RECALL TO GOD

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20058, 3 October 1939, Page 8

RECALL TO GOD

THE NATION’S NEED SERMON BY BISHOP Emphasising the need for a recall to God and His ways, the Bishop of Aotearoa, the Rl. Rev. F. A. Bennett, during the course of an impressive sermon preached at St. George’s Church, Seatoun, Wellington, mentioned that he had heard that only 3 per cent of the adults of New Zealand attended church. Materialism played too great a part in our dailylives, he said, and we brushed aside spiritual things. Preaching from St. Luke v, (i, “And when they had this done, they enclosed a great multitude of fishes and their net broke,” Bishop Bennett referred to the missionary gathering held near Madras, and which he had attended. There were 400 delegates present, representing 70 nations, and some of them were of a high intellectual standing, he said. They had all tried to get a greater knowledge of God, and this, he urged, was a necessity to-day. He stressed the need for prayer, declaring ' that communion with God gave great power. Self-Examination Needed

Self-examination was badly needed, B’shop Bennett continued, and they -hould npk themselves questions like die following:—What am I doing for Christ? Am I doing my utmost to bring souls to God? Am I a witness for Christ? If they were not doing these things how could they expect to succeed as an Empire? To improve as a people, Empire, and Church they must be prepared to suffer. -for no hing great could be done v/ithou' suffering. He had been- told by a vicar in the North Island recently that only 3 per cent of the adults of New Zealand attended church .If that was so, how could they expect to succeed as an Empire? God had blessed the British people through the ages, and to-day they had the greatest Empire the world had ever seen; but if they did not follow His commandments and laws, wju’.d God consider them worthv to hold this Empire, or would they follow the fate of the Roman Empire? Concluding, Bishop Bennett referred to the late Dr. Thomas Barclay who, at the age of IC, had dedicated his whole life to God and His service. He lived to be 85, and each year he had renewed his promise. That was the attitude Christians should all adopt.