Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-05-04
In the Religious World
WILLIAM
6y WILLIAM T. ELLIS.

these men blazing with the zeal for
the crucified Christ.
1t was easy for them to slip over
the fence of Judaism and carry the
good news to the Gentiles also.
Their breadth Of vision made it i'm
possible for them to be holden by the
narrow prejudices Of Judaism So
their converts among the Greeks
grew with such rapidity that the
news was quickly carried to the
mother church at Jerusalem.
A Radical Revival.
That news from Antioch upset the
Jerusalem leaders. They were con.
|, servatives, and solitious for the
preservation of the type. The fear OF
heresy had gripped them. It was
with sincere and pious alarm that
they learned that the Christians ex.
lied to Antioch had preached to Gen
tiles as we'll as to Jews. -+
Little did they know that this fact
chronicled the highwater mark Of
the history of the Apostolic church.
One commander calls this simple
statement Of the preaching to the
Greeks at Antioch, "the climax OF
the Book of the Acts" 1t records In
few and simple words the beginning
of new era. The truth was estab-
lished and sealed by the spirit, that
Christianity was no longer for the
Jews alone, but for all the world.
In somewhat of panic, the Jeru-
salem leaders sent their star preach
err Barnabas, down to Antioch to set
the Christians straight, and to safe
guard their orthodoxy. But Barna-
bas was bigger than his mission. He
saw that the hand of the Lord was
with the Antioch Christians, and he
was glad. No hersey hunting for him
among men who showed the spirit
of Christ His religion was so vital
that he recognized the real test OF
discipleship Would that the Barna-
bas spirit might dominate the great
religious meeting of this month Of
May, some of which are perturbed
over heresies and ecclesiastical pro-
cedure. It is the spirit of Christ and
the works of Christ that mark the
disciple of Christ. This is the one
and only test. II Christ has sealed
man or a cause, no church can un-
seal it. r.s .-..-
There is beautiful portrait of
Barnabas in this lesson, miniature
that belongs high in the gallery of
the heroes of ith:-"For he was a
good man and was full of the Holy
Spirit and of faith" No wondkr that
the record continues, "And the num-
Der of believers in the Lord greatly
increased"
Winning = New Name.
Some merry Roman jester one day
called these zealots, who were Great
ing such a Juror in Antioch, Christ
ians." Probably all the young
bloods in the bath laughed over the
WELCOMED word, and themselves
later used it in derision The fol-
lowers of Christ had not so named
themselves. They called one another
followers of the way" The appel
alton christian" was first affixed In
scorn, but quickly welcomed by
those who priced the precious name
which it enshrined. That word
christian is the one known prod
uct of Antioch which remains to this
day. 1t is the greatest word In the
world. To be a Christian means
more than to be rich, or to be great,
or to be learned, or to be powerful
AS small mirror reflects a large
landscape, so this designation, ar-
piled in scorn by enemies, reveals
about the Antioch church. They
were not called "Saulists' or Bar
nabites," but "Christians." They had
kept Christ to the fore and them
selves in the background. That is
the test of preaching; does it make
people talk about the preacher, or
about his message?