The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-01-15

The need for disciples and helpers
was soon apparent in the case of Jesus
He was entering upon his year of
popularity. All his time and powers
were taxed by the demands made upon
him. One pair of hands could not ac-
complish all these clamorous tasks. If
he was to do his work effectively. he
must have assistants, and some form
to his service a little band of disciples,
he began to itinerate There were
more than two hundred towns and
cities in popuious Galilee. The pres
need. A more or less systematic Wis
itation of The whole region was I'M
dertaken by Jesus and his band
The point of contact between the
new message Ind the old life was the
synagogue. Jesus did not break with
the old until he had to do so. His
example and teaching inspired Wes-
ley's famous saying, II desire league,
offensive and defensive, with every
servant of Jesus Christ He stood by
the synagogue. not counting himself
too good for a church whose errors
and inconsistencies he knew better
than anybody else. There were hypo-
critics in the synagogues; but Christ
went there none the less.
First of all, he preached. This is
not the order that many modern souls
would follow. They advocate that the
church save he world by founding
houses, soup kitchens and kindergar-
tens. They would have good men
leave the pulpit and enter the leg1s-
lature and the theatrical profession A
reconstructed society is their goal, and
they want practical" means adopted
to bring it about. To all such it needs
to be said that the most practical, dl-
rect and permanent of transforming
society is by the preaching of the COS
pei. Our times need more preaching
not less. The non-Christian world
lacks the preaching of Christ's truth,
which alone makes men new, more
than it lacks the appurtenanceS OF
civilization. A reward of preaching
direct, scriptural, sincere preaching
will do more to meet the untoward
conditions of The time than any elee-
mosynary enterprise.
A Popular Healer.
His gentle helpfulness gives Jesus
his claim to pre-eminence, in the eyes
of purely secular historians. He had
a passion for serving people. As the
revealer of the mind of the Father,
we behold in him incarnate compass
sion. He called upon people to change
their minds. and to get new thoughts
about life and about God. Then ne
went down among them and laid his
healing hand upon them.
Some persons sought him out of
mere curiosity: every foreigner VINO
has been followed, as I have been,
by scores of curious natives in re-
mote villages can understand this
idle interest of the Orient. A serious
purpose can scarcely be attributed to
all of the many who walked in the
train of Christ. Others sought him be-
cause they had material needs which
he could meet. Every mission has
scores of such. A few months ago
there entered an American Board hos
pital in North China a man who, nine
years before, had betrayed the mis-
sionaries to the Boxers. But the mis-
sionary doctor healed him, for Christ
would have done SO.
Somebody who wants to make an eff
fective speech before one of these lay
mems missionary conventions should
draw, in fullness of detail. the con-
trast between the disease smitten non
Christian world, and the splendid
temples of healing and Institutes for
scientific medical research which dot
Christian lands. Christ's path through
the ages has been marked by intervals
of healing and helpfulness. He makes
a better physical society. The sig
nificance of his ministry of healing is
being newly appreciated by Christians
and it is being afresh preached that
belief in him should be attended by
purer, stronger bodies.