"Earnestly Contending For The Faith"
I have recently returned from a trip to California where I conducted two gospel meetings and a religious debate. I spoke to twice as many people each night of the debate as I preached to at any one service in either meeting. Still, in spite of such interest, we hear weak church members saying, "I don't believe in debates".
The church today is what she is because of battles fought for truth and righteousness by grand, godly soldiers of the cross who have gone before us. When I think of the battles waged by the leaders in the restoration, and by many of a later date whose names I could recall (many of whom have now crossed the Jordan of death), I take off my hat and thank my God for these noble men.
Facing The Facts
When a man objects to debates, it is due either to ignorance of the history of the church, or to a lack of love for the truth. Jude admonishes Christians to "contend earnestly for the faith". Honorable controversy has marked every step the church has made in all her long history. She has had to defend herself and her teaching against the falsehoods and erroneous doctrines of men.
I have conducted 59 public debates; of which number six have been with Ben M. Bogard. Bogard in his prime was the ablest man the Baptists have had since the days of J. N. Hall. In all these debates with Bogard there was never a ripple nor even the hint of unkind feelings expressed. Our last debate was at Haskell, Oklahoma, and in it we had neither moderators nor time keepers. We kept our time. When a debater leaves the issue and deals in personal thrusts, he shows the weakness of the cause he represents and the caliber of his own character. A Christian cannot afford to stoop to such childish and sinful things, and will not.
In my last debate with Bogard five Baptists learned the truth, one of them being one of the very men who had secured Bogard for the debate. Seldom, if ever, have I gone to a place after conducting a debate there that I did not baptize some who had learned the truth during the debate. Since my recent debate in California, seven have been baptized where the debate was conducted. This is the history of nearly every debate that is ever held by gospel preachers. How can any man face these facts, and still say, "I don't believe in debates?
Are We Growing Spiritually?
A good brother of ripe age recently wrote me, "The church has paid debts, has built nice houses, has grown in numbers during this period of prosperity—but has it grown spiritually?" The question caused me to stop and ponder.
I'm glad we've made progress in erecting fine church buildings. Every congregation is entitled to a respectable meetinghouse, which is, or should be, the workshop of the church. But brethren can go to an extreme in matters of this kind. The larger the church, the more talent lies dormant. Some churches should swarm and start new congregations. Members of the church are only human; they may become worldly and take more pride in the material appearance of a fine building than they take in the inward adorning of the soul.
There is too much softness in the pulpits of many of our congregations today. This can and will produce only weakness in the pew. Some men are cowards in the Lord's army, and are afraid to speak out on issues where the purity of the church is at stake. Some preachers may be so spineless as to think too much of their jobs to condemn that which they know to be wrong. We heard of one young preacher who asked an older preacher, 'Just how can a preacher manage to stay in one place for a long time?' The aged preacher told him to preach always on "love". Wonderful advice to a young man, wasn't it? Let him avoid all controversial issues; let him stand by and watch the church go into worldliness and apostasy; let him refuse to condemn evil; let him ignore Paul's warning to "reprove, rebuke, exhort"; yea, let him preach on love!
Facing The Future
The church today is passing through a most dangerous period. We are in a time of compromise. Every time there is a compromise, truth has lost a battle and error has won a battle. There are to be battles ahead, both from within and without. We have many strong stalwart soldiers among the younger preachers who will gird themselves for the battle; they will wage the warfare to the hilt. They will be as true and loyal to the old paths as ever their fathers were before them. Such men will never want for work; nor will they preach to empty pews before them.
There are others among us who have the attitude of "preach the gospel and let all other religious people alone". You might as well say to a farmer, "Grow your crop, but leave the weeds and grass alone." The farmer who tries to plant corn, and raise it, and at the same time sets out to ignore the weeds and grass will raise only nubbins if he raises anything at all. The one who preaches the gospel with the idea that he wants to "leave false teaching and error alone" will reap a harvest of nubbins likewise—weaklings in the church, men and women who, like himself, are without conscience or conviction.
Brethren, let us stand fast in the faith, contend earnestly for the faith, and ever be set for the defense of the gospel. When we defend the gospel, we will defend all the gospel reveals. This means we will defend the church of the New Testament, the plan of salvation revealed in the New Testament; yes, even baptism for the remission of sins.
God, give us soldiers tried and true to lead in the fight. And give us members of the church who love the Lord and his word, and who are neither afraid nor ashamed to say so!