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T h e K i n g ’ s B u s i n e s s
October 1932
garden door at Linton in Devonshire is the motto: “ Live Unknown.” It is a useful motto fo r young manhood. Youth has to learn to labor and to wait. “Be content to go on working in obscur ity a little longer,” said Ruskin once to a young artist, impatient for recognition. It is the only way. There must be a seedtime, before there can be a harvest o f wisdom and o f influence. God Choosing a Worker I saiah 6:1-8 Memory Verse: “ Here am I ; send me” (Isa. 6:8 ). Approach: God not only wants us to share what we have with others, but He also has a special work for each one o f us to do. The Bible is full of stories about men who were called to work for God. Some of these stories we already know. Lesson Story: There was Moses. You remember how he was taking care o f his fa ther-in-law’s s h e e p, when suddenly God appeared to him in the burning bush and ex plained that he, Moses, was chosen to lead God’s people out of Egypt. When Moses was a very young man, he had wanted to help his people, but he had to grow older and wiser before God could trust him with this great task. Isaiah was another leader whom God chose. Isaiah hadn’t planned to be a great prophet, leading the children of Israel back to the God whom they had almost forgot ten and showing them what great things should happen in the future, but this was God’s plan for him. When God called Isaiah and prepared him for this position and promised to be with him, Isaiah was willing to go and preach to the children of Israel. Then, when Jesus was on earth, He called His disciples to follow Him. Four o f them He found as fishermen. They had expected to spend their lives fishing from their little boats and. mending their nets, but they, too, answered Jesus’ call, when He told them to leave their nets and be come “ fishers o f men.” Another great leader was Paul. He was called away from being an enemy o f Jesus, to be one who was to go into many coun tries to lead men to Christ. God has many ways o f calling people to work for Him, and He has many -dif ferent kinds o f work to be done. He has a special work for each one o f us to do. If we are ready to do His work, He will show us what it is and will help us to do it. Whose Fault Is It? ' W e have an army o f denominational workers, many eloquent preachers, a few tolerably good editors. They’ are all per petually pleading for a nobler type o f Christian living. Apparently, they are not being taken very seriously by many of our church members. Willie’s attitude seems to be their attitude. A little boy’s mother called, “Willie, Willie 1” After several calls, the boy poked his head around the garage and said: “Do you want me, Ma, or are you only jes hollerin’ ?”— W a tchm an -E xam iner .
Saul heard a voice speaking to him, and upon asking who it. was that spoke, the re ply was given, “I am Jesus whom thou per- secutest.” There was no question in his mind but that he was in the presence o f Deity, and that whoever was speaking was God. Hence, when he was told that it was Jesus, at once his Jewish opposition to the despised and hated Man o f Nazareth was swept away, and he was convinced that Jesus o f Nazareth was very God of very God. It was “Jesus”—the name that speaks o f grace, love, forgiveness, and sal vation. He was called “Jesus” because “ he should save his" people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21). Because o f this, there was nothing for Saul o f Tarsus to do but to cease from his own works and simply trust in Jesus to save him. Instead, o f further striving to obtain something by his own efforts, he simply believed in Christ and what He had done. By this simple trust in Christ, he ceased to be Saul the lost sinner and became Paul the saved sinner. 3. Saul’s commission (vs. 16-18). T oo many today are satisfied to stop with their conversion without heeding the com mission the Lord would give them. And there are some who, alas, without having any experience of the conviction o f sin or o f conversion to God, attempt to go for ward as though they had received a com mission to serve the Lord. Saul, who became Paul, was to go to the Gentiles for a definite purpose. He was to preach to them in order to “ open , their eyes.” This indicates that they were blind to the truth o f God (1 Cor. 2:14; 2 Cor. 4 :4 ), dwelling in the darkness o f spirit ual night, groping their way into ever deepening shadows, able to say only “ I think,” or “I guess,” but never “I know.” It is the same today. The darkness of na ture requires the enlightenment which only the entrance o f the W ord o f God can give (Psa. 119:130). The Gentiles were in bond age to Satan, a bondage from which only the truth o f God could give them liberty (1 John 5:19; Eph. 2:1-3). They were to, be turned'from darkness and the power of Satan in order that they might receive the forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among all them that are sanctified (v. 18), all o f which would flow from faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. This was, and still is, the demand upon all who hear the gospel. Faith in a Person—not faith in a code of morals however Correct, or in any philoso phy however true, but faith in a Person— the Person o f Christ who has paid the pen alty o f sin with His precious blood, and who now stands.ready and eager to save all who put their trust in Him. Because o f the state and danger o f the Gentiles, their only hope would be “ faith in Ghrist” (Acts 4:12; John 14:6), and for the same reason, this is the only hope o f sinners today. 4. Saul’s surrender (v. 19). “Whereupon I was not disobedient.” This is the deciding factor in every call to service. It is not in the natural or acquired ability, nor in the power o f mental acute ness or physical stamina, nor in the amount o f money one may possess. The deciding factor lies in the obedience or disobedience o f the one called. The measure o f obed ience to the call will .be the measure of power given in fulfilling the commission. Saul became enthused with one great ambi tion, to be well pleasing unto Christ (2 Cor. 5 :9 ). His whole effort henceforth was to “win Christ” (Phil. 3 :8 ). Other things were not necessarily bad, but everything,
BLACKBOARD LESSON PR E SE N T YOURSELUES 1 NTS go ^ t Y v e s s e l s ■ 1 ■ THAT he m a y ■ ^ r ,L L E H 1 ^ 1 / / W ,TH i r / / H IS
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whatever its character, was secondary to this supreme object before him. W e may stand appalled at the call to fol low such a one as Paul (1 Cor. 11:1), but the same power that was his is ready for our use, and will be given in the measure that our surrender is like his. Paul’s philosophy o f the stewardship of life is here revealed. He had been called to proclaim man’s inherent sinfulness and utter ruin, to declare the power and pur pose o f Satan, to preach full redemption from both man’s sinfulness and Satan’s power, and finally, to offer this redemption to all who exercised faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And he “was not disobedient to the heavenly calling.” This is our steward ship o f life, and this should be our philoso phy of life, if we would hear at last the Lord’s “well done.” Lesson Questions Mk. 1 :16-20. Was. this the scene o f the disciples’ conversion or of their commis sion? What had taken place earlier (John 1 :35-42) ? Can an unsaved person offer- any acceptable service to the Lord (Prov. 15:8) ? What changed vocation did Jesus promise? Do you think the work o f “ fish ers o f men” belongs to the minister more than to every Christian? What kind o f re sponse did the disciples give? Acts 26:12-19. What twofold effect did the “ light from heaven” have upon Saul of Tarsus? Must this also be the expe rience of every sinner who would be born again? What other Bible characters came to abhor themselves in the light of God’s holiness (cf. Job 42:5, 6; Isa. 6 :1 -5 )? What is the significance o f the use o f the word “Jesus” in this passage'? What was Paul’s commission ? Golden Text Illustration Writing to a young minister who, after many years’ service, found himself still in an obscure place, and who was becoming impatient for the prizes and recognitions o f life, Professor David Smith recently wrote, “ I bless God daily for the long years which I spent in a remote corner of Scot land, ministering to a little congregation. It was oftentimes a disheartening expe rience, but it did much for me. It was the seedtime o f my life. . . . True and abiding influence is slowly won, and there is no more precious experience for youth than a protracted season o f obscurity.” They are true and timely words. Early popularity often means early barrenness. The quiet, obscure years, with their steady and unremitting discipline o f mind and heart, may be made the most enriching of all the years. Not a few o f those who have won great influence have had long fore grounds to their life. Over an old rectory
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