December, 1934
438
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
growth, guidance, and spread of the Chris tian church through the instrumentality chiefly of Peter and Paul. In Matthew 16: 16-18, our Saviour referred to the church in prediction and promise. He said: “I will build my church.” In the Acts, Christ is seen by the Holy Spirit’s working through the apostles, ful filling the promise regarding His church. The Acts of the Apostles is the gospel of the church, the acts and doings of Jesus through the church, the movements of Christ in history through His church. In deed the whole idea of the book is the con tinuity of Christ’s work. —W illiam E vans . III. D ivinely F illed It is often said of Stephen that he was a wonderfully “filled” man. He was full of faith (Acts 6:5) ; full of grace and power (6 :8, R. V.) ; full of the Word of God (7 :2-54) ; full of the Holy Spirit (6 :5; 7 :55) ; full of love (7 :60) ; full of courage (7 :51) ; full of trust (7 :59). He had both gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit (cf. 1 Cor. 12:4-11; Gal. 5:22, 23; Eph. 4:11, 12).— S elected . The All-Bible Graded Series of Sunday School Lessons Three features strongly commend the new series of lesson helps brought forth as a result of an eight-years’ investigation conducted by classes in Curriculum Making at the Moody Bible Institute of Chicago. The material is written by specialists in each age group, and all the literature of the course is edited by Clarence H. Benson, Director of the Christian Education Course in the Moody Bible Institute. The threefold value of the course is found in its outstanding characteristics: The lessons áre departmentally graded; they recognize the value of “all Scripture,” giving attention to neglected portions of the Word; and, most important of all, they are Bible centered rather than experience centered. In their aim, the lessons of the All-Bible Graded Series are not different from those offered by such firms as the Standard Publishing Company. But this new series is unique in its effort to include even more Bible than many other courses provide. Concerning the recent tendency toward rewriting the graded lessons with the obj ect of having the pupil learn from his own ex perience rather than from the Bible, the publishers of this new series give a needed warning: “Modern education that empha sizes pedagogy at the expense of knowledge is attempting to pump out information from an empty brain. Even if such un balanced use of the experience or develop ing method might be permissible in secular education, it is obvious that it has no place in the religious realm. The distinguishing feature of Biblical Christianity is the ap proach of God to man, and is therefore primarily an implanting rather than a de veloping. Revelation presupposes capacity for reception, but it also presupposes ignorance.” The course when completed will cover twelve years of Bible study, from the Primary Department through the Senior Department. The material, released from the press only a few months ago, is already in use in a number of Sunday-schools, among them being the Sunday-school of the Church of the Open Door, Los An geles, Calif, Information can be secured from The Scripture Press, 743 North La Salle Street, Chicago, 111.
hath pleased him.” “Therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”— C harles H addon S purgeon . II. T h e B lood B ond Two brothers from London in a tour of the Continent, touched at Barcelona, Spain. One was a “born again” man; the other was a Freemason who was not a be liever in Christ. Englishmanlike, on touch ing the Spanish Main, they made tracks for the nearest fellow countryman, who hap pened to be the veteran missionary, Henry Payne. The Christian and the missionary were “at home” at once, one telling how the work of God prospered in the metrop olis, the other recounting gospel triumphs in the priest-ridden peninsula. After some friendly conversation, they left. Once the street was reached, the Mason inquired of his brother, “I say, John, where did you meet that gentleman before?” “Never saw him before in my life,” re plied the Christian. “What!” exclaimed the Mason. “You never saw him before, and yet the last half hour you have been like brothers. Why, John, that beats Freemasonry!” Yes, there is a bond above all bonds, the blood bond of the redeemed, which makes them “one” in God’s sight even here, and shall yet manifest them “one” (John 17: 11) in the glory to come. Make sure that you are “bound in the bundle of life” (1 Sam. 25:29) with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ.— P ickering . III. A n I deal C hurch 1. Praying with one accord (Acts 4:24). 2. All filled with the Spirit (Acts 4:31). 3. United (John 13:34, 35; 15:12; Acts 4:34). 4. Witnessing (Acts 5:32). 5. Working (Acts 2:46; 5 :42). 6. Triumphant (John 14:23). “I belong to the church diligent,’1 said a little Sunday-school girl to her teacher. Of course she meant the church militant, as the Christians on earth are sometimes called in contrast to those at rest in heaven. But the child was right. Should we not all “be diligent” ? (2 Pet. 3:14).— S elected . JANUARY 27, 1935 What Is the Program of Our Church? A cts 6:1-7 Suggestions for the Meeting Hymn—“I Love to Tell the Story.” Hymn—“Jesus Calls Us, o’er the Tu mult.” Prayer. Hymn—"Win Them One by One.” Scripture—Acts 6:1-7. Duet—“Somebody Else Needs Him Too.” Leader’s Message. Meditation on the Lesson This account of failure and sin in the early church is sad, but it is a telling con firmation of the inspiration of God’s Word. When men write accounts of those they love, they are inclined to omit the bad things and record only the good. However, the Word of the Lord is true, and we are told of the murmurings and disputings of these early Christians. From without and within, Satan, the great adversary, was —W alter V eazle . IV. D escribing th e C hurch Testimonies. Quiet Hour. Hymn—“To the Work.” Benediction—Mark 16:15.
busy. Whenever there is a door opened for spiritual opportunity, there are many ad versaries. In Acts 4 :34, 35, we learn that the church was ministering to those in need; and as the multitude was very great, this was an extensive work. Acts 6:1 shows that among the Grecians (lit., Hellenists, Gre cian Jews), there arose dissatisfaction. Members of this group felt that preference was being given to Hebrew widows in the distribution of the common property of the church. The flesh, always clamoring, here showed itself among saved people, “dis ciples” recently baptized by the Holy Spirit. How beautifully the Spirit-led twelve handled the situation I There is no record that they rebuked the people when they called them together. The apostles realized that their great work was the min istry of the Word. They discerned that they could not continue the additional task of supervising the supply of material needs. The Holy Spirit, who had formed believers into one body at Pentecost, was showing them the order to be observed by that body. Not all of the gifts and duties of various members of the church of Christ are re vealed here. Many are given later in the Epistles to the Ephesians and Corinthians, but we do find in this passage the special work of the apostles and the responsibility of those who were to administer the tem poral affairs. Most significant are the listed qualifi cations for the seven men whom the church members were told to find. While their task was to distribute aid to the needy, they must be spiritually endowed—full of the Holy Ghost. No work is small in God’s sight when done for Him, and service even in temporal matters must be directed and empowered by the Holy Spirit. Then, they must be men of good report—well thought of by their brethren—and must possess wisdom. The whole multitude of believers chose the seven, and the apostles prayerfully ded icated these men to their appointed serv ice. It is a noteworthy fact that every one in the group of seven had a Grecian name. With the apostles giving themselves “continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word,” and with spiritual believers caring for the material affairs of the church, the results were just what one would expect: “The word of God in creased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly.” Leader’s Helps I. C hrist ’ s P rogram and P urpose for the C hurch The church is a people gathered out from among the nations for His name. The church is to build itself—it is to come to completion—by obeying His command to carry the gospel to the nations. “Ye shall be witnesses unto me . . . unto the utter most part of the earth.” This is our task and to this task we are appointed. This is the goal to be ever before our vision, in or der that we “may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined to gether and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edi fying of itself in love” (Eph. 4:15, 16). —W. L. P ettingill . II. I nspired C hurch H istory The book of Acts is a divinely inspired Church History—it sets forth the origin,
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs