April-May, 1933
147
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
Jesus has been forty days now on the earth since His resurrection. At intervals, in various places, He has appeared to His disciples. He has not been with them all the time, because He is going to leave them soon and He does not want them to keep depending upon His bodily presence; but He does want to appear often enough to give them irrefutable evidence and un qualified assurance that He really has risen from the dead. Now at last, the time has come to say farewell. He makes an appointment for a mountain meeting. Oh, the mountain top experiences of the Bible! The eleven came; they saw Him ; they worshiped Him; “but some doubted” ; how could they? Then Jesus, in quiet calm and majesty, spoke these wonderful words that are still sounding down through the years to us His disciples now: “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye there fore.” Do you wonder that they did go? And do you not marvel that we in the twen tieth century are so slow in going now? There are two great imperatives that Jesus always speaks: “Come unto me,” and “Go and tell.” If we have obeyed the first, why do we not obey the second? The only answer that can be given to the question in our topic is: Obey’His command. He left His heavenly home and came to this earth to bring us salvation. He said, “As my Father sent me, even so send I you.” Can we fail Him, when He trusts us so? L ea d er’s H elps I. G eography and P rayer “Sahib,” said a Punjabe Christian, “teach me some geography.” “Why, what do you want with geogra phy at your age?” , “Sahib,” was the earnest reply, “I wish to study geography so that I may know more about which to pray.” II. K eeping in T ouch with M issions “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, sup plications, prayers, intercessions, and giv ing of thanks, be made for all men; . . . For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come to the knowl edge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:1, 3, 4). Every Christian Endeavor S o c i e t y should keep itself in vital touch with mis sions by having its own missionary toward whose support it contributes, and whose letters from the field and visits when on furlough would be living links between the Endeavor and the field. In a Scotch Sun day-school, the superintendent one Sunday read a letter from a missionary in the Fiji Islands, describing how the gospel was changing the hearts of the cannibals. Then he said, “I wonder if there is a boy here who will some day become a missionary of the Lord Jesus and give his life to carrying the gospel to cannibals?” In a class of boys just in front of him sat Jimmie Chalmers, twelve years old. Then and there the seed was planted, the resolve was made. “God helping me, I will,” said Jimmie deep down in his heart. And although some careless years inter vened, he became the apostle of the Papuan Gulf, whom Robert L. Stevenson loved with a passionate admiration, esteeming him one of the two greatest men of mod ern times, and writing to him, said, “If I had known you when I was a boy, how dif ferent my life would have been!” Endeavor president, why should not your society know Chalmers and send out an
other like him? Do not neglect the mis sionary Sunday, the missionary literature, or the missionary offering. III. A G ood R eaction A missionary presented to a London merchant the needs of his great field. The merchant wrote and handed him a check for a large amount. A moment later, a telegram was brought to the merchant. He read it and said: “This wire informs me of a heavy finan cial loss I have sustained. I must ask you for that check again.” Sadly the missionary returned it. The merchant tore it in two, wrote out another for a larger amount, and said as he handed it to the missionary, “God is teaching me that I must give while I can.” IV. L ives of M issionaries Studying the lives of great missionary heroes is one fine way to stir up our mis sionary zeal. Lives of David Livingstone, Adoniram Judson, Alex Mackay, Dan Crawford, Ann Judson, Mary Slessor, and countless others fire our zeal and move our impulses to nobler living. V. A F ather ’ s ,1M essage Young Horace Pitkin in China, while his wife and little son were in this country, was led out to be executed by the Boxers. He said to a friend, “If you escape, send word to my little boy that when he grotvs up to be twenty- five, I want him to come out and take my place here as a missionary of the Lord Jesus.” VI. E ncouraged to go F orward David Livingstone, after forty-five at tacks of swamp fever, wrote in his diary, “Nothing earthly will make me give up my work in despair. I encourage myself in the Lord my God and go forward.” Let us say to our Lord, “My Jesus, my King, my Life, my All, I again dedicate my whole self to Thee.” JUNE 4, 1933 GOD WORKING THROUGH US IN EVERYDAY LIFE 1 C orinthians 3 :9-15 S uggestions fo r th e M eeting Hymn—“Jesus Calls Us.” Response Sung Softly: “I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice.” Prayer.
Hymn—“Have Thine Own Way, Lord.” Scripture Lesson Read in Unison. Solo—“Moment by Moment.” Leader’s Talk.
Testimonies. Quiet Hour.
Hymn—“Living for Jesus.” Benediction—Psalm 19:14.
M editation o n th e L esson Our committee has selected for our study today a most delightful portion of God’s Word. The imagery is fascinating—a building. Who has not been rooted to the spot by the enchantment of the erection of a building? Before Paul gives us this figure, how ever, he uses another most illuminating one. He says, “Ye are God’s husbandry.” That is, “You are God’s tilled land—His farm” —on which He may plant and raise fruit for His glory. What a vast wealth of thought is here for the Christian to ponder —a farm watered by the dew of His grace 1 In the same verse, Paul changes the fig ure abruptly and says, “Ye are God’s build- ing.” No building can be erected until the foundation is laid, so Paul very dogmatic ally and positively speaks of the founda tion in that heart-warming, soul-stirring eleventh verse, which every Endeavorer should memorize: “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” When men wish to erect a skyscraper, they dig far down into the earth to “rock-bottom,” they call it. The higher the building, the deeper the founda tion, if it is to stand. If we wish to build a temple for God, we must build on Jesus Christ, the Rock of Ages. Both Peter and Paul use the figure of a building, with Jesus Christ as the chief corner stone (1 Pet. 2:5, 6; Eph. 2:19, 20). There is not, nor can there be, any other ground of confidence for the salvation of man apart from faith in Jesus Christ. Not very long ago, I was in conversation with1a young but deeply thoughtful Chris tian, who, placed on a difficult social height, was seeking with desire not only “to follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth,” but to lead others similarly circumstanced to do the same. I was struck with the strong consciousness which possessed that heart, that' the religious life must inevitably be a weary and exhausting effort on any other condition than this—God working in us to will and to do. “Ah, they all say that it is so hard; no one can really do i t ; no one can keep it up. But we must speak to them about the indwelling Spirit of God, about the Lord’s power in u s; then they will find that it is possible and is happy, ’’-^M oule . II. G od D oes I t A ll God presses His will upon ours. We feel the impact of the divine energy upon our wills which are quickened into activity thereby. A child can grasp this, and rest upon it. A boy of four said joyfully to his mother, “When we do anything, it’s really God doing it.” So, then, in one sense, God does it all.— R obertson . III. I n L eague with G od We are in league with God. God’s grace is not an excuse for doing nothing. It is rather the reason for doing all. In religion L ead er’s H elps I. T he I ndwelling C hrist “For it is God which wdrketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (Phil. 2:13).
Closed Doors B y R ussell E. K auffman Before me, just closed doors —- Why, I know not! He promised to provide, Has He forgot? I cannot seem to find The proper key; O God, why do the doors Stay locked to me? He speaks so soft and low — "Why don’t you pray?” And in His question He Has shown the way. No door is closed when men But intercede; And he who prays is he Who shall be freed.
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