32 7
July 1931
T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
BLACKBOARD LESSON
they went into other lands and told their message. Ever since the first missionaries went forth preaching the gospel, teaching the people, and helping the sick, other men and women from the countries where Christ is known have followed t h em. Their work has not always been easy. Sometimes the people wished to harm the ones who came to help them. But how wonderful it is to have a part in God’s work! If we have some very good news, which we know will help other people, we can scarcely wait to tell them, can we? If we really understand and believe the Bible, we will want to tell its message to every one. Does Business D epression A ffect th e Sale of th e Bible? I t h a s often been said that, in times of depression, the sale of the Bible in creases. Whether or not figures prove this assertion, an interesting report just released by the New York office of Wm. Collins Sons & Company gives ample evi dence that the Book of books still main tains its position as the world’s best seller. This publishing house has recently re ceived an order from Selfridge, the great London department store, for one hun dred thousand copies of a beautifully bound Bible. Previous to this, the same store ordered ten thousand copies which were all sold within six weeks. It is be lieved that the resulting order for one hundred thousand copies is the largest single order ever placed. To quote the store managers, “There is only one Book in the world of which any business firm would dare to order one hundred thou sand copies.” I went out to liberate the thrush, and I found it was so entangled in the net that I could not get it out. It had been trying to get free by its own efforts, and not only had it entangled its claws, but its beak and its head as well. The only way to free it was for me to sacrifice the net. I took the scissors I had in my pock et and cut a bit of the net out. I had got the net off the bird’s beak and head and was proceeding to get it off its body and legs and claws, when suddenly it squawked as I never thought a singing bird could squawk, and turned around and bit my thumb so savagely that I let it go. It went off with a bit of net hanging to it. I have often wondered what happened to that thrush when it got among the oth er thrushes, and if it had a bad time. I was sorry that it was not a bit patient un til I had finished, so that I could have taken the last remnant of the net off and made it perfectly free. Let us be patient with God. He is go ing to give us perfect liberty. Do not try to fly before you renounce the last bit of your confidence in the flesh, before you learn to worship God by the Spirit, of God, and all the while to rejoice in Christ Jesus .—Life of Faith. T h e T h ru sh in th e Net y garden at home has around the lawn a fishing net with a very fine mesh. One day my daughter came to me and said, “Father, there is a thrush caught in the tennis net.”
education, or politics, or eugenics. They went forth, not to civilize but to evangel ize. The great danger today is that the things which appear to the human eye shall take precedence over the things which appear to the eye of God. It is the spirit of man, not his body or soul, that needs the* touch of the divine. When the spirit is right with God, the soul and body will automatically adjust themselves to His will. Only the Word of God can bring about this transformation. III. T he M issionary O bstacle (5-11). Satan brought opposition against the work of the missionaries, and he continues to do so. In this case, his agent was Ely- mas, the sorcerer, a man who had been engaged in religious work of a certain kind. He sought to turn away those who might receive the gospel. The same op position to missionary work exists today. But it need not disturb the true follower of Christ any more than it troubled Bar nabas and Saul. The opposition was overcome by the Spirit of God who spoke through Paul, He exposed the character of Elymas when he said: “O full of all subtily and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou hot cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?” Then he pronounced sentence up on him, causing him to be blind for a sea son. In the transitional period of the church’s history, this manifestation of di vine power was needed in order to give authentication to the gospel message. But it is wholly unnecessary today, because the Word of God is complete and suf ficient. Faith does not require the signs and wonders of the old Jewish economy. IV. T he M issionary R eward ( 12 ). Elymas, the sorcerer, was in the custody of a Gentile deputy, who, when he saw the power of the Lord manifested through Paul, believed and was saved. He was not hampered by Jewish influences. There is no mention of his receiving the gift of tongues or anything else that had char acterized the Jewish believers of the early church. He is an illustration of the fact that in this age salvation is obtainable to any one who will trust the Lord Jesus Christ. 1. What distinguished leaders had been at the church in Antioch? Vs. 2, 3. What is indicated by the fact that the believers at Antioch “ministered unto the Lord and fasted” ? What com mand was given to them by the Holy Spirit? How did they respond? Vs. 4, S. Who was the primary agent in sending forth the new missionaries ? What part did the local church have in the matter? Vs. 6-12. Who opposed the work of Barnabas and Saul? What was this man’s reputation? Was he successful in hinder ing the deputy from accepting the gos pel? Was the deputy required to submit to any of the Jewish requirements for salvation, or was he saved by simple faith in the Lord Jesus Christ? Lesson Questions V.
Golden T ex t Illustration In the days of Joseph Parker, an in fidel lecturer in a mining town in the north of England gave an address in which he thought he had demolished all the arguments for the Bible, Christ, and Christianity. He concluded by saying, “Now I hope I have succeeded in explain ing to you that the existence of Jesus Christ is a myth.” As he finished speaking, a miner, who had entered in his grimy clothes, stood up and said: “Sir, I’m only a working man, and I don’t know what you mean by the word ‘myth.’ But can you explain me? Three years ago I had a miserable home; I neglected my wife and children; I cursed and swore; I drank all my wages. Then some one came along and showed me the love of God and of His Son Jesus Christ. And now all is different. We have a happy home; I love my wife and chil dren; I feel better in every way; and I have given up the drink. A new power has taken possession of me since Christ came into my life. Sir,” and his face was all aglow, “can you explain me?” The lecturer had no explanation to give, but that working man sent people home feeling that the Bible was still the Word of God, that Jesus Christ was anything but a myth, and that the gospel was the “power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth” (Rom. 1:16). Paul S tarts on a G reat T rip A cts 13:4-12. Memory Verse : “We bring you good tidings” (Acts 13:32). Approach : Peter learned from his vis ion that the gospel of Jesus Christ was for everybody, no matter what country they lived in, no matter what color they
might be. S i n c e this was so, then there must be mes sengers to tell the good news to other people in far away countries. Lesson S t o r y : Paul and his friend Barnabas were the first persons whom the Holy S p i r i t chose to do this
work. Paul was so glad that he knew the truth about Jesus that he wanted to share it with everybody. He and Barnabas pre pared to take a journey across the water to an island called Cyprus. Here they planned to tell the gospel story. Up and down this island they went, preaching and teaching and healing the sick. Then they went across the water again into an other country and told the story there. They were called “missionaries” because
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