556
T h e
K i n g ' s
B u s i n e s s
September 1928
The elders Paul cautioned: “ Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood" (v. 28). What a word is this to church officials in these days when calls to outward service are so multiv plied; when Christians can engage them selves in asKundred jobs to the exclusion of the main thing they are called to d o ! “ The Holy Ghost hath made you over seers." You elders: have been assigned work by the Holy Spirit. It is, first of all, to “feed the flock o f God”—to nourish it with divine truth, to guard it against the entrance o f error, to administer such dis cipline as may be needed. The great motive to fidelity is that the church has been purchased with the blood o f God. Peter speaks o f “ the pre cious blood o f Christ” (1 Pet.’ 1 :18). Paul raises the ransom price yet higher. Christ was Emmanuel, God with us, God manifest in the flesh (1 Tim. 3:16), hence the infinite value of His atonement. Paul had a tremendous conception of what a church is. It is a flock purchased by divine blood and presided over by the divine Spirit. Get that conception of Christ’s Church, and you will begin to feel what is involved in being chosen to serve in it." It is no trivial responsibility. It supersedes all calls to outside causes (however good), which take t i mé , strength and money. Paul foresaw that after his departure for Jerusalem, apostasy would arise from two sources (vs. 29-30). There would be outside false teachers (cf. 2 Pet. 2:1-2) and inside apostates (cf. 1- Jn. 2:19; 2. Cor. 11:13-15). He had learned what every Christian worker must learn, that out o f the professedly Christian body, some are sure to prove counterfeit (2 Tim. 4:10). How sadly Paul’s anticipa tion was fulfilled, we see in the letter to the church at Ephesus in Rev. 2 :4-5. If the elders would shepherd the flock, there would be fewer straying after false teach ers. Paul’s parting word w as: "Brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified” (v. 32). Re member they had no New Testament. The greater part was not even written. It could have been only to his spoken word that he commended them. How much more securely we can commend each other to the permanent record of divine revelation! Christian progress is impos sible without “ the word o f His grace." Let us learn to come directly to it and get a first-hand acquaintance. Sometimes it is well that a human voice is stilled and all props taken out, that we may learn to rest upon the Word itself. Notice Paul’s goodbye: “He kneeled down and prayed with them all" (v. 36). That is ever the best farewell. . No part ings are so hard as those of the soul. The true Christian preacher has fellowship with the inmost life of the people and is peculiarly .endeared. What endearments may be compared to those of Christian fellowship ? All other unions perish true believers are united forever. How fitting that Christians should part with prayer. Paul was off for Jerusalem. Well might we imagine them rising from prayer and joining hands to sing -some such hymn as we would sing in our day:
“ Blest be the tie that binds Our hearts in Christian love; The fellowship of kindred minds Is like to that abcive.” — o — G ospel of the G race of G od (Acts 20:24)
him as he thought how much Christ had given for him. The crisis was upon him. The plate was under his chin. He held his pocketbook in his hand. As it was about to pass him, others , near by look ing his way, he threw pocketbook and all upon the plate and grunted, ‘‘Now squirm, old naturel” To' his surprise his soul was filled with joy. He had learned the blessedness of giving to spread the Gos pel of Christ. Paul Tells His Friends Goodbye Acts 20:1-21:17; 2 Cor. 11:28. . Memory Verse. —“ The Lord bless thee, and keep thee.” Numbers 6:24. Approach. —The younger classes should not fail to receive the account o f the various attempts made to dissuade Paul from going to Jerusalem, with its teach to the e l d e r s of Ephesus, w i t h its exhortation to be faithful to the work God has given them to do—an exhorta- every boy and girl.— tion needed by P eloubet’s- Notesc Lesson StoryP -Now I want you to watch me closely find see if you think of our story for last week. What is this I hold in my rahdii? Money. Who gave us our money and all we have? God! (Re view, emphasizing the first duty o f giving ourselves to God.) In our story .today Paul is still very busy telling people about his Lord as he goes from place to place. One of the places where he stopped was Miletus, which Was not far from Ephesus. Because he did not want to go to Ephesus at that time, he sent for the elders o f the church there, to come and meet him, for he wanted to see them and talk over the work o f the churches before leaving. He reminded them of his work among them and of the suffering and trials because of unbelieving Jews who were always seek ing to do him harm. He had preached in the synagogues and in their homes, plead ing with them to repent o f their sins and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Then he told them he was going up to Jerusalem, not knowing what would hap pen to him there, but that in every city the Holy Spirit warned him that trials and prison awaited him. Paul told them he was not afraid o f any o f these things, not even death itself, if he could die with joy, and finish the work which the Lord Jesus had given him. Then he said he would not see them any more, but before going he wanted them to know that if any of them were lost, the fault would not be his, for he had been faithful in telling them how to be saved. After Paul had said these things, he kneeled down and prayed with them, and said goodbye. They all wept and put their arms about him and kissed him, sor rowing that they would see him no more. They went with him to the ship. Paul also warned them of the false teachers that would come in among them after he was gone. The world is full o f false teaching today, and Christians every where need this warning. When we hear ings of bravery in the path of duty. Their main lesson, however, is Paul’s l o v i n g farewell
Glorious . . . . .Eph. 1:6; 1 Tim. 1:11. R e s t f u l ................................. Rom. 5 :l-2. A b o u n d in g ..............................2 Cor. 8 :9. C lea n sin g ..................................Tit. 3 :5-7. Edifying . . . Tit. 2:11-12; Acts 20:32. —o— P aul ’ s P reaching Plain Preacher—“shown and taught "— Acts 20:20. Powerful — “ testifying” —t r u t h tested in his own life. Profitable — “profitable" —studied to make hearts, wiser. Painstaking — “publicly, house to house." Persistent —“kept back nothing”—no mat ter how received. Pointed — “repentance — faith" —v. 21. By it we are begotten . . 1 Pet. 1:23. By it we grow . . . . . 1 Pet. 2:2. By it we are cleansed . . . . Jn. 15:3. By it we are \ fed . . . . . Jer. 15:16. By It we are protected . . Psa. 119:11. By It we are led . . . . By it we are satisfied . . Psa. 119:103. P aul ’ s T ears Connected with the unsaved . Acts 20:19. Connected with the inconsistent . . . . 2 Cor. 2 :4. Connected with unworthy ministers . . Phil. 3:18. — o — S ummary of P aul ’ s M essage Backward look—vs. 18-21. Looking at the character of his past work. Forward look—vs. 22-24. What he ex pected. • Outward look— vs. 25-27. Pastoral coun sels. Inward look—vs. 28-35. At increeping dangers®« Upward lookSvs. 36-38. Commended to God. Here we have the words o f Paul’s parting counsel to the Ephesian elders. It is a day of victory for the Christian when he overcomes the stingy nature and dis covers the blessedness o f giving. A tight- fisted old man once listened to a mission ary'appeal. At one point in the message he decided he would give $10. Then he decided to make it $15. At the close he was very much moved and decided to give $50. As the collection plates came his way, however, his charity began to ooze out. He dropped from $25, to $10, to $5, and then decided he would think it over a while. Thefi a sense o f shame struck — o — G olden T ext I llustration Remember the words o f the Lord Jesus, that he himself said, It is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35). “T he W ord of H is G race ” (Acts 20:32)
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