THE K I N G ’S BUS I NE S S
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to Jesus. This brings salvation. “ Look unto me and be saved, all th e ends of th e e a rth .” A certain woman once prayed, “Lord, show me myseii.” The Lord took h er a t h er word and an swered her prayer. She was over whelmed by th e appalling revelation. Before her reason fled, she had sense enough to pray again, “Lord, snow me thyself.” This p ray er was also an swered and she was saved from mad ness and despair. L ast of all th e re was th e outw ard look. The woman of Sychar saw h er neighbors and th e need o f a lost world. John 4:28-35. The disciples w ent to town and brought back some loaves. The woman went to town and brough t back some men. We always get w hat we go for. When ever any hum an being will ta k e these th ree deliberate and successive looks, a work of grace has begun and God only knows how far it will reach and where it will ever end. FRIDAY, Aug. 15. Acts 13:1-12. Unto th e U tterm o st P a rt. Judaism was local, provincial and national. It took nearly tw enty years afte r Pentecost to break th e power of Jew ish caste and remove its prejudice. Then it was understood th a t th e world was th e field of Divine grace and God was no longer the God of th e Jews only. The record of th e first offer of th e Gospel to th e heathen begins afte r the re tu rn of Barnabas and Saul from th e ir visit of benevolence to Jerusalem . They bring John Mark back w ith them to Antioch and from th is new center, under the con strain t of th e Holy Spirit, these th ree set out to carry th e ligh t of th e Gospel to th e outside world. This first effort to reach th e heathen did not extend very far, only a few hundred m iles beyond Saul’s native city, Tar sus. The record shows, however, th a t God promoted it from first to last. It was th e beginning of a m issionary cam paign which eventually covered the Roman Empire. Luke p articu larly states th a t th e first m issionaries were sent out, not by th e church b u t by th e Holy Spirit acting th rough th e church. They do not stop a t Seleucia because it could be evangelized by th e home church only sixteen miles away. They proceed to Cyprus where th e ir rea l work begins. Here they m eet and con quer th e ir first obstacle. Elymas is recognized and addressed as "th e child of the Devil.” The m ighty foe who m et Jesus on th e threhold of His career will block if possible th e beginning of
the mission to the heathen. Scripture shows Satan always actively engaged a t th e very beginning of things. The histo ry of missions is a histo ry of con flict b itter and prolonged, w ith th e g reat enemy of souls. SATURDAY, Aug. 16. Acts 14:8-20. Christian Missions in Action. The m issionaries find by experience th a t although th e Gospel has gone to th e Gentiles, all th e Gentiles by no means accept it. Antioch in Pisidia is th e first place to show th a t only an elect ordained number will be saved. Acts 13:48. The re st like the mass of th e Jews will refuse the offer of mercy. Additional proof of th e hostility of the Gentiles is given a t Iconium , where the Gentiles ta k e the lead in stoning the m issionaries. H ere m iracles attend the work as never before. As opposition grows more b itter, th e Lord’s help be comes more abundan t also. Acts 14:3. A t L ystra P aul was stoned and left out side th e city for dead. It is possible th a t the experience took place here of which P au l w rites fou rteen years later. 2 Cor. 12:2-4. Was his b ruised and broken body really lifeless by tn e way- side while his sp irit was in P aradise? Be th a t as it may, th e re followed a won derful example of th e power of prayer. According to th e version of th e Amer: ican Bible Union, th e disciples “made a circle about him ” and prayed him up on his feet and into th e city where he resumed his Gospel m inistry and mis sionary jou rney th e following day. The m issionaries revisit th e places they had form erly evangelized to ensure th e per manence of th e ir work by giving need ful instruction. They appointed leaders who had developed th e necessary gifts and en tru sted them all to th e grace of God in whom they had fully believed. SUNDAY, Aug. 17. Rev. 7:9-17. The Nations B efore th e Throne. The num erical grow th of the follow ers of Jesus is an In teresting study. Andrew and John were the first. John 1:37. They brought th e ir b ro thers and th e number was doubled. The next cay Philip and N athanael were added to th e number, making half a dozen. A fter a n igh t of prayer Jesu s chose the twelve. Luke 6:12-13. ,A little la ter seventy disciples were sent out to preach and teach. A t th e close of His earth ly m inistry th ere were about five hundred. I Cor. 15:6. On th e day of Pentecost th ree thousand more were added. Acts 2:41. Having begun by addition they grew by multiplication.
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