The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1909-01-23

~ q neolcai clSpens2ry or soup kitchen
She Is more than that. Peter gave the
lame man healing. but ne also gave him a
spiritual emancipation which set him 10
walking and leaping and prasing God. II
IS the life, then. that strengthens the
body without Il is not new arms or new
legs or new eyes that humanity needs so
much as Il is 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
something moving. Any street faker who
knows his business can get a crowd sim
ply BY doing things. When religion &C
complishes real works. then the attention
Of mankind is attracted Whenever
Christianity sends a man or community
healed and rejoicing on his way the world
stands az gaze. A ministering church
wiz 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 transformed the
community into law-abiding and thrift
That incident attracted attention. not
only through the adjacent region. but
throughout the nation The Baptist Com
monwealJh reported the other day the
visit OF young Turk who, prior 70 the
recent granting Of constitutional govern
ment, had never been outside OF Constan-
tinople As a devOut Moslem he would
not 80 TO Christian church. but he was
glad TO spend Sunday morning in visiting
a hrS--Aaf 70 ~ -, -
supposed that. after ali the Christians
who needed help had been cared for, then
possibly the hospital would take in a Jew
or Turk II was almost beyond his be-
lief. when he found an Arab and A Turk
in the hospital. no questions having been
asked concerning their creed, and the
men IN receipt Of the same treatment that
was given 10 al other patients. That ex-
preston Of Christianity moved him so
deeply that when he left the hospital he
stopped on the pavement and. in NOLAN
medan fashion, invoked the blessing OF
heaven Up such an institution. Incidents
without number can be piled up from the
mission field 10 show, similarly, that the
Christlike ministry Of the representatives
Of the Gospel challenges the attention
and admiration OF the most bigoted
heather \ ministering Christianity IS a
conQuering Christianity.
NEW IDEAS N RELIGION
The excitement created by Peters mir
acle when he healed the lame man caused
the multitude 10 look 10 him for an ex-
PLANTATION. They had never seen IL on this
wise before. Like many modern people.
they were afraid Of some new fashion in
connection with the temple. Peter reas-
sured them It was simply the same God
whom they had always known and wor-
SHIPPED whose power had wrought the
wonder The God OF Abraham ard OF
Isaac and OF Jacob had chosen a new
way OF expressing Himself. What that
way was Peter explained as he presented
70 them Jesus.
Il was a model sermon mat Peter
preached, especially IN It's happy linking
OF great and general truth TO an i'm
mediate incident. Much teaching and
preaching misses the mark because il is
not connected with life. II is possible 20
start from anywhere 70 go everywhere.
Peter made the nearest event a text for
preaching the one Gospel that was ever
on his lips. a public speaker has been
heard 10 say that he always reads the
latest edition OF the newspaper before
going 10 the platform, and usually he
finds some incident or event that will con
meet his main theme with the most re-
cent present 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
10 serve and heal them.