THE TIME TO PRAY (Continued from Page U )
“ Lord” and Jesus revealed Himself to him at that time. Jesus still speaks to human hearts today. By His Spirit He makes known His will especially through His Word. Happy are those who hear His voice and respond to it as Paul did! Paul’s Commission 16-18 Paul is next shown what sort of a ministry was to be his. The word to emphasize in these verses is witness. This is the key word of the Book of Acts. It appears 21 times in its various forms. It occurs first in 1:8 in its plural form. The content of Paul’s witnessing is clearly set forth. Every phrase is im portant. Study each one carefully. Paul’s Yieldedness 19, 20 These words are exemplary. Paul heard the voice of Christ and heeded it. So should the rest of us who have named His name. One night God sent to the great mis sionary, Paul, a vision. He saw a man o f Macedonia calling to him, and saying, “ Come over into Macedonia and help us.” Paul did not ignore the vision nor take several years to decide whether or not he should answer the call. Immediately he endeavored to go to Macedonia. After they arrived in Macedonia, they went upon the sabbath day to a prayer meet ing which was held on the bank of a river. They preached the gospel to a group of women who were gathered there. That day a wealthy woman named Lydia found the Saviour. When she and her household had been bap tized, she urged Paul and his compan ion to stay in her house while they were preaching there. Later, God sent Paul to the wicked city of Athens. Fearlessly God’s serv ant preached the gospel to these idol worshipers. In Paul’s letter to the church at Cor inth he reminds the Christians of those things which he had to suffer that he might faithfully preach the gospel. Three times he was beaten with rods, once he was stoned, three times he suf fered shipwreck, a night and a day he was adrift on the sea, he constantly had to journey, he was in peril (danger) from waters, robbers, enemies, and the heathen! Most Christians today would complain constantly if any one of these things was theirs because of their serving their Lord! Nothing could keep Paul from preaching the gospel. The slightest ex cuses keep some so-called Christians from witnessing for their Lord and from even coming to His house to worship regularly! Missionaries in some parts o f the world today are facing actual physical danger for their Lord. All Christians are commanded to “ go,” no matter what the cost. Page Thirty-two Helps for the Children How Paul Spread the Story of Jesus Acts 16:9-15; 17:22-28; 2 Cor. 11:25,26 Memory Verse: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature”
YOUNG PEOPLE MAY KNOW THE WILL OF GOD ( Continued from Page 23) study. So the Bible becomes a lamp to one's feet and a light to one’s pathway (Psa. 119:105). It is a de terrent to sin (Psa. 119:11). It is food . . . it is a sword . . . it is a pil low . . . it is balm . . . it is everything the Christian needs (Psa. 119:11; Jer. 15:16; Heb. 4 :12 ). Full well I know that such an ac quaintanceship with the Book of books is not made over-night. Yet, because it takes much time is no reason to defer the start o f such an acquaintanceship. Begin now. Make the Book your constant companion. Know it better than you know any thing else in life. “ ‘He told me,’ relates Greening, ‘how the Japs kept him in a dark cell— 36 months of solitary confinement— and there, day after day, week after week, he could only sit and brood. Then, one day, the black hole was filled suddenly with brilliant light, and Jake heard a voice telling him that it should be his mission to teach the Japanese how to treat human beings decently. The light and the voice were a command, bidding him to do his bit in bringing Christianity to the Japanese.’ Green ing’s own impression was deepened and confirmed by a fellow-prisoner of De Shazer in that Japanese jail. The two had long discussions o f De Shaz- er’s experience and did much to con vince the other Doolittle fliers o f the depth and meaning o f it. “ Jake De Shazer resolved to become a missionary to Japan. He studied at Seattle Pacific College and went to spread the gospel in the country which had treated him so badly. Greening told o f huge crowds who have heard Jake preach in Japan. In all o f his work, he has had the support o f his Doolittle buddies, and now the raiders have voted to use all proceeds from their historical document o f the Tokyo raid to support De Shazer’s mission in Japan. That was the ‘main objective’ at the 1950 reunion o f the men who electrified the Allied cause and blasted the Japanese capital eight years ago.” EDITORIALLY SPEAKING (Continued from Page 18) “ Jake thought a minute and replied, ‘I knew you’d ask me that, Ross, and I’ll tell you about it.’ (Rank does not exist among Doolittle fliers.) ground of His sure promises; let us pray on the foundation o f His eternal purpose; let us pray on the assurance o f His holiness and power; let us pray because of His clear in vitation— “ Seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” Pray because revival is needed desperately in every city; pray be cause o f your own personal need. If you are lost and without Christ, get on your knees right now and call upon God. You cannot save yourself, you cannot get to Heaven alone, you need a living message from a living Word, from a living Christ, from a living God, from a living Holy Spirit, to take you to the place where you can rejoice in saving faith and in sins forgiven. When the noted Dr. R. A. Torrey was a young man, he fell into sin and worldliness. One Sunday night, he de termined to end his own life. But in despair he seemed to hear his mother saying, “ Reuben, when you come to the darkest hour o f your life, don’t forget to pray.” “ Surely,” he said to himself, “ This is my darkest hour.” He fell to his knees and begged God to have mercy upon his soul. The Lord saved him and called him to preach the gospel. His history as Bible teacher and evangelist is well known. He served as pastor of Moody Church and superintendent o f men at Moody Institute for years, was the first dean o f the Bible Institute of Los Angeles, and the first pastor of the Church o f the Open Door, after which he went around the world in an evangelistic ministry. • “ He that dwelleth in the secret place o f the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty” (Psa. 91:1). Get alone with God, let Him deal with your sins, with your miserable heart, with your contrary nature. He will solve every problem, blot out every sin, dispel all gloom, give you a song o f deliverance and cause you to shout for joy, because you have learned to approach your Heavenly Father in faith and prayer. T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker