Milford chronicle., 1905-09-08
who the First christIans Were.

! loyalty OF It's common people.
ss;sss-
Who the First Christians Were.
If our government is dependent upon
the loyalty of its one talented patriots
how much more truly can we state that
our church, the beloved church of Jesus
Christ, is dependent also upon the 10y
atty Of its one talented members. When
| Christ established his church from
whence did he draw his first recruits?
| Did they come from the palace? Did
they come from the merchant princes
mansion? Did they come from the
tents of the Roman generals? Oh, no.
They came from the fisherman's hut, !
from the labo~er's fields. from the
homes of the one talented folks The |
first Christian church had its congrega- |
ton not clothed in silks or satins, but /
in homespun. The arlstocracy despised .
Christ's disciples on account of their .
humble social positions. THE common
people heard him gladly" Not the ten
talented men and women were they;
not the geniuses in finance and state
craft His people were the ordinary,
1t was the one talented Christians
who composed the Christian church
Has it not always been the one talent
ed folks who have carried it on? Who
were the Christians who made the ref
Ormation of Martin Luther possible?
Who were the Christians who helped
John Knox shake old Scotland and
shake the world? Who were the Chris
tians who came over in the Mayfower
and established the Puritan church Of
the Plymouth colony! From whence
did John Wesley and Charles Wesley
and George Whtefeld draw most of
their followers? Who made Finney
and Moody the mighty religious fac ,
tors they were? For the most part, :
the great masses of church members
have been and are today taken from
the ranks of the common people. 1t is
the one talented folks who crowd our
pews today When you take the one
talented folks out the church, like
Samson, whose hair was shOrn by the
shears Of an evil mistress, will decay
and as a mighty spiritual and temporal
power win lose her entire strength
AIan-Oue talented mau-yOu think you
10 not amount to much in Gods church,
Woman-one talented wOman-you do
not fully reckon your influence in pray /,
ar meeting and in Sunday school and
IN church pew The church of Jesus p
Christ is dependent for most of its
ahorers and members upon the one
talented people. You may belong to
hat class. Never desert the temple of
Sod, which he calls his divine church.
But as I am trying to show the i'm
Of the one talented people in
he store, the factory, the home and
he church, I must not end here. I
must show yOu that, though your in
luence is worldwide, vet there is no
lass OF people on earth who are so
eady to shirk their tasks as the one
alented folks. The teaching of this W
,arable is absolutely true. The five
alented men went to work. They are
Il the treadmills. They cannot stop n
nd get out. They have to go ahead "
r be ground to pieces. But the one
alented men think their work is of so
title Importance that they can stop G
ny time aud no one cares.
enter a great merchants store
Come I say. "let us HE ourselves
# to the woods" 'Nay, nay" says
e. Il cannot stop. If did not keep Da
rOrking and keep my men working ES
he payroll Of my business would soon D
md me in the bankruptcy court" ~.
Come" I say to a minister of Jesus
'hrist. come. let us run away from p
own" Il cannot 60" says he "The
congregation win meet Sunday morn
lg. If I am not there there will be no
ne to lead them in worship" But.
lough the president feels the impor.
lnce of his mission in the White House q.
nj the great merchant of his position
! the store and the minister of his I
osition ia the pulpit, how very few Of
le common people feel the importance
their work and their presence in the I
lurch of God for the salvation of the
'orld for Christ?
Oh, We one talented folks. never let
ny pass without reckoning up the inn /
ortance of your prayers, your service +
nd your conservation to God for the
of Christ's mission ON
lrth! May you here and now, in your I
'dinary lives, say: 20 Christ. take
e. Take my home, take my children. -
Ike my ali for thy service! Teach /
e to make good use Of the one talent n
hch is mine and thine." 7.ls
Copyright 1896 by Louis Klopsch.l ana