June 1925
THE K I N G ’S B U S I N E S S
270
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1 • , • C h r i s t i a n L n a e a v o r l o p i c s HT 1 'Y *
C omm e n t s by Rev. V. V. Morgan
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ships come, th e ir muscles tire, their breath grows sho rt and they stop. But the tru e racer finishes th e course. Phil. 4 :13 ; 2 Tim. 4:7. “Looking un to Jesu s.” In order to win, you must look to Christ. You will not notice th e spectators; th e a ttra c tions of the world will not be seen. If your eyes are fastened on Him, you will not see the golden apples th a t Satan flings across yoilr pathway to hinder you. You will miss all the by paths. Remember you are running on a God-appointed ta sk and your defi nite aim must always be “ looking unto Jesus.” The Judge— See 2 Cor. 5:10; 2 Tim. 4 :8 ; Phil. 2 :16 ; 1 Cor. 3:11- 15. The prize— Phil. '3:14; 2 Tim. 4: 8; 1 Cor. 9:25. JU N E '28, 1925 An Answer to th e Missionary Challenge Isa. 6:8,9; 1 Thess. 2:8. The answer of Isaiah is the best pos sible answer to th e m issionary chal lenge. A willingness and readiness to go anywhere, a t any time. God wants . men. 2 Chron. 16 :9 ; Ezek. 22:30; Jer. 5 :1 ; Matt. 4:19. The g reat unevangelized portions of th e world, populated w ith two-thirds of th e e a rth ’s inhabitants, present a tremendous challenge and an over whelm ing responsibility to every child of God. If we do not take them the Gospel, certainly no one else will. Not— “H ere is a dollar, send it.” Not, “Here is a sub stitu te missionary, send him .” Not, “Here is a ta le n t— some special gift— use th a t.” But, “H ere am I, send me.” The response is personal, as the call is personal. Everyone who has named the name of Christ m ust be ready and w illing to go; must say w ith Paul, “Lord, what wouldst thou have me. to do?” Acts 9:6. Not, ‘T 'will go, afte r I get more train in g .” Not, “A fter I sell my busi ness.” Not, “A fter I accumulate w ealth.” Not, “A fter circumstances change.” Not, “Some better tim e.” B u t “Here AM I,” rig h t now, present tense. Not, “Send me to an easy field, to an agreeable climate, to healthful conditions, to a place of pleasant sur roundings, to a field th a t pays a good salary.” Not, “Send me to China, Africa, Japan, or L atin America,” but “SEND me”— anywhere. W h o l e - hearted, earnest, complete surrender of self for service anywhere. Let us not choose the field, bu t let God select it for us. This is a definite plea. “Send me.” I must go somewhere. I m ust tell someone. Read P au l’s testimony, 1 Cor. 9:16, also in Jer. 20:9. As David B rainerd, m issionary to th e Indians, once w rote in his journal, “I cared not where or how I lived, or what h ard ships I went through, so th a t I could (Continued on page 279)
smile of His favor, the joy- of winning precious souls for Him, th e joy of being in the center of His will in this life alone more th an compensate any price paid. For the etern al rewards, see Matt. 25:21, 23; Luke 19:17, 19; Rev. 3:12; 1 Cor. 3:13, 14; Phil. 3: 14; 1 Cor. 9:24-27;. Rom. 8 :17 ; 2 Tim. 2:12; 1 Pet. 2 :20 ; 1 Pet. 4:16; 1 Pet. 1:7, 13; Luke 12:37; Col. 3:23, 24; Luke 14:12-14; Jam es 1:12; Heb. 11:26; Matt. 19:29; Phil. 4 :1 ; 1 TheSs. 2 :19 ; Heb. 2:9. JUNE a i , 1925 Life as a H urdle Race Heb. 12:1-4 There are many figures of speech in the Bible for th é Christian, no t one is effeminate— fighter, w arrior, pugilist, soldier, and here a racer w ith the track of life stretching out before him. The contestants in this race are those who have been born again. For regen eration is essential for qualification on th is team. All have an equal chance. The trac k is ‘.‘set before us.” He has planned it all out. If the way some times seems d ark and hard and if it leads into strange places, remember th a t He has staked th e way for us. 1 Cor. 9:19-27 gives us the train ing necessary. The Holy Spirit is our T rain er and the Bible the infallible Guide Book. Disobedience means dis-qualification. See 1 Cor. 9:2-7, though th is does not mean the loss of salvation. There must be implicit obe dience to the T rainer. There must be rigid self-control or temperance. The body must be kep t under. The rig h t kind of food is necessary. The meat of th e Word, prayer, association w ith the Lord’s people, the Lord’s supper., etc., form the diet. The race is too hard, th e prize is too precious, and the issue is too v ital for any of us to be less th a n our very best. We must not feed our spirits, souls or bodies any thing th a t would not build up strong muscles. We must “lay aside every w eight.” No racer would take his position in fron t of the sta rte r w ith a lot of heavy weights fastened to him. Doubt, fear, discouragement will drag you down. The things th a t you do th a t are not essential, th a t sap your streng th and waste your tim e and talen ts, as too much social life, various functions, pleasures, slavish adherence to the fashions of the day, perhaps too strong attachm ents for home ties. Those in our own homes may become weights when we make idols of them. Anything th a t hind ers is a weight. Of course all sin must be laid aside. The one sin, your p articu lar sin. Have done w ith it! “W ith patience.” Stay ing power is what counts. Stam ina is essential. So many s ta rt well, eager and enthusiastic, b u t when the h ard
JUNE 14, 1925 ^Leadership: Its P rice and Its Rewards 2 Cor, 12:11-21; 2 Tim. 4:6-8 A real leader must pay a real price. Many elements en ter into this price of leadership, bu t th e first is knowledge. a. The Knowledge of God. You m u st know God by a definite, personal acceptance of Jesus Christ, th e only “begotten Son of God, as Saviour. By experiencing His power in your life a s a deliverer from sin. By Surrender to Him as your Lord and Master. The tru e Christian leader is Christ in th e le ad e r. By being much alone w ith God. b. The Knowledge of th e Scrip tu res. Every leader must know the Rible. The Sword is not of much use if the swordsman knows not how to wield it. This means systematic, tho r ough and painstaking study of the Bible itself, c. The Knowledge of People. Some on e has sa id ,‘“You do not teach the Bible, you teach folks.” This comes by the study of the Bible, for the W o rd gives us the most accurate pic tu re of sinful hum an natu re. And by th e study of people themselves. ■ d. The Knowledge of Local Condi tions. Do not live up in the .clouds. M ake yourself acquainted w ith the needs about you. e. The Knowledge of Your Work. The tru e leader is called of God to a p articu lar field and w o rk .. He must “know all th a t it is possible to know ab o u t th e work God has called him to do. It is also well to know all he can .about all phases of Christian work. The next requirem ent for leadership is intense application to th e work. Leadership has no place for th e lazy man. Again the tru e leader train s •others to do his work. . This takes time, effort, patience and hum ility. B etter to tra in half a dozen men to do a certain work th an to do it yourself. P ray er is ano th er price. This takes tim e and is hard work, bu t th ere will be no success w ithout much of it. The kneeling leader is th e powerful leader. Another price is denial of self. Your .ambition, plans, place and m anner of living, property, possessions, your will surrendered to Him and to the control •of the Holy Spirit. Absolute devotion to God. People will not follow you very' far if your h ea rt is not in your work, nor will they follow you very far if you are working for self-glory. The price, is suffering, m isunder standing, lies, gossip, persecution, afflictions, pain. See 2 Cor. 11:22- 30; John 16:33. For the rew ards on earth, see Psalm 19:11; Gen. 15 :1 ; Prov. 11:18; Psa. 84:11; 1 Cor. 9 :i7 , 18; John 17:14, 22; Luke 18:29-30. The joy of the .consciousness of His presence, the
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