T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
65
February, 1939
Peter does not say that such men are saved. He does not even say that they are "accepted," as the Authorized Version suggests. They are merely “acceptable" (R. V .). What we must understand, to un derstand the passage, is that Peter had been in doubt as to whether Gentiles could be "acceptable" to God even if they came through Christ. The point of the whole story is not that sincere men can be saved apart from Jesus Christ, but that any man can be saved through Christ, even a Gen tile like Cornelius. And even Cornelius, with all his sincerity and fine character, had to be “saved” just the same as did any other sinner (cf. 11:14). 3. “W hile Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word” (v. 44). Here we have laid down in the Word of God very clearly the normal experience for all Gentile be lievers, for Cornelius is the first to enter through the door opened by the Apostle Peter. There had not yet been any water baptism. No hands had been laid upon them. They had in fact done nothing ex cept what Peter told them to do: "Whoso ever believeth in him shall receive remis sion of sins” (v. 43). And of course true faith always involves repentance. As a result, they were immediately saved, re generated, and indwelt by the Holy Spirit. And then obedience followed. A Hindu and a New Zealander met upon the deck of a missionary ship. They had been converted from their heathenism and were brothers in Christ, but they could not speak to each other. They pointed to their Bibles, shook hands, and smiled: but that was all. At last a happy thought occurred to the Hindu. With sudden joy, he exclaimed, "Hallelujah.” The New Zealander, in delight, cried out “Amen.” These two words, not found in their own heathen tongues,were to them the beginning of “one language and one speech.” —From The Heart and Life. Golden Text Illustration I saiah 45:22 How Cornelius Learned About Jesus A cts 10:1-48 Memory Verse: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Approach: Last week we learned how many of the disciples were driven out of
a lot of different kinds of animals before him, and a voice told him to eat. But Jews had been taught by God that certain ani mals were unclean and that they must have nothing to do with them. So Peter re fused to eat. Three times , the animals appeared, and three times Peter refused. Then came a voice from the skies, “What God hath cleansed, that call not thou com mon.” Then Peter began to get the real mean ing of this vision. Perhaps he had been thinking the nations of the world who were not Jews too “common” to bother about! Perhaps he should be preaching the gospel to them, too. That was just exactly what God meant by this vision. And Peter knew, then, what to do when, a few minutes after the vision, a knock came at the door and messengers came to him from a man named Cornelius. Cornelius was a Roman soldier, but he was seeking after the true God and wanted to know the way of salvation. Immediately Peter went to him and showed him the way. “Ask, and ye shall receive,” God has told us. Have you asked for this free gift of salvation? Object Lesson C lear L ights from C olored C andles Objects: Five candles, red, yellow, black, white, and blue. (The blue should be longer than the others.) Lesson: This large blue candle reminds us of the Lord Jesus, the Light of the world. Blue is the heavenly color. Before going
back to heaven, Christ said to His disciples, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matt. 5:16). When Jesus went back to heaven, only a few people were letting their lights shine. W e will let them be represented by this white candle. The candle is white and the light is nearly the same color, for it is clear and shining. This black candle reminds us of those people whose skin is black. Some who call themselves Christians are telling us that we have enough to do at home without going to the foreign mission fields. They forget that the Lord Jesus said to go into all the world. The black candle burns as brightly and as clearly as the white one does. This yellow candle represents the peo ple whose skin is yellow. China and Japan have their own religions, but most of the people in China and Japan do not have the Light of the world, the Lord Jesus, and therefore they are lost in dark-
“He leadeth me, oh blessed thought” was the meditation of Rev. J. H. Gilmore at a Philadelphia prayer meeting. Taking a pencil, he wrote out the hymn and handed it to his wife. He had never heard the stately measures that Bradbury wrote for his verses until he picked up a hymn book while visiting a church in Rochester.
Since then this gospel hymn has been sung all over the world from the pages of “TAB ERNACLE HYMNS NUMBER THREE”, which contains hun dreds of other hymns and songs known for their power to turn men’s hearts to God. INSPIRED BY EXPERIENCE In the revealing fire of God’s pres ence these great hymns and songs were conceived and written. Their inspired words and music are instru ments of grace in thousands of churches. Ablaze with zeal, “TAB ERNACLE HYMNS NUMBER THREE’’ fully meets every music need of church and Sunday School, conferences, rallies, and evangelistic meetings. SEND FOR SAM PLE COPY Present low prices make immediate purchase desirable. New song books pay for themselves many times. Beautifully bound in lacquered green cloth—keeps gold stamping tarnish- proof. Price per 100 not prepaid only $50.00, bristol binding $32.50. Com pletely orchestrated. - _________
Jerusalem. The Lord Jesus had said that His g o s p e l, th e “good news," should be preached to all peoples. But His dis ciples k n e w t h a t Jews w e r e God’s chosen people, and it was hard for them to understand that they were to tell the
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Tabernacle Publishing Co.. 360-B No. WallerAve.. Chicago Gentlemen: Please send Returnable Sample Copy of “TABERNACLE HYMNS NUMBER THREE.” Our church needs song books for the following uses: □ Worship Service Q Sunday Schoo! □Young People □ Evang. Meetings Name............................. .............................................:............ Address—.................................................................................. Church ÔC Denom..................................................................
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good news of the gospel to the other peo ple, too. Our story today tells us how Peter came to understand how he must preach the good news to every one. Lesson Story: God spoke to Peter through a vision. In this vision Peter saw
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