June 1928
T H E" * K Ì N g ' s
373
B u S I KTESS
J ottings on t S e T ext ' V. 5. “In the syndifogiiesG It was al ways Paul’s custom to go first to Jewish centers'and stay there until the message was definitely;, rejected,. “The Jew; first” was .Gód’s order for “the Gospel o f the ‘grace o f God” (Rom. 1:16). V. 6 . “ They -found- a •certain sorcerer ” Wherever the straight Gospel is preached, the devil has some man to dispute the field ,(cf. ch. 8 —Peter’s, difficulties with one Simon). V. 6 . “ Bar-jesus" means “son of sav iour.” He was denounced as the son of the devil. -, V. 11. “ Thou Shalt be blind.” This was Paul’s first miracle.; Would it not- bring back his own experience o f blindness on the road to Damascus ? He . began .with this sorcerer just where .the Lord. Began with him. He made him blind for a sea son that he might have a chance to think. .V. 13.- “Paul and his company” (Paul & Co.). It is no longer “Barnabas and -Saul.” , Cf. v. 43. ■ i-h Mjfjl ye have any word df ex hortation" Paul captures an opportunity to speak -for .Christ,-.. It is his firstre corded sermon (vs. 17-43), The sermon is not on “the lowly, Nazarene," or Jesus as an ethical teacher, but the,'basic facts of the Gospel. Vs. 17-27. Christ, the ful fillment o f Old Testament prophecy. Vs. 28'-29, Christ, the Redeemer of mankind. :VsV _30-41. Christ in His resurrection, the justifier o f believers.' V. 45. “ When the Jews saw the multi tudes” The old spiritual pride and exclu sive bigotry was aroused. Instead of real izing their position in the world as pro phetic nation for the good of the world, they indulged the idea that/the good things of God were meant only for them. ■„V. 4 6. „“ The Word o.f God fir$t . .. . spoken to ‘ you.” This Verse refutes some prevalent teachings*! Why was.” the first commission to “ the lost sheep o f the house' o f Israel"? Because they were the ones to' whom the oracles o f God had been committed, the ones who should most naturally . furnish the first missionaries. “It was necessary." Whàt was the-mes sage delivered first to the Jews and now spreading to the Géntilés ? ' Was it. an entirely .different message—a proposition to set up an earthly government ? No—it was the message )§pf everlasting life,” of which they had proved themselves unwor thy. ^ Cf. Rom. 1:16, “ '¡'he Gospcl of Christ . . . power o f God unto sal vation . . . Jew first.” V. 47. “Light o f the Gentiles,” Jesus was born to be the light o f the Gentiles (Lk. 2:25-32). He left this earth com manding. His Jewish followers to carry the same Gospel to the Gentiles. This does not mean that God has utterly cast away the Jew (Rom. 11)'. Those who receive the Gospel are “grafted in.” V. 48. “A s many as were ordained to eternal life believed.” Does this mean that God ordains some to be lost? Absolutely not. The fact.here asserted is the divine disposing of these Gentile believers to eternal life. Jesus said, "No man can come to me except the Father draw him” (Jn. 6:44). This is God’s side of our sal vation. The human side is that this divine' disposing through the convicting work of the Holy Spirit, does not annul or coun teract man’s own free agency. Those who do not believe, could believe if they , want ed to. Salvation is for “whosoever.” God has not shut the door against any seeking
preaching in ‘Samaria, o f Peter in going to Cornelius arid o f the first; evangelists in Antioch. As we would now say, they were “very conservative.” If church menibers had been left to themselves,- it is doubtful if they would ever have taken any steps to Spread the. Gospel to foreign parts. It was the Holy Spirit .who ' reminded them by visions and' illuminations of their Lord’s commission, and 'church members today who-are'not fully yielded to H is'influ ences, are j ust. as prohe to become ex clusive and indifferent to rnissioriary en terprises.’ / It' should be noticed that as soon as .Gentiles',began tò come . into. th è 'church, without first having to become Jewish proselytes, their thoughts began to go out, under thè Spirit’s guidance, to the .heathen, about them. They realized, as perhaps Jewish believers did not, the degradation o f idolatries and the emptiness o f false religions. The Spirit had less difficulty in moving them to plan a definite forward movement. It must have been a joyous day at Antioch when Paul and Barnabas accepted the call to go forth to the c'itiès o f .Cyprus. It was, something, new under the sun. ■Except for the prophetic missions of Eli sha or Jonah, there, was nothing in Jewish history to compare with this undertaking. When had they ever left their own bor ders to try to persuade Gentiles that, apart from acceptance o f their Faith, they would be lost? When had the Greeks or Romans ever been approached in this way ? When that vessel left the harbor at Seleucia, the Gospel, for the first time went to sea; for the first time was launched an organized effort to get men to Christ outside o f the Jewish race./ Was it not a heroic undertaking for these two men? They went forth without earthly weapons, without protection by ■any- governor or emperor, carrying only the “Sword o f the Spirit” and an eager ness to tell the story o f redeeming love. As one has said : “ It was the first fruit of ¿that grander mission on which the Lord Himself had come from heaven to earth, and the evidence o f its reality and power.” i W e cannot help wondering if, when the Holy Spirit directed them to start this inew work, there were some in the church who said: “We’d better convert the heathen at home before we try to convert fhe rest o f the world!” It would’ be time to tackle Cyprus after everyone in Anti- ■ |och had been won. How far would the Gospel have gone if the church had fol lowed the narrow, vision o f some? Was ¡there ever, a hamlet • in which- .everyone was converted? We have never heard of it. Palestine might still be the only coun try in any degree Christianized. O f what inestimable blessings would the world have been deprived ! Let us learn, like these early disciples, •that it is our business to go from place to place dropping the Good Seed. -We little know where the good’ ground is to be found or in what unexpected places the seed may germinate and advance over the regions . o f , superstition and sin. This is our Lord’s example. He had no other pro gram. Time has proved that the only way to keep the work alive at home is through the reflex influence o f our foreign mis sionary successes. Soul-winning effort abroad has never been opposed to evangel istic efforts at home.
’¿oul. Iti Firs foreknowledge, H t know's "who will accept, so it -is the work of His Spirit in unison: with - man’s■choice ■ that brings about salvation. If a man is lost, -it is the result o f his own decision. ,A deacon, whose mind had become, filled •>vith doubts,, once told his pastor he fear e d he. wasn’t, one o f the.elect. “ It you -found', yourself in hell,” asked the pastor, “what would you d o?" He thought for a moment/and: then, replied? “I would look up some other man in the. same fix and hold a.'prayer- meeting.” . Said.the pastor : “ The devil would put you. out if you did.” It is certain that, a man. who has a desire to be saved, can be sailed. If a man, has no such desire, it is because he does not care to cultivate it, not becaus'e God' has ruled him out. iL M issionary M issiles . The missionary enterprise, is the safety valve o f the church. If you'shut that down, you may look out for an explosion. The peace and purity o f a church de pend upon,ifs activity for-Christ at home and abroad, and more abroad than at home, . “I say without any hesitation,” says Dr. Wm. Taylor, .“that when interest in for eign missions is maintained in a.church to. the norma? point, all other activities and agencies at home will go of. them selves, while if there be lack o f devotion to that noble enterprise, nothing else will be prosecuted with either enthusiasm or success.” We believe the history o f th e' church will, bear out these assertions, , When you’re asked for your' missionary offering, think of. the day when Paul and Barnabas set out from Antioch and rec kon if you can, how much you; owe to the work ,that was started’ by’ a little church that day. The next soul to be won may be the one to complete the mystical Body of Christ and bring the day o f glory. ' Someone has’ corrected the Lord’s prayer for the use of those who do not believe in missions. This is what you have left when you eliminate the thought ot missions : “Father, who art in heaven. Give (me) this day (my) daily bread. And forgive (me) (my) debts. And lead (me) not into temptation, but deliver (m ej from evil. Amen.” —o— S uggestive Q uestions To whom should the glory o f God and His marvelous plans be declared? (1 Chron. 16:24; Psa. 96:3.) Is world conversion to be expected through the missionary enterprise? (Mk 16:15-16.) Can any believer say there is no need for him in the foreign field? (Jn. 4:35.) What do we need, whether we stay at .home or go abroad? (Jer. 1:7-8.) How may one know where, to go? (Psa 32:8.) - . s For what purpose has the power of speech been given us? (Isa. 50:4.) What responsibility rests upon. every one o f God’s children? (1 Cor. 9:22.). G olden T ext I llustration Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them into the name o f the Father and o f the Son and o f the
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