Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-02-08

in the purpose of Christ, His college
of apostles became himself twelve
times repeated.
The Possibilities of Plain Men
Jesus did not wait for geniuses.
The differences between a good eN-
ecutive and a second rate one is that
the good executive can take the ma
terial in hand and utilize it effec
lively. The second rate man goes
about whining over the lack of COM
petent helpers. We are prone to be
mistaken in our estimate of the apos-
ties. for we see them in the ripeness
of their power and service. When
they were called by the Lake of Gal
lice they were amazingly, like you
and me. All of them were average,
everyday folk, without much social
/ poise or polish. Most of them were
more at home in a numbering, fish
odorous boat than in palace or in
good society Let us get hold of
| this great truth. Analyze the list of
! the twelve and in temperament and
| in training they are seen to be COM
mon folk; more common than the av-
| erage of delegates at any religious
| convention to-day.
/ We are prone to boast of the big
] ittltlSS NIlil dbpih our NiAuiNiitS eihNi
/ religious organizations. We are
proud of the rich and famous lay
men who are on our lists. The eXal-
! tation OF the merely wealthy or
/ prominent to places in church work
! has reached an absurd length. Those
I who have worked with them have
| come to see that these are not the
men who make things go. The eN-
/ ample of Jesus rises up to remind us
| that His source of supply. the every
! day folk who toll, is still at hand.
| Why should our secretaries spend
their time trying to beguile a reluc-
tant hour or two from busy man
of affairs. when there are virile,
forceful young men with unoccupied
time in all our churches waiting only
the call of leadership?
The amazing fact about the whole
story is what Jesus can do with an
ordinary man. We talk much of the
self-made man, but he is not to be
compared with the Christ-made man.
The most ordinary person, plus
Christ, becomes an extraordinary
person. The twelve untutored rustic
Galileans. about whom we study to-
day became the statesmen of the
worlds greatest empire. That group
of Syrian peasants have changed all
the history of the race, and are still
at work in our own time. Their
achievements throw into the shade
those of Alexander and the Caesars.
The High Call
Garibaldi summoned his recruits
to long marches, to hunger, to pri-
walton, to wounds, to death. His
followers leaped in heroism to the
high summons. So it is no easy al
legiance that Jesus offers to His dis
ciples He calls men and women into
service that is hard as it is holy
He bids them give themselves to the
difficult task of being salt for the
salvation of society. As salt is ever
in danger of losing its SAVIOR, so
Christians are subject to the con-
stant temptation of losing their salt
ness-their uniqueness, their power
to preserve-becausc they become
like the lump they are meant to
leaven.
Likewise Jesus bade His disciples
to be the lights of the world. Then,
as now, the salvation of a neighbor-
hood and of state depends upon
the righteous men. No nation can
live without the lives that are light
and that are salt. These are the
hope of our time. No city can get
so bad that even a handful of true
disciples cannot redeem it. Ten
righteous men would have saved
Sodom. The days need is voiced by
the hymn of the brotherhoods:
Jesus calls us, DER the tumult
OF our life's wild, restless sea;
Day by day His sweet voice soundeth
Saying, Christian, follow Me-
As of old. apostles heard it
BY the Galilean lake,
Turned from home and toll and kim
dred.
Leaving all for His dear sake"