The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1917-02-22
TABERNACLE APPEAL
TO THE GOODP PEOPLE
OF CITY PENSACOLA

address particularly to those who are
protesting Christians and still more
directly to those who are leaders IN
religious affairs. The Gypsy Smith |
campaign is almost upon US. The
tabernacle Is nearly completed, and
within ten days we will be at the very
!! beginning of the first battle for this
campaign for righteousness. The
meeting may be a success or it may
| be a failure. The Christian people of
Pensacola can and will decide that
question by their attitude toward the
whole affair. One thing is certain,
however, and that is this, that the
whole fight will be like mosquito
trying to bite an elephant unless the
people who profess to love Christ
get down to the real business of prep
aration from this very minutes and
work with all their might TO arouse
interest and create enthusiasm, and
all this with spirit of absolute con-
secration to Christ, the supreme
: leader.
1t is criminal to ask any man OF
God to come into any city and at
tempt to besiege that city for God
unless the people of God are lined up
and ready to support from the very
beginning of the fight. 1t is no more
foolish for a general to attempt the
besieging of city without an army
than it is to expect any evangelist
to come into city and conduct cam
paign with a lot of haft-hearted,
don't-care, compromising, worldly
= minded Christians. We might as well
not some to Pensacola I'M
less we put forth strenuous efforts
during the coming days preceding the
, meeting. The Christian people must
! get behind the movement.
Preparation for the coming cam
: paign should have been begun many
months ago and should have pro-
= crossed by this time to the point
u when no power on earth or from he'll
!. would be able to gain right of way
= and knock us out of the ring. In
i stead of no prayer meetings last
night in the city, there should have
been at least one hundred homes oper
for prayer meetings, and hundreds Of
eager, soul burdened participants IL
- them. Instead of the churches beine
= closed they should all haven an
~ omen. Ry this white heat. 4
es -l--.vn OF souls should be upon TIL
L Christian people that would max
! them cry nightly unto God day an,
= night for the unsaved of the city an,
: for the revival of the cold hearted
q indifferent backslidden church. w
: have got to show fight. We have go
A to strike the devil square in the fac
d instead of compromising with hin
% and lending him our influence. I
this work is to mean anything wortl
while for the city of Pensacola i
must be essentially a campaign fo
God and that means a fight for Coz
and the right. England suffered tn,
ravages of defeat during the frs
| two years Of the war because she wa
! not prepared. Germany, her enemy
. was prepared. She won. I have beer
= IN the city for several days and
\ have tried to keep my eyes open ant
view the situation from every angl,
and am prepared to say that tn,
" forces of righteousness are not array
: ed in battle line for the fight as they
It should be. The pastors haven't thu
solid backing of their people.
Il mean, particularly the backing o,
e their leaders in this movement. a.
they should have. I believe in the
|, ministers of the Gospel. I'll stand By
them to the last ditch. On the whole
they are an earnest, godly set Of
men. l speak from a pastors view.
: point, for I have been a pastor fol
a number of years in cities both large
and small and know what they arr
I up against. Their hands are tied anc
: their power is woefully curtailed If
the community because of the world
hness and hypocrisies of many Of
their church leaders. I am frank tx
say that if this meeting is a failure
in the eyes of the community it will
;. be due to the fact just mentioned
along with the fact that the Chris.
. tan people did not make the neces-
= sary preparation for the work. Toe
many Christians have been willing ii
these last days to lay down on the JOB
and compromise with the world, in
fact, cut Christ out altogether fol-
worldly things. 1t is a sad common
tary on the preparation spirit and the
conservation of Christian people wher
even the best of church members viii
not or would not support a praye'
meeting because of an incoming tide
of frivolity. The devil is laughing ur
his sleeve because of this, and be has
US beat unless the church at once
goes to prayer with a mightier de-