Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1912-11-20
CAMPAIGN
GAINS Interest
Baptist Meeting Last Night
Denoted Distinct Advance
IN Attendance
Rev.. Peterson Making. In
preston on Local People
in Religious Campaign

" -
The service of last night in the
Evangelistic campaign at the First
Baptist church marked a distinct ad'
vance in interest and attendance. A
good sized audience joined with great
| spirit in the song service conducted
by Rev. L. e. Barnhart and listened
%intently to a mastery sermon deliv'
cred by Rev. A. T.. Peterson.
A brief service of prayer vas held
at 7:30, as had been previously ar,
ranged, and promptly at 7:45 the SONG
service began. The chorus was
much larger than on Monday night,
filling the choir loft, and under Mr.
Barnhart's direction sang very well,
Many familiar songs We're sung and
! some new ones learned.
Rev. A. E. Peterson preached a SER
mon which deeply impressed those
who heard it, the theme being, "The
| Need of the Religious Experience
from the text, John 3:3. "Verily, yer.
lily, | say unto you, except II be born
anew. he cannot see the kingdom OF
Cod"
In beginning his sermon, Mr.. Peter
sol said, in speaking about the need
of the religious experience, ! know OF
no better authority to furnish words
for a text than the Master Teacher
himself, who came to earth upon the
mission of dealing with the spiritual
life. and to a religious leader of his
own time. he said, Except one be
born anew he cannot see the kingdom
of God" Nicodemus could not under.
stand christ because Jesus was speak
ing about the kingdom OF the spirit.
Nicodemus has many followers today.
Why does Jesus make such an insist
ent demand for the religious expert
ence?
Four reasons were then presented
by the speaker, showing the need of a
religious experience.
1--WE need a religious experience
the preacher declared, because a new
relationship must be established to
produce the life of God. At the basis
of all experience there must be life.
Only that which has life a have ex-
perience. Dead, inanimate matter can
have no experience because it has no
life. Carry that thought a little fur
Their and it naturally follows that
spiritual life, must be the basis OF
spiritual experience. The experience
Of seeing and knowing and loving the
things of the kingdom of God lies ut
terly beyond the reach of him who
has not had the spiritual life quick
ened, and that fact reveals the need
Of the spiritual birth or spiritual
quickening or awakening" The seed
must be touched by the coil before
the germ of life within it can take on
a new form. likewise the spirit OF
God must touch the germ of spiritual
life in man before that life can grow.
A, new mind is needed to appreci-
ate the things of God. ITO the per
son who thinks that that only is OF
value which is materialistic, the need
for a spiritual appreciation is not ap.
parent. To make a living is far more
inportantato him than to make a life
Many people make the mistake of try
ing by an intellectual examination to
pass Judgment on the spiritual life,
Correct judgment can only be framed
in the light of a Christian expert
ence. .
A new will is needed to choose the
things of God. 1T is the will that
keeps men out Of the kingdom. A
man may not do all that he chooses;
he may not accomplish all that he
wills, but so long as he is a free man
he wills to do all that he does. There
fore, the person who lives out of har-
mony with the God of the universe
! does so because he wills it So"
A new heart is needed that will love
! the things of God. Christ becomes
the ideal for the reborn soul. Saul
of Tarsus, before he met the Christ,
had the story OF that matchless life
from the lips Of those who had &C.
| companied Christ. Blu. for all that.
| Saul of Tarsus was not a disciple, nor
was he a follower of those who walk
led that way. But once having beheld
him, and having passed through his
experience, the passion of his life was
to live for him and the idol of his
heart was Jesus the Christ.
! The sermon closed with a strong