"But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end." Hebrews 3:6.

     In my travels, I find that not only in the North, Baptists are declining in membership, especially in rural districts, but also in the South many churches are scarcely holding their own.   If ever there was a time when we needed revival among us it is now.   There are two reasons for this decline in membership, which was brought out some time back in the "Watchman Examiner."

     First was centralized authority in extra organizations over the churches--to the destruction of the democratic principle and practice among Baptists.

     Second was the prevalence and dominating influence of "modernism."   Lest it be asked by some, "What do you mean by modernism?" I will explain.   I mean German higher criticism that denies the verbal inspiration of God's Word, the Bible, and denies a great portion of this Book as genuine.

     Yes, modernists deny the Virgin birth of Christ; they deny His bodily resurrection; the resurrection of the body of His saints at His coming; the Blood atonement; and His personal, visible coming in like manner as He went up (Acts 1:10.)   They teach that Christ was only a good man.   These men are nothing more or less than Unitarians.

     When you destroy the democratic and self-governing principal of the churches, and turn out an army of modernistic pastors on them, how can you hope for anything but a slow and sure death of all churches?   There is a sprinkling of this gradually creeping into the South, but there are other factors doing a deadly work in the South also.

     One is, taking members through a mere lip profession of Christ, who know nothing of the new birth--unsound evangelism and loose methods of receiving the unsaved.   Children taught in Sunday school are too often encouraged to join the church without first having been joined to Christ by the Spirit.

     Physicians make all manner of operations on the body, but God's one operation is on the heart of sinful man.   "Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart," literally "pierced through" their heart.   This piercing made them cry in agony of soul, "what shall we do?"   It is this conviction, with our Lord's "Ye must be born again." being cut out of the plan of salvation, that is filling our churches with unsaved material.   This accounts for the fall off in attendance at church services and the lack of spiritual life in the churches.

     How is it, that you have reported thousands of dollars spent for Sunday school literature, and nothing for missions?   Yet in too many churches no additions reported.   Surely a born again man will want to send the gospel to the lost!   Has it occurred to our minds, that at the beginning of the last great war, the churches were falling down on their missions?   So appalling was their failure, that at the close of the war, many of the great denominations put on a drive for money, that landed them tenfold worse in debt than ever.   All this and much more has come upon us by attempting to run our spiritual and religious work along the lines of the wisdom of the world.

     The question before us is how to meet this decline and falling away in the churches.   A Brotherhood who will meet in each church for prayer and study of the Word?   Such a movement would enable the brethren to study the great truths as to the church and her glorious sovereign place under her Head Christ.   Such a strong prayerful movement would be of inestimable value to the pastors.

     No true pastor wants to assume the role of suggesting everything needing attention in the church.   In fact, the members are in a better position to know and to speak of matters, than the pastor.   Such a movement would be of great value to the church spiritually.

     We have in print, a pastor's manual.   I do not see why we should not have a book of suggestions and helps for church members as well.   In Many instances, matters come up in churches, in the absence of the pastor, which can be attended to by the church, if the members will take hold and do it.

     In my travels and visits to churches, I prefer always that the pastor be present.   However, at times I have had to visit churches when the pastor was not available.   In such cases, what a relief it was to have some of the members take the initiative and help out.   In a few cases I found the members more or less embarrassed, because they were inexperienced.

     God intends that every active member of the church of Christ, shall in some way be a living, practical member.   Everyone has a place, an important place, and should realize it, and seek to function in his or her place.   In its spiritual sense, the church is not an organization, but an organism, a body, and every member is connected with every other member, and all have one and the same Head, Christ.

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     REVIVAL--Cascade Missionary Baptist Church of Terrebonne, Oregon will be holding a revival meeting the last week in this month.   Elder Clyde Jones will be preaching the meeting.   Please remember this meeting in your prayers.   Pray that the Lord will bless in a mighty way and many souls will be saved and added unto the church, like on the day of Pentecost.

     Ella Grove Baptist Church, of Glennville, Georgia will be sponsoring a missionary , Elder Gordon Wiegold, to go to Australia.   This editor has known Brother Wiegold for several years now and knows first hand how the Lord has blessed his preaching, of the Word, with results.   If you would like him to present his burden, for the work in Australia, to your church, you may contact this paper at the E-Mail address below, and I will be more than happy to put you in touch with his sending church.

Letters To The Editor

     "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3)

     "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" (Romans 3:23)

     "For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not." (Ecclesiastes 7:20)

     "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." (Isaiah 64:6)

     "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9)

     "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." (Isaiah 53:6)

     "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:   Not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:8,9)

     "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all." (James 2:10)

     "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." (Proverbs 14:12)

     "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:6)

     "Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation." (II Corinthians 6:2)

     "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" (Mark 8:36)

     "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." (Isaiah 1:18)

     "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.   For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." (Romans 10:9,10)

     Mrs. Jacob Rexroat,
Fonthill, KY.

     Folks if you want to respond to something you have read in "Baptist Landmarks" please E-Mail your response to edit@BaptistLandmarks.org   Your response will be printed here.

     I would like to have a cartoon in each issue if possible.   If there is someone reading this paper who can draw cartoons that will cause us to laugh at the foolish things we sometimes do and cause us to think of how we could better serve our Savior, please E-Mail me and let me know.

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