The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-01-02
A Year With History Makers;
 What Religious World Is Doing

where. The dispersed Jews and Juda- ized Greeks could be found at ali cen- ters, siving favorable opening for the naissionaries of the new faith. 1t was in truth .'the fulness of time,s
 All times are not alike. There are certain epochs when history seems ready to burst into flower. All condi- tions conspire for the production of great events. Such was the case in the apostolic age; and such, careful observ. CTS declare. Is the case at the begin- ming of this twentieth century. That little band of Christians had the vis- ion and the courage to meet the condi- tions :the result was the world wide dissemination of their faith, . very miracle of propaganda.
 The Book of Widening faorixos, 1t Is the fashion among some per. sons who could not do his work to speak disparagingly of the reporter. Yet the reporter is merel" day-at-a- time historian, He Is fairly in the line or succession to Herodotus, Josephus. xenophon. Caesar. Matthew, Mark. Luke and John. All honor to Peter and Paul; but all honor. too. to Luke. the faithful reporter through whom, we know them, and who wrote a reeriesa history of the early church without once mentioning his own name. The vefacity of no other ancient writing one scholar has declared, is so we'll tested as that of the Acts. because no other has such numerous points Of con. tact in all directions with contemporary history politics and topography, whether Jewish or Greek or Roman, May all who write--or relate by word or mouth--be able to stand such tests as Luke has triumphantly met.
 There is dramatic proxress In Luke's story. It Is book of widening horizon. It graphically portrays the sroWtn or Christianity from a small and aespised Jewish sect to . worldwide religion for Jew and Gentiie. The booir IS not biography of the apostles. nor IS It narrative of the acts of even feter and Paul. So the title men have gwen 1t Is misleading The Acts ,a a history Of the expans3on of the earIv church IL records what Jesus began to do and to teach through Ills followers More truly than 1t reports The Acts of the Apostles" the book Is a transcript of The Acts of the Holy Spirit"
 The story opens with the disciples still clinging to their old narrow. Jewish notion that Jesus would restore a temporal kingdom to Israel. It ends with discipleship which has imbibed the Spirits teaching of spiritual king- dom; and, who, consequently, ar6 preaching the good news to all the peo. ples whom they could by any means reach.
 A ContempOraneous ReIigiem.
 Real religion is not shut up ina book. OF behind mysterious clouds. It Is some- thing for the present time. and place. Luke wrote a former treatise":s but that was not enough: he had to write a second book and probably meant to write third to bring the wonderful story of Gods working among men right down to date. There are plenty of persons living who are deeply inter- ested in the revival at Jerusalem 9, 900 years ago, but who are indifferent to the revivals in India and Korea and China today. A certain eminent theo- logical professor remarked to me one day. with great positiveness: There is nothing new that is true and nothing true that is new" Is 1t any wonder that he. and his seminary, are regarded as fossilfzed?
 The Book of Acts teaches nothing if 1t does not teach a living. conteulpora. neous religion. It Is redoient of d prea- ent Christ. Nile showed himself alive" remarks Luke: the disciples looked for him in tomb, when he was really standing by their side. A Gospel that can be experienced. and a Christ who is a>"living, bright reality" are the days need. A present realization of Jesus is a never-absent mark of reIikious yitai- ity. A Christian cannot subsist on last years experience any more than he can live on last years breakfasts.
 The Bucket and The Wen.
 ''Ten years ago." exclaimed a ferv. ant man in a revival meeting, "I let down my bucket into the well of palva- tion. and brought 1t up half full. Now have let down my bucket again into the well of salvation, and brought it nm brimming. Hallelujah!"
 A deacon followed rather proudly. with this -self-satisfied "testimony'': Fifteen years ago let down my buck ct into the well of salvation, and brought 1t up three-qusrters full. And 1t ain't never been up. and it ain't nev- CT been down since, but jest so." And he triumphantly sat down.
 whereupon a rather original man got up and said: Tt may not sound right in a prayer-meeting, but I'll bet q dollar that second brothers bucket has wig geltails in it.?
 of course 1t had. The religion which Is not a continuous experience Is empty formality. The Gospel of the Acts is a Gospel of contemporaneousness It Is e ma jestic serial, ever "continued in our G tive; the final chapter will not be writ ten until the last Christian on earth has finished the work which he has done in partnership with the Holy Spirit. The latter's part in the acts of living church will be considered in next weeks lesson.
 4 Witnessing Church.
 The first business of this sacred, feeble. lonely band of disciples. after the yha dbeen equippel with the myste- rious might of Jesus. was to tell their story. "Ye shall be my witness was the command of the ascending Lord. They were not called to nourish them- selves. or to escape persecution, or to ind delight in one another'R company. or to become speculative theologians, Their first and chief business was to be tellers of the wondrons story.
 That primary and fundamental idea of the Kingdom of Jesus is getting e new grip on His church. It is becoming chiefly eopcerned once more with tho business of telling the good news The outreach of the church toward the