Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-02-03
-s.u1Fcr: CHE Visit NOT THAT
THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD
HAD DEPARTED FROM
nrRFy

aslxteenth chapter Judges, 10Th verse,
...a he visit not meaning Samson-he
s,a,,t realize that the spirit Of the Lord
a. departed from him; he walked out
~ shook himself as aforetlme; he
-o,sbsd as much; he was as strong phys
,..,,v. his mind was as active, but all
slough he possessed all that there was
3 thing that was necessary to make
Il, as he had been-he wist not that
~ spirit Of the Lord had left him.
"a mar may rave a fine physique; he
mav have strength; he may have great
..es. he may have a beautiful home, and
ohrrob may be magnificent and fault
-. IN It's equipment; the preacher may
y piebIv able to reason; the choir may
s,,si The angels in music, but II you have
~ The spirit Of the Lord you are as Paul
avs. rs sounding brass and tinkling Gym
hals. and the church is merely four walls
with a roof over 1t.
,T-o,binr in the world can substitute for
,ha spirit Of God; no wealth, culture nor
snvthing in the world. By power we do
sof mean numbers; there never has been
! time when there were more members In
the burch than today; yet we haven't kept
nroeress In the number of members in
lie church with the increased number of
neonIe I'm the nation. Our nation has
sroygn to be 90, 900, 900 OF people, but we are
rot co%rrespondingly keeping pace with the
r1mber OF church members; GODS church
Mas not increased correspondingly in
mower as 1t has In numbers. and while In
ereasing in numbers 1t has not Increased
IN s~plritual power. / am giving you facts,
not fancies. We are not dealing with
theories. 1 am not saying anything against
the church; you never had q man come
into this community who would fight
harder for the church of God Almighty
tban I would. 1 am talking about her
Gins and the things that sap her power
ana nv power I do not mean numbers. II
YOU had an army of 10o,o0o and increased
4 another 100000 it ought to be doubled
In power.
AMERICA WE'LL INFORMED.
an the church Of God today you know
there are a lot of people who are nothing
but derelicts and nothing but driftwood.
BY power I do not mean culture. There
never was a time when the people Of
America were better informed han they
are today; they have newspapers, tele-
phones, telegraphs, rural delivery, fast
rains You can leave home and in five
days you are in Europe. You can leave
homo today and tomorrow morning you
are In Chicago. If something happens In
Japan or China tonight you can read It
before you go to bed. h ISLAND of the
sea are our ~neighbors.
You can eat dinner in Chicago and
breakfast in New York
"By power / do not mean wealth. We
are the richest people on the earth; nine
teen-twentieths of all the wealth or all
the money in the United States today Is
in the hands of protesting Christians,
Catholic and Protestant. That ought to
mean that 1t is in Gods hands; but It
doesn't. They are robbing God. I was
IN a church in Iowa that had three MEM
bers who were worth $4,000 each and
they paid their preacher the measly sal
airy OF 5000 a year, and I will be horn
swaggled II they did not owe him $500
then. If / ever skinned any old fellows 1
did those old stingy coots. A man who
doesn't pay to the church is as big a
swindler as a man who doesn't pay his
grocery bill. and he Is d~ead-beating his
way to hell. You let somebody else pay
your bills, you old dead-beat. God hasn't
any more use today for a dead-beat in
the church that he has for the mar Who
doesn't pay his grocery bill-not q bit!
II kick when a man rides up to the
church in a $4,000 limousine, throws a
quarter in the collection plate and growls
At the sermon.
H INFLUENTIAL CHURCH.
"a stranger once asked: What is the
most powerful and influential church in
this town. That big stone Presbyterian
church on the hill How many members
has ~ 7 don't know; my wife is a
member How many Sunday school
members7' I don't know; my children
60. How many go to prayer meetings?'
1 don't know; 1 have never been there
How many go to communion What is
tnatT 1 told him. I don't know; I never
co. my wife goes Then the stranger
SAID: Will you please tell me why you
SAID II was the most powerful and in-
nuential church In the community Yes,
SIR 1t is the only church in the town
tnat mas three mlllionaires as members
mat is why he thought II was a large
church The church in America would
oie or dry rot and sink 40 fathoms In
nea II all members were multimilllonaires
and college graduates. That ought not to
be a barrier to spiritual power. BY power
! 40 not mean influence.
some or the most powerful churches
: nave ever worked with were not the
Vnurches that had the largest number
~ rlch members. In a town in Iowa
mere We're three women who used to pray
al night every Thursday night-one OF
snem a eolored woman. People used to
.one under her windows at night and
ns.eh 10 her pray. She murdered the
Anss English five times I'm every SEN
ssnee' but oh, she knew God. They had
~ names on their list for prayer, and
rAen the meetings closed they had
ShecAed on Sl of them. Every Friday
npuld De called over the telephone or
.seeive a letter or meet those women and
10y would tell me what assurances God
49, them as to who would be saved. I
80 never met three women that were
sstonser In faith than those three women.
nat town was Fairfield, Iowa-one of
80 brightest, c~leanest, snappiest little
owns ever went into.
SPIRIT OBJ THE LORD.
samson wist not. the spirit OF the Lord
Aaa departed. So might we have money,
might We have members. increase in
"iufei we have not increased in power.
. mean spiritual power. Power to bring
s'anss to pass by way Of reform. What
mean by power2 I have told you
Ia l did not mean. BY power 1 mean
.Ash the power OF God comes upon you
y Snenies you to do what you could
Is ~ without that power. That comes
w through confidence and faith IN
-Vla Jesus Christ. There was a time
mo church a more spiritual |
IMAM she has today; there never