April, 1939
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
144
BLACKBOARD LESSON
Acts 20:24, 25 as "the gospel o f the grace o f God" and "the kingdom o f God.” The two are related, as the latter includes the former, but they are not synonymous. The first is a very simple thing, having to do with complete salvation as the free gift of God through the death and resurrection of our Lord. (See 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 for a statement of this gospel.) But the kingdom of God is an immense and complex matter, involving the rule of God at all times and places, which will reach its complete mani festation upon earth only when Christ re turns and the nation of Israel is restored to its promised place of favor. 3. “Testifying . . . repentance . . . and faith” (Acts 20:21). There is much un fortunate confusion regarding these two im portant words. By some today “repent ance" is set aside as belonging to the Jews, and “faith” is retained as the sole duty of the Gentiles. At the other extreme we find "repentance” and “faith" taught as two dis tinct and separate steps on the way to sal vation. The truth is that both are essential, but they describe two sides or aspects of the one act of the soul in receiving salva tion by grace. The word “repent” means simply to “change the mind.” Thus it should be perfectly clear that no one can "believe” on Christ without “repenting,” for the act of Christian faith involves a radical "change of mind” in the sinner. That is the reason that in many places in the New Testament “faith” stands alone with no mention of “repentance” as the way to receive salvation. Both should be preached, but "faith” should have the pre eminence given it in the New Testament. Golden Text Illustration E phesians 2:13 Traveler to native of the district: “How far am I from Hilltown?” “About 24,900 miles,” replied the native. "Impossible!" Native: “I mean if you go the way you are going; but if you turn round it’s only about a mile.” The unsaved are a good distance from heaven, for they are travel ing from it. "Far off" (Eph. 2:13).— 1,000 Tales Worth Telling, by P ickering . Memory Verse; “I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live” (Psa. 104:33). Approach; When Paul left Corinth, he sailed back across the sea to Asia, to an other big city, named Ephesus. This first time he stayed just long enough to talk to the people as they gathered in the syna gogue. They heard him with interest and A Meeting in a School House A cts 18:18 to 20:38; E phesians 2
poured upon a dry area, but the soil may resist it and at last be petrified. When the living water of God’s grace was poured out upon these opposers, they became stub born and hardened against the Word of life. W e should be solemnized by the thought that whenever the Word of the Lord is heard, its effect will be either to harden or to enrich and beautify the life— the result depending upon the attitude of the individual in receiving the Word. Moreover, the opposers “believed hot”; that is, they were disobedient (v. 9, R. V .). Because of their willfulness, they would not be persuaded. Finally, the opposers "spake evil” of the W ay of life. One’s rejection of the truth leads to one's speaking evil of the Way, the Lord Jesus Christ. To be included in this condemnation, it is not necessary that an individual speak actual words of rebel lion and hatred, for, in reality, the person who seeks salvation or blessing by any other way than by simple faith in Jesus Christ speaks evil of TH E Way of life (John 14:6; Heb. 10:20, 29). Because of the opposition, Paul, together with those who believed, withdrew from the synagogue. It was a solemn day when Paul withdrew from the synagogue, be cause with him went the truth and blessing of God. The neighboring school of Tyran- nus was opened for Paul’s testimony to continue, and there the apostle preached for two years. But the opposition really advanced the truth “so that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks” (v. 10). W e never need be disturbed when the truth is seemingly hin dered by opposition; God will force the opposition to work for good. II. M ethod U sed with the P eople (20:17-21) First, Paul’s method included “serving the Lord with all humility of mind” (v. 19). But this service in the Lord’s name brought tears to Paul, because of the hardness of heart displayed by those to whom he preached. His service was. rendered in the midst of "temptations,” that is, trials and persecutions from the Jews. Second, Paul’s method included serving the people (v. 20). He had not shrunk from declaring anything that would be profitable to them. He was not concerned with what they might want, but with what they needed; hence he gave to them the whole counsel of God. Third, Paul’s method included service to the unsaved, both Jews and Gentiles. He declared unto them repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (v. 21). Nothing else could win them from their idolatry and bring them full salvation. III. M essage for the P eople (Eph. 2:19-22) Sometime after he had preached in per son to the Ephesians, Paul was moved by the Holy Spirit to write to them and set before them their assured position and their God-given possessions in Christ. In this particular portion of his letter to the Ephesians he addresses Gentiles only. They had been strangers and foreigners (vs. 11, 12), but now they were fellow citi-
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zens with the saints and of the household of God (v. 19). They were built upon the foundation already laid by the apostles and prophets, with Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone (v. 20). They were being fitly framed together as an holy temple to the Lord and an habita tion for God (vs. 21, 22). This phraseol ogy reminds us of the record of the build ing of Solomon’s temple, where the sound of a hammer was not heard in its construc tion, because each stone had been fashioned in the quarry before being brought and laid in its place in the temple. Likewise now the Lord is building His temple with living stones, fashioned and cut for their indivi dual places. Amid all the confusion of the present day, the Lord's work of “building” goes on steadily and silently, quietly near ing completion, according to His plan. Points and Problems 1. “ Went into the synagogue . . . [or the space o[ three months" (Acts 19:8). Two things are suggested here. First, the indecision among the Jews of that particu lar period. Today it would be almost a seven-day wonder if a Jewish synagogue would admit a Christian missionary to speak at all, to say nothing of “three months.” But the Jews then were deeply interested in what had happened to Jesus at Jerusalem, and many were wavering be tween complete acceptance and complete rejection of His claims. For there could be no other alternatives. But this crucial pe riod passed quickly. Some believed, but the majority rejected, secured complete con trol of the synagogue, and its doors were soon shut to the testimony of Jesus. The second thing to notice is that the mission ary program of the early Christians began in what might be called the organized “church” of that day, the synagogue and temple. Of course, we know that the dis- pensational program had to be “to the Jew first.” But drawing a modem application, is it not possible that today once more, in places where modernism has abandoned the deity and blood of the Lord, we should re gard such churches as a proper field of mis sionary testimony? It is undoubtedly true (although not a popular truth) that right here in our own country it is possible to find local churches within various denomi nations where many of the membership have never even heard the gospel of God’s grace. 2. "The things concerning the kingdom o f God" (19:8). This is not a mere loose term referring to the preaching of the gos pel in general. Throughout the period cov ered by the Book of Acts, apostolic preach ing carried a distinctly twofold message. The two elements are set forth exactly in
wanted him to stop longer with them and tell them about the things of Jesus. He couldn’t stay then, but he came back later to spend two years in their midst. L e s s o n S t o r y : Many in te re stin g th in g s happened while Paul lived in
this city. First of all, he found some people who had heard the preaching of John the 5 -D iv is io n
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