April 24, 1949 THE DISCIPLINES OF DISCIPLESHIP Luke 12:16-21; 14:27-33
FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (from3to13) by Lena Seley Lawrence Ideal for Home, Sunday School, Chi! Evangelism, program presentation. Wendell Loveless says: “ Different. .. fine sense of melody and musical taste. Catchy melodies and well expressed statements." (“ Build the Ark, Noah", “The Gospel Umbrella", “Only a Boy Named David", etc.)
Pointers on the Lesson True discipleship includes a proper attitude toward material things and a careful consideration o f the cost en tailed in following Christ. These two things are presented forcibly in the Scripture passages selected for our study this week. The Failures o f a Successful Business Man (Luke 12:16-21) Covetousness was the subject that led to the parable of this passage (v. 15). This is an awful sin. “ Thou shalt not covet” is the tenth commandment and one which is too often passed over lightly. It can enter into the life of a follower of Christ and ruin his min istry. Let a preacher become greedy for material gain and his usefulness will soon be gone. And this is true of any Christian worker. In order to show what the sin of covetousness will ac complish in a life, the Lord offered the parable before us. The subtlety of the love of riches is vividly set forth. Because of his prosperity, the rich man forgot God (1 ). He no longer realized his need o f the Lord. He be came self-sufficient, egocentric. He de veloped a bad case o f “ I” trouble. No tice how many times the perpendicular pronoun appears in this short passage. He talked as if everything he had was his own: “ My fruits . . . my barns . . . my goods . . . my soul.” This story has been duplicated often in human experi ence. Love of material things causes men to forget God. The rich man also forgot his fellow men (2 ). It did not occur to him that his possessions might be used for the help and blessing of others. Furthermore, while accumula ting riches, he forgot the need of his own soul (3 ). He imagined he could live forever on these material things (19). Finally, he forgot that death was inevitable (4 ). He did not realize that in the hour when he had to commit his spirit to God, he could not take even an ear o f corn with him! We should all beware of the covet ousness and self-seeking against which this passage warns us. The Wisdom of Men of This World (Luke 14:27-33) The cost and responsibility of disciple ship are set forth in these verses. Salva tion is a free gift. One cannot purchase it at any price. But when it comes to the matter of Christian service, there is a price to pay and a cross to bear. Each disciple is therefore called upon to bear “ his” cross, not Christ’s. He alone could bear that which He'did once and for all. But for each o f us who have named His name there is a cross which we ought to be willing to carry which simply means that there should be such love and loyalty to Christ that, if need be, we would be willing to die for Him. Thus it can be readily seen that such discipleship will cost us something. M A R C H , 1 9 4 9
Helps for the Children Using God’s Good Gifts Luke 12:16-21 Memory Verse: “ Every perfect gift is from . . . the Father” (James 1:17). The Lord Jesus Christ frequently told His listeners earthly stories with heav enly meanings. These stories are called parables. One parable that the Saviour told was about a rich farmer whose crops had been especially good. The farmer wondered what he should do be cause he had no more room in which to store his crops. He said, “ I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, ‘ Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry’.” The rich man’s selfish ness and failure to honor God dis pleased God greatly. God said to him, “ This night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?” Such was the end of one who laid up treas ure for himself, but was not rich to ward God. How very important it is that Chris tians use God’s good gifts in a way that will honor and please Him! All we have comes from God. His gifts o f health, of mind, and of material things are only a loan; they are truly His and only entrusted to us to use for His glory. Some Christians feel that if they give one-tenth of their time, or their talents, or their money to the Lord that they may use the rest in any way they de sire. Such is not at all true. A ll that we have is His, and should be used for Him and under His guidance. Chris tians who give God ten-tenths of their time, talents, and money are Christians who may expect, and who receive, His most choice blessings in every part of their lives.
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