February 20, 1949 MANPOWER FOR KINGDOM WORK Mark 1:16-20; Luke 6:12-16
PROPHECY MONTHLY
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scure. They were, apparently, not philos ophers but “ unlearned and ignorant men” (Acts 4:13). All this is instructive in showing us that God is not dependent on the help of this world. He can always get along very well without men of great brilli ance and unusual talents. What He wants is humble men who will yield what they have to Him, be it much or little. What are you willing to turn over to Him? Helps for the Children Jesus Chooses Twelve Helpers Mark 1:16-20; 3:13-19; Luke 6:12, 13 Memory Verse: (Jesus said) “ Follow me” (Mark 2:14). The Lord Jesus Christ had come t° the earth to seek and to save sinners. He had much to do for His Father. He needed helpers as He went about His Father’s business. Among the many followers who loved the Lord Jesus, there were twelve men whom He chose to be His special helpers or His “ dis ciples.” One day the Saviour was walking by the sea of Galilee. Two brothers, Simon and Andrew, were casting a net into the sea. “Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to be come fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed Him. When the Lord had gone a little farther, He saw two other brothers, James and John, in a ship mending their ,nets. When Jesus called them to become His disciples, they left their father in the ship with the hired servants and followed Him. One day the Lord Jesus went up into a mountain and chose His disciples from the multitude. These twelve men were to be with ^he Lord that He might train them to preach and to heal sicknesses and to cast out devils. Before the Saviour chose His twelve helpers, He spent an entire night in prayer upon the moun tain; for He knew how important it was that He choose the right men. As these men told others of their Lord, the gospel spread gradually throughout the world and finally included each of you Christian boys and girls in the group of disciples. To each of you the Lord Jesus says, “ Follow me.” He may lead you to become a Christian business man or woman, a Sunday School teacher, a preacher, a missionary, or a faithful' witness in your home or place of work. You, too, may invite others to follow Him, and they will invite others. The gospel spreads as does a fire from one “ Christian candle” to another. Follow ers of the Lord Jesus are never satis fied unless they are constantly repeating the invitation to all whom they meet to follow their Saviour and Lord. T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
Pointers on the Lesson God has chosen to work through men in carrying on His work in the world. He might have chosen to do otherwise; He might have used angels. But He did not do so. To man He gave the honor of bearing His message to the ends of the earth. This is God’s plan. He has no other. If man fails, what then? The lesson this week shows Jesus calling the first men who were to carry on His work in the world after He was gone. It shows the kind of men He called and what He expected them to do. In order that we may be impressed with the sort of men He employed, the very names of the first select group are given. The First Business of Disciples (Mark 1:16-20) When seeking out men to take leader ship in His work, the Lord chose busy men. The Scriptures contain many ex amples of special privileges He conferred on busy men. Moses was keeping sheep, when God called him at the burning bush. Gideon was threshing wheat, when he received a call from heaven. Elisha was ploughing, when Elijah called him to be a prophet in his stead. Now in to day’s lesson we need not be surprised to find our Lord calling men with fishing nets in their hands. The Lord very adroitly uses the fish ing business to show these disciples what is the first business of His follow ers. They were to be “ fishers of men.” As Bishop Ryle has said, “ It is the oldest name by which the ministerial office is described in the New Testament. It lies deeper down than the name of bishop, elder, or deacon. It is the first idea which should be before a minister’s mind.” The minister is first and fore most to be a. fisher of souls. If he is not seeking to fulfill this name, he is missing his ■calling. And this pertains also to every Christian. The Kind of Men God Calls for His Business (Luke 6:12-16) Before naming those- whom the Lord called to be His apostles, the account states that the Lord “ continued all night in prayer to God” (12). This was a time of crisis and .so He prayed. This is what His followers should always do when face to face with problems and re sponsibilities. Prayer can answer the need in every case. Now follows the naming of the Twelve. It is interesting to note the kind of men they were. Not the great of this world. Pour of them were fishermen. One, at least, was a publican. Most of them, prob ably, were Galileans. Not one of them, judging from the sacred account, was noble or of high position. All were ob
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