Which Do They Love The Most?
In the Gospel Advocate, April 4, 1957, I noticed a writeup concerning a Nashville couple who had given $100,000 to David Lipscomb College. The GA carried their picture and Brother Athens Clay Pullias, President of DLC, had a long article praising the couple and rejoicing over "this generous investment in Christian education." The story was also carried in several other papers; such as the Firm Foundation, Christian Leader and the Christian Chronicle. Thus this couple is held up as an example for others to "go thou and do likewise." If you will make a substantial gift to some human organization, such as one of the schools or orphan homes among us, you can and will receive the plaudits of men, be honored as a great soul and have your picture carried in most of our religious papers. Perhaps you may have a building or something named in your honor. The praise of men will be much more received for a gift to such as this, than if what you possess is invested simply in preaching the gospel and saving souls. More and more through such appeals and even high-pressure tactics are consecrated Christians being "taken" for their life-savings or else they are led to make their will so as to leave most of what the Lord has blessed them with, to some such human endeavor!
I have no way of knowing and am not particularly concerned, but I wonder just how the actual contribution made to the church would compare with this $100,000 gift to this human institution. Is it not likely that many of the people who give such gifts to so called "Christian education" or to some benevolent society called an orphan home, give or leave more at one time to these human arrangements than thy have given all of their life-time to the church of the Lord? Such is often the case. The schools, colleges, and orphan homes are in there clamoring for what they can get of what you have. If they can not get it while you live, then be sure to leave it to them after you die! The orphan homes have sorta adopted them a slogan — "REMEMBER THE HOME IN YOUR WILL." This is good for several dollars. Thousands and thousands of dollars and much valuable property which Christians — members of the Lord's church — have accumulated through the years with God's blessings, are thus left to aid and advance such human endeavors. Surely none of us believe that some school is as important as the church, nor is the work of the school (95% of which is teaching secular matters) is as important as the work of the church. Neither is an orphan home and the work it does to be even compared to the church and the work the church must do. Can it be that some of us love and appreciate some human effort — some admittedly human institution — MORE than the Lord's Cause? It would seem to be so in some instances. We need to give some serious thought to this matter. Far better it will be for us if we will use that with which the God has blessed us in a material way in advancing the Cause for which He sent His Son to die, than in all the human organizations and human efforts combined.
Think of this for a moment: The couple who gave this $100,000 to DLC, would have had to give almost $40 per week EVERY WEEK FOR FIFTY YEARS, to have given an equal amount to the church! Is simply an EQUALITY in giving what we have, all the Lord has a right to expect from us? Is the Cause of Christ entitled to no more from us than simply an equal sharing with the human efforts of men? Perhaps this couple did this well or better — I do not know. The point is that we need to do some careful thinking on these matters. In what are YOU interested most? Does the church of the Lord occupy no higher place in your affection than human organizations? Before you get swept off your feet by the promoters of these human arrangements among us and give what you have to such projects, or make a will to leave it to such, it would be good to stop and check up carefully and really see just how much and what you have done for the Lord along this line and just how much you are going to leave of that which you leave, to the church.
Use what you have in the Lord's Cause for the salvation of souls. It may not bring you the praises of men nor will you have some building named in your honor, but you can have the praise of the Lord and your "investment" will pay off in eternity.
Now someone is very likely to say of me after reading the above: "He does not believe in Christian education and he is opposed to schools." However, such is far from the truth. I believe in education — "Christian education" and otherwise. I am not opposed to schools and colleges; even those operated by my brethren and wherein the Bible is taught. My objective in this article is to make us think and try to keep our balance and not get carried away with these human institutions to the place where we exalt them to a place of equality with (and some are prone to even exalt them above — so it would seem) the church of our Lord. The church of the Lord is not dependent upon any school or college among us, nor upon all of them combined. The church could exist and thrive without any of them. Sometimes I even think the church might be better off if none of them had ever been started. (Now there is a good statement for my enemies to take hold of!) Let the schools and colleges be honored and recognized for the good they do and the service they render. Let us support them morally and financially. But we need to remember that these schools and colleges are NOT the church nor any part thereof. They are not "church schools" nor are they "church-related" schools actually; that is, they should not be. Let the schools and colleges be kept separate and distinct from the church. The schools and colleges should let the church alone and the church (as such) should let them alone. Keep the schools and colleges out of the church treasury. The churches have no scriptural right whatever to support from their treasuries these human institutions; yet there are those who so teach and some are busy trying to swing the churches in line to do this very thing.
In the midst of all the praise and power given to the schools and colleges among us, let us not lose sight of the fact that they are at best only human efforts, and in spite of all the good they may do and all the value they may be (to whom I do not know), they are not to be compared to the church. "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness."