The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1903-09-11

save sinners"
A LII the activities of the early apos-
\ tolic church, as disclosed In the
Acts, clustered around the great work of
soul-saving. There were charitable and
philanthropic enterprises, but they were
all the outgrowth of the preaching Of
the Gospel to sinners. The supreme
mission Of Jesus was ever kept before
the Christians of the early church. He
had come to save sinners. AS the Holy
Spirit came and took possession of their
surrendered wills and hearts, they saw
that it was not an earthly kingdom
which Jesus came to set up; they real
lied that He had not come to bring
about great social and political changes,
except such as were the outgrowth of
the changed lives of the saved sinners,
but that it was a world dead in tres
passes and sins which He had come and
offered His life to redeem. And imme-
diately they began tCi preach this mes
sage. And charities and the varied
forms of Christian activities followed
as a necessary result of their preach
church must occupy to-day if it would
be what God wants it to be and intended
it should be. The church cannot i'm
prove upon Jesus supreme mission to
the world. 1t may carry on great chart
ties and philanthropic enterprises; 1t
may organize itself into a splendid in
stitutional church, exerting widespread
influence and winning the approval and
support of the world, but if it fails In
the supreme work Of soul saving it has
ceased to feel the vitalizing power of
Jesus presence, 1t has failed to realize
it's greatest privilege and 1t has missed
it's supreme opportunity for doing good
wv HY was Jesus supreme mission
w to the world that of saving the
sinner? Because the greatest need of
man could only be met by the greatest
sacrifice of Heaven. Jesus asks: What
shall it profit man If he gain the whole
world and lose his own soul?" Jesus
might have righted' all human wrongs,
He might have banished sickness from
the earth, He might have ushered in a
reign of peace and plenty, and it would
have made earth good place to dwell
in, but after the short period of this
life, what of the next? He might have
provided for the physical man, but what
of the eternal welfare of his soul? He
must give His life in order that He
might buy the right to give life to sin
full, lost man.
His supreme mission was the redeem
ing back to God of a lost and ruined
race. When Jesus came the Jew was
crushed under the cruel yoke of Roman
bondage, and looked for deliverance,
but Jesus looked farther than the Ro-
man Oppressors, He looked deeper than
the ills of the flesh. He saw beneath
all the eXternalities of life the dead soul
The Jews wanted king and deliverer;
they needed a Saviour. The world
wants amelioration from it's woes and
distresses; it needs first and foremost
a Saviour. Go with me to the morgue
There lie the rows upon rows of
CHASTITY dead. What do those cold,
stiff bodies need most, the finest of
clothing, jewels to deck finger, throat
and brow. mansions 10 shelter, friends
to cherish and love and festive boards
around which to gather? Are those
what they need? The very thought of
these things in connection with those
lying there stiff and cold in death is
abhorrent. They need lifei Life,!
Life!,! When Jesus came to the
worlds morgue of souls dead in tres
passes and sins, could He think of any
thing but their supreme need? They
did not need what the world could give
so much as they needed life, LifeI.
Life!! Do you know, l believe some
of the saddest moments of Jesus life
were when the suffering and needy re-
ceived the temporal blessings of heal
ing and food from His hands without
any awakening in the soul of desire
for the supplying of the greater need
which He came to fill. He came to give