South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1921-08-15
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Rev. John Francis Bellville In
Address at Indiana Ave.
Christian Church.

The preacher at the Indiana Ave
nue. Christian church, John Francis
Bellville, preached from the text,
Christ Is all and in ALL" Col. 3:11.
Excerpts from the sermon are Civ
en- below:
Not infrequently we allow the
communion TO be a memorial OF a
dead Christ, when it should be q
token OF a Christ who conquered
death and who said before His as
cension TO glory, L am with you
always. even unto the end Of the
ages We should believe, therefore,
that our Christ lives and that the
communion Is Gods memorial Of
life and redemI ton. Belief in the
risen and assembled Lord so possess
ed the apostles and early disciples
that they lost the place OF Christ's
burial so that today the tomb
wherein he lay for three days is no
more positively known than is the
burial place of Moses on PIsgah Uf
Mount Nebo.
Give Attention.
"The chosen apostles Of Our Lord
gave their attention to proclaiming
religion (of which Jesus was tho
author and finisher that regenerates,
satisfies, guides and redeems those
who believe in the Christ. But We
would have you observe that there
is more than believing as an indi-
vidual whereby you think Of your
self and God. That thought would
be we'll enough If you and God we re
alone in the world, but there are
other people living. Consider thea
that since God has purposed to
reconcile the world unto himself
through Jesus, he has also purpose1
TO reconcile men so that they may
be brothers. Jesus gave a compre-
hensive explanation when he said
that the sum of religion was to love
the Lord God with ones whole be
ing and ones neighbor as oneself.
These two statements Of love to God
and love for men are compliments
TO each other.
after some persuasion the apos-
ties were led to unselhshly proclaim
the gospel to the gentiles and to as
sert that there was neither Jew or
Greek, bond or free, male or female,
but that all were one in Jesus.
Christ is all. and in alal. Do not
think that the problems that con-
fronted those early Christians diff
fered entirely from the probleEs
which face US. There were at that
time inequalities among men, labor
problems prevailed, there were rich
and poor, high and low, races and
nations. traditions, folkways and
customs.
Preached Unity.
ITO bring unity to these different
and often times opposing situations
those men Of God preached unity in
Jesus Christ. There message was
one Of the fatherhood Of God and
the brotherhood of men, and by ap-
plying such a message they hoped
to break caste and make men broth
ers. Jews and Greeks, masters and
slaves, male and female were
brought together into one church
and worshipped one God ond ware
in Jesus what shall be our attitude
TO others who do not believe; or to
those of different skin, or national
ity, or language, or place of birth ?
Will we have any place for hate
because the traditions aand history
and religion and race OF others is
not as ours? God forbid. If we
strive TO find our identity as chill
dren Of the Father, we must also
strive to find our identity as breth-
rem one Of another, that Jesus may
unity us all. We sholl not let ma
tons suffer because they are not
Americans; nor shall we let the
heather perish in ignorance and sin
because they are not favored as We;
nor shall we abuse others because
OF skin or hair. But possessing a
civilization which we believe is dom
inant we will receive II as a sum-
mons from God to uphold Jesus
Christ as the emancipation from sin
and the unifier of diversity.
One Institution.
There exists for the Interpretation
Of Jesus s the Christ the Son Of God
only one institution, the church
which he bought with his own blood;
the church married by divisions and
the touch Of human hands and d.
visive genius; the church which we
believe will some time be united
even as the Father and the Son are
one; this church exists in a world
full of sin and baffled by short COM
ings TO proclaim Jesus Of Nazareth
as Savior, Redeemer and Lord for
nations and individuals, races and
classes. The churc halOne breaches
reconciliation with God and release
from sin because the church alone
upholds Jesus. and against this
church Jesus himself has said that
hell shall not prevail. With Jesus