him, but one couldn't expect the Lord's work always to be easy; and
the large majority looked to him as children to a father. There were
elders as well as deacons in the church now, and when he presided at
their meetings and looked over the group, his own spiritual children
now taking their places as leaders in the church, his heart just
melted. True, they were a bit hesitant about going ahead, and always
consulted him before making plans, but that was only natural and
right. After all, they had only a few years' experience in the church
and couldn't be expected to know how best to govern the House of God.
Indeed, several times he had found it necessary to put his foot down
when one of them, a little less experienced and more reckless than the
others, had advanced his own ideas of how church affairs should be
managed. But he had soon subsided and realized his mistake. What a
happy family the church was, indeed, with everything working out just
as he had planned it! Truly God was good!
* * * * *
At the time when Mr. Beaver went to his new station and began putting
his magnificent plans into effect, another worker was sent, in the
same way, to a new area. Mr. Trainer was perhaps not so dynamic an
individual, but he knew just as clearly what his plans were for the
church that was as yet unborn. "The church, which is his body"--the
Body of Christ! The Church which is, through the indwelling Christ,
the light of the world! The Church, where each member is in vital
contact with the Head, and so, necessarily, is in vital contact with
every other member! The Church, each member of which is indwelt by the
Holy Spirit, and each member of which feels his responsibility to live
and witness for the One who means all in all to him! The church Mr.
Trainer wanted to plant was a church which was all this--a church
which was a living plant, with its roots going down into God; a
church which did not look to the missionary, or any other man, for its
needs, but which was centered upon Christ; a church which would be
given "gifts" by the Holy Spirit, and would be able to use those gifts
to the edifying of itself, and the bringing of souls into the kingdom.
Mr. Trainer, like Mr. Beaver, went to the central city of his area and
located on a main street. His "compound" was a tiny rented house, with
a pocket-handkerchief-size courtyard. He did no building at all, and
his few rooms were sparsely furnished. Boo
|