Topics Beginning with "U"

600 -- UNCHARITABLE SPIRIT

     An uncharitable spirit destroys the unity of the Spirit. To allow a spirit of malice, or envy, or jealousy to have the slightest influence upon us, so as to control in any degree our words or actions, will separate us at once from those who live in the Spirit. We may not know what ails us; we may think that nothing ails us; but we feel that something has come between us and our brethren. The fellowship has gone. We do not care about going to the social meetings. The preaching does not sound to us as it did. We lose our relish for reading the Bible. A disposition to put the worst construction on everything has come in, and the unity of the Spirit is destroyed. Judas separated from the disciples as soon as he permitted Satan to enter his heart. Be careful, then, bow you give place to an uncharitable spirit. If you continue to yield to it, it will lead you at last to perdition.

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601 -- UNCTION, Divine, Need of

     Divine unction is more essential to the success of the preacher than anything else, or all things else. Neither talent, nor learning, nor a fine address, nor all combined, can take its place. It will draw a congregation under adverse circumstances. We have seen raw boys, awkward in manners, draw crowds in a large city which they could not draw when they became able and distinguished preachers but had lost a good degree of the unction. We have seen people moved more under the reading of a hymn with the unction, than under a carefully prepared, powerful sermon without it. We do not underestimate the advantage of study, but we can not overestimate the importance to the preacher of the unction from the Holy One (1 John 2:20).

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602 -- UNCTION Necessary to Fruitfulness

     A lack of moisture deprives the richest soils of their fertility. It is in vain that the plowing is done in good order, and the planting in due season, If the soil remains dry and parched. So a lack of unction makes the most convincing sermon barren of all good results. A discourse may be full of the seeds of truth, but unless they are wet up they will never bring forth fruit. It was the deep feeling which accompanied Paul's exhortations which made them so powerful. "I ceased not," he says, "to warn every one night and day with tears." Such warnings are always effective, when the tears are the genuine expression of real feeling. But assumed sympathy disgusts and repels. What we all need. In order to reach others, is the constraining love of Christ He who is impelled by that is not likely to go too fast or too far. Natural drouths are beyond our reach, but spiritual drouths we may avert. It is time to seek the Lord, till he. come and rain righteousness upon you.

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603 -- UNION, In, is Strength

     Dissension is weakness -- in union there is strength. Jonathan was valiant, but to defeat the Philistines he must have his armor-bearer with him. Christ gave to each of the twelve miraculous power; but he sent them out two by two. The largest society, divided and quarreling, is weak. and has no strength to save souls: the smallest, united in confidence and love, is mighty to storm and carry in holy triumph the very citadels of hell.

     On the day of Pentecost the disciples were all with one accord in one place. If a hundred and twenty could be thus united today in self-abandonment, and in waiting with willing minds and expectant hearts for the baptism of the Holy Ghost, mighty results would follow. An electric battery is powerful in proportion to the number of jars which are united: so also are spiritual batteries. One hundred and twenty human hearts, throbbing with love to God and love to men, and waiting together for the baptism of the Holy Ghost, would bring down such electrical shocks as would shake the greatest city.

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604 -- UNION SERVICES Not Desirable

     There are some overtures for Christian unity that need to be treated with great caution. Some of the most zealous members of other churches, who have always kept aloof from us, and never failed to use their influence against us, all at once, when God is pouring out his Spirit among us, and converting sinners, appear uncommonly friendly. They come to our meetings, go forward to the altar to labor with penitents, and contribute their share towards making a "noisy meeting," which elsewhere they condemn. The closest preaching they seem to enjoy and indorse. They receive a cordial welcome, and make themselves at home; but when the revival is ended, they show that all which they have done is for the purpose of enabling them, the more easily, to lead off the respectable and influential of the converts, and get them to join their church. When this is accomplished, they never come near us, until an opportunity to do the same thing over is again presented. By such means, the fruits of extensive revivals, which our people have labored hard to promote, have been almost wholly lost to our church. This we would not deplore, did the converts thus led off remain true to their convictions, and "stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath [set them] free." But they do not. The silken fetters of fashion are fastened upon them by degrees, and they become mere worldly professors; or the hoodwink is drawn over them, and they are led into the lodge, and thus again entangled with the yoke of bondage. Instead of promoting the work of God, they help build up a formal, worldly church, which deceives souls to their eternal undoing. And they are themselves personally in greater danger of eternal damnation than when they were in the world, because they are resting in a false security.

     It may seem almost uncivil not to accept the proffered services of those who come over to labor with you in a revival; but if they have stayed away till your meeting has become a decided success, you had better get along without them. Depend upon it, they have come in to help you shout on the victory, only that they may gather the spoils. They will not be scrupulous about dividing, but they will take all they can. They may cry out for union, but they mean absorption. They may soothe you with their tongues, but it is that they may swallow you the more easily.

     Our work is so different from that now done by the popular churches, that honest souls who really desire to promote our work will unite with us. Let us avoid all entangling alliances.

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605 -- UNITY OF EFFORT Essential

     To carry on the work of God successfully in any community, those who are engaged in its promotion must be united. The Bible lays great stress upon this. Christ sent out his disciples two by two. "Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any tiling that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven." Unity in faith and in effort is essential to achieve any great results. Those who are united to Christ should be careful to be united to each other. Guerrillas, however bold they may he, never conquer a fort, or subdue a country. They differ from robbers mainly in the fact that they subsist by plundering such of their enemies as they may find defenseless. The guerrilla system of Christian warfare builds no churches, establishes no schools, plants no missions, makes few if any converts from the world. It seeks its prey in the churches. Men who are so self-willed that they can not work with any others, can not work with Christ. They do not gather with him, but scatter abroad.

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606 -- UNITY OF SPIRIT Urged

     "Be of the same mind one toward another." Have such a love for the cause of Christ that you will be glad to enlist as many as you can for its promotion. You can not, for any length of time, live religion alone. Before you go far in the way to Zion you will persuade some others to go with you. Christianity is social in its nature. Its votaries instinctively flock together. The Apostle likens them to the body. "If one member suffers, every member suffers with it." If one member of the body becomes so disordered that it does not do its appropriate part for the general welfare, then disorder and general distress follow. Therefore, do all you can to keep the unity of the Spirit. Bear undeserved reproach rather than make a division and begin a quarrel. Return a soft answer for insulting words. "Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing" (1 Pet. 3:8, 9).

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607 -- UNREASONABLE MEN

     We are greatly struck with Paul's request to the brethren to pray for him that he might be "delivered from unreasonable men." He must have suffered a great deal from them. He classes them with wicked men. An unreasonable man in the church may stand in the way of the work of God more than a wicked man does, who is out of the church.

     If the great Apostle was so desirous of being delivered from them, then an ordinary preacher should be forgiven for not wanting to fall into their hands. No preacher can satisfy them. They make trouble wherever they go. The more talent and zeal and piety they have, the more capable they are of wrecking a society. They can neutralize the best efforts of the most capable preacher. Brother, are you unreasonable? The cure is humble love; for the meek God will guide in judgment.

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608 -- UNSAVED Sometimes Employed of God

     Some persons serve as scaffoldings for the lower story of the temple of the Lord, and, as the building goes up, they are laid aside. If they were better material, they would go into the building. But they are so coarse and cross-grained that they can not even be planed -- much less polished.

     God often uses selfish, self-willed, covetous, self-conceited men to open the way for his work. He gives them another Opportunity to get right, and if they do not improve it, he leaves them to themselves. Like Noah's carpenters, they help build for the salvation of others, while they themselves are not saved. Reader, are you one of this class? Ask God to help you; for unless he does you will not be willing to acknowledge it if you are.

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609 -- UNSAVED, Why Delay?

     If you are unsaved, and are unwilling to die unsaved, why do you remain unsaved a single day? What are you waiting for? A more favorable opportunity? "Behold, now is the accepted time." For some one to pray for you? "He ever liveth to make intercession for us." You are included in "us." There is more efficacy in his intercessions than in the prayers of all the saints. "Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him." So all you need to do is to come. Come just as you are. Come confessing and forsaking your sins. Come renouncing the world -- its ambitions and pleasures and honors. Come. above all, renouncing yourself -- all claims to yourself -- all dependence upon your morality -- and throw yourself with all the energy of despair upon the mercy of God in Christ Jesus. Come believing that he is a rewarder of them who diligently seek him -- and that you do receive the things you desire when you pray -- and the arms of infinite love will embrace you: you shall be saved.