THE KING’S BUSINESS
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Soup kitchens, kindergartens, improved tenements, industrial classes, lectures in political economy and hygiene, may be well enough in their place, but they are not the things with which to really help men. The only real help for the poor and perishing, and the rich and perishing as well, at home and abroad, is “the Gospel." Paul not only concluded it was the gospel that was called for, but he also concluded it was God who Paul lost no time in starting for the field to which the Lord called him. There had been no supernatural direction as to what part of Macedonia he was to begin at, so Paul used his own judgment and went by' the straightest course for the first city of the district. Here is a lesson for us in the evangelism of any country. We should begin at the heart of things. People from every part of Macedonia would be coming up to Philippi and would hear the Gospel there and take it back to their own partic ular neighborhood. Paul and his com panions did not begin preaching at once. Having reached the place, they waited and watched and prayed for a favorable time ahd place to strike the first blow (cf. ch. 13:14; 17:2; 18:4). When Paul at last began to preach he began in a very quiet and humble way. He did not advertise largely and get a crowd in the largest public building. He just spoke to an obscure but earnest company of praying women. Some one has said the “man of Macedonia” turned out to be a woman, but that is not so sure for it may have been the Philippian jailer. Be that as it may, the evangeliza tion began with a handful of praying women. That was one of the most notable gatherings of all history. It was seem ingly an open air meeting, and it was gath ered for the purpose of prayer. In cast ing about for a company, to whom he should first preach the Gospel, Paul wisely judged that a company of people gathered together for prayer would be the most was doing the calling. Wednesday, February 7 . Acts 16 : 11 ~ 13 .
likely to receive the truth. If Paul had been like many modern preachers and had seen only a handful of women gathered together he would have thought it beneath his talents and importance to preach to them. But Paul was wiser‘and was Spirit led. The longed-for hour had come, and he “sat down” and “spake unto the women which were gathered together, “Oh, how many groups of praying women there are today who need to have some Paul come and tell them the way of truth more clearly. But we are to busy with our great con ventions and our Men’s Movements to go and tell fully, at the cost of the expendi ture of a great deal of time, the way of truth to only a handful of praying women. This informal and apparently insignif icant gathering resulted in th e ‘conversion of a prominent and pious woman, Lydia, and she was the first convert in Europe. All our European and American Chris tianity begins with the conversion of this woman. This woman already “Worshipped God as far as she knew Him. She was living up to the light she had, therefore She got more. Her conversion was due to the fact that “the Lord opened” her “heart.” God’s opening her heart was the turning point. There is no hope for any woman, „neither is there hope for any man, unless the Lord open their heart (John 6:44, 45; Eph. 1:17, 18; Luke 24:25). But the Lord is always more than willing to open our hearts if we are willing to have Him open them. The result of the. Lord’s opening her heart was that she “gave heed unto the things that were spoken.” Just what Paul said to her we are not told, but doubt less He presented to the little company of women the Gospel he always preached, which he himself has defined in 1 Cor. 15:1-4, that is, the Gospel of a Christ who died for our sins according to the Scrip tures, was buried and rose again. This Gospel is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth (Rom. 1:16), Thursday, February 8 . Acts 16 : 14 , 15 .
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