Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1918-08-08

sorption in world
ly matters. More
serious, by far.
however, is the internal cause. or the
church's neglect of the means of grace,
The tendency of fire is to go out. The
best fire in the world will go out in "a
hours If you neglect to put on fuel.
Even so. the fire of devotion in the
hearts of Gods people tends to go
out unless it is fed with fuel, and the
only fuel that will feed this flame is
the fuel of Gods Word.
The average Christian does not read
the Bible enough to keep himself In
spiritual health The consequence is
that he loses ground gradually until
the fire dies down, and is almost ex-
tinct. When this becomes general In
a church, it is necessary to resort to
special measures to restore life to the
church; and these special measures
usually consist of nightly meetings in
which the fuel of Gods Word is piled
on the slumbering embers until they
begin to blaze and burn and give out
light and warmth, which is the nor
NAL condition of a church
Notice that the words awake,
awake; put on thy strength, o Zion,"
are not an exhortation, but
positive, peremptory command. Chris
tfans sometimes speak of their
spiritual weakness as misfortune,
but God regards it not as a misfor-
rune, but as a sin, as needless as it
is disastrous. BE We strong in the
Lord, and in the power of his might
Is just as binding as any command
ment in the Decalogue.
A Christian has no right to be weak.
God has provided strength in abund-
ance. and he holds us accountable for
the use of it.
The real mission of the church is
not educational. though it does edu-
cate people continually: not to fur
nish soup. soap and potatoes, though
it may do this kind of work when nee
essary; not to furnish entertainment
for the community. though it may
wisely have an oversight of such mat
tiers. and see that pernicious enter
tainments are kept out by providing
some of a better quality. No, the real
mission of church is to proclaim the
Gospel. to WELD spiritual forces, to
bring down power from heaven to
subdue proud minds and stubborn
wills and passionate tempers. This is
tnc Ttttl WOTh- OF the Cnurcn 1IOm
which she is never excused.
And for this work she is well
equipped. There is work enough to do
and power enough to do it with. God
is ever calling her to do things which
are impossible In her own strength
but which are easily possible to those
who know how to avail themselves of
Gods strength There is good Illus
<<4 III
crowd had followed Jesus out of the
city to listen to his marvellous teach
ing. The day was far spent. and there
was no place where the people could
obtain food. Under these cfrcum-
stances the apostles suggested to
Jesus that he send the people away to
the villages round about that they
might buy food.
But Jesus answered and said unto
them. "Give We them to eat How
many loaves have ye?" And when
they had canvassed the company they
reported that all they could find was
q little lad who had five biscuits and
two small fishes; and this amount of
course was utterly inadequate. New
erthless the Master babe them bring
him what they had. and arrange the
people for supper And when they
had finished distributing the pieces
which the Master broke of from those
five biscuits. they found that they
had fed FIVE thousand men and had
twelve baskets full of fragments left
over.
And when the church really recog-
nizes her mission as the spiritual
teacher of the community. as the open
channel through which Gods grace Is
to flow to the unsaved around her;
when she realizes what power can be
obtained through prayer what con-
viction can be carried to impenitent
hearts. she Will begin to see those.
who are spiritually hungry coming to
her doors. and the lame, and the blind.
and the oppressed fiocfing to her for
comfort. and guidance and -delfverance
from the power of sin. Thirsty boys
know where the cool springs are. and
goddess people soon find out where the
water of life can be had. and uncon-
sciOuSly are drawn thither-