- FOREWORD
- CONVERSION
- CONVERSION OF An Ethiopian
- THE RESTORATION OF AN ERRING CHRISTIAN
- GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
- THE HOLY SPIRIT IN CONVERSION
- THE DEACONSHIP
- THE SIN OF ANANIAS AND SAPPHIRA
- THE CHURCH AT JERUSALEM
- CHRIST THE FOUNDATION
- CHRIST THE PROPHET
- Humility
- BAPTISM
- Miracles in the Christian Dispensation
- The Divine Body
- CONTINUING STEADFASTLY
- The Origin of the Church
- THE CONVERSION OF THE THREE THOUSAND
- THE DAY OF PENTECOST
- THE FOUR BAPTISMS OF THE SCRIPTURES
- THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
- THE MINISTRY OF THE APOSTLES
- ACTS OF APOSTLES
- THE GOOD CONFESSION
- CONVERSION OF SAUL
- AFTERWORD
- REPENTANCE
- APOSTOLIC EVANGELISM
- THE DIVINE MISSIONARY POLICY
- THE TRIALS OF PRIMITIVE CHRISTIANITY
- THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTIANITY
- CONSCIENCE
- PAUL BEFORE FELIX
- THE ELDERSHIP
- THE COMMUNION
- THE SABBATH OR THE LORD’S DAY— WHICH?
- THE WAY
- THE DISCOURSE ON MARS’ HILL
- THE SCHEME OF REDEMPTION FROM ADAM TO MOSES
- FAITH
- WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED?
- THE CONVERSION OF THE JAILOR
- THE CONVERSION OF LYDIA
- THE COMMON ERROR OF HUMANITY
- PRAYER
- THE DIVINE NAME
- THE WORD POWER OF GOD
- THE CONVERSION OF A MORAL MAN
- THE SCHEME OF REDEMPTION FROM MOSES TO CORNELIUS
- THE NEW TESTAMENT
PAUL'S solemn charge to Timothy, that of an in- spired apostle of Jesus Christ to a young minister of the gospel, was : "Preach the word; be urgent in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching; for the time will come when they will not endure the sound doctrine; but, having itching ears, will heap to themselves teachers after their own lusts; and will turn away their ears from the truth, and turn aside unto fables. But be thou sober in all things, suffer hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfil thy ministry." Although this exhortation was given to all preachers of the glad tidings of salvation through Christ, just as much as to Timothy, we are sorry to say that it re- ceives very little consideration from a great number of professed spiritual leaders of to-day. For some reason, ministers have gotten the impression that the world is no longer in need of the bread of life, and have been handing out stones instead. Modern pulpits do not ring with the burning message of Jesus Christ and Him crucified which was the sum and substance of apostolic preaching — a message for which the apostles gave their lives humbly, willingly, glorying in the opportunities of taking up the cross and following Him. Young min- isters, especially, seem to have the idea that the only way to achieve popularity and to make a mark in the world is through the discussion of ethics, sociology, literature, fiction, politics or something of like nature. The author has listened to sermon after sermon rich in word painting: sermons which almost made him hear the singing of the birds, the whispering of the winds through the trees, and the rippling of the brook, accom- panied by the sweet smell of flowers and blossoms of the early spring — but never one word about Him who died, was buried, and was resurrected on the third day according to the Scriptures, bringing life and immor- tality to light through the gospel. Why does such a condition prevail anywhere in the very face of the fact that the most impressive eloquence that ever fell from human lips is the eloquence of that man whose theme is the love of God as it has been displayed in the working out of the scheme of redemption ; an eloquence which convicts men of sin, righteousness and judgment, and moves them to repent, turn to Him who is eternal in the heavens, and to own Jesus as their Christ, as the one who came into the world to be their personal Saviour? Why does such an impression exist in the face of the fact that the greatest men of all ages have been those who have been loyal to God's word; and in view of the fact that the greatest men to-day in the brotherhood of Christians only are not those men who compromise the truth as it is contained in Jesus Christ, but those men who sound out the gospel message in all of its original purity, purpose and power? We look through the names of the leaders of the current Resto- ration and we find that those who are true to the Book are the ones who have risen above the common level and have become noted among their brethren in Christ. God is with the man who loves and preaches His word. We are glad, however, to see a marked reaction on the part of many churches of Christ against this species of preaching that stands for everything in general and nothing in particular. And it is solely for the purpose of assisting such a needed reformation, and fostering the spirit of loyalty among disciples of Christ, that this book is published. We hope and pray that it may become an invaluable aid to every minister who preaches the Word. After long centuries of ignorance, superstition and sectarianism, the pioneers of the Restoration movement pointed the religious forces of the world back to the unity for which Christ prayed: a unity that had been broken by the creeds, traditions and laws of an eccle- siastical clergy. At first this plea for Christian unity was hailed with derision. But the truth ultimately pre- vails — and to-day the theory of denominationalism is doomed, and men are beginning to puzzle over the method of getting away from the practice of it. There is no controversy, whatever, to-day as to the practica- bility of unity; all are agreed upon that point. The question of controversy now concerns the method of bringing this unity about. We feel that there is but one way of doing this, and that all other ways will ultimately fail. Unity can never result from the complete setting aside of all the doctrinal differences. Such a platform would be so " broad" that it would soon collapse of its own accord. Neither can unity be brought about by federation — for such a plan would put a, Protestant pope over a Prot- estant hierarchy, and experiences of the past have been sufficient to warn us of the dangers of ecclesiasticism. But unity can be brought about in the course of time by the friendly discussion of doctrinal differences in the light of the true doctrine — the word of God — until the truth is ultimately reached. Nothing is settled until it is settled right; and nothing is settled right until settled according to the law and the testimony — God's way. Indeed, the day of controversy is not over. The world needs, as never before, the plea for the restora- tion of the church of Jesus Christ, with its laws, its ordinances, its organization and its fruits; and the unification of the followers of God in the one body — the body of Christ. This age demands a doctrinal restatement of the truths of the Christian system. This is a time when every minister of the church of Christ should be at the post of duty, preaching the way of the Lord with all diligence, giving the world that for which it is hungry — the bread of life. In this volume we have attempted to set forth the principal teachings of the Book of Acts, giving an exhaustive treatment of each subject from the entire Word. In many instances, we have uncon- sciously reproduced thoughts from the pens of the great expositors, both deceased and living, that have been identified with the Eestoration. The important doc- trinal truths of the New Testament never change. Inas- much as these truths have been stated in clear, concise language in the works of previous writers, the best that we can do is to set forth a summary of them, together with original thoughts and statements, in a simple style that will be helpful to all students and ministers of the Word. While there are some repetitions of doctrinal thought, yet we claim absolute originality in treatment and composition of each sermon outline. Each outline contains the skeleton of an instructive sermon. In that day in which all shall stand before the tri- bunal of God, the author expects to be held accountable for all that he has ever written or spoken as a preacher of the gospel. Not for one moment would he turn aside from the immutable word of God to cater to the whims and fancies of men. So this book of outlines is humbly devoted to the restoration of primitive Christianity, and the extension of the kingdom of God in the hearts of men. May each word contained in it bring forth abundant fruit to the glory of God and His dear Son, Jesus the Christ.
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