Man's Wisdom
(Editor's Note: This article is taken from "The Reminder," the weekly bulletin of the Sixth Street church in Port Arthur. It has a local flavor, but it deals with some very pertinent general truths — truths that need emphasis at this hour.)
The word of God teaches us the wisdom of God. Every system or plan not found in the Bible stems from man's wisdom.
Professing Christians everywhere profess to believe that divine wisdom is superior to human wisdom. But they don't seem to work up much enthusiasm for doing God's wisdom. With no machinery set up except God's simple plan, the work so often seems to drag. Many elders don't manifest much zeal in pushing the mission of the church. That is, when nothing novel or sensational is used.
But some prominent brother has a great dream. He visualizes a master plan. No, the church where he worships cannot carry it out — can't begin to. He will have to visit churches all over the nation and sell them on the deal. But he succeeds in a big way in getting many other churches behind him. He is from a big city church, known perhaps far and wide as the biggest in Texas or Tennessee or maybe in the world; he is very affable; elders of little churches feel greatly honored that such a man would call upon them. They don't bother their minds with the question of the scripturalness of the proposal. Why should such thought be necessary? Was this plan not set forth by one of the biggest churches? Don't they have doctors in it — all kinds of doctors — doctors of medicine, doctors of philosophy, doctors of science. Even their preacher is a doctor of something. Do we need to question anything gotten up by such smart men and propagated by such a big church? Why, it is simply flattering just to be allowed to get in on a thing so big and glorious.
Have most of these churches ever done any missionary work? What about the big church that is doing the sponsoring: has it ever been very active in supporting gospel preachers in needy fields? Well, most of them have never done anything. Calls had come in from suffering and lonely evangelists in foreign fields for thirty years. No response. Because all of this was merely the dull, drab, way that the Lord set up. Nothing exciting about it. No BIG program.
But now, with all of this human machinery set up, how things do hum. The big man from the big city with the big program has stirred churches into action and they are getting the job done. The big city church is getting lots of glory out of the work. They are doing so much corresponding and directing that they must hire secretaries to attend to it all. What about the supporting churches? Why they don't need a secretary. They don't even need to have a business meeting — that is, after the first one they held when the big man was present and dominated the situation. No, nobody ever consults them about anything in the big program. The sponsoring church makes all of the decisions. They decide as to where, when, how long and all about it. They hire and fire whom they will. They decide how much each worker shall be paid. No contributing church may send a preacher into the program until he is first approved by the sponsoring church. No, all the contributing church contributes is money.
Isn't it strange, brethren that it takes all of this human wisdom and human machinery to fire churches up to any action?
And we have known of brethren who for years had worshipped with the digressives, then all of a sudden became affiliated with loyal brethren and immediately launched a great program and worked and spent money with great enthusiasm. Why the sudden change? Well, they had dreamed up some great plans they wanted to put into operation. And men will work hard for their plans who have been dead so far as working the Lord's plan is concerned.
I am happy to commend the church here for having done much work back through the years when so many churches have done nothing or have spent vast sums on fine buildings. Though your work was not done for the praise of men, you are favorably known for this good work. You did not wait to be stirred by some pompons movement sponsored by a big, big church. The Lord's command was sufficient for you and you have followed the Lord's plan, not having surrendered the autonomous principles established by the Lord in His church.
Brother Guy N. Woods stated in a recent article to the Advocate that you have spent over a hundred thousand dollars in Louisiana and listed a number of churches established there by your help. Very soon Brother Peden will begin in Nigeria, West Africa and already we are setting aside $300 per month to be used in travel expenses and we will support him when he arrives there.
The work you have done is due to the leadership you have had. The independent nature of it is also due to your leadership. Their leadership has been characterized by vision for the work. They have looked upon the great white fields and have acted — have been acting many years. But their eyes have also been open to see the dangers of unscriptural schemes. They have demonstrated that the Lord's plan will get the job done when elders will lead churches in carrying it out. They have shown that all the big machinery of human dreams is unnecessary to the carrying out of the great commission.
These elders will not be with us always. It is my prayer that future leaders will profit by the fine examples of our present leadership. What we are seeing now is the mere beginning of man-made programs and institutions. I pray that you may keep working and abound more and more, yet hold to New Testament simplicity.