April, 1935
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
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amount of bustling service can ever take the place of worship and prayer as a force ' for the spread o f the truth. Life in the church is manifested in the daily life of the Christians (vs. 43-47). It is little wonder that “ fear” came upon all the people when they saw the life lived by the saints, and when they witnessed the wonders and signs wrought by the apostles. W e must remember that these people were Jews, and that the signs were given to them to accredit the words spoken. While verse 43 reveals faith in action, verses 44 and 45 reveal love in action. But here we must guard against the mistake which many people make today in at tempting to follow the practice of these early believers, rather than choosing to be guided by their precepts. A community o f possessions, such as that described in Acts 2, could not exist today with our complicated mode o f living, any more than it could continue to exist in that day. The practice was chosen by the believers; it was not commanded by God. Content ment and gladness were manifested in these early Christians, finding expression in praise to God (vs. 46, 47). Life in the church is perpetuated by the Lord Himself (v. 47). II. T h e W a l k of t h e C h u r c h (Eph. 4:1-7). The walk o f believers is to be worthy o f their calling (v. 1), and the calling is to fellowship with God’s Son (cf. 1 Cor. 1:9; Eph. 5:8; Heb. 3:1), To make this relationship" a reality in thè life, there must be a certain manner o f living—“with all lowliness” before the Lord, and with “meekness” in relation to others (vs. 2, 3). The saints are not yet as they will be; much of the old nature is still to be seen in them, and this fact necessitates forbearance one with another. But where “love” is present, the other attributes mentioned in verse 2 will be evidenced, and the “unity of the Spirit” will be preserved “in the bond o f peace.” The basis for such a walk is found in the seven fundamentals given in verses 4 to 7. There is one body, the church which is the body o f Christ; one Spirit, the Holy Spirit, who places the believer in the body o f Christ; one hope, the “blessed hope” of the Lord’s coming to take His church to Himself; one Lord, Christ the Head o f the church ; one faith, the faith once for all delivered to the saints ; one baptism, the unseen action of the Holy Spirit o f introducing the be liever into the church (cf. Gal. 3 :2 7 ); and one God and Father of all. III. • T h e G ifts for t h e C h u r c h (Eph. 4:11-16). The gifts to the church are its leaders : apostles, through whom is given an au thoritative system of doctrine suitable for the church in all ages; prophets, whose work is to expound doctrine; evangelists, called upon to proclaim doctrine ; and pas ters and teachers, whose task is to train the saints in that doctrine. These gifts are for the “perfecting,” which means “repair,” o f the saints un to the work of the ministry. A truth some times overlooked is the teaching o f verse 12, that the saint in the pew is in the work of the ministry, and that the one in the pulpit is the repairer or perfecter unto this work.
in the Greek. It is the definite article “ the/' The Christian church continued steadfast ly in “ the doctrine,” and “the fellowship,” and "the breaking o f bread,” and “ the prayers.” The use o f the definite article points to something distinctive in each case. It was not something in general, but a certain kind o f doctrine and fellowship and prayers. Christianity from the very beginning had its own distinctive faith and worship. Let us today continue steadfast ly in these "things. . 2. In Ephesians 4:1, the Apostle Paul speaks of himself as “ the prisoner o f the Lord.” The American Revision renders it "in the Lord,” which is better. Paul was actually a prisoner o f the Roman govern ment, but this experience, like all other ex periences, is “in the Lord.” That is, the apostle’s imprisonment in Rome was just one more happening among the many, all o f which were parts o f the one great plan for his life and work “ in the Lord.” Looked at from this viewpoint, the experi ence loses all iis humiliation and becomes actually a mark of distinction. It is a rev elation of dignity, not a plea for sympathy. 3. Verse 11 gives an enumeration of spiritual gifts bestowed by the exalted Christ, not a list of church offices. The offices in the church are elective, under the control o f the church. But the gifts are bestowed by a sovereign Lord accord ing to His own will. However, it is im portant for the shurch to elect as its o f ficers those who manifest the proper gifts. The apostolic and prophetic gifts ceased when the New Testament revelation was complete. The evangelistic, teaching, and pastoral gifts still remain. These gifts may be developed by education o f the right sort, but no process o f education can orig inate them. They are conferred only by the sovereign will o f our blessed Lord. Golden Text Illustration One who went up in a balloon said that, as he rose, the fences that divided tbe country into farms and fields faded out, until soon he saw only one beautiful landscape o f meadow, field, and forest, with winding stream and river shining in rich loveliness beneath the pure sky. So it is as we rise higher to God in love and faith; the fences tbat divide His church grow smaller and smaller until they van ish altogether. W e are all one, “ each giving to the other’s need, each helping on the other’s best, and blessing each as well as blest.”— J. R. M iller , in The Sunday School Times. Going to God’s House M a t t h e w 18:19, 20; A cts 2:41-45; 1 T im o t h y 3 :15 Memory Verse: “I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord” (Psa. 122:1). Approach: Sometimes we call this building which we are in this morning, a
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church. A n o t h e r n a m e fo r . it is “ God’s house.” We call it God’s house because we c o m e here to worship God and to learn more about Him. L e s s o n S t o r y : For many, m a n y y e a r s people have come to a place where they m i g h t
Points and Problems
worship God together. Long years ago, the children o f Israel built a beautiful tent called a tabernacle, where God was to be worshiped. After they were settled in a
1. The Authorized Version of Acts 2: 42 omits a very important word in each of the four times that it occurs in this verse
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