Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1895-03-14
CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR.
Topic For The Week Beginning March i q.
Comment by Rev. S. III. Doyle.

Topic For the Week Beginning March :.
Comment by Rev. >. III. Doyle.
ToPIc.-Winning thers-from what u what
and how2-Acts viii, 25-39.
The topical reference narrates the fa-
miliar story Of Philip and the Ethiopian.
In the providence Of God Philip il led
to this man returning from Jerusalem,
as he was reading the Scriptures, which,
however, he did not understand. Ex-
planning away the difficulties, Philip
led him to true knowledge Of God il
Jesus Christ by preaching Christ as He
is set forth in the Scriptures and thus
we have illustrated before as, from
what, to what and how We are to win
others.
l. From what are we to win others?
In general we may answer from any
thing that prevents them from having q
true apprehension Of God in Jesus
Christ In the case before US it was ig-
noranoe that caused the misapprehan-
sion. The Ethiopian read the Scriptures
concerning Christ, but he did not IN
derstand them He did not know to
whom they referred. Philip had to lead
him from ignorance Ignorance keeps
many from true apprehension Of God
in Jesus Christ. Many. like the Ethi-
opian, have no one to guide them, and
many who have the opportunity To learn
will not do 50. But there are other
things besides ignorance that separate
men from Christ. 1t may be skepticism,
Or unbelief or false pleasure or world
illness or sin IN one form or another
From all these things Christians should
seek to win others from whatever keeps
them from saving knowledge Of God
in Jesus Christ. we should esteem IL u
pleasure as well as a duty to win all
men.
?. To what are we to win others? 10
true apprehension Of God in Jesus
Christ. The work is only half done
when we win them from their errors.
Error must not only be removed, but
truth must be incnlcated in its stead.
Skepticism and unbelief must not only
be overcome, but real and true faith
must be established III their places we
must not only turn men from sin, but
to God; not only from darkness, but to
the light; not only from unrighteous-
ness, but to true holiness. When we
have despoiled the vessel Of its false
rudder, it must not be left rudderless,
to be tossed aimlessly to and fro by the
winds and waves. We must replace the
false by the true If our work is the Der
feet work that it should be.
3. How are we to win others? By
preaching Christ. This was Philips
method, for we are told that ''Philip
opened his mouth and began at the same
Scripture and preached unto him
Jesus. This was the apostolic method.
Ii should be our method. We should
preach Christ az He is set forth in the
Scripture-the incarnation, death, res
direction, the atonement of Christ. 1t
is the Scriptural Christ alone that can
save men. We should preach Christ per-
sonally. Philip preached TO him." He
had but one for his audience, and preach
ing is often most effective to audiences
Of one. 1t is personal work, individual
work that is most effective. The world
cannot be saved as a mass, but as in
dividuals. Will we do our part to win
the world for Christ?
Bible Readings Dan. xii, 3; Math.
Y, IS; Luke xxiy; 81; John j, 4O-42;
iii, 1916; xii. 81; Acts xvi, 25-33;
xvii, 20, 90; xviii, 24-28; xviii, 23,
"a; Cor. *, 1922; <, 80, SO; | Tim.
iv, 16; II Tim. iv, 1, 2; Jas. Y, 10, 90.