The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-04-20

! w HIGH TACT Out points the I6SSOn lIdl
| the days need is a need of men
The Crowded Christ.
So serene and poised was the Master
and so free from the distraction of the
| cares that thronged His days that we
| forget how really crowded with work
he was. Observe the recurrence in
| His biography of the single phrase, "a
| great multitude which followed Him.
He literally was pressed by people.
| They impaired His liberty of action:
| they robbed Him of rest: they made
Him a servant of the poorest and the
needieSt.
And what needs that throng en-
| bodied! Jesus seemed to be the focus of
all the sin and suffering and woe and
want of His world. Every man with
| a burden or a grief crowded toward
Christ.
Physically, it was impossible for him
to minister to all who needed Him, or
to carry his message to all the places
| ready for it, Then, as now, He must
go on the feet of his friends if He
would run all the errands of the
Father. He is in this our Exemplar.
There is scant wisdom in trying to do
a great work alone We must all
learn to labor with people. If leaders,
we must utilize helpers and train them
to their highest efficiency. The respon-
sibility that comes to us we must dis
tribute. Every leader should multiply
himself by his disciples. Thus, in the
purpose of Christ. His college of apos-
peated.
The Possibilities of Plain Men.
Jesus did not wait for geniuseS. The
difference between a good executive and
a second rate one is that the good
executive can take the material in
hand and utilize it effectively. The sec
ond rate man goes about whining over
the lack of competent helpers. We
are prone to be mistaken in our eSti-
mate of the apostles, for we see them
n TinPnRSS
service. When they were called by the
Lake of Galilee they were amazingly
like you and me-. All of them were
average, everyday folk, without much
social poise or polish. Most of them
were more at home in a numbering,
fish-odorous boat than in palace or
in good society" Let US get hold of
this great truth. Analyze the list of
the twelve, and in temperament and in
training they are seen to be common
folk; more common than the average
of delegates at any religious conVen-
ton today.
We are prone to boast of the big
names who adorn our churches and
religious organizations. We are proud
of the rich and famous laymen who
are on our lists. The exaltation of the
pre-eminent places in church work
has reached an absurd length. Ihose
who have worked with them have
come to see that these are not the
pie of Jesus rises up to remind US that
His source of supply, the everyday
folk who toll, is still at hand why
should our secretaries spend their time
irving to beguile a reluctant hour or
two from a busy man of affairs, when
there are virile, forceful young men
with unoccupied time in all our
churches waiting only the call to lead
ership?
The amazing fact about the whole
story is what Jesus can do with an
ordinary man. We talk much or the
self made man, but ne IS not 10 pe
compared with the Christ made man.
The most ordinary person, plus ChrlSt,
becomes an extraordinary person: The
twelve untutored, rustic Gal1Ieans,
about whom we study today, became
the statesmen of the worlds greatest
empire. That group of Syrian peasants
have changed all the history OF the
race, and are still at work in our own
time. Their achievements thrown INTO
the shade those of Alexander and the
Caesars.
The High Call.
GaribaIdi summoned his recruits to |
long marches, to hunger, to pr1vatlon, |
to wounds, to death. rs followers
leaped in heroism to the high sum- |
mons So it is no easy allegiance that |
Jesus offers to His disciples. He calls
men and women into a service that is |
as hard as it is holy. He bids them |
give themselves to the difficult task of
being salt for the salvation of society |
AS salt is ever in danger of losing its |
SAVIOR, so Christians are subject to the |
constant temptation of losing their |
saltness.-their uniqueness, their power |
to observation-disclosures they become like |
the lump they are meant to leaven-
Likewise Jesus babe His disciples to |
be the lights of the world. Then, as
now, the salvation of neighborhood |
and of a state depends upon the right
eous men. No nation can live without |
the lives that are light and that are
salt. These are the hope of our time
No city can get so bad that even a
handful of true disciples cannot re-
deem it. Ten righteous men would
have saved Sodom. The days need is
voiced by the hymn of the brother
hoods:
Jesus calls US, Ger the tumult
OF our life's wild restless sea;
Day by day His sweet voice soundeth
Saying, Christian. follow Me-
AS of old. apostles heard it
BY the Galilean lake.
Turned from home and toll and kin
dred
Leaving all for His dear sake