Jackson County journal. (Sylva, N.C.) 19??-19??, 1918-11-01

- s=4s=.ss.@:s.e= called guerill;ts.
But guerilla warfare as rule is in
effective, demoralizing, and di.:reput-
able. 1t damages the very cause it
tries to help.
In like manner there are some poo
pie who claim to be Christians. but
who refuse to join the church Like !
guerillas, they unconsciOusly damage
the very cause they ought to help.
They cannot give a single good reason
for their position, but there ere maEy
reasons why every Christian should
join some church.
!. There he can render the raost eff.
fective service. He is one If l;;lny,
who are all working under one com
mander and for the same end, and
who, collectively, can accomplish hat
could not be done separately. If it is
good thing to have churches in
community, then Christians should
support them.
Remove the churches from town.
and property would depreciate, bust
ness would decline, and all coed peo-
pie would move away. Sunday would
become holiday, life and property
would be unsafe, and the town would
soon have such bad reputation that
no decent person would move iutp it.
For this reason every Christian ewes
it to himself, his family, to society,
and to his God, to join and support
some church.
II. It is the only consistent position
for Christian. In the church hin in.
duence will help and not hinder; for
an outsider, who ought to be in the
church, damages the cause of Christ
just as much as an insider who ought
to be out. A Christian who refuses to
join the church practically says to the
world that the commands of Jesus are
not binding or important, which is net
true.
III. A Christian who does not join
the church will soon lose his Joy, and
perhaps his hope. If, knowing his
Masters wish, he refuses to COMPLY
with it, he cannot be happy person
He may be a saved man, but he will
2 he loses his joy he will also lose his
power, for "The Joy of the Lord is
your strength"
r w. To be a member of Christ's
! church is the highest honor this Wore
8 affords. It's sacraments are the mos
sacred, it's literature the most sublime
and it's fellowship the most sweet ;nt
+ enduring. All lodges and othc, or
galizations are man-made affairs hu
the church is. divine institution
e founded by Jesus Christ, guided ant
= guarded by the Holy Spirit, having
i. for it's mission the evangelization Q
7, the world, and for it's destiny ctcrn;l
: fellowship with God and heaven
. v. If it be objected that there u
i some hypocrites in the church. the .in
IS swer is: Eyes, it may be true, hl
d Jesus Christ is no hypocrite, and lie
:. the life of every church,
Remember also that when Il:
church goes through the pearly ea:c
there will be sitting, and the nyy,
y critics will be left on the outside {
the gate, on your side, unless YOU ol,a
il Christ, and you will have to spend u
eternity with them. Would it not
better to live with them a few veal
in the church than to spend all etc
r nifty with them elsewhere? You mu,
of spend some time with those hypocritt
III somewhere. Where shall it be?
S. VI. The Christian who refuses
| 81. 4kA ;ek>
X It is like proposing secret marria g
% He is willing that Christ should i
for him, but he is not willing to liz
a. a. for Christ, or even to acknowledge l.
relation to him. He desires to
saved, but he is not willing to serv
He wants the benefits of Clristiani
a. a. without the sacrifices, whereas Il
" sacrifices constitute nine-tenths of Il
benefits.
The meanness of it is we'll illustrat
IN by the following story: Doctor Lorin
ce once asked a man why he did not jo
my the church. The reply was that t
tn, tn, dying thief did not join the chur
be and he was saved. SWELL" said t
Wv doctor, eff you do not belong to
ID church, you help support missions,
course?"
. "No," said the man. 'The dyi
IS. thief did not help missions, and
DO was saved, was he not?''
Ind EYES," said the doctor. II suppo
Inc he was, but you must remember til
,E' he was dying thief, whereas you q
ia living one"
hU