T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
292
August, 1936
c Aroundthe King’scTabltj B y P a u l W. R ood
A preacher who was spending his vacation in Los Angeles attended the morning service of the church of his de nomination. The pastor, wishing to recognize his brother minister, went
are dying, and we must be faithful to God at all seasons. Summer Bible schools for children give us wonderful opportunities to win the boys and girls. Summer Bible con ferences should be evangelistic as well as inspirational and instructive. There are just as many openings for per
Summer Opportunities and Responsibilities
the down to where visitor was sitting and a s k e d him to come to the platform and lead in prayer. “ No,” said the visit ing pastor, “ I am on my vacation.” This incident illus trates an attitude that is q u i t e prevalent. Many church mem bers seem to feel that a vacation means a vacation from church attendance, B i b l e study, , prayer, and
sonal work in the summer as there are during any other sea son. Let us be “ re deeming the time,” that is,, buying up the opportunities, of the vacation period. Abraham cou ld exercise a ministry of intercession dur ing “ the heat of the day.” He learned that Sodom and Gomor rah were to be de stroyed. A braham prayed f o r t h e s e
A Summer Bible Conference for Physical Relaxation and Spiritual Strength
Christian activity. Every one needs a vacation and should take one if it is at all possible, but this period of relaxation should not and must not mean a spiritual “ vaca tion.” A Christian should be just as faithful to his Lord in the summer time as during the winter. Yet there are many who are careless and indifferent, not to say incon sistent, during the vacation period. Consequently the work of the church not only lags in the heat o f summer, but the church also has a difficult time in starting its fall and win ter program. W e recognize this diagnosis as correct, but little is said or done about it. A study of Genesis 18 reveals that Abra ham had fellowship with the Lord when the weather was hot. We need that fellowship just as much in summer as in winter. The Lord might return in the summer time, and surely neither a Calvinist nor an Arminian wants to be out of fellowship with the Lord when He comes. The fact that we are to appear before the judgment seat of Christ and that there is danger o f losing our reward should be an in centive to holy living in all seasons o f the year. Death might come in the heat o f summer as quickly as in the cold o f winter, and no Christian wants to be out o f fellowship with the Lord when the angel of death appears. Abraham served the Lord and exercised hospitality “ in the heat o f the day.” Likewise today there are oppor tunities to serve the Lord in the summer months. In fact, in some sections of the country there are opportunities to do things that cannot be done in the winter time. Street meetings, open-air services, and tent campaigns can be held anywhere during the summer season. Thousands of souls have been won for the Lord through efforts of this kind. Are we taking advantage o f our opportunities ? Peo ple can be reached through open-air services who other wise would never hear the gospel. Souls are lost and men
sinful cities, and his prayer was not in vain, for “ God re membered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow” (Gen. 19:29). A relative Was rescued through Abraham’s prayer, and our relatives may be saved from de struction through our intercessions. Shall we not during the remainder o f this summer pray for our nation, our cities, and for all efforts that are being put forth to win the lost ? Shall we not walk in close fellowship with the Lord, serve Him faithfully, and pray without ceasing even “ in the heat of the day” ? “ What message has this verse or pas- “ Quicken Me sage for me?” is the question we should According to ask ourselves as we read the Word of Thy Word” God. Sometimes we. study the Bible in order to teach or to preach. We read the Bible in order to have something o f value to pass on to others. Certainly this purpose in study is necessary for the Christian worker, but we must not forget to read the Word for our own edification.. W e should open the Bible with this prayer in our hearts and on our lips: “ Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law” (Psa. 119:18). We need the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our study o f God’s Word. The Holy Spirit who guided the forty human authors of the Bible so that they wrote exactly what God wanted them to write, nothing more and nothing less, understands the Word and is the best teacher o f the Word. He dwells with in every child o f God and is willing and able to “ teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance” (John 14:26). The Spirit of God not only interprets the Word so that we can understand its meaning, but He also applies it to our hearts. The Word is a mirror, and as we study the
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