Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-01-12
For Sunday Reading
+ An Sorts Of Opinions. !
ta.s-a-t-i-a-,kj-3jetj-31-ii-ss-ii+i
The Lack of the Churches.

llOn Is asked, w men the son OF Man
cometh, shall he find faith on the
earth?' Luke 1873. The very form of
the expression shows that the Saviour's
question is an emphatic statement of
the great lack of genuine faith among
those living at the close of time. This
fact is further confirmed by his an
swer to the question, What shall be
the sign of thy coming and of the end
of the world?" The Master says, Be
cause iniquity shall abound the love
of many shall wax cold Mat. "a 312.
Then great lack of faith, the abound
ing of iniquity and the love of many
waxing cold are sufficiently prominent
in the last days to be mentioned as
among the signs of the Saviour's COM
ing.
Another scripture is to the point in
this connection, 1t reads: This
know also, that in the last days peril
Gus times shall come for men shall
be lovers of their own selves, covetous,
boosters, proud, blasphemers, disobe-
dent to parents, untruthful, unholy,
high minded, without natural affection,
having the form of Goodness, but
denying the power thereof. From such
turn away. 2. Tim. 3: 1-5. The
scripture tells US plainly that perlous
times shall come, and just as plainly
does it say that these perils shall come
or be in the last days. No matter W hat
our views may have been to the con-
trary we should now surrender to the
statement of Gods word. What the
Bible says is correct. What it has
npfntn1 To Gin Of ha ,,.tll
surely appear, and we may see them If
we will.
There is another point in this text
quoted from Timothy that we must not
pass by. The apostle not only tells us
that in the last days perilous times
shall come. but adds: For men shall
be lovers of their own selves" The
word for" in this connection is the
same as because. Note that text says
that those engaged in these sins Of
darkest hue are at the same time hav-
ing a form of goodness, but denying
the power thereof The world does not
have form Of godliness-only
backslidden church could be in such
condition. When the things mem
toned in the tex. appear we may know
these days will be made perilous by
the prevalence of evil.
With these quotations from Mat
thew, Luke and Paul agree. the state
ment of Peter, knowing this first, that
there shall come in the last days SCOT
fers. walking after their own lusts, and
saying, where is THE promise of his
coming, for. since the fathers fell
asleep all things continue as they were
from the beginning of the creation"
But why this lack of power in the
church? Why do we see only the
form, when we should expect to find
the life and power belonging to the
Masters church? There is one little
statement in text already quoted
that furnishes the answer. Take no.
tice that those who have this form of
goodness deny the power thereof; that
lovers of God The pleasures that
God offers are soul satisfying, real and
abiding. Who is there today that has
not been impressed with the efforts
made by so many of the churches and
in so many places to supply amuse
ment? This is done, OF course, to
raise money for the cause or to at
tract the young people in the church.
There are many quotations that 7
refuse to record here, which If I did
would give a picture of what every
body knows is the condition of the
church today in almost every town
and city. The churches are laying
their heads together that they might
produce some form of silly amusement
If we We're to go to show or theater
we would expect to see such perform
ances, but have we actually reached
the time when the professed church of
the day is willing to show herself to
be imbecile by the worse than silly
shows? The world is impressed by
the thought-even the men and wom-
en- of our time are speeding on to an
awful evolution, a vortex into which
this world will plunge head long to
destruction, from which there will be
no repreave unless the power Of God,
the saving power Of God is made man
ifest thru the churches; and let me
say here, that if the church is to be
the instrument in Gods hands in con-
verting the kingdom Of this world into
the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the churches of the day must let go of
the world by refusing to practice in
the churches the silly amusements of
the world, in order that they might
attract the Young and the old of the
world to have a silly and amusing
getting up church suppers.
Every preacher and member of what
soever church he or she may have
joined, must throw his preconceived
opinions aside and run the race that
is set before us, looking unto Jesus,
the author and finisher Of our faith
God wants men in this time who can
see beyond the evils that have taken
possession of the church as we'll as
the world. IIe wants men who can
set on high the blazing light of proph-
ecy and the light of divine truth, to
show the meaning of this great dark
ness that enshrouds the churches, in
stead of light. The whole world is
trembling before it's doom, and the
church which God has appointed as
his agency 10 rescue the perishing
must be warned of the dangerous and
treacherous position which it is taking
to such an alarming extent.
MY sentiments here inculcated are
the expressions of my heart and my
prayer for the elevation of the
churches of today is that their eyes
may be opened before it is too late.
WILLIAM ANDERSON.
Iowa Soldiers Home.
The Church, No Club.