CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LII, Issue 118, 19 April 1932, Page 8

CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.

GOSPEL CAMPAIGN. Andrew Johnston, the blind soldier evangelist, commenced bis great Gospel campaign in the Emmanuel Congregational Church an Sunday, when splendid congregations assembled at both services. In acknowledgment of the very warm welcome back to Palmerston North accorded to the evangelist and his wife by the secretary and the pastor of the church, Mr Johnston prefaced his remarks in the morning by saying how pleased they were to be amongst the Palmerston North people again. The conversion of souls during the last visit was most gratifying, continued the speaker, but to return and find the people still going on and doing .their part in the work of the church was still more encouraging. The theme of the morning message as dealt with by Mr Johnston was illustrated by wind as being an emblem of the active opeiAtions of the Holy Spirit. Wind could not be controlled and past experience, declared the preacher, had proved that the Holy Spirit was sovereign and He did His mighty work in the hearts of men and women, uncontrolled by human agency, although condescending to work through His people. Wind was prevailing, and by several striking illustrations the preacher proved how the Spirit of God prevailed in altering the whole course of a man’s life, by the tactful word or deed of some Christian who may be all unconscious of the fact. In conclusion, the Christian people were urged to allow the Holy Spirit to control and dominate their lives so that His power through them might prevail in the lives of others. That the simple Gospel message has still the power to attract was abundantly proved by the large congregation which assembled at night. Extra chairs were placed down tho aisles to accommodate the people, who revealed expectation and took part most heartily in the singing. In dealing with the text, “The Son of man came to seek and to save that which was lost,” the preacher stated that this text was the key verse of the Gospel, and a few moments’ reflection upon such a text was bound to lead to the acknowledgment of three undeniable facts: That Jesus came; that He came for a purpose ; that tho purpose of His coming was to seek and to save the lost. The logical conclusion of such reflection was that in God’s sight men are divided into two classes, the saved and the lost. The love of Christ was revealed in His laying aside His glory, in humbling Himself in human form, in His willingness to endure the Cross, despite the shame, that He night save the lost. The parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and tho lost son were then dealt with’ to illustrate how men were lost.