Rev. Elmer L, Wilder
illustrated by Gladys Bowman
First Week A S oldier ’ s A rmor
his shining sword. It is called "the word of God” (v.17). Many Christian soldiers fail because they do not take God’s sword, the Bible, with them into the battle of life. One other piece of armor is men tioned, which cannot be seen. What is it? “Prayer," I hear some one say. Yes. Though a Christian soldier might have every equipment, he can not win life’s combat if he does not pray. Let us remember the words of Paul: “Take unto you the whole armour of God” (v.13). Second Week L ight and D arkness
Look at this! A playing card helped to keep the battery from filling the flashlight. And here is a cigarette! It is not very big, j>ut it helped to keep the battery out. Something is rattling down in the flashlight. It is a bottle, and it is filled with something which looks like whiskey. Now that all these things are out of the way, let us notice how beauti fully the flashlight shines. It is just so with Christians. When sin is put away, the Holy Spirit will fill the heart and will cause the life to shine for Christ. This is what Paul had in mind when he wrote: “Be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit" (Eph. 5:18). Object: A capital “I,” (cut from stiff construction paper. It should be 14 inches high, the stem • 1 inch wide, and the top and bottom bars 4 inches wide and 1 inch high. Crease 2% in ches from the top, permitting the top to fold forward when desired. Make another crease 5 inches from the bot tom. When the top is folded down and the bottom up, the two bars will come together, making a cross. On the front, between the top and bottom folds, print the word “ONESIMUS." On the back, print the word “UNPROFIT ABLE,” with the first two letters above the top fold, and the rest of the word between the top and bottom folds.) Third W«*k T rue anp N ew
Objects: A celluloid doll, and the pieces of armor mentioned in Ephe- sians 6:13-17, cut from cardboard, and covered with silver paper. Lesson: This young fellow is a soldier, but judging from his looks he is a very poor one. What does he lack? "He has nothing with which to pro tect himself, and nothing with which to fight the enemy.” You are right, Bill. If we are to know how a Christian soldier should be armed, we must turn to God's Word. Ephesians 6 will tell us. The first piece of armor mentioned is the girdle of truth. We will put this silver girdle around the soldier’s waist. Every Christian soldier should have truth as a part of his armor. The next piece of armor mentioned is the breastplate of righteousness, which is the righteousness of Christ. Mr. Soldier looks more real with this silver breastplate on him. A soldier must have shoes. We read: "And your feet shod with the prepa ration of the gospel of peace” (v.15). Here are the soldier’s silver shoes. And next, we are told: “Above all, taking the shield of faith” (v.16). This shining shield reminds us of faith in God and His Word, which the true Christian soldier must possess. Here is the helmet of salvation. To be a real Christian soldier, one must be saved by faith in Christ’s death on the cross. The soldier would not be fully armed if he did not have a sword. Here is 40
Objects: A flashlight with the battery removed, and the following articles concealed in the battery chamber: An imitation cigarette, a small flask shaped bottle of vinegar, an imitation playing card, and some black rags. Lesson: This flashlight does not seem to want to work. What do you think is the matter? There are many Christians who ar? just like this flashlight. The Holy Spirit, who is represented by the bat tery, is, of course, inside every true Christian’s heart. But because many Christians do not allow Him to fill their hearts, they fail to shine for Christ. As hard as I try, I cannot get the battery to go in farther. Let us see what is the matter. Here is a black rag, which reminds us of sin. Chris tians cannot be filled with the Holy Spirit unless they put away known sin.
Lesson: It is not difficult to decide whom this tall “I” represents, for it has “ONESIMUS" printed on i t He was a slave who had escaped from his master, Philemon, a man who THE KING' S BUSINESS
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