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K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
December 1932
left their nets and followed. These dis ciples didn’t stop to decide whether they would rather stay with their boats and their fishing nets. They didn’t know how hard they would have to work if they be came Jesus’ helpers. Jesus didn’t offer them anything except to go with Him and help Him tell people the gospel story. But these men knew that Jesus was the Christ, the Son o f God, and they knew that there could be no greater work than to be His helpers. Golden Text Illustration At a missionary meeting on the island of Raratonga, in the Pacific Ocean, an old man who wished to join the church rose and said, “ I have lived during the reign of four kings. In the first, we were continually at war, and a fearful season it was watching and hiding with fear. During the reign of the second, we were overtaken with a se vere famine, and all expected to perish; then we ate rats and grass and this wood and that wood. During the third, we were conquered and became the peck and prey o f the two other settlements o f the island; then if a man went to fish, he rarely ever returned; or if a woman went far away to fetch food, she was rarely ever seen again. But during the reign o f this third king, we were visited by another King, a great King, a good King, a peaceful King, a King of love, Jesus, the Lord from heaven. He has gained the victory. He has conquered our hearts; therefore we now have peace and plenty in this world, and hope soon to dwell with Him in heaven.” heaven.”—R. B rewin . Facing the “ End of the World” A London daily newspaper has invited certain writers to answer the question, “ Suppose the end o f the world were com ing, like a thunderclap, or the flash of a sword, as many still believe, and were com ing tomorrow, how would you spend to day?” Some o f the replies were rather flippant, but others were worth while. For instance, Mr. Hugh Redwood, author o f God in the Slums, confessed that his daily round, as a journalist, is performed in the knowledge that, for him, the end o f the world may come at any hour, and he is so sure o f God today that he would not be afraid as once he was. The fámous cricketer, Mr. A. E. R. Gil- ligan, said that, with the immediate end of the world in view, he would make friends with any enemies he may have and shake hands at once; he would give as many of the poor people as he met as good a time as possible in the last hours, and thank God for having been allowed such a good time on this earth. There is an increasing num ber o f Christians, however, who are look ing, not for “the end o f the world,” but for the glorious return of the Lord and Sav iour Jesus Christ. —Christian Herald and Signs o f Our Times. Prayer O Lord, it seems impossible for us to realize, in our experience, the wonders of Thy selfless Spirit, but we humbly ask Thee in this also to conform us to Thyself, that we may be entirely consumed and ab sorbed in our desire for Thy glory! Give us a constraining and selfless love! —F. B.. M eyer .
BLACKBOARD LESSON
o f law with damnation. But He is a God who has settled all the charges of the law by the sacrifice upon the cross, and now stands eager to give salvation to all who will accept it. In the second place, repent ance means faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, which faith is shown in the acceptance of Himself for what He claims to be—the Saviour and Lord of all who trust in Him. III. T he A ssociates in H is W ork (16-20). The first associates whom our Lord chose were fishermen, who had listened to John the Baptist and had become His dis ciples. They had believed the message of John, and hence were prepared to answer the call o f Jesus when it came. This is not the time when they became disciples, but when they became servants of the Lord (c f. John 1:35-42). The call was, “ Come ye after me,” and the promise accompanying it was, “I will make you to become fishers o f men.” They knew what following John meant, for they were John’s disciples; they knew what fol lowing Moses meant, for they had been his disciples; now they were to follow Jesus and, being His disciples, were to learn of Him. It was to voluntary service that He called them; this is implied in the word, “ Come.” They could refuse to an swer the call, or they could respond to it. The call was personal, as is implied in the word “ye.” Each was called for himself, and each must answer for himself alone. And it was a call to privilege and honor; they were called to be with and for Him— “ Come ye after me.” The promise was that they should learn to do what He would do, “ fish for” and “ catch” men for the kingdom o f God. They knew what fishing meant, and what it re quired. It called for patience, observation, skill, and obedience to certain laws. The Lord Jesus promised to supply everything that His followers would need in their new business o f catching men, in the measure in which they obeyed His call. In Luke 9 :23 the word is, “ I f any man would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” In reply to this, “ straightway leaving their nets’,” they followed Him. From that day on, they belonged to Him, and after He returned to heaven, they went on catch ing men by the wisdom that He gave to them. Today the same call comes to all who profess to be disciples of the Lord. He has made us servants, whether we recog nize that relationship or not, and He waits for us, like these early disciples, to go after Him in the performance o f the work He has entrusted to our hands. It is not enough for one to accept Him as Saviour; there should also be the recognition o f His Lordship. “Ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part o f the earth” (Acts 1 :8) were the Lord’s farewell words before He went to heaven. And these words have a direct application to every one who trusts for salvation. Christianity is self-propagating by the tes timony o f each succeeding generation o f believers. The generation past had a testi mony without which we should never have heard o f the Saviour. Humanly speaking, our hope o f heaven has depended upon the testimony which the past generation has left. It were criminal for us to take what they have left to us and refuse to give the same testimony to the coming generation which is as dependent upon us as we have been on the past.
Conditions today demand that there be a universal response to, the Lord’s call, such as characterized these early disciples. The world waits for the message, and only those who are Christians can give that mes sage. W e should meditate upon the high honor and the unspeakable privilege which is ours in being permitted to have a part with Him in the work o f catching men for the kingdom o f God. Lesson Questions Vs. 12, 13. For how long was Jesus tested in the wilderness? What does this number signify in Scripture? What other passages must be studied for a full account of this incident (Matt. 4:1-11; Lk. 4:1- 13)? Vs. 14, 15. In what points was Jesus’ preaching similar to John’s? Vs. 16-20. Where did Jesus find His first disciples ? How did He call them, and what did He promise them? Describe their re sponse. Jesus’ First Helpers M ark 1 :14-20 Memory Verse: “ Inasmuch as ye have done it unto onp of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me” (Matt. 25 :40) . Approach: After John the Baptist had prepared the people for the coming of Jesus, then it was time for Jesus Himself to appear and preach His gospel message. For years He had been studying and work ing and praying, getting ready for this
time. Now the time had come, and one of the first things that He needed to do was to choose some help ers. Today’s story tells us how He chose four men to help Him teach the people. L e s s o n S t o r y : One day Jesus was walking along by the Sea o f Galilee. He Simon Peter and An
saw two brothers,
drew, casting their nets into the sea, for they were fishermen. He said to them, “ Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers o f men.” This was not the first time that Simon Peter and Andrew had seen Jesus. A year before, John the Baptist had pointed out Jesus to them as the Christ. And now, when He called them to follow Him, they were ready. The Bible says that “ straight way they left their nets and followed him.” Then Jesus walked along and saw two other brothers, James and John, mending their nets, for they were fishermen, too. He called to them to come and follow Him, and they, like Simon Peter and Andrew,
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