93
T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
February 1932
He that loveth not, knoweth not G od; for God is love” (1 John 4:7, 8). Love is the hall mark o f Christianity, the revealing badge, the sign o f genuine ness. What sterling is to silver, love is to the Christian. It was love that caused God to give His only begotten Son to die for us, and it was love that motivated the Son to come. Love is the greatest force in the world. “Now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” So John, in his gospel, gives us these immortal words of Jesus: “ By this shall all men know that ye are my disci ples, if ye have love one to another.” The first mentioned flavor o f the nine fold fruit o f the Spirit, in Galatians 5 :22, is love: Hence, we conclude that the first and surest way to “demonstrate” that we are Christians is to manifest a loving spirit and disposition—love to God, love to neigh bors, love to friends, yea, love to enemies, and love to the unlovely. Christ said, “ Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first command ment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Mk. 12:30,31). Discussion Material I. B ible - V erses on L ove “Be careful to maintain good works.” A lost child is crying on the street, but it is awkward to be seen leading a dirty, crying child home, so we refuse to notice that the child is lost. You read a para graph o f a paper giving a, thrilling ac count of a famine in China, or o f some other great calamity; but when you come to a clause intimating that subscriptions will be received at such and such a place, you pass to another column and refuse to allow that to make the impression on your mind which you feel it is beginning to make.—M arcus D ods . III. F ruit is the M easure of P ossibility “By their fruits ye shall know them.” Now fruit regarded in the light o f the orchard, the garden, or the vineyard is the most perfect form of development to which a tree or plant can come. Fruit is the thing for which all the enginery of roots and branches and leaves was ap pointed. It is the final result—the perfect thing. The tree can never go a step far ther than its fruit. The fruit is the mea sure of its possibility.—B eecher . IV. S entence S ermons I expect to pass through this way but once: if there is any kindness or any good thipg I can do my fellow beings, let me do it now.—W illiam P enn . “ Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law o f Christ” (Gal. 6 :2 ). “To give light and save life,” the in scription on the Eddystone lighthouse, ought to be the motto of every Christian. V. B ible T exts that W ill H elp Y ou to K now How You C an S how Y our C rowd Y ou A re a C hristian 1. 1 Cor. 10:31. 2. Matt. 7 :17, 20. 3. Heb. 13:16. 1. 1 John 4:9-11. 2. John 13:34, 35. 3. 1 Cor. 13:4-7. II. S idelights on T itus 3 :8
two classes: those who want to be saved, and those who do not want to be saved. God, our loving Heavenly Father, never forces any of His creatures to accept His overtures. He leaves it to the individual’s choice. W e can each ask ourselves the question, “Do I want to be a Christian?” Man is a free moral agent with power of willing to do good or evil; hence the sol emn responsibility as to how we answer this question. Jesus emphasized this power when He said, in John 5 :40, “And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life,” and. in Matt. 23:37, “ O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children to gether, even as a hen gathereth her chick ens under her wings, and ye would not.” Let us each say with the poet, “Our wills are ours, we know not how, Our wills are ours, to make them Thine.” Discussion Material S ome B elievers ’ B lessings 1. Peace (Rom. 5:1). 2. Love (John 15:9). 3. Protection (Psa. 91:9-11). 4. Provision (Phil.' 4:19). 5. Strength (Phil. 4:13; Deut. 33:25). This is a mere beginning. Time would fail to tell o f all the blessings, for truly they are without number. A healthful exercise for the Christian is to “ Count your blessings, Name them one by one, And it will surprise you What the Lord hath done.” MARCH 20, 1932 HOW CAN I SHOW M Y CROWD TH AT I AM A CHRISTIAN? J ohn 13:35; T itus 3:1-8 Suggestions for the Meeting Announce the Sunday previous, that there is to be a contest on this Sun day, something like a spelling match. Appoint two captains who shall choose sides. Urge every one to come prepared to tell the society just how he can best show that he is a Christian. Stories of mis sionary heroes, Bible characters, and other noted Christian men and women will be of great help. This topic is an unusually fine one to develop discussion among the members. Meditation on the Lesson Every large department store employs men and women who demonstrate some particular object it desires to sell, such as vacuum cleaners, dish washers, floor mops, etc. These men and wom^n eagerly explain to prospective customers the great benefit they will receive if they will purchase the article on display. Every good demon strator is enthusiastic over his article, or, as we say in modern language, he is “ sold on it” himself. This enthusiasm is con tagious, and one finds oneself desirous of owning the article. In a similar manner, every Christian should be a “ demon strator” for the gospel. In fact, I think the topic for today might be stated, “ How May I Be a Demonstrator o f the Gospel before my Crowd?” John and Paul both give us directions in the Scripture references for today. John, the beloved disciple, the apostle o f love, tells u s: “ Beloved, let us love one another: for love is o f G od ; and every one that loveth is born o f God, and knoweth God. 6. Support (Deut. 33:27). 7. Guidance (Psa. 37:5).
P Send G od ’s Word O v e r the Seven Seas, Th o ’ I C anno t Leave My Chair
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