Covenanter Witness Vol. 53 - Rparchives.org

worship."private."shepherd"arise"you."prayers"Opportunities for Growth in Grace and Christian ServiceGeorge S. Coleman, Ph.D."We do promise to avail ourselves of opportunities."Whether that means little or much, in connection with the general expressions which follow,depends on whether these expressions remain general in the thoughts of the various individuals, or areturned into specific ideas of actual steps which theythink of as their personal applications, steps whichthey intend, and promise to themselves and to God,to take. Such specific steps may be as numerous anddifferent as there are individuals. But the inspirationand power of the promise depends on the Christianimagination definitely looking toward real actionabout to begin.So one person, who has thought hard for manyyears about the problems of the Covenanter Church,offers some specific aims and steps which have cometo his mind. He hopes to start others upon thoughtsof their own which will make the words of promisingin the Covenant of 1954 more significant to each onepersonally."Opportunities, public andHow different they will be in the various congregations!These are large and small, located in village or cityor open country, under this pastor and that, somewith young people who have a leader, some whereeach young person must plan for himself since nogroup is ready to act. But "We . . pledge ourselves.to pray and labor ACCORDING TO OUR POWER,"says the Covenant of 1871 in one place ; and that isall God expects of any one. Nevertheless we need tohave eyes to see, as David had, the first time heheard the challenge of Goliath, which others hadheard morning and evening for forty days only todraw back. With the challenge to be met, and no oneelse meeting it, David saw "opportunity." Then hepower."acted, "according to hiscoming"Including The Covenanters are bemore and more alone as to worship. If ourworship is right, it should have power. "As menlive."worship, so they But our worship will nothave fullness of power unless Covenanters know thePsalms better, so that we cannot help thinking aboutthe inspired words rather than the tunes chiefly.That means more than committing the verses. Weare making gains in singing better, knowing thetunes and the parts, keeping time and keeping together. But we sing best, we worship most when thespirit of the Psalm as a whole, the Spirit of the Godof the whole book, sings in our hearts. Then indeedwe worship, "in spirit and in truth." "Christ in thePsalms"is to be presented again at Grinnell. Othergroupings of Psalms have been prepared. More canbe done. Why not know all the Psalms by the devicethat works for the 23rd and 121st, which we alsoknow as "The Lord's myand "I to thehills"? whv not also, "Let God and "0 ye mypeople, to my law," and so through the one hundredand fifty? There are other steps, too."Prayer."Someone said that the best prayersare those based on promises from God to do the kindof thing we ask. Jesus said, "If ye abide in me, andMY WORDS abide in you, ask whatsoever ye will,and it shall be done unto That is where Hetalked of the Vine and Branches, and of much fruit.We need to know the promises, and also the plans ofGod.Did you ever notice that the Covenant of 1871promises three times that we will "pray and labor"?then twice more it says "labor" alone, except in thelast instance it says "by our only three linesbelow. One of the prayermeetings the writer remembers best as earnest, was a short one on aSabbath afternoon when volunteers returned to theChurch, prayed and then went out to canvass fromhouse to house for Sabbath School scholars. Andprayermeeting could be transformed by one simpleidea. Spend the first half hour discussing what needsto be done, the best person or persons to do it, thenpray about it. Once all but two stayed to pray till thetwo sent on the errand of grace would return to report their result. That made the praying earnest!Half an hour in planning and praying, then half anhour in labor, would put a new thrill into the deadestmeeting. Listen to a sermon with a purpose to dosomething that Sabbath afternoon in application;and the sermon will have a new sound. "Pray and labor"is almost the Covenant of 1871's motto. It is agood motto."Study of the Scripture." It is astonishing howmany books of the Bible are almost a complete blankto many Christians. Many know the Bible only asverses. We need to know the whole Bible, and theBible as one whole, with a plan. It is not merely aplan of salvation for each individual, one by one,but a plan of God for the world. What are the prophecies applying to the times now, and ahead ? If Covenanters saw the great outlines of the Bible as awhole, they would have firmer convictions aboutthings which others are abandoning, or never knew.We might then be leaven indeed."Keeping holy the Sabbath day." If more peopledid what is here promised, they would absolutelyhave to keep the Sabbath wholly. That would helpthem to keep it holy. There would not be time enoughto cover all there was to do. It would be interesting,too."Observing the appointed Yousacraments."might request your pastor to preach at least once ayear on the neglected one of the two, on the sacrament which sets the aim of life, the sacrament therefore performed only once. If there were more consciousness of the Christian aim of life, people wouldfeel more the need for the repeated sacrament, theLord's Supper, which symbolizes the continual supplies of power. Some of us know only too well howhard it is to bring children up to holiness of life, in aworldly atmosphere even in the Church itself. If sessions at each communion read the roll of the baptized, and checked how each child was having thebaptismal vows kept in his case, there would bestirrings in many sessions. Perhaps a definite requirement for a report from each member at eachTHE COVENANTER WITNESS