The theocrat. [volume] (Zion City [i.e. Zion], Ill.) 1914-1949, 1920-01-10


White-Robed Choir, over five hundred mem
bers in line, marched into the auditorium,
singing in Professional, ''Who Is on the
Lords Side?" AS the singers marched up
the main ais1es, two abreast, in parallel
columns, and filed on into the choir gallery,
the sight was indeed beautiful. Heading the
Professional was the Junior Choir, follow
ed by the Senior Choir; next came the robed
Officers, and finally the uniformed Guard
Seated on the platform with the General
Overseer were Apostles Carey, Peckham,
Harwood, Darms, Taylor, Jordan and
Moot also Elders Tindall, Neal, Shun1aker,
Cunningham, Robinson, Nelson, Reder, De-
Vona, Mintern, Robbins and buyers.
At the close of the Professional, the Gen
eral Overseer offered the Invocation.
The audience then joined in singing lions
marching hymn, Come, We that Love the
| Lord"
The General Overseer then said: "Let all
read and repeat together the Thirty-ffth
Chapter of Isaiah, lions Song of Salvation,
Healing, Holy Living and Triumphant En-
try into the Zion Above"
| The Chapter was repeated by the entire
audience in unison.
/ The Choir then rendered, 90 Great Is
the Depth" by Mendelssohm, at the close of
which the General Overseer said:
| "Let us all bow in silent prayer. Let
everyone shut the world outside and draw
nigh to God So far as possible, let us have
perfect quiet May God bless everyone here
tonight"
After a short season of silent devotion,
earnest prayers were offered by Apostles
Jordan, Darms, Carey and Elder Nelson.
The Choir then sang the beautiful anthem,
! "And Then Shall Your Light Break Forth, ,"
by MendelsSohn.
The Conservation of Children always
sacred and beautiful service in Zion, was
conducted by the General Overseer, after
which the Choir rendered the selection,
"Worthy Is the Lamb by Handel.
The General Overseer then arose and de-
1ivered the principal address of the night.
! dous Importance implied by the passing of
the old year and the coming in of the new;
of the value of getting into some quiet place
alone with God and making careful re-
view of the year; of going back to January
| /, 1919, and asking ourselves: Have we
been faithful in studying Gods Word, in
spending a portion Of each day in secret
prayer, in maintaining the family altar and
in returning thanks at the table? Have we
attended the House of God on the fifty-two
Lords Days of the year? And how about
the ffty-two Wednesday night Prayer
Meetings?
He spoke of the need of reviewing Our
words, Our thoughts, Our deeds; Of asking
ourselves the question, Have we said,
| thought or done anything which we would
not be willing for Our wives, our daughters
or our sisters to know? Have we been
! faithful in paying tithes, in supporting the
schools? Have we allowed the love of
money to stand between us and our duty
toward God? Is Our treasure in Heaven
or upon the earth? Have we been faithful
in reading the Leaves of Healing and The
Theocrat, faithful in attending all the means
of grace? Finally, are we ready to confess
our sins and shortcomings to the great High
Priest and resolve, by Gods grace, to live
nearer to Him than ever before in Our
lives?
In his address, the General Overseer ex-
pressed the firm conviction that the Coming
of the Lord draweth nigh.
He called attention to the Word of God
bearing upon the Church of the Lord Jesus
Christ. He pointed out that the Church was
the Hidden Mystery from before the foun-
dation of the earth, until it was
revealed to the Apostle Paul that, while the
Church was something which did not form
a part of the regular settled plan of God,
provision was made for it contingent upon
Israel's rejection Of Christ as King. It was
shown that the Church is the greatest thing
ever planned by God Almighty and that the
richest reward God ever has promised is
that of joint rulership to members of the
Bride of Christ.
In closing, the General Overseer called at
tention to a notable utterance by John Alex
ander Dowie in June 1902, in which he ex-
pressed his conviction that not more than
twenty years would elapse before the world
would hear the tread of the Lawless One
Twenty years from 1902 will bring us to
1922, and we are now entering upon the
year 1920.
At the close of the General Overseer's
address, the Sacrifcia1 Offering was taken,
the entire audience the Choir, the robed
Officers and the uniformed Guard arising
and going forward in systematic order, sec
ton by section, and dropping their offering
into the barrel which stood in front of the
platform, draped in the Zion Colors.-
These Sacri6cial Offerings, taken in Zion
semi annually-at the A1l-Night Meeting
and on the closing Lords Day of each