The City-Center
The Crisis-Crux By Rev. W. B. Riley, D. D.
President of the Northwestern Bible Institute, Minneapolis.
Note.—Dr. Riley spent th e m onth of May w ith the Los Angeles Bible In sti tute, preaching and teaching tw ice daily. This sermon was preached on E aster Sunday, 1915, being th e first of his series, and th e first sermon preached in our g reat auditorium , a t th e opening of a perennial cam paign a t the "city center.” Dr. Riley is p astor of th e F irst B ap tist Church of Minneapolis, w ith a large and prosperous congregation. H e is also founder and president of the N orthw estern Bible In stitu te of th a t city.—Editor.
faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth. But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast 'there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a stumb ling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to com mit fornication. So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate. Repent: or else I will come unto thee quickly and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches :' To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiv- eth it.” “These things saith he that hath the sharp two-edged sword: I know where thou, dwell est, even where Satan’s throne is.” There is some discussion as to the significance of this sentence. It is affirmed by many that
WHETHER the churches of Jesus Christ shall recover from the present apostasy in faith and lethargy in con duct, and win conquests
worthy the name they wear, will be deter mined not in the country places, nor yet in the city, as such, but rather at the city- center. A careful study of Revelation 2 :12-17, re minds us that while the modern city has complicated church problems, it has not cre ated them. They are as old as the relation of the Church of Christ to city life, and as the church in Pergamos faced the prob lem of positibn, the crisis of creed and the peril of conduct, so the modern church, located where “Satan’s seat is,” must do the same. That epistle reads : “And to the angel of the church in Per gamos write, These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two. edges: I know thy works and there thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is; and thou bold est fast my name and hast not denied my
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