Show THE SPECIAL CALL OF 11 THE GOSPEL AGE boever Wiio eyer hears this call may respond to it the th church of christ jesus the head the church the body anointed to be kings and priests special training for office who may qualify for election terms and conditions condition to be met patient continuance in well doing character likeness to christ the necessary qualification suffering with christ three classes that enter the race for the prize only one will be successful may 3 austor kussell whose free PHOTO DEAMA OF Is being produced dally daily in many cities preached t today 0 d a y from the text if any man will ivill come after me ble let him deny himself if take up his cross PASTOR LL and follow me k matthew 1624 16 54 first the pastor showed that god had bad foreseen the entrance of sin bin and death into the world and had purposed in himself before the creation of the world a great plan for mans manh recovery from sin and don death th conditions to be accomplished through a kingdom this great kingdom will differ from all others in that its monarch will be a king and a priest for this reason christ Is said to be a priest after the order of who was a reigning priest the pastor then explained that god had foreordained fore ordained that whoever would be appointed to this office of king and priest must first demonstrate his worthiness by manifesting obedience to the heavenly nei venly father even unto death the firs brat to be given opportunity thus to qualify for this great lionor honor was jesus who offered himself at JUs baptism for three and a halt sit years ue he was thoroughly tested to demonstrate ills his loyalty to ills consecration vow when on calvary lie ile cried it Is finished ne he referred to ilia his sacrifice of himself nim self ills his demonstration of obedience to the rathers fathers will even to the death of the cross the gospel call continuing his argument the post pastor or demonstrated that although more than eighteen centuries have passed since god raised jesus from the dead to be a prince and a savior yet the world Is still unsaved meantime he decair ed god has been calling out a special class for a special purpose those who hear bear this gospel call are privileged to become upon certain conditions members of this class which god is selecting this body of christ which Is the church not until this body of which jesus Is head la Is completed will gods plan for the worlds salvation be carried out the pastor then stated the terms and conditions of eligibility to membership ber ship in this body of christ god extends the invitation and nominates those who accept it but each must elect himself by compliance with the terms of the call this call is a desire to come to god some have it from birth others get it nt at their mothers knee or through a hymn a sermon etc whatever points to christ as the way to god constitutes an invitation walking in the narrow way to who turn away from sin and accept christ as their redeemer the savior says it if any man would come after me let him deny himself take up his cross and follow me the pastor explained that to deny one s self is to give over ones self sufficient cy ones desire to do ones own will and to accept instead the divine w will ill whoever does tills this dies to earthly ambitions bit ions hopes and desires and in their stead receives heavenly ones the pastor then showed that to take up the cross Is not alwag alwa understood by the one starting in the narrow way gradually he perceives that it Is the crossing of self will with the divine will but if his consecration is genuine the child of god will learn to re jolio in every trial the heavenly rather father will till cause the way to open before him and will with every trial provide tite the way of escape to follow christ signifies patient continuance ti nuance in cross bearing each one in the narrow way must thus demonstrate his loyalty to god and to the principles of righteousness this does not mean that the flesh must be perfected but the new creature the new will tho the unintentional weaknesses of the flesh are covered by the robe robeet of christ s righteousness therefore the new creature Is privileged to grow in the church which is I 1 christs christ sod body y whoever takes these steps comes into ino the spirit begotten body of christ the church declared the pastor this spirit begetting took place at the mo ment when having presented their bodies living sacrifices they were accepted of god then they became members of the body all of whom have the same anointing as had their head this anointing inting came upon jell jenns at nis ills baptism on pentecost it flowed down to the body the apostles being the first members since then each one coming into the body comes under tinder this anointing those who press on oil faithfully unto death will become mem bera of the body of chr christ lot in glory tlora |