4/25/54

What Shall I Do Now?

Scripture: Acts 9: 1-20

Text: Acts 9: 6; “.. Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?”

After the good news of Christ’s coming, of his ministry of salvation, his death and his resurrection, as related in the gospels of the New Testament, comes the story of the Acts of his apostles. They had met Jesus; they had been converted and convinced; they had been trained through close association with him. Now what were they to do? It did not take long for them to be hard at work in the Master’s business. And new converts went to work, too. One of them was Saul of Tarsus, who had been a terror in persecution. But we have read and re-read the story of his call and conversion. While on the way to Damascus to round up more of the Christians for punishment, he saw the light. His first question was, “Who art thou, Lord?” and his second question was, “Lord, what wilt thou have me do?”

When one (1) believes in Jesus Christ, (2) accepts him as his Master, (3) joins his church, one is not alone interested in a mere philosophy of religion, or in the completion of a “course;” but one in interested immediately in a philosophy of service. The greatest work of the church of Christ is the extension of his kingdom. And once we have known his affection, we are led to activity with him.

Is joining the church an end in itself? Or is it a means to an end? Some seem to suppose that it is an end. A woman once said to Dr. John Timothy Stone, “Now that my boy has joined the church, he will surely be safe for life.” “Don’t you believe it,” said Dr. Stone; “He has only started.” Good decisions, and good starts, must be followed with more decisions and continued performance.

Billy Graham is occasionally told, as was Billy Sunday, that his revival efforts won’t last. And he likes to reply with Billy Sunday’s quip: “Neither does a bath -- but it does you good to take one.” And I suppose one might add the word “regularly.”

There is a sense in which those young folk who have been through a class in training for church membership, and all others who have reached a decision to be baptized and to join a church, can be said to have “graduated.” But “graduated” is not nearly so accurate a word as “promoted.” To the six-year-old, getting his final report card of the year, it is less significant that he has been “graduated” from the first grade than that he is “promoted” to the second grade. For now he can go to work at a more advanced level. “Graduation” from high school is less significant than the “commencement” of the more mature activities of living that the student enters.

And so it is that “confirmation,” or joining a church, or a conversion -- these experiences are not ends of themselves or “an arrival” so much as they are a beginning of more effective Christian faith and service. Joining a church, and then stopping there, would be like matriculating at college -that is enrolling in a college -- and then stopping there, as if a young fellow received his diploma simply by entering! His very matriculation implies a long and steady and purposeful course of study. And even the course of study is not an end in itself, but a means of fitness for lifetime service.

To grow “in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man,” [Luke 2: 52], to be effective as the Christian one professes to want to be, one needs to continue regularly and faithfully at worship, and to enter into the activities and efforts of the Christian church enterprise. According to one’s age, interest and talents, one should become a part of the life of the church in its youth program its men’s and women’s fellowships, its music, its educational work in church school, vacation classes, youth leadership, its boards and committees and correspondence, and so on. And one will be interested, will he not, in bringing others into the joy of the fellowship and service of Christ.

I am told that, among many of the Korean Christian folk, one of the qualifications for full membership in the church, in addition to all this preparation, and consecration, their baptism and their desire for membership, is that the candidate for membership must win at least one other! And is not even that only a beginning of the passion to win others to the joy of Christian living and the deep satisfaction of Christian service?

Ideally, every single member of a church should be at work in some phase, or several phases, of its work. It was so in the early church! Some, if they had the gift for it, preached the good news. Others were teachers, if they had a gift for that. Some were exhorters. Some arranged to transport the offerings of those who could share to those who needed that sharing, until they could get on their feet. Some trained the catechumens for months and years. Others went out to distant places to help establish the new churches. They were a busy lot!

When Saul received the light on his way that transformed him from a hater of the Christians to a lover of Christ, his very next question, after he heard the appeal of Jesus, was “Lord, what wilt thou have me do?” And then he did it; and kept on doing the will of Christ in ceaseless activity for the rest of his life.

It is an interesting fact that we go through the Lenten season to Easter as though all of its spiritual devotion and its holy week with Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and then Easter, were the climax, the peak of Christian experience. They are indeed high level experiences. But, once again, they are not ends. To the first Christians they were but beginnings.

It was from the hour of Christ’s resurrection that a magnificent minority, with the Master’s matchless message, regrouped themselves in his service and went ahead with his and their mission. The assurance that he lived with them became a kind of marching order to claim the world for Christ.

It was not long after the resurrection that some of the disciples conversed with Jesus, and one of them said rather naively, “Lord, is it now that you plan to set up your earthly Kingdom?” [Acts 1: 6]. Jesus looked at him, with what might have been great disappointment, and said: “Your part is to witness unto me beginning at Jerusalem (right in the city) and in all Judea, (all over the state) and to the uttermost part of the earth” (all the world). He never directly answered the question. Perhaps he believed that if anyone had so completely missed the meaning of his ministry, his crucifixion and his resurrection as to ask, “Lord, do you now plan to set up your physical kingdom?” any answer would go unheeded. So he said, “Your part is to witness unto me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and to the uttermost part of the earth.” [Acts 1: 8].

After Easter, what? After confirmation, what? Having taken the step of joining a church, what do I do now? And having been lifted to the height of the greatest day in the Christian year, where do I go from here? Well, ask, as Paul asked, “What will you have me to do, Lord?” And then be about it.

A little discussion went on in our family about the Biblical injunction to carry forward some good action “without letting your left hand know what your right hand is doing.” [Matthew 6: 3]. Many folk accomplish a great deal of good in merciful acts, generous moves, deeds of Christian compassion and friendliness -- all carried on quietly and effectively without any trumpeting or fanfare. But it is also true in some lives (and in all lives some of the time) that the reason the right hand knoweth not what the left hand doeth is that the left hand doeth naught to speak of! So one member of our household quipped: “Yes, ‘let not your right hand know what your left hand does;’ but see that it does it.”

We are to witness -- in the several ways open to our several capacities. Let us be about it promoting and proclaiming the same message that was Peter’s, James’, and John’s --- the same mission that was Paul’s.

Long before the Christian era, back in a day when Jerusalem was coming into its glory, and the people of Israel were struggling to maintain their position in world affairs, King David had a son, Absalom, who was an insurrectionist. Absalom wanted to claim his father’s throne; and he had a number of friends who would help him put over the revolution. You remember the story of the decisive battle and how Absalom lost his life --- partly because the grizzled captain of David’s forces thought it just as well to be rid of the young trouble-maker. But for David it was an empty victory and he wept and lamented over the son Absalom. [II Samuel 18]. The Oberlin college choir sang a setting of David’s lament most effectively when they appeared here nine days ago.

Perhaps you recall the story well enough to remember that the commanding officer who had to send the message to David, that his son had been killed in battle, had two runners whom he could send. He must choose one or the other. They were Ihimmyaz and Cushi. Ihimmyaz could run faster than Cushi, but unfortunately he never got his messages straight. Cushi was slower, but could be depended on to report word for word the message given to him.

They could not put the message in writing for fear it might fall into enemy hands. It had to be memorized, and Ihimmyaz couldn’t memorize. So the commander sent for Cushi. The heart of Ihimmyaz was broken, and he wanted to run anyway. He could take the long way around and still get there before Cushi. But the commander said, “Wherefore shouldest thou run, seeing that thou hast no message?” A messenger must have a message!

As Christians, we have a gospel to proclaim. And it must be proclaimed not only from the pulpits of churches, but from the pews as well. As Christians we have a united responsibility to witness unto Christ, beginning where we live - (at our Jerusalem); and where we work in our community and state (in our Samaria); and to the ends of the earth.

On the day of Pentecost, when Peter preached a sermon of such powerful spiritual appeal, the whole crowd inquired, “Peter, what must we do to be saved?” “What must we do?” Peter said first, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Christ.” That is essential to our message too. There is a sense of guilt in this world, that rebukes our self-righteousness. And we of this land share that guilt with others. Little by little - and how we need to speed it up! - the race hatreds that have cursed the world promise to yield. They must yield, or the same dark despair that plagued former years will continue in the hearts of one group or the other.

Peter and John went everywhere preaching. They were, at length, arrested and taken for trial to the same court that tried Jesus. They were told that no harm would come to them, if they kept their mouths shut. Peter said: “We are to obey God rather than men.” So it is with us. We have a message of obedience to the will of God and we ought to obey God rather than men.

While Dwight Eisenhower was in command of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, he said to a visiting congressman in Europe: “The world is now making up its mind whether it believes that a man has an immortal soul or not.” And that’s a very important decision for men to make because, if they believe in their immortal souls, their philosophy of life will differ vastly from that of those who believe themselves to be no more than refined animals.

We have been through Lent and Holy Week. Some of us have joined the church this season; and others of us have renewed our devotion to, and through, the church. We have been to the height of an Easter day. Now what?

The popular magazines have a technique in carrying serial stories. Each new issue will give a brief synopsis of the story as it has been told thus far. Then they print: “Now, to go on with the story.” Well, that is it: now, to go on with the story!

Let us write our chapter in the story of living and proclaiming the Gospel. Let it be done with heart and hand; with mind and will; with voice and pen; with soul and strength. And let us make the church strong for this our task and our opportunity.

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Delivered in Wisconsin Rapids, April 25, 1954.