Truth Magazine

By Dorris V. Rader

The fact that it pays to advertise is well known by all successful businessmen in the business world. Could it be that this is one area in which quite often “the children of this world are wiser in their generation than the children of light” (Luke 16:8)? As popular as Coca-Cola is, they still feel that it pays to advertise. Without a doubt this is one reason for the common knowledge of this beverage. One preacher, on a preaching tour of another continent, stated that he found more people who had heard of Coca-Cola than had ever heard of Jesus Christ. Good advertising gets good results.

By the term advertising, I mean publicizing, making an appeal in behalf of what we are endeavoring to do and seeking to encourage people to attend. I do not believe that advertising in the fullest sense is accomplished by merely posting a sign that includes the words “Gospel Meeting,” the date, time and speaker. That says something to be sure, but does it fully advertise the meeting? How many people who see this statement really have a proper concept of what a gospel meeting is?

One preacher, who preaches in a number of meetings each year, related to me about preaching in a meeting which he felt had been kept a closely guarded secret. It seems that even other congregations in the town were not made aware that the meeting was being held. Announcements had been made only from the local pulpit. Beyond this, nobody had bothered to noise it abroad. Needless to say, the meeting was poorly attended. Most likely, some of the brethren felt that they had selected the wrong man for the meeting. The preacher likely felt that his time would have been better spent somewhere else. I am sorry to say that at times, some brethren appear to feel that we have no responsibility beyond seeing that we have some preaching in our building from time to time. If people are as interested as they should be, they will find out about this and come. If they don’t, then we have done all that is expected of us. After all, we tell ourselves, “you can’t make people come “

What to do about advertising a meeting is discussed at least annually in most “men’s business meetings.” Frequently, the matter of advertising is passed over with very little thought. The question may be raised as to who will see that the newspapers get an announcement of our meeting. And maybe brother Blank will finally say, “well I guess I can see to that.” Then, someone may ask if it would be agreeable with all to pay the preacher the same amount we paid last year (and the year before that and so on). That sounds good enough to everybody and so we are now ready for our annual big meeting. Admittedly, this may be a somewhat overdrawn picture in many cases, but I strongly suspect that many will hear a familiar note in the above. And frankly, if men in the business world operated with such little forethought and prudence in their secular business, there would be far more failed businesses than we now see. The consequences of failed spiritual endeavors are far greater than those of our secular affairs. Are you listening?

Surely, it is the part of wisdom to use various media opportunities to let the community know what we are offering through such efforts as our gospel meetings. Attractive newspaper ads and articles may be most helpful. Television and radio spots may be and should be used most effectively. But let us not salve our consciences by relying solely on these as fulfilling our responsibility to let the community know about our efforts. There is much more to really advertising a gospel meeting.

A number of years ago I read an enlightening report in the Eastland News, the bulletin of the Eastland church in Nashville, Tennessee (Aug. 18, 1966). Visitors during their meeting had been given a visitor’s card which asked how they came to know about the meeting. The results were tabulated from the cards in order to evaluate the various forms of advertising done prior to that particular meeting. Below you can see the results of that study.

Personal invitation from members 56%

Announcement of other congregations 30%

Letters and cards from members 22%

Eastland News (bulletin) 21%

Daily newspaper 17%

Other congregations (bulletins) 4%

Sign in the yard 3%

The above information should stimulate us to put more on the personal contact method of advertising. Armed with the above evidence, the church where I now preach decided, on one occasion, to rely exclusively on the personal contact method. The membership was informed that all the advertising would be done on that basis. Cooperation was truly outstanding. The results were most gratifying. We had the best attended meeting ever, with more visitors than any previous effort. The personal aspect had been the difference. We all know this to be the case, but we do not always make proper use of it. Am I advocating that congregations abandon the use of news-paper, radio, television, and other forms of advertising? Not at all. By all means, make full use of these with attractive, carefully worded messages. But we all know what works best. Even realtors will tell you that their best advertisement comes through personal contacts with satisfied customers. Without the personal advertisements, we lose so much that could otherwise be gained.

While writing this article, I received an invitation to a “special sale” of new and used automobiles. It caught my attention and I found myself seriously considering attending this sale. Now, I had known for some time that I really needed to consider replacing my present “experienced car.” I asked myself just why I had considered this sale, when every day I see car dealers advertisements in the paper and “for sale” signs on individual cars and pay very little attention to them? The answer hit me. This one was a “personal invitation” from the dealer. He had called me by name, and stated that he was not placing any ads about this sale in the papers or on the air waves. It was all by personal invitation. A few of us who had been invited were requested to bring our “invitations” with us to get in for this special sale. Ah, that was it! These people were taking an interest in me. Now, of course I know they had something to profit from it. But, it didn’t hurt at all to know that I had been personally invited. You see how it works when people show an interest in the individual. Examples of the importance of recognizing the value of the individual could be multiplied from the Scriptures.

Last, but not least, let each of us realize that our daily life is an advertisement of all our efforts as the people of God. Let us so live that others can truly see that we have “been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13). They must see that what we are offering to others is truly the rule in our own life (Phil. 1:27). That, dear brethren, will be effective advertisement of all our gospel efforts. Without this, little will be accomplished by any other type of advertisement. May God help us that what we are daily will magnify Christ and work in conjunction with other efforts to effectively advertise all our meetings, special and any other efforts.

Guardian of Truth XXXVII: 16, p. 14-15
August 19, 1993

By Weldon E. Warnock

Gospel meetings can still be an effective method to save lost souls, as well as edify and motivate the church. Most congregations usually have one or two meetings a year with great evangelists to preach in their protracted efforts. It has been my privilege to have been involved in many of these through the years, both as speaker, and as the local preacher working with congregations in conducting a meeting with a guest preacher.

Vividly, I can remember great meetings with such brethren as Frank Puckett, Homer Halley, Roy Cogdill, James Cope, Foy Wallace, C.D. Plum, H.E. Phillips, Jack McElroy, Luther Blackmon, Marshall Patton, Lloyd Nash, Fred Dennis, and others. Truth was preached and men and women were delivered from the bondage of sin. What these men preached during those days is what the churches need to hear now.

1. We need the old, Jerusalem gospel in gospel meetings. Men are lost in sin. The only remedy is the gospel of Christ. If the day of preaching the pure, unadulterated gospel is outdated, then the day of salvation is outdated. Paul wrote, “It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe” (1 Cor. 1:21). Salvation is contingent upon preaching.

Preaching saves, but not just any kind of preaching. It must be gospel preaching (Mark 16:15-16). Paul said the gospel is the power of God unto salvation (Rom. 1:16). The word “power” is a translation of the Greek word dunamis, from which we get the word “dynamite.” The gospel is, therefore, the dynamite of God, powerful enough to blast sin out of man and man out of sin.

The apostle Paul was cognizant of the fact that the gospel was to be preached in order to save men. He wrote to the Corinthians, “I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; by which ye are saved” (1 Cor. 15:1-2). The glad tidings of salvation was not beneath the dignity of this grand apostle. He wasn’t interested in public acclaim, impressing the intellectuals, or endearing himself to the socially elite, but he was only concerned about preaching Christ and him crucified. “When I came to you, I came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know any thing among you save Jesus Christ, and him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:1-2).

Many have become disenchanted with the old gospel and fascinated with a new gospel. They are enthralled with clichés, sound-bites, trite sayings, scenarios, book and newspaper reviews, stories, accentuating the positive and eliminating the negative, etc., instead of the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. You hear very little Scripture and no analysis of the one or two given. Some of us are simply beating the air in our preaching with no substance. Paul says, “Pre ach the word” (2 Tim. 4:2). Of course, this would include a broad spectrum of biblical subjects.

2. We need to preach a simple gospel. Too many preachers are pre-occupied with the highly intellectual, theological and philosophical approach to preaching. It appears they are full of themselves, trying to demonstrate their much learning. Formal education of preachers is good and beneficial in many ways, but we need to realize it is a tool, a means to an end, and not something that elevates us above others. (Neither should we glory in our ignorance.) Foy Wallace used to say that he had all the degrees necessary to preach the gospel when he was normal  98.6.

Some of us get carried away with Greek and Hebrew. We can’t say a dozen words without going into the original language. I commend a brother who knows Greek and Hebrew. It is most helpful. But to give us a course in foreign languages every time he preaches is a little much. Marshall Keeble was in a debate many years ago with a sectarian preacher. The preacher resorted to the Greek. Keeble hardly knew anything about Greek. He asked for all in the audience who knew Greek to raise their hands. No hands went up. Keeble looked at his opponent and said, “We better stick with the English  something our audience is acquainted with.” Brother Keeble knew how to simplify truth.

Jesus was the master teacher. Much of his preaching was with one and two syllable words and the common people heard him gladly. He employed illustrations of which his hearers were familiar. We would do well in imitating Him. (Even the meat of the gospel can be preached with clarity.) I hear brethren talking about component parts and constituent elements to “prove” a position. If it requires all this kind of mental calisthenics to understand truth, many of us am in trouble.

Some of the old-timers used to say that they like to shuck and shell the corn in order that the calves could eat it. I recall a statement attributed to Fred Dennis. He said that Jesus told Peter to feed his sheep  not his giraffes. Paul wrote that Christ sent him “to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect” (1 Cor. 1:17).

3. We need to preach a certain gospel. Let us proclaim facts, not theories, certainties and not doubts. Truth can be understood (John 7:17; 8:32; Eph. 3:3-4; 1 John. 2:21). Preach it with conviction! Act like we believe it!

Many times preachers raise questions and never give any answers. The audience leaves the meeting bewildered. What has happened to the bold statement in sermons: “The Bible says”? Some of us would rather quote Shakespeare, Freud, Billy Graham, Charles Stanley, Charles Swindoll or Pat Robertson than the God of heaven. Shame on us! What do these men know about going to heaven. They don’t have the words of life!

Let’s preach with certainty that there is only one way to be saved, one church, one faith, one baptism, one inerrant, inspired Bible, one Lord, one pattern for worship, one organization of the church, and one absolute moral code. Preach it, brother, and not this general, “tip-toe-through-the tulips” type of preaching that resembles a pep talk before the big game in the NCAA finals.

People need to know they are lost if they have not obeyed the gospel. They need to be brought face to face with their sins. When the people on Pentecost heard Peter, they were pricked in their hearts (Acts 2:37). A lot of preaching being done today wouldn’t nettle anybody. When we preach about improving our self-image and making alien sinners and erring saints feel good about themselves, we are being stupid, to put it bluntly.

W. Curtis Porter wrote several years ago, “Preaching that is not distinctive enough to make the lost realize they are lost is not the kind of preaching it takes to save men. Whenever an unfaithful brother, one guilty of sins against the high heaven, or with an ungodly attitude toward the word of the Lord can sit under a man’s preaching without feeling any discomfort or alarm, there is probably something wrong with the preaching. The man needs to be blasted with the gospel dynamite till he can see his lost condition. As long as your preaching allows him to feel secure in his sins he will not likely be redeemed from his sinful state” (Gospel Advocate). Brother Porter was right. Some think his remarks are from the back-waters of ignorance, prejudice and intolerance, but such thinking shows just how little these modem neophytes know about the gospel and the way to preach it.

This loose attitude toward truth lurks in the shadows in many places, if not brazenly in the open. I was talking to a young man recently and he rejected examples as binding and necessary inferences as obligatory. To him the only thing that mattered was commands. He maintained that the day and frequency of the Lord’s supper were optional. I asked him if once every ten years would be acceptable? I reminded him that my judgment was as good as his and if I decided that every ten years would be sufficient to observe the Supper, logically and scripturally, if he were correct, I would be right. Dusty Owens has been writing recently that the time and frequency of the Lord’s supper doesn’t matter. In fact, Dusty makes coming to worship in the assembly on any occasion a matter of whether you want to come or not. His thinking is as convoluted as the young man above.

Brethren, it is past time that we get back to preaching the doctrine of Christ in a sure, determinate, definite, decisive, unmistakable, unequivocal and absolute manner. I am disgusted, along with a lot of other brethren, with honey-mouthed men who masquerade as gospel preachers. Success in a gospel meeting is not judged by the hoopla of denominational campaigns. We need sound and healthy doctrine  not a placebo.

4. We need to preach a militant gospel. Foy E. Wallace said, “The church grew when the fight was waged and the battles raged. When the let-up came in the fight, the let-down came in the church. It is said that the denominations do not fight any more. That is because the church has quit fighting and they have nothing to fight” (The Gospel For Today).

Jude wrote, “Ye should earnestly contend for the faith” (v. 3). This is a call to arms, a rousing battle cry. It means to “agonize, straggle.” Too many are forgetting we are engaged in a spiritual war that means life or death (Eph. 6:12; 1 Tim. 1:18; 6:12).

While the devil and his forces are running to and fro over the earth, some of us are joining hands with his cunning agents in compromise and duplicity. Religious error and moral degeneracy should not be allowed to have a safe sanctuary in the church. But regrettably, it does, such as unscriptural marriages, social drinking, immodest dress, no binding examples (although Jesus left us an example to walk in his steps, 1 Pet. 2:21), unity in diversity, instrumental music as a moot issue, and several other things.

First century preachers went out into the world and turned it upside down (Acts 17:6). I can envision some of our present-day “Zig Ziglar’s” in the synagogue at Antioch of Pisidia or amidst the multitudes at Ephesus. In both places they would have won the Chamber of Commerce award. But not Paul. He preached one Lord, one faith, one hope and one God. Should we do less?

Because false teachers still abound in our time, we must be militant. Truth is perverted (Gal. 1:6-10), exchanged for a lie (Rom. 1:25) and withstood (2 Tim. 3:8). Give us men like Joshua, Caleb, Micaiah, Jeremiah, John the Baptist, Stephen and Paul to fight the good fight. We don’t need flatterers, pussyfooters, apple-polishers, men-pleasers and hirelings. We need real, courageous men who preach the gospel out of love for the souls of men and women, boys and girls.

This is the type of preaching that we need in gospel meetings!

Guardian of Truth XXXVII: 16, p. 7-8
August 19, 1993

By Johnie Edwards

Gospel meetings include keeping and feeding the visiting preacher. Where to keep the preacher and what to feed him often becomes a problem with lots of churches. Preachers are easier to keep and feed than most guests you will have in your home. Often the preacher stays with whoever happens to volunteer to keep him. One place I remember going to stands out in my mind. When I arrived the lady of the house said, as I knocked on the door, “Come on in, you are going to stay here. Since we have air conditioning, we got stuck with you.” I knew I was in for a delightful week!

There are usually two extremes in keeping and feeding the preacher. Some go to too much trouble and then there are those who make little or no preparation for a decent place for the preacher to stay.

Where Should We Keep The Preacher?

Shall we keep the preacher in a motel or in a private home? I assure you up front, that with most preachers, they fit right into whatever the local church decides. I have stayed in motels and I have stayed with some of the finest people on earth.

1. Don’ t put the preacher in a place where gossip might start. Often a family will offer to keep the preacher where the man of the house goes off to work early in the morning and the preacher is left alone with the man’s wife during the day. This is not a good arrangement. Some are just looking for something to gossip about and here is a good place to get something started. We must “give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully” (1 Tim. 5:14).

2. Let the preacher know where he will be staying. Sometimes the preacher has no idea where he will be staying until he gets to the place of the meeting. Knowing the place to stay may help the preacher in determining what to bring with him. Some churches wait until the last minute to make preparation for keeping the preacher and the place of stay is not ready for him!

3. Keep the preacher where he can have privacy. Everyone needs privacy whether at home or away. I have stayed in homes where you had to go through someone’s bedroom to get to the bathroom! This is not good. I recall staying in a home where a little boy kept coming into my mom and trying on my ties. If I decided to rest or take a nap, this same little boy would always come into my room and ask, “Mr. Edwards, are you asleep?” I would politely say, “Well not now!”

4. Keep the preacher where the family is comfortable with guests. Some people are nervous when guests are in the house, especially the preacher. I recall being in a home, that, when we sat at the table to eat, the lady of the house made sure that I sat in a certain chair facing a certain wall! Later her husband told me, “You know why my wife made you sit where she did? She made me paint that one wall before you came, so it would look clean?” I was more interested in looking at and eating the food, than the wall. Don’t be up-tight when you keep the preacher. He is only human as you are. Often the children keep the parents upset, afraid they will act-up or say things to embarrass the parents. A little girl set the table, one time, as the preacher was dining with the family and the little girl did not give the preacher any utensils. When the mother asked, “Why no utensils for the preacher?” The little girl replied, “Mother, I heard you say the preacher ate like a pig!” Thank God for honest children. Learn to treat the preacher nice you want to be treated. Jesus said, “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets” (Matt. 7:12).

A Family Who Kept The Preacher

The Bible tells us of a family who kept the preacher in the Old Testament. Please take the time to read these verses: “And it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great woman; and she constrained him to eat bread. And so it was, that as oft as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread. And she said unto her husband. Behold now, I perceive that this is an holy man of God, which passeth by us continually. Let us make a little chamber, I pray thee, on the wall; and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick: and it shall be, when he cometh to us, that he shall turn in thither. And it fell on a day, that he came thither, and he turned into the chamber, and lay them. And he said to Gehazi his servant, call this Shunammite. And when he had called her, she stood before him. And he said unto him, Say now unto her, Behold, thou hast been careful for us with this care; what is to be done for thee? Wouldest thou be spoken for to the king, or to the captain of the host? And she answered, I dwell among mine own people” (2 Kings 4:8-13). A great deal can be learned from this Old Testament story:

1. The Shunammite woman was full of hospitality. Preachers enjoy staying where the people “use hospitality one to another without grudging” (1 Pet. 4:9). This family in 2 Kings understood hospitality.

2. She recognized the Holy Man of God. Preachers need to learn to behave properly when they are guests in the homes of others. Pick up and put up. Make-up the bed and leave the bathroom clean when finished with. Be kind and courteous to the host. Display the spirit of Christ always; practice what we preach is essential on the part of the preacher. Set a good example that the hosts realizes a “holy man of God” is a guest in their home!

3. The preacher felt welcome. Evidently he did, for he kept “turning in thither to eat bread, as he passed by.” When feeding the preacher, let him eat as he deems best. Don’t try to overfeed him or stuff him. Most preachers like to eat and an enjoyable part of a gospel meeting is visiting and eating with the brethren, but don’t overdo it. Eating two meals and perhaps “cake and coffee” after services keeps the preacher so full, that he can hardly breathe, due to being overstuffed! Help the gospel preacher live longer by not insisting that he over-eat!

4. Knowing the needs of a preacher. Preachers need some basic things in the place where they stay. I have stayed in places with no closets, no lights, no chair or table, only a bed! This lady of Shunem recognized the needs of a preacher. She made ready for him, a bed, a table, a stool and a light. Wasn’t she thoughtful? A preacher needs to study everyday (2 Tim. 2:15); so, a table and a chair sure do come in handy, along with good lighting.

5. She showed care and concern. The preacher said, “Behold, thou hast been careful for us with all this care” (2 Kings 4:13). Folks who keep the preacher need to show care and concern. Most of the places I have stayed over the years have done just that. Those who do not know how to show care and concern ought not to be keeping the preacher in the first place.

6. The family expected nothing in return. When Elisha asked, “What is to be done for thee?” The woman said, “I dwell among mine own people.” She was saying, “You don’t owe me a thing; I expect nothing in return for what we have done.” Isn’t that a great attitude? The family who keeps the preacher usually gets far more out of the gospel meeting than anyone else. What better person do you know of being in your home than a dedicated holy man of God? The gospel preacher ought to be a man of knowledge concerning the Word of God. It is a good time to discuss some Bible subjects and ask questions that you have always wanted to ask.

Learn to treat the gospel meeting preacher as you do home folks. He doesn’t expect to be entertained. Just use the regular bed sheets and bath towels. He will sleep better and dry-off easier, than if you buy all new linens.

Preachers need to show appreciation for those who go out of their way to keep them and make them feel comfort-able while away from home.

Guardian of Truth XXXVII: 16, p. 9-10
August 19, 1993

By Donnie V. Rader

Gospel meetings are about preaching the gospel. There-fore, preachers are a vital part of the meeting. The wrong preacher can destroy a meeting while the right one can help make the meeting instructive and edifying.

It is not only important that his sermons be true to the book, but his conduct must be appropriate. His behavior while in the church’s midst can determine how effective his preaching is.

Selecting A Preacher

1. Qualifications. In a broad sense them are only two qualifications for a gospel preacher (2 Tim. 2:2). He must be (a) faithful, that is faithful in his personal life and faithful in his teaching. He must also have (b) the ability to teach. While there are many qualities and characteristics that come under one of these two major qualifications, there two summarize what he must be. If a man meets these two criteria, he is worthy to be used in spreading the gospel, including gospel meetings.

2. Know the man being invited for the meeting. Just as it is important for a local church to know something about the one it is going to accept into fellowship (Acts 9:26), it is important to know something about the man it invites to hold a meeting. Some brethren are so careless about how they determine who to schedule for meetings. Some brother hears a preacher one time or hears some word of commendation about him and he is ready to put him on the schedule. To say the least there would seem to be a lack of wisdom in that.

In this day of a lot of “uncertain sounds” we must be careful in selecting a preacher. There are enough sound men whose lives and teaching are solid that churches do not have to use men whose teaching is questionable. Before inviting a man for gospel meeting, know where he stands and the kind of teaching that he does.

3. Select a man who can best deal with the topics that need to be preached. There are some areas of Bible study that any preacher can cover as well as any other. However, there may be some subjects like evolution that may require finding a man who has done more research than others have done. A study of the home may be better (though not always true) if presented by a man who has many years experience as a husband and father.

4. The preacher doesn’t have to be young, old or even well-known. There are many young men, whose schedules for meetings are far from full, who would do an excellent job in a meeting. They may bring some youth and excitement to the local church. On the other hand, there are many older men who are not used as much as they once were who would present some quality lessons and add some wisdom and maturity at the same time. There are many relatively unknown men who would do an excellent job. The people of the community and some of the Christians wouldn’t know the “well-known” men anyway. This is not to cast off on the well-known with a lot of ability. The reason they are well-known mostly likely is because they are good preachers. The point is that there are others who could also do a good job.

5. A church could use their own preacher in a meeting. One of the advantages of a meeting is that the local church has an opportunity to hear a different preacher with a different style and a different approach. He may be able to accomplish some good that the local man has been unable to do.

However, there may be times (when trying to reach some in the community) that using the local preacher would be helpful. When the members bring a visitor he has an opportunity to hear the preacher he would regularly hear if he came on Sunday. Furthermore, the man he hears would be the one who would probably visit him after the meeting. He is the one he will see in the community, hear on the radio and read after in the local paper or bulletin.

The Preacher’s Conduct

The preacher’s conduct in the meeting can help or hinder the effect of his preaching.

1. In the pulpit. The servant of God must preach the word in season and out (2 Tim. 4:1-4). Yet, he must be gentle (2 Tim. 2:23), kind (Eph. 4:32), treat others the way he would like to be treated (Matt. 7:12) and be considerate of the feelings of others (Phil. 2:4). He can do all of this and still call sin, denominations and false teachers by name.

Yet, his charge to preach doesn’t not give him a license to be rude, offensive and embarrass others. His comments in addition to his preaching can render his sermon ineffective. There will be times that noise makers and those who distract will need to be called down. Mothers who don’t know when to take their babies out may need some advice. (Seldom does that advice coming from the preacher in the pulpit help him or her!) In these cases the preacher needs to ask himself whether his comments or actions in the pulpit will help or destroy the effectiveness of his teaching.

Preachers need to be reminded that they have mounted the pulpit to preach God’s word (2 Tim. 4:2). They are not there to entertain or be cute. He is not there to inform the brethren what his judgment is on all matters. He is a messenger of the word.

2. Where he stays. During the meeting the preacher may stay in a motel. Quite frequently, he will stay with the local preacher or one of the members. While there he must remember that he is a guest. He can make himself at home and still be a courteous guest. It takes very little effort to be neat and orderly. He can make it easy for his hosts to keep him. Even though brethren sometimes treat the visiting preaching like a king he must not act like he is one. To demand the treatment of royalty, like he deserves it, is to become a pain to those who keep him.

Sometimes a preacher can do and say things that make others uncomfortable. He doesn’t have to be the center of attention. He doesn’t have to give his advice on all that he sees. He doesn’t have to correct every mistake he sees in his hosts. As I have traveled in meetings, I have heard brethren tell of preachers they have kept who were rude, inconsiderate and just plain ingrates. A man who is trying to show others the way of God can do better than that.

3. In the homes where he visits and eats. It is customary for some of the members to have the visiting preacher into their home for a meal during the meeting. If the preacher holds many meetings, he will find himself sitting down to more tables that his body needs. It is easy to take this aspect of the brethren’s generosity for granted. He must remember that those who have invited him have put a lot of time and expense into the meal they have prepared for him. With that in mind he certainly can be polite and kind and use common courtesies like “please” and “thank you.” He need not act like it is a path to accept their invitation.

Here, just as in the home where he stays, he must be careful of his comments. His comments, though well-intended, may offend and may be taken as a sign of ingratitude.

The Preacher’s Time

The preacher must be a good steward of his time. How he spends his time during the meeting depends a lot on the plans of the local church and the family he stays with.

1. Use his time for the most good in the kingdom. The visiting preacher has come to help people with the gospel. It would be helpful if the local church would consider how they could use the preacher for the most good during the meeting.

Having morning services takes advantage of his time. He will be there waiting to preach that night. If just ten or twenty people could come it will be time well spent. Having a full-week meeting is another way to use his time. I have held meetings that were Sunday through Wednesday or Friday through Sunday. Those were good meetings. However, it is not any more problem to be gone from the local work two or three more days. I heard of one preacher who closed a meeting on Wednesday and sat in a motel on Thursday and Friday nights waiting to start another meeting Sunday. Those two nights could have been used to spread the gospel.

The preacher may be able teach in some personal studies.

2. Give the preacher time to study. The preacher doesn’t have to be entertained the whole time he is among the brethren. Don’t forget that he needs to study (at least he should) for his sermon each night. Even though he may preach sermons he uses in other meetings, he must have time to refresh his memory. Then, he has sermons and a class to prepare for his work back home. On top of that he may want to spend some time working on special studies or writing articles or books. Many preachers have to work on the road to get all their work done. In fact, this article is being written while I am in a meeting.

3. Give the preacher time to rest. Meetings are tiring for all who are a part. I have been told that if a public speaker speaks enthusiastically for thirty minutes he has exerted the energy of an eight hour work day. Thus, a preacher may need to rest before he speaks. He may need a good night’s rest to feel like preaching the next day. His voice may need a rest.

The preacher and the local church am important to the meeting. Each one should be considerate of the other.

Guardian of Truth XXXVII: 16, p. 5-6
August 19, 1993