CHURCH MISSION ENDS

Southland Times, Issue 23949, 16 October 1939, Page 4

CHURCH MISSION ENDS

CITY PRESBYTERIAN CONGREGATIONS

BIG GATHERING LAST EVENING The final stage of the Mission of Friendship conducted by the Piesbyterian Church in Invercargill came to a fitting conclusion in the Civic Theatre and the Victoria Concert Chamber last evening. The first stage of the mission was a series of house-to-house visits in the city. Members of Prebyterian congregations met at the city churches last evening and marched to the t h aatpe > where the service was conducted y the Rev. R. S. Watson, M.C., of Ashburton. The stalls, dress circle and gallery of the theatre were filled and an overflow meeting in the Victoria Concert Chamber was addressed by the Rev. Professor S. F. Hunter, M.A., D.D., of Knox College, Dunedin. Mr Watson took his text from We Epistle to the Hebrews 2-10: ine Captain of our Salvation. He said that in the Authorized Version of the Bible the word captain was translated trom a Greek word, which in other versions was translated into words sueh as pioneer, prince or leader. All ot these words were true as applied to Jesus ot Nazareth. He was the Prince-Leader of the world and their Lora, and Saviour. The belief of the Christian Church was that Jesus Christ was Prince-Leader of the world. He was well aware that all sorts of persons claimed the allegiance, partial or complete, of the people. Dr Robert Niemoller, the German pastor who p ~ written a book, “From Pulpit to Pew, said that the essence of life was to wait for orders and obey them. Dr Niemoller knew that in his own country there were men who claimed more than was due to mere man. In waiting ioi orders they should seek to see the mmd of Christ and obey Him. If only they would follow His ways they would go nearer and nearer a world worth “Ving in, where men respected each other, not because they were of the same nationality, but because Christ had died for all of them. DEFINITION OF CHRISTIAN Mr Watson said that Christ’s sun was moving to the zenith and the future lay with Him and not anybody else. A Christian was a person who accepted Jesus Christ as the Leader of his life. The Christian Was. to follow His lite and His example. Jesus Christ was worthy of such devotion, An apt title for Him was “The Beloved Leader. All kinds of people felt his redeeming love and responded to it. Mr Watson gave three reasons tor following Jesus Christ. They were:— (1) Jesus Christ does really lead. He does not stand and point to things afar off. He has been over the road before and He embodies all the virtues. . (2) Jesus Christ is worthy of allegiance. He does not lead His people on a forlorn journey. He knows that no matter to what depths men and women may sink they are still children of Goa. (3) Jesus Christ helps those who follow him. He keeps His promise to be with them to the end of the world. David Livingstone, the famous explorer, once said that he had been sustained in his hardships and loneliness in Africa by the words: “Lo, I shall be with you alway even unto the end of the world.” _ Mr Watson concluded by saying that the Christian Church, in all congregations, always needed reinforcements and he would appeal to all to enlist in His army and become good soldiers of Jesus Christ. Another purpose of the mission was to deepen the spiritual strength of those who were already members of the church and help them in their faith.