Texas, 1920
In his sermon the theme of which was "Christ Standing and Knocking at the Door," Rev. J. F. Carter of the Thirty-third Street Methodist Episcopal Church South told his congregation last night that the greatest need of the world is "genuine revival of old-time religion." He said in part:
In the third chapter of Revelation Jesus Christ says: "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear my voice and open the door. I will come in to him and will sup with him, and he with me." At the door of a lukewarm, indifferent, worldly, backslidden, apostate church the Lord Jesus is standing and knocking. Will the church hear his voice and open the door and invite him in to be its gracious guest? How tragical that the Christ is compelled to stand on the outside and knock at the door for admittance! But how far more tragical that some within will not hear his voice and open the door and let him in to sup with them and they with him!
But suffice it to say there are always faithful few, "a remnant," who are "the salt of the earth" that have not lost their savor; who are "the light of the world" that can not be hid. I thank God for these and take fresh courage and press forward with greater energy for the heavenly prize. But for these and their Christ and our Christ we would not and could not bear the burdens that weigh so tremendously upon us.
Christ would have the vilest sinner, the most indifferent, self-satisfied, stubborn backslider hear his voice and open the door that he may come in and be with him. Christ died for him as well as for "the ninety and nine" out on the bleak mountain side. He gave himself even for the apostate who openly renounces him and crucifies him afresh tonight: who forsakes Jehovah the God of his fathers for the god of this world; who surrenders the love of the Lord for the love and the passion of worldly power and of worldly influence that can not last. Yes. the price was paid for him who gives up the Christianity of the Christ for the philosophy and the learning and the wisdom of Plato that pass away forever. Aye, the Christ suffered and died on the cross to save a poor wretch like him, like you. Will he, will not you take warning before it is too late, lest God Almighty hurl his thunderbolt out of the skies and strike him, to strike you dead in his, in your fight against Christianity, against its holy teachings, as tradition tells us he struck Julian the apostate dead on the battlefield for his apostasy, for his love and his passion for worldly power and worldly, influence? God save Methodism. save the church from plunging deeper into worldliness, deeper into apostasy, from turning farther away from "the old paths, where is the good way," where the Lord is found and where his love and truth shine forevermore.
Your greatest need, my greatest need, therefore, is a genuine revival of old-time religion in the heart and in the life. And that's the greatest need of the church today. The Wall Street Journal, that is wont to be permeated with the cold metallic ring of the dollar, in a recent editorial said: "America's greatest need is a genuine revival of old-fashioned religion." Think of a journal like that having to tell the church, America, that the greatest need today is not the ring of the almighty dollar, not world power and world influence in the money markets, in the political forums, in the knightly courts of the parlors, but that her greatest need is a genuine revival of old-fashioned religion. Henry Watterson, the brilliant old Bourbon, but recently declared: "The only power that can keep this world from sinking into the hell toward which it is bound is the cross and the Gospel of him who died on Calvary." And a writer of a recent article in a leading magazine says: "The world needs a spirit-filled ministry that preaches the straight gospel rather than political science. The individual must first get an individual experience not in political science, but in the science of salvation, before he can help others to higher ground. We have been working at the wrong end of the line. We must come back to the Gospel plan, and preach the Word."
Now tell me if you will that the signs of the times point in another direction. Now tell me if you dare that there is no added need of preaching the old-fashioned religion in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And then I will tell you that you have eyes and see not, ears and hear not, brains and think not. mouths and speak not — that you are as dumb as idols of stocks and of stones.
The "one thing needful" is to go with the Gospel message first to the individual, and then to the crowd. Jesus never moved from the multitude down to the individual but always from the individual up to the multitude. The New Testament revivals never went from the people down to the individual, but always from the individual up to the people.
—Galveston Daily News, Galveston, TX, April 19, 1920, p. 8.
Showing posts with label church. Show all posts
Showing posts with label church. Show all posts
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
The Doctrine of the Trinity
1907
At Grace Episcopal Church yesterday afternoon Rev. Bowers, the rector, preached on "The Doctrine of the Trinity," taking his text from Revelation of St. John 4:6 — "And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him, and they were full of eyes within; and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come."
"In the word of God," said Rev. Bowers, "two comings of Christ are recognized; his first coming when he came in deep humility, and his second and last coming, when he will come again to this earth in divine majesty. But also as Christ shall come, the Holy Ghost shall come; as Christ came to testify of God, the Holy Ghost shall come to testify of Christ. But God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost, though different, are the same.
"The mystery of the Trinity is so far above and beyond man's understanding that for him to attempt to comprehend it is preposterous. But as is the case with reference to numerous other things, both physical and spiritual, because with his limited intelligence he is unable to understand its origin, such is no reason for refusing belief in its existence. From the physical world I shall draw a comparison. God is the true, the eternal light of the world, of the universe. Everything is born of God. A single ray of pure white light in the physical world furnishes some idea of what God is in the spiritual world, but of course only in a very limited scale. This ray of white light may be separated into its three component colors, each of which possesses its own peculiar properties. God, though like the ray of white light a unity, is at the same time a Trinity, consisting of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Faith demands of us that we worship God in Trinity and Trinity in Unity. There is no doctrine in the Bible more plainly presented than that of the Trinity. Proofs of its truth are to be found in almost every chapter. Take, for example, the first verse of the first chapter of Genesis: 'In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. The Hebrew word for 'created' in this verse is of the plural number and agrees with Jesus Christ sitting upon his heavenly throne, and that he heard the angelic host crying, 'Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come!" This church demands belief in the doctrine of the Trinity as a condition of membership. Those joining are baptized into the church in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. When I dismiss you this afternoon I will dismiss you in the name of the Trinity.
"The Holy Ghost dwells not only in the church, in the town, but in our hearts, our souls; not only in this world, but in the world to come.
"The church and the Bible require us to believe facts; they do not require us to understand the origin of all facts. We do not know the ultimate origin of light, of the world; but we believe in the existence of light and the world. We do not know the origin of the Trinity, but, as Christians, believe in its existence."
—Galveston Daily News, Galveston, TX, June 3, 1907, p. 10.
At Grace Episcopal Church yesterday afternoon Rev. Bowers, the rector, preached on "The Doctrine of the Trinity," taking his text from Revelation of St. John 4:6 — "And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him, and they were full of eyes within; and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come."
"In the word of God," said Rev. Bowers, "two comings of Christ are recognized; his first coming when he came in deep humility, and his second and last coming, when he will come again to this earth in divine majesty. But also as Christ shall come, the Holy Ghost shall come; as Christ came to testify of God, the Holy Ghost shall come to testify of Christ. But God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost, though different, are the same.
"The mystery of the Trinity is so far above and beyond man's understanding that for him to attempt to comprehend it is preposterous. But as is the case with reference to numerous other things, both physical and spiritual, because with his limited intelligence he is unable to understand its origin, such is no reason for refusing belief in its existence. From the physical world I shall draw a comparison. God is the true, the eternal light of the world, of the universe. Everything is born of God. A single ray of pure white light in the physical world furnishes some idea of what God is in the spiritual world, but of course only in a very limited scale. This ray of white light may be separated into its three component colors, each of which possesses its own peculiar properties. God, though like the ray of white light a unity, is at the same time a Trinity, consisting of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Faith demands of us that we worship God in Trinity and Trinity in Unity. There is no doctrine in the Bible more plainly presented than that of the Trinity. Proofs of its truth are to be found in almost every chapter. Take, for example, the first verse of the first chapter of Genesis: 'In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. The Hebrew word for 'created' in this verse is of the plural number and agrees with Jesus Christ sitting upon his heavenly throne, and that he heard the angelic host crying, 'Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come!" This church demands belief in the doctrine of the Trinity as a condition of membership. Those joining are baptized into the church in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. When I dismiss you this afternoon I will dismiss you in the name of the Trinity.
"The Holy Ghost dwells not only in the church, in the town, but in our hearts, our souls; not only in this world, but in the world to come.
"The church and the Bible require us to believe facts; they do not require us to understand the origin of all facts. We do not know the ultimate origin of light, of the world; but we believe in the existence of light and the world. We do not know the origin of the Trinity, but, as Christians, believe in its existence."
—Galveston Daily News, Galveston, TX, June 3, 1907, p. 10.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
A Disillusioned World Needs Support of True Faith
By WILLIAM T. ELLIS and EARL L. DOUGLASS
Nothing reveals the audacity of the Bible better than its picture of heaven. Jasper columns and streets of gold! How far removed these concepts are from the ordinary thoughts of men. But we must always bear in mind that the apostle John was in these latter verses of Revelation trying to describe infinite reality in finite terms. The best he could do was to describe his vision in terms of a brilliant and shining glory far surpassing anything man had ever before looked upon.
New Lesson From Old Book
There are a thousand beautiful reflections to be drawn incidentally from the study of Revelation: the possibility of making a Patmos of every prison experience of the soul; the visions that come to one who is "in the spirit on the Lord's day;" the fellowship of suffering which all Christians may share with the saints, living and dead, and with the Saviour Himself. "Lessons," however, must wait on the facts. Unless we get a grasp upon the main purposes of the book and the conditions attendant upon its writing, we shall miss the real significance of the teaching. So the first truth to be borne in mind is that this Christian leader, the apostle John, the beloved, was in prison on the Isle of Patmos for his faith in Jesus. His churches were suffering worse than he. The fires of persecution were raging fiercely. Nero had bared his cruel sword to the Christians, and now Domitian, in turn, had interdicted the new faith. All the horrors of Roman martyrdom were being undergone by the friends of Christ. It seemed as if heathen hate might really wipe out the Church of Christ.
John was giving them comfort in their darkest hour. In the Book of Revelation he wrote to buoy their sinking hearts. For the encouragement of their faith, John drew aside the veil that shut off the near and distant future. He invited men to look upon the vision he hid beheld — Christ triumphant, the Church victorious, her enemies cast down.
Heaven A Reality
This is a significant passage of Scripture to study on the last Sunday of the year. The modern Christian thinks all too little of heaven. Often the Biblical promises have been caricatured and John's celestial vision spoken of in such jocular terms that many believers know but little of what the Bible teaches about heaven and care less. Many of them shrug their shoulders and say, "Heaven is not a place but a state." But Jesus declared, "I go to prepare a place for you." This glorious description by John of what he saw on the Isle of Patmos is not the description of a state of mind but of supernatural realities, so far above human experience that human language cannot adequately describe it nor the human mind comprehend it. But we can realize what it means utterly to be free of pain, to have our tears dried forever, our wounds healed.
The hope of an eternal life with Christ inspired the early Christian believer and strengthened him to endure persecution fantastic in its horrors. The hope of a heaven which will give full development of all our latent powers and eternal rescue from life's ravages is meant to be our support today.
As the world shakes about us; as Communism with its atheistic teachings and its cruel tyranny so like Nero's pushes itself impudently into the foreground; as high wages, full employment, and lush dividends send our population tripping gaily along the pathways of pleasure with small regard for moral standards, let us ponder the Biblical assurance that there will someday be an end of all these things. Spiritual values are destined to triumph. The joy and security of heaven will be the precious possession of those who have been faithful.
As if delighting to set at naught all common conceptions, the Revelation's final portrayal of the triumph and bliss of the kingdom of Christ is a city, and a city without a church. To our way of thinking, the Church is the saving salt of the city, the best thing about a bad case. Nevertheless, in heaven there will be no Church as we know the Church. But all that the Church typifies and seeks will be there. The spiritual values which here are sporadic and local will there be continuous and general.
The purpose of the Book of Revelation is to portray the final triumph of the Gospel of Christ. All the wealth of oriental imagery is here employed to depict the surpassing excellence of the glory that is in store for the friends of Christ. The Book of Revelation is an illustration of the truth that "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him."
—Logansport Press, Logansport, IN, Dec. 27, 1947, p. 4.
Nothing reveals the audacity of the Bible better than its picture of heaven. Jasper columns and streets of gold! How far removed these concepts are from the ordinary thoughts of men. But we must always bear in mind that the apostle John was in these latter verses of Revelation trying to describe infinite reality in finite terms. The best he could do was to describe his vision in terms of a brilliant and shining glory far surpassing anything man had ever before looked upon.
New Lesson From Old Book
There are a thousand beautiful reflections to be drawn incidentally from the study of Revelation: the possibility of making a Patmos of every prison experience of the soul; the visions that come to one who is "in the spirit on the Lord's day;" the fellowship of suffering which all Christians may share with the saints, living and dead, and with the Saviour Himself. "Lessons," however, must wait on the facts. Unless we get a grasp upon the main purposes of the book and the conditions attendant upon its writing, we shall miss the real significance of the teaching. So the first truth to be borne in mind is that this Christian leader, the apostle John, the beloved, was in prison on the Isle of Patmos for his faith in Jesus. His churches were suffering worse than he. The fires of persecution were raging fiercely. Nero had bared his cruel sword to the Christians, and now Domitian, in turn, had interdicted the new faith. All the horrors of Roman martyrdom were being undergone by the friends of Christ. It seemed as if heathen hate might really wipe out the Church of Christ.
John was giving them comfort in their darkest hour. In the Book of Revelation he wrote to buoy their sinking hearts. For the encouragement of their faith, John drew aside the veil that shut off the near and distant future. He invited men to look upon the vision he hid beheld — Christ triumphant, the Church victorious, her enemies cast down.
Heaven A Reality
This is a significant passage of Scripture to study on the last Sunday of the year. The modern Christian thinks all too little of heaven. Often the Biblical promises have been caricatured and John's celestial vision spoken of in such jocular terms that many believers know but little of what the Bible teaches about heaven and care less. Many of them shrug their shoulders and say, "Heaven is not a place but a state." But Jesus declared, "I go to prepare a place for you." This glorious description by John of what he saw on the Isle of Patmos is not the description of a state of mind but of supernatural realities, so far above human experience that human language cannot adequately describe it nor the human mind comprehend it. But we can realize what it means utterly to be free of pain, to have our tears dried forever, our wounds healed.
The hope of an eternal life with Christ inspired the early Christian believer and strengthened him to endure persecution fantastic in its horrors. The hope of a heaven which will give full development of all our latent powers and eternal rescue from life's ravages is meant to be our support today.
As the world shakes about us; as Communism with its atheistic teachings and its cruel tyranny so like Nero's pushes itself impudently into the foreground; as high wages, full employment, and lush dividends send our population tripping gaily along the pathways of pleasure with small regard for moral standards, let us ponder the Biblical assurance that there will someday be an end of all these things. Spiritual values are destined to triumph. The joy and security of heaven will be the precious possession of those who have been faithful.
As if delighting to set at naught all common conceptions, the Revelation's final portrayal of the triumph and bliss of the kingdom of Christ is a city, and a city without a church. To our way of thinking, the Church is the saving salt of the city, the best thing about a bad case. Nevertheless, in heaven there will be no Church as we know the Church. But all that the Church typifies and seeks will be there. The spiritual values which here are sporadic and local will there be continuous and general.
The purpose of the Book of Revelation is to portray the final triumph of the Gospel of Christ. All the wealth of oriental imagery is here employed to depict the surpassing excellence of the glory that is in store for the friends of Christ. The Book of Revelation is an illustration of the truth that "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him."
—Logansport Press, Logansport, IN, Dec. 27, 1947, p. 4.
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