621
T h e
K i n g ' s
B u s i n e s s
October 1928
tiles (people who were not Jews) to be saved, and when Paul spoke of them be ing saved, they became angry and wanted to kill Paul. (Tell something of the up roar, and how Paul was protected. Em phasize his courage and bravery that he might tell others of the Lord Jesus.) Then one night while Paul was in prison, the Lord Jesus said to him, “ Fear not, Paul, for as thou hast spoken about me to the people here in Jerusalem, so shalt thou also speak about me to the people in Rome.’’ In the morning some of the Jews agreed together, and promised one an other solemnly, that they would neither eat bread, nor drink water, till they had killed Paul. There were more than forty who made this promise; You know, boys and girls often think they cannot be of any help until they grow up, but we learn here that a boy. helped to save Paul from death. W e are not even told the boy’s name, but he was Paul’s nephew, the son of Paul’s sister, and when he heard of the wicked plot against Paul he went and told Paul about it. Paul called one of the centurions and told him to take the boy to the chief captain, who listened to all the boy had to say. When the chief captain sent the boy away, he told him not to tell any one of the things he had spoken. Then the chief captain quickly wrote a letter to thé governor o f Judaea, whose name was Felix and who lived in Caes area, about sixty miles from Jerusalem. The chief captain called two of his cen turions and told them to make ready 200 foot soldiers, and 70 horsemen and 200 spearmen, and to send also animals for Pâul and the men with him to ride upon. (Make this thrilling night escape live in the minds and hearts of the boys and girls as you tell it in detail, emphasizing the bravery of the boy and his part in saving his uncle Paul.) W e can every one of us be used for the Lord to do great good as our memory verse tells us. (Prayer.) Texts: Acts 20:36-38; Rom. 1:8-10p-r; Eph. 1:15-23; 3 :1 4 -2 lll Thess. 1:2-5 (A Thanksgiving Lesson) L esson in O utline I. A Farewell Prayer-meeting. Acts 20:36-38. II. A Prayer that he might go to Rome to help the Church. Rom. 1 :8-10. III. Prayers for the Church at Ephesus. Eph. 1:15-23; 3:14-21. 1. First Prayer. 1 :15-23. a. For spiritual insight. Vs. 15-17. b. For knowledge. 18-23. (1) O f hope of His calling. 18a. ( 2 ) O f th e inheritance of saints. 18b. (3) O f His power accessible to all Christians. Vs. 18-23. 2. Second Prayer. 3:14-21. a. For spiritual power. Vs. 14-17. b. For spiritual discernment. Vs. 18-19. c. Doxology. 20, 21. N ovember 25, 1928 Prayers o f Paul
vocate—1 Jn. 2 :2 ; (2) as Shepherd— Heb. 13:20; (3) as Lord—Acts 2:34. God can make very clever people outwit, themselves. (23:17-19).. Many a clever scheme is spoiled by having too many on the inside. Moral—if you want to keep a secret, - don’t let anyone else in. The plan of these forty Jews was too good. They were so “tickled ’ : over its clever ness that they forgot and talked too loud ly- Paul’s last departure from Jerusalem (23:24). It was the departure of one whose message had been rejected, the solemn homeward journey o f a warrior of Christ who went to his last fight, his last victory, his last reward. As Luther drew near the door which was about to admit him into the presence of his judges (the Diet o f Worms), he met a valiant knight (Freudenberg) who later bent the knee with his soldiers on the field of Pavia, and made good the captivity of the king of France. The general, seeing Luther pass, tapped him on the shoulder and shaking his head, said kindly: “ Poor monk, poor monk! Thou art now going to make a nobler stand than I or any other captains have ever made in our bloodiest battles. But if thy cause is just, and thou art sure o f it, go for ward in God’s name, and fear nothing. God will not forsake thee.”H It was a noble tribute of respect paid by the courage of the sword to the courage of a heart made strong in the power of God’s might. —o— How A Boy Helped His Uncle Acts 21:17-23:35 Memory Verse —“ Trust in the Lord and do good.” Psalm 37:3, Approach —Show the children a shield cut from white or gray cardboard with the word COURAGE printed across it. Tell the children a story about a little G olden T ext I llustration Be strong in- the Lord and in the power o f His might (Eph. 6:10).
It was a clever device for starting a riot. Again watch the result—he nearly lost his life. Such a rumpus was stirred up that it was necessary to call out the reserves (vs. 8-10). With Pharisees pull ing at his feet and Sadducees tugging at his arms, he would have been pulled in two had not the police ended the tug of war. He was probably a wiser and a taller man after this experience. Did Paul become downhearted? How good of the Lord to come and stand by him and whisper a word of cheer into his spiritual ear (v. 11) ! Cheer up, Paul— “ thou must bear witness at Rome." God could overrule all these secular events to give Paul an opportunity to witness. He should have his desire to go to Rome ful filled (Rom. 1 :9-13) and the government should pay his traveling expenses. . Forty Jews banded themselves together under a curse to kidnap Paul from the authorities and make. short work of him (v. 12). The plot fell through because God permitted Paul’s sister’s son to over hear the plot and reveal it to the officers (v. 16). It was a minor part in God’s program, .but necessary, and well taken. God can use a young man to upset mighty calculations o f the devil. How little we know the worth of this little deed in Christ’s name. This youth secured for the church a rich legacy of spiritual literature. Had the conspirators won, the prison epistles of Paul would not have been written. Let us be willing to be just a cog in life’s vast wheel. Let us do the small deed for the good o f ’ our fellow man. Eternal issues may hang upon it. The devil’s; agents may be outwitted. A rich reward may be won for our faithful and humble service. L esson H ighlights Compare the actions of Agabus ( 2 1 :11) with the symbolic prophecies of Old Tes tament prophets (1 Kgs. 22 :11; Isa. 20:2; Jer. 13:1; Ezek. 4:7). “ What mean ye . ............ to break my heart” (21 :13). The word “ break," found only here, means a weakening of the pur pose of anyone—not that they were trying to add to his burden. Earthly citizenship is valuable (22:25), but heavenly citizenship makes one not only a subject but a son and heir o f the King (Eph. 2:19). Earthly citizenship is procured either by birth or merit. Heavenly citizenship is procured only through spiritual birth (22:25; cf. Jn. 1:11-13). Paul kept a “good conscience” (2 3 :1 ); in his former religion (Phil, 3: 6) ; while persecuting Christians (Acts 2 6 :9 ); in Christian work (Heb. 13:18). Conscience may misinform one unless he is guided by the Holy Spirit (Rom. 9:1). Jesus called the Pharisees and scribes "whited sepulchres ?' (Mt. 23:27; cf Acts 23:3). We cannot use this, however, as justification for abusive language on our part. Christ could stand as the Judge of men. Our part is to obey His precept (Mt. 5:39). Note Paul’s own precept (Eph. 4:26). Expression of repugnance to wrong is loyalty to God. If it is the expression of wounded personality, it is sinful (Rom. 12:19). “ The Lord stood by" (23:11). He stands by every Christian: (1) as Ad
boy who was asked to go on an errand for his mother. He told his mother at once he would go, although to him it was a very unpleas ant task, for the lady he was to see, was not fond o f chil dren. Our lesson
story tells us about a boy who had a task to perform which was not pleasant. Show the children the word COURAGE and tell them that it often takes courage and faith in God to carry out His plans. We must always obey the Lord and then trust Him to protect, us from the danger, and ask Him to be our shield. Lesson Story — (Review, showing how Christian boys and girls will treat each other right in the home, at school, in their games, or wherever they may be.) We always like to hear about Paul, who was always so brave and true, even in the face of the greatest danger. Paul loved the Lord Jesus so much he wanted every one to know Him too, and so everywhere he went he preached Jesus. In the days when Paul lived on earth, many of the Jews did not want the Gen
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