It is an open humiliation of Jesus Christ, by placing his cause, or church, as a mendicant at the feet of the world.

Whenever there is 'church' entertainment given, it is felt by the outside world to be an admission upon the part of the church of its inability, or disinclination, to meet its obligations -- that it either cannot or will not. We leave the "cannot" feature for another point. We beg now attention to one of the most humiliating and mortifying facts connected with the cause of Christ today. It is a fact that cannot be questioned and is evident to everybody. That is, that the church is the only entity in the land that will not take care of itself. Its members refuse to meet its just debts and obligations, and fasten the humiliation upon it of making it a beggar before the public. There is nothing else like it in the land. Let me ask a question:

What would we think of a corporation down the street, say some banking institution, sending out its clerks each morning to beg of other similar institutions an alms in order to meet its current expenses?

What would we think of a family that pretended to self-respect and respectability sending out their children each morning to beg of their neighbors, as an alms, money to be used in defraying the regular expense of the household?

It is a lowering of self, a forfeiting of self-respect, a giving up of true manhood. Then, how must it appear to the world for the church, an institution of heaven, claiming divine support and presence, filled with people claiming to love God and to have consecrated their all to him? How must it appear for this church, which is sent on earth to rebuke, teach and save the world, to be found stooping at the feet of this world begging an alms? Just as some beggars have certain tricks and amusing ways by which they get some additional pennies, so the church has learned some curious ways and methods of attracting a crowd, exciting a laugh, creating a stir, and so becomes richer by a rain of pennies. How thinks and feels the Son of God in heaven as He witnesses these things? What does He care for money, except as it represents so much devotion and sacrifice?

What do they think in heaven, when the fact is made known, that the church of Christ Jesus has opened restaurants and places of amusement on earth in order to get a few dollars from the world that it was commissioned to reprove and warn? That Christianity has gotten to such a low ebb that it has to beg of the world to get along; that it is spending much of its time in snapping up the crumbs that may be swept from a table of abundance, and receiving eagerly from God-haters and defiers small silver change, taken from the vest pocket and tossed toward the church -- oftentimes indifferently, but oftener contemptuously. Oh, it is enough to make every child of God to bow his head, while his face burns with intensest shame.

I call attention to a fact none will deny, that while we might beg on the street for one not related to us by blood, and not personally dear, yet many would rather die than take alms of people to relieve the daily wants of loved ones. We would work our fingers to the bone before doing it. This fact itself ought to open our eyes to the subject we are discussing. This public mendicancy of the church is a virtual admission that Christ is not as precious and capable to us as He should be -- that we do not love and trust Him as we ought.

What if a man should make his wife and daughter assist him publicly in begging for their support by song or dance or attitude, and that, too, when there was no real need to justify such a course? What if the church thrusts out its lovely daughters upon stage and platform, before a mixed throng, where the bold glance of the worldly man roves unchecked and critically over their forms, all for a few pennies? What if it is discovered that there is really no state of beggary in the church to justify such humiliation of its daughters? Humiliation upon humiliation!

Let us see how it would appear in apostolic times. We come to the famous city of Ephesus. That cloak of Paul is sadly in need of repair or replacing, or money is to be raised for a church planter. Now, then, who shall do it? Of course the church at Ephesus, upon whom the Holy Spirit had fallen under the preaching of the apostle. Certainly they will be glad to do it. Not at all! Instead they say, "Let the world foot the bill. Let these Ephesian outsiders give the money, while the church furnishes the brain work, the planning, the arranging -- in a word, making the motions of giving." The church will get the credit, at home, abroad and in the Jerusalem conference, for having raised the money, but the church has a sly smile and twinkle in its eye. It remarks behind its hand, "It will all come out of these worldly Ephesian pockets!" Oh, heavenly cunning! Oh, celestial adroitness! Look at their plan. Peter is sent down at once to the sea, where he throws in a line and draws out several fine specimens of the deep. These are cut, and fried, and sold at fabulous prices at the church supper. It was not the first time that Peter had got money out of a fish.

Lydia is sent for to preside over this table; as a saleswoman she knew how to drive a trade, and thus protect the interests of the church. Aquila and Priscilla are in town still making tents. They are requested to make one especially for the 'church' entertainment -- also a drop curtain for some stage performances to be had. In the tent is placed Rhoda and the soothsaying damsel out of whom Paul had cast an evil spirit. These two females are to tell fortunes at so much an individual -- children receive half-price. Someone suggested sending off for the daughter of Herodias to pose before the crowd. No sooner said than done.

It is true she was getting along in years, but she was famous, and could cut a caper or two and draw a crowd. At this juncture it was learned that Drusilla was in the city. True, she was a bad woman, had broken a number of God’s commandments, but she had a fine figure and could represent some heathen deity or historical character in costume and draw many Ephesians. So, a committee was sent to wait upon her with this request and she consented to help the starving cause of Christ by posing before a mixed audience in its behalf.

Then there was the concert feature. This was happily and speedily provided for by obtaining the help of Alexander the coppersmith and Demetrius the silversmith. It is true they hated Christ, and Paul said that the first had done him much harm, but one sang a good bass and the other a fine tenor. They consented to lay aside their enmity to the Son of God until the 'church' entertainment was over, and sing for his cause.

But one more voice was needed, and that was soon supplied by the town-clerk of Ephesus. It was remembered by all how his voice has been heard in the day of uproar above thousands, and so the Ephesian church was well satisfied with him as a soprano. No one doubted after this that the concert would be a success. While all joined in praising the beautiful spirit of Alexander in consenting to sing bass for a church that he hated, and which he proposed to handle without gloves as soon as he finished his song, or the 'church' entertainment was through.

One more brilliant thing was done. Someone reminded the brethren that the silver shrine makers of the temple of the goddess Diana were a money-making set of men. It is true, they were idolaters, and that their work in shrines was idolatrous; but then they had money, and it was money the Ephesian church was after. So a committee was dispatched to wait on them; and in response they graciously contributed a purse of their gain. One went so far as to donate a silver shrine of Diana to the church -- to be raffled or voted for, and the proceeds given to the impecunious Christians of Ephesus.

Did this really occur?

Would anyone have dreamed of such a thing! Would anyone have dared to suggest such a thing to Paul? If he had, don’t we know what the man of God would have said? Don’t we know that a holy horror would have filled his heart? His eye would have flashed with a consuming indignation. His love for the church and jealousy for the honor of the Son of God would have aroused every protesting power of his soul to such a proposition of making money. He would have uttered the words, "Thy money perish with thee!"

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