THE K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S mob bu rsts forth. P aul is apparently stoned to death and his lifeless body dragged outside th e city walls. WEDNESDAY, A ugust 10. Acts 14:19- 23. Jew ish Opposition. It is hard to see why the Jews should oppose Christianity. Judaism is the historic basis of Christianity. The Jewish and Christian Scriptures together make the Bible, th e one being called the Old Covenant and the other th e New Cove nant. So close is th e relationship be tween these two parts th a t one can not be in terp reted ap a rt from the other. “The New is in th e Old concealed. The Old is in th e New revealed.” A heathen had to give up all th e religion he ever had to accept Christianity. A Jew had to give up nothing bu t simply p u t a lit tle more to w hat he already had. This addition was neith er subversive nor distinctive bu t only the logical develop m ent of Moses and th e prophets. Never theless th e first persecution came from Jews and they followed th e course of P au l w ith un rem itting and unrelenting hostility and hate. THURSDAY, A ugust 11. Acts 14:24-28. An In terestin g Missionary Meeting. In terest in m issions' can be created and sustained by frequen t and carefully planned services w ith th is end in view. The first th ing necessary is to supply in formation. Missionary facts are th e fuel to feed th e m issionary fire. The best way to im part inform ation is from the life of a rea l retu rn ed m issionary who can rehearse, vs. 27, w hat God has done upon th e foreign field. Any pastor can enforce th e obligation of the G reat Commission and discourse eloquently upon the theory and principle of mis sions. This may be edifying and in spiring, bu t it lacks th e essential ele-' m ent of first hand experience and ob servation. God’s people are aroused to th e duties of praying, giving and going more quickly by retu rn ed m issionaries rehearsing th eir own experiences. FRIDAY, August 12. Rev. 22:6-9. W orship God. Invocation of saints and angels, or any ascription of Divine honor to a finite being is stern ly reprobated by the Word of God. The involuntary and un prem editated attem p t of John is, vs. 8, met by shocked remonstrance and positive prohibition on the p a rt of the angel. It may seem as if nothing of th e so rt could happen now b u t th e re is the M ariolatry of Rome .and th e supersti
825
tious reg ard for the lucubrations of Mrs. Eddy and Mrs. E llen W hite on the p a rt of some th a t p u t them in a place of equal au tho rity w ith th e Word of God. Thè religious history of th e world, th e tendency of modern philosophy, th e predictions of Scripture all show th a t • th e present age is heading up in th e deification of humanity, 2 Thess. 2:4. Self-exaltation has been th e predom in a n t sin of hum an n atu re ever since the fall of man and God has been robbed of th e glory and worship th a t righ tfu lly belong to Him. SATURDAY, August 13. Isaiah 45:18- 24. Look Unto Me and Be Ye Saved. The soul has eyes. F a ith is the eye of th e soul directed to Christ. One be comes a Christian by coming into a cer tain relationship to Christ. This is en tered upon by faith and th is faith is induced by th e Holy Spirit. Looking to Jesus implies expectancy, confidence and comm ittal. Suppose a man was in debt and ¿nsoivent. A note was due on a certain day and he had nothing to pay it with. Suppose he had a friend of large resources who should say to him, “Do not worry about th a t note. Look to me to ta k e care of it.” Is th ere any un certain ty or ambiguity about th is as surance? Christ says to every awak ened, anxious sinner, “Look to me to tak e care of your sins.” He who does so is saved. SUNDAY, August 14. 2 Cor. 12:1-10. P au l in P aradise. The tim e and' occasion of th is celes tia l visit may have been Acts 14:19. It is possible th a t P aul was really stoned to death and while his lifeless body was lying beneath a heap of stones a t Ly- stra, his sp irit went to Paradise. He could not stay th ere because his work on earth was not yet done. According to th e version of th e American Bible Union, th e disciples “made a circle about him ,” p resum ab ly . for prayer. Realizing th e loss which his death would mean to th e church, they seem to have prayed his sp irit down from Paradise into his m ortal body once more. Even if th is should not be regarded as a case of resurrection th e resu lt was almost equally m iraculous for P au l rose up and w ithou t any period of convalescence, re sumed his journey th e following day. MONDAY, August 15. Acts 15:1-6. The Jeru salem Council. The first church council was held to decide on w hat grounds the Gentiles
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs