T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
tified Himself in the sense that He set Himself apart for the doing of all that was necessary for man’s redemp tion. The primary meaning of sanc tify in both the Hebrew and the Greek is “to separate, to set apart.” Sanctification for Christ meant that He separated Himself unto the glorious task of redemption. For man it means his experience of being sepa rated from sin unto God on the basis of Christ’s redemption. 2. "Neither pray I for these alone” (v. 20). Note the outreach of our Lord’s prayer life. - In verses 1-8 of this chapter, He is seen praying for Himself. In verses 9-19, He prays for His disciples. But now He begins to pray for those who yet shall believe on Him. Our Lord’s example ought to teach His disciples the far horizons of prayer opportunity. 3. "Unto the church of God which Is at Corinth" (1 Cor. 1:2). There is room for great encouragement in this phrase. If God can have His church in Corinth, He can have it anywhere. Corinth was notorious for its debauch ery. But the grace of God reached even there. It is good to know that the church of God is. not restricted by either social or geographical lines. 4. “Now there are diversit'-"'? o ' gifts, but the same Spirit" (1 Cor. 12:4). The Spirit of God has -i;.any gifts to give to ■the members of Christ’s church. He has enough gifts to supply everyone. No Christian should be envious of the gift o f some one else. He should receive the par ticular gift the Spirit has in mind for him, and use it in the best possible way. Golden Text Illustration J ohn 17:20, 21 In the early days of the China In land Mission, one particular mission station was blessed by a larger num ber of converts than the o t h e r sta tions where the consecration of the missionaries had been just as great as at the more fruitful-place. This rich harvest of souls remained a mys tery until Hudson Taylor, on a visit to England, discovered the secret. At the close of one of his addresses, a gentleman came forward to make his acquaintance. In the conversa tion which followed, Mr. Taylor was surprised at the accurate knowledge the man possessed concerning this inland China station. “But how is it,” Mr. Taylor asked, “ that you are' so conversant with the conditions of that work?” “Oh!” he replied, “the missionary there and I are old college-mates; for years we have regularly correspond ed. He has sent me the names-of in quirers and converts, and these I have daily taken to God in prayer.”
At last the secret was found! There was a praying man at home, praying definitely, praying daily, for specific cases among the heathen. How dif ferent the record of missionary serv ice would be, if each missionary on the field had such an intercessory missionary to hold up his hands!— Adapted from Cyclopedia of R e 11 • gious Anecdotes, by Lawson. For All the Children of the World - J o h n 17:18-23. MEMORY VERSE: “ Lord, teach us to pray” (Lk. 11:1). AIM: To help the child to wish to pray. APPROACH: It is the things we want very much that we ask for when we p r a y . ( Yo u may draw illustra tions f r o m t h e c h i 1d r e n ’s own p r a y e r e x peri- ences.) W h e n the Lord Jesus was here on earth, He wa.nte.d s o me th in g s ', too. He w a n t e d them so much that He prayed to the heavenly Father about them. LESSON STORY: Jesus knew that He was soon going back ,to heaven to be with His Father (vs. 4, 13). So they talked a little while together, in prayer. .Lovingly “Jesus... lifted up h' eyes to heaven, and said, Father” (v. 1). He spoke about the work the Father had given Him to do on earth, and about the way that He, the Lord Jesus, had done it (vs. 1-12). Jesus had a special wish, and He told His Father about that, it was not for Himself, but it was .for' all the people who had heard His words— and that includes us, for we have heard Jesus’ words through pis Book, the Bible. Jesus prayed that all these people should have joy “ t h a t they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves” (v. 13). He prayed, too, that they might be kept “from evil” (v. 15), be cause He knew life would not always be pleasant for them since “the world hath hated them.” - “Father,” Jesus prayed in words like these, “You are so dear to Me! And I am dear to You. We are really one. That is.what I want for all our people on earth: ‘that they all may he one’»— not thinking that any one is bettei than the other, but ail loving one another.” (Read verses 21-23 slowly and meaningfully.) This was the Lord Jesus’ prayer. The heavenly Father will answer it. for He always answers prayer. He will give just what Jesus asked for, if we will do our part in trusting Him and loving others Tor Jesus’ sake.
Into that body, the church. There are not many bodies, but only one, and each member is joined to every other member by thé indissoluble union of the Holy Spirit. And there is just one Head of that body, the, glorified Lord JesUs Christ, unto whom each member is joined by the Spirit. It is this fact that makes fel lowship in the body .fundamentally necessary for all the members of the church. , Points and Problems 1. "And for their sakes 1 sanctify myself" (John 17:19). Jesus does not mean to say that He made Himself holy. He was already holy. He had been holy from all eternity. He sanc
HERE IS YOUR
if you are one of the mu l t i t ude of young people who realize the necessity of preparation for serving Jesus Christ in the fullest measure. In Bible Institutes and Christian Colleges throughout the land there is an increased enrollment; yet the circumstances of many young men and women have made it im possible for them to attend. Are you one of these? THE CORRESPONDENCE SCHOOL is p r e p a r e d to meet your need until you are able to attend the Bible Institute of Los Angeles. FIVE COURSES offer CREDIT t o w a r d gradua tion . . . • Bible Beginners’..... $2.00 • Chapter Summary.... 5.00 • Child Evangelism.... 5.00 • Biblical Geography 2.50 • Doctrine .................. 5.00 NOTE: It is advisable to enroll in not more than two courses at one time. A total Of twelve credits may be earned t h r o u g h the CORRE SPONDENCE SCHOOL. CORRESPONDENCE SCHOOL Bible Institute of Los Anseles, Inc. 558 S. Hope St., Los Angeles 13, Calif.
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker