Newspapers / The Baptist Messenger (Wingate, … / Oct. 31, 1915, edition 1 / Page 2
Part of The Baptist Messenger (Wingate, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
s&ii The Baptist Messenger PUBLISHED SEMI-MONTHLY BY REV. C. J. BLACK. SUBSCRIPTION PRICE, 50 CENTS A YEAR C. J. BLACK, - H. J. LANGSTON, - Editor Business Mgr. ENTERED AT THE POST-OFFICE AT WIN GATE, AS SECOND-CLASS MAIL MATTER. TO THE READERS. As I take up the management of the Baptist Messenger, 1 am coming direct to you for a brief talk. It is impossible for any one or two men to make a paper which has do to with the Kingdom count within ourselves. In other words, I mean to say that I am counting ou you, and if I may say it, God is counting on you also, to make the Messenger what it can be and should be, not saying a word about the past. You can help wonderfully right now if you will send in right away your amount due for past service and also you whose subscriptions will soon expire, send it in also. Your attention to this matter wiil be appreciated. Yours to serve, HENRY J. LANGSTON, Business Manager. HOW EVERY ONE CAN WORK FOR iillSSIONS. In the average missionary society, as well as in the average church, some of our young people’s organizations and Sun day schools, the majority of the members do almost nothing in the way of individ ual work for missions. This majority comes to the meetings, if it does not in terfere too much with their pleasures and suits their convenience, pays something m the way of dues, helps slightly on spe cial occasions and returns home consider ing that they have done their full duty, let the minority—a working few—re mains on the job the year round in an ef fort to keep before their societies home missions. State missions, and foreign mis sions and in a manner stay abreast with the tirnes. This lack of real, genuine work by individuals is a great source of weak ness to the cause of the Master’s business as regards missions. The disease, if it may be termed thus, is that a few are doing the work (I shall not undertake to di.scuss the cause of the disease here). In this day of medical science a remedy is brought forth for ev ery disease; so in this case I shall offer a remedy for this disease. The remedy is this: The officers and the various committees m,ust assimilate the work afid insist that every one share in it instead of leaving it to the overbur dened few. How can this be done ? In qjder for mission societies and other like organizations to do effective work and accomplish the desired results there must be a method of some kind used and this method must bring about assimilation of work. In other words, the leaders must not only insist upon every individual hav ing some special work but must give ev ery .person a definite piece of work to do. If there is an explanation of the conditions found in our churches and organizations connected with them it is this: The leaders (or directors) are trying to do all the work instead of getting the members to work. It is not my purpose in this article to dictate to any one, but it is rather to sug gest to some a method—just any kind of a method which will give every pne a job. There are many methods which may be used and used effectively in lining people up in the work of missions. However, 1 am going to suggest this method: I take it the society is organized—that its offi cers are elected and are at their post. The next in order is the appointment of com mittees. These committees should be wide awake and not only able to do the work but to have it done. After commit tees are appointed they should meet with the officers and make a plan w’hich should cover every detail of the work to be done. This plan should take in every member of the society. As soon as the plan is com plete is should be presented in a forceful, impressive, and plain way to the society. When this is done the work is only begun. The officers and committees must keep this plan in detail before every member of the society, impressing upon each member the importance of doing his part. If the right spirit is brought to bear on the members of the society this plan ought to be a go. But you say, “I have my method and all you have suggested, yet I cannot get my folks to work.” Now are you sure? Have you been to God about it? Have you a great, unselfish purpose in mind? Is God in your plans ? If your answer is “I have been to God about the matter, and my pur pose is His w'ill and He is in my plans,” and you are on the job and doing it, I can war rant you of nothing more nor less than a grand success, and results wiil crown your efforts. You want to keep before every one who is now at work the real conditions in all of our mission fields. In doing this you w’ill not have to beg for means to meet the needs in these fields but on the other hand you will find that genuine intelligence and true meaning business hearts will give of their means to carry on the w'oi'k and also they will pray for God’s blessings on the work. HENRY J. LANGSTON. . BAPTISM—PART 1. the , Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.”—Acts 8: 35-39. Part 2.—Why We Are Baptized. The ceremony of baptism signifies some thing. We may learn how it is to be per formed by considei’ing what it signifies. The baptism of Christ was a symbol of his death, burial and resurrection. Jesus- .spoke of his suffering and death as a bap tism. Matt. 20:22; Mark 10:38. “I have a baptism to be baptized with: and how I am straitened till it be accomplshed.”— Luke 12:50. His baptism in Jordan was a symbol of this. Our baptism is a symbol of our resurrection in the last da3i'. ‘‘Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all.” ‘‘Whj- are they then baptized for the dead and why stand we in jeopardy every hour.”— Cor. 15:29, 30. If there be no resurrec tion, why perform a ceremony that sym bolizes by the manner of its performance the resurrection from the grave? Our baptism sym’oolizes a -spiritual resurrec tion as well as a death to sin, “therefore, we are buried with him by baptism inta death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we should walk in newness of life.”—Romans 6:4. “Buried with him in baptism, also ye ai'e risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.”— Col. 2:12. Since this ordinance signifies a death, burial and resurrection, single im mersion is the only mode that will prop^ erly represent this. Neither sprinkling, pouring, nor three immersions can sym bolize the object for which baptism stands. There is but one scriptural form of bap tism. “One liOrd, one faith, one baptism.” —Eph. 4:5. We believe in but one Lord, Jesus Christ. This is the one faith which was delivered to the saints. Jude 3. 1. The example of John the Baptist. “The W'ent out to him Jerusalem, and ajl Judea, and all the region round about Jordan, and were baptized of him in Jor dan, confessing their sins.”—Matt. 3: 5, 6. Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan, unto John, to be baptized of him —And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up out of the water after he was baptized. It si easy to understand that John bap tized by taking the people into the w’ater of the Jordan river. The reason for this is stated in another account of John’s work. “And John was also baptizing in Aenon, near to Salem, because there was much water there.”—John 3:23. John needed deep water to baptize in, so he se lected a locality where there was much water. What do you suppose he wanted so much water for? We will learn later. 2. Philip and the Ethiopian enunch. “Tlten Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. As they went on their waj’, they came to a certain water and the eunuch -said, See here is water: wffiat doth hinder me to be baptized? And he com manded the chariot to stand still, and they went down, both into the , water, both Phil ip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. tVhen they were come up out of the water, Mr. R. L. McWhirter and Miss Mathe- spn of Mount Gilead were happily married October 20. Mr. McWhirter is one of our enterprising merchants. We wish this happy couple a long and useful life. They are soon to begin housekeeping in the .J. W. Powell house. We understand that Mrs. McWhirter’s mother and sister are going to live with them. We most cordi ally welcome them to our quiet little town. We are always glad to have good people come into our midst. The Wingate School October 25, marks the beginning of the second quarter, and is, therefore, an excellent time for new students to enter. Suitable classes will be, avail able at this time. Capable instruc tors, Christian influences, and mod erate prices are proffered to all stu dents. Literary Societies give, ex ceptional training in public -speaking. The Music Department is doing a splendid work. Students coming in at the beginning of the -second quar ter could very well take the Business Course- A large Sundaj>^ School Nor mal Class has been organized with Rev. C. J. Black as teacher. Great improvements have been made in the libraiw. Enter by October 25, and take advantage of the many oppor tunities of the school. For informa tion, address J. G. CARROLL, HENRY J. LANGSTON. , WINGATE, NORTH CAROLINA. 'f
The Baptist Messenger (Wingate, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Oct. 31, 1915, edition 1
2
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75