THE K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
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th e Son of David. The tabernacle of David is th e house of David. The house of David is th e dynasty of David. This will be revived and perpetuated in the person of th e Messiah a t His second com ing, Acts 2:29-36. David had a vision of th is upon his death bed, 2 Sam. 23:3- 5. The angel Gabriel confirmed it in th e announcem ent to th e virgin Mary, Luke 1:32, 33. The Messianic Psalms describe His reign, Ps. 72:8-17. This is the kingdom foretold by Daniel es tablished on th e ruins of the image. Dan. 2:44. SUNDAY, August 21. Acts 1 5 :3 1 -1 6 :5 . P au l’s M issionary Objective. P aul would not build upon another m an’s foundation. He would scatter the Gospel seed on virgin soil. There were plenty of w orkers in th e chùrch a t Antioch and Paul would not stay where he was not needed. His sug gestion to Barnabas, vs. 36, reveals for the first tim e th a t tend er solicitude for his converts, th a t earnest longing to see th e ir faces and promote th eir spiritual well-being which appears so often in his le tte rs as one of the outstanding and attractiv e featu res of his character. P aul and Barnabas seem to have made an am icable arrangem en t to divide the te rrito ry of th e ir first m issionary jo u r ney between them , P aul tak ing th e con tin en tal part, vs. 41, and Barnabas th e insular, somewhat as in lateg times P au l and P eter seem to have divided the habitable globe for evangelization, P eter going east to Babylon and Paul going west to Rome. MONDAY, August 22. Acts 16:6-10. The Vision. The Holy Spirit guides as much by a closed door as by an open door. He directed the m issionaries in th eir jour neying and was leading them on to th eir field of labor in Europe. The vision made a definite impression on th e mind of Paul. He recognized th e “man of Macedonia” as a messenger w ith a mes sage. Macedonia was a Greek province across the Aegean Sea. It was th e call of pagan need for Gospel light. Pagan ism failed to satisfy th e longings of the soul. “ Come over and help us,” was th e voice of th e sick seeking th e physi cian, of the ignorant seeking for wis dom, of the sinner seeking a Saviour, th e voice which ever since has been summoning th e church to send th e Gos pel to heathen lands. How greatly th e church needs th e vision of a lost world today! The individual must have a
vision of th e harvest field before he can answer “H ere am I, send me.” TUESDAY, August 23. Acts 16:11-18. F irst F ru its in Europe. The Gospel had a small and humble beginning in Europe, b u t since it is a beginning a full account is given. There was no sound of rushing m ighty wind and no sight of tongues of flame. There was only a woman’s prayer meeting on th e banks of a river a t Philippi. Judaism was so poor and weak in th is place th a t th e re was no synagogue to shelter it and no men to support it. Women are the la st to fail in devotion to God and the first to rally to th e support of His cause. .Among th is handful of women, th e evangelization of a continent had its rise. Lydia was thé first fru its of Macedonia. We are therefo re told her name, business, place of b irth and reli gious condition. The Lord opened her heart. She is th e first convert in E ur ope and the p attern of all th a t are to follow. WEDNESDAY, August 24. Phil. 2 :1 3 - 18. D ivine Grace in th e Soul. The Lord opened Lydia’s h ea rt th a t she m ight attend to and .believe the things th a t were spoken by Paul. The Gospel seed was made fru itfu l by the direct action of Divine grace upon the soil where it fell. W ithout th is grace it would have been a wayside effort and would have come to naught. All who have ever become believers have had th e same direct and gracious assistance from the Spirit of God. Conversion is not adopting a new creed bu t experienc ing a new creation. There are th ree stages of the progressive revelation in the book of Acts concerning conversion. At first it is stated th a t they who re ceive th e Word or believe are saved. Then it says th a t as many as were or dained to eternal life believed. Finally as in th e case of Lydia, it is learned th a t when such individuals believe, it is be cause God’s Spirit is acting on th eir heart. THURSDAY, August 25. Eph. 6:10 -18 . Satanic Opposition. The meeting w ith an evil sp irit on the threshold of Europe suggests Simon Magus in Samaria and Elymas a t P a phos. Satan trie s to block th e way. H indrances to Divine grace are always found a t th e beginning of a work. Some evil men had ’syndicated and commer cialized the psychic power of th is young woman. She had th e sp irit of the Pythian
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