Devoted to the Propagation and Defense of New Testament Christianity
VOLUME 14
August 23, 1962
NUMBER 16, PAGE 9

Call The Right Number

Harold F. Savely

When you hear a fellow member talking around like the evangelist is not a good mixer, church door-mat, regular office secretary, professional Fuller Brush type door-bell pusher, his wife a street padder, a good fellow at the club, a good hop-scotcher with young folks, bedside companion to every sneeze, psychiatrist to every crackpot, go-between in every family spat, pushin'-promotin'-program booster, walking concordance, and restorer of every pouter, CALL UP THE ELDERS! Chances are someone is trying to reduce the evangelist to a mere hireling sectarian pastor and scapegoat in order to shirk his own duty.

When you hear of any sick to be seen after (James 5:14), mouths to be stopped (Titus 1:10-11), hungry flock to be spiritually fed (1 Pet. 5:1), church to be overseen (Acts 20:28), souls to be watched for and account made (Heb. 13:17), ministration of benevolence to be done (Acts 11:30), ruling required (1 Tim. 5:17), or examples set for the flock to follow (1 Pet. 5:3), CALL UP THE ELDERS! Such is their God-given allotment as pastors and bishops.

When you hear of any studying imperative (2 'Tim. 2:15), teaching need urgent (1 Tim. 4:11), gospel to be preached (2 Tim. 4:2), church to be set in order (Titus 1:5), reproving, rebuking and exhorting necessary (2 Tim. 4:2), work of an evangelist wanting (2 Tim. 4:5), CALL UP THE EVANGELIST! This is his God-given allotment.

When you know of a dead church to be awakened, invitations to go out, work to be performed, worship to be enjoyed, fallen to be restored, visiting to be done, lest to be found, teaching lagging, CALL THE WHOLE CHURCH! This is their God-given allotment. Every elder, deacon, evangelist, member, big, little, old or young should be shown the fires of hell and the fading hopes of a glorious heaven. When each member of a church wakes up, works up, and prays up, then that church will greatly grow and prosper.

— Dimmit, Texas