The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-08-14
CHRISTIAN CHURCH
Anniversary Celebration
Last Night.
Five Years Esta tished in This City Rev
W. A. Gardeners Sermon on The
Model Church

The fifth anniversary OF the found
| ms of the Christian church IN this city
| was appropriately celebrated YESTERDAY
by the pastor, Rev. w. \. Gardner, ant
| his congregation. The church had beer
| deliberately decorated for the occasion
under the supervision Of Mrs g. e
| BCardman. Delicate sprays of vine anC
bamboo intermingled with white bios
| sens gave the interior of the church
| a beautiful appearance. On the pulpit
! desk was a large figure five worked in
| white bloom on back ground of fern
Ileaves, while on the left of he rostrum
| on stand were placed by loving hands
| the pictures of Rev. T. d. Garvin. the
| founder of the church, and Mrs. Gar
| vim. Around these was tastefully ar
ranged an abundance of pearly stepha-
| motifs and maiden hair fern
Reports of the different departments
| of the church work were rendered.
which showed it to be in good and
| thriving condition.
TIE sermon by the pastor on The
Model Church from Acts PAP was a
| fOrcible discourse, and especially ap
prCpTiate to the occasion. A portion
Of it is as follows:
1T is a very profitable thing for an
individual, upon his birthday, to take
an intellectual and spiritual measure
Of Himself that he may learn Of his
deficiencies and correct them in the
growth OF the future years.
Upon this celebration of the fifth
birthday OF the Christian church in
Honolulu, / desire to present to you
some Of the characteristics of the mo-
del church which l wish You to care
fully compare with the church of
which you are a member with d de-
termination to use your best effort in
assisting to correct uhe errors you may
discover.
4 church is made up of individuals
and it's perfection or imperfectiOn is
due to the strength or weakness of in
diyidual members. And it is to these
that I wish you to give especial heed,
but let it be the one who wears your
coat or hat that you study, not the
brother or sister ON the other side of
the house.
The acts Of the Apostles and the
E5pistles to the churches contain the
characteristics of the church the Lord
would have ion Honolulu now. 1t is d
departure from the Divine model here
furnished, that has caused the warning
SeCtS and creeds, and the local church
troubles which have so sadly inter
fered with the progress Of christianity.
"A comprehensive history of the frs
Church OF Christ, which received 5000
mem bers in one day and 5000 in an
other, is found in Acts Pap, And
they continued steadfastly in the Apos-
ties doctrine and fellowship and in
breaking Of bread and in prayers.
The memb erS Of the model church
were steadfaSt, firmly fixed. constant,
resolute not tickle or wavering. Rome
forbade their meeting to worship but
"forsa king not the assembling of them
selves together they met knowing
that, to many of tEem, it meant i'm
pliSCnlnent and death.
THE Apostles doctrine was simple
II contained two elements, things tol
Re believed and things TO be done. InI
the first clement there was but one
article, Jesus Christ" The man who
believed in and was willing to obey
Him Was received into the church. It'll
was sufficient then, it is sufficient now.
Questions about predestination, the
trinity, the state of the dead. the sab
at all We're rot allowed 20 divide thel
church The second clement, Things
to be dOme," was also simple. Re
pent and lie baptized everyone of you,
in the name Of the Lord Jesus, for the
remission of SINS was so easily under !
stood that individuals, families and
great multitudes Immediately, upon
ji,earinG but one sermon, became |
christians and united with the church. |
These primitive disciples were
''steaGfaSt in the fellowship" The
Greek word KoinOnia is much larger
than our word Fellowship" or any
other English word by which we may
translate it. It means partnership In
all the burden and work of the church.
Some We're not leased and others bur
dened' but every man, according to
his ability" contributed of time, ener-
gy and money. There was no ''laity'
on clergy but a Fellowship" which
included all classes in a brotherhood
where Christ only was Master. The
KOinOnia in which they continued
steadfastly,' included the divine love
extClled by Paul in his Corinthian let
ter as the chief Of virtues, a love which
itself in kindness and for
hearance and would not permit the
IL en- heys to think evil Of each other,
much less 10 speak evil.
The breaking of bread was the
Lords Supper, which the members of
he model church celebrated every
LORDS day, that being the chief thing
for which ION the first day Of the
week the disciples came together
The model church was constant in
prayers" The prayer meeting was the
most important gathering of the
church in which everyone hath a