439
October 1931
T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
IN H IS NAME . . . . By MARK A. MATTHEWS, Seattle, Wash.
no right to be timid. We have no right to be afraid of anything or anybody. Christ’s name is the banner, and in the authority and power of His name, we march forth without fear. Encouraged by Almighty God and by the language of Christ, who said that the gates of hell should not prevail against His church, we double-quick our pace to the hilltops of complete victory. In whose name, in whose power, under whose banner
“And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him” (Col. 3:17). , ll hf . text is all-comprehensive. It says: “Whatsoever ye do in word or deed.” In other words, the whole life must be articulated in Christ. There
has our work been done ? There has been but one per sonality in it all; namely, Jesus Christ. There has been but one purpose—-to serve Him. There has been but one encouraging experience and fact—the presence and power of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. We need not recount the past except to acknowledge our profound gratitude for His presence, His powers and His enabling in doing the work that has been done. But let us look to the future. What has been accomplished can be multiplied many fold, pro vided we move forward in His name, by His authority, and in the exercise of His power. P reach ing a F ull G ospel Let us enter the pulpit in the name and the power and the authority of Christ, to preach the full gospel. Let us, without fear or favor, present the fact of sin, the reality of the judgment, and the glorious experience of r edemp t i on through Christ. These three facts, if properly presented, ought to change the face of society. We are convinced that the moral collapse from which the
are no words outside that sphere that one can use, and there are no deeds outside that realm that one can perform. It is an all-comprehensive rule, and it demands a life abso lutely consecrated to Christ. T h e A uthority of th e N ame In the name of Christ is authority. Christ is Lord and Master. He is supreme. He pronounced His absolute au thority when He sent us forth to evangelize the world. He vested His name with super natural authority and said that His name, and His name alone, was to be the credential which we were to offer to the world. That name is sufficient to cause every scepter to sur render, to lift every crown, and to open every door. It is in His name, and by the au thority of His name, that we have moved thus far across the continent of time. We do not go before the world, begging the world to open its doors. We do not beg the world to support us, to de fend us, or to protect us; but in the authority of the name of Christ, we demand that the w o r l d render unto God the t h i n g s that are God’s.
DR. MATTHEWS, PASTOR OF FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, SEATTLE. WASH.
There is supernatural power in the name of Christ. The world knows this and has always known it. That is the reason it hated Christ and wanted to crucify Him. That is the reason it hates the church today and would destroy it if it could. That is the reason the world hates the true ministers of Christ and would burn them at the stake if it dared to do so. That is the meaning of the pas sage in which Christ said, “persecuted for righteousness’ sake.” When we go in the name, in the authority, and in the power of Christ, the enmity and hatred of the world is immediately aroused. There is also encouragement, in His name. We have
country is now suffering is due to the fact that the pulpit has not emphasized the heinousness of sin, the reality of hell and the judgment, and the possibility of instantaneous salvation by belief in Jesus Christ. We have turned to other experiments. We have tried legislation, education, and the glorification of organization without discipline. Legislation and human statutes can not instill principles, can not change hearts, can not build characters. Legisla tion is for the purpose of confining the criminal, not for the purpose of polishing the righteous. Outside of Christ, and outside of the principles of Christianity, legislation is futile and fruitless.
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