September, 1934
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
322
Verse 8 is the key to the book of Acts. It speaks first o f all o f the central subject of all Christian witnessing, namely, Christ Jesus H im self: “Ye shall be witnesses unto me.” Next, the passage shows the ex tent of the territory in which Christ’s dis ciples are to tell of H im : “unto the utter most part of the earth.” There is the in tensely personal “ye,” and, above all, the wonderful promise, “ Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you.” This verse is in fact a summary of. the book o f Acts. In a few days, the Holy Spirit did descend with power upon the dis ciples, and they witnessed with fervor in Jerusalem. John and Peter continued their ministry there. Then the persecution scattered the Chris tian group so that “they . . . went every where preaching the word.” Philip went into Samaria, and Paul and others carried the gospel to the ends of the Roman em pire. The secret o f all this missionary activity was this first great fa ct: The believers had been given the power of the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Godhead. Without His presence, all else would have been in vain. What God promises, He always per forms. As these early disciples obeyed the Lord’s command, “ Tarry ye. . . until ye be endued with power from on high,” they received the “promise of the Father” (Acts 1 :4), the Holy Spirit. Thus the Christian church began, and missions ev erywhere are the result. To be a real mis sionary—a “witness” to Christ—one must first have the power o f the Spirit of God. Leader's Helps I. P lans for the M eeting Other possibilities for this meeting in clude : 1. A message by a returned missionary. 2. Stereopticon slides of missionary work. 3. A program presented by a deputation team o f young people who are defi nitely preparing for missionary ser vice. II. G reater P ower I went into a granite quarry in North Carolina, The manager o f the quarry said to me, “W e supplied the granite for the Municipal Building in New York City. We can lift an acre o f solid granite ten feet thick, to almost any height we may desire for the purpose of moving it. W e do it by compressed air. H t'c a n be done as easily as I can lift that piece of paper and move it through the. air. Air—this thing that I can move my hand through and which does not seem.to have any power at all, and yet under pressure can lift an acre of granite!” O Thou Holy Spirit invisible, o f whose presence we are sometimes not conscious, still Thou hast the power to lift a heart toward God, though it is hard and heavy as granite.—A. C. D ixon . III. M eeting the T est George Atehley was a young English man,' with the instincts and heart of a hero. He was engaged in the Central African Mission. The Story came o f his being attacked by a party of natives. He had with him a Winchester repeating rifle, with ten chambers loaded; he had the party completely at his mercy. Calmly and coolly he summed up the situation, and finally concluded that if he killed them, he would
world, and now it is for you to have com passion.”—A. J. G ordon . 2 . W hat C hrist W ould D o T oday If Christ’ were here today, His voice would cry once more in the ears o f all the weary and the heavy laden, “ Come unto me . , ., and I will give you rest.” But Christ is not here today in literal flesh and blood . . . ,but He is asking for your feet, for your hands, for your voice. Will you be hands for Him to feed the perishing multitudes for whom His heart is moved with compassion? Will you be a tongue for Him, to tell o f His love, His mercy, and His precious blood? Will you take the cross that has redeemed you and pass it on to your perishing brother ?' Will you take the cup of salvation which has quenched your burning thirst and hand it to the famishing children of the world? :—S elected . II.. O thers Lord, help me live from day to day In such a self-forgetful way That even when I kneel to pray My prayers will be for others. Help me in all the work I do To ever be sincere and true And know that all I do for You Must needs be done for others. Let “ Self” be crucified and slain And buried deep; and all in vain May efforts be to rise again Unless to live for others. And when my work on earth is done, And my new work in heaven’s begun, May I forget the crown I’ve won While thinking still of others. Others, Lord, yes others! Let this my motto be. Help me to live for others, That I may live like Thee. OCTOBER 28, 1934 Missionary Heroes of Today A cts 1 :8 Suggestions for the Meeting Hymn—“Jesus Shall Reign.” Hymn—-“ O Zion, Haste.” Hymn—“ From Greenland’s Icy Moun tains.” Prayer. Scripture—Acts' 1:8. Hymn—“ The Morning Light is Break ing.” Quartet—“We’ve a Story, to Tell to the Nations.” i Leader’s Message. Testimonies. Hymn—“ Let the Song Go Round the Earth.” Benediction—Psalm 1. Meditation on the Lesson The disciples had been in fellowship for forty days since the resurrection o f Christ. Thinking that Jesus was soon to establish His kingdom on earth, they were anxious to know some o f the details. The Lord very plainly told them: “ It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon y o u : and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and urito the uttermost part o f the earth.” —C. D. M eigs .
Jesus did not say an angry word, nor did He become impatient. He unfolded to His listeners the secret o f real greatness. He told them what gives one a right to a place of power in the kingdom of God— that whosoever would be great must min ister to the need of others. The supreme example o f that service is seen in our Lord’s own self-abasement, for He “came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” Gentile princes—and men in business in general:—exercise dominion over their sub jects in a high-handed way, but Jesus said: “ It shall not be so among you.” His searching words come with convicting power to us today. Jesus’ great principle o f life was ser vice, “to minister.” . His death was an even greater service, for the Son of God gave “his life a ransom for many.” The human heart being what it is, the transforming power o f Jesus Christ "as Saviour and Lord is needed in individual lives, if the spirit o f Christ is to influence economic life. W e who know His saving grace have a solemn responsibility for manifesting His spirit o f loving service. But our most important ministry concerns the immortal souls o f men. The way to give permanent help in putting the spirit o f Christ into economic life is to win men and women to Him as their living Saviour and Lord. When He is Lord of our lives and theirs, we will together manifest His spirit, which is one o f unselfish thought fulness for others. “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.”
Leader’s Helps I. A H eart of C ompassion 1.
I have long since ceased to pray, “ Lord Jesus, have compassion on a lost w orld!” I remember the day and the hour when I seemed to hear the Lord rebuking me for making such a prayer. He seemed to say to me, “I have had compassion on a lost
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