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I. IN WHAT DOES SPIRITUAL PROSPERITY CONSIST?

I. A growth in knowledge. In a prosperous Church the members will manifest a growing acquaintance with the teachings of God's Word — their views of the Person and work of Christ, of the spirituality of God's law, of the privileges and duties of piety will be expanded and enlarged.

2. Where this growth in knowledge and in spiritual understanding obtains there will be found a corresponding growth in holiness. The two things are inseparable (2 Corinthians 3:18).

3. A quickened Church will, as the result of its deepened spiritual life, address itself to aggressive work — to evangelize the nations, to convert the world.

II. WHAT IS ESSENTIAL TO SUCH PROSPERITY?

1. Purity of doctrine. Truth is to the Church what food is to the body.

2. The maintenance of godly discipline. What should we think of a gardener who allowed a diseased or a withered branch to remain on the tree, or of a general who tolerated in his camp the presence of known traitors? Far more perilous is it for us to tolerate in the Church that which is manifestly evil.

3. Union of feeling and of action. On the field of battle a small band of brave men acting in unbroken phalanx, with one common determination, and under one bold and resolute leader, will accomplish far more than ten times their number acting singly and alone. So a Church composed but of few members, if they be living to God, one in feeling and in action, will do more for Christ and for the salvation of the world than ten times their number who are alienated in affection and who work independently of each other.

4. The manifest presence and power of the Holy Spirit. A Church without the Spirit is like an engine without steam; the engine may be beautiful to look upon, perfect in all its parts, admirably adapted to answer the ends for which it was made, but without steam there is no motion, no power.

III. WHAT CAN WE DO TO PROMOTE AND ENSURE THE PROSPERITY OF THE CHURCH? We suffer, the Church at large suffers, from the great rush and hurry of life in the present day. Let us find time for thought. If we do this our minds and our hearts will become full of the subject, and out of the abundance of the heart the mouth will speak.

(C. Garrett.)

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KJV: Save now, I beseech thee, O LORD: O LORD, I beseech thee, send now prosperity.

WEB: Save us now, we beg you, Yahweh! Yahweh, we beg you, send prosperity now.