Arizona republican., 1917-03-26
BEATING THE AIR
 SERMON SUBJECT

Taking for his subject. Beating the Air Elder Yates. Gf the Reorganized L. D. s. church, yesterday delivered 1 the~ following sermon:
 Know ye not that they which run in 9 race run all. but one receiveth the prize? So run that ye may ob- tain."-I Cor. 9:24. This is but an- l other way of stating the same truth which Jesus affirmed when He said: Straight is the gate and narrow is the way that leadeth to life and few there be that find t.
 Many are active in religious mat | ters, not idle, not standing still. nov anywhere. And they who cry, Lord. | Lord" but refuse 10 do the will ot 1 the Lord, are walking the broad way | just as surely as the worldly sinner who makes no profession of Godh
 ness whatever. Paul speaks of such as have undertaken to fight the good l fight, but who are making the war l fare in an aimless and ineffective manner as those who beat the air. 1 A few warriors will be carrying on all effective warfare against sir
 which is the common enemy of the 1 Worlo and a few will be found going | forward in the path where every step 1 is worth while. Only a few. Every | step taken ill the right direction is 1 ulie that will neVe" have to be re- ! traced. All others must be retraced | if real progress is to be made, ana | back tracking in the matter of un- doing q crooked life's work will be 1 found to be painful experience. Many run in a race. They all | stCrrl down the race course and q | bystander 1ho did not take the pains l to observe the finish might pass | judgment and say: What won- l derfully fine lot of successful racers
 But few there be that finish within | the awards
 ! To be engaged in going forward is an important thing. but to pe on the 1 right load is moro important, and | even idleness is better for the man ! lost in the woods than labor which | leads him in the wrong direction, ] further from home. and deeper into
 the regions infested by wild beasts. l To make a fine start in tine race is 1 a splendid thing, but to continue unto the end is better. and even the l speed is worthy consideration in
 such races as footmen run; are these | of no importance in running the race 1 for eternal life?
 A tortoise is eXcusable for making 1 only mile month, for the locomo- l ton machinery which he possesses may not be geared any higher. He l has to run on losg gear and may l have to keep the throttle wide open | to make his mile a month. but any | person better equipped mentally and spiritually than the turtle is eX- 1 pected 70 make better progress-and faster.
 But sad to say, in our spiritual | warfare many Of rs are Inclined to I beat the air to quite a considerab ble
 extent and to progress on regular | turtle schedule. Of him unto whom much is given much is required. So l r''r that ye may obtain" said Paul, 1 "rd then in one sentence changed the figure of comparison from that
 of running the race to that of war
 are and said of himself that he did
 not run uncertainty, nor fight as | one that beats the air.
 Any church not organized accord | ing to the pattern of Christ for their warfare against evil, and noJ
 teachin~ very particularly the doc Urine which Jesus gave to the law to
 -overn the activities of this soldiery, i is guilty of beating the air. If the | cir could be punished and could show
 the marks of it's abuse it would be | black and blue by the cubic mile
 
 | r7rrving on their warfare against l sin. but not according to the gospel. | The question as to how much of | the air is to be beaten Up in any 1 given effort to conouer sin by in- tliyiduals is of personal import to
 every one of us. and 'PauPs most apt
 illustration of that, question will ap- ply to the right and wrong way of l doing things by individuals as we'll | q ,-f,r iatl pfl | tion of gospel truth by churches.
 Now. to the person who hesitates to unite with the church, either with out any definite reason for remaining outside, or with some very pretty little excuses dressed up to make them look like reasons. How much | heating the air are you going to do
 before striking an effective blow
 against your personal enemy by be-
 coming a baptized believer, and a
 member of the Church of Jesus
 Christ?
 There are often many good things ] which one who is inclined to dc
 good may do. but there is always
 only: one thing which is the right thing to; do next. Failing to do the 1 right thing you beat the air You
 who should request baptism into the
 church and who know you should 1 put continue It ncSildle tdHu you
 know who you are. and so does the | Lord), you may continue to put ott doing the right thing in the right
 way, but remember that yor are but 1 making a spectacle of yourself i'll
 the eyes of God and of good men by
 beating the air, and that even what
 good things you try to do runs to q great waste of energy. and your left
 hand continues to undo what your
 right hand would do. Like the good
 industrious man who tailed to pile l stones over the fence then worried
 himself oy throwing them back again
 there was no discount upor his in- dustry, but he did not accomplish | much except to keep the air in cir
 e''ation just where he was moving
 about.
 We wrestle not with flesh and | blood, but with principalities and
 powers and spiritual wickedness, etc, and some wrestlers have clinched
 with MT Bad Habits and formed sort
 of a partnership with spiritual wick | edness and are kept flOored about
 half the time. l Brother, it takes a strong. direct stroke to get that bad habit Of
 yours; how long are you going to
 beat the air? He is just a simple little bad habit, of course, but spir- l itral wickedness is his half brother
 and they are very proud of each
 o-',or's companionship, and each
 claims you as an affinity. You may scuffle gently with them or even
 make a bold enough stroke to crinnle | vvro+obog hut ba aSSIlrpG broth