other is in control, one 
 or the other is on the throne in every community. 
 We get a certain idea of the community in which 
 we live, and think that because we live in it and it is 
 our home, somehow it is a pretty good place after 
 all. Of course we will acknowledge that there are 
 many things that ought not to exist, but in spite of 
 that fact, it is not so bad as it might be. And 
 often we become puffed up with pride in our town 
 and community because it is prosperous and no 
 outrageous crimes are committed such as disgrace 
 other towns. But not always do you find the actual 
 conditions revealed on the outside, for the real ten- 
 
90 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 dency Is to be found by the direction of the current 
 underneath. 
 
 No matter what may be our opinion, there Is 
 One who has the sharp two-edged sword who Is 
 able to discern the hidden things and before whom 
 nothing Is covered, and He knows the conditions 
 of each community as they really are. 
 
 We go into a new community and find certain 
 ideals and standards prevalent, and soon will we 
 fall in line. We think that because others are do- 
 ing these things they must be all right, and give 
 little thought to the tendency of such a life. There 
 is a tendency either upward or downward, either 
 toward God or away from Him, which Is shown by 
 the things that are allowed and countenanced. There 
 are things In each town and community that do not 
 show a very strong movement toward God, and 
 what is our attitude toward such things? If God 
 is on the throne. He will be ruling; but if Satan Is 
 on the throne, he will rule. And you will often 
 find the throne of Satan In towns and cities that 
 think they are quite respectable and above the aver- 
 age. 
 
 And it is this condition that the Church of Jesus 
 Christ must face and must fight, and how often men 
 become discouraged because they are not able to 
 make the progress that they think should be made ! 
 
Faithfulness Minus Courage 91 
 
 We see the people of the town more concerned 
 about things of minor importance than the things 
 of the Kingdom of God. Many do not seem to 
 know that the Church exists and seldom, if ever, 
 darken a church door. The power of Satan seems 
 to have them under its control and the Church can- 
 not make any impression. But what comfort in the 
 message that Christ, who has founded His Church 
 and has called us to labor in His Church, knows the 
 actual conditions that the Church must fight, for 
 He knows where Satan's throne is ! 
 
 God knows the exact character of the Church and 
 what is the dominant factor there. As we continue 
 our study we will find that this Church in Pergamum 
 was not as good as it ought to have been, but God 
 knew all this, for He saw into the innermost life 
 of the Church. 
 
 Always will you find that there are two factors 
 in the church life, the power of evil and the power 
 of good, each seeking to get and to hold control. 
 Satan is trying to erect his throne, Christ is trying 
 to erect His throne, and one of these opposing pow- 
 ers has his throne in each church. There is no place 
 where Satan desires so much to hold his court as in 
 church circles, and too often the members of the 
 Church are bidding him welcome. Men have their 
 standard of judgment of an ideal Church. Often 
 
92 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 we think If we have a fine building and a strong or- 
 ganization, that the Church is successful. But this 
 does not always show the inside of the church life. 
 Though they are good to have, yet there are other 
 things that ought to be the cause of greater concern. 
 
 The Church's real life will be seen in that which 
 Is the uppermost aim of the Church. God founded 
 the Church to bring men and women to Jesus Christ, 
 but how often her work is allowed to degenerate into 
 an effort to outdo some other organization, to have 
 a larger membership than a neighboring church, 
 and to get hold of the best people in the community 
 and let the others that need Jesus Christ go where 
 they please. When men and women think only of 
 their own particular denomination and of how they 
 may magnify that special church, then Satan has 
 erected his throne there and they are doing his 
 special work, for they have lost their influence In 
 saving men and women from their sins. When a 
 church loses Its hold on those truths that are funda- 
 mental, a belief in God and in Jesus Christ as the 
 Son of God and the Savior of the world, a behef in 
 the sinfulness of man and his need of a Savior, when 
 this happens, Satan Is In control. 
 
 Again the controlling power in a church is to be 
 seen by the attitude of the members toward the 
 work of the Church. When men and women think 
 
Faithfulness Minus Courage 93 
 
 more of their business, their pleasure and their ease 
 than they do of the success of the Church in her 
 work; when they will not give at least one-seventh 
 of their time, but must take the Lord's Day for 
 pleasure or profit; when they will not give at least 
 one-tenth of their income for the advancement of 
 Christ's Kingdom, certain is it that Christ is not 
 in control in that church. When the members of 
 a church do not take interest in her times of wor- 
 ship, but spend their time other than in the House 
 of God on God's Day, or attend the picture show 
 instead of the prayer meeting, or will refuse to back 
 up the plans of their church for bringing men and 
 women to Jesus Christ, surely Christ has not been 
 enthroned in that church. And Christ Himself 
 knows the conditions. We cannot judge, for our 
 knowledge is incomplete, but He will judge, for 
 He knows the predominant factor in each church. 
 
 Need we say that God knows the actual condi- 
 tions of the individual life, reading the innermost 
 thoughts and intents of the heart? No matter how 
 good we may be, there is something that is evil in 
 our lives. How much is good and how much is 
 evil, our fellowmen may not know, we may not be 
 sure of it ourselves, but He who is able to divide 
 both joints and marrow with His sharp two-edged 
 sword, will cut between that which is evil and that 
 
94 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 which Is good, and will know of a certainty which 
 controls. We may pose as moral men and women 
 before others, we may have our names on the regis- 
 ter of some church, we may wrap about us a robe 
 of self-righteousness. Our fellowmen cannot go be- 
 neath this, they cannot judge as to the condition of 
 the heart and the predominant factor there, but 
 there is One who knows and has the right to judge, 
 for all things are open and naked before Him with 
 whom we have to do. 
 
 A big New York bank, on receiving a deposit, 
 noticed a twenty-dollar note that did not look genu- 
 ine. So they asked the depositor to sign his name 
 to it, that when it was examined more carefully at 
 the close of the day, they would know to whom it 
 belonged. We are signing our names to our daily 
 deeds and we are facing that sharp two-edged sword 
 that will cut between the good and the evil and 
 reveal the actual condition of heart and life. 
 
 Also from this knowledge Christ has power to 
 understand and know the exact attitude that men 
 are taking toward sin. There is sin in every com- 
 munity. Men are taking a definite attitude toward 
 that sin. God knows what that attitude is. There 
 is sin in every church; it creeps in regardless of all 
 care. There are conditions in the Church that ought 
 to be changed, but what is our attitude toward this 
 
Faithfulness Minus Courage 95 
 
 condition? There Is sin In each life, plenty of It In 
 each one of our lives, but what Is the attitude that 
 we are taking toward this sin? God only knows. 
 We may be silent In regard to what we think about 
 sinful conditions as they exist without or within us, 
 and thus fool our fellowmen, who may think one 
 thing or another. But we cannot fool God, for He 
 knows where we stand, even as He knew the stand 
 taken by the people of this church at Pergamum. 
 And with this knowledge of men, God expresses His 
 attitude towards them, which we gather from His 
 attitude toward this early Christian Church. 
 
 He commends their faithfulness In the midst of 
 sin. It was a situation that tried them to the utter- 
 most. This being the very centre and capital and the 
 throne of Satan, the people being under the control 
 of this heathen religion, and the city being dominated 
 by this heathen power. It was no small matter that 
 these Christians stood for their religion In face of 
 it all. And from what we gather from this letter, 
 these heathen people were not Inclined to make it 
 easy and pleasant for the Christians to live there. 
 As Christ knew their environment, so He knew their 
 faithfulness. 
 
 The name of this great medicine god was on the 
 lips of the people, and for whatever blessings 
 they received this god was given the glory. But 
 
g6 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 these Christians had held fast the name of Jesus 
 and, standing apart from the others, had contended 
 that what blessings they received came from Him. 
 Others were following the kind of a life, fashioned 
 by their religion, which was anything but clean and 
 pure, and they would oppose and despise any other 
 way of living. But these Christians stood out 
 against that kind of a life and followed the teachings 
 and endeavored to live as He lived. This brought 
 them before the attention of the rest of the people, 
 and no doubt much persuasion and urging was 
 brought to bear on them, and they probably suffered 
 no little persecution in order that they might turn 
 from this way of living and do as others did. But 
 Christ commends them because they did not deny 
 the faith, they did not turn their backs on what they 
 had been taught about the Christian way of living. 
 And so persistent and so fierce became this opposi- 
 tion that one of their number, at least, was put to 
 death for his faithfulness, others were no doubt 
 thrown into prison, for the persecution would not 
 stop with one man. In view of these things, they 
 did not know but that death awaited them also. 
 Nevertheless they remained faithful. 
 
 And what a message there is in this for Chris- 
 tians to-day! As we see the sin all about us in any 
 community, for Satan is always at work trying to 
 
Faithfulness Minus Courage 97 
 
 overthrow the kingdom of righteousness, It calls 
 for a good deal of courage to stand out in open 
 opposition to this sin. For men will oppose us, and 
 they will persecute In so far as they dare. It Is not 
 easy to stand against those things that are wrong 
 in the Church, either In her life or her doctrine, for 
 others will misunderstand and misrepresent and call 
 you a back number and an old fogy. It is not easy 
 to condemn sin In the lives of men, not always easy 
 to oppose the sin in our own lives, and it means a 
 struggle and a warfare. 
 
 But what a blessing that God, who knows all the 
 conditions surrounding us, who knows the fight we 
 make and against what odds, commends us when 
 we are faithful. Surely men could not have any 
 greater incentive to remain firm In their attributing 
 to God the blessings of life. The others may thank 
 the conditions or themselves; shall we not thank our 
 God and hold fast His name as the one that is above 
 every name? Though it may cost a great deal to 
 live the Christian life and remain true to what we 
 know to be Christian, let us seek the commendation 
 of our Lord by refusing to deny the faith, no matter 
 what may be the temptation and the Incentive to 
 live otherwise. 
 
 But though Christ commends these people for 
 their faithfulness in the midst of these difficult con- 
 
98 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 ditlons, yet it seems that the situation had become 
 too much for them. And Christ says that He has 
 some few things against them, for He condemns 
 in them the spirit of compromise with that which 
 was evil. Reference is made in the letter to an in- 
 cident in the history of Israel, when Balak, led by 
 the teaching and the suggestion of Balaam, had in- 
 fluenced the Children of Israel to turn from the 
 direct commands of God and to eat that which had 
 been offered to idols, which eventually led to their 
 entering into the sinful practices of the idol-worship- 
 ers. So Christ says there are those among the mem- 
 bers of this Christian Church who hold the teach- 
 ing of the Nicolaitans, who were persuaded to eat 
 that which was offered to the idols, and, by this, 
 were led themselves into the sins of the idol-wor- 
 shipers. 
 
 The religion of the idol was pleasant; it was 
 popular, for everybody was doing it; and it ap- 
 pealed to that which was very strong in them, their 
 physical appetites. If they refused, it would mean 
 that they would be cut off from their associates, 
 they would be laughed at, and they would no doubt 
 suffer persecution. Now what harm was there in 
 eating that meat, even though it had been offered 
 to the idol; was not the meat just as good as any 
 other? They could live just as good a life by asso- 
 
Faithfulness Minus Courage 99 
 
 dating with these people, and would be in a better 
 position to do them good and to teach them the 
 truths of the Christian religion than if they held 
 aloof from them. So some had followed this line 
 of least resistance, but God condemns this compro- 
 mising course. And you will find that there is a 
 strong tendency to-day to follow this same course, 
 for the appeal is coming to us to compromise with 
 that which is over against the religion of Jesus 
 Christ. This temptation comes to us along the 
 line of those things in life that are, at best, ques- 
 tionable, and in many cases openly wrong. We find 
 this in the standards that are presented to us by 
 which we shall live in our homes and in our daily 
 work. It comes to us along the Hne of our pleasures. 
 It comes to us along the line of the attitude we shall 
 take towards things religious. The same sugges- 
 tions are made to-day, for sin and Satan never 
 change, and they are receiving the same response in 
 the hearts, and too often in the lives, of those who 
 are professed followers of Jesus Christ. This 
 message was not to the outsiders but to those who 
 were members of the Christian Church and must, 
 therefore, apply there to-day. 
 
 The suggestion is made to us that there is nothing 
 exactly wrong in this that we are asked to do ; noth- 
 ing wrong in those little pieces of pasteboard known 
 
100 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 as a deck of cards; nothing wrong in keeping time 
 to music, even as there was nothing wrong with the 
 meat that these people were asked to eat. The 
 wrong, we are told, is in the heart of the man or 
 the woman. Then again the argument comes to us 
 that everybody is doing it; it is the popular thing 
 to do. If I do not follow this course I will be cut 
 out of all the amusements that others are enjoying; 
 I will be laughed at and ostracized by my associates, 
 for they will not care for my company. Cannot I 
 do these things and still live a Christian life in the 
 midst of these surroundings? And by so doing I 
 will be able to lead these same people to recognize 
 my religion. 
 
 Satan surely has his plan worked out to perfec- 
 tion, and he knows, though men may not, that the 
 whole thing is a lie from the beginning. But we 
 must see that God objects to such a course. It is 
 not vital what the Church may say about such things, 
 for the Church might be wrong; it makes little 
 difference what certain Christians may say about it, 
 for they may be prejudiced; but it does make a 
 vital difference what God says. And He condemns 
 such a compromising course and gives His reasons 
 for such condemnation. 
 
 God objects because such a course has the ten- 
 dency to lead a man or woman into sin that is con- 
 
Faithfulness Minus Courage lOi 
 
 nected with that which is questionable. The objec- 
 tion to the meat was that it had been devoted to the 
 idol. All others ate it as such, and a Christian eating 
 this meat would be looked upon as openly recogniz- 
 ing the idol. This in itself was sin. But it led to 
 even worse sin, for the man was thus thrown into 
 the midst of the sinful practices of the idol-worship, 
 and he would find it doubly difficult to resist that 
 which was openly wrong and sinful. Thus Israel 
 had been led to sin, thus the Christians in Perga- 
 mum had been led to sin, and thus men from the 
 foundation of the world have been led to sin. 
 
 Let us get this clear. The objection God has to 
 questionable methods in daily life and to the manner 
 of amusements that are on the borderline between 
 right and wrong, is that they have been devoted to 
 the service of Satan and are used in this service by 
 those who habitually follow such practices. They 
 are recognized as instruments for unrighteousness 
 by those who are interested in upholding sinful prac- 
 tices. Their predominant use is for producing sinful 
 results, and those who partake of such practices 
 are looked upon as favoring such results. It is a 
 recognition of the power of Evil, which is arrayed 
 against Christ and His Kingdom. 
 
 Along with this is the fact that such a compro- 
 mising position throws any man or woman into the 
 
102 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 midst of that which is openly sinful, which tempta- 
 tion will be harder to resist. We may be met with 
 the old story of man or woman being able to resist 
 all that which is directly sinful, connected with these 
 things, and being at the same time an influence for 
 good in the lives of those with whom they associate. 
 But the general trend has been to drag down the 
 one rather than to lift up the other. How many 
 men and women have gone wrong because they trav- 
 eled too near the borderline? And, often indeed 
 does this result follow, that a man or woman will 
 become so taken up with these things, which may 
 or may not be wrong in themselves but which, at 
 best, are near the border, until they have lost sight 
 of that which is of vastly more importance, the 
 service of God. Their interest, their time, their 
 money, their energy, become centred in these things 
 to the exclusion of the claims of the Kingdom of 
 God and the demands of the Church. The interests 
 of the Church are forgotten, her plans are thrown 
 aside, and her work is neglected. Can any one deny 
 that such a course is wrong, in which no Christian 
 ought to indulge? 
 
 Another reason why God objected to this course 
 was that thus these Christians were stumbling blocks 
 in the way of others. He charges them that they 
 have followed the teaching of Balaam, who led 
 
Faithfulness Minus Courage 103 
 
 Balak to cause the Children of Israel to sin. And 
 surely we do not need to use our imagination to see 
 that those Christians in Pergamum, who were at- 
 tending the feasts of the heathen gods and eating 
 the meat offered to the heathen idols, were stumbling 
 blocks in the way of any in that city who might 
 otherwise have been led to become followers of 
 Jesus Christ. God had called them that they might 
 lead others to Christ. But those with whom they 
 associated were not very strongly impressed by their 
 religion when they saw them doing the same things 
 as others, and that which this new religion was seek- 
 ing to overthrow. They were taking part in the 
 worship of the god that was opposed to the God 
 whom they professed to serve. They claimed for 
 this gospel message an exceptional purity and power, 
 still their lives were no different from others. They 
 thus weakened the influence of the Christian Church 
 in that city and kept some out of the Kingdom of 
 God. 
 
 We claim that there is a purity and a power in the 
 Christian religion, that the principles of Christ de- 
 mand freedom from sin. But does not our claim 
 lose its effect when others see that this religion has 
 not changed our attitude toward those things that 
 are near the borderline, the predominant factor of 
 which is service to Satan? The man who is not a 
 
104 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 Christian intends to be such some day, but his con- 
 ception of the Christian religion is that it will make 
 a change in his life. And our brand of Christianity 
 will not appeal to him if we do the things that he 
 does now and which he recognizes to be wrong. 
 Therefore, if we take this compromising course we 
 have counteracted and destroyed our influence over 
 our fellowmen. God's demand is that we shall lead 
 others to Jesus Christ, but others are getting their 
 views of the Christian religion from what they see 
 in us, and too often it is the kind of religion they 
 do not want. This in itself should warn us from 
 such a course. 
 
 What shall be the attitude of the Church toward 
 such conditions? In the closing words of this 
 message we find mentioned the other quality of the 
 sword, namely, its power to punish and destroy, for 
 God says, ''I will make war against them with the 
 sword of my mouth." The sword of God's Word 
 comes into a man's sinful life and destroys that life, 
 by condemnation of its course. Any man who is 
 doing the thing that is wrong and will turn to the 
 Word of God, read carefully and honestly, will find 
 that it has destroyed his peace of conscience. We 
 know when we are living the life that is not straight 
 and clean and out and out for that which is right 
 beyond question; we know that God in His Word 
 
Faithfulness Minus Courage 105 
 
 condemns such a course; and no man In his right 
 mind can be content and satisfied when he knows 
 that God is condemning his course of life. He loses 
 the peace that Christ has promised to those that 
 follow Him. The Word of God also destroys the 
 chances of the man who is compromising with sin 
 for ever reaching the ideal life, for which we long, 
 and for ever attaining the approval of our Lord and 
 Master. And when a man or woman has lost this, 
 there is little for which to live. 
 
 But you will find that though this punishment is 
 individual, yet the Church suffers with the individ- 
 uals. This church at Pergamum was suffering be- 
 cause of the mistakes of her members. And every 
 church suffers, in the estimation that the world has 
 of her and her Lord, and in the influence that the 
 Church has in the community because of those among 
 her members who side-step into ways of sin and 
 wrong-doing. This thought should rest heavily on 
 our hearts and minds and cause us to be more careful 
 as to the character of those things which have been 
 allowed a place in our lives. 
 
 So because the Church suffered, the Church was 
 called on to repent. Undoubtedly this church had 
 become weak and had hesitated about taking a stand 
 against the course of some of her members. The 
 majority of the members of that church were faith- 
 
io6 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 ful, but they lacked the courage to stand out against 
 that which was creeping into the church hfe and 
 destroying her power. So there was a call for these 
 people to repent, which would mean that they should 
 turn about and go the other way, namely, that they, 
 as a Church, should take an uncompromising attitude 
 toward those who, because of their lives, had worked 
 havoc in the church life and work. 
 
 There are undoubtedly some things that rest be- 
 tween the individual and his God, but even on these 
 the Church should take a stand as to what she is 
 going to teach. A great many people will get their 
 ideas of right and wrong from what the Church 
 teaches, and the call of the Church is to teach the 
 uncompromising attitude and the avoidance of the 
 very appearance of evil, and this with no uncertain 
 sound. Some so-called broad-minded people may 
 advocate throwing down the bars, at least lowering 
 them, on the ground that by strictness we may keep 
 people out of the Church. But the Church of 
 Jesus Christ was not founded to see how many 
 names could be gotten on her roll, rather that by 
 uniting with her men would signify to the world 
 that a change had taken place in their lives. And 
 if there is no change, uniting with all the churches In 
 Christendom will mean nothing to the hfe. God's 
 call Is for the Church that has lowered the bars to 
 
Faithfulness Minus Courage 107 
 
 repent before her membership and her power has 
 been destroyed. It is the call to lift her standards 
 to where God himself has placed them, namely, the 
 consecration of the life to Christ and the opposition 
 to all that which is sinful. 
 
 A number of years ago cholera prevailed in Eu- 
 rope and there was great concern over plans for 
 stamping it out. For some time the nations tried a 
 system of quarantine, in which all ports and all 
 avenues of inlet and outlet were closed, but the 
 plague raged as furiously as before. Then they 
 tried the method of bettering the sanitary condi- 
 tions within their own boundaries, and they soon dis- 
 covered that the dreaded disease was losing its force, 
 until it was finally brought under complete control. 
 
 The Church is not ignorant of the fact that her 
 power and influence is not what it ought to be. Her 
 problem is as to what method shall be used for re- 
 lieving this condition. Some may advocate more 
 care and caution as to the character of those entering 
 her doors. These precautionary measures are good, 
 providing the conditions within the Church are what 
 they should be. But surely there is needed to-day a 
 bettering of the conditions within the Church herself 
 and an elevating of the standards by which the pro- 
 fessed followers of Christ shall govern their con- 
 
io8 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 duct. When this is done her weakness will be wiped 
 out and her influence will be increased. 
 
 Take my heart, O Father! take it; 
 Make and keep it all Thine own ; 
 Let Thy Spirit melt and break it — 
 This proud heart of sin and stone. 
 
 Father, make me pure and lowly. 
 Fond of peace and far from strife; 
 Turning from the paths unholy 
 Of this vain and sinful life. 
 
 Ever let Thy grace surround me, 
 Strengthen me with power divine. 
 Till Thy cords of love have bound me ; 
 Make me to be wholly Thine. 
 
 May the blood of Jesus heal me, 
 And my sins be all forgiven ; 
 Holy Spirit, take and seal me. 
 Guide me in the path of heaven. 
 
CHAPTER V 
 
''And to the angel of the Church In Thyatira 
 write : 
 
 "These things saith the Son of God, who hath 
 eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet are like unto 
 burnished brass ; I know thy works and thy love and 
 faith and ministry and patience, and that thy last 
 works are more than the first. But I have this 
 against thee, that thou sufferest the woman Jezebel, 
 who calleth herself a prophetess; and she teachest 
 and seduceth my servants to commit fornication, and 
 to eat things sacrificed to idols. And I gave her 
 time that she should repent; and she willeth not to 
 repent of her fornication. Behold, I cast her into 
 a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into 
 great tribulation, except they repent of her works. 
 And I will kill her children with death; and all the 
 churches shall know that I am he that searcheth the 
 reins and hearts; and I will give unto each one of 
 you according to your works. But to you I say, to 
 the rest that are in Thyatira, as many as have not 
 this teaching, who know not the deep things of 
 Satan, as they are wont to say; I cast upon you none 
 other burden. Nevertheless that which ye have, 
 hold fast until I come. . . . He that hath an ear, 
 let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches." 
 
 Rev. 2: 18-29. 
 
LIMITATIONS IN SERVICE 
 
 The message in this passage is to the angel of the 
 church of Thyatlra. This was a city in Asia Minor, 
 in Lydia, near the boundary of Mysia. It was on 
 the road from Pergamum to Sardis. It had already 
 come into existence and been known as Pelopia and 
 Euhippia when Seleucus Nicator, about 280 B. C, 
 colonized it with Greeks, and gave it the name of 
 Thyatira. Its inhabitants were famed for their 
 skill in dyeing purple ; Lydia, the seller of purple at 
 PhiHppi when Paul visited there, was from Thyatira. 
 A Church may have been organized here as a result 
 of her conversion, at any rate, at the time this 
 letter was written there was evidently a Church of 
 some strength, for they are credited with doing 
 work that only a thorough organization could do. 
 
 And we find that both the name and the character- 
 istics given to the sender of the message have direct 
 bearing on the message itself. In the other letters 
 there is no name given, but here it is said, "These 
 things saith the Son of God." This must have been 
 called forth by the special conditions that were in 
 
 III 
 
112 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 existence at Thyatira, as we shall see when we study 
 the message. Surely it would cause the Christians 
 in this city to listen attentively when they realized 
 that it was the Son of God speaking. They may 
 have been inclined to think of Jesus as a good man, 
 and would of course listen to what He said, but 
 here they are to listen carefully, for it is the Son of 
 God speaking to them. Thus the power of God is 
 back of the message. And we need to remember 
 this as we read and study the Bible and as we study 
 this message that it is God speaking with all His 
 knowledge and all His power. 
 
 And you will also find that the characteristics men- 
 tioned are of special significance, and we shall find 
 that these too are directly related to the message. 
 The Son of God is spoken of as One who hath His 
 eyes like to a flame of fire. And I cannot think of 
 any better truth from this than that Jesus, as the 
 Son of God, has the power to penetrate into the 
 deep recesses of the life, even as the fire devours 
 that which comes in its pathway; also that He has 
 the power to separate the good from the evil, even 
 as the fire purifies, separating the good metal from 
 the dross. And you will find this thought empha- 
 sized later in the letter when Jesus says, "I am He 
 that searcheth the reins and the hearts." Whatever 
 the message might be, it was due to the fact that 
 
Limitations in Service 113 
 
 the messenger had searched out the hidden things 
 and tested the quality of what was found. This 
 thought we would do well to remember as we study 
 God's Word. 
 
 Another characteristic was that the One who was 
 writing to them had feet like to burnished brass. 
 The brass was the metal of which was made most 
 of the instruments both of warfare and of peace. 
 And when the Son of God speaks of Himself as 
 having feet of brass it must refer to His power of 
 accomplishment, His ability to do that which He 
 undertakes, swift and sure to reward and to punish. 
 And again, later in the letter, you will find the same 
 thought emphasized when He says, "I will give unto 
 each one of you according to your works." Thus 
 would be aroused attention and concern as to the 
 opinion the Son of God might have of them. Such 
 attention and concern should be aroused in our 
 hearts as to God's opinion of us. 
 
 First, you will notice that the Son of God has 
 knowledge of and commendation for faithfulness in 
 service. These Christians may know that what they 
 were able to do did not amount to much, they were 
 so weak. No one paid much attention to what they 
 tried to do, no one seemed to care. They would 
 become discouraged and disheartened and feel like 
 giving up their efforts. To them comes this mes- 
 
114 ^yhat the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 sage of cheer. Christ says that He has been watch- 
 ing them, He knows what they have been doing, 
 He approves of their efforts. It ought to mean 
 much to us that there is One who knows and under- 
 stands just what we try to do and approves when 
 we are faithful. And Christ specifies just what. their 
 efforts have been. 
 
 He approved of their attitude toward their fel- 
 lowmen, which expressed itself in deeds of love and 
 charity. Many opportunities came to them in that 
 city, filled with those who were followers of heathen 
 gods, to show the spirit that controlled them In their 
 relation to others. There were many who differed 
 from them, but they had shown the spirit of charity; 
 there were many who were In need, but they had 
 tried to relieve that need; there were many who 
 were ignorant and others who opposed them and 
 made It difficult for them to live their religion, but 
 they were always kind and loving. 
 
 What opportunities we have to reveal the spirit 
 that controls us as we touch others, and not always 
 is it the spirit of love and charity! Others differ 
 with us. Do we treat their opinions charitably? 
 Others have needs. Are we trying to relieve them? 
 God knows our attitude toward our fellowmen and 
 approves only of the spirit of love, even as revealed 
 in the life of Christ. 
 
Limitations in Service 115 
 
 Jesus approved of their attitude toward God, for 
 It was expressed In the condition of faith. They 
 were living a practical, everyday life, with cares and 
 responsibilities, but they had time to keep alive their 
 religion. They encountered many things that they 
 could not understand, but they looked up with faith 
 Into the loving heart of their heavenly Father. 
 That condition of heart was strong enough to re- 
 veal Itself in their lives, for It was a positive char- 
 acteristic that must express itself. God knew and 
 approved of their faith. 
 
 What is the relation that we bear towards God? 
 What Is the quality of our faith? We touch others 
 and may be charitable towards them, but we must 
 also bear a definite relation to God, which should 
 be characterized by faith. This is the vital quality 
 of religion, the very center of the Christian life. 
 But how often it is neglected ! We become Interested 
 In our daily work, we are concerned with our bur- 
 dens, and we lose sight of our religion. We are 
 Christians, of course, but how faint and vague at 
 times this inner quality of faith becomes, and how 
 little power it exerts over our outer lives ! But 
 God knows the actual condition and approves a 
 faith that Is alive and active and strong. 
 
 The Son of God also approved of their service 
 in the community for He says that He knows of 
 
ii6 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 their ministry. They were not satisfied with just 
 showing the spirit of love as they touched others 
 from day to day, they also tried to minister wherever 
 there was opportunity, and there must have been 
 many calls for such ministry. This no doubt refers 
 both to Christian ministry and also to the practical 
 application of the Christian religion In doing good 
 to those who were In need. This city presented to 
 them many needs, both spiritual and temporal. They 
 did not lack opportunity to show the power of their 
 ministry, and they did their best to make good. 
 
 What Is God's opinion of our ministry? How 
 much need there is for those who will be faithful 
 In their service ! We come In contact with the needs 
 of men each day, many physical, some mental, others 
 moral, many spiritual, and this Is our opportunity 
 to minister to the needs of others. The Church 
 is in the community, as the minister, to serve the 
 community and meet the needs. The individual is 
 in the community for the same purpose. We have 
 our circle of friends, we have our acquaintances, and 
 they bring to us needs that we can help supply. 
 Jesus was among men as one that ministered. What 
 a privilege that we are called to the same work, 
 to be ministers ! What does God see in our min- 
 istry? 
 
 God also commends their steadfastness, for, in 
 
Limitations in Service 117 
 
 spite of discouragements, they had revealed the qual- 
 ity of patience. Things did not turn out as they 
 had planned, either in the church work or in their 
 individual lives. They had not been able to make 
 the progress, as Christians, that they had expected. 
 They had not been able to push forward the work of 
 the Church as they had anticipated. But, in face 
 of it all, they had been patient and persistent and 
 stayed by the work. 
 
 How many things come into our lives, as Chris- 
 tians, that tend to discourage and to dishearten! 
 Our home life may not be what we had expected, 
 our daily work does not turn out as we had planned, 
 our Christian life Is not as happy and as easy as we 
 had reason to believe It would be, our work in the 
 Church is not as much appreciated and as success- 
 ful as we think it deserves. How many people, when 
 they meet such conditions, are tempted to give up 
 and to lag in the work ! Many Christians are spas- 
 modic, they go by fits and starts, both in matters 
 of Christian living and in the work of the Church. 
 They put enthusiasm into their work so long as 
 everything goes all right, but when the obstacle arises 
 they are ready to quit, they lack patience. God ap- 
 proves of patience, the spirit that never gives up. 
 What does God think of our patience? 
 
 But one of the strongest points for commenda- 
 
Ii8 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 tlon is the last — their growth in efficiency and fruit- 
 fulness. At the beginning Christ speaks of His 
 knowledge of their works, and He closes this mes- 
 sage by saying that He knows "that thy last works 
 are more than the first." What a joy these words 
 must have brought to these Christians when they 
 realized that the One whom they served approved 
 of the progress they had made ! Conditions had 
 been against them. They had worked hard and no 
 doubt many times were inclined to be downhearted 
 because they could not see more signs of progress. 
 There was much to do and they feared that they 
 would never make an impression on that city, but 
 they were assured that they were gradually pushing 
 ahead in their work. 
 
 God expects progress in our Christian lives and 
 in our Christian work, and will not approve of stand- 
 ing still. There is much to be done in our lives, 
 many sins to be overcome, many positive qualities 
 that ought to become a part of our characters. How 
 much progress has been made towards that goal of 
 perfect character? There is much to be done by 
 the individual and by the Church in advancing the 
 Kingdom of God. Can it be said of us that our 
 last works are more than the first? If so, then 
 we too have the approval of the Son of God. 
 
 What a blessing it was to these Christians that 
 
Limitations in Service 119 
 
 they were brought this message, that the Son of 
 God, who had power to search out the hidden things 
 and separate the good from the evil, approved of 
 what they had done, and that He had power to re- 
 ward them for their faithfulness ! 
 
 In the second place, you will notice that God con- 
 demns falseness in teaching in no uncertain terms. 
 You will recall that in the letter to the church at 
 Pergamum God condemns the spirit of compromise 
 in the life; but the condition in the church at Per- 
 gamum was that of allowing sin in the life, either 
 through ignorance or weakness. Those people had 
 given way to the temptation, either because their 
 natural tendency had become too strong, or because 
 they had been deceived. You will find that the same 
 condition exists here at Thyatira, namely, the eating 
 of meat offered to idols and the committing of forni- 
 cation along with this idol-worship. But in this let- 
 ter special attention is given to that which was back 
 of the condition, and special condemnation is threat- 
 ened against the one who is the cause of that con- 
 dition. 
 
 The cities of Pergamum and Thyatira are not far 
 apart and the influence of the idol-worship on the 
 Christians may have spread from Thyatira to the 
 Christians in Pergamum. Responsibility, therefore, 
 for the whole condition in both cities would rest 
 
120 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 on those who were Its originators. From this letter 
 it seems that there was a woman in the church at 
 Thyatira who had been the instigator of this whole 
 tendency. She is spoken of as "the woman Jezebel," 
 no doubt because of the well-known character in 
 Jewish history of that name, who was the personi- 
 fication of all that was wicked. No more degrading 
 name could be applied to this woman of Thyatira. 
 But what is it in this woman that the Son of God 
 condemns? 
 
 First, she is condemned because sailing under 
 false colors, for she called herself a prophetess. 
 God has more use for the man or woman who is 
 out and out for Satan than the one who pretends 
 to be on the side of right and is working for the 
 opposition. 
 
 Now there were certain things that were con- 
 tained in this pretense which were vital to the woman 
 and gave power to what she said. 
 
 A prophetess would be one who recognized God 
 as supreme, for they claimed to have God back of 
 them and to be instruments in His hands. This would 
 require the people to listen to what they said and 
 would give them greater power and influence. Thus 
 the prophets were usually men of prominence and 
 power in the nation and were recognized as servants 
 of God in a special way. 
 
Limitations in Service 121 
 
 Again, as a prophetess, she would aim to speak 
 only the message that God gave. The prophets 
 were the mouthpiece of God, and through them God 
 revealed His will to the people. When God spoke 
 to them, they spoke to the people; when God told 
 them to be silent, they refrained from speaking, no 
 matter what the provocation. What God told them 
 to say they were supposed to reveal, regardless of 
 the consequences to themselves or their hearers. 
 So this woman, by claiming to be a prophetess, 
 was taking for herself this exalted position of the 
 special messenger of God, having His approval and 
 His power back of her. Thus she would speak what 
 God wanted the people to hear and to heed. Little 
 wonder that she had Influenced the people to follow 
 her. 
 
 But the hypocrite has little consideration at the 
 hands of men and receives only condemnation at 
 the hands of God. If we claim a certain close rela- 
 tion to God, we need to be careful that we are mak- 
 ing good on that claim. 
 
 This woman Is also condemned because she had 
 led others astray by the falseness of her teaching. 
 There was unfaithfulness In the lives of many In 
 this church at Thyatira, also In the church at Per- 
 gamum, but back of this there was falseness in their 
 doctrine. In that In which they believed. Under 
 
122 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 claim of truth, error had crept into the Church and 
 had led men and women into sinful living. 
 
 Many may claim that it makes little difference 
 what they believe, so long as they are sincere; but 
 we have no ground for saying that these people 
 who followed the teaching of this woman were not 
 sincere, yet the falseness of her teaching had led 
 them into corrupt living. And it will do the same 
 at any time and in any city, as well as in Thyatira 
 in the days of the Apostle John. Many people seem 
 to think that they can believe what they please and 
 will censure those who object to their beliefs; but 
 the trouble is that a person's beliefs will work them- 
 selves out in the lives of those who hear and heed. 
 And God holds responsible those who teach for the 
 results in the lives of those who have followed that 
 teaching. This ought to make us consider care- 
 fully the beliefs that we have allowed a prominent 
 place in our minds. 
 
 Let us look at the special characteristics of this 
 woman's teaching. 
 
 She broadened the limits of the Divine, extend- 
 ing this quality to the idol, which was man-made. 
 Thus she led her followers into the sin of recogniz- 
 ing other gods than Jehovah. By eating the meat 
 offered to the idol they had recognized the idol as 
 worthy of worship. Such recognition could only 
 
Limitations in Service 123 
 
 come from the teaching that this idol, which man 
 had made, was the representation of that which 
 was the same as Jehovah. Thus there would be 
 given to the idol the place and the prerogatives 
 which belonged alone to God. 
 
 This error has made its way into the modern 
 Church, where there has been an effort to cut away 
 the barrier between the human and the Divine, to 
 lower God and elevate man, until they meet and 
 coincide. Man is said to be divine, on an equality 
 with God, the same in quality though not in quan- 
 tity. God is the principle of life, therefore in all, 
 and we are a part of the Divine. Thus is denied the 
 Divinity of Jesus Christ, for He was no more God 
 than we, so far as quality is concerned. His su- 
 periority rested In the quantity of the Divine, which 
 he possessed. This bears the ear-marks of Chris- 
 tian Science (so-called). 
 
 And what Is the result? Undoubtedly only one 
 result could follow such a conception of the Divine, 
 namely, that man would claim for himself the place, 
 the power, and the prerogatives that belonged to 
 God and to Him alone. Thus has been driven from 
 the minds of those who have been seduced by such 
 teaching all thought of God as the all-powerful 
 Being that controls their lives, for they are a part 
 of that Being. They do not feel the need of God, 
 
124 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 for they are self-sufficient. They do not pray, for 
 you cannot pray to a principle ; and you being a part 
 of that principle, your prayer becomes a soliloquy, 
 a prayer to yourself. And the higher up the scale 
 of Divinity you go, the greater power you possess, 
 until you can do what God does. This audacity 
 reached its highest point in Mrs. Mary Baker-Eddy, 
 who claimed to be the Holy Ghost, the Comforter 
 whom God had promised to send into the world. 
 
 And you will find this error being spread broad- 
 cast in the minds of men, as there is a determined 
 effort to destroy a belief in the Divinity of Jesus 
 Christ. Many claim that He was only a man, 
 though a good man it is true, but from their view- 
 point an imposter, for He claimed to be the Son of 
 God. And men are quick to grasp at this spirit of 
 independency and self-sufficiency which gives them 
 the right to the claim of an equality with God. They 
 are glad to believe that Jesus Christ was no more 
 than man, for then they can ease the conscience 
 when they disregard His commands. Many do not 
 want to believe in the Virgin Birth or the Miracles 
 or the Resurrection, for then the message of Jesus 
 is God speaking to them and they are forced to 
 listen. 
 
 This must have been the form taken by the error 
 in this early church, for emphasis is placed at the 
 
Limitations in Service 125 
 
 beginning on the fact that the Son of God Is send- 
 ing this message to this church. Let us beware of 
 such error to-day, for it will lead into sin and a 
 disregard for the will of God. 
 
 Again, this so-called prophetess taught messages 
 other than what God had delivered to her, giving 
 prominence to man's opinions and desires. When 
 the people ate the meat offered to the idol and took 
 part in the feasts of that heathen worship, could 
 any other teaching have given rise to such freedom 
 than that they had the right to follow the dictates of 
 their own desires and to act according to their own 
 ideas in such matters? This led the people into 
 the sin of following their own Impulses and inclina- 
 tions in regard to the idol-worship, rather than the 
 commands of God. 
 
 God had told them plainly what should be their 
 attitude toward the worship of idols, but here comes 
 one who claims to be speaking for God himself, and 
 to have a later revelation and a fuller knowledge 
 of God's will In such matters. So they follow her 
 teaching. And they are the more willing to listen 
 because she teaches just what they want to believe. 
 
 This error also has crept into the modern Church, 
 for men are being taught to accept other ideas and 
 principles than those delivered to them from God. 
 As men have endeavored to lower the idea of God 
 
126 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 and to cut away the belief In the divinity of Jesus 
 Christ, so they go farther (which Is a natural re- 
 sult) and magnify the opinions of men until they 
 make them equal or even superior to those of God. 
 Men have their own Ideas In regard to certain funda- 
 mentals, then they go to the Bible for confirma- 
 tion of their views. They will endeavor to make the 
 Bible coincide with their opinions, because this will 
 give them greater power and prestige. But If this 
 is impossible they will expurgate the Word of God 
 and throw out that which does not agree with their 
 way of thinking. 
 
 Notice, If you will, the modern teaching In regard 
 to sin, though It Is as old as heathenism itself. 
 Strange how anxious men are to get away from the 
 Bible teaching In reference to sin ! If any man wants 
 to get a following, the first thing he will do Is to 
 put out a conception of sin that differs from the 
 Bible teaching. The Bible conception of sin strikes 
 home to each individual and makes us all mighty 
 uncomfortable, and we are glad to get rid of it, 
 if we can. So modern error steps In to relieve the 
 strain. 
 
 One conception is that sin Is non-existent, what- 
 ever that may mean. Of course, if man is God 
 and God Is man, and God cannot sin, therefore man 
 cannot sin. So seeing that I belong to that species 
 
Limitations in Service 127 
 
 known as man, therefore I cannot sin. God Is the 
 principle of life, which alone exists; therefore sin 
 does not exist at all. And men for ages have been 
 bothering their heads over that which did not exist; 
 they only thought It did. 
 
 Could any conception of sin be found that would 
 better meet the desires of a modern world? We 
 do not like to think of sin and guilt; it disturbs us 
 so. But here comes a modern (so-called) prophetess 
 who tells us that we needn't worry about it at all, 
 for there isn't any such thing as sin. How unfor- 
 tunate It Is that Mrs. Eddy couldn't have lived ages 
 ago and saved the people all this anxiety over their 
 sins. 
 
 But what does the Son of God say about It? He 
 says that this woman Jezebel, who calleth herself a 
 prophetess, has taught and seduced my servants and 
 led them into sin. There is no truth more prominent 
 in the Word of God, none more prominent in the 
 teachings of Christ, than that man is a sinner. 
 Man's whole relation to God Is bound up in his 
 consciousness of his sinful condition. Convince a 
 man that he is not a sinner, and he will turn his 
 back on God, for he has no need of Him. The 
 whole plan of salvation, which constitutes God's 
 revelation to the world through His Word, Is de- 
 pendent on the existence of sin in the world. If 
 
128 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 sin does not exist there is no need of salvation. 
 
 Another conception is that sin is non-punishable. 
 Some tell us that man sins, but he lives under such 
 conditions that he could not do otherwise. So he 
 is not responsible for this, therefore cannot be pun- 
 ished for it. This comes to us in the idea of a 
 second chance which will be offered to men in the 
 next world. This is held by some churches, by which 
 method they claim that all men will eventually be 
 saved. For a time it was also held by Pastor Rus- 
 sell, but he has now cast this aside for the more 
 popular fallacy that conditions are so against men 
 accepting Christ in this life that the only real chance 
 will be presented to them in the next world. And 
 he caps it all by preaching that those who still 
 persist in turning from God's plan for them will be 
 annihilated, for he cannot endure the thought of 
 eternal punishment. 
 
 Again, we would ask. Why so much trouble ? Be- 
 cause it is the kind of teaching in which men re- 
 joice, for it frees them from so much concern in 
 regard to their sins. They can do pretty much as 
 they please here and it will all be fixed up in the 
 next world. This is the message men want to hear. 
 
 And the lessening of the sinfulness of sin is laying 
 hold of the minds and the hearts of men in one 
 form and another and is leading them to disregard 
 
Limitations in Service 129 
 
 the commands of God and the character of their ac- 
 tions, and to question little as to the Tightness or 
 wrongness of their conduct. But God is as plain 
 and pointed in regard to the punishment for sin as 
 He is in regard to the existence of sin. There is 
 just as strong teaching in reference to eternal punish- 
 ment as there is in regard to eternal reward. If 
 men accept the one they must accept the other. 
 
 Notice also the modern error in regard to salva- 
 tion which follows as a result of the error in regard 
 to sin. The great factor in God's revelation to 
 men is His plan of salvation; the golden thread that 
 runs through the Word of God, from beginning to 
 end, is this mighty plan. But men cast it aside as 
 worthless because it does not suit their ideas of 
 how they would like the world to be. Of course 
 those who do not believe in the existence of sin have 
 no place for the salvation of men, for there is noth- 
 ing from which to be saved. God is all and you 
 could not imagine God or man, which is one and 
 the same, trying to save himself. As sane for a 
 man to endeavor to lift himself by his bootstraps. 
 But they laugh at the story of the Atonement. Jesus 
 died for a theory and his death did not accomplish 
 anything for you or me, because nothing is to be ac- 
 complished since we have no sin. What a travesty 
 on the greatest event of all ages — God giving His 
 
130 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 only Son for the salvation of a sinful race I 
 
 The other conception, that man is not responsible 
 because it is Impossible for him to do right, says 
 that the work of Christ for man was not sufficient 
 to save him. God says there is an opportunity for 
 man to be saved in the midst of his sinful surround- 
 ings, for He will give him power over his sin through 
 Jesus Christ. Men are thus led into the sin of 
 scorning Jesus Christ and neglecting his offer of 
 salvation, and many are trusting in a sentimental idea 
 of the mercy of God to somehow save them, in spite 
 of their sins and their rejection of His plan for their 
 salvation. 
 
 And as was true of this Jezebel, men claim that 
 all these things have come to them because they 
 have been able to go deeper into the hidden things 
 of life. But God says that these are the deep things 
 of Satan, and surely their fruits prove this to be 
 true. And the answer to all these errors is found 
 in the clear message from the gospel record, "For 
 God so loved the world that He sent His only be- 
 gotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should 
 not perish, but have everlasting life." When men 
 get back to God's Word and listen to the message 
 that God delivers on all these vital subjects; when 
 they will take God's idea of sin and salvation and 
 accept his idea of Jesus Christ, then, and only then, 
 
Limitations in Service 13 1 
 
 will they be free from all the errors that fill men's 
 minds. 
 
 Let us learn another lesson from this message, 
 namely, God's punishment for such falsity. Men 
 do not like to think of punishment, either for them- 
 selves or for their fellowmen, yet we all recognize 
 that such is necessary In the affairs of men, and how 
 much more so In the affairs of God! And no truth 
 is taught with greater plainness In the Word of God 
 than that punishment will be meted out to those who 
 disobey God's law. So In this letter, after speaking 
 of the wickedness of this woman who had been in- 
 strumental In producing harm in the lives of others, 
 we would expect something to be said in regard to 
 what God was going to do about It. And as we con- 
 sider this thought let us remember that this is to 
 teach us that punishment will be meted out to those 
 who by their false teachings are leading others into 
 sin. There are other passages in the Bible dealing 
 with those who unwittingly teach that which is false, 
 but here the passage is in regard to those who 
 knowingly lead others astray. 
 
 The punishment will be certain. God says that 
 He had given this woman time and opportunity to 
 repent, but she would not. Therefore nothing could 
 stay His hand. She knew that what she taught was 
 false and that she was leading people into sin, but, 
 
132 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 seeking her own selfish interest, she refused to turn 
 from her evil way. Men and women are to-day, for 
 selfish Interests, teaching that which they know to 
 be false. It is often profitable to them, though 
 harmful to others. God gives them the opportunity 
 to repent, but if they do not His punishment is 
 sure. How often men are backward about repent- 
 ing for the wrong that they are doing, even though 
 it is leading others into sin, but some day we must 
 suffer the consequences. 
 
 The punishment will be complete, for we find that 
 not only was the woman to be disgraced and de- 
 stroyed, but those associated with her in her sinful 
 life, even those led astray by her false teaching, 
 will likewise be punished. The truth was being 
 taught and lived by God's faithful people In Thya- 
 tira. All could have followed this course, but some 
 chose rather this sinful woman as their guide, be- 
 cause the sinful tendencies of their hearts ruled 
 them. So they must suffer the punishment with her. 
 
 Those who teach and live error and thus are lead- 
 ing others in sinful practices, both those who lead 
 and those who follow, will be destroyed together. 
 What use to destroy the one if the other remains 
 to further promulgate the falsehood and the sin? 
 And the man who follows false teachings is guilty, 
 because his course is due to the sinful promptings 
 
Limitations in Service 133 
 
 of his own heart, and he could follow the truth If 
 he wished. He is responsible for his course and 
 will be punished for his sin. 
 
 The punishment is necessary, because this alone 
 proves God's justice. Many object to punishment, 
 for they say God would not then be just. But all 
 have been given the opportunity to repent and have 
 chosen to refuse God's offer. And God would not 
 be just did He not punish the wicked. More than 
 that, it is through the punishment of the wicked that 
 man has the assurance of reward for right doing. 
 For the Son of God says that a result of the punish- 
 ment meted out upon this woman will be that ''the 
 churches shall know that I am he that searcheth 
 the reins and hearts; and I will give unto each one 
 of you according to your works." 
 
 Anne of Austria once said to Richelieu: ''Cardi- 
 nal, God does not always pay his wages at the end 
 of the week, but finally all his accounts will bal- 
 ance." Let us take this thought home to ourselves. 
 If we are living a life of falsehood and sin, God 
 will surely punish for that wrong-doing; but if we 
 are living a life of truth and faithfulness, just as 
 surely will God reward that right-doing. 
 
 And the sender of the message leaves the Church 
 a parting injunction that should be linked with that 
 which is at the beginning. And in this will we find 
 
134 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 a special message for the Churches to-day. 
 
 God disapproves of leniency In dealing with those 
 who by their lives and words are leading others 
 astray. He tells this church that He has this against 
 them, that they suffered this woman to continue her 
 teaching. Evidently they had thought It was not 
 their concern and had considered that they had done 
 their duty If they rendered faithful service. So they 
 had limited the extent of their service and had al- 
 lowed this work of Satan to go on right In their 
 midst. Is there not a call In this for the Church 
 to be out and out against the Ideas and opinions 
 that are being sown broadcast Into the minds and 
 hearts of men which are contrary to the teachings 
 of the Word of God, and which are resulting in 
 the ruin of the lives of men? 
 
 [Again, though God does disapprove of this weak 
 tendency, yet He does not punish them for It if they 
 have not themselves been led astray, and providing 
 they will remain steadfast and hold to the truth. 
 His last word to the church at Thyatira and to us 
 to-day Is this, "That which ye have, hold fast till 
 I come." And the need that is pressing the Church 
 to-day is that of steadfastness. When men and 
 women are hustling and bustling after every new 
 idea that may spring up and churches are seeking to 
 be modern, even to the sacrificing of that which Is 
 
Limitations in Service 135 
 
 essential and true; when the greatest aim is to be 
 up-to-date and the greatest fear is to be an old fogy, 
 there is need that men and women and churches 
 shall stand fast and hold that which they have, 
 even until the end, when Christ shall come. 
 
 One of the modern means of detecting crime is 
 through the thumb-print system. A man who com- 
 mits a crime seldom gets away without leaving the 
 imprint of finger or thumb, which may be photo- 
 graphed and kept for evidence. If the criminal is 
 an old offender his identity may be traced from 
 previous photographs taken. So each one of us is 
 leaving on the life about us the imprint that tells the 
 story of the truthfulness or the falsity of our be- 
 liefs and actions. Those faithful Christians were 
 known by what they did, by the result of their lives 
 on the world about them. So also this woman who 
 claimed to be a prophetess was known by the result 
 of her teaching and her life on Her world. Even 
 so our faithfulness or our falsity will be detected 
 by the results being produced on the world, of which 
 we are a part. 
 
 Soldiers of Christ, arise, 
 
 And put your armor on; 
 Strong in the strength which God supplies, 
 
 Through His eternal Son. 
 
136 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 Strong In the Lord of hosts, 
 
 And in His mighty pow'r, 
 Who in the strength of Jesus trusts, 
 
 Is more than conqueror. 
 
 Stand then In His great might, 
 With all His strength endued. 
 
 And take, to arm you for the fight, 
 The panoply of God. 
 
 That, having all things done. 
 And all your conflicts past. 
 
 Ye may o'ercome through Christ alone, 
 And stand entire at last. 
 
CHAPTER VI 
 
"And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: 
 *'These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits 
 of God, and the seven stars: I know thy works, 
 that thou hast a name that thou livest, and thou art 
 dead. Be thou watchful and establish the things 
 that remain, which were ready to die : for I have 
 found no works of thine perfected before my God. 
 Remember therefore how thou didst receive and 
 didst hear; and keep it, and repent. If therefore 
 thou shalt not watch, I will come as a thief, and thou 
 shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. 
 But thou hast a few names in Sardis that did not 
 defile their garments: and they shall walk with me 
 in white; for they are worthy. He that overcometh 
 shall thus be arrayed in white garments: and I will 
 in no wise blot his name out of the book of life, and 
 I will confess his name before my Father, and before 
 his angels. He that hath an ear, let him hear what 
 the Spirit saith to the churches." 
 
 Revelation 3 : 1-6. 
 
ALIVE IN NAME ONLY 
 
 Sardis was first a city of the Maeonians and then 
 became the capital of Lydla. It was situated at the 
 foot of Mt. Tmolus, on the banks of the river Pac- 
 tolus, a tributary of the Hermus. Most of the city 
 was on a swampy plain, but the citadel was on a 
 hill, flanked on one side by a precipice. It was 
 the capital of the Lydlan empire, a very fertile re- 
 gion. It was noted for Its commercial prosperity, 
 was an important center of trade, and was looked 
 upon as a ruling city. In 546 B. C. it was captured by 
 Cyrus the Great and afterwards became the seat of a 
 Persian satrap. The burning of Sardis by the Athe- 
 nians in 499 B. C. brought on the Persian invasion of 
 Greece In the reigns of Darius and Xerxes. In 334 
 B. C. the city surrendered to Alexander the Great 
 after his victory at the Granlcus. In 2 14 B. C. it was 
 taken by Antiochus the Great, but he lost it again 
 after being defeated by the Romans In 190 B. C. at 
 the battle of Magnesia. They annexed it for a time 
 to the kingdom of Pergamos, but the Roman prov- 
 ince of Asia was constituted In 129 B. C, and Sardis 
 
 139 
 
140 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 fell within Its limits. 
 
 Wool-dyeing was invented here and the city be- 
 came famous for the manufacture of rugs and car- 
 pets, the raw material for which was furnished by 
 the vast flocks of Phrygia. The golden-laden sands 
 of the river Pactolus which flowed through the city, 
 the deposit of the mysterious metal called electrum, 
 together with the minting of gold and silver coin, 
 which was first accomplished here, made this city 
 famous for its wealth. In Sardis ruled Croesus, 
 the richest of kings. Here Solon, the wisest of men, 
 visited and prophesied ruin for the city, because he 
 mistrusted material wealth. 
 
 Sardis to-day is only a miserable hamlet, consist- 
 ing of a few houses. But there are remains of a 
 magnificent temple, coming down, it is believed, from 
 the Lydian period, together with the ruins of a 
 course for foot-racing, a theater, and Christian 
 churches. The citadel is of sandstone, partly rent 
 asunder, as if by one of the earthquakes which have 
 frequently visited that region. To the angel of the 
 Christian Church in this noted city comes the mes- 
 sage that forms the basis for this chapter. 
 
 Let us notice here again the special characteristics 
 of the one sending the message, for you will find 
 that these have a direct bearing on the message It- 
 self. "These things saith he that hath the seven 
 
Alive in Name Only 141 
 
 Spirits of God and the seven stars/' When you 
 study the references to the spirit of God you will find 
 that in the relation to the Church the Spirit is the 
 Giver of Life. When the numeral "seven" is used 
 it is to denote completeness. So the special char- 
 acteristic here referred to would be that the One 
 sending this message was He who had the power to 
 give life in its fullness to those to whom he is 
 writing. 
 
 Another characteristic is spoken of In the state- 
 ment that He who speaks holds in His hand the 
 "seven stars." These stars refer to the angels of 
 the seven churches to whom these messages are be- 
 ing sent. These angels undoubtedly refer to the 
 leaders or bishops in these different churches of Asia 
 Minor. So the message Is that Christ, who is speak- 
 ing to them, has the power to fill their leaders with 
 the true Spirit of life. We will see that this was of 
 special Importance. 
 
 When we study the message itself we find that It 
 differs considerably from the others which we have 
 studied. While they opened with a word of com- 
 mendation, and mentioned the good qualities before 
 the weaknesses, In this letter there is only rebuke 
 and warning. But there are some thoughts for us 
 as Individuals and as churches. 
 
 The first thought we would like to discuss is as 
 
142 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 to what gives a reputation for possessing life. You 
 will notice from the letter that this church in Sardis 
 had the name of being alive. Reputation, of course, 
 is what the outside thinks of you, and in some way 
 the outside had formed an opinion of this church 
 that it was alive. Reputation is a good thing to 
 have and to cling to, but it is not the all-important 
 matter in life, because the grounds on which it is 
 obtained are not vital. Nations are anxious to have 
 a great name; communities and cities and towns are 
 concerned as to their reputation; churches are also 
 falling in line and searching for a good name and 
 a great reputation; and individuals are often satis- 
 fied if they are thought well of by their fellowmen. 
 Such a possession, rather dependence on such a pos- 
 session, is insecure, because the ground on which 
 it is founded is not fundamental. 
 
 The city of Sardis had a world-wide reputation 
 for her beauty and her grandeur and her wealth. 
 For years she had been the great center of the com- 
 mercial activities and the ruling city of that region; 
 she had a great name. And this church had caught 
 the general trend; she had been judged by the repu- 
 tation of the city to a great extent and therefore had 
 a name for being alive and up-to-date. Great wealth 
 marked prosperity, hustling business, all these things 
 would naturally contribute to the life of the church, 
 
Alive in Name Only 143 
 
 for the conditions in the town do affect the condi- 
 tions in the Church, the one partaking of the other. 
 So they had been known, afar and wide, as a church 
 that was ahve and active. But there must have been 
 some good reason for this name which had been 
 given to them. What were the grounds for their 
 reputation? 
 
 First, they were judged by past record, which 
 was great and glorious. As you travel over the 
 country you will find cities and towns that have been 
 given certain names signifying certain characteris- 
 tics. There may have been a time when such was 
 true, but to-day you find no trace of those character- 
 istics. Thus we have Bloomdale or Bloomfield with- 
 out a blooming flower; we have a Fairgrove with 
 all the groves cut down; or we have a Rosewood, 
 and not a rose to be seen. Now these places still 
 bear the same name, but they are depending for their 
 name on past conditions. 
 
 Sardis had been a wonderful city, holding a posi- 
 tion of power and influence, because of her wealth 
 and prosperity. But at the time this letter was writ- 
 ten she was still holding to that name but not show- 
 ing the characteristics that had given her the name. 
 She had been first but was now third-rate, for she 
 had been outstripped by the younger cities of 
 Ephesus and Smyrna. Still she was clinging to that 
 
144 JVhat the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 past and maintaining the name that she was alive. 
 
 You will find the same to be true of many modern 
 cities, that at some past time they were prosperous 
 and wealthy and growing, being the product of a 
 boom, and were known far and wide for their life 
 and activity. But to-day the most populous portion 
 of the city will be the cemetery. Still they cling 
 to the reputation, built on a noted past. 
 
 And the church at Sardis had also partaken of 
 this same quality. Once they had been prosperous 
 and active and alive, so that they were famous for 
 what they were doing along the line of Christian 
 work. And they were still clinging to that name, 
 even though they had completely passed from the 
 conditions that gave rise to It. They were not so 
 much concerned for what the conditions were, for 
 they could point to what they had been and had 
 done, and still demanded recognition for that past. 
 They held to the name that they were alive, though 
 they had long given up the qualities of real life 
 and influence. 
 
 And how many people are living to-day on the 
 honors won in the days that are past and gone? 
 Once they had the name of being strong and they 
 insist on that name to-day and will recount all their 
 wonderful deeds. Once they were prosperous and, 
 though these former conditions may have long since 
 
Alive in Name Only 145 
 
 passed, they still seek to hold the same position of 
 influence as when this was true. Once they were 
 strong Christians and active in church work, and, 
 though this condition may not exist to-day, they still 
 hold to the name. So churches are inclined to 
 make much of the victories of the past and the suc- 
 cesses that have been theirs In days gone by. Once 
 they had the name of being powerful for good In 
 the community, and, though their Influence may now 
 be next to nothing, yet they still claim the name, and 
 excuse present failure because of past success. They 
 have the name to be alive, but are dead. 
 
 Again, reputation may be the result of present 
 external show that Is supposed to be the outcome 
 of a true inner life. In the time of her greatness 
 the city of Sardis had no doubt endeavored to put 
 on a great deal of external demonstration, that the 
 visitor might be Impressed with her Importance and 
 proclaim her to be a wonderful city. But this judg- 
 ment would be wholly from the outside when the 
 real fundamental principles of civic life did not 
 exist. They had a name to be alive but the people 
 had been fooled. 
 
 And you will find cities, modern cities, that en- 
 deavor by outward show and pomp to make the 
 world believe that they are the possessors of real 
 civic life when there is the absence of those things 
 
146 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 that make a truly live city. No less true is It that 
 individuals are trying to fool the public and obtain 
 for themselves a name for being beyond the ordinary 
 by emphasizing the external conditions. And often 
 the outsider Is deceived completely because judg- 
 ing from what he has seen on the outside — a name 
 to be alive but dead. 
 
 So no doubt this church made a good impression 
 on the visitor. The work seemed to be running 
 smoothly; they had a good church and a strong 
 organization; the external conditions seemed to be 
 faultless. People looked at Thyatira and saw the 
 church torn asunder by false doctrines and heresies 
 that had crept into the church life, and they lamented 
 the fact. They looked at the church In Pergamum 
 and they found much immorality in the church itself, 
 and they were disgusted with the conditions. They 
 looked at the church in Smyrna and saw the people 
 were being ill-treated and persecuted, and they were 
 terrified. What a great example was this church 
 at Sardls, in which no such conditions existed! Surely 
 it was an ideal church. 
 
 Many individuals to-day are getting their reputa- 
 tions from the outer conditions of their lives. Their 
 names will be found on the roll of some church, 
 they live good moral lives, they are active in the 
 different charitable movements of the town, they 
 
Alive in Name Only 147 
 
 are prominent In the different organizations of the 
 church. Surely they have then the reputation of 
 being alive and active. 
 
 True also is it that many churches are getting 
 their reputation from the external conditions that 
 Impress the outsider. They have a good building, 
 fine service, good congregations, apparent unity In 
 the church organization; they are strong In member- 
 ship and in influence in the community. The public 
 observes all this and says, 'What a grand Church." 
 They have the name of being alive. 
 
 Now these things are not at all wrong. There is 
 nothing wrong in having a good reputation and in 
 being thought to be alive. There is nothing wrong 
 In having a fine past on which to build the present. 
 There is nothing wrong in a good strong external 
 showing In our lives and in the Church. But the 
 wrong arises when men become satisfied with that 
 reputation, which at best Is Insecure and uncertain. 
 Men may not ask more of us than this; they may be 
 satisfied with appearances, but God demands more 
 than a good name. He demands the character back 
 of the reputation. His criticism of this Church was 
 that she was playing the hypocrite, for, though she 
 pretended to be alive, yet she was dead. She may 
 have had a wonderful past, but that condition did 
 not exist at the time of the writing of this message. 
 
148 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 She may have been making a great showing before 
 the world, but there was not that Internal condition 
 that denoted true life. She had the name to be 
 alive but was dead. 
 
 We will find that practically all Christian names 
 given to children have a particular meaning and 
 refer to some special characteristic that is supposed 
 to be revealed by the one bearing the name. But 
 how few live up to their names! Thus Arthur 
 means a strong man; David, well-beloved; Henry, 
 a rich lord; John, the grace of the Lord; Patrick, 
 a nobleman; Robert, famous in counsel; Walter, a 
 conqueror. But how many men and boys with these 
 names are not living up to them! So also Alice 
 means noble; Beatrice, making happy; Helen, al- 
 luring; Mary, bitter; Sarah, a princess. But how 
 many women and girls are failing to make good on 
 their names? We have a name to be one thing and 
 are another. So our concern should be as to that 
 which lies back of our reputation, both as indi- 
 viduals and as churches, not so much as to what 
 men may think of us, but what is God's judgment. 
 God demands true life. Does He find it in us? 
 
 But what constitutes true life? If true life is 
 expected of us let us be sure that we know what It 
 means. God demands and expects certain qualities 
 to be found in us, and true life only exists when 
 
Alive in Name Only 149 
 
 these qualities are present. There are certain stand- 
 ards for work, and our work-a-day life will be in- 
 complete and false if these standards are not to be 
 found In our work. God's Ideals and God's stand- 
 ards make true life, and the life of the Individual 
 or of the Church is false and incomplete unless these 
 ideals and standards are present. 
 
 This church at Sardis was considered by the world 
 to be alive because of the presence of certain things, 
 but God went beneath this surface and judged the 
 church to be dead because of the absence of cer- 
 tain things that denote true life. Though she had 
 the superficial, she lacked the fundamental things 
 of life. True life, in individual and in Church, will 
 be signified by the presence of certain principles that 
 are made prominent in God's purpose in calling men 
 into the Christian life and in founding the Christian 
 Church. So you will find that the presence of cer- 
 tain tendencies will depict the possession of true 
 life, and, if these are not present, no matter what 
 may be our reputation, we will, according to God's 
 judgment, be dead. 
 
 And the first of these would be a deep religious 
 spirit pervading the life. There are many things 
 that are being given a prominent place in our lives 
 to-day, such as physical development, Intellectual at- 
 tainments, social success, business ability, ease and 
 
150 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 pleasure, while too often men will overlook, and 
 almost entirely forget, that which is back and above 
 all true living, even a man's religion. We make 
 prominent the fact that we have no bad habits, that 
 we are kind and considerate with others, but how 
 many are failing to emphasize their relation to God 
 or to be concerned about their spiritual development? 
 In the Church too often we find the same to be true. 
 We are much concerned over the material progress 
 that the Church makes, over having a good build- 
 ing in which to worship, over the perfecting of the 
 organization, and over increasing the church mem- 
 bership. All of this is important and ought not to 
 be neglected. But is there not danger that we shall 
 forget that which is of vastly more importance and 
 which makes for real life, even the spiritual life of 
 the Church? Too often, in the manifold interests 
 of the Church, she developes into merely an organi- 
 zation and forgets to be religious and deeply spir- 
 itual. But this God demands. 
 
 And you will find that this religious spirit will 
 reveal itself in the prayer life of the individual, 
 which is too largely neglected because of other in- 
 terests; in the interest taken in God's Word, which 
 is too often a closed Book; in the interest taken in 
 the prayer life of the Church, and in the things that 
 pertain to the upbuilding of God's Kingdom in the 
 
Alive in Name Only 151 
 
 hearts of men. Have we not allowed other things 
 to crowd out our interest In these things and made 
 necessary God's conclusion that, though we may have 
 the name of being alive, yet in reality we are dead? 
 
 Again, true life will be revealed by the presence 
 of an active evangelistic spirit. When men think 
 of the religion of Jesus Christ sometimes they for- 
 get the true meaning, but we find that it is the "Good 
 News," the "Glad Tidings," sent into the world. 
 And evangelism means the bringing of these "Glad 
 Tidings" to those who do not realize that they are 
 "Good News." This spirit of telling others about 
 Jesus Christ is the very center and soul of the Chris- 
 tian religion, both for the Church and for the Indi- 
 vidual. But how strong is the tendency to over- 
 estimate the other things that pertain to our rehgion 
 — the fact that we have ourselves heard the mes- 
 sage and that we are trying to follow Jesus Christ — 
 and to neglect almost entirely the fact that we are 
 called to tell the same message to others ! And the 
 reason why God Is looking for this spirit of evan- 
 gelism in each heart and life is that this is the great 
 purpose for which He has called us to himself. It 
 is that we may have the great blessing of that rela- 
 tionship, it Is true, but also that we might bring the 
 same blessing into the lives of our fellowmen. 
 
 If then this is the purpose of our calling, namely, 
 
152 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 to become fishers of men, surely there cannot be true 
 life unless this quality is present. If we fully ap- 
 preciated the "Glad Tidings" we would be com- 
 pelled to tell the message. Therefore our apprecia- 
 tion of God's gift is to be seen in our efforts to 
 lead others to recognize It. 
 
 Also is it true that God is looking for the same 
 spirit in the Church and demanding that it shall be 
 there or else be judged to be a dead church. When 
 God founded the Christian Church it was for the 
 purpose of spreading the Gospel of the Christ, to 
 make disciples, to teach men about Jesus Christ. 
 And God Is demanding that the Church shall carry 
 out this purpose. We are much concerned in regard 
 to the work in all the different departments of the 
 church work, but there Is one purpose only that 
 must be back of every organization In the Church, 
 that is, to bring men and women to Jesus Christ. 
 If this purpose Is not present, then those organiza- 
 tions are dead and might as well be disbanded, for 
 they have lost their usefulness. 
 
 There Is no other reason for the existence of the 
 Church than that she shall be evangelistic. Organi- 
 zations are good, but only as they are the Instru- 
 ments through which the evangelistic spirit can work. 
 The majority of Christians are Interested In evan- 
 gelism about once a year and seem to think that is 
 
Alive in Name Only 153 
 
 enough. But when the spirit of evangelism Is a 
 present factor In the Church she will be going out, 
 even as the Individual, and reaching those that are 
 out of Christ and leading them to Him. Nothing 
 else win meet God's demands for a live Church. 
 
 But to be alive In truth as well as In name there 
 must be a positive missionary spirit. There are 
 some people who say they are Interested in evan- 
 gelism but not in missions. Then they do not under- 
 stand evangelism, for the missionary spirit is the 
 evangelistic spirit carried to completion. Some say 
 they are Christians, but not interested in missions. 
 Then they do not know what the gospel message 
 and the gospel plan really means, and they have not 
 yet caught even a glimpse of the spirit of Jesus 
 Christ. For He was above everything else mis- 
 sionary, and He gave as the greatest of all com- 
 mands that His followers should be missionary in 
 spirit. 
 
 You will find many churches, as well as indi- 
 viduals, that become so interested in local church 
 work and in getting all they can out of their reli- 
 gion right at home that they never so much as 
 consider the outside call. Men often seem to think 
 that the Gospel is a selfish religion, only for them- 
 selves. We say that we have all we can look after 
 at home, we are not interested in missions, because 
 
154 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 they do not touch us and we are not helped by them. 
 But In this we have curtailed and limited the boun- 
 daries of the gospel plan. Christ said, "Go Into 
 all the world and preach the gospel to every crea- 
 ture," and we have no right to set any other stand- 
 ard for our labors. There Is absolutely no limit 
 to the work before the Church, but the limit of the 
 world brought to Christ. 
 
 And It will be found true that the Church that is 
 interested in the missionary enterprise is^ accom- 
 plishing things at home as well. On the other hand, 
 if a church or an organization in the church loses 
 the missionary vision It loses Its interest In evan- 
 gelism, and it weakens and neglects the spiritual side 
 of the individual and the church. 
 
 God demand this as a sign of true life in us to- 
 day, and nothing else will meet His demands. And 
 real life will only take hold of the Church when 
 there Is being developed this three-fold spirit. When 
 we become religious, we become evangelistic; when 
 we become evangelistic, we become missionary; and 
 when we become missionary, we have real life and 
 life-giving power. 
 
 But according to this letter to the church in Sardis 
 we would conclude that It Is possible to have the 
 name of being alive and still be dead. Though this 
 church possessed those conditions that gave her the 
 
Alive in Name Only 155 
 
 reputation of being an active, up-to-date church, 
 yet she did not possess those other vital principles 
 that are the evidence of real life. She was one thing 
 in name and another In character. 
 
 So we need to be concerned as to what God's 
 judgment of us may be. Though we may possess 
 those conditions that give us the name of being a live 
 Christian and a live church, have we those qualities 
 that lead God to say that we are ahve in character 
 as well as In reputation? 
 
 What were the conditions In Sardis that made this 
 statement true? 
 
 The work which they had undertaken was un- 
 completed because of slackness and the tendency to 
 take things easy, for Christ says, "I have found no 
 works of thine perfected before my God." Trust- 
 ing in their reputation, relying on the fine record 
 they had made In the past, and on the present pros- 
 perous conditions in the church, they had allowed 
 the great purposes of the church to lag and go un- 
 finished. They felt the call to do more active work 
 in teaching the people of Sardis about the Christ 
 and in bringing these people to acknowledge Him 
 as their Lord and Saviour. But this would require 
 a great deal of labor and effort, so they left it half 
 completed. 
 
 They no doubt saw the great opportunity before 
 
156 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 their church, through their wealth and their influ- 
 ence, to touch the outside world; for the message, 
 coming from Sardis, would mean much to the other 
 cities and communities of Asia Minor and the world 
 at large. But this would mean energy and money 
 spent, so they let it go unfinished. 
 
 They no doubt felt the need of a deeper religious 
 life in their own church. But so many other things 
 came in to take their attention that they naturally 
 became slack and shiftless, and no works from that 
 church were perfected before God. 
 
 What a picture of many Christians and many 
 churches in modern times ! How many people real- 
 ize the need in themselves of a deeper religious life? 
 We know we ought to make more of our prayer 
 life and that we ought to take a greater interest 
 in the spiritual life of the church. We determine 
 that we will attend prayer meeting and the other 
 church services more regularly, that we will study 
 the Bible more diligently, but then something else 
 comes in and takes our attention. We will have to 
 make some effort and give up some other things, so 
 we just let that go unfinished. 
 
 We know that there are many who are not Chris- 
 tians whom we should influence, either in our homes 
 or In a Sunday School class, or in our circle of 
 friends; we know that there are people in the com- 
 
Alive in Name Only 157 
 
 munity In which we live who should be reached 
 for Christ. We recognize the purpose of the 
 Church, but to do this work will mean effort on our 
 part. It will mean overcoming our spirit of dif- 
 fidence and self-consciousness, it will mean that we 
 must give up some things that are hurting our in- 
 fluence. To do this work the Church must spend 
 some money, that she must have our time which 
 we would like to spend in other ways, that she will 
 need our energy which we would like to put else- 
 where. And because of this how often men and 
 women simply let things go, become slack and care- 
 less, satisfied to have the name of being alive ! 
 
 We all recognize the needs of the mission field, 
 that men and women by the millions are dying each 
 year without Christ. We know that the greatest 
 work the Church can do is to bring the Gospel to 
 those people as soon as possible, and that God de- 
 mands this. But missionary activity means money 
 that we want for some other things, it means effort 
 that we are afraid of sacrificing, it means that some 
 men and some women will have to go to the mis- 
 sion field. And because of our tendency to seek the 
 line of least resistence and to put forth as little exer- 
 tion as possible we let this work go unfinished. Of 
 how many churches can it be said to-day that they 
 have no works perfected before God! 
 
158 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 Another condition that revealed the deadness of 
 this church was the fact that the burden of the work 
 rested on the shoulders of a few people, while the 
 rest planned on getting a share in the reward. Jesus 
 says of this church, "Thou hast a few names in Sar- 
 dis that did not defile their garments." 
 
 Though the church was prosperous outwardly and 
 the work seemed to be going along well, yet the real 
 success, whatever there was, depended on the faith- 
 ful few in the church. The majority of the members 
 were having a good time, enjoying the privileges of 
 the church, partaking of the popularity that the 
 church gave them in the eyes of the world — the 
 Christian world at least — but the real work that was 
 done was due to the few who were really alive and 
 active. There was some religion, there was some 
 work done in the city for Christ, there was some in- 
 fluence exerted outside for the bringing of others 
 to Christ and the gospel to the world. But this 
 work could only be started; it could not be finished 
 and perfected because these few were not able to 
 do what should be done. 
 
 But remember it was the few faithful that were to 
 get the reward for the work done, not the many who 
 were careless and indifferent about progress in the 
 church. Jesus says, "They shall walk with me in 
 white, for they are worthy," and the inference is that 
 
Alive in Name Only 159 
 
 the others shall not walk with him In white because 
 they are not worthy. 
 
 Do we need to go to ancient Sardls to find this 
 condition? When you hold a prayer meeting how 
 few are there? When an evangelistic movement Is 
 being pushed and effort being made to lead men and 
 women to accept Christ, how few will take the re- 
 sponsibility of personal work! When a call comes 
 to the Church for greater missionary needs and de- 
 mands, how few must bear the burden! A portion 
 of this work Is being done by every church, but only 
 started because so few will do their share. Much 
 greater would be the accomplishments along all lines 
 of the Church's activities If the many instead of the 
 few were faithful and loyal. 
 
 But this very condition Is killing the Church, weak- 
 ening her efforts, and detracting from her influence. 
 Unless we are among those few we are responsible 
 for that unfinished work. Unless we are interested 
 and active in the spiritual life of the Church, unless 
 we are seeking to advance the church work along 
 evangelistic lines, unless we are Interested and active 
 along missionary lines, we are dead ones and re- 
 sponsible for the deadness in the Church. Then we 
 are not counted worthy to walk with our Master in 
 white. We may be filling a holy place, as members 
 of the Church, but we are dead so far as the spirit 
 
i6o What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 is concerned. 
 
 There is a picture by Hon. John Collier, illus- 
 trating an incident in the life of Pope Urban VI. 
 The Pope had heard of a conspiracy among his 
 cardinals. So he sent for the ringleaders to come 
 to his residence in the country, the Castle of Nocera. 
 And by excruciating tortures he tried to get from 
 them the details of the conspiracy. The Pope 
 walked backward and forward in his garden be- 
 neath the open window of the torture-chamber, re- 
 citing his breviary to encourage the torturers in their 
 work. 
 
 The artist has depicted him walking beneath, clad 
 in his garments of holy office, reading earnestly from 
 his manual of devotion, and using it to encourage 
 the fiendish cruelty going on above him. And how 
 many people are bringing disgrace on their holy 
 calling, how many churches are bringing disgrace 
 on their great Founder, by having the name of being 
 alive and still failing to produce the evidence of 
 true life! 
 
 Just in a word notice that Jesus gives a message 
 as to how they may guard against this sleeping sick- 
 ness in the church life. 
 
 First, they are to recall and re-establish the great 
 fundamentals in Christian life and in Christian work. 
 ^'Remember therefore how thou didst receive and 
 
Alive in Name Only i6i 
 
 didst hear." Let us remember the great funda- 
 mentals of our faith. Remember the call of God 
 for that life of fuller consecration which comes 
 through prayer and a study of His Word. Remem- 
 ber the call of God for greater activity of the Church 
 along religious lines, looking towards the fulfillment 
 of the great purpose for which He has called us. 
 
 Again, they are to be diligent in grasping the op- 
 portunities that come to them for advancement of 
 true life in the Church. — "Be thou watchful and es- 
 tablish the things which remain, that are ready to 
 die." Let us lay this injunction to heart, for there 
 are opportunities coming to us on all sides. Oppor- 
 tunities to make prominent in our lives and in the 
 life of the Church these things which are funda- 
 mental and that are life-giving, as well as the evi- 
 dence of life. But if we do not grasp them they will 
 soon pass, for they are ready to die, and the Church 
 herself will lose her power. 
 
 What do you suppose was the effect produced on 
 this church at Sardis? It would seem that it could 
 result in only one thing. As they recognized the 
 truth of what had been said about the conditions and 
 heard the warning, if they did hot change, surely 
 they would grasp this opportunity for having them- 
 selves filled with that life-giving Spirit from Him 
 who hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven 
 
1 62 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 stars. 
 
 And Christ says that if they do not repent he will 
 come upon them as a thief in the night. This would 
 possess a special meaning to the people of Sardis. 
 The city was situated on a rocky bluff overlooking 
 the plain of Hermus. On three sides of the city 
 the cliff was thought to be unscalable, and only neces- 
 sary to guard one side. But twice during the history 
 of the city had this very sense of security been their 
 undoing. During the sixth century B. C. the army 
 of Croesus had been defeated beyond the Halys 
 by the army of Cyrus. But though the victorious 
 army appeared before the city walls, yet the inhabi- 
 tants were not alarmed, because of the security of 
 their rock-fortress. During the night the soldiers 
 of Cyrus scaled the rock and captured the fortress, 
 "like a thief in the night." About three centuries 
 later the city was captured by Antiochus in much 
 the same way when the Cretan Lagoras climbed the 
 steep hill and stole unobserved into the unsuspecting 
 city. 
 
 So this warning that God will come upon them 
 like a thief would recall these fatal incidents in their 
 city's history and must have left a deep impression 
 on their minds. Shall we not take the same warning 
 to-day and seek not only to have the name of being 
 alive, but also the reality? 
 
Alive in Name Only 163 
 
 Awake, my soul, stretch every nerve, 
 
 And press with vigor on; 
 A heav'nly race demands thy zeal, 
 
 And an immortal crown, 
 
 And an immortal crown. 
 
 A cloud of witnesses around, 
 
 Hold thee in full survey; 
 Forget the steps already trod, 
 
 And onward urge thy way. 
 
 And onward urge thy way. 
 
 'Tis God's all-animating voice 
 
 That calls thee from on high; 
 'Tis His own hand presents the prize 
 
 To thine aspiring eye. 
 
 To thine aspiring eye. 
 
 Blest Saviour, introduced by Thee, 
 
 Have I my race begun; 
 And, crown'd with vict'ry, at Thy feet 
 
 I'll lay my honors down, 
 
 I'll lay my honors down. 
 
CHAPTER VII 
 
*'And to the angel of the church In Philadelphia 
 write : 
 
 "These things salth he that is holy, he that is true, 
 he that hath the key of David, he that openeth and 
 none shall shut, and that shutteth and none openeth; 
 I know thy works (behold, I have set before thee a 
 door opened, which none can shut), that thou hast 
 a little power, and didst keep my word, and didst 
 not deny my name. Behold, I give of the synagogue 
 of Satan, of them that say they are Jews, and they 
 are not, but do lie ; behold, I will make them to come 
 and worship before thy feet, and to know that I 
 loved thee. Because thou didst keep the word of 
 my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour 
 of trial, that hour which is to come upon the whole 
 world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. I 
 come quickly: hold fast that which thou hast, that 
 no one take thy crown. . . . He that hath an ear, 
 let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches." 
 
 Revelation 3 : 7-13. 
 
THE OPEN DOOR 
 
 The city of Philadelphia was situated in that por- 
 tion of Asia Minor known as Lydia, about 27 miles 
 southeast of Sardis, in the plain of Hermus. It 
 received its name, which means brotherly love, no 
 doubt from the fact that it was built by Attalus 
 Philadelphus. A portion of the city extended up 
 the slope of Mt. Tmolus. In A. D. 17 it was de- 
 stroyed by an earthquake, but was soon rebuilt. It 
 is now called Allah Shehr and continues to be in- 
 habited. The walls of the ancient city, which are 
 still standing, enclose several hills with the remains 
 of a temple and other buildings. 
 
 To the Christian Church founded in this city this 
 letter was written. As you study this message you 
 will find a distinct difference from the general char- 
 acter of the other letters. In the letter to the church 
 at Sardis there is no commendation but all censure. 
 In the other letters there is some commendation and 
 some censure. But in this letter all is commenda- 
 tion and encouragement. So we judge that it must 
 have been a church of exceptional strength and 
 
 167 
 
1 68 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 power. 
 
 Let us first consider the special characteristics 
 given to the One sending the message, and you will 
 find them more striking than in any other of the 
 letters; also that they have special reference to the 
 message that is to be given. 
 
 The first part of this character sketch is in re- 
 gard to the personal character of Jesus. This is 
 back of the message, because of the reference to the 
 possibility of such things in the lives of the readers. 
 What a great thing that back of Christ's demands 
 there always rests the fact that He has done what He 
 requires of us! "These things saith he that is holy, 
 he that is true." Two characteristics stand out in 
 all distinctness. The One speaking is holy; no fault 
 or flaw can be found in His character or His con- 
 duct; He is without spot or blemish or any such 
 thing. He is also true, for nothing that is false will 
 be found either in His life or His teachings. 
 
 How much the personal character of the author 
 of a book means to the reader! If this is question- 
 able you question the message. If a man comes to 
 you with a special message you will always consider 
 his character and will judge the quality of the mes- 
 sage pretty much by what you find in the man. 
 What a blessing that we have One speaking to us 
 that is faultless in character, in whose life the most 
 
The Open Door 169 
 
 rabid critic can find no flaw I And what a power 
 this message ought to exert in our lives when there 
 is back of it One that is holy, One that is true. The 
 message therefore will be holy and true. 
 
 Still another characteristic is mentioned, namely, 
 His power of government, for the message says, ''He 
 that hath the key of David, he that openeth and 
 none can shut, that shutteth and none openeth." We 
 want to know the authority of the one giving us a 
 message, especially if this message partakes of com- 
 mands which we are asked to obey. So the rightful 
 authority of Jesus is established at the beginning of 
 the letter, and this is founded on the fact that He 
 hath the key of David. This special quality would 
 of course appeal to the Jews, for it meant that He 
 was the rightful heir to the throne, and, being in 
 direct lineage of David, would have the legal right 
 to give commands and to expect obedience. 
 
 Let us get firmly in our minds the right of the 
 Christ to give commands and to expect obedience. 
 On this will rest, to a great extent, our attitude to- 
 ward these commands. We are not strong to obey 
 any one who does not impress us with his authority 
 and his power to control. As the fact that Jesus was 
 in direct line from David would impress the Jew 
 with His right to be obeyed, so the fact that He is 
 the Son of God ought to impress us with His author- 
 
1 70 TFhat the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 Ity and power. 
 
 Of what does this power consist? 
 
 "He openeth and none shall shut," which un- 
 doubtedly means that He gives to men their oppor- 
 tunities and none can gainsay those opportunities. 
 On what do we consider our opportunities to rest? 
 Many think they depend on their own strength or 
 on the conditions that surround them. But how 
 much better to take Jesus' word for It, that He gives 
 them and no one can close that door for us. 
 
 "He shutteth and none openeth," which also means 
 that It is God who takes from us our opportunities. 
 Though we may blame our fellowmen or conditions 
 or even ourselves, yet in reality it is God who is in 
 control of our lives. He shuts the door before us 
 and no one has the power to open it again. 
 
 But what are our God-given opportunities? In 
 other words, what Is the God-given possibility of our 
 lives? Though it is true that there is no open cen- 
 sure in this letter, yet there seems to be one implied. 
 For when the Lord Is about to speak of what they 
 have done. He says, "I know thy works," then, im- 
 pressed evidently by what had been the possibility 
 of their lives. He breaks from that thought and says, 
 "Behold, I have set before thee an open door, which 
 none can shut." It would seem that the Inference 
 is that their works had fallen much below what was 
 
The Open Door 171 
 
 made possible by that open door. 
 
 It Is a good thing for us to recall our possibilities, 
 for If we do not the tendency Is to become puffed up, 
 because of the things that we have accomplished. 
 No matter how great may have been our accomplish- 
 ments, how much greater has been the possibilities 
 that lay before us I And by this will we be judged. 
 And the possibility rests In the fact that God has 
 placed before us an open door and that this door can 
 only be closed by the hand of God himself. 
 
 From this we will see that our opportunities are 
 God-given. We may think that they are man-made, 
 and either take credit for them to ourselves or give 
 credit for them to others, but they are given of 
 God. 
 
 This would mean that they are always worth 
 while and, from the standpoint of their real value, 
 ought never to be neglected. How many men are 
 neglecting the opportunities that present themselves 
 each day and with little thought of what this means, 
 because they do not recognize the real worth of these 
 opportunities. If God gives them, they cannot be 
 of little Importance. More than that, they are to 
 be accounted for to the One who has given them. 
 He gives the talents and He will require an account 
 to be rendered to himself. God opens the door and 
 God shuts it 
 
172 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 But this open door depends on the relation that 
 exists between man and God. The blessings from 
 David's reign came to those who recognized him as 
 their king. So the blessings from Him, who had 
 the key of David, would come to those who recog- 
 nized Him as their King. And the reason this open 
 door had been placed before the church at Phila- 
 delphia was that they had recognized Jesus as their 
 Lord and King. 
 
 We are looking for and grasping many opportuni- 
 ties, but let us remember that the greatest oppor- 
 tunities in life come through man's relation to Jesus 
 Christ. The highest possibility of life depends on 
 accepting Christ as Lord and King, recognizing His 
 authority and allowing Him to open the door for us. 
 
 But what are these God-given opportunities? 
 Many open doors are being presented to us and we 
 need to know which come from God and which do 
 not. What was the open door for this church? 
 
 God gives to each man the open door of sincerity 
 in the life. When we consider the character of the 
 Christ that is spoken of at the beginning of the let- 
 ter — One that is holy and true, free from fault or 
 falsity — we would naturally conclude that such an 
 One would give to His followers the opportunity 
 of such a life. It would be a life characterized as 
 perfectly sincere, through which one could look and 
 
The Open Door 173 
 
 find no flaw. 
 
 This opportunity had been presented to the church 
 in Philadelphia that they, as a church, should live in 
 the holiness and the truth of the One whom they 
 served. To the members of that church was of- 
 fered the open door of opportunity to follow Him 
 in His purity and perfection of life, in character and 
 conduct. 
 
 This is the great opportunity that is placed be- 
 fore the Church to-day, that she shall be free from 
 blemish and flaws, that she shall be clean and un- 
 compromising in her attitude toward sin, following 
 the One that is holy and true. Such is the great 
 opportunity that is given of God to each one who 
 will accept the Christ as his King. For to them will 
 be presented the open door to follow their King in 
 His standards of life, to be holy in character and 
 true in the ideals that are fashioning our daily ac- 
 tivities. We have the privilege of getting from 
 Him the great conceptions of life, of sin and of sal- 
 vation, and then to reveal nothing but that which 
 is true in our attitude toward these things. Many 
 will say that this is impossible, that we cannot live 
 pure and holy lives, that we cannot follow the foot- 
 steps of the Master. But He has opened the door 
 for us and none can shut it. 
 
 This door cannot be shut by the power of sin in 
 
174 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 a man's heart. Many are inclined to excuse them- 
 selves for sin in the life on the ground that they 
 could not resist, for the power of evil within was 
 too strong for them. But the power of God is 
 stronger than the power of evil, and if we have 
 opened our hearts to Him He can gave us strength 
 to overcome. 
 
 This door cannot be closed by the power of op- 
 posing circumstances. Many excuse themselves for 
 sin on the ground that surrounding conditions were 
 all against them, they could not overcome their en- 
 vironment. But God is stronger than environment 
 and He will give strength to overcome these cir- 
 cumstances if we will allow Him to control, for none 
 can shut the door. 
 
 God also gives to every church and to every man 
 the open door of service through the life. Special 
 conditions were surrounding this church at Phila- 
 delphia and they had before them the great oppor- 
 tunity of being the power in that city and community 
 that would influence men to acknowledge Jesus 
 Christ as their King. They could be of special 
 service to the city in lifting their ideals and stand- 
 ards and in making it a better place in which to live. 
 
 This is the opportunity, the door of which God 
 has opened to each one of us. Some look upon the 
 Christian life as simply being good, but there is 
 
The Open Door 175 
 
 vastly more than this to following Jesus Christ, 
 for it also means doing good. The Master was 
 holy and true in character, but he also spent his 
 life in service for others. So to us He has opened 
 the double door of opportunity in the possibility of 
 being sincere in the life and also of being of service 
 through the life. Each one has certain qualities 
 that can be used in such a way as to bring results 
 in the life about him. We can so live and so labor 
 that the hves of those about us will be happier and 
 stronger to meet life's struggles and to fight life's 
 battles. 
 
 And to the Church comes the same opportunity. 
 There is need of a holier and truer life in the 
 Church to-day, but there is also a need of a deeper 
 sense of what the Church ought to mean to the com- 
 munity, in what it is bringing into the community 
 life. Each community has certain conditions and 
 certain problems, and the opportunity of the Church 
 Is to meet these conditions and to solve these prob- 
 lems. The Church should be touching the home 
 life of the community and bringing something of 
 real value to It; she should be touching the business 
 life, the social life, the civic life, and contributing 
 that which is worth while and which will help to each 
 department of the community life. 
 
 If Individuals and churches are following the ex- 
 
176 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 ample of character given by Christ, living that which 
 is holy and holding to that which is true; if they 
 are standing firmly for the authority of Christ over 
 the lives of men by recognizing such authority in 
 their own lives, they can be of unlimited service to 
 the people that touch them and to the community 
 at large. For they can influence others to accept 
 the same standards. This door is open to each indi- 
 vidual and to each church. The opportunity comes 
 from God and must be met by us. 
 
 The door cannot be closed by the weakness of 
 the one to whom the opportunity is given, for God 
 has promised and will give the necessary strength. 
 Let no man and no church claim that the work is 
 too difficult, for God has opened the door and none 
 but God can shut it again. How many excuse them- 
 selves on the ground of their weakness I They can- 
 not bring others to Christ; the Church cannot be 
 of much Influence In the life of the community be- 
 cause so small and so weak, but the strength of the 
 Almighty is back of His demand. 
 
 This door cannot be closed by the special strength 
 of the opposition. We are always looking at the 
 opposing forces and fearing the strength that seems 
 to be in evidence there. We fear to speak to our 
 neighbor about Christ lest he may not appreciate 
 it, or may insult us, or may not listen. We hesi- 
 
The Open Door 177 
 
 tate about making the Church the instrument of real 
 power and influence in the service that it can render 
 to the life about us because of our fear of the power 
 that seems to be arrayed over against the Church. 
 
 We make so much of the indifference of people 
 to religion, their hardness of heart, their interest in 
 other things, that we fear the Church cannot be of 
 much influence against such opposition. What is the 
 use of trying to bring others to Christ when they 
 are determined not to come? But God has opened 
 this door and none can shut, not even the strength 
 of the opposition, for God is stronger than they. 
 
 Philadelphia, Pa., is said to be the first city to 
 equip a hotel to accommodate people arriving in the 
 city by aeroplane. On the top of the structure, that 
 is higher than any other building in the vicinity, 
 there is a large platform for landing the aeroplanes. 
 It is 100 feet long, 50 feet wide, with a portable 
 section to make it 80 feet longer if necessary. This 
 is surrounded by buffers to catch a plane, should it 
 not be under perfect control of the aviator. Thus 
 the effort is made to meet the modern conditions 
 and render the service needed. So the individual 
 and the Church should be as intent in meeting the 
 modern conditions and rendering service for Christ. 
 
 Notice also the meager accomplishments of men 
 over against the wonderful possibilities that God 
 
178 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 has given, for the Master said to this Church, 
 "Thou hast a little power." 
 
 Of course it was and is necessary to have power 
 to accomplish things, either for ourselves or for 
 God. All the things that men do are the result of 
 the power that they possess. So there is need of 
 power, in order to do the things that God has placed 
 before us by the open door. And how little the 
 amount of power revealed in comparison with the 
 greatness of that which is given us to do? What- 
 ever power we may have, no matter how small, it 
 will show itself in producing some results. This 
 was true of this Church at Philadelphia, it is true 
 of each Church to-day, it is true of each individual. 
 But what is the amount of the power that we pos- 
 sess, when judged by the extent of our accomplish- 
 ments? With this Church, their power was revealed 
 in a two-fold result. 
 
 First, in their obedience to the commands of 
 Christ, their King. For the commendation is given 
 to them, "Thou didst keep my word." They knew 
 what their Master required, because His commands 
 had been given along the line of their individual 
 lives and along the line of their work in the Church. 
 And they had proven that there was some real 
 strength in them, in that they had kept these com- 
 mands. 
 
The Open Door 179 
 
 These commands are coming to us each day. We 
 know what is required of us to be followers of 
 Jesus Christ. There is no real question in our minds 
 as to what Christ wants us to do, though we may 
 endeavor to confuse the issue by expressions of 
 doubt and uncertainty. But if there is any real 
 power in our Christian lives, it will show itself in 
 that we are keeping Christ's word. 
 
 Again, they revealed some power in their defence 
 of their religion. There were strong forces 
 at work, endeavoring to get these Christians to turn 
 aside and to give up their faithfulness to their Lord. 
 They were urged not only to disobey His com- 
 mands, but also to deny His name. Many in the 
 Jewish synagogue, which Christ ^character'izes as 
 the synagogue of Satan, had opposed them in their 
 loyalty to their King. But they had revealed their 
 power in resisting these attacks. Not only were 
 they true and holy in their characters, but they were 
 also open and aboveboard in their profession of 
 their relation to the Christ. 
 
 There are forces at work to-day that are seeking 
 to get Christians to deny the name of their Lord, 
 to deny His divinity and His power, His rightful 
 authority and ability to rule. Glad indeed would 
 be the forces of Satan, if they could get us to say 
 that men could be saved from their sins in other 
 
i8o What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 ways, as well as through the name of Jesus Christ. 
 And some are giving way to these attacks. But we 
 will show real power by a loyal defence of our King 
 in refusing to deny His name. 
 
 But it would seem that they lacked the power for 
 progressive and aggressive Christian work. They 
 were strong on defense but weak on offense. The 
 surroundings in the city presented many opportuni- 
 ties for this aggressive work, for the upbuilding of 
 the Cause of Christ. But they had let them pass, 
 the door had been opened, and they had not en- 
 tered. 
 
 And how prone we are to-day to be content in 
 holding our ground ! We feel that if we are living 
 pretty good lives and do not allow our church work 
 to retrograde, if we do not disobey the word and 
 do not deny the name of Christ, and if we are 
 faithful to Him in our lives and loyal to Him be- 
 fore others, surely this is evidence of real power 
 in us and in our Church. We pride ourselves in 
 that our Church is conservative and strong in cling- 
 ing to the old ideas in religion, both in thought and 
 method. All well and good. But what we need to 
 realize is that this is but the evidence of a little 
 power, and that the real live Church is the one that, 
 with this, is pushing ahead through the door of op- 
 portunity, which modern times and modern condi- 
 
The Open Door i8l 
 
 tions are presenting. We admire the progressive 
 spirit In everything else; let us have It in religion. 
 
 But this demands power, which alone comes from 
 God. Great tasks demand great power, and great 
 power will show itself in great tasks. 
 
 A Denver engineer has suggested a plan to raise 
 the Titanic from the bottom of the Atlantic, where 
 it lies, about two miles deep, with immense treasure 
 in its vaults and staterooms. He wishes to drop 
 huge magnets to it, and, by turning on electric cur- 
 rents, cause them to grip the steel hull, so that it 
 may be lifted to the surface. This will require 
 enormous power, and, if the task is accomplished, 
 it will be the evidence of the presence of enormous 
 power. 
 
 God, by His open door, has given us an enormous 
 task to perform, which is only being half done be- 
 cause power is lacking. But it can be done, pro- 
 viding we can get in touch with power sufficient to 
 meet the demand. This Is to be found in God and 
 He will supply it. 
 
 Let us also notice the promise that God gives to 
 His people. What a God we have to reward royally 
 even a little faithfulness to Him, and a little stead- 
 fastness In obedience to His Word! It was on this 
 ground that the reward was given. We may be 
 meager In our service, but He is munificent in His 
 
1 82 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 reward. This is found in His promise to this 
 church. 
 
 The first promise was success In reaching their 
 fellowmen and in bringing them to accept Christ. 
 They had suffered much from these people, who 
 claimed to be Jews. They had laughed at their be- 
 lief and had tried to undermine their faith. But 
 these were the very ones that they would like to see 
 converted. And from the message of this letter, 
 there is brought to them the assurance that by their 
 faithfulness in the midst of trial they have so im- 
 pressed these people with the fact that God loved 
 them, that eventually they would have the greatest 
 of all rewards, of seeing them brought to worship 
 their God. But this fact is emphasized, that this 
 success of winning outsiders into the Kingdom was 
 due to the power of God, given as a reward for 
 their faithfulness, for God says, "Behold, I will 
 make them to come." 
 
 There is nothing that would bring us greater joy 
 or that we would count to be greater success than 
 that those who are now opposed to the Christ and 
 His work might be brought to worship Him. But 
 let us remember that they will only be impressed 
 when, by our faithfulness to our religion, we prove 
 that God really loves us. And back of all our ef- 
 forts there is always the power of God that is caus- 
 
The Open Door 183 
 
 ing them to come. Let us look to the power of 
 God for success In winning others to Christ. 
 
 Another promise that is given is a deliverance 
 from temptation. Christ says, ''Because thou didst 
 keep My word, I also will keep thee from the hour 
 of trial." 
 
 There are temptations that would drag us down 
 into lives of sin, and men are anxious to be rid of 
 them. Temptations come because of the outer con- 
 ditions that surround us, but also because of the 
 inner response to these conditions. What is the 
 difference between the man who is a Christian and 
 the man who is not in meeting the temptations of 
 life? The outward conditions may remain the same, 
 but their power over us will depend on the response 
 from within. 
 
 God says that He will keep His people from the 
 hour of trial or temptation, because of their faith- 
 fulness and steadfastness. This deliverance comes 
 as a result and a reward for steadfastness in obedi- 
 ence. 
 
 Our power in meeting temptations is dependent 
 on our obedience to God's commands, for if these 
 are obeyed there is produced an inner condition that 
 weakens the response to the outer condition. And 
 back of all this, let us remember there is the power 
 of God working in our behalf. Many are meeting 
 
1 84 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 temptation with fear and trembling, knowing their 
 own weakness. But what encouragement In the as- 
 surance that God Is fighting for us I 
 
 Many years ago the Egyptian obelisk In Central 
 Park In New York was treated to a coating of 
 paraffin, with the hope of staying the ravages of 
 storm and changes of weather on the soft stone. 
 Since that time this treatment has been much used. 
 The crumbling stones In old Trinity churchyard 
 have been given a coating of wax for the same pur- 
 pose, as also the monument of Alexander Hamilton. 
 It Is said that by renewing the coating every fifteen 
 or twenty years these old landmarks can be pre- 
 served for centuries. 
 
 So God has promised to His people that rela- 
 tionship to Him that will give them power to over- 
 come temptation, to live a sincere life and to lead 
 others Into His kingdom. There may be many 
 things that tend to destroy, but this coating of God's 
 power Is always sufficient to meet our needs. With 
 this thought surely those Impressive words will come 
 to us with great power, as they must have come to 
 these people, "I come quickly; hold fast that which 
 thou hast, that no one take thy crown." 
 
 A charge to keep I have, 
 A God to glorify, 
 
The Open Door 185 
 
 A never-dying soul to save 
 And fit it for the sky. 
 
 To serve the present age, 
 My calling to fulfil; 
 Oh, may it all my powers engage 
 To do my Master's will! 
 
 Arm me with jealous care. 
 
 As In Thy sight to live; 
 
 And oh, Thy servant. Lord, prepare 
 
 A strict account to give. 
 
 Help me to watch and pray. 
 And on Thyself rely. 
 Assured, If I my trust betray, 
 I shall forever die. 
 
CHAPTER VIII 
 
"To the angel of the Church In Laodicea write: 
 "These things saith the Amen, the faithful and 
 true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; 
 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor 
 hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So because 
 thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will 
 spew thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I 
 am rich, and have gotten riches, and have need of 
 nothing; and knowest not that thou art the wretched 
 one and miserable and poor and blind and naked: I 
 counsel thee to buy of me gold refined by fire, that 
 thou mayest be rich; and white garments, that thou 
 mayest clothe thyself, and that the shame of thy 
 nakedness may not be made manifest; and eye-salve 
 to anoint thine eyes, that thou mayest see. As many 
 as I love, I reprove and chasten; be zealous there- 
 fore and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and 
 knock: if any man hear my voice and open the door, 
 I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and 
 he with me. . . . He that hath an ear, let him hear 
 what the Spirit saith to the churches." 
 
 Rev. 3: 12-21. 
 
LUKEWARM RELIGION 
 
 Laodlcea was a city originally called Diospolis, 
 city of Zeus, was enlarged and improved by An- 
 tiochus II, and was named by him Laodicea, after 
 his wife Laodice. It was the chief city of Phrygia, 
 in Asia Minor, and was situated a little south of 
 Colossae and HIerapolis, on the river Lycos, a trib- 
 utary of the Meander. Among its inhabitants 
 were numbered many Jews. Epaphras labored 
 there and is regarded as the founder of this Church 
 to which this letter is written. Paul was interested 
 in conditions in the Church, as he sent them saluta- 
 tions, also wrote a letter to the Church, which has 
 been lost. About the year 65 A. D. Laodicea, Co- 
 lossae, and HierapoHs were destroyed by earthquake. 
 Laodicea was rebuilt by Marcus Aurelius. Its 
 ruins still exist at a place called Eski Hissar, about 
 ^6 miles south of Smyrna. 
 
 To this church in Laodicea was written the last 
 of the seven letters to the churches in Asia Minor, 
 and it is full of practical truths. But you will find 
 that this letter is entirely different from the others 
 
 189 
 
190 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 that we have studied. There is no commendation, 
 and the censure given is very caustic and cutting, and 
 the condemnation very decided and certain. 
 
 Our method of study will be much the same as 
 with the other letters, for we will first study the 
 first part of the letter, which gives a description of 
 the One sending the message. Special characteris- 
 tics are given that differ entirely from those charac- 
 teristics given In the other letters. 
 
 Notice, then, the character of the One sending the 
 message. The repetition of this part in each letter 
 shows the necessity that men shall recognize the true 
 character of the Christ back of His words, In order 
 that those words shall come with real power. And 
 when men endeavor to minimize the character of 
 Christ and to question His divinity, they in turn will 
 lose the value of His message. Let us be sure that 
 He IS always back of His message to us. 
 
 Also there has been a distinct message for each 
 Church, suited to the special conditions In that par- 
 ticular Church. But there has also always been the 
 special characteristics of the Christ that exists back 
 of each particular message. 
 
 So we learn the important truth that Jesus has 
 a message for each one of us, suited to the special 
 conditions of our individual lives. The Bible can 
 touch each life with practical power. Let us also 
 
Lukewarm Religion 191 
 
 remember that there Is In the life of Christ that 
 characteristic which touches each life, no matter 
 what may be the need. 
 
 We will undoubtedly find that the conditions that 
 prevailed In this Church at Laodlcea are duplicated 
 in our lives and In the Church, to some extent at 
 least, so will we find that the charactertlstlcs of 
 Christ mentioned here will touch that condition with 
 real power. 
 
 What are these characteristics? 
 
 *'These things saith the Amen." The word 
 *'Amen" may well be translated, ''so let It be." It 
 comes as the final word, after which nothing more 
 remains to be said on the subject. And Jesus, rep- 
 resented as "the Amen," is the One who speaks the 
 final word In regard to man. When He sends this 
 message to this Church, nothing more remains to 
 be said In reference to their condition. It made 
 no difference what others had thought of them, this 
 was the last thing that could be said. 
 
 This ought to mean much to men to-day, for when 
 Jesus speaks to men or in reference to men, noth- 
 ing more remains. This will be the final word in 
 the summing up of their characters. When He 
 speaks, we know where we stand, and that opinion 
 will not change, for the last word has been spoken. 
 
 Again, "these things saith the faithful and true 
 
192 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 witness." Not only had Jesus said the last word, 
 in regard to this Church, but the word that He 
 had spoken was the absolute truth. Others were 
 passing judgment on the conditions that prevailed 
 there, but the judgment of Jesus was vital, because 
 faithful and true. 
 
 He Is witnessing for us to-day, both as individ- 
 uals and as a Church. And whatever that witness 
 may be we may rest assured that He is faithful in 
 giving His testimony and truthful in delivering His 
 message. Many people are passing judgment, some 
 just, others unjust, but Jesus is also passing judg- 
 ment, as He did on this Church at Laodlcea. And 
 His judgment is vital to us, because He Is a faithful 
 and true witness. Many witnesses may give their 
 testimony In a trial, but the witness that really counts 
 is the one who Is recognized as faithful and true, 
 for on such testimony you can depend. We can 
 build on the testimony of Jesus. No matter how 
 close this message may strike to our lives, let us 
 remember that He speaks the truth. He reveals 
 the actual condition, for He is the faithful and true 
 witness. 
 
 Again, "These things saith the beginning of the 
 creation of God." It may have been true that the 
 public condemned many things existing in this 
 Church at Laodlcea, but they excused themselves on 
 
Lukewarm Religion 193 
 
 the ground that the public did not know the true 
 conditions, therefore their judgment was not of 
 much Importance. But here is a message from One 
 who does know, for He was the beginning of the 
 creation of God. Nothing was before Him in point 
 of time, so He was conversant with all conditions 
 that led up to the special situation in their Church, 
 and gave this message from the standpoint of per- 
 fect knowledge. 
 
 How often we cast aside the criticism of our fel- 
 lowmen, on the ground that they do not understand 
 the conditions ! There are so many things that 
 have entered into the present situation of the 
 Church, of which the outsider knows nothing, and 
 his criticism is the result of ignorance. As we study 
 this message let us keep in mind the fact that it is 
 from One who knows everything in regard to our 
 lives. Men may speak from a limited knowledge, 
 but here Is One who speaks from a knowledge that 
 is unlimited and complete, for He was from the 
 beginning of the creation of God. 
 
 These people must have read this letter with great 
 concern as to what such a Messenger thought of 
 them. And when they found His opinion expressed 
 in no uncertain terms, how it must have stirred their 
 hearts. Messages are coming to us from time to 
 time that should arouse us to action, but we pass 
 
194 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 them on with little concern. But surely when we 
 recognize the true character of the One who is 
 speaking, we ought to be very much concerned as to 
 what His opinion is. And when we do get that 
 opinion from this letter, it surely ought to stir us 
 up to meet the demands that are made upon us. 
 
 And when we study the message itself we find 
 that it is first of all a severe condemnation of Luke- 
 warm Religion. The One, that is, "the Amen, the 
 faithful and true witness, the beginning of the crea- 
 tion of God," says of this Church, "I know thy 
 works, that thou art neither cold nor hot — thou art 
 lukewarm and neither hot nor cold." We can see 
 the difference between this message and the others. 
 This Church could not be upbraided because of un- 
 belief as some of the others; it could not be charged 
 with unfaithfulness, as others; there was no 
 heresy in her midst, she was not marred by the 
 existence of open sin among her members, she had 
 no factions utterly opposed to the Christian religion, 
 conditions that existed in other Churches in Asia 
 Minor. But simply this charge is made against 
 her, that she is lukewarm. 
 
 And we do not need to go back to this Church in 
 Asia Minor to find ground for the charge of luke- 
 warmness in matters of religion. Of many Churches 
 and many individuals it can be said that they are 
 
Lukewarm Religion 195 
 
 neither cold nor hot, just lukewarm. But In order 
 to make It a practical message, let us consider just 
 what conditions would signify lukewarmness. 
 
 It would be shown in a lack of interest In things 
 religious. There are many things in connection 
 with the Kingdom of God that need attention. 
 There is the regular work of the Church, the regu- 
 lar services, the special services, all demanding the 
 concern of some one. There are the different or- 
 ganizations of the Church, through which her work 
 is to be carried forward. And if this work Is to be 
 done, some one must show an interest. 
 
 And often is It true that the services of the 
 Church are not what they should be, small in at- 
 tendance, lacking in power because there Is a lack 
 of interest on the part of the membership. You 
 will also find that in any special movement there will 
 not be as much accomplished as should be because 
 of a lack of Interest on the part of those who should 
 be vitally concerned. The work of the different or- 
 ganizations demands attention, and often lags be- 
 cause of lukewarmness. 
 
 Whatever work is being done is due to those who 
 are interested. And the weakness to-day is in that 
 there are too many who should be vitally concerned 
 that are neither cold nor hot. When people are 
 interested in any project they will be concerned 
 
106 fVhat the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 about the progress being made. But there aji^e 
 many people in our Churches who hardly give the 
 work of the Church a thought from one week's end 
 to another. How many do not even know what 
 the Church is doing! They do not know what prog- 
 ress is being made and are seldom concerned enough 
 to inquire. What is Jesus' opinion of such people? 
 
 Also true is it that when people are interested 
 in any undertaking, they will not only be concerned 
 about its success, but they will also contribute to- 
 wards its support, even though it means personal 
 sacrifice. The work of Jesus Christ demands 
 something of His followers. And much lack of 
 progress is due to the fact that many people are not 
 willing to put themselves into the work when it 
 means that they must give up anything. 
 
 When a man is interested in his business, not only 
 will he be concerned about the actual condition, but 
 he will also be glad to put something into the busi- 
 ness, in order that it may succeed. But too often 
 the people in the Church, even when they know the 
 actual conditions that exist and the needs of the 
 church work along different lines, are not ready to 
 contribute toward its support if this demands sacri- 
 fice. Many do not hesitate to allow their daily work 
 to force out the church work. Many allow their 
 pleasure to interfere with their church, and they 
 
Lukewarm Religion 197 
 
 win let the church work get along the best It can, 
 unless everything Is convenient for them to help. 
 Every church has those among her members who 
 can only be Interested In the church work when It 
 does not Interfere with anything else In their lives. 
 They are lukewarm In religious matters. 
 
 Lukewarmness Is also revealed In the lack of en- 
 thusiasm on the part of those who are really Inter- 
 ested In the success of the Church. Our Churches 
 are full of those who would like to see things move, 
 so far as the Church Is concerned and also In their 
 Individual Christian lives. But they are utterly 
 lacking in the true spirit of enthusiasm for the Chris- 
 tian religion Itself and for the work of the Christian 
 Church. There Is too much half-hearted work be- 
 ing done for Jesus Christ. 
 
 You will find a great many people who are cold, 
 they have no thought or care for religion, and you 
 will find some that are hot, burning with zeal for 
 the work of Christ's Kingdom. But the great ma- 
 jority of people are those who are thoughtful 
 enough to unite with the Church, but never get 
 heated up to the point where they are on fire for 
 the Kingdom of God. 
 
 Many, as we have said, are lacking in real inter- 
 est, though they want to be members of the Church 
 and be considered religious, yet only because it is 
 
198 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 the respectable thing to do. But many are vitally 
 interested in the Church and her success, though it 
 is resting heavily on their hearts, yet they lack the 
 fire of real enthusiasm for that work. We get 
 enthusiastic about everything else, our business, our 
 pleasure, our school life, our home life, our civic life, 
 our social concerns, our clubs, our lodges, our 
 dances, our card parties, our theatres, our moving- 
 picture shows, but when it comes to enthusiasm for 
 rehgion and the work of the Church, we are luke- 
 warm. And you will find the weakness of the 
 Church to be in the lukewarmness, the lack of en- 
 thusiasm. 
 
 When we are dead in earnest about anything, we 
 believe in the success of what we are doing. Watch 
 the man who gets enthusiastic about his own special 
 line of work. He is controlled by the firm belief 
 that he can win out and that the undertaking will 
 succeed. If men are endeavoring to arouse interest 
 in any new movement in the community, they are 
 fired by the belief that success will crown their ef- 
 forts. When they lose that feeling, they lose their 
 enthusiasm. 
 
 But many to-day show that they are not dead in 
 earnest about the work of Christ because they do not 
 really believe in the success of that work. If any 
 special effort is being undertaken, they do not be- 
 
Lukewarm Religion 199 
 
 lieve it will succeed, so they are half-hearted in 
 pushing it. They do not believe they can live as 
 Christ hved, so they lack earnestness in making 
 the endeavor. 
 
 When we are in dead earnest about anything, we 
 take advantage of every opportunity for impressing 
 others with its real value. Watch the man who be- 
 comes enthusiastic about a certain brand of politics, 
 or the woman who becomes enthused over her club, 
 and what is the result? Each will grasp every 
 chance that presents itself for leading others to see 
 the real worth of that in which they are interested. 
 
 And what is the result of such enthusiasm? 
 Others are impressed by it and they begin to think 
 that there must be something in this that means so 
 much to their friend. The enthusiasm grows, others 
 catch the fire, and the project succeeds. But when 
 there is a lack of enthusiasm, though one may talk 
 a great deal about that in which they are inter- 
 ested, yet their words lack power, because they lack 
 fire and conviction. 
 
 So men often lack in their enthusiasm for their 
 religion. They may be interested, they may talk 
 about the importance of the Church and her work, 
 but their words lack power because they lack the 
 fire of earnestness. If church members were dead in 
 earnest about the church services, they would not 
 
200 What the Spirit Saitk to the Churches 
 
 let an opportunity slip to tell others how important 
 they were. As a result the churches throughout 
 the land would be filled to overflowing. 
 
 These opportunities are coming to us each day, 
 but what do they mean to us? Are we not luke- 
 warm in our enthusiasm? If we were in earnest 
 about any special work in the Church, we would 
 talk about it to others in such a spirit that we would 
 impress them with its real value, and they would 
 desire a share in it. But when we question in our 
 hearts the success of a movement and refuse to say 
 much about it, or when we tell others that we hope 
 it will succeed but are not sure, they will take their 
 cue from us and will lose interest. 
 
 When we are enthusiastic about our religion, we 
 will tell others about it and show them that it means 
 something to us, that it is of real value, and they 
 will want it. Either men have not gotten the right 
 brand of religion or it doesn't mean very much to 
 them when they cannot talk about it to others, so 
 that their fellowmen will be impressed. We can do 
 it with everything else, in which we are interested 
 and we can do it with our religion if we really get 
 on fire with enthusiasm for it. But we kill our in- 
 fluence by our spirit of lukewarmness. 
 
 Dr. J. Wilbur Chapman was about to open an 
 evangelistic campaign in Boston. He had just ar- 
 
Lukewarm Religion 20 1 
 
 rived, when approached by a young newspaper re- 
 porter, who said to him: "Dr. Chapman, I sup- 
 pose you are hoping for a great revival here." Dr. 
 Chapman turned to him and with characteristic 
 earnestness said, "Young man, there is going to be 
 a great revival here, we do not hope so, we know 
 so." That spirit wins along all lines. It will win 
 with us in our religious lives and in our church work. 
 
 But what is the cause of lukewarmness in reli- 
 gious things? All conditions have a cause back of 
 them and can only be remedied when we discover the 
 cause and remove it. It was a good thing for this 
 Church at Laodicea to know just how they stood 
 with this faithful and true witness, but even better 
 was it for them when He, who knew all things, told 
 them plainly what had caused that condition. It is 
 a good thing for men to-day to know God's con- 
 ception of them, but better still to get from Him 
 the cause that has given rise to that condition. 
 
 And Jesus says in this letter that the cause of 
 their lukewarmness is their self-satisfaction in the 
 superficial things of life. This was their true condi- 
 tion, "Because thou sayest, I am rich, and have got- 
 ten riches, and have need of nothing; and knowest 
 not that thou art the wretched one and miserable 
 and poor and blind and naked." From this we get 
 the opinion that this Church was well fixed, so far 
 
202 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 as this world's goods were concerned. They no 
 doubt had a fine building In which to worship, strong 
 preacher, good music, because able to pay well for 
 such things; no doubt their membership was com- 
 posed of those who stood high in the community 
 because they were rich. But they had thought so 
 much of these outward things, that they had lost 
 sight of true religion, they did not consider that they 
 had need of anything, because they were materially 
 prosperous. In reality they were destitute in those 
 things that make real life. They thought they were 
 rich, but they were poverty-stricken, so far as true 
 riches were concerned. 
 
 And this has ever been the cause of lukewarmness 
 in Christian living. Men and women get interested 
 in material things, and when they become successful 
 and prosperous, they think they are in need of noth- 
 ing, so are not interested in the work of the Kingdom 
 of God. And many people who are not wealthy and 
 prosperous are so interested in an endeavor to reach 
 this coveted condition, that they lose their zeal for 
 things religious, for they do not see where religion 
 will help. Too often our lack of Interest in the 
 work of the Church is due to the fact that we have 
 allowed other Interests to crowd It out, thinking that 
 they were more important. But If men only knew 
 that no matter how many of these material things 
 
Lukewarm Religion >■ 203 
 
 they may get, If they have not the things of God, 
 they are poor and naked and destitute I 
 
 Also Is it true that men and women who may 
 realize the need of the Church and the value of the 
 Church work lose their zeal for religion because 
 they have become zealous for worldly success. It 
 may be business, It may be pleasure. It may be one 
 thing or It may be another, but when we enter other 
 things with whole heart and soul the tendency is to 
 lose sight of the importance of religion, and we 
 lose our enthusiasm for religious work. And how 
 prone we are to think that if we succeed in these 
 worldly Interests life is all that it should be, we are 
 perfectly satisfied! But Jesus says that we lack that 
 which is vital. 
 
 But the real cause of this lukewarmness is re- 
 vealed later in the message. For because of their 
 Interest and their enthusiasm for the things of this 
 world, they had kept Jesus standing outside the 
 door of their hearts. If Jesus had departed entirely 
 from the life, they would have been cold; If He had 
 been allowed to enter the heart they would have 
 been hot, fired by a passionate love for Him and 
 His Cause. But the fact that He was just outside 
 the door produced the condition where He touched 
 their lives to some extent, but did not vitally influ- 
 ence them. 
 
204 What the Spirit Saitk to the Churches 
 
 And if there is a lack of real interest and real en- 
 thusiasm in the attitude of men towards the religion 
 of Jesus Christ, rest assured that it is because they 
 are keeping the Master standing outside the door 
 of their hearts. Holman Hunt has painted a won- 
 derful picture of this passage of Scripture. It is 
 that of a cottage neglected and falling into ruin. In 
 front of the fast-closed door stands a tall and stately 
 figure, with face that shows toil and weary waiting, 
 one hand raised to knock and in the other held a 
 light that flashes through the chinks in the door. 
 When the artist had finished the painting he showed 
 It to a friend. This friend stood for some time 
 looking at the kingly figure of the Christ, outside 
 the door, then suddenly exclaimed, "Hunt, you have 
 made a terrible mistake here." "What mistake?" 
 asked the painter. "Why, you have painted a door 
 without a handle." "That is not a mistake," an- 
 swered Hunt, "that door has no handle on the out- 
 side. It is on the inside." One day a workingman 
 and his little boy were sitting in front of the pic- 
 ture. After a little the boy nudged his father and 
 said, "Why don't they let Him in?" The man hesi- 
 tated, then answered, "I don't know, Jimmy. I 
 expect they don't want Him to come in." Again 
 the lad was silent for a few moments, then said, 
 "It's not that. Everybody wants Him." Then 
 
Lukewarm Religion 205 
 
 after a pause he continued, "I know why they don't 
 let Him In. They live In the back of the house." 
 
 Can you find any better explanation for the luke- 
 warmness on the part of people to-day? The Christ 
 has been forced to stand outside their lives, for the 
 door can only be opened from the Inside, there is no 
 handle on the outside. But this door is not kept 
 shut because we do not want Him in so much as 
 that men and women are Hving at the back of the 
 house. They are content with the views of the back- 
 yard, their worldly ambitions and aspirations, in- 
 stead of entering the front of the house where they 
 would hear plainly the knocking of the Master, and 
 where they could enjoy the best that life offers. 
 
 But what is God's attitude toward this condition? 
 These Christians, realizing the true condition of 
 their lives, were no doubt much concerned as to 
 Jesus' opinion of them and His attitude toward 
 them. And we ought to be concerned as to what 
 Christ's attitude toward us is. 
 
 You will notice that God's attitude is one of utter 
 disgust with such a condition. He would have more 
 use for them if they were out and out against Him 
 than to claim to be His followers and fail to follow 
 Him, for He says, "I would thou wert cold or 
 hot." And this condition He will not tolerate, for 
 He adds, ''Because thou art neither cold nor hot, I 
 
2o6 What the Spirit Saitk to the Churches 
 
 will spew thee out of my mouth." What a blow this 
 must have been to this rich Church. They thought 
 they were all right, but Jesus says that He will have 
 nothing to do with them. The effect of lukewarm 
 water is to nauseate the stomach and the water is 
 expelled. So, the Christ says, He will do with those 
 who are lukewarm in their religion. 
 
 But let us see the other side of Christ's attitude. 
 Though He cannot endure such a condition, yet He 
 does His best to get them to change, for He gives 
 them good counsel that will lead them back to Him- 
 self. His judgment is founded on knowledge, it is 
 true and faithful and final, and we can rely on it. 
 And the same can be said of His advice, for He 
 speaks with authority. He knows the conditions 
 and what will be the best course for men to fol- 
 low. He will faithfully tell the right course, and 
 we may take this as the final word of instruction, 
 for there will be nothing beyond what Jesus tells 
 us to do. 
 
 The first truth suggested is that true things in the 
 life come from Christ. Men are asking for the 
 things that are real and that are true, but they 
 are often looking to themselves or to the life about 
 them for the answer. We want the best, but where 
 shall we find it? Let us gain this message, that 
 the true things of life, those things that we are 
 
Lukewarm Religion 207 
 
 most anxious to have, will be found In the religion 
 of Jesus Christ. 
 
 From Christ we get true prosperity, for the Mes- 
 senger says, "I counsel thee to buy of me gold re- 
 fined in the fire that thou mayest become rich." We 
 all want to be prosperous, but the question is as 
 to how this may be obtained. Some hold It Is by 
 placing these temporal things first and thinking 
 only of them. But true prosperity is success built 
 on a sure foundation. You would not think the 
 thief a prosperous man, though he had stolen mil- 
 lions, because he does not know when it will be 
 taken from him. Neither is that man prosperous 
 who Is founding his business on false principles, 
 for It Is Insecure. The only sure means for success 
 Is when a man shall give place and prominence In 
 his life and in his daily work to the religion of Jesus 
 Christ. You get the true principles for daily living 
 from the life and teachings of the Master. Truly 
 It is gold, refined in the fire, that brings sure riches. 
 
 From Christ we get the true standards for char- 
 acter, for again the Messenger says, "I counsel thee 
 to buy of me white garments that thou mayest clothe 
 thyself, and that the shame of thy nakedness may 
 not be made manifest." Garment or robe in the 
 Scriptures represents character, and the white gar- 
 ment would refer to purity In the life. Men want 
 
2o8 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 clean and upright characters. If our lives are blot- 
 ted and marred by sin, we are not satisfied with 
 them. 
 
 But the question is as to how we can best obtain 
 this spotlessness. 
 
 Some will wrap about them the robe of self- 
 righteousness and pride themselves in their morality. 
 But this purity of character is not attained by our- 
 selves or through the help of our fellowmen, for 
 the white garment can only be obtained from Jesus 
 Christ. Though men may be satisfied with them- 
 selves, yet when they come in contact with the spot- 
 lessness of the righteousness of the Christ, they will 
 recognize their need of something better than that 
 which they have. And we only reach the best in 
 character-building when we accept the standards of 
 the Christ and strive for them through the power 
 that comes from Him. 
 
 Again from Christ we get the true vision of life, 
 for the Messenger says again, "I counsel thee to 
 buy of me eyesalve to anoint thine eyes, that thou 
 mayest see." We are being governed in all walks 
 of life, in all our activities, in all our thinking, by 
 our vision of life. We have visions, we have pur- 
 poses, and we are following them. But the ques- 
 tion is, Where did we get them? 
 
 This vision governs our relation to ourselves, and 
 
Lukewarm Religion 209 
 
 we get It often from our own selfish desires or from 
 the standards and the example of men. We are gov- 
 erned by our vision of life in regard to our obliga- 
 tions, but this often comes from the spirit of selfish- 
 ness or from public opinion. 
 
 And men only see life as it really is, the possibili- 
 ties for themselves, the obhgations with reference 
 to others, when they have seen the world, as Christ 
 saw it, and have caught his vision of a true life and 
 the true mission of life. Men may think that they 
 know what Is right and what is wrong, what they 
 ought to do and what they are not obligated to do, 
 but this is only true if their eyes have been anointed 
 with the eyesalve that Christ gives. 
 
 And you will notice that these things must be pur- 
 chased, for the Messenger counsels them to BUY. 
 Some may think It an easy matter to live the Chris- 
 tian life and to obey the commands of Christ, but 
 these blessings, which He promises to bring Into the 
 life, must be purchased, and they cost much. 
 
 And often the reason that men are not accepting 
 the things that Christ offers is because they are not 
 willing to pay for them. Men will not accept 
 Christ's ideas for material prosperity because they 
 do not want to give up their own Ideas; they will 
 not accept His standards of character because they 
 do not want to sacrifice their own standards; they 
 
210 JVhat the Spirit Saitk to the Churches 
 
 do not want to obtain His vision of life because it 
 will mean giving up their own vision of life. These 
 things are of greatest value, but they must be bought. 
 Are we willing to pay the price? 
 
 Let us take with us the picture with which the 
 message is closed, that of the waiting Christ. He 
 has been harsh in His criticism, but He assures 
 them that it is because He loves them and wants 
 to turn them to that which is better. He urges them 
 to repent and turn from that life of lukewarmness, 
 to be zealous for Him and for His service. Then 
 comes that greatest of all messages that reveals the 
 love and the patience of the Christ, and which we 
 ought never to forget, either for ourselves or 
 for our fellowmen. — "Behold, I stand at the door 
 and knock; if any man hear my voice, and open 
 the door, I will come in to him and will sup with 
 him, and he with Me." 
 
 Some years ago this incident happened In the 
 north of Scotland near Inverness. A beautiful yacht 
 had been saihng on the Moray Firth. Two young 
 men landed at Inverness to take a walk through the 
 Highlands. They lost their way and wandered 
 about in the darkness until about midnight, when 
 they came upon a little cottage. They knocked for 
 admittance, but the inmates were all in bed and 
 they were ordered to go elsewhere. They found 
 
Lukewarm Religion 211 
 
 shelter In a house some distance away. What must 
 have been the feeling of those inhospitable people 
 when they heard the next morning that those two 
 young men who knocked at their door were Prince 
 George, present King of England, and his brother, 
 Duke of Clarence, the choicest visitors of the na- 
 tion ! What should be our shame if we are keeping 
 Jesus, the King of the Universe, standing at the 
 door of our hearts knocking for admittance ! 
 
 O Jesus, Thou art standing 
 Outside the fast-closed door. 
 In lowly patience waiting 
 To pass the threshold o'er: 
 We bear the name of Christians, 
 His Name and sign we bear; 
 O shame, thrice shame upon us, 
 To keep Him standing there. 
 
 O Jesus, Thou art knocking: 
 And lo ! that hand is scarred. 
 And thorns Thy brow encircle. 
 And tears Thy face have marr'd: 
 O love that passeth knowledge, 
 So patiently to wait! 
 O sin that hath no equal, 
 So fast to bar the gate! 
 
212 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 O Jesus, Thou art pleading 
 In accents meek and low, 
 "I died for you. My children, 
 And will ye treat me so?" 
 O Lord, with shame and sorrow 
 We open now the door: 
 Dear Saviour, enter, enter. 
 And leave us nevermore. 
 
CHAPTER IX 
 
"And Moses said unto Hobab, the son of Reuel 
 the MIdianite, Moses' father-in-law, We are jour- 
 neying unto the place of which Jehovah said, I will 
 give it you : come thou with us and we will do thee 
 good; for Jehovah hath spoken good concerning 
 Israel. And he said unto him, I will not go; but I 
 will depart to mine own land, and to my kindred. 
 And he said. Leave us not, I pray thee; forasmuch 
 as thou knowest how we are to encamp in the wilder- 
 ness, and thou shalt be to us instead of eyes. And 
 it shall be, if thou go with us, yea, it shall be, that 
 what goodness the Lord shall do unto us, the same 
 will we do unto thee." Numbers 10:29-32. 
 
OUR OBLIGATION TO THE CHURCH 
 
 A minister was at one time urging a little fellow 
 in his parish to attend the morning service, telling 
 him what a nice Bible he would get for nine months' 
 faithful attendance. At the end of his talk the 
 little lad, standing with legs wide apart and a se- 
 rious look on his face, said, "Well, what's it all 
 for? Why are you so hot to rope us fellows into 
 Church and Sunday School? What you doin' it for?" 
 There are thousands of men and women in the 
 Church and thousands of men and women who are 
 not members of the Church, and the plea is being 
 constantly urged on the outsider to become a mem- 
 ber. We may well ask the same question as the 
 lad, "Well, what's it all for?" And in this closing 
 chapter we want to give some reasons as to why we 
 should be loyal to this great organization. 
 
 We would like to bring the attention of the reader 
 to a story found in the tenth chapter of the Book of 
 Numbers. It is the story of Hobab, the leader of 
 the tribe of Kenites, whose acquaintance we would 
 do well to make. Hobab was the youngest, the 
 
 215 
 
2i6 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 strongest and the bravest of his tribe. He had been 
 brought in contact with the movement of Israel to- 
 ward Canaan through the marriage of his sister to 
 Moses. He had been with Moses and worshiped 
 with him at Sinai. He knew much of the history 
 of Israel and their God. He was no doubt in sym- 
 pathy with the wilderness movement and recognized 
 the superiority of Jehovah over his gods. 
 
 But the time had come to decide what course 
 he was going to take, for Israel was going forward 
 toward the Promised Land. So Moses comes to 
 this man with the appeal, "Come thou with us." 
 Now Hobab loved his home and its associations, he 
 loved the desert with its tendency towards an un- 
 restrained life. And though he had nothing to say 
 In answer to the arguments of Moses, yet our con- 
 clusion would be that he turned down the proposi- 
 tion and returned to his own land and his former 
 life. 
 
 This man represents a large class of men and 
 women who are connected with the Church by mar- 
 riage, whose fathers or mothers or brothers or sis- 
 ters or children are members of the Church, while 
 they are but adherents. They admire the Church, 
 are m sympathy with its work, support it in a way, 
 but refuse to identify themselves definitely with its 
 purposes and highest Interests. To such comes the 
 
Our Obligation to the Church 217 
 
 appeal of the Church that Moses made to Hobab, 
 "Come thou with us." 
 
 Now it meant a great deal to this man that he 
 should go with Moses, for if he did he would have 
 to break with his old manner of living, he would 
 have to give up many of his former associations 
 and habits of life. In fact, if he joined forces with 
 Moses he must go in the opposite direction. There 
 must of necessity have been exceptionally strong 
 reasons before such a step would have been taken. 
 
 We do not sympathize with the appeal that it is 
 an easy matter to become a church-member. For 
 when a man identifies himself with the Church of 
 Jesus Christ, it means a break with his old way of liv- 
 ing and a giving up of many associations and habits 
 of life. It means doing many things that have not 
 previously been a part of the activities of the life, 
 and shouldering responsibilities that have before 
 been neglected. This step is no small undertaking 
 in a man's life, and ought not to be entered into 
 lightly. But there are reasons that ought to influ- 
 ence any man or woman to take a position of loyalty 
 to the Church. 
 
 The Church should appeal to us because of that 
 for which she stands. In every building there are 
 two things that must be considered, both by the 
 builder and by the inspector, the superstructure and 
 
2i8 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 the foundation. We stand before a large building 
 and as we attempt to count the stories we are 
 amazed at the greatness of the work. But the in- 
 telligent purchaser will go down into the basement 
 to see what kind of a foundation the building has. 
 
 There are organizations that come to us with 
 their appeals. They will display the fine buildings, 
 the honorable membership, the wonderful system of 
 the working organization. But if you want to find 
 the real value go into the basement of that organi- 
 zation and find out as to the character of the founda- 
 tion upon which the structure rests. 
 
 In every Institution there are foundation stones, 
 there are principles that lie at the very heart of the 
 organization, there are truths which It attempts to 
 teach. These are the reasons for its inception, these 
 these are the things we should seek to know. There 
 may be some institutions and organizations that will 
 not reveal the fundamental qualities, that will not 
 show you the foundation stones until you become a 
 member. But the Church of Jesus Christ stands 
 ready for our inspection. She proclaims openly the 
 things for which she stands, the principles that lie 
 at the very centre of her heart and life, the truths 
 that form her foundation. 
 
 Hobab knew the history of Israel and what God 
 had done for them. He knew the promises concern- 
 
Our Obligation to the Church 219 
 
 Ing the Promised Land. If he had been dealing 
 honestly and sincerely these should have Influenced 
 his decision. The Church was built upon certain 
 vital truths, she Is teaching certain Ufe-givlng prin- 
 ciples, and these are such as we In honesty and sin- 
 cerity must acknowledge to be true and right. On 
 this ground she makes her appeal to men. 
 
 The Church teaches men about God and his re- 
 lation to the world. Men are much concerned about 
 many different things in the world, but back of all 
 this is our conception of God, for He Is back of all 
 truth and back of all life. Men may difter In regard 
 to their conceptions of life in its varied activities, 
 but they must unite In their conclusion that back of 
 all life there Is some greater power that stands 
 guard over the forces of the world. This Power 
 must be recognized in all our conceptions and in all 
 our conclusions. 
 
 You may study history and become interested 
 in the manifold activities of men and the chang- 
 ing affairs of nations, but you will be forced to 
 the conclusion that back of It all there is God with 
 His wonder-working power. You may study science 
 and become Interested In the workings of the forces 
 of nature, and endeavor to fathom the origin of life 
 and its destiny; but again you will be forced to the 
 conclusion that there Is some power in nature for 
 
220 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 which you cannot account, which is God. So in 
 whatever direction we may go, if we go far enough, 
 we will come to the place where we must recognize 
 an unseen Power. And about this Power men want 
 to learn. The disciples said to Jesus, "Show us 
 the Father and it sufficeth us," and men ever since 
 have been anxious for the same knowledge. 
 
 We can join literary clubs and learn about the 
 best books of our own and other times; we can join 
 a science club and learn about the different sciences. 
 We can connect ourselves with some charitable in- 
 stitution and learn how to relieve our fellowmen. 
 But it is from the Church that man is most likely to 
 gain that knowledge that he needs most, even a 
 knowledge of God. 
 
 The Church stands firm for the supremacy of 
 God, as the Creator and the Ruler of the Universe. 
 In one of our large eastern cities the boys and girls 
 in the eighth grade of the Public Schools refused to 
 sing any songs in the morning exercises that referred 
 to God, saying that they did not believe any longer 
 that there was a God. But the deplorable part of 
 it was that the authorities granted the request, and 
 ordered dropped all songs that had any religious 
 suggestions in them. We lament such a condition, 
 but it results not from the influence of the Church, 
 but because of the refusal on the part of that city 
 
Our Obligation to the Church 221 
 
 to listen to the plea of the Church and keep the Bible 
 In her Schools. 
 
 The Church teaches men about themselves, their 
 actual condition, their possibilities, and their respon- 
 sibilities. Men, from time to time, do become in- 
 terested in their own origin and ask from whence 
 they came. But the greatest concern of the normal 
 man is his condition at present and his destiny. 
 We want to know the truth about ourselves and the 
 Church comes to us with a message of no uncertain 
 sound. The Church does not flatter men, she does 
 not feed us with sugared plums and appeal to our 
 sense of our own importance, but she does tell us 
 the truth about ourselves. 
 
 The Church stands firm upon the ground of man's 
 sinfulness and his need of salvation from that sin 
 through a power that Is greater than his own. At 
 the same time there is no more hopeful picture of 
 man than that depicted by the Church, for he is 
 made In the image of God. Though he has marred 
 that Image by his sin, yet it Is possible for him to 
 return to the dignity of his creation, and when he 
 touches God he becomes God-like. 
 
 With this there comes the next great truth, 
 namely, that man is responsible for his condition. 
 If he Is living in sin when It Is possible for him to 
 break from it and to become like God, upon his 
 
222 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 shoulders must rest the responsibility for remaining 
 in that condition. Some men may seek to excuse 
 themselves for their sin. Some organizations may 
 so minimize the power of God and so magnify the 
 power of sin that they fill the hearts of men with a 
 simpering sentimentality of man's helpless and hope- 
 less condition, until they take from man all sem- 
 blance of pride and determination. But they have 
 thus taken from him the dignity of his manhood and 
 have left him little better than the animal below 
 him, a creature of his surroundings. 
 
 Not so the Church. She has always stood for 
 the truth that man is fitted for something better than 
 his sinful condition, and if he does not attain to this, 
 he alone is responsible for his failure. And this 
 picture of future possibility must appeal to every 
 man. 
 
 But the Church has another great truth which lies 
 at her very foundation, the cornerstone which many 
 builders reject, even her belief in Jesus Christ as the 
 Redeemer of men. She will not minimize man's 
 sin and its power, she will not underestimate man's 
 high estate to which he ought to attain, but she 
 stands firmly for the attainment of this destiny 
 through the work of Jesus Christ. 
 
 Some may say that man is pretty good as he Is, 
 others may say that he will always sin and can be 
 
Our Obligation to the Church 223 
 
 no better, but the Church says that man is a sinner 
 and needs a Saviour, and that this Saviour Is fur- 
 nished In Jesus Christ. This Is the centre around 
 which the life and the work and the hopes of the 
 Church revolve. This Is the cornerstone, the key- 
 stone of the structure. 
 
 At a banquet some years ago of an organization 
 that was started by Churches and received its char- 
 ter from the Churches, two of the speakers were 
 managers of metropolitan newspapers. And these 
 men spent their time In cutting criticism of the 
 Church, though one of them acknowledged that he 
 had not been Inside a church for twenty years. 
 
 And you will find much of the criticism of the 
 Church similar to this. But he who gets In close 
 touch with this great organization so as to under- 
 stand her fundamental teachings will find that she 
 stands for those things that are a direct revelation 
 of God's Word, and that are fundamental to all 
 right thinking and right living. For this reason 
 every reasonable man ought to unite the forces of 
 his life openly and definitely with this organization. 
 
 The Church should appeal to us because of what 
 she aims to accomplish. Though Hobab no doubt 
 rejected Moses' proposition, yet it should have ap- 
 pealed to him because of what Israel was aiming to 
 do, because of the direction in which they were going. 
 
224 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 There may have been some things about the Israel- 
 ites that he did not like, and he did not like the idea 
 of leaving his own land, but they were going to the 
 land of Canaan, which he knew was a great deal 
 better than his own land. His good judgment should 
 have influenced him to go with them. 
 
 True it is that the thing of first importance 
 in regard to any institution is the foundation prin- 
 ciples, and from this standpoint the Church makes 
 her appeal to us with strength and power. But the 
 next question he will ask will be as to what the 
 organization is doing. There may be some people 
 who are right in principle and wrong in practice, 
 and there may be some organizations that are right 
 in foundation principles and far from right when 
 you look at what they are accomplishing. 
 
 So we want to know what the Church is doing. 
 What are her aims and accomplishments? Some 
 might question the stand of the Church on the fun- 
 damental things of life, but no one can deny the 
 superiority and the grandeur of her aims, no one 
 can deny the greatness of her accomplishments. In 
 spite of faults and flaws, she stands as the greatest 
 organization the world has ever seen for the uplift 
 of mankind. And wherever she has touched life it 
 has been made better and sweeter by that touch. 
 
 The Church aims to lead men to be clean and 
 
Our Obligation to the Church 225 
 
 upright In relation to themselves. Men are not al- 
 ways square and honest In their treatment of them- 
 selves. They often allow things In their lives that 
 are Injurious and detrimental to their highest good, 
 and that hinder the development of strong and up- 
 right character. Though the Church emphasizes the 
 sinfulness of man, yet by turning his attention to 
 what God intended and wants him to be and by 
 showing him how to reach this ideal, through his 
 relation to Jesus Christ, she is leading men to 
 change in their attitude toward themselves. By 
 placing the emphasis on right living and turning the 
 attention of men to the life of the Christ, the 
 Church is endeavoring to lead men to abhor sin in 
 every form and to drive it out of their lives through 
 the power of Christ In their hearts. 
 
 The Church aims to lead men to be honest and 
 charitable in their treatment of their fellowmen. It 
 is not enough that an organization shall give a man 
 right standards for his own Individual life and Instill 
 right thoughts In his mind, though the Church Is 
 doing this. But every man lives a public life, every 
 man touches other men, and he wants to know what 
 to do in this relationship. If an organization is to 
 make its appeal to us, it must tell us how to live 
 among men, as well as how to live by ourselves. 
 This the Church aims to do. 
 
2 26 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 The great drawback In the relationships of men 
 is that they do not always deal In honesty and up- 
 rightness with each other. There is much trickery 
 and fraud under the cover of shrewdness. The 
 Church as an institution has always opposed such 
 deahngs, and has stood for the square deal between 
 man and man. She has taught man's responsibility 
 for the welfare of his fellowmen, and that God will 
 hold each man responsible for his conduct toward his 
 neighbor. She has taught honesty, sincerity and love 
 in all relationships in public and private life. 
 
 The Church aims to lead men to be loyal and 
 faithful in their relation to God. She has endeav- 
 ored to lead men to develop their religious selves, 
 and to discharge their religious obligations. The 
 greatest question, after all, that confronts each one 
 of us is our relation to God. If this is right, the 
 other relations in life will follow. The man who is 
 loyal and faithful to God will be clean and upright 
 in his own life, he will be honest and charitable in his 
 dealings with others. Realizing this fact, the 
 Church has placed the emphasis on the religious side 
 of man's life. She purposes to lead men to be re- 
 ligious. 
 
 And the Church has accomplished. In large meas- 
 ure at least, what she has aimed to do. There may 
 be things that are wrong in the Church. There is 
 
Our Obligation to the Church 227 
 
 sin in places where the Church Is located. But go 
 to any community, town or nation where this or- 
 ganization has been established and you will find that 
 In spite of all weaknesses and frailties of those who 
 are in the Church she has gradually accomplished 
 her three-fold purpose. The Church holds the high- 
 est Ideals for Individual life, the best standards for 
 society, and the true type of religion. And wherever 
 men have listened to her teaching they have been 
 made better. 
 
 Men have been led to live better and cleaner lives, 
 communities have been blessed and benefited by the 
 high standards upheld by the Church. Nations have 
 been lifted to a higher plane of civilization and have 
 espoused the cause of peace and righteousness 
 through the influence of this organization in their 
 midst. Every man, every community, every nation 
 is better for her Influence, however slight. 
 
 The gradual elevation of the home life, the 
 spreading of the blessing of our Schools, the slow 
 but sure progress of the nation toward a loftier 
 standard of government, the light that Is breaking 
 over the world, all this is due to the constant and 
 determined efforts of the Church to realize her 
 aims. 
 
 These things force themselves in upon us with per- 
 sistency and power, and we are compelled to ac- 
 
228 fVhat the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 knowledge that the Church is right in her aims and 
 her work. But when this belief in the teachings and 
 the work of the Church really grips our hearts, we 
 will give more than our assent, we will give also 
 a loyal and unqualified allegiance. 
 
 The Church should appeal to us because of her 
 attitude toward our own lives. It was no idle boast, 
 it was no nerveless appeal that Moses was making 
 to his brother-in-law, for this step on his part would 
 have a definite bearing on his life. Moses could 
 argue for his co-operation because of what it would 
 mean to his own life. 
 
 We believe that the Church is a great organiza- 
 tion in her teachings and her aims, but what we 
 want to know is her attitude toward our own lives. 
 Extensive as the Church is, yet she touches each in- 
 dividual life and makes her appeal because of what 
 that touch means to the individual. And when men 
 get their eyes open to what this organization may 
 mean to them, as individuals, they will be drawn 
 to her with irresistible power. 
 
 Moses first makes the appeal to Hobab that if he 
 will go with them they will do him good. There 
 were some things that he needed in his own life 
 which would come to him if he would ally his forces 
 with Israel. And these could not come to him in 
 any other way. There are certain things that we 
 
Our Obligation to the Church 229 
 
 want very badly which we do not possess unless we 
 have formed a vital relation to the Church. This 
 organization says to men, "Come thou with us and 
 we will do thee good." But what good can come 
 to us from our relation to the Church of the Christ? 
 
 It gives courage and strength to a man in the 
 midst of trials and temptations. Every man has 
 trials, he has temptations, and if he Is trying to do 
 the right he is constantly fighting them. And the 
 honest man will acknowledge that It has often been 
 a losing battle. But the Church, by holding up be- 
 fore us the true ideals of life, by centering our 
 thoughts on Jesus Christ, reveals to us our own 
 weakness and leads us to turn our back on sin. The 
 man who thinks he is all right without the Christ 
 has never been close to the Man of Galilee else he 
 would have been conscious of his shortcomings. The 
 Church has been instrumental in leading men to give 
 up their sins, by fixing their attention on the sinless 
 Man. For into their hearts will come the strength 
 and courage that will enable them to fight the temp- 
 ter and win the victory because they firmly believe 
 that they can do all things through Christ, who 
 strengthens them. 
 
 This relationship to the Church gives comfort and 
 consolation to men In the midst of sorrow and ad- 
 versity. If we have had sorrow or reverses, we 
 
230 JVhat the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 know how heavy the burden, how dark the clouds 
 that have settled over us. If these times have not 
 been ours, we should thank God for His goodness, 
 but know this, that somewhere, sometime, somehow, 
 we know not where, we know not when, and we 
 know not how, these things must be a part of our 
 experience. And then will we realize the need of a 
 power outside ourselves. 
 
 And the Church comes to us with her teachings 
 of God, His wisdom and His love that sink into a 
 man's heart and prepare him for these special times 
 and carry him safely through them when they come. 
 By the companionship and fellowship of the Church 
 there is comfort, there is sympathy, there is strength, 
 there is consolation. And he who has cast his lot 
 with Christian people, through his relation to the 
 Church, will find that he has prepared for himself 
 a shelter in time of storm. 
 
 But what does this organization enable us to do? 
 Moses has another argument to present which 
 should have been more powerful than the former, 
 for he appeals to him on the ground of what Hobab 
 could do for Israel. Moses was ignorant of the 
 country through which they were to journey, he was 
 not acquainted with the people which they must en- 
 counter. So he said to his brother-in-law, *'Thou 
 shalt be to us instead of eyes." Hobab might not 
 
Our Obligation to the Church 231 
 
 be interested so much In what Israel was able to 
 offer him, but you would think that when he saw 
 what he could do for Israel he would not refuse. 
 Yet he turned away. 
 
 The Church is making her appeal to men, not 
 only on the ground of what she Is able to do for 
 them, but also because of what she will enable them 
 to do. But what does the Church enable me to do? 
 She concentrates and localizes the influence of my 
 example. By standing for the things which the 
 Church teaches I can turn men's attention to the 
 same things and lead them by my example to God. 
 Every right-thinking man would like to feel that 
 his influence is on the side of right. But how can 
 we be sure of this? Men In general recognize that 
 the Church stands for that which is right along all 
 lines, and by thus definitely connecting ourselves 
 with this organization we will give point and power 
 to our influence. 
 
 We may try to teach men to give up their sin and 
 do the right, we may be making efforts toward re- 
 form In politics and in society, we may be trying 
 to lead men to higher standards of morality, but 
 the question that men will ask will be as to our rela- 
 tion to the organization that stands openly before 
 the world for the very things which we teach. And 
 no conscientious man has the right to neglect any- 
 
232 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 thing that will add to the strength and power of 
 his influence. 
 
 This relationship to the Church will give us 
 greater power in our homes, in our community, and 
 in the nation. Men admire the man who lives the 
 right, but they listen to the man who has the courage 
 to show unmistakably to the world that he is for 
 the right. This the Church enables us to do. 
 
 But this relation to the Church has a more vital 
 and definite attitude toward my life, for it is the 
 outer expression of my inner relation to Jesus Christ. 
 Christ is the very center of the Church, and she is 
 the embodiment of His teachings. He is the corner- 
 stone upon which this organization is built. It is 
 founded on man's need of Christ, and a uniting with 
 this organization is a recognition that we need him. 
 To be a church-member in truth means being a 
 Christian at heart, and this is our way of telling 
 the world about it. 
 
 If I am a Christian it follows that I must be a 
 church-member, for this is the outer expression of 
 the inner condition. Being a Christian will show 
 itself in a better life, but this is Christ's way by 
 which men shall tell the world to whom they at- 
 tribute that better life. If you believe in the teach- 
 ings and the efforts of the Church, if the Church, 
 through her influence, has brought anything of real 
 
Our Obligation to the Church 233 
 
 value Into your life, there Is only one way by which 
 you can show that you are honest in your claims, 
 and that the blood of real manhood and real woman- 
 hood runs In your veins, and that Is by giving your 
 name and your life to that organization. 
 
 And by this there comes a complete change of 
 direction on our part. You have, no doubt, been 
 In a foundry and have watched the process of melt- 
 ing and casting of Iron. The Iron that goes Into the 
 melting pot is of the same prime qualities, it pos- 
 sesses the same Ingredients, as the wheel which is 
 made from it. But It Is not of the same value to 
 the world. Two things have happened — it has been 
 melted into one mass, then it has been moulded into 
 proper form to do work. 
 
 The man who Is a Christian and a church-member 
 has the same ingredients In his nature, the same 
 intellectual powers, the same physical powers, the 
 same faculties, that he possessed before, but he Is 
 of different value to the world. Two things have 
 happened to him. He has been melted into a molten 
 mass by the Spirit of God, at his conversion; then 
 this mass has passed through the mould of the 
 Church and made into a form best fitted to do the 
 world's work. 
 
 If the iron refuses to be put into the melting-pot 
 it will go to the scrap heap. If It refuses to be put 
 
234 What the Spirit Saith to the Churches 
 
 into the mould It will soon cool and become useless 
 and worthless. We will be scrap-iron or a wheel, 
 according as we are faithfully discharging the obliga- 
 tions which the Church is placing upon us by these 
 appeals which she is making to us. 
 
 The Church's one foundation 
 
 Is Jesus Christ her Lord; 
 She is His new creation 
 
 By water and the Word: 
 From heav'n He came and sought her, 
 
 To be His holy Bride; 
 With His own blood He bought her, 
 
 And for her life He died. 
 
 Elect from every nation, 
 
 Yet one o'er all the earth. 
 Her charter of salvation 
 
 One Lord, one Faith, one Birth; 
 One holy Name she blesses. 
 
 Partakes one Holy Food, 
 And to one hope she presses, 
 
 With every grace endued. 
 
 'Mid toil and tribulation. 
 
 And tumult of her war. 
 She waits the consummation 
 
 Of peace forevermore; 
 
Our Obligation to the Church 235 
 
 Till with the vision glorious 
 
 Her longing eyes are blest, 
 And the great Church victorious 
 
 Shall be the Church at rest. 
 
 Yet she on earth hath union 
 
 With God the Three in One, 
 And mystic sweet communion 
 
 With those whose rest is won : 
 O happy ones and holy! 
 
 Lord, give us grace that we 
 Like them, the meek and lowly. 
 
 On high may dwell with Thee. 
 
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