Plain Talk Vol.4, No.1, Pg.8 - Cedar Park Church of Christ

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Vol. 4, No. 10
December, 1967

Stuff About Things

What happens when a few members of a congregation are zealous, anxious to learn, develop a keen perception of needs and are anxious to supply them, read a lot and keep up with the trends about them; and the rest of the members are asleep??

Well, a lot of things could result. The few could be branded as a clique, trying to run the church. They could develop into a clique, running the church roughshod over the rest. They could become the spark that awakens the rest, or a reasonable facsimile of the rest, to new life and vigor. They could pull off in disgust, and start another congregation -- branding the first group as a "bunch of dead-heads, never going to do anything" -- in which case the "deadheads" could go to work and out-do the new group - "just to show them." It is amazing what brethren will do to satisfy their pride, that they will not do for the Lord.

It is even possible that the lead question was framed by one of the "few" -- with a biased (even though honest) appraisal of the situation. The "dead-heads" could be solid citizens who oppose some "way-out" ideas of judgement or interpretation which the few have, or oppose "marching" beyond that which is written.
But on the basis of the first analysis given, what is the solution? The few could stop growing and just go to sleep with the rest. The dead have a "unity" of sort, and for a time. Or, the few could spark a revival -- demonstrating the power of salt. We talk so much about the power of evil to leaven (1 Cor. 5:6-f) that we sometimes forget the leavening power of truth and right. (Matt. 5:13-16)

We say the few have grown, but they may need to grow more, know more. They may need to learn patience, or steadfastness. It may be they have not learned the essence of togetherness, as set forth in 1 Cor. 12:21-26. (1) Our need for one-another; (2) Appreciation for the value of others; (3) Sympathetic love and concern for all; and (4) Fellowship in sharing.

Finally: there always have been and always will be a few who truly are advanced in zeal, perception, learning, and willingness to work. But only a few of them develop the precious ability to take others with them. God grant willingness to learn, and ability to "teach others also."

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What happens when a few members of a congregation are zealous, anxious to learn, develop a keen perception of needs and are anxious to supply them, read a lot and keep up with the trends about them; and the rest of the members are asleep?? Well, a lot of things could result. The few could be branded as a clique, trying to run the church. They could develop into a clique, running the church roughshod over the rest. They could become the spark that awakens the rest, or a reasonable facsimile of the rest, to new life and vigor. They could pull off in disgust, and start another congregation -- branding the first group as a "bunch of dead-heads, never going to do anything" -- in which case the "deadheads" could go to work and out-do the new group - "just to show them." It is amazing what brethren will do to satisfy their pride, that they will not do for the Lord. It is even possible that the lead question was framed by one of the "few" -- with a biased (even though honest) appraisal of the situation. The "dead-heads" could be solid citizens who oppose some "way-out" ideas of judgement or interpretation which the few have, or oppose "marching" beyond that which is written.		But on the basis of the first analysis given, what is the solution? The few could stop growing and just go to sleep with the rest. The dead have a "unity" of sort, and for a time. Or, the few could spark a revival -- demonstrating the power of salt. We talk so much about the power of evil to leaven (1 Cor. 5:6-f) that we sometimes forget the leavening power of truth and right. (Matt. 5:13-16) We say the few have grown, but they may need to grow more, know more. They may need to learn patience, or steadfastness. It may be they have not learned the essence of togetherness, as set forth in 1 Cor. 12:21-26. (1) Our need for one-another; (2) Appreciation for the value of others; (3) Sympathetic love and concern for all; and (4) Fellowship in sharing. Finally: there always have been and always will be a few who truly are advanced in zeal, perception, learning, and willingness to work. But only a few of them develop the precious ability to take others with them. God grant willingness to learn, and ability to "teach others also." [Previous Article] [Number 11]