Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-11-27

There are two common taliacles
regarding the work of Jesus Christ,
one is that he is so unique and so dtf-
ferpnt from us that there can be no
comparison between his work and ours.
The other fallacy is that Jesus has
finished all the work of salvation, so
that all we need to do is to accept.
believe and appropriate. This kind of
theology has resulted in churches that
emphasize manly worship and preach
ing but have no special practical work
to do in the world.
Let me point out the three nam
departments of the work of Jesus
Christ and show how each Of these
must be carried out in full by Christian
men and women
The atonenent. was that com
pletc? Well, what does Paul mean by
I must fill up that which was lacking
in the suffering of Christ" Only a
could say the atonement is done. Jesus
is here now as far as we allow him.
The atonement is transacted every
hour. The blood, the sacrifice which
is necessary to purify and save our
generation is being spilled now
Must Believe
"The atonement is not available TO
us until we have carried it out with
Jesus Christ. The millions who die on
the battle field are sacrifices for the
sins still in the world. The heart
aches of humanity, the volume. of agony
yet heard in the world is part Of the
cross carried by a world unwilling TO
lay down the cross. In other words.
the c%ricifiXion is not over; it is still
going on. 1t is interesting 10 u to
modern realistic poetry 10 find a keen
realization of the present state of the
atonement.
THE second main division of
Christ's work was Building the King
dom This means the making of a
world fit to train folks. A place such
that character can be cultured. 1t is
not a place of ease. peace or soft life.
But a place Of active righteousness, q
condition Of affairs where evil is on
the defense, losing out. Gods will
being done.
Now Jesus started the Kingdom Of
God. He gave the constitution. the
bylaws, supplied the dynamic motive.
But none who knows the world would
say Jesus finished the Kingdom. No,
we have a part in that and we have
done some things which are greater
III FOIIlliP anu III SAltlIt. W Hhhb "FShS
did. For example: The abolition of
slavery, prison reform laws, juvenile
laws and prohibition.
Change Of Sentiment
'Christ's greater works through us
may better be seen in the change of
sentiment. or in our attitude TO the
world Of things. This is better appreci-
ated by a knowledge of things as they
.1. ~, u.,,, En,. fna,yn fa1oI lnr1y
clammy paganism which stood out for
self boldly. Jesus has knocked the JOY
out of paganism. Paganism is now here
but on the offensive. 4 man who puts
pleasure as his supreme objective in
life today does not tell the world
about it. You could noe believe hat
the Jericho scene could be enacted in
any American community today. Our
civic clubs take Service as their
great word.
Jesus did not come TO heal as His
main task. He came to establish d
kingdom Of God in which conditions
prevail that healing will be unneces-
sary. The power He had aud the sym
patty He possessed. healing the sick
as an inevitable part of His ministry,
and n worthy part, though we notice
He healed less during the latter part
Of His ministry.
First let me state my theology of
healing and then the practice: There
is much confusion in the air today.
much 50 called faith healing is mental;
therapeutics. Every known means of
healing should be used. including manip-
%ulation. stimulating herbs and chem
icals. antitoXins. operations. mental re-
actions. But all this soon has a limit;
then we have the privilege Of going
directly to God in prayer,
In practice the healing ministry of
medicine. care, personality and prayer.
is carried out by our Methodist church
through our hospitals. We have nine
Deaconess. hospitals in Montana. A
chapter from the history of medical
work certainly will convince anyone
that greater work has been lone than
Jesus ever did in healing. Ever since
William Harvey in S~hakespeare'S time
discovered the circulation of the blood
the advance in methods Of healing have
been phenomenal.
The Black Death is conquered.
Smallpox is dying out. This is directly
due to scientific research of the most
and thankless kind. No class
Of men outside of the ministry does
more genuinely sacrificial and free
than the American physician. The
death rate one hundred years ago was
pel. thousand, now it is fifteen
per thousand. In some communities
seven per thousand. The average rate
IF life has been raised from Il to 30
All this is only a part of the work
Of the church which is to establish a
kingdom of God in which we are so
sensitive to Gods laws that there will
be no pain and unhappiness.'