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Keeping to the Main Issue.
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The Christian Church becomes shorn of its power when it fails to keep " elearly • in view and work steadily toward, the distinctive object for which it i 4 exists. The Christian Church is in the world primarily, through the plan and purpose of God, to bear witness to the saving power of the Lord Jesus Christ; A . to so lift Him up before all men that through Him all men may have salvation. This mission, clearly recognized, will save the Church from many /snares S " a n l i pitfalls. As the Church has kept its essential work foremost, and by prayer and the exercise of faith has striven to evangelize the multitudes, it has waxed mighty; but when it has exalted secondary and subsidiary objects, it has been inconsequential and ineffective. The sum of the teaching of the New Testament is that the Christian Church t 4 ' is ordained of' God to so proclaim the Gospel that men may be saved from their sin. The Church is called, therefore, not to engage, primarily, in sociological effort; or ih acquainting any class of men with the attitude of the Church toward them as a class; or in adjusting matters of difference between capital and labor; •j or to attempt to do many other things of minor importance, bht to call all men to repentance and to 'faith in Jesus Christ and Him crucified. In our time the. religious press is full of accounts of subordinate and super- ficial efforts to lift mankind. These efforts are doubtless inspire^ by the fact I that multitudes s e e m - t o be out of sympathy with the Christian Church. But * this fact is the symptom, it is not the disease. To deal with the symptom and : not with, the disease, is un-Christian. N F o r example, effort to interpret i the church to any particular class of men, and any particular class of men to t h eCh u r c h, is of but scant value unless "the H claims of the Lord Jesus Christ on every man as a personal Saviour are pressed ¡¿M home on the heart and conscience of every man. Look, for instance, at the labor- ing man, about whom much is now being said and written. Like every other a man, the laboring man, first of all, is a sinner. He needs a Saviour. He needs to be led to understand that the first thing for him is to seek the kingdom of * God and His righteousness. When the Christian Church goes to the laboring man, and preaches the Gospel in its fullness to the laboring man, there will be a spiritual awakening among laboring men and sinners will be converted unto God.. And this applies to all sorts and conditions of men. The Church's inclusive mission is evangelism. "When any man is regener- ated by the Spirit of God,- and-is a true. disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ, all * ' subordinate needs of his life will be met. • Hence evangelism is the all-compre- hensive matter. "When the Church is truly and continually evangelistic in its sp:rit and work, no need of mankind- will be foreign to it. "When men seek first ^ the kingdom of God; when men are regenerated through the Spirit of God; when they follow in faith and obedience the Lord Jesus Christ, then all questions re- lating to their temporal well-being will be settled rightly. The message of the Lord Jesus Christ to His Church is:, " P r e a ch the Gospel to every creature; bear witness to MY saving power to all me n ." EVERY CHURCH IN UNION WITH THE HEAD OP THE CHURCH WI LL KE EP TO THE MAIN ISSUE. Prom " T h e Bible for T o d a y ."
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