Abilene Christian University Digital Commons @ ACU Lectureship Books Lectureship, Summit, and Ministry Events 1971 1971: Abilene Christian College Bible Lectures - Full Text V. E. Howard George Gurganus Charles Coil Wendell Broom Bob Douglas See next page for additional authors Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.acu.edu/sumlec_man Recommended Citation Howard, V. E.; Gurganus, George; Coil, Charles; Broom, Wendell; Douglas, Bob; Horne, Al; Paden, Cline; Shipp, Stanley; Lemmons, Reuel; Ferguson, Everett; Chalk, John Allen; Whitley, John; Schubert, Joe; Wilson, Roy; Jones, L. Wesley; Coker, Dan; and Huffard, Elvis, "1971: Abilene Christian College Bible Lectures - Full Text" (1971). Lectureship Books. 50. https://digitalcommons.acu.edu/sumlec_man/50 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Lectureship, Summit, and Ministry Events at Digital Commons @ ACU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Lectureship Books by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ ACU. Authors V. E. Howard, George Gurganus, Charles Coil, Wendell Broom, Bob Douglas, Al Horne, Cline Paden, Stanley Shipp, Reuel Lemmons, Everett eF rguson, John Allen Chalk, John Whitley, Joe Schubert, Roy Wilson, L. Wesley Jones, Dan Coker, and Elvis Huffard This book is available at Digital Commons @ ACU: https://digitalcommons.acu.edu/sumlec_man/50 WORLD EVANGELISM being the Abilene Chri sti an College Annual Bible Lectures 1971 Published by ABILENE CHRISTIAN COLLEGE BOOK STORE ACC Station Abilene, Texas 79601 COPYRIGHT, 1971 Abilene Christian College TABLE OF CONTENTS Main Speeches THE GOSPEL AND THE LOST V. E. Howard 7 MISSION METHODS .... George Gurganus 31 OUR GUILTY SILENCE. Charles Coil 47 FACTORS IN CHURCH GROWTH .... Wendell Broom 58 WORLD EVANGELISM BEGINS AT HOME .... Bob Douglas ... 72 MAKING MEN FOR THE MASTER . A1 Home 91 I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST .... Cline Paden . .107 THE HOME CHURCH AND MISSIONS .... Stanley Shipp 119 STANDING ON THE THRESHOLD Reuel Lemmons 127 (Featured Speech) Panels THE WORLD’S NEED FOR CHRIST “The Pagan” .... Everett Ferguson 151 “The Secular Man” .... John Allen Chalk 162 FORGOTTEN MISSION FIELDS “The Inner-City” .... John Whitley 171 “The Campus” .... Joe Schubert 1.79 SELECTING THE MISSIONARY “Qualifications—Emotional Screening” .... Roy Wilson, M.D. 189 “Training” . L. Wesley Jones 202 USE OF AMERICAN FUNDS ON THE MISSION FIELD “Money Can Hurt the Cause” .... Dan Coker 217 “Accelerating a Good Work” .... Elvis Huffard 228 PREFACE The lectures and panel discussions contained in this volume are those which were given at the fifty-third Annual Bible Lectureship at Abilene Christian College on the theme: “World Evangelism.” The commission of Jesus: “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel...” still rings in our ears, and every serious, committed Christian must feel his own responsibility. With masses marching into eternity without Christ, with babies being born faster than mothers can be reached, with multitudes daily joining the ranks of unsaved humanity, the church cannot tarry with the message of salvation without eternal consequences. The primary purpose of the Annual Bible Lectureship is to further the cause of Christ in the world. The purpose of this year’s program is to arouse us to greater mission efforts and to provide information and suggestions designed to help us do this work in the most intelligent way possible. This volume is dedicated to those valiant souls who have “gone” into all the world with the saving message of Jesus. It is sent forth with the prayer that still others, in greater numbers, may be constrained to take the gospel of Christ to a lost and dying world. CARL BRECHEEN, Director The Annual Bible Lectureship MAIN SPEECHES THE GOSPEL AND THE LOST V. E. HOWARD VERNA E. HOWARD Bom September 29, 1911, Farmersville, Louisiana. Married to Ruth Jackson, Corsicana, Texas, 3 children, Jasper, Ed and Kay (Mrs. Sidney Young). EDUCATION Attended Abilene Christian College, Harding College, Arkansas State University. Baptized November 1930, preached first sermon May 1931. Baptized more than 6,000. Now in 36th year as regular radio speaker. English speaker for World Radio since its beginning. More than one million copies of radio ad- dresses received by people in every state in nation and many foreign countries. Has conducted gospel meetings in half of the states in the nation. Author of several books includ- ing “What Is The Church of Christ?”; “The Holy Spirit”; “Howard-Hines Study of Rev- elation”; “Howard-Pope Debate”; “The Love of God”; “The Thief On The Cross”; “35 Years, Are You Listen- ing?” and some 36 booklets and tracts. 7 8 Abilene Christian College Lectures BUSINESS Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Howard-Gibco Corporation (Gibson Discount Stores); Owner, Howard’s Jewelers; President, Howard Foundation; President, Cen- tral Printers, Inc.; Vice President, Mid-South Development Corporation. Received Distinguished Christian Service Award from Harding College: Story of Life and Philosophy recorded for Harding College Oral History Library; 35 Years, Are You Listening Award; Member of Board of Directors Freed- Hardeman College, elder Walnut Street Church of Christ, Texarkana, Texas. A few months ago a member of the Lord’s church, a Hollywood actor, visited World Radio studio in West Monroe, Louisiana. One of the elders told him about the mission of World Radio and the great response that has come from many parts of the world as a result of the presentation of the truth in love, how that many souls have been converted from denominational error and turned from “darkness to light”— truly converted to Christ and become members of the Lord’s church. The West Monroe brethren were quite surprised when the distinguished visiting brother asked if the World Radio sermons were really designed to disturb the denominational religious community and convert them from their denomina- tions. One of the elders of the West Monroe church informed the brother that if the gospel was preached on World Radio it definitely would “disturb” and convert members of denomi- nations as well as others who have not obeyed the gospel. Furthermore, if that gospel was not preached on the World THE GOSPEL AND THE LOST 9 Radio broadcasts, then World Radio, as a means of pi caching the gospel, did not have a right to exist; nor did it have a right to expect brethren to support its mission. The implica- tion was that good, religious people, members of different denominations, are saved, therefore, don’t disturb them by trying to convert them. Ladies and gentlemen, if I believed the people of all religious denominations, members of all different cults and sects, as well as the non-religious, were saved I would not be here tonight addressing you on this great and profound subject, “The Gospel and The Lost,” neither would I devote any more time, effort, and money to the support of the church and her mission in this world. I think I would just “check out” and devote my time to business, wealth, and honor among men and just be a “good Joe” to everybody for nobody is really lost, according to such unscriptural, fallacious reasoning. If this conclusion were true, why encourage missionaries to make sacrifices to take the gospel to heathen lands? Why not all missionaries come home to their loved ones and their families? Why not silence the gospel press, discontinue all radio and TV broadcasts of the gospel? Why not just be content to “keep house” for the Lord- just “hold our own” and really not attempt to preach and teach any part of the gospel that would prick the conscience of our own brethren, much less to convert lost souls to Christ, for, after all, the gospel is a relative thing, sound doctrine is out of date and the gospel is not íeally the power of God to save the believer. May it never be so! MILLIONS ARE LOST TODAY When our Lord gave the Great Commission it is 10 Abilene Christian College Lectures estimated that there were about 250 million people on earth. It took about 1600 years for the population to double. It took 200 years to double again, reaching one billion plus by 1850. The population doubled again within the next 80 years, while the next 30 years it increased 50% until the world population stood at 3,137,456,000 in 1963, according to United Nations statistics. That figure is now about 3-1/2 billion and we are informed that within one generation this figure will double. Imagine that, between 6 and 7 billion people on earth. This means, from the viewpoint of figures and statistics, that this present generation must win 3 billion souls for Christ, just to keep up with the “population explosion.” Immediately, we might hear the declaration, “This is impossible for that would mean 100% conversion of a generation of 3 billion people.” But, my friends, our Lord has given evidence in the Scriptures that He knows all men will not obey the gospel. As a matter of fact, we may expect the majority to reject the gospel of Christ. Our Lord, himself said; “Many are called but few are chosen” (Matt. 22:14); and, “not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 7:21). However, He did charge His disciples with the responsi- bility of giving every person on earth an opportunity to hear the gospel. Could one imagine Christ commanding an impossible task when He said, “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature”? In reply, the mistaken may be heard to say, “But when Christ gave that order there were only 250 million people in THE GOSPEL AND THE LOST 11 the world, just about the population of the United States.