South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1916-02-01
CHRIST IS GUIDE
TO RIGHT LIVING
Rev. O. E. Tones Opens Series
at Indiana Av. Christian
Church.

Rev q. +. Tones, pastor or the
First Christian church Of Fort
Wayne. delivered his first sermon at
the Indiana Avenue Christian church
last night, having as a subject
Christ in the World" He was de-
layed because Of illness in his home
In beginning his discourse Rev.
Tones dwelt upon the necessity OF
a proper appreciation of the merits
of Christ. HE who builds his re-
ligion upon anything else than an
appreciation Of Christ will find at
some time in life that his faith Is
as a house built upon sand said
Rev. Tones.
The Speaker Outlines History.
Rev. Tones outlined the history
of Christianity from the time of
Christ. He described the part the
Catholic church played in bringing
Christianity intact through the cha
otto social and political conditions
Of the middle ages. With the ad-
vent of the reformation there arose
countless Protestant denominations,
each claiming TO be the real repre-
sentative Of the church of Christ.
I'm view Of this state of affairs,
there arises the necessity of defining
just what Chris ianity is" Rev.
Tones continued. He said in part:
Appreciation Growing.
There is today a growing appre-
citation Of Christ in the world. This
can be evidenced by a glance at the
religious writings of the times.
do we really appreciate the posi-
tiOn that Jesus ought TO occupy in
the world of today? We ought to
make Jesus Christ the norm by
which we live. and judge men ac-
cording TO His teachings. Many
men who proclaim Christ forsake
Him in adversely. Theirs is a weak
faith entirely different from the sin
cerity Of belief and religious fervor
of the early Christians.
open the Bible any place and
you will find evidences Of religious
fire and zeal In the gospels you
walk and talk with Jesus, and feel
the pulse beat of His divine love
In the epistles you find a man pour
ing out his heart in words of wis
dom to the children of men, that
they may be true. So you find your
self wholly i'm the presence. of a
glowing religious life whenever you
open the Bible.
THE power of Christianity is resi-
dent in the person of Jesus Christ
alone 1t is not some abstract doc
trine which makes mer religious to-
day. but the constant pull of the
personality of Christ on the world.
THE thing that gets results in the
building up of religion is bringing
men face to face with Christ.
Need Spiritual Life.
There is a need today of an over
whelming presence Of a spiritual
life. Battles as great as those in
the present European war have been
fought out between right and wrong
in the lives of individuals. Christ is
the great captain who is leading the
forces of righteousness in the world
today.
Christ is present with us in mod
ern life 1t is impossible that a man
who would leave heaven to die an
ignOminious death TO save the hui
man race could neglect those He
saved. Jesus is just as interested in
our salvation as He was in any indi-
vidual in those days when He stood
outside the city of Jerusalem and
wept over its coming ruin.
Sin Dominant.
when the world forgets Christ
sin becomes dominant. Abstract
truths are held sacred instead of a
real divine personal Christ. Just as
in the term liberty, the abstract
truth is often held and believed in
while the most contrary conditions
obtain in real life. For instance. all
men are created free and equal, but
so long as greed and avarice and
hardness of heart bring injustice in
to the world, the terms liberty and
justice are abstract.
AT the present time Christ is
asking in a special manner the peo-
pie Of South Bend TO accept His
teachings and it is the duty of all
sincere God-fearing people in the
CITY TO do so"