Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1892-02-04

| ply member of the church. That beins
/ your meaning, l shall proceed TO give yol
some of the many reasons for being 2 mem
Der Of the church of Jesus Christ
l. believe the church of Jesus Christ i:
| of divine appointment. The reasons FOL
| this are found in abundance in the word o
God; reasons perfectly satisfactory to tn,
-student of the Bible and church members
/ in general. These reasons are found in-thi
/ promises and phrophecieS, and their New
| Testament fuifllments.
| ?. believe, as ch-member, l have
been called to ehurch-membership by God
| This term has been misunderstood anC
/ might lead to the inference that my use OF
| 1t smacks of presumption. What I NEAR
by being called of God, is that. through re
| Ile lous influences, was impressed with thf
| duty OF connecting myself with the church
| was just sixteen years old This impre@
| sion was the immediate result OF hearing 3
sermon preached. OF course my mind alF
/ heart we're prepared for this final impress
| sion, by a chain of circumstances running
| far back was impressed that field OF
| usefulness, both 10 myself and others, was
! opened TO me; that, as had never had any
| serious conviction as to what my hfe-work
should be, now was the time to seriously
| consider it. / had come suddenly to where
two roads meet. was faced with the ques-
ton; Which will you takel One was 10
remain as l was, enjoying the days of a life
of ease, coupled with idleness; the other
was one that meant activity, In future of
encouraging prospects. | chose the latter
Some time after, discovered that the path
OF duty was walking in led to the minis
try.
The Word of God says: MANY are called,
but few are chosen" Why2 is for them to
decide as none are turned away who come.
The Bible says: Paul I servant of Jesus
Christ, called to be an apostle, separated
unto the Gospel of God. Romans i, l.
Christ says in John XIV, IS: rye have
not chosen me, but have chosen you" y
3. believe the church is the means chosen
by God TO preserve and perpetuate the
truth in its purity. That the church of
Christ is the best friend of the truth. That
1t will be the m cans of eventually bringing
men to embrace the truth. Hence the
church is called the pillar and ground of
truth. u. Timothy, iii, 10.
The aim of the church of Christ is to do
good and only good to all people and all the
time. Any institution departing from this,
therein forfeits its claims to be, and ceases
to be, the church of Jesus Christ. for He
said: 81 am the truth" Departure from
the truth is error, and error therefore can
not claim vital connection with truth. The
good done by the church is two-fold.
(a) Good to the self: In worship
he comes in contact mentally
with thoughts noble by meditation of
the good, perfect and holy attributes OF the
Deity. He prays for personal freedom from
sin. sinful desires and impurity of
thought and life. Such contemplation and
prayerful desires lead him to endeayor in
active life to do as he has prayed, "God
helps him who helps himself" This is
kept constantly before the church member
at preaching services, and the midweek
prayer meetings.
(b) Good to others: Teachings from the
pulpit give to church members lives the
tendency to practice what is taught; not
only to ''love God but also to Glove their
neighbor as themselves. - As of Christ it
is said: ''He went about doing good" so
they want it said of them.
8. There is law of universal application
which knows no exception. by their
fruits We shall know them.'' The church
of Jesus Christ which practices the teach
ings Of its founder, tried by this test comes
out as refined gold from the fires of the
crucible.
6. The challenge of Jesus Christ: "Come
unto me all We that labor and are heavy
laden and 1 will give you rest. Take my
yoke upon you and learn of me, for l am
meek and lowly of heart, and We shall find
rest unto your souls, for my yoke is easy
and my burden is light" has never failed
to do all he claims for it. II any man will
live as Christ lived and will obey the prin-
ciples Christ taught, he will experience the
benefit of the promises here made The
challenge remains intact to-day though
more than 1900 years old. Many have made
shipwreck, but their shipwrec1 came only
when they parted company with Christ. AS
Christ set up the church for his followers,
being his disciple, one must be a church
man.
Z. Because the church is the unifcation
Of moral, benevolent and benefcent strength
of the many. By this concentration of
power for good and concert of action, the
greatest amount of good may result to the
greatest number,
S. If all the ehurch-members were dead
and their houses of worship destroyed, 1 be-
lieye our land would have reason to regret
it as sad calamity to the present and fu-
ture generations. believe the churches of
the United States do more good hundred
times over than all other combined public
forces at work, and that the facts will bear
out the statement Hoping that the ques-
tion and answer may cause reflection and
the careful weighing of the subject and
lead TO much good, shall have let the hand
stop, for the present at least.
j. MORGAN WELLS,
pacto,. First RaptiSt Cbur.fb