Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1922-10-02
CHURCH WILL LOSE POWER
UNLESS TALENT IS USED
Rev. w. T. Walters Says Cod
Intended That Talents
Be Used.

In sermon on The Unused
Talent" delivered N tho First Chris
tan church yesterday morning. Rev.
W. !. Walters tho pastor. said that
TIA" talent that wa- not used was
Ken away. ,nd added TIL. Church
must uso the talents She has or lose
i' tina, proportion her power TO tight
and conquer sin
Dr Walters took his text from
Matt NNv. %, and said in part:
Tn" Paratl" %; tho Talents IS an
Illustration Of trust on GOd's part
aud responsibility on ours. iIc has
lutrUst"d Us WIN certain faculties
and gifts and Is holding Us respon-
s!hlo for their use. Christ is the
Master ana We are the servants. ana
according 10 our scvcral ability. lie
has bestowed upon us His gifts and
allotted 10 W. our tasks and has APP
pointed unto US tim" OF Judgment
when we shall rcud.r AN account
W our stewardship. The parable
'orciD!y por,rays tn. Two classes OF
humanity: w: thos" who us. tho
gifts OF God for Ills glory and those
who fail 10 use them. The subject
today> is The Unused Talent"
} The unused talent is useless.
The servant. who buried his lords
money waS rendering u useless to
himself. TO his master and To man
Kind. he mis"r. who boards his gold,
!f blocking the wheels Of progress.
rpbhing God OF the use ~ his talent,
d"priylnG his fellow men of the
l"uonts Of his wealth and rendering
np service I" himself. thus II Is
with all talents. whether music, pub
Ire speaking. comforting the sick.
.inrius souls or whatever II may be.
* - no h.nc:tt 20 God, 10 IN. church.
the world or to tn. man himself un-
cess II is used.
INTENDED Is to Use Talents.
cod intended for use 20 use our
;alcUts
No gifts Of God arc TO hc wasted.
no blessings tossed aside. and no
tim" and talents to Sc unused God
lHs nurpos. in every life. q place
Tor every !udividual and a task FOR
every man and woman Ills gifts
az" showercd upon Us that We may
pass them ON To others. Ills talents
bestowed that VIC might use them
Tor Ills glory, and time and oppor-
ignities given that We may improve
them. The servant was not con-
d"mncd because h" had not gained
fly" talents or two. but because he
had failed TO use the ono" We arc
lot required To do tho Impossible nor
E" 30 tn" work OF another Tut We
are required To MI our own places
and perform our tasks
.. TN" world needs the use Of
tn" talent.
Our country has always had its
untold wealth, In natural resources.
but the rcd man had only his wig
wan. his pipe. his coat Of skin and
few days supply OF provisions we
have watcr-powcr enough. If har-
messed. 10 ligh1 and heat our homes
to haul our freight and to run our
factorics;C We have tilliable land
enough To feed the world and un-
counted wealth in our mines. Our
material progress has been in pro-
portion TO our knowledge and use
of these vast resources. and in the
same way we have grown spiritu-
ally in proportion to our knowl-
edge and use OF spiritual things
Enough Talents tn Transform World.
we have enough unused talents
in the church, ii put into service. to
transform the world within the next
decade. The church has enough
wealth TO give the gospel TO the
whole world any time il sees Il; to
do so. and enough buried or miSuscd
talents to win the unsavcd by the
tens OF millions annually. The
WEAKNESS of tho church is not from
the opposition without. but from in
within. We have too many church
members fishing for fish on Sunday.
when they should be fishing for men,
or following links on golf course
when they should be linking souls to
'od II is poor altrusim for man
Sc!hshly to spend his Sundays i'm
idieneSS or pleasure instead of link
Ing himself up with the moral and
spiritual forces of the community
ana using the talents God has given
MN Tor tho bettcrmcnt Of his fel-
i"wmcn. There are wrongs to hc
rightcd, reforms TO be ACCOMPLISHED
there arc hungry ones to feed. sad
ones TO cheer. dcspa!ring ones TO en-
courage. and souls to save, and All
our talents and forces are needed
/" meet the conditions lie who
can win men in business should win
souls for the church"