ORGANIZING FOR REVIVAL WORK – REV. LEN G. BROUGHTON

To have a successful revival in any community, whether city, village, or country, there is needed a certain amount of organization. The fact is, nothing goes well to-day without organization. I know a man who represented his district in Congress four consecutive sessions, and never had any kind of organization and never made a speech in the district. He simply would announce himself a candidate, and that was the end of it so far as his work was concerned. But this was a long time ago. In that same district to-day, if that man desired to go to Congress he would have to organ­ize his forces into one large club, and it would be divided into smaller clubs, and they would split up into still smaller bands, and these divide up into per­sonal workers. This would be necessary to find every voter in the district. I saw a statement some years ago to the effect that during one presidential campaign there could not be found a single doubtful voter who had not been seen by somebody with reference to his Vote. What thorough organization these politicians have! And what a lesson the church to-day ought to get from studying their methods. Jesus Christ him­self was a man of organization. He had His disciples and then divided them up and sent them out two by two.

Not long after I entered the ministry I went to a certain town to hold a series of meetings. It was one of those good Southern towns, the inhabitants of which banked on aristocracy and fed their souls upon the glory of departed days. They had never known what it was to be spiritually warm. The first night I was there I preached to a great audience. That was in my early ministry, when I made many propositions. The first one I made that night was for anyone to stand who wanted prayers offered for his friends. As soon as I made it a little boy got up and walked out into the aisle, where he stood looking me square in the face. I said: “God bless you, little man!” and he sat down. I then asked anyone who wanted the prayers of God’s people to rise. That boy got up in the aisle again and looked me in the face, and again I said: “God bless you!” I asked if there was anybody pres­ent who was willing to accept Jesus. That boy stood up again and looked me in the face, and again I said: “ God bless you!’’ Nobody else stood up that night, and I began to think I had struck the hardest and cold­est crowd I had ever run up against.

The next night I preached as hard as I knew how to sinners and, when I finished, I asked anybody who wanted to be prayed for to stand up. That same little rascal popped out into the aisle as he had done the night before and stood looking at me till I saw him, and said, “God bless you!” I thought I’d vary the thing a little, so I asked if anybody present was will­ing to come forward and give me his hand as an indi­cation that he would accept Jesus. That same boy came shuffling out of his seat, straight down the aisle, and gave me his hand. I saw smiles on the faces of some in the congregation. Nobody but the boy showed any interest, and I went off somewhat dis­heartened. The third night I preached, and when I asked all who wanted prayer to rise, that boy popped out into the aisle. The people had begun to regard it as a joke, and they nudged each other with their elbows, while a broad smile flared from one side of the house to the other. When I asked anybody who was willing to accept Jesus to come and give me his hand, that boy came, and the congregation smiled broader than before, and some actually tittered. After the meeting the deacons came to me and told me that the boy must be stopped, as he was a half-idiot, and was throwing a damper on the meeting. I said “Stop nothing! How are you going to throw a damper on an ice-house?’’

For the whole of that week the boy was the only per­son in the house who showed any interest in the meet­ing. Then he wanted to join the church. The pastor was absent, and I was to open the doors of the church. I said: “Look here, brethren, I want to take this responsibility on my hands. I’m going to put that boy on you, and if you choose to reject him, his blood be on your hands. ’ ’ At the conclusion of the morning service, I invited all who desired to unite with the church to come forward. That boy came. I asked him if he had accepted Christ for his personal Savior. That’s all I ever ask. He said he had. “Brethren,’’ said I, “you hear what this boy has to say. What will you do with him?’’ An ominous silence fell on the congregation. After a time, from way back by the door, I heard a muffled and rather surly, “I move he be received.’’ Another painful silence followed, and then from the middle of the church I heard a muffled, “I second the motion. ” When I put the motion about half a dozen members voted “Aye” in a tone so low that it seemed as if they were scared. I gave the boy the right hand of Christian welcome awaiting baptism, and then dismissed the congregation.

The next day the boy went out to see his old grand­father, a man whose whitened head was blossoming for the grave, and whose feet were taking hold upon the shifting sands of eternity. “Grandfather,” said he, “won’t you go to church with me to-night and hear that preacher?” We always feel kindly towards those who are afflicted, you know, and we are willing to please them; so the old man agreed to go.

That night I saw the boy and the old man sitting away back near the door. When the sermon was fin­ished one of the members of the church arose and said: “I have a request to make. We have with us to-night Mr. Blank, one of the oldest and most respected citizens, but he is out of Christ. I want special prayer offered for this, my special friend.” With that he laid his hand upon the head of the old man, down whose furrowed cheeks the tears were streaming. The next night I saw the old man sitting half way down the aisle. When all who wanted to accept Jesus were invited to come forward and give me their hand, I saw the half-idiotic boy coming down the aisle leading the old man by the hand.

That little boy’s father kept a saloon. The follow­ing day the child went there, and climbing up over the high counter, he peeped down upon his father and said: “Papa, won’t you go to church with me to-night to hear that preacher?” “You get out of here, child, go out of here,” said the father; “don’t you know you mustn’t come in here?”

Strange, strange, how fathers will keep places into which their children cannot go!

“But, papa,” continued the boy, “won’t you go to church with me to-night?” “Yes, I’ll go, but you get out of here.”

That night the man came with the half-idiot boy and sat about where the old man had sat the night before. When I asked all who would accept Christ to come for­ward, he walked down the aisle and gave me his hand. He asked if he could make a statement, and when I said “Yes,” he faced the congregation and said: “My friends, you all know me, and I want to say that so long as I live I will never sell another drop of whisky, for I have given my heart to God to-night, and from this day forward I propose to serve Him.” The meet­ing warmed up at last, the town was set on fire for God, every saloon-keeper was converted, and every saloon for seven miles in the country was closed and the keeper was converted to God. This experience taught me a valuable lesson at the very beginning of my min­istry, and I thank God for every blessing that has come to me through the exercise of it till this day.

HOW SHALL WE ORGANIZE?

Of course, every man has his method and every community will have to vary according to the local conditions. But, generally speaking, I would insist first of all upon at least a week of united prayer on the part of the church or the general movement which may be made up of any number of churches. Let the burden of the prayer be for the enduement of power for the workers, and guidance of the Holy Spirit in the details of the work. I would suggest at these meetings of prayer that special Bible studies directed to the deepening of the spiritual life of the Christians, and the salvation of the souls of the unsaved, and the Holy Spirit’s work, be given.

After this week of prayer on the part of the church or the group of churches, let the church or general movement appoint a general committee, making it large enough to meet the emergency and yet not so large as to be cumbersome. This committee is to carry on for a week a series of cottage prayer-meet­ings. This can be done in country districts as easily almost as in cities or villages. By this committee the territory is to be divided and a superintendent appointed for each division. Then he will group around him a certain number of men and women who will agree to stand by the meetings, from house to house, rain or shine. The homes of the rich as well as of the poor are to be taken in and every section at all in touch with the church or churches should be cov­ered in this way. At these cottage meetings not only should there be Bible-study along the lines already suggested for the week of prayer by the church or churches, and not only have prayer for the work and the workers, but a carefully prepared list of the unsaved and the backsliders and all lukewarm Chris­tians should be taken. At the close of this week of prayer, which will be seen to have been also a week of the very best advertisement and of gathering statistics concerning the very matter that is desired in the meet­ing which is to be held, these names, taken by these workers in their respective meetings throughout the various sections of the community, are to be turned over to the chairman of the cottage meetings, who will carefully arrange them to be used by the workers when the meeting proper has begun.

THE REVIVAL STARTS

Now, then, when this preparation has been made, we will suppose the meeting to begin on Sunday. At the first general service of the meeting the preacher or evangelist in charge would find it greatly to the advantage of the meeting to have an after meeting for the purpose of conferring with and further organizing the workers. The pastor or pastors connected with the. work should then appoint as many special personal workers, both men and women, as will be needed to thoroughly look after the work in the church or place where the meeting is held. Of course, those who have already been in the organization would do good work in this capacity. What he wants is workers whose sympathies are thoroughly enlisted and who are filled with the Spirit.

I would say in an ordinary church meeting there should be from fifty to a hundred men, and the same number of women, appointed to do this work. A chairman is to be selected for each group. They are then to be assigned to their places throughout the audience. Try as far as possible to put them within ten feet of each other. – The chairmen of these groups will of course be expected to keep the number up to the point of necessity. If more are needed, they must find more. If some drop out others must take their places. These men and women are expected to bring their Bibles, and are to be given instructions as to how vo use them in pointing the unsaved to Christ. After the sermon, when an effort is made to reach the unsaved, these workers thus arranged are able to begin at once doing personal work. When someone stands up or comes forward confessing Jesus, they are in close enough touch to reach him and give him a handshake and a hearty, “God bless you!” furnish him with a card, obtain his name and address and perhaps his church preference.

Thus organized, the meeting will always move with smoothness from start to finish. Meanwhile, the list of names of the unsaved and lukewarm is being looked after by the chairman of the cottage committee and these cottage workers, who obtained them, are of course expected to see to it that those obtained by them come to church and are reached if possible.

OBJECTIONS ANSWERED

Now, in this connection, it seems to me to be proper to give the workers a list of objections that they will most assuredly have to meet in doing their personal work. The following arrangement, which I invariably use in meetings, will be found very helpful.

1. Not such a sinner.

Rom. 3: 23—“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. ’ ’

1 John 1:8—“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”

John 3: 18—“He that believeth on Him is not con­demned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

2. Not good enough.

Mark 2: 17—“When Jesus heard it, He saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the phy­sician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.’’

3. Got too much to give up.

Matt. 16:25-28—“For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.’’

     4. Inconsistency of others.

Luke 13: 3—“I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. ’ ’

Rom. 14: 12—“So then everyone of us shall give account of himself to God.’’

5. Can’t hold out.

“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

5. Afraid He won’t save me.

Rev. 22:17—“And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that lieareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.’’

5. Time enough yet.

Prov. 27:1—“Boast not thyself of to-morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.”

CLOSING UP THE MEETING

In closing up the meeting there is nothing that I know of that will be so helpful to Christian workers, and, indeed, to all concerned, as a sort of spiritual love­feast, a meeting of testimony. The workers who have been blessed in the meeting will readily respond, and many who have been saved will be glad to testify, and the church or group of churches conducting the work will find themselves greatly uplifted and all ready to settle down to the business of training and developing themselves into still further usefulness.

SINGING

I have said nothing about the music. This is no small part of a revival. There is nothing that equals spiritual, devotional singing. I would always have if possible a chorus choir, and secure the very best leader possible. If I could not get a good soloist and congre­gational leader combined, I would do without the solo, although where this combination can be found a good devotional solo now and then will be found very, very helpful. There should always be plenty of song-books or card-slips, which can easily be prepared for the occasion, and everybody should be urged to take part in the singing.

SACRED LITERATURE

I have also found that it works well in a meeting of this character for the church or churches engaging in the work to provide a good selection of sacred liter­ature. Such books as are furnished by the Colportage Library Association [Editor’s Note: this organization no longer exists – perhaps a local church can assist] will be found exceedingly helpful, not only to the meeting while it is in progress, but to the good of the work when the meeting is over. These books are very cheap, and people can easily be induced to buy them. Let them be sold practically at cost, or make the usual profit and let the money go to some definite work of charity in the community, or to the general expenses of the revival movement. It is not the money that we are trying to make, it is the good we want to establish in a permanent way by sacred literature.