Los Angeles herald., 1906-01-29
WANT GOSPEL;
NOT THEORIES
PASTOR PIERCE TELLS WHAT
MEN HUNGER FOR
Satisfying Sermons Must Lift Bur-
dened Hearts, Must Tell Glad Tld-
ines and Must Express Gods
Love In Human Terms

"The Gospel for Today" was the topic
of the sermon preached by Rev. G. G.
Pierce, pastor Of the Memorial Bap-
tist church, last evening.
The words Of the text were: 'Tf our
gospel is hid, 1t is hid from them
which are lost" In the course of his
sermon he said:
There is no word in common usage
in religious circles today more robbed
of it's original meaning than this word
gospel To most people the term
stands for a body of statements COM
posing stilted philosophical system
pertaining to religion which is per-
fectly familiar to everybody who pre-
tends TO even a smattering of Chris
tian training.
"The one essential of this so-called
gospel is that it shall be old. We
often hear people speak of the old
gospel The term is a misnomer. The
primary meaning of this term is some
thing new-'Good news This is the
real meaning. The real gospel, spoken
to this world by Christ, never will
grow old.
'The fact is, the most of us who
teach, or pretend to, instead of bring
ing to our pupils something new, bring
to them that which is musty with the
dry rot Of ages. 1t has lost it's hold
on men because it is nothing new.
Everybody loves to heav good news,
and the man who gets the truth of
God into his heart in such a way that
it will stir the depths of the souls of
those who listen, and who can bring
the great fundamental truths of Gods
dealings with man to those who need
it with the freshness of something
new, will never lack for hearers.
1--WE have heard about the evangelism
of the past, the good news C the days
gone by; there are no end of prophets
who are telling us all the time of the
evangelism Of the future. What the
world needs now is the evangelism of
today.
Men Will Listen
MEN will still listen to a gospel
They are tired of theories which no
one expects to see realized; they are
sick unto death of medieval philosophy;
they are nauseated with cant and sane
timonious phrases and holy tones, but
they are hungering for and will listen
to, a gospel.
$50 many people need a gospel today.
So many people want 1t. So many peo-
pie are lost without it. The church
member needs it. He needs to hear
something different than he has been
hearing from babyhood, and which he
knows by heart now. The simply moral
man, who thinks he is about as good
as can be. would, if he should hear
q few tones of a real gospel, be con-
scious of need that has never been
satisfied. The weak, sinful, insincere
man needs a gospel, and the vile. sin
ner, manifestly giving the bride to
his passions and rushing headlong
down to sure ruin, needs a gospel,
and would clutch at the salvation it
offered, as drowning man clutches
at a rope thrown to him when sinking
in the waves.
'Tt is for the ministers in the pull
pits, for the Christian business men in
the shop and the store, for the ele
giant woman in her lovely home, for the
teacher in the school room, for the
policeman on his beat. for the strong
everywhere and under all circunl-
stances to proclaim this gospel. 1t is
their work to tell men some good news,
to bring them some information that
they are waiting to hear. The two
primal elements of this message are
that it shall be news, and that the
news shall be good.
1.-THE gospel for today. the good news
for the present need, shall contain at
least three elements peculiar to the
needs of today. 1t shall tell of salts
faction to burdened heart. oh, hearts
crushed beneath life's heavy load,
ingly lift that burden from your soul.
You, my strong friend. in the presence
of the worlds sin. weakness and need
must do the lifting.
Must Tell Tidings
1.-THE gospel for today must tell the
glad tidings Of Gods great and un-
changing love. Soul, crushed down with
the consciousness of your own utter
weakness, yes, even vilenesS and un-
worthiness, remember this, that though
all men turn against you the infinite
God is with you still. He will never
forget you. His love can never change.
Through the eternities his fathomless
love will surround you. Will not your
sad heart listen to it's pleadings now?
''The gospel for today must be an
expression of Gods love in terms of
human love. Speak this language,
friend, to those who hunger for it, 1t
may be that those about you may feel
that they are but strangers to some
unseen God away in the infinities of
some distant heaven, but they are not
strangers to you. They are no doubt
strangers to loving words, to warm
and brotherly hand grasps, to smiles
which have within them to soul of a
true devotion. But to such a gospel
as this there are so many who have
been listening so long. They are all
about you. In this great city, in the
darkness, while the wild and cruel bill
lows OF weakness and despair and sin
are breaking over them, some soul is
crying out in the darkness for some
touch of human sympathy. Will you
let your light stream? Will you speak
the message? Will you reach out
your strong hand and try to do your
part? Remember this: If your. gospel
is hid, it is hid from them which are
lost"