The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-01-04
IRRATIONAL
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
BY w. T. ELLIS

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At railway station I once as a boy
thoughtlessly and ignorantly misdi-
rected a woman with a bundle thru
! the wrong tunnel. Later. 1 saw her
toiling back with her load. Her use
less and overburdened tramp due to
my misdirection; and thru all these
years I have remorsefully carried that
memory in my mind. But what of the
more serious mistakes we unwittingly
! cause people, because our trend of life
has pointed them the wrong way?
As 1 conceive it, the burden of this
| Sunday School Lesson is Point
straight: Point straight" Bear wit
ness to the truth, the highest truth
you know Without fear, without
! self-seeking, stand steadfastly for
your highest illumination. That is
the way the world moves upward. That
| is the way society is kept from decay.
That is the way the kingdom OF heav-
en- comes.
The Man With Something to Say.
In the wilderness, John came to
Standardization and acquired his mes
/ sage. Some preachers are affecting
the cameis-hair cloth and the leather
girdle and brusque speech, without the
message But the message alone is
the thing. To hear that, the world
would seek out man in the remotest
wilderness, or will not. shrink from the
most fashionable of churches Why
is it that Philadelphia crowds flock
every Sunday to hear DR.. Lloyd
w. Tomkins, while our downtown
churches are almost empty? Simply
because he has a message about God.
He does not rehash the days news
from the pulpit, nor choose topics that
! command space in the newspapers,
nor have pro1ogues or stereopsicon
! shows. He just preached God to the
hearts of the people, and the multi
tude which gathered in hunger goes
away fed.
1t was a plain sermon thai Mark
reports John as preaching. First there
f, was the old appeal, Repent ye." Then
there was the warning, that tn, axe
was already lying at the tree of
hereditary religion, ready to cut it
! down should they prove unworthy of
their fathers And then there was the
promise of the greater One who was
to come. John offered his time
Christ. That was it's need then: il is
the supreme now. AS Richard Watts On
Glider so beautifully wrote:
IF eJsus Christ is man,
And only man, say,
That OF all mankind / cleave to Him.
! And to Him will l cleave Away
| But il Jesur Christ is God
And the only God, swear,
/ NV VIII Il, follow FOL him thru heaven and hell,
The earth, the sea, the air.
Confessing Christ.
| Terse Comments on the Uniform
| Prayer Meeting Topic of the Young
Peoples Societies Christian En-
deavor, Etc.-For January 6: BE
coming a Christian.''-Acts2 6:13-15.
In the beginning, God" Yes, He
Is the beginning of all good things
He will be at the beginning of. this
new year, if it is to be a good year.
We may start the year with Him,
and He will sanctify it and make it
a blessed year" His presence brings
peace. Confidence for the unknown
way upon which we are entering will
be impaired by the thought that He
is our companion and guide. If this
is to be Gods year-that is, if we are
to put Him first in all its affairs-it
will be our greatest year.
All of us boast of our friendship
with the little big men of earth We
seek opportunity to tell of our con-
nectlon with any person, even though
he be but a distant acquaintance or
relative, who has acquired the least
degree of distinction. Yet-shameful
is the tale-we over and over again
refuse to acknowledge our relation to
the Lord of Heaven and earth, Jesus
Christ, the very Son of God. We are
proud of clay potentates, but blush to
confess the one who alone Is omnipo-
tent and eternal, and clothed in ma
jesty and glory
Confession helps to constancy. IT
is easier to stand steadfast for Christ
when our professions have led men
to expect US to do right. 1t is the
craven Christian who becomes the in
consistent one.
Secret communion promotes open
confession.
-fI
slant and open confession, the truth
that Christ has commanded it would
be enough. 1t is ours but to obey.
The Captain of our salvation has spok-
en-; therefore, there is no other course
open to His followers except duty
One form of confession that the
Master asks of all who love Him is the
public acceptance eel; Of Him before the the
times are too critical to permit of Sc
cret discipleship. Every Christian who
believes himself to be such should
acknowledge his faith by uniting him.
self with the visible Church of Christ
And in this confession, which is espec-
tally we'll pleasing 20 Him who bids
US confess Him before men there will
come to the believer new visions of the
beauty of the Saviour and new revela-
tons of His SURPRISING love.
What will people say?" our faint
! hearts question, when we are urged
. to confess the Saviour. Oh, people!
: peoplei-how much we care for peo-
Pile. What matters it what people say
They'll say very little, unless we show
, cowardice, and then they will sneer
, at us. Let US give over trying to regu-
late our life by what people say. Their
opinions are of small consequence
! Rather let us ask a question more to
! the point-"What will God say?" His
| judgment counts; His opinion is vital
: ly valuable. How will He regard our
confession of His Son? What will He
think of our failure to confess that
Son?
Confession should follow conviction