thoughtful of others. Indeed He “ came not to be ministered unto, but to min ister, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). Thus if we pos sess as believers the one common life of Christ, that wonderful life should express itself universally in unselfish regard for the needs of others. Helps for the Children How Peter Found New Friends Acts. 10:1-11:18; Phil. 2:1-11 Memory Verse: “As we have . . . oppor tunity, let us do good unto all men (Gal. 6:10). Cornelius loved God, but he had never had an opportunity to hear about the Lord Jesus Christ. One day as Cornelius was praying, God told him to send his servants to bring Peter to his home that he might preach the gospel there. Quickly Cornelius obeyed God’s com mand. Through a vision, God made known to Peter that he should return to Caesarea with the men and become God’s messenger to the Gentiles. Peter had been preaching to the Jews; he had not felt that it was important to tell others of the Saviour. Now he realized that the Lord Jesus Christ had died for all men everywhere, regardless of the name of their land or the color of their skin. Many of the Gentiles received the Lord Jesus as their Saviour after Peter had explained the way of salvation to them. When Peter returned home, some of the Jews criticized him for preaching to the Gentiles. When Peter told them how God had saved Cornelius and his family and friends, they were amazed and said, “ Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.” Peter had obeyed God’s voice and had learned that “ whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have ever lasting life.” Most Christian boys and girls say that they believe that the gospel is for everyone, but they refuse to sit by a boy or girl of another race, refuse to chum with a child who may be poor and not dressed as well as they, and never try to bring those who are different to God’s house that they may hear the gospel message. Do we merely say that we believe John 3:16, or do we live as though we believe it? A Sunday school teacher re cently moved into a new home. A neigh bor warned her about the family across the street: “ Don’t ever speak to them or go near them. They just aren’t the kind of people that anyone ever speaks to in this neighborhood.” Thé Christian newcomer remembered that the Saviour came to seek and to save those who were lost. She called in the home across the street and found a lovely mother with three little children. The father was in the hospital, and the family needed love and understanding. Today the family across the street are friends with the Sunday school teacher and have prom ised to come to God’s house with her. Yes, the Saviour died for all, but are you willing to tell all and to love all? T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
blessed. And since believers are referred to as members of the mystical body of Christ it is implied that God intends that there shall he harmonious fellow ship between all the members of the body, whether white or black, rich or poor, Jew or Gentile. This idea is sug gested by the title of this week’s lesson. Fellowship Levels Racial Distinctions Acts 11:11-18 After the remarkable experience in the house of Cornelius as recounted in Acts 10, Peter went up to Jerusalem and was approached by the Jewish be lievers there as to why he had fellow- shiped with the Gentiles and had ad mitted them to the gospel in the same manner as the Jews. Peter was ready with an answer. God had made it per fectly plain to him through the vision of the sheet let down from Heaven con taining all manner of beasts, creeping things, and fowls of the air that no distinction was to be made between Jew and Gentile. All were to be treated the same way. All were sinners and needed a Saviour and to every one the oppor tunity should be presented to embrace Christ and receive His indwelling Spirit. Peter further told them at Jerusalem that Cornelius had had a similar mes sage from Heaven (vv. 12-14). He also told how in response to his preaching receptive hearts experienced the bap tism of the Holy Spirit even as the Jews did on the day of Pentecost (vv. 15, 16). Peter then gave his conclusion as to the whole matter, namely, that since the Gentiles had received “the like gift” as did the believing Jews, therefore the Gentiles should be re ceived upon the same basis as the Jews had been (v. 17). Those who listened to Peter’s explanation willingly submitted to his message as the revelation of God. The idea of no distinction between Jew and Gentile in the body of Christ is dealt with by the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 3:1-9 as one of the mysteries of God hidden in other ages but re vealed in this present dispensation. He stresses it also in Galatians 3:26-29. Fellowship Infers Unity and Regard for Others Phil. 2:1-5 In this passage the Apostle urges unity in the expression of the Christian life. Writing to the Philippians, he in dicates that this is the best way they could increase his joy. In accordance with his teaching again and again, the basis of this unity is the indwelling Spirit present in every believer’s life (v. 1). The members of the church are one body in Christ and as such each member should minister to the welfare of every other member (vv. 2-5). The thought of: “ others” is very prominent in this passage. The word itself occurs in verse 4. In its singular form it also occurs iap. verse 3. The spirit of unself ishness breathes throughout this section. It concludes in, verse 5 by calling at tention to the example of .Christ who |: all through His earthly sojourn was
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