February 1932
T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
92
(floies on CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR / . . By MARY G. GOODNER*
when the service that is called for involves some real sacrifice, we find we are far from willing. A teacher in a training home for boys in Palestine talked to the Boys about the joy o f giving rather than re ceiving at Christmas, and asked them what they had to give away. A small boy glibly replied, “My heart to G od!” To ascer tain how much the boy meant by this an swer, the teacher said to him, “Yes, that is very well, but will you give your knife to some boy who hasn’t any?” The boy hung his head at this question and had no answer ready. I I .' T he D enial and the R eward Prescott, in his history, tells that Pizar- ro, in his early attempts to conquer Peru, found that his followers were about to de sert him. He drew his sword and traced with it a line from East to West. Then turning toward the South, he said, “Friends and comrades, on that side are toil, hunger, nakedness, the drenching storm, desertion, and death; on this side, ease and pleasure. There lies Peru with all its riches; here Panama and its pov erty. Choose, each man, as becomes a brave Castilian. For my part, I go South.” So saying, he stepped across the line. One after another, his comrades followed him, thus pledging themselves to brave what ever might come. So Jesus points out two paths, one a path o f seeming pleasure and selfish gratification that leads to final ruin; the other a path of hardship and self- denial that leads to life eternal.45SELECTED. Discussion Material I. A B ible -D efined , T rue F ollower of C hrist What K . B. Subscribers Say I could, not keep house without it. : — S eattle , W ash . It surely is a feast for the soul. —T ipton , C alif . / thank God there are still pub lishers who are true to the faith. —F alls C reek , P a . It helps me greatly in my work with young people ,—C hicago , III. The monthly visits of T he K ing ’ s B usiness are happy occasions. ¡P§§ s -J erusalem , P alestine . The benefits received from your magazine will never be fully known until eternity reveals all things. —D enver ? C olo . I harve been a subscriber for only a few months, but I will not be with out the magazine from now on. : « ï -A m ARiLi.0, T ex . The magazine has brought a mes sage of. cheer to us time and again and has given a freshness and a new aspect to many passages o f the Word of God .—A rgentine , S o . A m .
MARCH 6, 1932 W H A T DOES IT MEAN TO BE A CHRISTIAN? M atthew 16:24; 7 :24-29 Suggestions for the Meeting Hymn—“Where He Leads Me, I W ill Follow.” Hymn— “ I’ll Go Where You Want Me to Go.” Invocation. Scripture Lesson. Hymn—“ I Am Thine, 0 Lord.” Announcements and Offering. Special Music. Leader’s Talk. Testimonies from members on the sub ject (personal and from the heart). Quiet Hour-. Hymn— “Have Thine Own Way, Lord.” Meditation on the Lesson “Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself.” Our denial o f self mea sures our likeness to Christ; for His was a life o f self-denial. He never chose His own will, nor work ed in His own way, nor lived for His own comfort, nor sought His own glory. “ Christ pleased not himself” (Rom. IS : 3). “He offered up himself” (Heb. 7 :27). “He himself hath suffered” (Heb. 2:18; cf. 14). He “made himself o f no reputation” (Phil. 2 :7 ). He “gave himself a ransom for all” (1 Tim. 2 :6 ). There is no other way of reaching the throne of God than through the dethrone ment of self. W e deny self when w e : 1. Renounce our righteousness, ac knowledging the' Lord our Right eousness. 2. Ignore our wisdom, recognizing that Christ is made unto us wisdom (1 Cor. 1:30). 3. Refuse to gratify our appetites, do ing all to the glory o f God (1 Cor. 10:31). 4. Disown the self-life, ministering to the spiritual life (1 Pet. 2:2, 3). 5. Are able to say and prove the words by the life, that it is “not I, but Christ” (Gal. 2:20). A quaint old writer says, “I live, yet no more I ; Another lives in me, and I in Him.”. A true Christian, through faith, doth lose his personality (not his humanity) in the person of Christ. Christ is so made one to him and he with Christ, that there is no more distinction between them than between the head and the members. Luther says, “W e must wholly cast away our own person and be united in one per son with Christ and lose our person in His. This is to live in the flesh the life o f faith.” Illustrations I. S aying V ersus D oing “Master, we will follow thee whitherso ever thou goest,” we think we can say, but
1. Charitable (Col. 3:14). 2. Holy (Eph. 1:4).
3. Rejoicing (Rom . 12:15). 4. Interceding (Eph. 6:18). 5. Serving and Singing (Rom. .12:11; Eph. 5:19). ’ 6. Tenderhearted (Eph. 4:32). 7. Instant in Prayer (Rom. 12:12). 8. Affectionate (Rom. 12:10). 9. New Creation (2 Cor. 5:17; Gal. 6:15)'. II. S even B ible T itles for C hristians 1. Saints (Rom. 1:7).
2. Servants (2 Tim. 2:24). 3. Soldiers (2 Tim. 2 :3 ). 4. Workmen (2 Tim. 2:15). 5. Friends (John 15:14). 6. Disciples (John 8:31). 7. Vessels (2 Tim. 2:20, 21). HL
“ The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch” (Acts 11:26). Many think that the appellation “ Christian” was first given in derision, as Christ’s followers were regarded with ridicule and scorn. However it began, and with whatever mo tive it was given, it is now the greatest title any one may claim. Some one has well said that a Christian is one who puts Christ first and thinks nothing of self. Spell it this way: Christ — I—Am —Nothing. “A Christian is any man, woman, boy, or girl who comes to God as a lost sinner, accepts the Lord Jesus Christ as a personal Saviour, surrenders to Him as Lord and Master, confesses Him as such before the world, and strives to please Him in every thing day by day.”—T orrey . MARCH 13, 1932 DO I W AN T TO BE A CHRISTIAN? A cts 16:30; 18:12-17 Suggestions for the Meeting A “ P rofit and L oss " M eeting Perhaps a good way to conduct this' meeting would be to have two leaders ap pointed, one to list on a blackboard all the advantages that accrue from being a Christian, and the other to list all the things that are lost by not being one. As the subject is so exceedingly- personal, much time can thus be given to personal testimonies. Let your aim be to impress so strongly upon each one present the ad vantages o f being a Christian, that none will leave the meeting without wanting to be a follower o f the Lord Jesus Christ. Meditation on the Lesson There are two striking accounts here, entirely opposite one to the other. In the case o f the Philippian jailer, we see a man who was touched by the wonderful miracle that had just occurred. He immediately recognized supernatural power and cried out, “ Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” On the other hand, Gallio, who came in personal contact with the same Paul, and who heard the same gospel, “cared for none of those things.” Thus, today, the world is divided into
*Mrs. E. S. Goodner.
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