Arizona republican., 1910-08-22

I wish to say something here about ! crochety Christians-the kind that offend you. The church has no monopoly of these, but she has a great many That is the way Christ intended it to be. The church is a hospital It is intended for any per son with any kind of crookedness that needs to be strengthened out The worse cases I see in the hospital the more I believe that the hospital is fulfilling it's purpose. And the worse cases I see in the church the more I believe that Christ is getting the people He wants. Christ came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance" It is this that makes me believe so implicitly in Christ. He never counts case too hard. He will always undertake it.
 Have you one of these crochety Christians in your mind? Some par ticular one, l mean, that offends you more than any other. l want to ask you one thing about him. You knew him before he became a Chris tian, did you? Was he a kind, gentle, 
 him3s You say mo- he was ten times worse than he is now. That is the point Christ took him as he was and has made him what he is. It may take ten years or it may take fifty. Cases have no time limit with Him. He will straighten them out after awhile Andrew had that Christ like spirit, and with all Peters shortcomings he still loved him.
 Then Andrew and Peter were very different in religion. Peters prOfan- ity shows that he was utterly care less, while Andrews discipleship with John the Baptist shows that he was particularly careful.
 Andrew and Peter were partners in business They were together contin- ually. and that would make Peters irreligion particularly trying to An drew. For men of such opposite temperament in religion, business partnership would seem very doubt ful experiment. But with all that might have drawn them apart, they were still in the truest sense broth CTS. Now this is true in all our efforts to bring men to Christ. Un- less We love them We cannot save them Do you know what il is to long for men in the family of God the way you long for the folks at home? You know how you get to feeling that you just must have them. That is the way Andrew felt about Peter. As soon as he found Christ, he said,
 T must get my big brother. I'll never be happy without him. I've lived with him and worked with him all these years, and I'll only be half a Christian till I get him with me" That is the real soul-saving power. It is brotherliness rising to a great passion.
 Second:-Andrew knew his man. His love helped him to a deep and perfect understanding He had found under all Peters faults a faith in the ancient hope of Israel l doubt if there was another man in the world who understood Peter as Andrew did. And yet on Andrews part the power was unconscious. If anybody had said. How did you ever bring Peter to Christ? What did you say to him? He always was the leader be- tween you boys And yet you turned the tables on him and took him cap tive" Andrew would say, "I didn't do anything l didn't try to influence him. l just told him to come on,' So it always is when we have said the very right thing. The power is un- conscious. If you think about it you haven't got it. If you can tell how you did it, you probably didn't do it. It is like the skill of surgeons hand. It is a power almost divine. Yet he knows not whence his power comes. He cannot tell you how to get it. Ask that mother who has brought all her children to Christ how she did it. She does not know how She loved them and that love made her understand them She found the good in each one under all his faults, and so she saved them. That is a mothers power. So a father takes his son. He is ill-natured, re- belious He will bite and scratch and squeal. Ten years later he is Christian, kind and courteous. How did the father do it? He does not know. He was not a great man. and had never had an education. But he had the love which gave him knowledge, and the knowledge which IS power. 50 IS IHlS power over mems souls. It comes from the Holy Spirit. If you want it pray for it.
 Third:-Peter's salvation had the first place in Andrews heart He first findeth his own brother. We do not have soul-saving power until we have put one man first. The love that saves is personal. Christ loves the world but He calleth his own sheep by name and leadeth them out Andrew went through the crowd ed streets of Capernaum that morn ing. through the market and along the waterfront. He was after his brother He wanted all the world for Christ, but he wanted Peter first Have you someone that is on your heart more than any other? Thank God It is the moving of saving pow CT within you. Perhaps He is going to save that one through you.
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