Kansas City daily journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1892-1897, 1896-12-14
MISSION OR THE CHURCH.
ABoVE ALL, 1T Is TO SEEK AND
SAVE THE LOST.
Eloquent Address Delivered Inst
Evening by Rev. DIR. stephen A.
Northrop, New Pastor of the
First baptist Church.

Rev. DIR. Stephen A. Northrop, the new
pastor of the First Baptist church, deIiv-
cred his first evening sermon last night.
The church was filled and the eloquent
pastor spoke on the subject THE Mission
OF the Church" taking as his text: For
the Son OF Man is come to seek and To-
save that which was lost."-Luke. xix:lO.
DE- Northrop said. in part:
The coming of Christ. Son of God. ia
the one great event of all time. It must
have excited the profoundest amazement
Of the celestial throng from the battle
ments of heaven to see the eternal Son
leave His exalted throne, leaving behind
Him His divine glory, and visit in human
from this sin-cursed earth. For what pu--
pose did He come into the world? That
is the question that on the banks of the
Jordan, on the slopes of the Mount of Be
attitudes and in the precincts of the sacred
temple greatly exercised the minds OF
men. During all time this has been the
supreme question. Round the manger of
bethlehem have gathered the learning, the
unbelief and the faith of every age and
ratien. The answer to this question reveals
the spiritual thought and spirit of the in
terrogater. Some have affirmed that Christ
came only as a teacher; others as moral
list: others as an example; others that He
came as a manifestation of Deity; whils
other have declared that He came not
only for the purpose named, but that He
cSmo as Saviour; that He came as an
ncunced by our text: To seek and to save
that which was lost He came to rescue
man from the thraldom of sin. 1t is not
my plan tonight to argue this text; it
needs none: 1t is axiomatic: the direct mis-
sion of Christ shines out in decided CLEANS
from every word. 1t is the appointed mis-
sion of all disciples like their Lord to seek
and to save the lost. Glorious service!
Heroic, inspiring, delightful. Nothing like
it in the world,
''The text reveals decidedly that man is
Lost This is the fundamental truth OF
the Gospel; it is the one emphatic doctrine
OF evangelical truth. If man was not lost
there would be no pitying God; If man was
not lost there would be no scheme of sal
walton: no revelation of an atoning Saw
iour; no coming into the world of the Lord
OF glory; no marvel of condescension in
God manifested in the flesh If there had
never been a lost man. there might al
most as well have never been a lost Cos
pei.
THE Bible does not define the term lost
In the sense of bodily ruin; / do not fully
know; God grant that none of US may ever
know what 1t Is. I only know that 1t Is
synonym for awful evil. There are figura-
tive terms which give us light: Outer
darkness fire unquenchable,' the worm
that dieth not weeping and gnashing Of
teeth These are the terms of the edua-
tion whose unknown quantity is eternal
despair. Yes, man is list. 1t is Idle in me
any other man to explain away the
statement as figure of speech of the Son
of God. Yes, the whole race of man is lost.
All classes and conditions of men. Zaccheus.
the sinner, needed the Savior, so did Nico-
demus, the upright: Mary Magdalene, the
outcast, as well as Joseph, the just. All
have sinned and come short of the glory OF
God"
''It is plain outspoken fact that Jesus
came with this sole purpose. to seek and
to save the lost. This is the great work
which has been committed to the church
in all time and ages. We are to take the
place Of Christ in going up and down to
win the lost; to find the perishing Ie
the people will not come to the Savior the
the church in it's individuality must go to
the people. In other words, If the mount
ain will not come to Mahomet Mahomet
must not intrust 1t to another; she must
plain logic of our text. The church must
not shrink this grave responsibility; she
must not entrust it to another; she muSa
go herself. The great mass of men am
women are going down to eternal ruin,
and we-confident of our own salvation
fold our hands. close our lips, and let them
go. Bewarei Their blood may be upon our
skirtsi 1 fear my friends, that the church
is drifting away from her divine mission.
The one supreme purpose should ever be
kept before her; it should be the theme of
pulpit and hymn; prayer and testimony
Seeking to savei Seeking to save, God
forgive me as leader and preacher IL !
know anything else save the salvation of
the lost. There is no higher. no more heroic
mission. The church is no select 400 for
social touch; no club house for culture and
pleasure. 1t Is a divine reality panoplied
with the loftiest mission in the world
Whenever she has departed on some other
service; whenever she has become enamor-
ed with the world. she has lost her chief
charm, her sublime purpose, her God-gtven,
mission. Such shall always
be the ideal church under my leadership.
Such shall be the character and tone OF
my ministry in Kansas City-'Seeking to
save that which was lostn