The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-04-20
What the Church
Doing.
BEYOND THE CHOSEN PEOPLE
The International Sunday-SchOOl Les
son for April 25 is The Gospel in
Antioch Acts 11:19-3O: 1925.
BY WILLIAM T. ELLIS.

Antioch Acts 11:19-3O: 1925.
By WILLIAM T. ELLIS.
Everybody is somehow a provincial.
The standards which men invOlun-
tarily apply to everything, in heaven
above and on earth beneath, are the
standards Of their own time and place
and training. 1t is natural TO try to
measure all things by our own little
twelve-inch rule. Only the rare man
who is a truly great man eve be-
comes a cOsmOpolite, recognizing free
~ that there are other peoples, other
standards. other times. While not
quite putting it into words, the Ordi-
nary person who gives thought at all
to the civilization of what is some
what snobbishly called the .hethen'
world. cCnceives Of it's being brought
to the standards of his own particular
church. to the use of his mother tom
que. and to the adoption of his forms
of dress.
This spirit made trouble in the
early church. The first Christians
thought Of themselves as Jews, and
of Christ's message as being for Jews.
But when by persecution the infant
church was flung hither and thithef
into what the Jews called 'barbarian'
communities, they had their eyes
opened, even as today travel brOadens
mems horizons. Gradually, and at
ter much intense opposition, the truth
began to enter the minds Of the early
church that he gospel. was for GEN
tile as well as for Jew, and that the
former could be as true a disciple OF
Jesus as the latter.
While not saying SO in church meet
ings, there are multitudes of earnest
Christians TODAY who, in their heart
Of hearts, question whether & man With
a yellow face, and speaking a ton
que to them incolnprehensible, can
he as true a type of Christian as the
white man. Much work remains to
be done With the home churches as
Well as in foreign lands before there
car be a general leVeling up to a
realization that @Christ Jesus is the
Saviour Of all men, and that he recks
not of tongue or color or race. Many
travellers have wished that the fer
vor and fidelity and JOY of some Chris
tan communities newly out of pagan
ism. as the Korean for in
stance, could be found as a general
characteristic of the all too %conpla-
cent churches at home.
Some Meaningful Names.
The arch-persecutor, Saul, was prob
ably responsible more than any other
one man for driving the Christians
from Jerusalem in every direction. 1t
is one of the dramatic contrasts of
history that he himself should later
follow them into these remote places
as minister of the once-despised Cos
pei. Now we find them in the pres
ent lesson in PhOenicia, and Cyprus,
and Antioch, and Cyrene.
The. dispersion of the disciples to
these points meant the direct. vital
contract Of their faith with the most
formidable aspects of entrenched
paganism. 1t was one thing for the
teachings Of Jesus to subsist as an
10000
religious atmosphere of Jerusalem;
quite different was its life in these
active, hustling. materiaislic heather
communities. And here the disciples,
who had begun by speaking the Word
to none save only to Jews, found them
selves constrained to preach the Lord
Jesus unto the Greeks also. New conf
ditiCns had SO brOadened their minds
that they perceived the impossibility
of retaining their faith as a mere Jew
iSh sect.
A New Label From the City.
The city is the final test Of most men
and enterprises. Every boy OIL man Of
parts, however celebrated locally. feels
himself bOund to go up against the
city, where he knows his real success
or failure must be demonstrated. The /
new teachings Of Jesus were soon call
ed upon to face this test. In Antioch.
a new and relatively hostile en-
vironment. the disciples had to prove
the w~orkability Of their faith. Could
it ndure the cold Indifference Of this
vast municipality? Was it equal to i'm
pressing these hurrying hordes of
Greeks? The challenge Of the city,
which is a Dresent-day problem for
religion, was thus early a question for
the followers Of Jesus.
1t was his expedition to New York
City that marked the downfall of John
Alexander Dowie. In his own little
community on the shores of LAX
michigan he could thrive in growing
power and honor. Face to face with
me metropolis of the continent he was
I've = 70 be uneuual to the big task