Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1919-12-12
BEGINS AT JERUSALEM
AND ENDS AT ROME


sng in the Presbyterian Church audi
;orium DR.. G. Alphonso Smith. who
ook for his subject the Book OF Acts,
called ii a most interesting book, and
one of the best sellers of books
The book takes its name from THE
Acts OF the Apostles" and is the be-
ginning of the Christian church
crises. The time at which this book
begins was crisis in church history.
Eleven of the disciples had gathered
together TO see just where they stood.
II was a very different story when
they had Christ with them. Now that
they cannot call on Him any more in
the flesh. 1t is a most desolate occas-
ion. They had leaned on Christ and
cannot lean on Him any longer. They
must stand for themselves. If the
Book Of Acts had not teen written.
we would have had no foundation of
a church.
The word church appears only
twice in Matthew, Mark. Luke and
John. Acts is the first organizer of
the church. in clearness, adequacy,
omprehensiveness. and it is the rea-
son why we have no more churches
Those we have are the names. ia
bells on the bottle" said the lecturer.
the contents not being very diff
ferent"
Or. Smith said we are all familiar
with the phrase Father. Son and
Holy Ghost" The Three in One"
has Teen a stumbling block to some.
The Bible. he said, is divided into
three parts. The first is presided
over by God the Father; the second,
by God. the Son. and the third, by
God, the Holy Spirit IF | should
divide the Bible into three parts"
said the lecturer, Il would write over
the Books OF the Old Testament, God
the Father, over the first four Cos
pels of the New Testament. God, the
Son" and over all the rest. God, the
Spirit.
The phrase of trinity is a common
one. said the lecturer. and he illus
trated with water The form of water
as a solid. is ice. then it is a LIQUID.
and then it can be converted into
steam; three in one. God, in the Old
Testament. was like a solid. calling
men to righteousness; a fear of Of
Tending.
When Christ, the Son. came on
earth. the solid moves around, as the
liquid water does. Christ is moving
among men at Jerusalem and Gallilee.
God the Son is like a fluid When
Christ was crucihed then there was
the period like we live in. when the
Spirit No matter where you are, in
the earth. under the earth in the air.
the Spirit of Christ is there. 1t is
III iquitous. omnipresent omnipotent.
The last great stage of
Christ is the spirit. and we are living
in the reign of the Spirit, said Dr.
Smith
What did the disciples do when
gathered together? inquired the lee
turer Did they say I'VE can't do any
thing because Christ has gone from
among us? No; they took three steps
They said. there are only eleven of
us. Christ wanted twelve. Probably
the twelve disciples represented the
welve trit of Israel They said
Let's make ii twelve" and they
elected a man 10 take the place OF
Judas Iscarot The only man of the
twelve" who could not say Il saw
Christ" Il have been with Christ
It mnst have been handicap. said
the lecturer. not to have been able
to give personal testimony.
Matthias was the man chosen as
the twelfth disciple. and whatever
Of the Holy Spirit Every preacher
today stands on the same platform
with Matthias His handicap makes
him human He was not a genius
not a great man. but good man.
DR.. Smith said there are so many
Matthiases that Garry On who are
not geniuses. not great men. but who
have successfully carried on the work
Of Christs kingdom. acause they had
The power of the Holy Spirit; they
were true and loyal and ready to burn
ii the stake for the Master. Not gift
ed as Paul. or St John but filled with |
he Spirit of God
After electing the twelfth disciple /
he second step taken by the chosen |
disciples of Christ. was the real
of the ship of Christianity i
The Church" is organized in form
so that they can do team work. hit |
he line and hit it hard The church /
was organized in an upper room, and /
he Scripture said they were "All OF
me accord. in one place" When ala
ire of one accord. the speaker said, /