The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-09-07

| is doing apostolic work of ministry i:
! in the apostolic succession. All servants
of Christ are links in the endless chair
Which He established when on earth
There are many points of difference
| between this organize ton and other So
cieties. One is that real authority was
given unto the friends of Christ. The
/ final word in all things OF character
& nd conduct is with the right. Good IS
| the master of evil; saintliness has the
right to rebuke sin goodness prevails
| over badness. There is more grass
than weeds ir the earth, and more light
than darkness. Roughly counting up
some of the achievements of the
apostles and their successors, we find
that permanent victory is with the
Christ crowd.
The Power of the Average Man.
All over Christendom we see statues
and pictures of the apostles. Com
monty they are shown with halos
think that the apostles wore these
when they were alive. The tendency
is to conventionalize the reality out OF
these everyday peasants in the common
clothes of their neiShborhood, and with
tousled hair and hands calloused and
soiled with honest labor. That is the
sort of greatest work of the world. He
did not go to the Sanhedrin or to the
Palace for His ca Dinet but He went
out where the ordinary everyday folk
we're to be met.
If this lesson accomplishes anything
it should disab use some minds of the
idea that the coming of the Kingdom
of Heaven depends upon the rare and
exceptional men. Let it be said over.
and over again, with all possible en-
phasis, that the best friend of God is
the common man. Lincon's honely
saying contained a profound truth, that
the Lord Almighty must love the COM
mon people, because He made so many
of Them The churches are comprised
N overwhelming pre- ponderance of plain
folk. The zone man church is always
a failure. Straight from the apostles
comes this message of the indispensa-
bility of ordinary people. The success
of evangelism, missions. reform, and
all other Christ causes, is to come by
the union of the many in the service
of the will of Christ.
The Marching Orders.
''Travel light" is good counsel for
those who fare forth from nome. Jesus
sent His apostles out to their ministry
with instructions to go about in the
simplest fashion, and with the most
reag gre equipment. Goods always en- /
cumber. When religion grows highly !
organized it's tendency is to become too |
cumbersome for efficiency. Thus the |
81 eat Office buildings which denomina- |
lions are erecting, and the huge endow- |
ments for city churches, are by 10 |
means an unm1Xed blessing. The first !
consideration is that all servants Of
Christ should be free and untrammeled |
Their business is primarily with the
In high dignity, and yet in
utmost simplicity, they are to carry a |
story to the world.
What if the world will not receive the
simply told story? Shall we not i'm
press them by the wealth and magni-
fcence and power of the church? All,
that is fallacy into which religion has
often fallen, to the dire hurt of religion
and of the world.
The twelve were to testify to the
truth, but If the truth were not re-
ceived, then judgment would lie against
those who spurned it. 1t is a terrible
thing to know spiritual truth, for with
the knowledge comes responsibility.
Yet we are answerable for all the truth
we can by any means learn, as we'll as
for that truth which we cannot escape.
One last word the lesson contains for
the disciple. He that receiveth you
re ceiveth Ne, and he that receiveth Me
receiveth Him that sent Me-" Christ
IDENTIFIES His representatives with Him.
self. He goes into all the world through
hem The worlds treatment of them
n their sacred mission is as treatment
IF Himself. That is a high calling
indeed No earthly Enthusiastically
an equal in dignity and in power this
mission of working in the Name and at
.he. command of Christ.