The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-06-25

our churches is-so much. The un-
paid interest on many of these debts
$50 much. The time and energy eX-
pended in fairs, bazaars, etc. to help
pay the expenditures is-so much. The
| number of church membership is
so many. The number in Sunday
schools $50 many
Many Of our dear Christian friends
say, What lack we yet? Have we not
really attained the goal of our church
ambition? Should we build finer edi-
fees or pay larger salaries?y Are we
not straining ourselves with collections
at every turn? What more could God
ask of us? 1--WE are rich and increased
| in goods and have need of nothing
(Revelation iii. i6-19).
In reply we may suppose the Lord to
ask, Where did give you instruction
respecting these things? Where in my
word did you find the suggestion that
what / desired you to do in the world
was to erect great church edifceS,
piles of stone and iron and mortar,
polished woods and stained glass {?
| However good N intention, you have
failed to rightly divide the word of
TRUTH" The temple respecting which
! gave instruction is the spiritual one,
| of Christ which is the church.
fear that you have forgotten the
true temple of God while rearing
so many temples of earthly mater
ials. Concerning the true. temple I
God is holy, which temple We are
living stones" being shaped and poll
ished ''for the habitation of God
through the spirit" Show me what
you have accomplished in this way.
rightly divided my word. and proper
ly instructed mankind respecting my
glorious character and my great d.
vine plan of the agesi Show me
fruitage of the glorious message!
How many in all the millions that
you report are New Creatures in
Christ Jesus" who walk not after the
fl -sh, but after the spirit?" Let me
hear the message OF my love and
grace in Christ as you are proclaimIng
it, What mean these sectarian d.
visions amongst you? Why are there
SO many church edifices and so few
sanity worshipers? Who authorized
you to put these creedal fences be-
Know We not that I said, there is one
flock and one Shepherd? Why have
you so neglected the spiritual interests
of my flock and their instruction in
righteousness? Why are you so unable
| to rightly divide my word?
Instead of coming together as one
Church of the Living God whose
names are written in heaven you have
! divided into hundreds of sects and par
ties! Instead of taking my word as a
whole and rightly dividing its teach
ings' as between the different ages and
dispensations of my work, you have
divided my word in a sectarian man
ner. One sect has made one selection
from my word and another sect has
made another selection. Thus We ar
ray one part Of my word against an
other part of it, and hence get into
confusion and conflict. What have you
to answer for these things?
With shame of face we must all &C
knowledge that 1--WE have done those
things which We ought not to have
done and have left undone those things
which we ought to have done. and
there is no help in u.s. The proper
thing for US to do, dear Christian
friends, is to get down upon our knees
before the Lord and in contrition of
heart to acknowledge that We have
wrought no deliverance in the earth
Isaiah XVI, 1s); that our sectarian
differences are our shame; that the
ignorance that we have all been in re-
specting the word of God Is humiliat-
ing. Now that our eyes are open so
that we can comprehend as never be-
fore the harmony of Gods message
from Genesis to Revelation, 1t means
rich feast and blessing to our souls.
The word of God becomes more pre-
cious to us daily as we become abIe
to comprehend it. Our duty is to fly
to the assistance of our dear brethren
and sisters in Christ, of all denomina
tions, and to call upon them to join
with us in a determined stand for
Righteousness, for truth, for God and
for his word.
We must show them that ignorantly
we and they have dishonored our God
by misrepresentation of his character
and Misrepresentation of the real
teachings of the Bible. We must point
them to the fact that the Bible does
not teach that all mankind except the
ELECT" saints will be consigned to an
eternity of torture at the hands of fire.
I - -
that the election of the church during
this age-a sanity little fiock-does
not mean injury to the non-elect. That,
on the contrary, it is the divine pur-
pose that the elect saints with their
great Redeemer in glory shall consti-
tute Gods kingdom. That his king
dom when established will bind Satan,
put down sin. Danish ignorance. error