The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1903-12-24
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
AN ELOQUENT DISCOURSE ENTITLED
THE CHRISTIANS MISSION"

livers II Strong Sermon, the Theme OF
Which is Evangelism.
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.-The Rev. Thomas
J. Villers, pastor Of the First Baptist
Church, of this city, preached SUNDAY
morning a strong sermon. the thsrle o.
which was evangelism. His subleSt was
THE Christians Mission to the Nor:d;
GAS Thou hast sent Me into the world:
even so have I sent them into the world.
Mr.. Vilers said:
The farewell discourses to the disciples
were ended. Gethsemane with Its mental
anguish and bloody sweat was but step
in the distance The shadows flung from
the cross were deepening and darkenlng;;
Jesus knew that before another sun should
set His work on earth would be done: in
ese last moments He betook Himself to
PRAYER. Dying words are undying words.
We embalm them in fragrant memories
With eyes uplifted toward the Father, the
divine Suppiiant first reviewed His own
ministry. s'I have glorihed Thee on the
earth: I have finished the work which
Thou gavest Me to do" Then His MIND
turned toward His disciples; He prayed
for them. declaring their mission to oe
continuation of His own. This thought lie
emphasized before His death, on the earth-
ward side of Calvary, while standing m
the deem shade and gloom. Gas Thou hast
sent Me into the world, even 50 have
aiso sent them into the world" The same
THOUGHT emerged with Him from tMstomb.
sad dropped from His lips on thsheaven-
w.rd side of the cross, while stahding in
the light reflected from the crown. Then
s,id Jesus to them again, Peace be wltc
YOU: as Ny Father hath sent M even So
sand I YOU" Thus with the efl-'hasls OF
repetition our Lord announces the CHRIS
Man's mission to the world.
Jesus is called the apostle OF our confes-
SION. He is Gods sent one, whom we con con
fess. He repeatedly laid emp hasis on this
fact. declaring Himself to be the one whom
the Father sanctihed and sent into the
world. In Johns Gosnel alone He speaks
q Himself thirty-six times as being sent
Of God. He was sent to preach good tld-
incs to the poor, to proclaim release to the
cantiyes and recovering of sight TO- the
blind. to set at liberty them that arc
bruised, to proclaim the acceptable. year. OF
the Lord. Having finished the work when
God gave Him to do, He formed new new
spostolate, dignifving all disciples as H,s
apostles: for while His commission. even
to the twelve. it applies will, equal force
to all who have obtained like precious
fa;,:.: God sent Him; He sends US. IN
the Acts we read that when Stephen suf-
fered martyrdom there arose that day,
xreat persecution against the church AT 'e,
rusa;em. And they were ali scattered
throughout the regions Of Judea and. "a
maria. except the twelve. They, therefore
that were scattered abroad - not 5ne
twelve, for they stayed at Jer.,saiem' but
the laymen. the rank and file OF the chnrcn
they that were scattered abroad went
about preaching the word. -.
y NS
frm;no that YOU are slow CT speech and OF
a slow toneues Listen! The gospel IS good
news and good news does not need orna-
1oentinp. it needs telling. Listen! One
nioht at Corinth, after a day Of depressing
FOIL when there had been little. to cheer
Pauls soul, Jesus appeared to hlm IN :,
vision. saving: "Be not afraid: but sneak.
The word which Christ used Is slsnihcant'
It is not the term for formal set oiss
course. It suggests the slmpiesT 1orln ~ u'
human language. 1t means merely 70 taih.
Our Lord did not want Pau 70 susareGa. S.;n
his message with poetic: rhetorlcal oescrlp-
Hons of the glory Of Corinth's two seas,
Aecked with white sails from many lands,
did not want him to wax eloquent amir;
fbst nageant Of islands and mountains ana
s,arrs of cypress and pine hathed IN ths
sloy Of Grecian sunsets Jesus Wanteo
psMl inst to talk the gospel. At the apes
HES feet Law the blue waters, OF the
Aegean. Jesus did not want Paul to pre-
pare learned disquisitions; whose pro1rHn,n, H,.o
ity would equal the unplumoed sea. IKE
the preacher who was sand to De 1nv.s;S;;e
s;r days in the week and incomprehenS,oie
on tSe seventh. Christ only wanted Pani
~ talk the gospel. In the. distance
.rIe.med the snowy summit OF Heic0n'
,wSose ~ muses. had inspired Hesiod and h,s
sshoo1 Of writers. Jesus did not want Paul,
w;th a head as cold and vocabulary a.
;cv as Helcon's summit. to show the rhet'
or;c loving Corinthians that he was as cui.
t,,red as themselves. He wanted Faul Jus.
IA talk the gospel. Towering within sienI
stood two-peaked Parnassus, whose s.oe
noets had climbed for inspiration. Jesus
Aid NOT want Paul to give the impression
that his inspiration had been kindled on
Psrnassus. lest, coming with the ent'cnG
words Of mans wisdom his message snouio
h. made of none effect: He dnteo fau1
simply to talk the gospel.
a beloved. this is what the church ano
the :.7orld need to-day-not more clergy
men to expound the gospel. but more men
and women to talk the gospel: talk 1t n
the home, talk it in the office, tak 1t IN the q
shop, talk it in the factory. talk 1t IN the IN
store. talk it on the farm, talk 1t on tne
streets. talk it on the trains--.talk 1t every
WEere. SuDpOSC pSOpiN
: That is what the Athenians called Paul
,Iesns saws: s'Be not afraid; keep talking.
Suppose they say that our speech is con
temptible. That is what the Corlnthla1:
said OF Paul. Jesus says: BE not a1rald
keep talking" Suppose they, affirm Una
the old gospel will not do in these moderI DC
davs. that It must be refined and lntel!ec
tualized. trimmed and Topped and poilsnie,(
and perfumed. Jesus says: BE not afraid
keep talking" :, ~,
# is profoundly significant that when tn
Holv Ghost came on the day Of Pentecos
He appeared in the shape Of a tongue
which sat not only on the twelve, but OF
each member of the church. and when tha
tongue of fire touched them they began tt
sneak as the Spirit gave them utterance
II is by the tongues of Gods, people tina
His gospel must be published. We ma!
try to excuse our silence by saying tina
actions sneak louder than words, and 81
# our life is right, speech is unnecessary
It is true that the life may be, eloquent
and ought to be. 1t is true. that word
without works are like faith without work
dead. But no excuse that we can tram
will satisfy Christ for our dumbness. Nor
than once He healed men. who were pos
sessed BY dumb devils. and it must .gr'ev
49, ca ,,any or His people in Ou