Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-05-12
had the world in the kingdom long

had the world in the kingdom long
ago.
1.-The church today isn't much more
than social organization. 1t spends
more time with novels and literary
clap trap than it does with the bible.
II would not have you give less time
and energy to your business. but
would have you give more time and
energy to God.
1.-The church needs less Of social life,
less of frivolitry, less of strife and
pickering, less of dress, and more Of
God. This twaddle of winning the
world to God in the worlds way is a
thing of the devil
Groups Different in Numbers.
There is another difference in the
groups. They differed in number;
eight three, one. Judas was outside
and had gone to betray Christ. Judas
bought a ticket for hell with that tair-
ty pieces of silver, and it wasn't a
round trip ticket either.
when Judas came looking for Christ
he did not stop with that group Of
eight He was too wise. He knew
Jesus would not be with that crowd.
Jesus had gone upon the mount, and he
had taken with him three of his dis
ciples.'
Again stopping for moment, he said
of the church, 1T is not more men or
more women or more money that the
church needs but it is more men and
women for Cod
Lord Is 1t II"
Lord is it To- Let US be honest.
f1,a r,,,ast;or to ourselves
and not pass it on back of US with the
thought that it applies to our neigh
Dor. Do not hand it back and back
and back over Your heads until it
finally passes out of the door,
You would think by the Way some
people lived that they had a parlor car
ticket straight for heaven. with the
porter instructed not to wake them UP
until they got there. l will tell You
what will happen to YOU, you will be
sidetracked with hot box long before
you get there. Just now four out of
every eight members are doing nothing
for Christ. l believe about one-half of
the present church members could die
and the world would lose nothing as a
spiritual force.
Church Courts the World.
THE church is counting the world.
Her members are bringing it down to
the worlds level. AS sacrifice FOR
this the church is keeping Lent. l be-
lieve in keeping Lent 365 days year
for Jesus Christ.
Our greatest dangers as 1 see then
are our pandering to the world, our ne
glect of the poor, and the preachers try
ing to satisfy the worldliness of their
congregations.
81 believe many church members
have kindly feeling for the word of
God. but as for their willingness and
ability to strike staggering blows
against worldliness they are absolutely
useless.
Smallest Crowd Nearest God.
"The nearer you get to the cross, the
nearer you get to God, the nearer You
get to the bible the smaller is the crowd.
The nearer you get to the world The
larger the crowd.
Take the first group of eight. Only
the brook Kedron separated them from
Judas, who was selling his master
Jesus, when he left them said the least
to them The next group was smaller
To Peter. James and John he said more.
When he was alone with God he told
him what he told no one else.
ITO the eight, the first group he said,
sit still To the second he said
watch and pray To his Father he
prayed, nevertheless not my will, but
thy will be done
Blows at Wickedness.
Jesus knew what was ahead Of him
He did not go to sleep. The others did
not know and they went to sleep. You
tell me how much you pray, how much
You read the bible and / will tell You
how far you run up the religious Their
moneter.
God will not send the wind to drive
our ships unless we raise the sails
There was a difference in the posi-
ton of the three groups. There's q
bunch just inside the church, but just
close enough to the world to blow the
suds off a beer or open a jack pot anC
play it alone.
There is also difference in duties
| To the eight nearest the world he said
Sit ye here To the three other dis
ciples he said. Watch and pray HI
did not tell that other gang to pray
because he knew they would not d.
it. From that crowd came the ont
who betrayed him. In this connection
he let this fly at the church, You hav,
got lot of Holsters in your church
who never come near prayer meet
! ing"
Describes His Betrayal.
With glowing words and dramatic
impersonation he described the mob a
it came to the garden to seize Jesus
led by the traitor Judas, who betrayed
him with a kiss, and how the disciple
left him and fled.
and the disciples forsook him an
fed just like lot in this campaign
who are afraid to line up with tn
church against the grog shop and tn
devil"
Continuing with vivid description
he told how they led Jesus away, bur
dened him with the cross upon whic
they nailed him and then crucified hin
His picture of the Christ figure upo
the cross as he passed thru his agonie
of death was a word painting of tn
highest order.
Continuing, he asked, "How man