The Tupelo journal. (Tupelo, Miss.) 1876-1924, 1903-09-18

, py j. M EuSOu.l
f, livered to them His last commission:
Go We into all the world and preach
the Gospel to every creature" they
persisted in asking: Lord, wilt
thou at this time restore again the
kingdom to Israeli" Was it not be-
cause they did not understand Jesus
supreme mission to the world. and
their share in bringing TO pass the full
realization of that mission?
| WHY is it that to-day the church of
! w Jesus Christ and the individual
Christians in those churches, are max
ing such pitiable progress in the
evangelization Of the world? Is it not
because they do not know or have for
gotten what the supreme mission of
Jesus to the world is? Nowadays
Christian activities are so complex and
varied that the primary and funda-
mental reasons of Jesus coming to the
world and the Christians relation and
responsibility thereto are lost sight of.
| Jesus did not come to establish
churches, and through them to better
| the conditions in the world Jesus
Christ came into the world to save
sinners. And those saved sinners are
to become the channels through
which Jesus may reach the uttermost
parts of the earth and save other sin
| ners. That the saved sinners-the
Christians-should be drawn together
by common faith and hope is nat
ural-for the fellowship of the saints
is blessed and helpful and necessary
and it is according to the plan of God,
for the church of Jesus Christ of
| which He is the head is composed of
the true believers everywhere, no mat
ter OF what nation, race, color or posi-
ton in life. But the underlying and
foundation principle and right of Chris
tians as organized bodies to exist is
the commission of Jesus to go tell
| others that Jesus can save That the
church of Jesus Christ should be char
liable, and philanthropic, and educa-
tlonal, and helpful in every direction is
most certainly true, but first of all it
@Ai"H'N ~ N'ethSCiitdi llS lISI WDTh
must be for the salvation of sinners,
and its first message, and it's constant.
reiterated message, must be that
Christ Jesus came into the world to
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 world dead in tres
offered His life to redeem. And imme-
diately they began. tel preach this mes
sage. And charities and the varied
forms of Christian activities followed
as a necessary result of their preach
ing. This is the position which the
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 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, it has failed to realize
its greatest privilege and it has missed
its 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 sim
full, lost man.
His supreme mission was the redeem
ing back to God of 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 its woes and
distresses; it needs first and foremost
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 TO shelter, friends
to cherish and love and festive boards
around which to gather? Are those