Can you see why I am cautious concerning what is taking place? I do not see Jesus Christ and Him crucified in the present frolicking. It reminds one of the people when Moses went up on the mountain. The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play. Aaron did not restrain them because he feared the people.

From many years of experience as a Christian I know we have a choice in every service. We can run the service or we can let the service run us. We can always choose to accept a spirit that is present or we can decide it is not appropriate and refuse to yield to it.

If our goal is to honor the Lord Jesus Christ, to feed His sheep, then we are going to restrain people even if it means they will not return. But if our goal is large numbers of people then we will be tempted to allow the people to let their hair down, so to speak, and act out whatever spirit seems to be seeking to manifest itself through them.

If we stop manifestations that we believe to be unprofitable, aren't we then usurping the Lord's role of being the Administrator? Not at all. If Christ has placed us as an elder in that assembly we are to see to it that all things are done decently and in order. We obey the chief Administrator by insuring that His Word through His Apostles is obeyed. Also we have to pray carefully over each move we make in order to insure we are following Christ's wishes in every detail.

But when we become personally ambitious, then we are going to make large numbers of people in attendance our goal. To attract large numbers of American people we may give a token message and then leave plenty of time for spiritual "fun." We will not place the rigorous demands of discipleship on them. We will not exhort them to present their body a living sacrifice.

We are going to emphasize the various phenomena so the people are sure they are having a good time.

In the days of Elisha the sons of the prophets determined to build a larger place for themselves. But they had a borrowed axe.

In the course of building the axe head flew off, the iron was gone leaving only the helve. This can happen when we are trying to "build a larger place."

They cried out, "Master, this was a borrowed axe and now the head is gone in the pond!"

Elisha said, "Throw a stick into the water."

They did and the iron swam to the top.

Today the churches in many instances are building with a borrowed axe, an axe that came from men and women of God of earlier time.

Now the iron is gone from the helve and they are beating the trees ineffectually, hoping to accomplish something by unscriptural means.

There is only one solution. It is the "stick." The cross must be thrown into the water. Then the iron will come to the top and we will be able to do something of eternal worth in the Kingdom of God.

To be continued.