The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-09-16
PURPOSE OF THE CHURCH
ANNIVERSARY SERVICE OF THE
HOME CONGREGATION.
Just One Year Ago Yesterday the
North Indianapolis Church Was
Dedicated.


Presbyterian congregation of North Indian
apolis, corner RAIDER and Thirty-first
streets, dedicated it's new church. Yester-
day was a day OF rejoicing. The church
was beautifully decorated with plants. Mr..
Robert Fesler led the choir and there was
a special musical programme. The pastor.
Rev. j. Edward Brown, preached the SER
mon on THE Purpose of the Church" his
text being from Ephesians Nv, II; 1 limo
thy, 1, Is. He said:
This is the first anniversary in the new
church. Is IL not an appropriate time to
consider the purpose of the church of
Christ on earth? The visible church con-
sists of great company of believers in all
the worId-believers in God, believers in
Christ as the divine savior and the divine
human examplar of the world.
One is that. Of confirming and building up
believers in their most holy faith. To this
end the ministry exists; to this end the
gospel OF the Son OF God Is preached; to
this end the sacred ordinances are admin
istered. Organ and choir and vestment
and eloquence and soft cathedral light and
gilded altar or sacred desk are nothing I'M
less they subserve this high and holy pur-
pose OF Bringing men into living and loving
and saving. touch with God and with His
Christ.
of Christ on earth is the. salvation of the
souls OF, men. bringing them into the light
OF. the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ For
this high work she 10 made emcient through
the indwelling and energizing, of the Holy
Spirit of God. 1t Is her work to convert
or turn men, to bring them TO an arrest
of thought. 1t is Gods work to regenerate
the heart; to'impfant the seed of new
and, holy life. .t....,-.t.-
lone PURPOSE of the church, then, is TO
faith faith to bring them to. a, state of mature
development; for the perfecting OF the
saints. There is no suggestion here of the
professed by some. We must let Paul in
terpret himself. Our trouble Is that we
come to Scripture with preconceived, ideas
and read our notions into the Scriptures,
instead of getting at the mind Of the spirit.
Jesus words In his Sermon on the Mount
do not lend themselves to the modern holt
ness view BE we perfect as your heavenly ,san
Gated by Jesus Is a perfection OF loye-a
divine love-love not only for friends, but
for enemies as well. The love demanded is
of a certain kind rather than of a certain
degree. We must observe a certain princi-
pie In the Interpretation Of the perfection
desirable. II must be in keeping with the
results which 1t is capable of producing.
Paul enumerates these; they are three
first, oneness of faith and knowledge of
Christ: TIL we all come in the unity OF
the faith and of the knowledge of the Son
of God Faith in Christ as the fundamen-
tai condition of salvation is being preached
by every true branch OF the church or
are Coming to understand better the per-
lection OF maturity at which the church of
Christ must arrive. The Young Mems
church; the great Endeavor movement, for
the young people, illustrates the true moral
and spiritual unity of the church of Christ.
KNOWLEDGE OF CHRIST.
1.-THE knowledge of Christ Is becoming
more perfect, and Christian people of diff
ferent denominations are viewing the great
essential truths of our holy religion in the
same light. The creed given by Paul in
this same letter is all but fulfilled: One
Lord, one faith, one baptism
1.-THE motto of the great church father
Augustine never verified more fully
than to-day, In essentials unity; in nom
essentials, liberty; in all things, charity A
Christian, or Campbellite minister, at WI
mona said he could indorse ninety-nine one
hundredths Of the teachings given, and was
not sure but he could indorse one hundred
one-hundredths of the teaching, and yet we
Presbyterians are supposed to hold some
doctrines hard to be believed. The unity of
which Paul speaks is not one which will
lead denominations to dissolve and lose
their identity. not one that is outward and
organic and formal and lifeless. Not such
a unity is an element in Paul's perfection
ism for the church. but one that Is moral
and spiritual, one whose bond Is common
faith in a common Lord and love for that
Lord.
Paul prays for a unity founded on faith
and love That Christ may dwell in YOUR
hearts by faith; that We being rooted and
grounded in love may be able to compre
bend with all saints what is the breadth
and length and depth and height, and to
know the love of Christ which passeth
knowledge, that We might be filled with all
the fullness of God There is no sugges-
ton in this sincere and devout prayer of
Paul's of the sentimental, organic unity we
hear so much about What is needed be-
tween the denominations is comfy and con-
sideration and cooperation In the spirit of
the Master, and this we are having more
and more. second result which throws
some light on the purpose OF the church. In
the world. and on the maturity which 1t
ought TO attain. is a fixedness or stability OF
faith one that is proof against every new
fad or doctrine That We may be no longer
children. tossed TO and fro. and carried
about with every wind OF doctrine.
''The doctrines which Paul has in mind
and which were as airy and uncertain as
the wind We must guess at. They were
Isles Which aIIegorized in way the great
facts of Christs person and work There
are modern gnostic heresies, such as Faith
Healing and Christian Science and Spirit
ualism: against these we ought to be on
our guard So long as the church or large
numbers of II are moved by these vagarfes
Of doctrine she has not reached the Persec-
The third result OF the churchs oft1ce,
and marking her maturity. Is a develop
ment OF its members into the nigh standard
OF living set up by Jesus Christ; May grow
up into Him who is the head. even Christ.
"A fourth result OF the church's office,
and marking her maturity. Is one suggested
by a few simple words which designate the
method OF attaining the character OF the
head, the Christ: Speaking the truth in
love This is not a good rendering: the
margin reads being sincere in love; the
margin OF the revised reads dealing truly
I'm love. which is still better. The best read
ing is being true In love. We have sug-
gested here a method temper OF Chris
tian action that would avoid all differences
and clashings In any individual church or
I'm any denomination or I'm the church uni
versal The truth We must hold: we must
be true to our convictions though the heav-
ems fall, especially In moral and religious
matters IL WAS trueness 10 conviction that