The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-08-19
vIRGINIANs WEEKLY SERMON
MINISTRY OF THE LAYMAN
BY Rev. W. W. Landrum, D. D.
Second Baptist Sunday


the world OF dishonesty. criminal
speculation. financial crookedness and
crime. Christ said to the Father con-
corning us: 7 pray not that thou
shouldest take them out of the world,
but that thou shouidest keep them
from the evil one"
Our Lord encouraged no exclusive
theory of life, no hermit mode of liv-
ing. None the less he did preach the
doctrine of a separated life. Never
mind about the fanaticism or even the
immortality too often found in the con-
duct OF those who claim TO be init
mate with the Holy Spirit. You and |,
without cant and without hypocrisy,
are under inviolable obligations to be
separate from the world in the Inner
man.
We need not concern ourselves with
matters OF dress and attitude. phrase
and form. Separation is deeper. II Is
difference in life.
Listen and win seek toe illustrate
The boundary between the United
States and Canada for thousands OF
miles Is an imaginary line. Two men
live on farms separated only by this
line In daily affairs they seem to be
alike. They are interested In the same
problems, are doing the same work
under the same sky. Yet there Is a
vital difference between them. What is
IL? They are citizens of different
countries. They owe allegiance to DIFF
ferent governments. They live under
different laws. The capital OF one is
washington. of the other Ottawa Po-
liticaIly they have different center.
Much deeper the difference between
the Christian and the man Of the world.
They have different centers. The one
has citizenship In heaven, while thu
other is a child OF this present evil
world. Truly they live under different
laws, they acknowledge different SOW
ereignty, they are moved by impulses
wholly unlike. To- personal consecra-
ton must be added personal evangeh-
cation. very one of you Is called to
preach the gospel OF the Son of God TO
those who have never felt It's power
or experienced it's blessings OF peace
and joy. No man is excused. no wo-
man Is excused. How many preachers
should there be In this church? Call
the roll. Just al many as truly love
our Lord Jesus Christ, and Tor that
reason unseifishly love the souls Of
men. Conversion ts cali TO the MINI
tstry. In New Testament times no
ordination was necessary to qualify
one who Knew the Lord TO introduce
another to him. Mary and Martha had
as many rights IN that particular as
Peter or John. Nowhere in the Scrip
lures are we led to believe that the
coming OF the kingdom OF God is shut
up to the efforts OF the ordained minis
try. The revival we need right now
Is the quickened interest OF every
Christian in personal work TO lead SIM
ners To Christ.
Personal beneficence follows personal
conservation and eyangelization. Wa
are called 10 give of our substance for
the purposes OF the kingdom on earth.
To Caesar. of the civil government. we
must render the things that are Gaze
sar's. or the goverRment's-~nanefy
loyalty. obedience and taxes. Every
citizen, willingly or unw1llingly, Is re-
quired TO do just that thing. No one
Is excused. but all are equally under
obligation. TO God we must render
the things that are God's--nameiy
love, obedience. offerings, Caesar col
lects hts tribute by force; Christ re-
cetves 1t as he received the gold and
frankincense and myrrh from the wise
men who bowed at the cradle as the
unsolicited expression OF gratitude and
affection,
Abide with God That Is the crown.
ing force of the apostles admonition.
Let every man wherein he is called.
therein abide with God" Called 10
abide with God, such is our dis,inc-
ton. our peace. our power.
Phillips Brooks illustrated the dif-
ference between internal and external
strength in this way, To make build
Ing strong we but ress it from the
outside. To make q man strong We
feed him. The strength OF what is
made lies I'm It's construction. The
strength of what is born lies in tho
quality and volume of its life. Jesus
said: Il am come that they might
have Tie, How First BY being born
again. Hows Jesus said: Il am tho
bread of life: except a man eat my
flesh and drink my blood he can not
live" The character OF Christ. there
fore. is the food and life Of the Chris
tian. my meat" said Jesus lis to
do the will OF him that sent me-" The
strength OF the Christian, therefore.
is this strength of God. The soul that
feeds upon the living bread Is uads
strong both TO viii and to do the viii
of God. In the spiritual world. as in
the physical. We eat to live rather than
live to eat
Abide with God. wherein you are
called. therein abide with God"
DO YOU imagine. my brother. vou
would be better man IL YOU were enc
gagged in some other calling? Do yen
sometimes feel the deiusion that you.
of all men. are surrounded by condi-
ttons unfavorabie tn gndly AxingY
Even ministers OF Christ have felt
the same. No. II you win only abide
with God in your present calling you
will discover that II Is good for YOU
indeed peculiarly favorable 10 rigit
living. The change you and i ns4B
is not In our circumstances. but In ours
selves: not In our relation to the world
but In our relation to God
An inventor was recently talking
about imperfect conduits. During the
he said; DO you know
that great power house OF the trac-
ton company? Well. the manager will
tell you that forty per cent. of the
manufactured there IL lost
because OF imperfect conduits.' Think
Of that prodigious waste, Almost half
Of that great plant counts for nothing,
Wasted power. So the power OF Gods
Holy Spirit leaks out by the way. IL
does not reach men. Your life and
mine are imperfect conduits because OF
our worIdliness and lack Of consecra-
ton Christ Is a constant quantity.
Jesus Christ Is the same yesterday and
forever. He says. abide In me-" AS
the branch cannot bring forth except 1t
abide In the vine. no We cannot bring
forth fruit except We abide in me-"
Abide with God Abide with God.
Open. the day and close II with reli.
ance on God. Then the power OF God
will possess us. flow through us and
streams Of salvation sweep through
aur streets and into our homes.