Los Angeles herald., 1908-06-01
DIED ON CROSS AND
ROSE WITH CHRIST
REV. JOSEPH SMALE TALKS
OF THE CHURCH
Tells His Congregation 1t Had Its ln-
ceptlon Not With the Inearna.
ton, but at the Cruel.
flxlon

| When Jesus dled on the cross MS
church died with him. When he rose
it rose with him. The beginning of the
church is not at the incarnation but al
| the cross, and as in the death of Christ
we died with him, so shall we rise with
| him."
| These are the statements of Rev
Joseph Smale, pastor of the First New
| Testament church, yesterday morning
| in his second sermon on THE Church. "
| He said in part:
I'VE should be a people without tra-
dition. l do not wish to berate the
olden saints. While We would not un-
derrate the past we must not be slaves
| to the past. Every one ought to be
living in simple dependency on the
Holy Spirit. I suggest rich truth
you may not agree. l do not call on
any one to agree with me. There are
things for which we do stand as peo-
ple-the gospel and the grace of God;
that which speaks of the deity of Jesus
Christ; his sacrificial offer and resurrec-
ton which have conveyed to US the full
ness of grace and justification. There
are blessings beyond the people of God.
Show thyself approved to God, work
man that needeth not to be ashamed.
II stand here as a learner as we'll as
teacher, and upon this great subject
of the church 1 hold strong convictions
and I think it for the welfare of this
church that 1 should speak again on
this subject. If we do not agree l ask
for love, patience and prayer.
1.-THE message takes us to the dispen-
sational ground. We have been asked
What is the use of dispensational
truth?' First, all the Scripture Is given
| by the inspiration of God. The Apostle
prays that we may understand dispen-
sational truth; that our eyes may be
| opened that we may know the glory or
his riches and inheritance; that prayer
| cannot be answered apart from dispen-
| sational truth.
'"rhe twelve apostles were a pre-
ascension gift. When Christ ascended
| he made some apostles and some
prophets. There were new apostles
and prophets, as we'll as the old. He
gave these not simply for evangelical
| ton but for the work of the ministry.
| These gifts cannot illustrate the work
unless they deal in dispensational truth
Truth Revealed by God
God has made revelation of truth
| We know how men of the world desire
secrets and it is not only the Christians
but people of the world who look for
these. The scientists have wrested the
| secrets of nature; explorers have found
countries unknown; there has been a
passion to make history give up its
secrets; excavations have been made
that men may learn from the past and
know what they cannot learn from
books-how people lived in the past.
IF that is true of the world, when
God has given us a book of great
treasure, should we not delve into il
for it's secrets? All the Bible repre-
sents to many people is book that
tells them the way to heaven. and
they do not trouble themselves about
what 1t contains. Here, In this book
we have a mine, a treasury; here are
depths into which most Christians
have not gone because of diversity In
Interpretation. Many say they are
contented with the surface. Eye hath
not seen. ear hath not heard There
are things here utterly beyond the
physical senses, but we have spiritua
senses as we'll.
LET not the devil cheat you of your
heritage! There is much to be at
tanned if you will only give yourself
up to the teachings of the Holy Ghost
But be careful that your findings be
not of the human mind, but of the
Holy Ghost. The blessed third per-
son in the Trinity will point out the
truth and the word. So we must never
build doctrines and prejudices on ira
dition. but ask for ligh. of divine
spirit land. and have have thus saith the Lord
1.-THE meaning of the church in the
Pauline writings should not be con
founded with the Jews or the Gen.
tiles. Jews, Gentiles and the church
each is separate and mean different
things. The Old Testament word an
swers to the New Testament word o.
! church. But the church of today !:
not that of Israeli It is not the triba
| council and does not include Simeof
and Levi We come now to our Lords
use of the word. Upon this rock
will build my church. But that churcl
is not the church of this age. So thu
church of today, with the church o.
Israel, with the worshiping congre'
CATION that built on the rock, is be
cause it was not revealed by Jesus
who himself said, I have many things
to say unto you, but you cannot beal
them now' The church was made II
a revelation to Paul.
'If we only credit inspiration OF
words you and I may write books ant
people will say this or that is super
| fiuous. That is a just criticism to b.
passed on human works, put when yol
come to the Scriptures there is not {
superfluous word from Genesis to Reve
lation. I am not speaking of transla
tions. Each word is inspired of God
Then it behooves us to pay special at
tention to it.
"The meaning of the word Church il
| "a Worshiping congregation called ou
Of the mass of people What God II
doing today is calling us out. Nowher'
is 1t held out that now is to be the con
version of the world. There are sig
| niflcant passages in the Old Testament
These ought to open the eyes of peopl
| x,oylri,ae for the conversion of th