The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1922-03-16
BIG CROWDS HEAR
DIR. BEN EDWARDS
Noted Evangelist 10 Teaching the Word
OF Gcd at the First Chris
tian Church.


AZ the First Christian church last
night another audience that filed the
auditorium gathered TO enjoy the serv-
ices. Mr.. Edwards has been preaching
splendid sermons based upon the plain
and simple teaching of the word of God.
These addresses have boon presented in
very kindly spirit. yet in them. the
| speaker has not hesitated to make plain
the whole counsel OF God.
AS special number, Mr.. and Mrs. Pol
| lock sang a very beautiful duet which
i put the audience in quiet, reverent
frame of mind, ready to hear the SER
| mon. Then Mr.. Pollock sang again a
beautiful solo which he had sung once
before earlier In the meeting, when
the Gates Swing Outward Never"
The evangelists sermon was based
upon the record in the 14th chapter Of
Luke which tells of the excuses given
by invited guests who refused to attend
! the marriage feast The invited guests
in the Bible story had no excuse for
their failure to be present at the feast.
They had been given ample time for
preparation. A runner had been sent far
in advance to notify them of the ap-
, preaching event.
The first excuse to be given was that
OF the business man who had bought a
piece Of land. But this excuse was not
acceptable.
The second was the excuse of a man
who had bought some oxen and wished
TO give them a trial This excuse also
failed of acceptance.
The third excuse was that of a man
who said that his marriage prevented his
COmip0 This accented
Then the great man who was giving
the feast sent to the highways and
! hedges for his guests. So Christ invites
men and women 1rom the most remote
nations of the earth to come to the
great marriage feast, to accept the invi-
tation of the gospel
Those who at first rejected the invita-
ton to the feast, no longer were accept
able as guests. This leads us to ask,
rs there a spiritual dead-line?" God
rejected the Jews who failed to receive
Jesus as the Messiah, ana If the human
soul refuses repeatedly TO accept Him,
there viii come a time when the Spirit
win cease TO plead with that soul.
In this modern day sometimes people
say, 1T would come If I could have a
change of heart" II the individual wants
to come to Christ, he does not need a
change OF heart in that respect. A
change of heart in that case would make
the person not want to come. Don't wait.
Just come. That is the Scriptural way.
Occasionally a person says "I would
come If / could have an experience like
Paurs." Such an experience was neces-
sary in Pauls case. for Paul was to be
the great APOSTLE to the Gentiles. God
had special work for Paul to do. Be-
sides Paul had no New Testament to
teach him the uav was not yyrittan
at that time We do have the New
Testament. and that is to be our guide.
The Christian church believes firmly in
a Change OF heart" and that change
comes from obedience.
Again some one says IT am not good
enough Such person should remem-
Der that God saved Saul of Tarsus,
murderer. and He can save all who come
unto Him.
There are those who say they are
afraid they can't hold out" Such an
attitude would make any business con-
Germ failure. Let be as wise in
religion as in business. Try the Lord
and find that lie can save If you cling
| 10 Him. Sometimes one says, 'I can't
| understand the Bible" OF course one
can't understand the Bible If one opens
1t at random and tries to get its message
that way. We treat no other book that
way. Study it Systematically and it will
wonderfully unfold it's teaching to you
| We do not understand all about cleo
! tricity, but we use it, We do not under
stand all about gravitation, but we obey
! its laws. So though we do not under
stand all about the Bible, still let us
obey its commands.
There were two more additions to the
church at this service.