The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-02-13

of living creatures-to teach Peter
that
| "The love Of God is broader
Than the measure of mans mind,
And the heart of the Eternal.
Is most wonderfully kind"
But he had learned that the only
thing worth while in life is to fol
low the gleAm"; even tho the sum
mons led him across all traditional
boundaries For eight years the Chris
tan Church had been Jewish or
ganization. There was no other
thought among the disciples than that
the Message was for the Jews alone
Their Gospel was really bigger than
they knew. 1t was revolutionary ex-
perience for the new body when Peter
baptized the Roman centurion. We
read glibly, without at all under
standing how radical was the utter
ance, the epochal words of Peter:
"Of a truth, perceive that God is no
respector of persons; but in every
nation he that feareth Him, and
worketh righteousness, is accepted
with Him" That meant a vast dis
covery and innovation for Christianity:
When Peter got to the house of
Cornelius, where the latter with his
friends was awaiting light, he preached
one of his great sermoss. 1t was
largely a telling of the story. He
narrated facts. The message was al
most journalistic. After all. the Gospel
is Good News: we often forget. with
our. fine-spun speculations and homi-
| lies 4nd literary essays in the pulpit,
that the Good News is a telling of a
Story. 1t needs the facts. Last Sun
day 1 heard Rev. DR.. w. c. Johnst n,
of Flat, Africa. tell the story of the
growth of that church, perhaps the
largest in the world. The tale was
overwhelming. 1t was a revelation of
the evideHtial and homiletical value of
the simple narration of facts. No
preacher could have got up" such
sermon.
And it was therein true to the
apostolic type. The news which the
apostles made the burden of their
messages was really news. Some
preachers stress the good" and forget
the news: they substitute stereo-
typed pious phrases for a fresh and
vivid telling of the facts old and new.
which are the Gospel of the New
Testament times and of the year 1920.
Crossing the Rubicon.
Christianity's Rubicon was crossed
at Caesarea. The church was there
determined to be for the whole world.
| OF course, the conservatives protested.
Some were shocked, some were scared.
They felt toward Peter as L recently
found Jerusalem Jews feeling toward
Rabbi Wise and other American Zion
lists, visitors to the holy city, who did
not conform to all the. meticulous
orthodoxy of the European Jews. But
the Spirit of Jesus had His way-al-
tho the same struggle against
making the church world wide has
continued turnout the centuries. That
the Gospel is for all the world, reg trd-
less of race or color or condition, is,
however. accepted, at least theoret-
ically, by all Christians.
Today our ideas of God are loftier
and broader and mora tolerant than
| they once were. We have come UP to
transformed world conditions with a
comprehensive Gospel. We are a bit
slow about applying a faith to the
times. But inevitably we shall follow
Peter, because he followed Christ. All
discerning disciples perceive the hours
unusual call to Loyalty. With Lauchlan
Maclean Watt they pN dge: I
81 bind my heart this tide
To Galiean's side,
To the wounds of Calvary, sTHs
| To the Christ who died for me. go
81 bind my soul this day tj
To the brother far away IT,