An angel paused in his upward flight, With a seed of love, and truth, and light. And asked, “ Oh where must this seed be sown, That it yield most fruit when fully grown?” The Saviour heard, and said as He smiled, “ Place it then in the heart of a child.” —Selected rnrmf IN D IV ID U A L COMMUNION SERVICE
Jesus Christ is blasphemy. In the true church assembly Christ is the Head, Christ is the theme, Christ is the center of attraction—all is directed toward Him, who alone is worthy to be praised. The Church is a Fellowship Entered by Obedience to Jesus Christ and His Word The New Testament commands three things of every man who would enter the fellowship of the church: he must believe; he must repent of his sins; and he must be baptized. First he must believe (Acts 16:31). Belief, in the New Testament, is always something more than mere acceptance of a truth; it is acting upon that truth. The man who truly believes in the New Testament sense exercises personal faith in Jesus Christ as his Saviour and trusts in Him as his only hope of salva tion. Second, he must repent (Acts 2:38). Repentance is a change of mind and heart that will lead one to forsake his sins. No man has truly repented who does not leave his sins. No man is truly converted, or born again, who does not forsake his sins. The third ' step in admission to the church is that of baptism (Acts 2:38). Let it be clearly understood that bap tism never saves (John 3:5). Nothing saves but the blood of Jesus and faith in Him (John 3:16; 3:36). But water baptism is important. It is commanded by the Word (Acts 2:38; Matt. 28:19); it was practiced faithfully by the apos tolic church (Acts 2:41; 8:12; 9:18; 10:47). Baptism is the symbol of a be liever’s relationship to Christ (Rom. 6:1-5); it is the pledge of fidelity to Christ; it is the putting on of the uniform of a Christian soldier; it is volitionally identifying oneself with the visible family of God. The Church is a Fellowship Sustained by the Faithful Observance o f God-Given Helps A cts 2:42 Read through Acts 2:42 carefully noting the emphasis on continuing sted- fastly. How we need stedfast Christians today! See 1 Cor. 15:58. Note the things in which these early Christians contin ued stedfastly. Discuss the meaning of continuing in doctrine. How well do you know your Bible? How much time do you spend studying it? How well can you explain the content of the Christian faith to one who asks you (1 Pet. 3:15) ? Note that the first Christians con tinued stedfastly in fellowship. Is it im portant to keep in close touch with the people of God? Why is this so? Study Heb. 10:25. What is the reason given in this verse for the great importance of Christian fellowship? Note that the early Christians con tinued in “ breaking of bread”. Many believe this refers to the Lord’s Supper. Why did our Lord institute the Supper? (1 Cor. 11:23-30). What is the meaning of the two elements used in the Lord’s Supper? How should a man prepare for observance of it? (1 Cor. 11:28).
The Church is a Fellowship Dependent Upon the Presence o f Christ Himself Matt. 18:20 This is one of the sweetest verses in the Bible. It tells us that the church is not merely a building, no matter how lovely that building might be; the church is not the clergy, no matter how godly they may be; the church is not an or ganization, no matter how efficient it may be. The church is a fellowship met in the Name of Christ and in the en joyment of His presence. Being gathered together in the Name of Christ means that those who are really the church acknowledge Jesus as He is revealed in His Word as the Son of God and only Saviour of the world. This condition immediately rules out all unbelievers and all critics of Christ, all who will not honor Him as God (John 5:23). Being gathered in the Name of Christ means that those who thus assemble do so in accordance with the Word of God, holding it to be their only authority on matters of belief concerning Christ and the church. If men would give the Bible its place of supreme authority in the church, we would never know the blasphemies called “ Christian truth” taught in some quarters of Christendom. Being gathered in His Name means being assembled for His glory. Any church meeting called for any other pur pose than to exalt the Name of the Lord
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N EW True-to-the-Bible S T A N D A R D M A T E R IA L I
FOR THE OCTOBER QUARTER
TEEN-AGE COURSE
3-YR. PRIMARY COURSE
2nd Y e a r Ready
Revised GRADED Study
A ctivity books newly designed and simplified, handwork ma terial for young child. Two col
You’ll want this as follow-up for Year 1 course; good, too, if you did not use Year I. True-
ors, new illustrations. Lesson story paper “Primary Child” for each of 3 classes; 8 V 2 x 11"; in color; picture- strip Bible story first 2 years. Many other features. Ready for October. Teacher’s quarterly, 45c.; pupil’s ac tivity book and Primary Child, each 25c. [FREE PROSPECTUS on either course]
to-the-Bible; practical; inspirational. Quarterly titles are “Rules of the Road,” “Wayside Trails,” “Men Who Traveled This Way Before,” and “Companions on My Journey.” Teen-Age Teacher’s Quarterly offers 6 pages of unusual help each lesson, 45c. Pupil's Leaflet, one each week, workbook style, 2 colors. Per set, per quarter, 30c.
PICT-O-GRAPH object lessons —Visual applications for 13 Uniform Bible lessons, for flannelboard. Includes teacher’s manual. Complete packet for October -quarter, only $1.75. THE STANDARD PUBLISHING COMPANY C IN C IN N A T I 10, O H IO
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