It has become necessary to clari­fy myself with regard to my article on Y.F.C. in the February issue of Beacon Lights. The main fact that I wish to make clear is that Y. F.C. is an organization outside of the Church and therefore is to be condemned.

First, then, I would like to state that preaching is, authoritatively proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ, by one that is sent, serving the Word of God. Therefore, a minister cannot preach whatever he feels like preaching, but he must stick to the Word of God entirely. He must be able to say, “Thus saith the Lord”, and this by the author­ity of Christ Jesus. For Christ has sent him through the call he re­ceived from his consistory.

From this we may conclude that the preaching done at the Y.F.C. meetings is not authoritative; in fact it is not preaching at all, for the speaker is not under the author­ity of a consistory. They are out­side of the church. And Christ never calls His people in any other way than through the church. “Paul”, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sancti­fied in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours.” (I Cor. 1:1-2)

The Gospel must never be preach­ed in the wrong sense, that is, in contradistinction to the doctrinal truth, especially by the emphasis of the so-called invitation to ac­cept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior, (as if by nature we had that power) and finally ending in what is known at the “Altar Call”; for in preaching of this sort there is no edification for the people of God. What must be preached is the whole counsel of God, as con­cerns the salvation of elect sinners.

Now we shall see to whom this official and authoritative message is to be preached. The congrega­tion is the coming together of true believers with their children, or­ganically existing in the line of the covenant, in continued generations. “I am the vine, ye are the branch­es: he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” (John 15:5)

The church is not a mixed crowd, and a minister must address the church as the beloved in the Lord Jesus Christ. “The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also they that have the truth.’’ (2 John 1)

Because of the fact that the speaker in the Y. F. C. meeting is not a minister, for he is not under a consistory, he is not sent by Christ; therefore they can expect no fruit, for Paul says in Romans 10:14-15, “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not be­lieved? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? and how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written: how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!”

Now I think that we all ought to agree that the Holy Spirit does not work, in gathering the people of God, except through the church. Then to say that “hundreds and even thousands” of young people have come to the realization of their sins through the influence of Y. F. C. is plain folly. For this is nothing more than a mere assump­tion. It cannot be so that an or­ganization outside of the church, can call God’s people to repentance.

Yes, we may never say that we disapprove of the existence of Y. F. C., for God uses it as He uses all the works of the anti-christ, such as the theatre, the dance hall, and the Godless Unions, in the service of His elect people. We do not object to their existence, because God has put them in the world. But God does not use them to gather His elect, and because of that we may have no part in them. The only way God’s elect are gath­ered is through the preaching of the Whole Counsel of God.

Finally, let us look at the minis­ter, who he is. The minister is one who is called, one who is sent, and he is an ambassador. “And for me, that utterance may be giv­en unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in bonds: and therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.” (Eph. 6:19-20)

Now apart from the fact that this minister must have an internal calling, a desire to serve the Lord, he must also be called externally. And aside from the fact that he must have talents, which need not be extra-ordinary, the minister must be called by the church. If he is not called by a congrega­tion, he may not consider himself called to the ministry. Y. F. C., being outside of the church and not having a consistory or ruling body, which is authoritative thru the Spirit of Christ; cannot, and does not call their speakers author­itatively. If they are not called they cannot preach authoritatively, and therefore they cannot call to repentance.