WANGANUI CHRISTIAN CONVENTION

Wanganui Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15531, 19 June 1918, Page 7

WANGANUI CHRISTIAN CONVENTION

The annual meeting of the Wanganui Christian Convention began yesterday, when there waa a good attendance at all the sessions. The early morning prayer meeting was conducted by the president, the Rev. D. Campbell. In the afternon, the Rev. R. M. Ryburn, who has come from Invercargill to conduct the Convention, gave the first of the afternoon Bible readings. He gave a most helpful study upon the words “in Him,” as continually recurring in the first chapter of the Epistle to th© Ephesians. He showed how the chapter was divided into three sections, each closing with the doxology; and in these sections the Apostle Paul showed that it was “in Christ,” in personal fellowship with Him, that God’s eternal purposes of the individual were realised ; that perfect provision was made for the believers present uped; and that the future and final restitution, of all things, politically and socially was assured, for the time was coming when God would “gather together all things in Christ.”

In the evening Mr Ryburn "gave an inspiring address upon the subject of “Faith.” He showed that faith was not a mere intellectual assent to certain religious dogmas; it was the continual personal dependence of the individual soul upon the living God, and this was only made possible through a personal knowledge of Christ as revealed to ns by the Holy Spirit in the pages of the Bible. Mr Ryburn said he wished the keynote of the Convention to be the practical purpose of all religion, which was to make'the individual a truer servant of God and of his fellow-men. The meetings are to be continued today, tomorrow, and Friday. A prayer meeting is held each evening at 7 o'clock. At 3 p.m. and 7.45 p.m., to-day and tomorrow, Mr Ryburn will continue his Bible readings and evening addresses, which must prove a great benefit and inspiration to all who can attend. On Friday special missionary meetings will be held, when Rev, W. G. Williams will give addresses upon work amongst the Maoris.