The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-06-30
CHRISTIANITY DOES
NOTMEAN NDRUDGERY
''TOday's Opportunities" the
Subject of Rev. Atkins
FOUR VIEW DIN is
Most Important Thing In Life Is
ViewpOint-Life is Continuous
Opportunity to Live With
Christ

A plea to the men of today to eni-
brace the opportunities offered by
Jesus Christ and the teachings of the
Bible was made by the Rev. Henry
Pearce Atkins pastor of the First
Christian church, at his afternoon SER
mon yesterday. The subject of Rev.
Atkins sermon was 'Today's Oppor-
tunities," and he emphasized the fact
that Christianity did not mean drudgerv
but was an opportunity offered to mon
to come higher up.
Mr. Atkins took as his text the thir-
teenth and fourteenth verses of the
gospel according to John, which read
as follows; (Which were born. not of
blood nor of the will of the flesh nor
of the will of man, but of God.
And the word was made flesh and
dwelt among us tand we beheld his
glory, the glory as of the only begot-
ten of the Father. full of grace and
truth
Viewpoint Most Important
Mr.. Atkins opened by briefly re-
ferrng to the fact that man was not
born of his own volition. lie then said
that the most important part of a man
/
divided into four.
First there is the man who says,
Let us eat, drink and be merry for
tomorrow me die That sentiment Is
as old as the PHILOSOPHERS of the an
Client world. Always there have been
men who were willing to take what
was sent them with never a thought
for tomorrow. They believe that there
is nothing higher in life than the
pleasure of the moment and the entire
purpose OF their existence is to extract
the most possible enjoyment from life.
Then there are those who go to
the other extreme. They say that life
is a failure. That If the Lord meant
men to be happy on this earth he would
have to go back and create the whole
thing over again. They believe that
the highest form of life is self-denia1,
that there is nothing bright and gay
ON earth. They are extremely pessi-
mistic and continually critieise adj
versely whatever they come in contact
with.
"rhe third class is immeasureably
farther advanced than the other two.
These are those who look upon this
life as a sort of discipline for the life
to come. In a measure this is true.
have read the gospels In which Is
set out the teachings of the Christ
has to say on life and have found that
Christ in no way holds with the first
class lie lkens them to fools and
speaks of them such. 1t is assured
that he does not hold with those who
say that this world is a failure.
More Than Discipline
"When you look carefully you will
find that he regards this life as more
than mere discipline for a better life
to come. ] would express IL in the
word opportunity Christ Is continual
ly saying. Come up higher. come up
and live my life with me- So / would
say that Christianity is not mere
discipline for the life to come. but
an opportunity offered by God to rise
to better things. one should not re-
gard Christianity as drudgery. saying
that We know these things are hard.
Lord and Will do them not for their
own sake, but because you would have
us do them.
christianity Is. above all, opportu-
nifty. 1t is continually pointed out that
there are better things to come but
that we should not perform the diff
flcult tasks merely for the benefits that
will accrue from them.
Christianity is opportunity and let
every man grasp that opportunity ere
1t is too late"