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T h e K i n g ’ s B u s i n e s s
October 1932
Where Is Your ©maure? “ For where your treasure is, there will y o u r h e rt he a ls o ” — Matt. 6:21.
NOVEMBER 27, 1932 STEWARDSHIP OF LIFE Ex. 3:1-12; I sa . 6:1-8; M att . 25 :l-46; M k . 1 :16-20; A cts 26:12-19; 1 C or . 9:17-27 Lesson Text: Mk. 1:16-20; Acts 26:12- 19. Golden Text: “ First [they] gave their own selves to the Lord” (2 Cor. 8 :5 ). Fishing on the Sea of Galilee
you how to do it.” This is his word to all disciples today. “As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you” (John 2 0 :21). He is ever eager to teach and send us forth in His service. Perhaps one cause for the shallowness and powerlessness o f Chris tian service today may be found just here. W e are so sure we know all about it and how to do it, and so sure that we already have the ability required, that we fail to be taught o f Him. W e send our young peo ple to training schools and expect them, after two or three years, to be trained and ready to go forth into the business of catching men. But after the training is all done, after the days o f preparation are fin ished, there must be reliance upon the Lord Himself for that teaching which alone will make the service a blessing to men and of value to the Lord. The response o f the fishermen was imme diate and wholehearted. They “ straight way forsook their nets, and followed him” (v. 18), and “they left their father Zebe- dee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after him” (v. 20). Little wonder that these early disciples did so much in spread ing the truth abroad! Theirs was the sort o f surrender and sacrificial response to the call of the Lord that could be blessed, and they remain examples o f what Christian servants should be. Their stewardship of life may be summed up in the words, “ They went after him.” II. J esus and S aul of T arsus ( A cts 26:12-19). When we consider the greatness of some Bible characters, we are tempted to think that they must have been made of different clay than we are. They appear so willing to serve the Lord, so forgetful of them selves, so entirely given up to what the Lord desires, that we feel it is impossible for us to emulate their example. But Paul exhorts us saying, “ Be ye followers of me as I am o f the Lord Jesus” (1 Cor. 11:1). 1. Saul’s conviction (v. 13). “ I saw . . . a light from heaven.” The effect o f this was twofold. First, it brought to him a conviction o f the holiness o f God. It was as though a shutter had been open ed, or a veil removed; and in the light which streamed around him, his own good ness and righteousness shriveled and shrank and became as darkness. Whatever light he thought he had was night com pared to this, and whatever righteousness he possessed became as filthy rags when seen in this light from heaven. Second, it brought to him a conviction of his own sin fulness. As motes o f dust are revealed in a ray o f sunshine, Saul’s sinfulness, until then unseen and unsuspected, was revealed for what it was. It has ever been so when men have been brought into the presence o f the holy God. Thus it was with Job. As long as he only heard o f the holy God, he was content with his own goodness; but when at last he came into God’s holy presence, he cried, “ I have heard o f thee by the hearing o f the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:5, 6 ). . So it was with Isaiah (Isa. 6:1-5), and Daniel (Dan. 10: 1-8), and with all who have ever caught a glimpse o f God in His holiness. This is the great need today. 2. Saul’s conversion (vs. 14, 15).
s a b a c k g r o u n d for that portion of our lesson which is taken from the Gospel according to Mark, let us visit the Sea o f Galilee and observe the fishermen there. In'the first quarter o f this year, we saw a fisherman fishing by the same method used by Simon and Andrew when Jesus called them to follow Him. He was using the circular casting net. He fished along the shore of the lake, and caught the fish which were feeding in shal low water. By throwing the net over the top o f the fish, he was able to capture them. The most common method of fishing is that which employs the dragnet. This net is about six or eight feet wide and from twenty to fifty feet long. It is weighted along one edge with lead, while on the other edge are cork floats. The net is played out from the stern of a fishing boat in deep water. The weights carry one edge o f the net down into the water, while the corks keep the other edge afloat. Thus it hangs perpendicularly in the water. By describing a large circle the boat is able to make a circular trap for the fish. The net is then drawn in slowly, making the cir cle smaller and smaller. When all but a small circular section of the net is drawn into the boat again, the fish are landed with smaller landing nets. The boats which are used are about twenty feet long by six feet wide, and carry a single sail., As most o f the fishing is done at night when there is very little breeze, the fishermen propel their craft with oars. Usually there is a brisk breeze blowing when they set out in the dusk of the eve ning for the night’s fishing, so they go with sail hoisted. It is quite a picturesque sight to see a fleet o f fishing boats with billow ing sails setting forth for a night’s fishing. Outline and Exposition I. J esus and H is D isciples (M k . 1 :16-20). This is the record o f the call of four men to service, not the record o f their conversion. They were already the Lord’s disciples (John 1:35-42). He never calls any one to His service before calling him to accept Him as Saviour. No unsaved person can offer acceptable service to the Lord, because “the sacrifice o f the wicked is an abomination to the Lord” (P rov. 15: 8). The call o f these four disciples came to them while they were engaged in the daily round of duty, but they were ready to hear and obey the voice which called them. The true disciple is never so en grossed in his daily business as to be deaf to the voice o f the Lord calling to service. The power for their service was to be found in the Lord and not in themselves. They might know how to catch fish, but they knew not how to catch men. Natural ability might be sufficient for their fishing business,' but supernatural ability would be needed for their service for the Lord. “ Follow me, and I will make you fishers o f men,” said Jesus ; that is, “ I will teach
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