The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-02-13
LEARNING
To BESEECH
Rev. DR.. Johnston on
Need of Interces-
sorry Prayer.

/ Perhaps one of the strongest doctrinal
addresses which has been delivered
from a latter-day Honolulu pulpit was
given by DR.. Johnston at the Central
Union church last night The speaker
handled his subject, .Intercessory
Prayer in remarkably lucid man.
ner. Notwithstanding the fact that the
Mardi Gras festival drew large num-
bers away from town, fair sized
crowd greeted she third night of ths.
/ Johnston services.
/ Together on The platform with the
speaker was the Rev. Mr.. Edwards of
/ the Christian church, who read, by re-
quest, the fifteenth chapter of st. John.
After a brief prayer, Miss Ormerod Of
Maui sang Thou Art Our Father in
a pleasing manner.
! In the course of his sermon DR. John
ston said: II I We're to ask you what
you consider TO be the highest ideal
| of the Christian life, what constitutes
| the full development of his grace,
wonder what you would say? There
might be some of you who would say
| that It was a glowing victory of purity
and others who would say that it was
an increasing passion for souls.
| 80 .Ye have not chosen me, but I have
| chosen you, that We go forth and bring
| forth fruit That is the way that Jesus
Christ has stated definitely what His
purpose is for us. His prayer for US
| is that we may grow into such a fellow
ship with Him. So working out this
great law of love. we shall reach the
climax of it all, to life of prevailing
prayer to God. That is what He says.
Would you have said that? That
Your highest idea of Christians life
is one of prevailing prayer? 1t was
not my conception Of the idea three
years ago. / had read 1t many times,
but never saw it. Jesus Christ says
the highest example is prevailing
prayer with God, and His great longing
for us is that we may reach this pre-
vafling prayer with God
We emphasized the fact yesterday
afternoon and evening, that God is the
only source of power in the redemption
of man. But Jesus could not ask until
His return to the throne and now He
can only ask through You and me. We
have been given the commission, and
He can only ask through us.
pray only for these, not for the
world, in order that through their
labor the world might believe John
says. We have an Advocate with the |
Father, who ever Iiveth to make inter-
cession for us Four times we have |
this exemplified in the prayer, but it is |
only through prayer that we can re- |
ceive this intercession. Now you see |
why He is SO anxious that We should |
make prayers which will be acceptable |
to God, He waits for the Church to /
rise to the place when it can pray for
the nation. The disciples ask. Lord |
teach us to pray. They had always |
prayed, yet they wanted to know the
secret of power of prayer. believe it
was a repetition Of the fundamental |
prayer. and not anything new. After
repeating this fundamental prayer he
to another subject-interces-
sorry prayer. You remember the man
who went to one friend and asked for
bread in the middle of the night; not
for himself, but for a friend. Oh, how
our Father would be pleased to have
10 Soys dlAiCIt We are AuuE1yt VIC |
hungry.
The great problem In the psychology
IF prayer is, What about the power of
the man to grieve the Holy Spirit?
Note the picture of the man who does
not intend to bend for this microscopy
prayer. Jesus shows how this man
'vercomes His will to the contrary.
Ask and it shall be given unto
fou, seek and We shall find, knock and ,
t shall be opened unto you But what
an be the lesson? Surely it can only /,
,e this: the man keeps on asking until
le receives: he seeks until he finds, he
lnocks until it is opened unto him. =
I illustrated last night that it was /
ust What they did at Ramabais j,
ehool- They proposed to pray until
hey received and they received it
hey always do.
Paul says, We do not know how to r
ray as we ought We surely thought r
'aul knew how TO pray. But he him. :,
elf says that he did not know how TO
ray as he ought But the spirit
laketh intereessfon for US. Christ u
yer liveth to make intercession for us C
18th groanings' Intercession can not r
2 obtained otherwise. PAU knew 1t,
nd he wrote Of what he had expert
need.
some years ago a lady was received n
ITO our church in a very unusual way. 81
ne had never owned Bible. I was q,
dled to her bedside in the hospital and .
le said to me. I am a follower OF
esus and as soon as I get out Of this y
ospftal I want to unite with your II
lurch- | was surprised, but the lady o.
'ntinued, Pray for my husband that =
may be converted also, for I can
ever be happy until he is Three
eeks after this she united with our n
lurch on a beautiful confession of | in
(