The Topeka state journal., 1909-01-23

religion. OF course. nobody wants the
church to become merely medica
| dispensary or a soup kitchen She Is
more than that. Peter gave the lame
man healing, but he also gave him q
spiritual emancipation which set him
to walking and leaping and prais1ng
| God. 1t is the life, then, that strength
ems the body without. 1t is not new
arms or new legs or new eyes that hu-
manfty needs. so much as it is a new
heart; and that is the offer which
/ Christ makes through his church.
The World at Gaze.
| The shop windows that attract most
attention are those in which there is
who knows his business can get a
| crowd simply by doing things. When
religion accompisheS real works, then
the attention of mankind is attracted.
| Whenever Christianity sends a man or
a community, healed and rejoicing, on
his way, the world stands at gaze. A
ministering church Will never suffer
from the indifference of its community
One of the magazines told recently
how a Catholic priest in a degenerate
town in the coal regions had trans
formed the community into lawabiding
and thrift. That incident attracted
attention, not only through the adja-
cent region, but throughout the nation
THE Baptist Commonwealth report
ed the other day the visit of a young
Turk who. prior to the recent granting
er been outside of ConStantinople. As
a devout Moslem, he would not go to a
Christian church, but he was glad to
spend Sunday morning in visiting
hospital. He said to his friend that he
supposed that, after all the Christians
who needed help had been cared for,
then possibly the hospital would take
in a Jew or a Turk. 1t was almost
bevond his belief, when he found an
Arab and a Turk in the hospital, no
questions having been asked concern
ing their creed, and the men in re-
ceipt of the same treatment that was
given to all other patients. That ex-
preston of Christianity moved him so
deeply that when he left the hospital
he stopped on the pavement, and in
Mohammedan fashion. invoked the
stitutiOn. Incidents without number
can be piled up from the mission field
to show, similarly. that <he Christlike
ministry of the representatives of the
gospel challenges the attention and ad-
mration of the most bigoted heathen.
A ministering Christianity IS a con-
quering Christianity
New Ideas in Religion.
The excitement created by Peters
miracle when he healed the lame man
caused the multitude to look to him
for an explanation. They had never
seen it on this wise before. Like many
modern people. they were afraid Of
some new fashion in connection with
the temple. Peter reassured them. It
was simply the same God whom they
had always known and worshipped.
whose power had wrought the wonder.
The God of Abraham and of Isaac and
of Jacob had chosen a new way of ex-
pressing himself. What that way was
Peter explained as he presented to
them Jesus.
1t was a model sermon that Peter
preached. especially in its happy link
ing of a great and general truth to an
immediate incident. Much teaching
and preaching misses the mark be-
cause it is not connected with life. 1t
is possible to start from anywhere to
go everywhere. Peter made the near
est event a text for preaching the one
gospel that was ever on his lips. A
public speaker has been heard to say
that he always reads the latest edition
of the newspaper before going to the
platform, and usually he finds some in
cident or event that will connect his
main theme with the most recent pres
ent interest of his hearers. The lame
man was merely a text and an illus
tration of the great message of Chris
tianity. that God is revealing his love
to mankind in new ways. and that he
longs to serve and heal them.