Arizona republican., 1920-12-06
\ HIGH |DEAL" IS SUBJECT IF SERMON
 BY REV. |. $. JONES

"A High Ideal" was the subject of the Rev. l.. S. Jones of the Bethel M. E. church, South, yesterday morning. MT. Jones said in part:
 Tt is high time that we get away from the idea that religion is designed to save us from the abode of the lost and to take us to heaven when we die, and from tho notion that religion con- sists of singing psalms, saying pray CTS, going to church and experiencing pleasing emotions.
 "The ultimate object of Christianity is the making of a perfect man n to make a man after Gods idea of a man. As 1t is written, He gave some apos- ties, and some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the perfect ing of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of God unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the fullness of Christi
 Christ was Paul's ideal of human character. He had a connection that he could by the grace of God, and by the use of his own powers, apprehend Christ and attain unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ Christ was Paul's beau ideal" his conception of consummate beauty and moral excellence. Paul believed and talked that by cooperating with the Divine, man could become like Christ. But we all with open face, beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from character to character, even as by the spirit of the Lord"
 This is high ideal of human char acter. No man can have higher ideal. | With this conception of possible hu- man attainment ever present, man may become the express image of the Christ, even as Christ was the express image
 of the Father.
 Paul had this lofty ideal in his mind
 when he said: T count not myself
 to have apprehended.' Though ad-
 vanced in years and ripe in experience,
 he left that he had not reached the high calling of God in Christ Jesus,
 which was to him the Christ imaged character.
 To attain to his lofty ideal of hu-
 man character, he made 1t the one ob-
 ject of pursuit. To him the main busi-
 ness of life was to attain the most
 perfect possible, to be transformed into
 the image of Christ. That he might
 realize his high ideal he says: 'I for
 get those things that are behind" He
 had made progress. His vision of God had enlarged, he had a clearer con. !, ception of the character of Christ ant the work Christ came to do. He wa. conscious he was a better man thar he was when he found the Christ Bu
 he knew that he better might becom, the enemy of the best: therefore h.
 resolved to forget all his past attain 5 ment and to reach for the higher ant larger attainments that were befor
 him.
 Tc have a high ideal and to ceas striving to realize it brings on stat of arrested development. This is tru ! in realm of mind and matter as wel : people have failed to reach tn . measure of the stature of the fullnes $ of Christ" is that they have cease
 to reach for the best in Christian ex n perience. They are satisfied wit If present attainments. To attain to tn if most perfect character possible [ $ man, Paul says: T throw my whol y self into the enterprise. I press to r ward tht mark for the prize of th e high calling of God and Christ Jesus - Jesus was Gods idea of a perfet IT man. He is our pattern. Sent frol U God to show us how to fashion ou Y lives and to become the true sons .ss God. Christ is God lifting the raC <. out of somnualism and animalism ini
 life of communion and fellowshi ,1 with the devine. May we all mah 70 Christ likeness the one purpose of iii and strive to attain thereto.