IT'S AN IDEA Rev. Carlton C. Back
Idea 1. In preparation for the April 4 meeting, have each member of your young people’s group make a list of five fundamentals of the Chris tian faith. These should be brought to the meeting and discussed. Idea 2. For one of the meetings in April, one of the young people might prepare a five-minute talk on Jesus’ prayer, “ That they all may be one” (John 17:21). Idea 3. Make a chart of some of the spiritual needs of your community —evangelism, spiritual deepening, knowledge of the Bible, Christian benevolence, church loyalty, mis sionary zeal, etc. At your meeting discuss the manner in which the young people of the different churches in your community could work together to meet these needs. Idea. 4. At the roll call on Consecration Sunday, let each member respond with a verse of Scripture begin ning with the first letter of the person’s first name. Members should be advised of this plan a week in advance. New members or young Christians may need help from your sponsor or from the officers of your society. Morris from Africa just as He did a D. L. Moody from Chicago. He did not reach into the universities for His dis ciples, but selected them from the com mon walks of life and gave them the ability to confound the world’s intellect uals. All have the privilege of showing forth the virtues of Christ and of mani festing a Spirit-filled life. This is the common heritage of all who are1saved. by grace and washed in the blood of the Lamb.
\fil \\s°n
Helps for Christian Endeavor and Other Young People's Groups
April 4, 1948 THE CHURCHES' COMMON HERITAGE M ark 3:13-19; M a tt . 16:13-20; A cts 2:1-12
T HE church of God consists of all believers everywhere. Those who are saved out of “every kindred and tongue and people and nation” are blessed with a .common heritage from heaven. They have eternal life. They are members of Christ’s body. They have received a new nature. They love one blessed Book. They are on the way to the same Home. They have the same Father, the same Saviour, and the same Holy Spirit. They have one purpose—to preach Christ to the lost and to build up the saints. This makes a real and eternal union. A ll M ay be S pirit -F illed 1 C or . 12:4 There are many false spirits in the world. Their object is to destroy faith in Christ, deny the truth of the Scrip tures, and lead souls into paths which end in destruction. God’s own Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of Christ, has come to each believer, has opened his eyes, has given him faith, in Christ Jesus, and filled him with desires which agree with the teaching of the Bible. The presence of this one Eternal Spirit in all believers knits their hearts together in fellowship for service. When men are led by their own fancy and desire, they go divergent paths. They pursue their own ways. They seek their own glory. They desire their own prosperity. However, when the Holy Spirit of God leads the soul, then that one is found in God’s paths. He seeks the glory of God. He desires the spiritual welfare of men. He makes known God’s call for lost sinners in the gospel. The Spirit leads him into those services which bring glory to God and which magnify the Lord Jesus Christ. He causes the believer to love the Scripture and to search it diligently in order to know God’s will. A ll M ay be S pirit -L ed 1 C or . 12:5
A ll M ay be S pirit -T aught 1 C or . 12:6
It matters not what race or color or status in society one may have—when he trusts Jesus Christ with his soul, the Spirit will teach that one the ways and the thoughts of God from His Word. The Spirit is no respecter of persons. He will teach the Eskimo who has no education and He will instruct the uni versity president who has earned the highest degrees. He will teach little chil dren, whether they be yellow, black, brown, or white, and He will instruct the parents whether they be rich or poor, educated or illiterate. The church has one common Teacher, the Holy Spirit. A ll M ay be S piritual 1 C or . 12:11 Every believer in the world has the privilege of yielding his body to the Holy Spirit for fruitful service and godly liv ing (Rom. 12:1). He will use a Sammy I N the beginning, all; of God’s people were together and had all things com mon. There were no denominations. This condition continued only for a short time, for divisions soon arose in Corinth. After several centuries, Romanism appeared and the Catholic Church assumed the prerogative of claiming to be greater than the Bible and having more right to be obeyed than the apostles. It pro mulgated certain doctrines which have been imposed upon humanity with fire, blood, tears, and graves. Such was never God’s plan. The doctrines of each church should be examined in the light of their conformity to the Scriptures.
April 11, 1948 DISTINCTIVE CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE CHURCHES 1 COR. 12:12, 13 V arious C hurches S tress V arious D octrines
1 C or . 12:8, 9 God intends for all His people to be priests, to know His will, and tell the story of salvation to others. However, in the formation of various denominations in the early days, the Methodists stressed evangelism, the Baptists separation, the Presbyterians safety and security, and the Episcopalians church order. Roman ism emphasized the worship and adora tion of the Virgin Mary together with the right of the priest to grant indulg ences in exchange for money.
Page Twenty
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online