Newspaper Page Text
The Presbyterian of the South
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Vol. 96. No. 21.
RICHMOND, YA. May 24, 1922.
Christ's Type Of The Church's Mission
REV. A. B. CURRY, D. D., MODERATOR.
I have thought it appropriate, fathers and
brethren, to bring you in this opening service
;i message in accord with the last Assembly's
expressed desire that this Assembly be "an
Evangelistic and Home Mission Assembly."
The passage of Scripture containing my mes
sage is John 20:21 : "As My Father hath sent
Me, even so 1 send you."
My topic is this: "Christ's Mission a Type
of the Mission of His Church." My purpose
is xo snow mat tne great truths under
lying the mission of Christ are pre
cisely those which should underlie the
mission of His Church, as expressed in
modern missions, not only Home, but
Foreign Missions as well. "With the
mission of Christ in view, I therefore
deduce the following truths respecting
M issions.
I. Missions Constitute the Church's
Principal Task.
With some, even church members,
missions are a side-line, a secondary
matter, an optional appendage to the
Christian program. These think the
main issue is to sav? one's self, then to
? an* for one's self, to see one's self
thoroughly comfortable: after this, if
ihere is any time, and strength, any
money left, these may go to missions.
There are others who reject missions
outright and totally, especially Foreign
Missions. "No missions for me," say
they.
Hut Christ gives missions a promi
nent plaee in His program. The words
of our text were spoken by Ilim at His
tirst. recorded interview with His assem
bled diseiples after His resurrection,
after completing Ilis work of demep
t ion. 4 ' As My Father hath sent Me, even
?o send I you." But for what did the
Father send Him? He Himself states
it thus: "The Son of Man is come to
s?'ek and to save that which was lost."
In other words, the Father missioned
Hie Son to comc into this world to find and
save lost men the world over, and the Son
missions His church likewise to "go into all
Hie world and preach the gospel to every crea
ture." This is the Church's great business;
for this it was organized, to go find lost men
and tell them of the love of God in Christ." He
says; "Ye have not chosen Me, but I have
?hosen you and ordained you that ye should
Ro and bring forth fruit." The Church's ef
forts, therefore, should not center on itself,
hut on a lost world. The Church is not the
?nd, but the means. Saving a lost world, es
tablishing God '8 Kingdom on earth is the end;
the Church is Christ's instrument for accom
plishing this end. The Church that fails here,
'ails everywhere. History proves this over and
over again. I have read the story of an artist
Painting the picture of a dying church : not an
old, dilapidated building, but a magnificent
temple with elegant pews, carved pulpit, great
organ, stained-glass windows. Just inside the
door could be seen two of the pillars of the
church, supporting beautiful collection plates
for the offerings of the fashionable congrega
tion. Right above each of the plates, hanging
from a nail, was a small box marked: "Collec
tions for Missions,'' and over the slot in the
box was a huge spider web. Why was that a
Rev. A. B. Curry, Moderator General Assembly.
dying church? Because in neglecting missions
they were changing Christ's program aiul los
ing His presence.
II. The Ground of Missions Is a Perishing
World.
God sent His Son, that "whosoever believ
eth in Him might not perish." Then, without
Him, the world was perishing. Without Him,
the world is perishing today. Men in Chris
tian lands are perishing because they are
breaking the law of God as revealed to them
in God's written word. Men in heathen lands
are perishing because they are breaking the
law of God as written in their own hearts, for
both alike are under this immutable law: "The
soul that sinneth it shall die." There is but
one remedy for sin. It is that which John the
Baptist pointed out, when, looking on Jesus
Christ, he said: "Behold the Lamb of God,
who taketh away the sin of the world." It is
that to which the inspired apostle Peter re
ferred when he said: "There is none other
name under heaven given among men whereby
we must be saved."
This remedy is in the Church's hands with
the command to pass it on to all men, that
they may not perish. Men in our cities and
mountains, on our plains and across the seas,
whether white, red, yellow or blaek,
are perishing. This is why the Church
in missions is trying to send them the
knowledge of Jesus Christ, the only
Saviour of sinful mon. To refuse to
send them this knowledge would be
base. It is said that one of the govern
ors of the Isle of Man had been accused
of treachery to the king in the time of
the civil wars of England, and bad
received sentence of death. Interces
sion was made for him and a pardon
was sent, but it fell into the hands of
his bitter enemy, who kept it locked up
and the governor was hanged. But the
crime of this enemy was -light com
pared to that of the man who has in
his bands a pardon from God which
delivers, not from temporal, but from
eternal death, a pardon suited to all,
sent to all, designated for all, but who
keeps it locked up in his own posses
sion and lets thousands of his fellow
men die.
III. The Effective Power in Missions
Is the Holy Spirit.
As Jesus entered upon His ministry
the Father baptized Ilim with the IIol>
Ghost, who descended as a dove upon
Him. A little later lie said: "The
Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because
lie hath anointed me to preach the
gospel to the poor." The Father gave
Him the Holy Spirit without measure.
Then just bfore loaving His disciples
lie saul to them: " As My Feather hath
sent Me, even so send I you." And when Tie
had said this, He breathed on them and said
unto them, "Receive ye the Holy Ghost." The
Holy Ghost chose the early missionaries. To
the church of that day, "The Holy Ghost said,
'Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work
whereunto I have called them.' " The scenes
at Pentecost were possible, because of the pres
ence and power of the Holy Ghost. He gave
power to Peter and his sermon.
The same is true today. Equipment alone,
however ample, educated missionaries, however
many, and money, without measure, will not
give saving power and real success to our mis
sions. Only the presence of the Holy Spirit
in the hearts of the workers and in the work
can do this. "Not by might nor by power,
but by My Spirit, said the Lord." Let there