Preacher's Magazine Volume 35 Number 02 Lauriston J
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Olivet Nazarene University Digital Commons @ Olivet Preacher's Magazine Church of the Nazarene 2-1-1960 Preacher's Magazine Volume 35 Number 02 Lauriston J. Du Bois (Editor) Olivet Nazarene University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.olivet.edu/cotn_pm Part of the Biblical Studies Commons, Christian Denominations and Sects Commons, International and Intercultural Communication Commons, Liturgy and Worship Commons, Missions and World Christianity Commons, and the Practical Theology Commons Recommended Citation Du Bois, Lauriston J. (Editor), "Preacher's Magazine Volume 35 Number 02" (1960). Preacher's Magazine. 336. https://digitalcommons.olivet.edu/cotn_pm/336 This Journal Issue is brought to you for free and open access by the Church of the Nazarene at Digital Commons @ Olivet. It has been accepted for inclusion in Preacher's Magazine by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Olivet. For more information, please contact [email protected]. FEBRUARY 1960 5 L Preacher's M u K j a z m c Volume 35 February, 1960 Number 2 CONTENTS Cover—Norman Vincent Peale (see page 6) Fire Drill in Church, Simeon Stylites ..................................................... 1 Editorial, The Congregation at Worship (II) ...................................... 2 The Preaching of Norman Vincent Peale, James McGraw ........... 6 Living Nobly, Robert W. Helfrich ............................................................ 9 Not by Bread Alone, John Hoff ................................................................ 12 Holiness the Heart of the Scripture, A. O. Hendricks ....................... 16 Gleanings from the Greek New Testament, Ralph Earle ............... 18 “And There Was a Great Calm,” E. Wayne Stahl................................ 21 Books Are People, Wise and Good, J. K enneth Grider ................. 22 Queen of the Parsonage, Ruth Vaughn ................................................. 26 Professionalism in Evangelism, Mel-Thomas Rothwell..................... 29 On Judging Our Ministry, Concerned Pastor ........................................ 32 Elijah the Fiery Preacher, Ira E. F o w l e r ............................................... 34 The Fine Art of Christian Stewardship, Holmes Ralston ............... 35 Sermon W orkshop ........................................................................................... 36 Food for Mind and H e a r t ............................................................................... 37 Sermon Starters ................................................................................................ 39 Preaching Program ......................................................................................... 42 Book Briefs ........................................................................................................ 47 LAURISTON J. DUBOIS, Editor Contributing Editors Hardy C. Powers Samuel Young G. B. Williamson D. I. Vanderpool Hugh C. Benner General Superintendents, Church of the Nazarene Published monthly by the NAZARENE PUBLISHING HOUSE, 2923 Troost Avenue, Box 527, Kansas City 41, Missouri. Sub scription Price: $1.50 a year. Second-class postage paid at Kansas City, Mo. Printed in U .S.A. Fire Drill in Church By Simeon Stylites* Romans 8:26 /''V u r a t t e n t i o n has been called— sermon was a vigorous drill in escap ^ that is the phrase you use when ing the flames of hell. But the Madi you wish to tell an editor that you son Heights church has a different are too highbrow and busy to read kind of “hot gospel.” Now we are his insignificant little sheet, but some all for “safety first.” We are glad the busybody has pointed out to you an congregation will be ready for a fire. item in it— as we w ere saying when There are too few earnest Christians we were interrupted, our attention still extant and we don’t want any of has been called by a dear and non them burned up. But we wonder busy friend to a stirring report about whether this drill may not be some a fire drill which was part of a wor sort of symbol. Are our churches ship service in the M ethodist church more interested in safety than in ad at Madison Heights, Michigan. Since venture? We seem to recall that the we are always on the alert for new marching orders for the first Chris advances in worship, we were all in tians went in pretty strongly for ad terest. We quote from the caption venture. They were promised lots of of a photograph of the congregation tribulations; even a cross was men getting out of church in a hurry (we tioned, and mobs, and being haled be hope it was not before the morning fore governors and kings. offering was taken!): “These church A sentence in the photo captions goers practice a fire drill as a part sticks in our mind: “Other safety of the safety program undertaken by measures have been and will be taken their Methodist church. It took less for the protection of those attending than two minutes to evacuate over church.” What other measures? For 100 persons in the drill.” there are many great dangers to those attending church. We showed this report to a neigh bor of ours who tries to keep our con There is the danger of being badly science in repair, the pastor of St. cut by the preaching. We read that John’s-by-the Gas-Station. He gave a at the first Christian sermon the hear ers were “cut to the quick.” There snort. “ That is nothing,” he said dis dainfully. “One of my sermons can are many words in the Bible which evacuate four hundred people in less are sharper than a two-edged sword. than thirty seconds flat. I’ve done it If the danger of drawing blood is to again and again.” Paying no attention be avoided, care must be taken with to his irrelevant remarks, let us pro what is read from it. ceed. Then there is often danger (thank God!) of incendiary remarks by the In days long gone every Sunday preacher, following the example of was a fire drill in some churches. The the Great Firebrand, who said, “I came to cast fire upon the earth, and * Christian Century (used by permission). would that it were already kindled!” 1 And there is always danger when carried to a whole town. It has hap the Holy Spirit gets loose in a church. pened. If a few people really get on It began that way, you remember—' fire with the gospel, no board of un with little tongues of fire descending derwriters can measure the results. on the congregation. The Spirit is You see, there are lots of dangers still inflammatory and the danger is in going to church. Hope you meet ever present that the blaze might be a few. the EDITOR II. The Congregation at Worship /C o n t i n u i n g o u r consideration of worship. And this unique quality of public worship, we want to turn Christian worship reaches its apex in our minds to some matters which the worship of the congregation. have not always been included in the The worship of the individual Protestants’ conduct of the worship Christian is, of course, at the heart services of the church. This has to of all Christian worship. We believe do with the basic Christian concept that man’s approach to God in the ex of group worship, or corporate wor perience of divine grace must be an ship. This is, the congregational wor individual approach. None can be ship experience has some factors in it saved in the mass; none is made a which are more than the sum total of Christian by the sword or by mere the expressions of worship of the social conformity. Likewise at the individuals present. There is a basic heart of every subsequent worship pattern of worship in which the indi experience is the individual’s contact vidual becomes a part of the fellow with God, apart, if necessary, from ship of worship, which is more than what any others may or may not do. the worship which he as an individual In one sense there can be no corporate may express within the walls of a worship unless there are a personal church. devotion and a personal response to There are varied sorts of worship God. That is why we encourage our experiences which might be discused people to keep up their individual de if we could take in the entire sweep votional lives and to maintain with a and the general subject. However, for good degree of consistency their fam the sake of brevity and clarity, it ily devotions; and as they come to seems best to push to the heart of our church to be ready to worship, to be study, leaving such areas as non- prayed up, and to come with a sense Christian types of worship untouched. of expectancy that this visit to the We shall start with, then, the obser sanctuary is indeed a step into the vation that Christian worship has vestibule of heaven. Without this sort features which are different from and of foundation for worship, the public which surpass every other kind of services will fall far below that which expression which might be called they should be. We must ever keep 2 (50) The Preacher's Magazine before us the importance of this vital, ‘When ye pray,’ said Jesus, ‘say Our personal worship which should char Father . .’ ” acterize the life of every Christian. Douglas Horton, in his Lyman The study of the problems of per Beecher lectures at Yale Divinity sonal worship are a study in them School, 1958, published under the selves. H owever in this consideration' title The Meaning of Worship, in we want to focalize our attention upon cludes this idea under his discussion the public aspects of worship, espe of the Church. cially that which is led by the pastor “ So far as I know there is no other in the various services of the week religion in the world except Chris within the local church. Herein are tianity, in which the human response the unique characteristics peculiar to deity becomes a worshiping church. to the Christian religion and herein Furthermore, neither of these non- lie those basic features which we as Christian types [Buddhism and Islam] leaders of worship must keep con have found love so pronouncedly in stantly before us.