The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1915-01-09
PREPARING FOR
GREATER WORK
Evangelist Says Church Must
Clear Decks For Action
in lis Revival.
LARGE CROWD AT MEETINGS

Evangelist Q. O. Jones preached ut
the first Methodist church last night
ou the subject. Clearing the Decks for
Action" His text was Take lc Away
the Stone" He said In part.
Il um going to speak Of some Of
the things that may be- IN the way
De keeping us from having reyir.
al things tnat viii have 10 be cleared
out Of the way II God blesses Us much.
There may be II stone ~ Indifference
III the way. | have found In my eX-
pcricnce In revival work that this
spirit Of Indifference IL one Of the
hardest things to get out Of the way.
] would rnthcr half OF the people In
u church would get mad at the
preacher and Just let the thing alone
than tu have Kind ~ don't care
| spirit There nre lot " members Of
this church who have no concern
about this meeting | mean the kind
Of interest that would bring things TO
pass We will have Ia have cousum
Ing desire, nm awful desire, for souls
II we are tO have successful royiy-
al.
People come IN church and st
around Hike they are at q funeral A
bunch Of football boys can get up
more Of crowd and get W more en.
thuslaSm In Just one football game
than this church can get mp I'm rsviy-
al meeting In II month II people will
/ entlIlsp over football or a baseball
/ game, how much more should they
rnthuse over the saving Of souls. Let's
get rid Of Indifference Let US get
/ busy, aud we will succeed.
Selfshness In the Way.
| Sometimes there Is II stone Of self
ishness In the way. Sometimes we
start into a meeting with selfish mo.
| tives A preacher In MOrriHown. Tenn.
/ said 10 me when ! went there 10 hold
meeting for him: II we could have
five hundred converts at this meeting,
and not one Of them would Join my
/ church. I feel like ! could walk up
and down the streets Of this town and
shout halleluiahr | said My man
/ you've got religion, that's what's the
matter with your And he had It.
! Sometimes there " an unfOrgiying
/ spirit In the way have found this
one Of the meanest things TO get rid
of one Of the hardest things TO get
ont Of the way. You take a lot "
people IN church who are not on
speaking terms with ench other. and
II ~ almost out Of the question Ia have
a revival under such conditions. III
any man have not the spirit OF Christ
he is not " Christ" You must get
the spirit of forgiveness II we are to
succeed In this revival.
III you want the spirit OF forgive
ness, God will give II to you. Some
people Just don't want to forgive.
Why, i believe II would 60 to the old
devil and tell him that had been
working against him and his interests
for years, and tell him that | would
quit It and no longer work against him
II he would forgive me, that he would
say 10 me: Jones, will forgive you =
Must Also Forgive.
Now, II some Of you people refuse
10 forgive some one whom you are not
on speaking terms with, you are ahead
" the devil There IL such a thing as
besting the devil In some things God
won't forgive III II we won't forgive
others That is what this old book says
And l believe II.
II believe that many revival ef
fort has been defeated before a song
was sung or prayer offered, or n
service held, because OF lack Of faith
on the part Of the church. There are
a lot OF folks who are not expecting
anything, are not working for any
\ thing, have no faith. Jesus Christ
could not accomplish very much he
cause OF the lack ~ faith of the peo-
ple, because Of their unhellef. The
success OF this meeting depends upon
how much we believe. God help us ia
believe.
"Qod help us to get the stones out
Of the way. II we viii do that, Jesus
Christ viii reaurrect the IAsaruses
II Is our business 10 get the stones out
" the way. and II II his business h
do the resurrecting. God help us Ia
do our part
The largest number in any meeting
vet came forward and confessed con
verhon last night Jones will sreak
morning and evening At the First
Methodist church tomorrow, and In
! the afternoon At o'clock meeting al
tho munIcipal court room