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THE K I N G ’ S BUS I NESS cost, the prohpet Joel spoke of a world wide outpouring of the Spirit. When one hundred and twenty Jews were filled with the Spirit in an upper room, Peter identified the experience as the same in kind though differing immeas urably in extent. Many of the pro phecies of Scripture have repeated ful fillments. There may be a miniature and preliminary rehearsal so to speak, which we may call for lack of a bet ter term, a filment and then there may be an ultimate and complete fulfill ment. Taking Joel’s prophecy literal ly, we may still look forward to a Pentecostalized world in connection with the second coming of our Lord. This may explain the desire and prayer of the Holy Spirit for the second ad vent. Rev. 22:17. SUNDAY, Jan. 11. Acts 3:1-16. Peter and John Heal a Lame Man. The lame man was healed within the precincts of the temple. He was well known as he daily occupied the same place. All the temple frequenters must have been acquainted with him and his trouble. The miracle was so marked that the authorities were obliged to no-' tice it. The man himself after he was healed, advertised the fact by his ex travagant demonstrations of joy. He stood and walked and leaped and shouted in gratitude to God, making the most vigorous use of his Divinely given power. He certainly can be par doned for his acrobatic testimony since he had been lame from his birth. It is not becoming in mature and sedate Christians to criticise and restrain young converts whose exuberance may even verge upon the grotesque. The'ex perience of salvation is great enough to justify any manner of expression. “ Let the redeemed of the Lord say so.” Actions speak louder than words.
THURSDAY, Jan. 8. Acts 2:32-36. The Risen and Exalted Christ. The action of Christ in sending the Holy Spirit from heaven explains the meaning of his words in John 16:7, and also in John 14:12. The Saviour could work to far better advantage from that exalted place and universalize his pres ence. He was no longer straitened. Luke 12:50. The hindrances and han dicaps of earth were removed. Per haps five hundred disciples represented the number which His earthly ministry had gathered. I Cor. 15:6. On the day of Pentecost one of his disciples made six times as many in a single ser mon. Peter would be the last to claim the credit for this, however. It wag still the work of Christ himself. Mark 16:20. Our greatest need is to prac tice the presence of God. FRIDAY, Jan. 9. Acts 1:12-14, 2, 41-47. The First Christian Revival. The work of grace which was inaug urated on the day of Pentecost may he taken as a precedent and model for all subsequent ones. It was preceded and ushered in by prayer. It began with those who were already disciples. It was characterized by the preaching of the truth. It was attended by many conversions and its effects were perma nent. Acts 2:42. A most regrettable feature of many a modern revival is the short-lived effect produced. In from three to six months after the services' close, one looks in vain for the hun dreds of converts that were counted and heralded while the work was going on. When we strictly follow the Bible prec edent, we are more likely to have the Bible results. Staying qualities evi dence a real work of grace. SATURDAY, Jan. 10. Joel 2:28-32. The Prophecy of Pentecost. Eight hundred years before Pente
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