I N
T H E K I N O ’ S B U S I N E S S
May, 1940
Points and Problems 1. “What is the vine tree more than any tree, or than a branch which is among the trees of the forest?” (Ezek. 15:2). It should be noted that the words “or than” are iri italics in the Bible, indicating that they do not ap pear in the Hebrew. The latter clause GOD-GIVEN MEN by JAMES H. McCONKEY portrays the responsibility of carrying the message of Christ to your brother, your neighbor, your God - given men to he hot only a duty but a special privilege. In 16-page booklet form. Free. Address SILVER PUBLISHING SOCIETY Dept. K. Bessemer Bldg. Pittsburgh. Pa. Aids to Soul Winning I Distribute through friends, J clubs, Sunday Schools and 1 1 fRACTS mail. Help spread the Gospel in these last days. Start Now! Send 35c for I.arge Sample Package FAITH, PRAYER & TRACT LEAGUE Dept. KB Muskegon Hts., Mich. *J lu l yea n . . . . Attract Young People to Your SUMMER BIBLE SCHOOL ORGANIZE classes of Junior High and High School students to study God’s Word—using M O O D Y B I B L E I N S T I T U T E CORRE SPONDENCE COURS E S These classes can be in addition to the Daily Vacation Bible School for children from kindergarten age through the grade schools. A good way isto have your classesmeeteverywedkday (except Saturday) from two to four weeks. You teach the lesson—we do the grading. When ten or more en roll, thefee isonly 50%of theregular price per person. ' SUGGESTED COURSES—Scripture Truth, Panorama of the Ages,, Christian Evidences, Mountain Peaks of Prophecy, Scripture Memorizing, Great Epochs of Sacred History, etc. Write today for information. ————— ------------—™ — |Dept. K367 153 Institute Place I □ Please send FREE folder on I M.B.I. Correspondence Course I □ Also Prospectusdescribing 17HomeStudyCourses. I .. ! Address...................... k CUV Æ SUM i/lENTJÄg»/ 1 )( i i PIi
of the sentence does not Introduce a comparison between the “vine tree” and “a branch,” but is in apposition to the first clause. The thought of the whole passage is that if the vine ceases to bear fruit and becomes merely an other tree or branch among the other trees of the forest, it not only loses its peculiar value, but actually is worth less than the other trees. For the sole value of the vine is found in the fruit it bears. When this is gone, it is fit for nothing but the “fire” of judgment. Thus the figure fits the nation of Israel perfectly. They had not been chosen for any natural or inherent superiority over the other nations of antiquity. As a matter of fact, they were inferior in numbers, military powers, culture, and skill in the arts and sciences. They were chosen of God for the sole purpose of serving as a channel of spiritual blessing to the world, and when they had ceased to function in this respect, their only claim to superiority was gone. The vine without fruit is fit for noth ing except to be burned. It is altogether possible that our Lord had this very prophecy of Ezekiel in mind when He spoke the w o r d s recorded in John 15:1-6, “If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned” (v. 6). There is a stem lesson here for the church of God. If we turn aside from the divinely appointed ministry of spiritual things, and attempt to com pete with the world in political, social, and economic panaceas, we shall be come merely another “branch” which is “among the tree’s of the forest.” The vine must stick to its own business of bearing fruit, and not try to become a cedar of Lebanon. The church must continue to be the church, and go on doing the peculiar work of the church, or else become of no account. The vine cannot become a tree: “ Shall wood be taken thereof to do any work? or will men take a pin of it to hang any vessel thereon?” (v. 3). 2. “That they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matt. 5:16). Good works, for the church, are never to be an end in themselves. They are laid upon us only as a means to a greater end— the glorification of the true God in the eyes of men. The giving of even a cup of water to the thirsty is always a' good work, but the Christian who gives it fails miserably if he forgets to give it “in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.” The great heresy of modern religious leadership is its deliberate attempt to secularize the “good works” of mis sionary endeavor. As a matter of fact, the only justification of missionary schools, hospitals, and doctors, is the possibility of using them as means of
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laying before the lost the claims and saving grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. If we lose sight of this, we have failed —the salt has lost its savor. Golden Text Illustration M atthew 7:16 Bishop Whipple, of Minnesota, tells about a war dance that the Dakota Indians once held near the mission house. He went to Wabasha, the chief, and said: “Wabasha, you asked me for a missionary and a teacher. I gave them to you, and their first sight is this brutal scalp dance. I knew the Chippewa whom your young men have murdered; his wife is crying for her husband, his children asking for their father. Wabasha, the Great Spirit hears —he is angry—some day he will ask Wabasha, Where is your red brother The old chief smiled, drew his pipe from his mouth, and said: “White man go to war with his own brother in the same country—kill more men than Wabasha can count in all his life— Great Spirit smiles and says, ‘Good white man! he has my Book—I love him—I have a good place for him by and by.’ The Indian is a wild man—> he has no Great Spirit Book—he kills one man—has a scalp dance—Great Spirit is mad and says, ‘Bad Indian! I put him in a bad place by and by! Wabasha don’t believe.”—The Bottles of Heaven, by Revilo. When Children Listen to Jesus M atthew 5:1-19 MEMORY VERSE: - “Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you” (John 15:14). APPROACH: One day the Lord Jesus had healed so many people and made them so happy because they were well again, that a great crowd began to follow him. When He saw all the peo
ple, He climbed a mountain a n d sat down with His dis ciples around Him. Then He told them how to be r e a l l y
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1 LESSON STORY: He said: “Blessed a r e t h e y t h a t mourn: for t h e y comforted” (v. 4). To be
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