In the midst of a great growth of the churches of Christ, we must be doubly cautious. We can lose all the ground we have gained, if we relax our vigilance. There are some fundamentals we must not forget:

(1) We must not forget that the gospel is "the power of God unto salvation" (Rom. 1: 16). We must continue to preach the gospel without fear or favor, clinging faithfully to the principles that made us what we are. We are not to think that since we are making international headlines we can afford to "cater" a little. Remember that "A LITTLE LEAVEN LEAVENETH THE WHOLE LUMP." Our continued pleas must be for all men to "speak where the Bible speaks and remain silent where it is silent." We must exhort men to "call Bible things by Bible names and do Bible things in Bible ways." This is a plea that we cannot afford to outgrow.

(2) We must not lose sight of the fact that in our fast growth, we will make mistakes, and many will be made in judgment. When we make them, let us talk them over fairly, squarely, and with the spirit of our Master directing. When we find wherein we have erred, let us cut loose from such errors. No real and lasting good can come by teaching or practicing false doctrine. Let us discuss our problems with a resolve in our hearts to solve them. Let us be fair enough that in our fights we can sincerely believe that we are fighting for principles, not for someone's "hide" nor to enhance our own reputations.

(3) Let us know assuredly that strength is not always found in large numbers. And may we not be fooled into believing that we are over one million five hundred thousand "strong." We must continue to labor for quality first of all, and let the quantity take care of itself. We must continue to realize that five truly converted disciples are worth more than twenty-five drones who will never be fully converted. So let us properly evaluate things and give them their rightful place in the Master's plan.

(4) Lastly, let our motto in all of our success be, "TO HIM BE ALL THE GLORY." When we leave Him out, our house will fail. "The Maker of all things is God." He is the Author of "life, and breath, and all things." In Him we "live, and move, and have our being." In a moment He can suspend our breathing, reclaim our energies, and leave us hopeless in the whirling pool of our own egotism. No, we cannot leave Him out of our plans. It is His work, and to Him we must look for success. The glory is His, not ours. As long as we recognize our dependence upon the Father, we will continue in the right way. When we forget Him and talk about our own successes, we will become as weak as Samson shorn of his hair.

Truth Magazine VI: 4, p. 1a
January 1962