El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1897-12-13
The Real Rock,

| Rev. j. Il. French pr ached In Ir1
nifty yesterday morning from the text.
''Thou art Peter, and upon this rock
l will build my church. and the gates
of hell shall not prevail ag~ int it,
Matt. XVI:18. The speaker said: In
this text Christ founded and defined
| his church: he established and named
| it st the same time. There Is no word
more misunderstood than is this word
''church." 1t has cost more war and
blnOdshed tran any other word; it has
been more provocative of family and
civil strife than any other word in tbs
English vocabulary, and, simply be
cause of its Interpretation. But in thi-
text it is used 10 it's true significance,
viz, that there is but one church, the
church founded and named by Jesus
Christ The Methodist church is q
branch of that church: all Christ; az
churcht are branches of that true
church. Some churches claim God is
Only in their church; but Methodists
look upon God as being in all the
churches that are branches of the
moment Christ met man who profess
ed faith in him, on that rock he found
ed his church. Peter was the first
man who confessed Christ. The church
of Christ was built on human ex-
perience. Some claim the church was
built on Peters individual confession;
whereas it was on the object of that
confession that the trne church was
built-po man can make a confession
without an experience; and the church
is built on human experien e which
has divine reality. Moth 'ng is of
mora vital Importance than the differ
ence between the church and the king
dom of God. The two are not synony-
nous terms. The church ext is for
the sake of the kin gdom CT God; it is
the means of which the kingdom is an
end.
What is the kingdom of God? It is
a reli2 ious society; Christian family,
Chris. came to establish and create
Christian home. Christ coined the ex-
preston "Christian home" which is
she foundation of this nation, and is of
t. kingdom of God. The IDEAL family
relations and domestic ties are only
possible in Christian land. Nevtr
can Christianity be destr Dyed until the
Christian home is destroyed. Are
Christian family relations growing in
Ell Paso? Are inroads being made by
the corroding influences of the devil?
Is the bible read in the public schools?
II you would make Rome howl read
the bible ia the public schools. Japan
has dists need US in adopting Gods
word as a text book in its public
schools. l., Christ came to establish not
only Christian home snd city, but
also a Christian state where legislation
will be wise and benevolent, where
law and order prevail; and Christ is
going moreover, to organize a Christian
race. Coz is going to conquer this
world for himself, and the gates of
hell shall not prevail against it. The
key note Of the Christian life is being !
going: God wants men AID
who are ready to live and die
for him. Moreover, God wants an ag-
gressive rather than defensive
church. church that is up to the
times and is ready for the twentie b
century, one that will take the world
for God. Upon this, he says, l will
build my church, and the gates OF hell
shall not prevail against it.. The re-
proach of the church is its dead mem
bers, that is, members who are dead in
works; and no church can prosper I'M
til these are cut off or are restored to
life