South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1921-02-21
REV MINISTRY
DELIVERS SERMON
District Superintendent of the
Methodist Churches Talks
in South Bend.

DR.. W. f. M-Einstry. district 81
perintendent Of the Methodist
churches in South Bend. delivered
a very timely and effective sermon
sunday morning AT the Lowell
Heights ". z. church. His theme
was The Fundamentals OF the
Christian Faitl." taken from the
gospel OF ST. John 1871. Believe in
God; believe also in me-" He said in
part:
Mankind everywhere is reaching
out after a satisfactory faith. Man
will not be satisfied until he IL IN
possession % a faith that will meet
the needs OF all OF life To supply
this universal desire f. the first task
OF the church. Does the Christian
religion supply such a faith?
Fundamental Article.
The fundamental article n every
mans faith IS God. II IL not what
kind OF a church do you belong to.
or what form Of worship YOU OBJ
serve. or your idea OF the value and
administration Of the sacraments. It
is not even your belief as 20 how we
got our bible or the nature OF its
Inspiration or the degree OF its in
falhbility. Not even your idea OK
the atonement or Of the resurrection
or OF the second coming OF Jesus.
All OF these things may be more
or less vital. but they are not funda-
mental The fundamental thing in
your faith is what kind OF a God do
you believe in and live with. Be
ieve in Cod said Jesus.
Jesus q Revelation.
Jesus came 20 the world not as
a substitute for God. but az a rev
elation OF God. But what kind OF
q god? A real living personality.
Not an unconscious. unintelligent.
indefinable force, but a thinking.
purposing person Mr.. Spencer, the
great English philosopher. said.
Amid the mysteries which become
more mysterious the more they are
thought about there will ever re-
main this absolute certainty-that
We are ever in the presence OF an
Infinite and eternal energy from
which all things proceed.
Cold Truth"
THAT is a truth, but a cold and
unsatisfying truth. To satisfy a
man this infinite. eternal energy
must be a conscious personality. The
God whom Jesus revealed is a self
conscious. thinking. determining be-
ing. The Christians God is not a
force nor a principle, but a person
who thinks and reasons and loves
and wills.
The Christians God is also a
very present God. The trouble with
90 much OF our thought about God
Is that He has been ar absentee
God. Jesus brought him near and
identified him with his world So
that He walks and talks and holds
fellowship with men.
Very Human God.
Jesus also revealed a very hui
man God. II this IS not true we
misapprehend the incarnation. The
human nature OF God has been so
little understood. Jesus revealed
him as our Father God and man
are akin. The perfectly human
1nIloN EeNehleu perfectly human
God.
Another outstanding in a Christ
ian faith Is that he has a redeem
ing God. Jesus ~ not Redeemer
apart from God. He reveals a re-
deeming God. Man il in need Of
salvation and Jesus makes God Re
deemer. Another vital element in
the Christians faith is the almight-
mess OF God. Jesus did not reveal
an effeminate God.
Tread OF "A Conqueror
"A man must have a God who Is
greater than all OF his foes X he is
10 triumph. Was Jesus ever de-
feated upon any battlefield? His
was always the tread OF a conqueror
He gave 10 his disciples a faith that
made not only saints but victors
II men are 20 have victory I'm this
world over the opposing forces of
justice and righteousness & must
come through them unreientlng
faith in an Almighty God in whom
they live and move and have a be-
ing."