The Hawaiian gazette., 1884-09-10
Pastor crnzan,. ideal church, ;,

large turnout of members OF the church and Tlsi-
ting friends. His theme for the morning sermon
was ''The Ideal Church, on which subject he
spoke as follows:
TExT:-"And when they had prayed the place
was shaken where they were assembled together;
and they we're all filled with the Holy Ghost, and
they spake the words of God with holiness
ACTs i:3l.
In the first chapters of the book of the Acts, we
have brief record Of the first Christian church
ever organized.
it was ia many respects an ideal church. This
text opens wide its door and gives us full view of
| its inner life.
As we stand this morning on the threshold of
the fourth year of the present pasorate 1t may be
profitable for us to study the characteristics of this
| first church in Jerusalem.
What its peculiaritiesr Wherein lay It's
powery
Peace on earth was the gospel keynote Inc
mission of Christ was not only TO make peace be-
| tween man and God, but what was much more
| difficult, between man ana man.
| Christ came in age of narrowness ana Dig
| otry.
The Jews thought themselves Gods chosen
| people All others were Gentlles-dogs
/ The cultured Greeks despsed all others as bar
| barians."
The all-powerful Romans held the rest of the
world as slaves.
Into this iarring dscord Christ came declaring
| it to be his mission to bring Peace"
1 How?
| By breaking down all these predjudices and
leveling all these walls. He declared that His re-
ligion should level down the lofty and hit up the
| lowly: that in His Kingdom there should be no
distinctions; no bond and free; no high caste
| or low serf.
| And he did it.
He left church founded the principle of
pure democracy.
1t was 1900 years in advance of the age in which
| 1t was planted.
| 1t was projected against the worlds keenest
| prediiuces and age-long practices.
Hence the world sneered at its principles, scorned
its Practices and with the strong hand tried to
| crush out this new Superstition.
| But God was in the church. Hence 1t was
stronger than all ''principalities and powers.
>. This ideal church was composed prlnclpaiy
| of the poor. When John sent to Christ asking LOT
proof that he was the Messiah, the GROWING eyl-
| dence was: 10 the poor the Gospel is preached
ImpOsters and man-inyented religions, always
address the rIch. Mohammedanism, Brahmlnlsm
Confuciusism-these all sought entrance 70 Pai
aces and the support of the wealthy and powerful
| Christ came eating and drinking with publcans
and sinners. And these people largely composed
that first church. The Apostles were fishermen
and tax gatherers The poorest, the beggars, and
| hundreds from the lowest middle classes -purlhed
in that Pentacostal fiery baptism-joined the mass
| of that church Darius and Roman Captain;
Nicodernus one of the seventy elders; and Joseph
who furnished a tomb for the dead Christ-these
and many others, came from the rich and the
aristocratic class TO join this Christian democracy
| THE poor and the rich met together, equal, be
fore their maker. But the great mass OF the
|
3. TI. church from the apostles dorm to The freak
est fied rit the Holy Ghost md bo"Hd together
~ lore.
The fire of Pentecost burned out of their souls
all sin. Journalism, and luke-warmness. And they
were all filled with the Holy Ghost not Peter
, and james, and John, and the other Apostles, and
a few of the leading members-"Ihey were all
filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the
/ word of God with boldness. And-mark what
follows: The multitude Of them That Oettered 'ce,t
| JoF, g.gIf'
erings, no jealousies, no back bltlngs You never
find any of that in heart or in church which Is
5 filled with the Holy Ghost.
Where He is there is no room for discord.
| 4. They had bold, teuTiess ministry. We read
c "Iud tIcy spuLe me iro,d Of God ,riht JOidHess.
Man never preached SO brave and bold a sermon
o before since as that of Peter at Penteeost
c | Before him stood the very mob which only shor
l. time ago had hpwled like wild beasts IN the tenn
pie in the Pretorium, in the Roman palace ant
=. in the streets: STRAY iriH him! Cruelty hmm
| And at Calvary they had Toasted the death
= | agonies of innocence. Prudence would certainl!
h dictate to the disciple that he have care how h
strike that ferocious wild beast, jewish mob
Listen: Men of Israel hear these words: Jesus .
q Na-ayeth the Prince of Life, whom ye have takel
r and by wicked hands have cruclhed andslalD, Go'
n hath raised from the deadn' No wonder they wer
i pricked in their hearts! "Murderers! Not onl
that-but horror of hOrrorsi Crime of crimes
Murdercrs of their long expected Messiah
l. Peter knew knothing of policy. There were n
IS kid gloves on the rough tshermans hands! IL
Is had no lavendar water TO sprinkle upon SIN o
:. TIei, ,eiiyion touched H,ei, pockets.
Over all their possessions they wrote "HoiiHes
II into the Lordn' They held their property simpl
as stewards of God and subject to his orders an
II draughts. "Neither there any among theI
J. that lacked; for as many as were poSsessors o
lands or houses, sold them, and brought the price
of the things that were sold, and laid them dow
II at the Apostles feet: and distribution was mad
r unto every man according as he had need"
. G. This Ideal church made short 'rork irih m
irDJthg members.
Discipline, stern and severe kept the member
IN ship pure.
In | of the Lords funds. Bankrupt laws were III
a known; settlements at - cents on the dollar h
~ not then been invented. The hand of God smot
them. Two funerals without any pomp or pre-
~ | SESSIONS, or funeral Orations. And two name
Ie were stricken from the church books.
"a 6. This was cOrlitJ. g,O'riHg church. 1t wa
~ a bee-hiye Not the Ministers and deacons only
Int every member had his or her work, and did j
They all spake with tongues, they worked IN ii
er temple the synagogues. on the streets, ana wei
of from house to house. As the result we read: IA
a The Lord udied 10 The church daily S"ch as sho""
y This was the ideal church as it came from I'll
hand of the observation-disclosures!
II As long as 1t retained these characteristics
Mt was all-powerful.
no 1t marched down the first, second and third Gel
Gt turies a conqueror Kings, states, armies, lear
ing, wealth, caste, predijuce, and every other 7
in the fishermen and tax-gatherers! But these nile
he | with the Holy Ghost, and holding in their ham
gs the hearts of the common people, were ever Vi
Li torius!
d. Then came the fatal days of power and of
parture from the ideal. Christianity sat dow
he upon the throne of the Caesars and ruled the wor
ms Ii appealed to the rich and began to neglect q
nd poor. Itheld the purse of the world. Al-poWerl
an il lost its power-its hold upon the hearts of {
ed people.
led of our day which causes the actual church TO dl
ne from the ideal church.
90 Christianity to-day is not the power 1t ought
ia be- or might be in the world.
.st We need to know cLB this is SO. We mt
measure the foe, and then meet 1t.
it / The trouble begiHs at the pHlph.
led There is radical fault in ministerial educatiC
be A theological student needs five years of practi
st life to get rid of notions which MS ten years
md study gave him. Our whole system OF minister
education fayors class churches. The aim OF I
seminary curriculum seems to be to prepare m
re- TO attract the cultivated and refined and they
,els TO do that. No seminary inspires enthusiasm
ose | work among the poor. So there are turned {
md from hour senaies every year classes OF cultu
pa impracticable young men. The ambition OF
TEL average student is for large fashionable, weai
church, where he can read his Ltfe sermon,
draw his large salary. And the ssmInarles
leo what the churches make them; they supply
In demand which the churches make The minis
ana to-day have changed their divine commlssl
lIne $50 Dredch the Gospel to ereiY creature! into
two preach milk and water to Dives, but never mi
ar iazarusr' We forget that we must reach
lower classes if we would change the lie {
800 community or the world. .,
lere Fire house in the basement II you wlsl
ISL make rapid and complete cqnflagration. !
Au- world was never set on fire by any man or IN
rom who did not begin down in the basement-W
lUI | the common people. John Baptist began inert
siA Christ began there
Paul followed him there.
s,r, I,uther-spurned by ecclesiastics and crow
/ II | heads-touched the hearts of the common peo
4 n and all Europe was afRme!
IONS Wesley came preaching to the common peol
,nd The Church. the aristCcracyythe wealthy dlsoW
NJ | him, aud-Methodism arose!-That wild fanti
hon the salvation Army" owes the record OF Its
= cess not to its outrageous methOds, but to
trim fact that it breaches the gospel to the poor
the the depraved.
bniI Here is the hiding of power: The abilit!
1ted reach the common people
ac 2. I,tobicr poHr 0t fdiine Is the eo'ra1d'ee 81
f,h Ne have but few Peters in the pulpit too
49, Men Who dare strike at sin which is clothed in
and satin, and which sits down in the best pew
ther the center aisle!
, are 10 speak plainly and so 10 attract TIC Pc
oud Is to be called Sensational, and draw the hre OF
stry: Devil
ltry And so our shorn pulpit SamsOns grind bin
tary along at their mill:-Haf their seats are EN-
ands the other half is filled with a congregation
III as is dying of dignity and soth!-Who weekly G.
to hear their Samson drFps out platltudes; OF
deem into the mud of Mysticism and PhiosO
nlui aud they lazily say "Whai Deep IfeihetHdi ne
| ssfyf1