The Ohio Independent Baptist, December 1960

-D_ec_e_m_b_e_r._1_9_6_o _____________________T_H_E __O~..:_.::_HIO.::_=IN~D=-=:EPENDENT BAPTIST ~-----------.:.:..::.::...=.__________________________ ~P~a~g~e-T~h~ree ing song service t han the faet a deacon led it and a small choir sang. I have no idea ho~v many people were there to hel r me, although I think there must have been forty or fifty. The only thing that mactere.:i to me was the sermon I had carefully wri :– ten out in full and half memorized. I haJ ne\er heard about Apostolic uccession, for or against, or that an apostle must be one who had seen the risen Lord and been called especially by him or at least b1r the Holy Ghost. I only knew chat "apostle · meant ..sent one," and that all of us ought to go according to Aas 1 :8 anJ tell the "hole world that Jesus saves. That made me a modern apostle, and I L' rged all m I l.e.1rers co join the apostolic circle. • Why cell all this? Well, it mig ht encourage some young man to believe that with a call from the Head of the Church he can gc forth and preach also. I f he is not more rhan four years behind in his education, as I was, there is no reason why he shoul, not go all the way through college anJ !:eminary, even if he has co wait to get married co do it. I ndeed, if he has done as so many modern young folks with too 1nuch money in their pocket and too much Hollyvlood love making do-gotten mar– rie::l at twenty and is called to preach after r!--e fi~st babycomes, he can stil l get his edu– c~ t1on if he sets his mind to it. And yet he does not have to wait to prearh until he has his two sheep skins and is ordained. He may backslide if he waits that long and wind up as a salesman, or he may become so bookish that it takes him another seven years co get over his educational pr ide. Education without p ractice is often more of a hindrance than a help. It puts big no– tions in young men's minds . Like the na– tive Christians of India who forget about preaching after they get a college education and prefer a good governmen t job, so he may refuse to preach unless some good church calls him at a handsome salary. A man who is cal led to preach has been ap– poin ted as an ambassador from the cour ts of heaven, and everywhere he goes in th is foreign land cal led Earth he ought to take and even make opportunities to speak for his K ing. It matters not how small the congregation, i t ma tters not whether it is gathered in a church or mission or jail, he must count i t a privi lege to tell rhe good news of sa lvation. H e wi ll never learn to preach wirhou c preaching. The first sermon may be the best for several months to come, Just as the first golf game may be better than the next dozen. A young man shou ld not try to preach deep doctrinal or devotional mes– sages, but stay within the circle of his ov. n experience and l<nowledge. He has been saveJ and l<nows it. H e has given up the world of big money, fun and foJly, or ought to have <lone so, and with that evident in his life he can call ochers to leave the world and follow Jesi:s. He may have n1uch to learn in pulpit manners and sermon delivery and make many mistakes in quoting or interpreting cripture, but if he is enthusiastic for Christ and keeps s_lf so1~ewhat in the b1ckgro:1 nJ ( a very l1ard thing for young men to do), peor-1~ ,,·ill love to hear him. The young will like him because he is young, an! t1,e o1J people will forgive his mistakes because he 1s young. The old ladies v.rill espec1a llv Jove hin1 and call him their "pre1cher boy... Even the old deacons will love him i f he has sense eno11 gh to know he is j n– experienced and let them give gooJ advice. I ,vill have more to say about that later. That first sermon at Wakon~la, ouch D :ikota, stands out in my memory as a , e ..y good one, even if I can't remember much of what I said. 1 think the people thot•ght so coo, and a rer ri ble snow storm that afternoon and night saved them from disil lusionment tha t evening. oon after– wards I got a call to preach on a un– c'ay evening at Canton, outh Dakota. I 1 epeated my sermon on Mode:-n Apostles and did fairly well, but not as well r s the firs t time The next rime I was ro be the preacher in a student gospel team at a mission a nd I thought it was time co try another message. The only trouble was that there were students there and a college l)rofessor! My mi nd went blank and I cou ld not get beyond the readi ng of my t hree poi nts. Each time I stood there after the read ing, hopi ng some meat would come to pu t on those bones, but the mea t just would not come. Af ter five embarrassing minutes I sat down in disgrace. Tha t is a great encouragement for young preachers also! After you have had an experience l ike that you have this great consola tion : your worst fai lure is behind you, and you wi ll never be qui te that badly er:ibarrassed a,gain. More than that, you will decide that you need some more education! The BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY OFFERS - - - .. - - - - " Three Year Graduate eminary thorough training for Christian Service • Bible College - w1tl1 a General Course plus srrong m1 nors for Missionaries hriscian Education Directors Music Directors Pastors- Pre-Seminary work ,.fl1ree Year 81 ble l11 sti rute C.hrisrian SecrerariaJ and General Bible ()rthc>dox-SchoJarJ y- BaJ)ciscic- l1r1st tentered J_oca ted in beautiful Grand Ra1)1ds, M1ch1gan 1ior information wrice : RAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY 811 Wealthy St., S. E., Grand Rapids 6, Michigan The Ohio Independent Baptist Published Monthly by 1-HE OHIO AS OCIATION OF REGULAR BAPTI T CHURCHE Publication Office 153 ouch Jefferson~ Berne, lnd. Editor RALPH T . 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