The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1917-09-14
1t Is Salvation Of World, Says
This Kato Pastor
AMONG THOSE FALLEN
Minister Has Some Advice To
Give Good People of His
Sanctuary
From Mondays Daily.

the subject of the sermon preached
by Rev. F. II. Groom at TIE Christian
church yesterday morning. He said:
There are so many erroneous
opinions afioat, regarding the mission
or chief business of the church in
the world. that we consider it worth
while to define the issues more clear
~ in that regard.
Before taking up the positive side
of the question, We shall deal with
some of the common errors as to the
place of the church in the program
Of Christian activity-or in other
words endeavor to point out some ex-
amples of non conformity to the
scriptural ideal of what the church
is and ought to be.
Misguided people sometimes ask
Can a man be a Christian and not be-
long to the church? We can answer
this question only by defining terms.
In the first place a man cannot, in the
Scriptural sense, be a Christian with
out belonging to the church, or rather,
he will belong to the church whether
he is aware of it or not. The church
according to the Bible-the spiritual
organization, is composed of all obedi-
ent believers, and when a man is
baptized into Christ he is, in His
church, whether he goes through the
formality of placing his membership
with any local congregation or not.
But, taking the word in its applied
sense, we may say that the true
Christian cannot conscientiously dis
criminate between being accepted of
Christ personally and beinug identi-
fed with the body of believers band
ed together to perpetuate the Gospel
which has been brought to him. The
true Christian is not the man who SCI
fishly desires to Get to Heaven but
who seeks by organized and effective
means to bring heaven within reach
of every other man. How can a man
be a democrat or republican outside
his party when that party is on
trial before the country? Or how
can a man be an American, and
withhold his citizenship, his serv-
ice,-yea his life in times of ma
tional peril? How can man be my
friend, and fail to stand for me when
/ need his support? l fail to compre-
bend the reasoning of man who
claims to be a Christian, and yet re-
mains Indifferent to the call of the
only institution on earth that is max
ing any effort to spread the teachings
of Jesus to all peoples.
But on the other hand, we must
not conclude that the church alone
saves us. Jesus, only, can save us,
and there is no such thing as church
salvation, no matter what the merits
of the particular visible organization
may be. For there is none other
name given under heaven or among
men whereby we must be saved.
Our affiliation with any church, no
matter how beautiful it's service, or
splendid it's history, cannot atone for
an unclean life, or supplant the saw
ing Grace of Christ.
with some people, the church is
nothing more nor less than social
club. This is more especially true in
older settled communities, where men
and women come to look on the church
as one of the good things inherited
from their fathers and mothers and
friends in the preceding generation.
Such people have found it easy to find
membership where so many of their
friends are, and withal they have
never felt the passion for the souls
OF men. These persons are of no par
ticular benefit to the church, and not
having true conception of it's place
in the world, will derive very little
benefit from the church itself. They
are sometimes Indifferent to evange-
listic effort, as they feel that their
circle is about complete, and they fear
the advent of new material, lest they
might find themselves in company
with some not so desirable, from their
standpoint socially Of course such
people will bitterly resent my plac-
ing. such an Interpretation on their
attitude, be we preachers learn to
know that actions sometimes speak
louder than words, and to say that
there are in certain localities, social
clubs, claiming to be Churches of
Christ, is not doing violence to the
truth.
when poor fallen woman, stained
all over with sin, tries to climb back the
long weary way, throwing herself on the
mercy of Christ, asking forgiveness and
help from His people, are our women al
ways ready to extend the hand of love
and mercy? I tell you that no man OF
woman has any part of the Spirit OF
Christ, who will refuse full fellowship
III the WIFI the West SlIlneF vi
earth, so long as that sinner is penitent
There is only the objectionable sin, and
that is the sin of not wanting to be for
given. For whom did Jesus Christ die?
II you study his life. you will find that
he was constantly in the company of the
outcastJ of the earth, and His bitterest
denunciations were reserved, not fol
these, but for the self righteous who
thanked God that they were not like 9th
er men. ...
Sometimes our sisters are willing II
60 lyle xryhn lY~iNy
hither and thither, like hunted fawns
go they way and sin no MORE" but i
might give them real shock if the CIR
should ask them where to go. Yes
where? That is the question. Are yoJ
willing to take her into your home anC
mother her and try to win her back
trust her. or even grant her the hell
and strength of the church as she seek.
to come back? These are questions tina
church members everywhere will do wei
to ponder.
"But the most subtle and dangerous
error regarding the place of the churc'
in the world is the idea that the church
is an end within itself-that the buildins
ND of ,he visible organization is tn,
sumnnum bonum of Christian Endeavor
The preacher who can pile up statistics
is in the eyes of some. the greatest il
the Kingdom of Heaven. So many il
the Sunday school-so many at the regu
lar service, and so much money RAISED
monty accented as the standards of sue
cess, and few take the trouble to lool
deeper. What will 1t avail you to hav