The Ohio Independent Baptist, April 1961

• l, ,.f.llt' \ }) "-t \(' } ,l\ 1 J }\ 1 ll() l l '( )ll "\ I ( lt'r till' t' ' ' rt ' lirul t l l,1"' l_.,tlrcl a tltl ·r·-n– \ t',lt tc>1 i f< 1 l'lt',\c l1111g. ll t' 1)rt' nt: l1t'tl t 11 ll'"-11, ,111cl tilt' lt'"-ttrrt' ·lic>11 { l ('"tt~ ,lll f \ ll \,t,1,1.1 ) ",() llllt<: 11 tl1:1t lll(' llt),ltllt '\ 1)\)tV,t'll tll,lt l\t', ltkl' lltl' (l t'– \ ( l('l' (\ l l ,\', ,llltl l ) '-.ll \l • \\ ,l"i l )l'l'.ll' l l– itl\! .\ lll'\\ 111,1lt' ,lllll ll'lll,llt' 1),lit ()f t!t' l"' \ , ' t)t 11 ,1, tl1t' \ ,, t' rt' .. t>11 , t'rl– t ll. ltt' ll()l ()tll\ ,t1,11gl1tt'lll'(l t l1'111 tit t)t1 ,, l1 .1t ltt' 111t't111t . l)ttl ltl' t,111gl1t tl1e:'111 tl1al i11 tltt' 111i1.1cll' cJf "i,1l, 11 tic)11 tltt' ' ,,('lt' tLl' ll ,,1tl1 ( "l111st . •111d 11111st ,l\t) \\ 1t t'\ t'r .1l lt' r 1), tl1e , , ,l\ tl1c, . . 11, l'tl \\"t' 1111~l1t t.11-.t' E1)l1c ·1a11 ~ 2: --1 -6 ,1, .. 111 e'\,11111)lc c)f l1i" lc,1cl1i11g: "Httl y()Cl. ,, 110 is ricl1 i11 111erc, . • f ()r l1i. grf\lt le)\<." ,, 11cre,, itl1 lie '- 1 ()\ t"cl 11. . E, t'11 ,, l1e 11 ,,·e ,,·er cl e,1cl i11 ,111~ . l1c.1tl1 <1t1ickc11ecl t1· toge tl1er ,, itl1 l1ri ·t. t l)\. grace \ 'C ru·e . ... . :.1, l\cl ~ :\ 11cl l1c.1 tl1 rn1 eel t1. ttp to- getl1er. (111(1 111c.1cll~ tt~ . it toge ther '- i 11 l1e~1\·e11l) pl ,1c:e · i11 Cl1ri ·t J e t1 . ' It 1 c.l gre,1t 111~ . ter 1·, tl1i · p iri tual ,111ic)11 tl1c.1t ,, c l1a\·e ,,·itl1 Cl1ri t . It i 11ot c)r11etl1i11g ,, e feel , tl1ot1gh tl1e tl1c>t1g]1t of it 111a,· gi,·e t1 on1e real '- . '- 111() l l 11 tai11 -top experie11ce . It i 11ot c)111e thi11g ,, e lo e ,, 11e11 , ,·e forget a1 d let tl1e flesl1 get b,1ck i1 to co1trol . It 11e, ·erthelesL i , ,l b·t1tl1 tl1at hottld i11 pire t1 to figl1t tl1e fle 1 ,1nd keep it t111der , ·o tl1~1t tl1 e pirih1t1 l fac t 11a}' affec·t tl1e ,,·a, · ,,·e act . It i ,l tn1th , n1e,111t for e, er,· cla, · , ·ear-arot1nd • • • li \ ·i11g. \ \ ·e ,,·ot1lcl nc)t 11eecl to r esort t o all ki11cl of 1)ectact1l r1r Ea ter programs to co11,·i11c·e tl1e ,,·orld tl1at Ch1is t i ri e11. if ,,·e rec·ko11ecl b , · fa.itl1 0 11 our • t1111011 ,,·ith hi1n a11d ,, ·,1lked i11 11e,v- 11e of life. If ,,·e ]i, ·ecl the p art be t– ter. tl1e ,,·orlcl ,,·ot1ld belie\'e l l \\'hen "1.ot1 a. k me ho,,· I ki10,\· H e li\ ·e - H e li,·es \\·ithi11 111,, heart." • \\"l1at cloe it 1nea11 to be quickened a11cl rc.1 i eel a11cl eated , ,·ith Chri t? \\ e ca11 lJriefl,· a11s,\·er tl1at the verv • J life of the ri e11 Chri t comes i1 and (1t11\.. le11 ll S to pirih.1 ,11 life, that 111 po\\ 1 e r rai e ltS from the clt1st of s111. a11cl that l1e sl1,1re his glo1 ' \\'ith ti o that \,·e 1na 1· be saicl t o b e . e.1tecl on tl1e throne \\tith l1im. Yet it i so l1ard to realize ,vhile our t1n– redeen1ecl bodie. still groan and gro,v o1d. that \\'e had better e11large up on it. \:\ 7 e need to a k another question as to jt1st ,\·hat Christ got \vl1en h e ~11 t I ( I 11( ) - • n it 1 (1\ })<)\ l l• ,\, lt' r 111c'cl itnticJ1l ) ,, .1~ rttl"il ' l l frc>111 tl t(' , lC'ac l. ()111· lt·,t \ \ <>t 1l cl l' t ll'<>t tragC' t t"i le> l ) c•l1c'\C' tl1a l ,, l1a t It<:' gc> l t) lt) " ' <',tll , 111 l1is 1cl~ ltr– t t't·lit111. ,, <.' gc.~t ~1)iri t,1a lJ , , 111 o ttr llt \l() l \ \\ 1tl1 111111. . '7" t 11 tt l1a tl1 c1t1ickc11ecl 1s . . . . a11cl l1~1ll1 rai. cl tis . . . . ,111 cl 111,1cl t 1s sit togetl1 r i11 11 ,1,, 11}· l)lace i11 Qll1ri!1t 3J l'.6tt '3 .' ' \ JHRI T C :\IE LI\ l'E t1 cl clc1 l~.- tl1e till , c:olcl l)ocl)' i11 Jo epl1 ' ' to111b ca111e ,1li\'e a11d stirred a11cl bre,1thed agai11 ; a11cl thc:1t is ex,1ct– l}' ,,,J1at l1appe11ecl ,, 7 l1e11 )'Oll ,vere a, ·ed . Yo,1r spiritual 1 ature \\ 1 as d ead i11 tre p ,1 e ,111cl i11 . Y 011r r eligion , if yot1 l1acl a11,', ,,·a · a clead affair of for11 a11cl rt1les a11cl cloct ri11al specu– la tio11 . You talked about the love of c;od bt1t dicl 11o t feel it ; yot1 ,,,ent t o church a11d e1 joyed tl1e human p art of it a11cl said )'Our prayers; but )'Otl ki1ev'' 11othing of a living £ai th ,111d of spiritual co1n mu11io11 . Tl1e11 t1clde11ly tl1e Go pel of Christ sound– ed like a resurrectio11 b"1.1mpet throt1gh ),'Ottr sot1l a1d )'Ottr spirit stirred into life. Yot1 ,va11.necl up and thrilled to the love of God in Christ ; yot1r slum– beri11g con scie11ce tirred and you SU\ V )'Ot1rself amo11g the crucifiers of Cl1rist ; yot1 breathed \vith the life of tl1e H ol:· pirit, an cl e, ·ery breath \\'a a li,·ing pray·er . You had been quicke1 ecl t ogether \\rith Christ , and 110\V l1i life \ \ ' U VOllI life ! " It i , vonclerft1l to b e alive. Tha t is \\ 1 ha t make tl1e p1i11g time so vvo11- cle rft1l : c:111 ,,·in ter lo1 g the trees and the flo\ver have een1ed t o b e cold a11d cleacl , and then the buds begin to S\\ 1 ell a11d the lea\ 7 es push out, and ,,,e f i11cl ot1rselve in a , vorld of life. It ma)' b e ricl1er ancl full er in June than it is i11 April, but there is some– thi1 g thrilli11g about those first days of prii1g. Jt1st so it is ,,rith this quick– e1 i11g \\'e ha\ 1 e in Christ from the very cla)' vve are saved . Our spirihlal life mav be richer and ft1ll er in heaven ,, tha11 1 0\v; but it ,,,ill not b e more real. The mai11 difference \vill b e that the11 \\'e ,\·ill be alive piritually i11 rise1 bodies, and DO\V \.Ve are alive spirih1ally in mortal bodies. That 111a \ ' "i('( ' 111 like c1,1il ' a cliffc,r · 11 c .,, C'\l)C't' la ll ). if \V • a re s i ·k c) r l<>tl ·ri11g lcl\\ a rcl Ll1 ' grn\' '~ l) ttl , 1 ra1s, Ll1 IJc>rcl, ,,c n r • ,tlr ·acl) c111i 'k ' 11 'c.l lc)– ge ll1e1 \\ 1tl1 ;l1rist tl1,1t J\ all <> f 11 s ,,11c>11 ..lV(' }) >Ctl Sa \'Ccl! ~Ill{! T \ I,1\IS "' D "Ile ,1rose a. \ 1 i(· lor o' r the clark clomait1 , 11cl Ile Jives for e \'er \\•itl1 II1s sai11ts to reign ." Is11't it \\ '011clerft1l j11 this \vorld of ft111eral and graveyards to think of tl1,1t clav ,vhe11 the st o1 e ,v::1s r olled • a ,vay, " nd ltp from the grave H e arose"? I \\ 1 ish the la ,v ,voulcl allo\v 1ne to shout it all o, er every cemetery, tl1a t the p o,\'er of the grave is broke11 . My Jestis did not just q,1icken back into life, but he ,va raisecl a1 d bt1rst his tomb! Life d oes bt1rst tombs, you kno,,·. Alre::1dy I h ave had a losing fight ,,,itl1 my daffodils and rolips . I cov– ered then1 over ,,,ith stravv, so the 1 vvould not come up too soon and freeze dovvn again; but \vith all this r ain and \\'arm ,veather I can see that it i usele s. They are pushing right through! It \Vas glorious ,vhen Jesus Christ arose abO\'e the taunts of the priests. the lashes and nails of the soldiers, and the co,vardly a11d crooked politics of Pil ate; but our text tells us that we are raised \vith him, and that 1neans that ,,·e can burst our tombs t oo. ome day ,ve , vi11 do that liter– ally, but already \\Fe can do it spirit– t1ally. I kno,v that the ungodly have tried agai11 a11d again to bury me under - a pile of taunting stones . The boys at ow· cot111n·, , school b-ied to do it "''l1en tl1ey called me a CO\vard for not s,veari11g . Later some scribes and Phari ee that called themsel\·es Bapti t preacher got in on the act ancl laughed at 1ne for being a fun– dame11tali t. In other parts of the ,,,orld tl1ere ar e till Christian ,,rho feel the lash of soldiers, and e\ ·ery·– ,,,J1ere \\ 1 e feel the oppres ion s of crooked politicia1 , ,,,ho sell their en e of justice for the favor of the p eople . Communism is out t o bur )' the Chri tian faith today; but risen with Chri t \Ve ri e above all opposi– tion. Men and d e, 1 il combined can– not hold a true Christian do"vn. H e i risen with Christ above the doubt and sin of the ,,,orld! ( Cont int. ed on next page)