Mere machinery of effort is doomed
to failure, but when the living spirit is in the wheels and is
adequate to the moving of them, the results are sure to be large. The
disciples of Christ knew all the facts about Christ's life, death and
resurrection, but they were not equipped for their great work until
after they had spent much time in prayer and the Holy Spirit had come
in power; then they became mighty men in the upbuilding of the church.
Worship.--"Men not only need to be urged to be true to their
consciences, but their consciences need to be informed." One of the
great functions of the church is to teach men how to worship God
aright; to do this they must have right thoughts about God. Jesus
said, "God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in
spirit and in truth" (John 4:24). Men must be led in their worship by
a proper exposition of the Scriptures, by prayer and by praise. The
place of the church in this matter is clearly defined in the New
Testament, it can be taken by no other institution; and no other
organization has so high a mission as this, to bring man into harmony
with God.
Fellowship.--Man is a social being and he seeks contact with his
fellow men. Many of the worldly ways in which this fellowship is
sought are ways which lead to the wrecking of man, body and soul, or
to the obliteration of all the finer feelings.
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