THE K I N G ’S BUS I NES S and will continue to do so th roughou t th e fu tu re. All are one in Christ Jesus and shall have life forevermore. THURSDAY, July 24. Acts 11:27-30. Ministering to the Brethren. It is in teresting to note how the direction of the stream of C hristian giv ing has changed a t different times. In th is passage money was gathered in the foreign field and sent to support the m other church a t Jerusalem . W ith us th e reverse is th e case today. We g ath er money a t home and send it to suppo rt the work aboard. The know ledge of a need should fu rn ish a suffi cient motive to a child of God to make every possible effort to meet it. Mis sion ary facts are the fuel th a t feeds the m issionary fires. Some missionary societies have adopted as th e ir p rin ciple of adm in istration th e method th at is expressed in th e motto “As to funds, non solicitation, as to needs full in fo r m ation.” A statem en t of conditions on th e field, simple, clear and w ithout rh eto rical embellishment furnishes a m ighty and moving appeal to generous and sacrificial giving. The depleted sta te of many a m issionary treasu ry can only be accounted for by an ignor ance on th e p a rt of those a t home, as g rea t as it is lamentable. W hat an ideal stand ard and perfect m easure of giving is set fo rth by th e phrase “ every man according to his ab ility !” Before th is can pass into action, th ere m ust be in addition to ability, w illingness and desire. The le tte r of P au l to Philemon is a perfect gem of th e epistolary art, com bining brevity and beauty. Philemon was a w ealthy Christian gentlem an of Colossae who had been converted th rough th e in strum en tality of Paul. His Christian character as inferred from the references in th is epistle, was one of the noblest. He was full of faith and good works, grateful, confiding, sympathetic and charitable, a man who on a question of justice needed only a h in t of his duty, to prompt him to go even beyond it. There was in his house hold a certain slave by th e name of Onesimus. He had comm itted a th eft in his m aster’s household and fearing discovery and punishm ent, he ra n away to lose his id en tity and hide his guilt in th e slum s of Rome. At th is tim e FRIDAY, July 25. Philemon 8-20. Slave and Brother Beloved.
673 P aul was in Rome and although a pris oner was preaching th e Gospel as he had opportunity n igh t and day. In some P rovidential m anner th e fugitive slave was b rough t in contact w ith the preacher and was converted. Possibly he had known P au l a t Colossae bu t h e now explains his presence in Rome and confesses his sin. P au l tak es him at once into his favor and fellowship and Onesimus becomes his m inister and ser vant. W ith th a t delicate regard for th e rig h ts of others which characterized Paul, he would not claim or retain th e services of Onesimus. He th erefo re sends him back to Philemon a t Colossae w ith a personal le tte r of explanation and intercession. Onesimus means profitable. P au l plays upon the word, adm itting th a t though he had been most unprofitable to them both, he was now profitable as a Christian. P aul becomes intercessor for the slave and thief, beseeching Philemon for his sake to forgive him and resto re him to favor, counting him no longer a tran sg resso r and slave bu t as a b ro th er beloved in th e Lord. This sho rt le tte r illu strates th e scheme of redemption. The seven teen th verse is th e key to it all. The th ree g reat lessons ta u g h t are manu mission, intercession and adoption. May we no t learn also from th is personal le tte r of one Christian to another, to bring Christ and th e Gospel more and more into our correspondence? The phrase “ overtaken in a fa u lt’r shows th a t any one to whom it m ight be tru th fu lly applied, would be a good man and a child of God. The p ictu re suggested by the phrase is th a t of one runn ing to escape from some pu rsu er b u t the one pursuing run s faster and catches up w ith him. The direction determ ines the character. In th e case of th e ungodly man, he would be ru n ning tow ard the fault. In the case of th e godly, he would be runn ing away from it, and he m ight or m ight not escape. If he out-distances th e fau lt he is to he congratulated. If he is over taken by it, he is to be restored and delivered as quickly as possible. Those to whom the m inistry of resto ration is comm itted are th e sp iritually minded. If any others meddle w ith it, it makes bad m a tte r worse. There is nothing th a t requires g reater delicacy of touch, fineness of sympathy and depth of per ception th an a case of sp iritu al disci- SATURDAY, July 26. Gal. 6:1-10. Forbearance and Helpfulness.
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker