The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-01-12

The international Sunday school les
son for january 4. il. The Begin
u;u" of the Christian Church.
NCt- y: 22-t7.
By William II. Ellis.

t'hurCh is one of the big concerns Oh
the world; the welfare OF the latter
is incXtricably bound up with the ell
1iciency of the former. The lncfeaS-
ing recognition of this truth is IN
many ways evidenced; and it is slgnl-
Gcant that The conception OF chris
tianIty'S mission IS 2raVely changing
i'm our times. The old notion was that
Inc world existed for the Church; that
il somehow was the divine right of
the Church to possess the world. ana
TO be scrved Icy it. Now everybody
admits that the business of the Church
is To serve the world. \ social con-
ception of religion has aiken hold of
the leaders Of our day. We now per
ccivc that Christianity best fultitls its
mission when it does the most service
for mankind in all its aspects.
Tho magnificent audacity Of the
Church in her beginning was thrilling. |
No sooner did she receive her ere
dcntiaIs than she threw out a daring
challenge and invitation to the world.
Immediately she began to have bust
ness with humanity. Not only was
the carly Church Il socialiZed Church
but she was also It W0rld-ScrVin9 |
Church.
\ Ma Made Over.
All the books that have ever been
written against Christianity canno.
explain or overcome the miracle OF a
transformed life. | look ut my friend,
It cloar-cyed, prosperous, respected
member of the community. and Il de
o and efficient elder in the church
| recall that a few years = he was
Il Tough Il loW-doWn. runke
corner l~natcr, moro familiar with the
police courts than With the church.
And | know that he is AN obstacle
which NoItairc and Paine and Remain
and InGcrsoll cannot get over.
50 at this dramatic scene on the
Day Of Pentccost, the outstanding
personality was Il transformed man.
Peter the preacher, who a few days
before had been as timOrOuS as Il
creeping muskrat. Peter. who at the
time OF ChriSts arrest was scared bv
a serNant-girls word. is now pointins
his finger at this multitude and call
ing them murderers. Before we can
explain away this birthday of the
Church, we must explain away Peter.
4 man made over in the new. The
maj argument for Christianity is a
rc@enerated man.
Here at the beginning of the story
We ma h characteristic which may
80" traced throughout the pages of the
narrative; the BOO or Acts is the
book OF boldnesS. A pursuit Of that
word throughout this history of
Lakes viii make an interesting Bible
study for an individual. a sunday
school class or d prayer-meeting. An
the old fear which had hitherto
haunted the disciples became as a dis
Cafded m at Pentecost. Thence
forth. with free utterancc ana
sublime 'Gearlessless. the Church bore
witness 10 her Lord and against his
enemies. SO to this day the Church
which IS not a brave Church is nos
worth the salt necessary to preserve.
IL y trucking, boot-Iicking, time
serving Church or ministry has los,
all the SAVIOR of Peatecost and the
apostolic type. u
when tn reachcrS Shake Things.
me newspapers told the other day
no" the government of New York CITY
nSo cloSea up more than five hundred
moving picture shows because a com
nIttee Of cleTgymen had represented
many OF them to be immoral and un-
safe. That incident is being repeated.
IN some degree, IN many Of the princi-
HaI cities Of the continent. There is
no power 10 equal that of the preacher
when he speaks sanely and truly upon
vital themes of life and condnct
Peter's preaching on the Day of Pentc-
test shook the multitude even as they
mao not been shaken by the mighty.
rushing wind.
Clese to life as Peters mighty ser
mon, but it Is to be remembered by al
VINO Try to get their message. as well
as their Illustrations and applications
out OF the newspapers. that this was
an eAposltofy 1t told what
IN" Bible SAID. Searching the Scrip
lures for the truth that would fit the
occasion, the preacher pressed it hard
ana close upon the minds of his hear
efSi Ihar" j. =" %s''slsti+s,e Tor a
working mastery of the Bible. No
~Sunday-school teacher can prepare"
IL lesson by skimming over q few
h"lps there must be a reservoir of
knowledge of what the Bible teaches.
the word in season" NAV he
spoken.
The editor Of a nationally famous
nGWSI4Dpr remarked the nthny laE
IN reason | don't go to church, and
other men don't 20 to church. is that
jhse average preacher has nothing to
say worth hearing. But take Il man
like DE-. Blank; he has something to
say. and he never has any trouble
about getting a congregation" That
statement was too sweeping yet it
serves to stress the truth that the
Apostolic Church was a Church with a
clear and unmiStakabie message. aim
ed directly at the lives of men. 1t was
n fresh message, too. adapted to the
times; and the eternal contemporane-
BUSINESS of the Gospel makes this al |
ways possible.
\ Church's Treasure.
What makes a sermon different from /
q speech? Why is an ethical culture
meeting not like a church service?
What has the church better to offer
than the lyceum, the debating society. |
the social club? The answer is fOund
- 'AAi' = MIN vi L t1elS dI.
Pentecost. He presented not abstract
virtues. but a n~erSOnal, living, super
natural Christ. The Apostolic Church
did not have any such ediflces or APP
pilanccs as we boast of tod-day: but
she p~ossessed-and tremendously real |
lzcd-a Christ who could save the
world. The theologians would call
Peters discourse a Christocentric ser
mon. 1t held up Jesus the Christ.
That name was powerful to breaek
down Jewish rid and To 11rc,,o--
all the Well-nigh impossible barriers
mat confronted the early Christians
over in japan they teach ethics in
the public schools. But educated IA
pan is worse, morally. than old Japan.
n moral problem of the nation now
centerS in the schools. Ii Is cIea FL,
seen that ethics do not suffice to nre-
serve character or to transform = ma
ton: there must be the vital force of
an oEermastering religious impulse to
= ~ AAN-AI-IA IL