they were going to give him a gift of money. Peter then said, “ Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.” As Peter took the man by the hand and lifted him up, the man immediately began to feel strength in his feet and ankle bones. He leaped up and stood and walked and entered into the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. When those who had daily seen him begging, now saw him walking, they were filled with wonder and amazement. A great crowd gathered around the two Christians and the lame man in Solo mon’s porch to learn what had hap pened. Peter told the people that the Lord Jesus had enabled His disciples to perform this great miracle. The religious leaders of the Jews were angry when they heard Peter and John preaching the resurrection of the dead. They put the two Christians into jail for that night. However, many believed the Gospel which had been preached unto them. God’s Word tells us that about five thou sand men were saved, and doubtless there were many women and children who also found the Saviour in the temple that day. The next day the rulers were amazed at the testimony that Peter and John gave for their risen Lord. “ They took knowledge of them that they had been with Jesus.” The rulers commanded Peter and John to not speak to any man about their Lord from that hour on. Bravely they answered, “We cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” After further threaten ing, the rulers finally allowed Peter and John to go free. Today, as then, it takes real courage sometimes to stand up for the Lord Jesus Christ. Only He can give that courage. When you must decide whether to obey your rulers, or parents, or teachers, remember that God’s Word says, “We must obey God rather than men.” We are to obey bur leaders, our teachers, and our parents, as long as obeying them does not force us to dis obey our Lord. Whenever a decision must be made, our Lord will honor us for obeying Him regardless of the re sults. He has said, “Them that honour me I will honour” (1 Sam. 2:30). Sept. 10, 1950 JOHN MARK, THE MAN WHO MADE GOOD Acts 12:12, 25; 13:4, 5, 13; 15:36-40 Pointers on the Lesson We study John Mark today, a man very much like many of God’s children. In the early days of his •Christian serv ice he appears to lack courage and stedfastness. However, as time passed, he overcame this weakness and develop ed into a man brave and useful in the ministry. Defeat in the beginning days of Christian experience does not neces sarily mean that a person cannot suc ceed in later days. The grace of God can enable a man to overcome his faults A U G U S T , 1 9 5 0
and become valiant in the service of the Lord. This we see in John Mark’s life. Mark’s Home 12:12 John Mark had the distinct advan tage of having come from a praying home. He never could get away from the prayers that ascended to Heaven from that hallowed place. Mark might wander a bit from the path of God’s perfect will but the prayers of his mother would avail to bring him back —and they did. The verse before us is found in a most interesting setting. Peter had just been released from prison. Where would he go? Evidently he knew some of God’s children would be at John Mark’s home. Arriving there he found a prayer meeting in progress. It is a wonderful asset to young people to come from such an en vironment. Mark’s Associates 12:25 The picture in this verse is of Mark in the distinguished company of Barna bas and Saul. The company young peo ple keep is a highly important matter. If young Christians expect to grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, they must seek fellowship with those who have a warm faith and a vital Christian experience. Otherwise, it is most difficult to succeed in the Christian walk. One coal of fire will not long continue to glow if it abides alone. Mark’s Failure 13:4, 5, 13 Mark went along with Barnabas and Saul on their first missionary journey. He acted as their attendant until they arrived on the mainland of Asia Minor. No doubt he was both blessed and a blessing during the opening stages of the journey. Then something happened that caused Mark to turn back and “ John departing from them returned to Jerusalem” (13) to his mother. The Holy Spirit has not seen fit to tell us just why Mark turned back. Did he be come homesick? Did his courage fail him as he contemplated the difficult journey into the interior of a country hostile to the gospel? We cannot be dogmatic in answering. Evidently Paul felt that Mark was to be blamed and probably he did become fainthearted. It was wrong for the servant of God to put his hand to the plow and then look back (Luke 9:62). Mark’s Restoration 15:36-40 The time came for Paul’s second mis sionary journey. Barnabas was anxious to take Mark along. Paul thought it was not wise to do so in view of his de parture during the first journey. The contention between Paul and Barnabas over the matter became so tense that these two decided to go separate ways, Paul linking up with Silas, and Barna bas joining with Mark. So now there were two gospel teams instead of one. Thus God overruled this difficulty for His glory and a wider spread of the gospel. Barnabas and Mark went into Cyprus to minister and, since this was the home of Barnabas, the work there
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