January 1927.
T h e ,. K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
w
lik i^ th p 6 tiifrianthn n fiX ? IAN s iI B p H B R D of to d ay . H ow little h e h a s 1c h a n g e d th ro u g h th e c e n tu rie s! A nd°the sh e ep n a tu re , th is v jlw “ S S fn d u s a t SA>n-.e0od,ep? ? d®?-t ’-.5 f!5 ? ^ e_1i BP th in g ,,e v e r in n eed of le a d e rsh ip a n d p ro te c tio n . D oes n o t n ev er." O niv hv inrtiriTio- H E b H m °?n,1927’ f “J” ' ||S e a s i n g n e e d I of the. S h ep h erd of Gove, “w h o se g o o d n ess fa ile th o n ly hy lo o k in g u n to H im , w ill w e be ab le to sa y— “I n o th in g la c k , fo r I am H is a n d H e is m in e fo re v e r."
“So Much th e More” H EB. 10:25 exhorts believers not to forsake the assembling of themselves together as a church, “and so much the more as ye see the day approaching.” The signs that the day of Christ’s advent is fast approaching are evident to all who know anything of the Scriptures. It is indeed strange to find people who talk much of the signs of the times while they advance excuses for no longer assembling with believers or being identified with any church. They consider it sufficient that they are members of the “mystical body.” From the first, Christ promised His presence in a special way to those who assembled regularly in His name. The com munion bread and wine in the congregation has always been a means of grace of which isolated believers are deprived.. Pity the Christian who does not want to stand alongside of other Christians and join his voice to the psalm of thanksgiving; who does not care to kneel beside others in prayer or who does not. get a greater blessing from divine truth when he can feel that the dews of heaven are refreshing others at the same time. There is a “mystical body” it is true, and Christianity is a heart affair of the individual, but God’s Word places great em phasis upon the fact that it is also eminently social. The Spirit of Christ causes members of His body to realize that our fellow
members have claims upon us and that we need to know one another, fellowship together and labor together. Failure to share in the work of the visible church indicates a weak sense of the responsibilities under which one; comes in entering the fellowship of the invisible church. It checks the process of spiritual cul ture, hinders the progress of the Gospel and comforts the ene mies of the church. No wonder that assembling together in the house of God is made in Scripture an important test of one’s faithfulness to Christ. Do not, miss the fact that Christ’s second coming is here mentioned as more and more a restraining motive why believers should not forsake the banding of themselves together. Those who hope to be owned of Christ as members of His body when He comes, will be in a most awkward position if they have refused to recognize and co-operate with the other members of His body. It is the spirit of sin that has always been the spirit of separation, making men want to walk in their own paths and think their own thoughts. What must the unsaved think of those who show by their refusal to co-operate with Christ’s people that they are ashamed of the body to which they belong and of which Christ is the Head? Friend, if you believe Christ is soon coming, and you do not wish Him to be ashamed of you, find your place somewhere in the ranks of His people and get busy.
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker