237
T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
April 1927
who had been a cripple all his life. He could-not walk at all, and had to be car ried by some one. He was put down by the temple, where many people passed, and it was a fine place to beg. The lame man asked Peter and John for money as they passed by. Peter, fixing his eyes upon the lame man, said, “Look on us.” Now the man looked very intently upon the disciples, for he expected to receive some money from them. Now listen to what Peter said: “Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee.” I think the lame man was- all attention now, for he would wonder what Peter was going to give him. “In the name of Jesus .Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.” Did the lame man say he could not walk? He could not walk, but some thing is going to happen, for Peter had not told him to walk by himself, but in the name of Jesus, “Peter took him by the right hand and lifted him up : and imme diately his feet arid ankle bones.received strength. And he .leaping, up stood;’ and walked, and went with them into the tem ple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.” : 1■ 1; You see the lame man knew- who had made his crippled feet well, for he praised God- Peter and John could not heal,.-but they called; upon-the Lord Jesus, and it was Christ’s: power that came ' into the mari and cured him. All the people knew the- poor lame beggar, and O, how sur prised they were to see him leaping and walking, and they heard him praising God. .Whenever we praise God we are preach ing 'a most wonderful sermon,' for people see we are happy, and it makes them want to know our Saviour too. Peter and John took time to stop and speak to the man who needed.help. There are many in the world who need our help, and we can! learn a lesson to be ever ready to help in every way we. can. Boys and girls, like Peter and John, do not have much money, but they too, like Peter and John, can tell others of Jesus. We too lean have the power of Jesus in our lives. Prayer. m silk BLACKBOARD STUDY B y F red S. S hepard F a it h f u l t \ W i t n e s s r u it f u l W o r k They took knowledge of them that they had been with Jesus—Acts 4 :13. If we duly considered what it is to be partakers of God’s holiness, and that every event that befalls us is.appointed by His wisdom to promote this end, could we even wish one providential event to be ether than it is? To be a partaker of the holiness of God is the highest point of exaltation—imagination can ascend no higher. If we are partakers of God’s holi ness, we shall also be partakers of God’s happiness. For holiness and happiness are one. God would unite them here, and by His providential appointments would per fect that union for its final consumma tion in the heavens. ate» ate» Holiness and Happiness
pence being brought into the Vatican treasury. Turning to a friend he said with a smile, '“St. Peter is no longer able to say, ‘Silver and gold have I none.’ ” “No, indeed, sire!” replied his friend seriously, “Neither is he able any longer to say, ‘Arise and walk!’” Is there no clear message in that for our modern dis- qipleship? Anxious and rightly anxious as we are to see a more just distribution of our vast modern wealth, and to see it as quickly as, possible, ¡yet how tragic it will be if we lose, in our interest in “silver and gold,” the gift of essential power! Supernatural Gracpipi The Christian disciple is the trustee and steward of a supreme treasure for hu manity, and it is not silver;' and gold. Peter and John were vehicles of the grace of God in Christ. They were, themselves, through Christ, in touch with God’s own vital energy, with fundamental power, and being equally open towards humanity, they went through life conveying to mankind a spiritual blessing capable of renewing the souls, and in some cases, at least, everi the bodies o’f men. “What I have I give unto thee.” There you have the golden gable of divine power., running through "Christ to these men, and through them to crippled humanity. Nothing less' Than this' supernatural grace of God, flashing from heart to heart and life to life over the cable of-a great love, can save humanity. Our churches must become once again living dynamos of supernatural energy. Here is our one task, our supreme function. Peter Heals A Lame Man Acts 3 :1-10 Memo'ry Verse;. “The power of the Lord was .with Him to heal.” Luke 5:17. Approach : Some time ago I saw some children playing together’ One little boy was pretending he was lame .and could not walk, and he was having lots of fun girls so love to do. It will help us to have more love and feeling for the lame people, if we stop and think how we would feei if we could not take a single step, and could never go anywhere unless we were carried by some one.- Let us bow- our heads and thank God fof our bodies, and ask Him to help us to keep them clean and strong. • Lesson S to fy : For a number of weeks now we have been having a visit with Peter, so we are getting to know him quite well. How thankful we should be for our Bible, which helps us to know 'so many of the people who are now up in Heaven with Jesus, so when we get there we will know all these people, and best of all Jesus is there. (Review). Today in our story Peter and John are together. They went up to the temple in the afternoon to pray, and as they entered the temple at the beautiful gate, they saw a lame man, trying to use a pair of old crutches. Do you think t h e r e .would h a v e been any fun if he had been lame . s.ur.e enough? No, indeed there would not, for he could not run and p l a y a n d do the t h i n g s boys and
are before a beautiful gate. A noble vis ion of the world as one vast happy temple of God, one glorious Divine Home of Perpetual Peace, holds the modern heart in thrall. Yet how strangely, terribly im potent is humanity to step within its por tals. Some essential of life seems lacking, some means of movement. Humanity is like a bird with a broken wing, like a man crippled of limb. There is no doubt in this situation as to where the Christian’s interest and function should lie. Jesus, much as He loved the glorious temple of ■stone, ever put the temple of the human heart first. So did His faithful apostles. The interest of Peter and John in this man is a great object lesson for us. It was something so vastly different from anything the poor fellow had known be fore. Peter and John had learned of Jesus to love men as men; to see beneath the shab biest exterior all the divine potentialities of a redeemed and sanctified soul! And •so the beggar was startled to find himself an object of real interest at last to others. The gate beautiful was not more beauti ful or more ■ arresting to these disciples of Jesus than the gates into this man’s soul, into the living temple. .“Look on u s!” they cry to him. Cannot you feel .the mutual greeting of those eyes? Eyes that were on the one hand full of a great surg ing, pitying love, and, on the other, of a- great aching, wistful need. Love has a wonderful channel of expression through the eye. \ “From eye to eye the signal runs,” Whether the crippled man had or had not any one in the wide world to love and care for him, he knew at that moment that there was a temple of com radeship and love through the divinely beautiful gates of which,he was straight way invited to pass.. Real love beamed in gentle but all powerful radiance upon him, encouraging his soul to live. Is it any wonderj then, that when the Name of names, the Name of the Perfect Love was uttered, all the forces of life in his soul and body were reinforced and quick ened, and that they welled up triumphant ly over the barrier of his lameness? This is what religion is in the world to do. This is what we are Christians for—-to fling open the gate beautiful to every crippled and impotent soul. .. Silver and Gold, or Power There is another contrast in this illum inating story, that is .very instructive. The beggar asked for money. That is not sur prising. A society built, as society hither to has been built, on the money standard, has no right to expect anything else, of its beggars. But evidently Peter and John were living by a different standard. “Sil ver and gold have I none, but what I have give I unto thee.” Not “such as I have,” which seems to carry the suggestion of depreciation with it, as though what Peter had to give was not so valuable as silver or gold. “What I Have give I unto thee.” We remember a time when Peter said to his Lord, “We have forsaken all to follow Thee, what therefore shall we receive?” How changed he is ! Silver and gold seem to have lost their charm for him. Was it with a touch of shame I wonder that later on he wrote, “We are not re deemed with corruptible things such as silver and gold, but with the precious blood.” There is a great story of a certain Pope who was watching the bags^ of Peter’s
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