391
October, 1937
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
THEDAVIDC.COOK PUBLISHING COMPANY
In Our Church A cts 6:1-10
Points and Problems 1. “ There arose a murmuring . . . because their widows were neglected” (Acts 6:1). Because of the situation described in this passage, the early church took immediate steps to provide an organization of men for the purpose of meeting the need that arose. Thus we discover a very important principle to guide us in the matter of church organization: New forms of organi zation should be created only in response to definite needs. The idea that every local congregation, regardless of size or circum stances, should have every form of organ ization possessed by all other congregations, is unknown to the New Testament, and has caused all kinds of trouble. Church or ganization never exists for its own sake, but only to satisfy existing concrete needs. It is a sad spectacle to see a little church, with needs that are few and simple, stag gering along under the weight of all the complex machinery of a large church. 2. “ It is not reason [fitting] that we should leave the word of God” (v. 2). The early church had been in existence only a few days when it discovered itself face to face with pressing social needs, and a demand arose that the apostles devote their attention to these problems. Without any hesitation, these men under the Spirit’s guidance met the demand by absolutely refusing to turn aside from the ministry of the Word to any mere social service program, no matter how pressing. They recognized the need, and had the church select competent men to deal with it, but they themselves kept to their God-appointed task of preaching and teaching the Word of God. And the results more than justi fied their attitude: “The word of God in creased; and the number of the disciples multiplied. . . greatly” (v. 7). The same results will follow today if the ministers of the church will get back to the simple example set by the apostles. 3. It is worthy of note in this connection that even these seven men, chosen espe cially to deal with the church’s social needs, did not confine their efforts to this particular work but also bore their testi mony to the Word of God. Compare the noble testimony of Stephen, and also the evangelistic work of Philip. These men knew something that modern social service experts seem to have forgotten—that man cannot live by bread alone. Golden Text Illustration G alatians 6:9 The story is told of a woman who had a rare rosebush. She worked over it for weeks, but saw no results of her labor. One day she observed a crevice in the wall near the bush and noticed a small shoot of the rosebush running through the crevice. She went to the other side of the wall, and there she found her rose blooming in splendid beauty and her labor rewarded. Some of us have to work year after year, seeing little if any result, and the message comes not only from this rose bush but from God: Work on. Do not be discouraged. Your work is blooming on the other side of the wall. There is no such thing as wasted time or labor in the serv ice- of God.— The Bottles of Heaven, by Revilo.
Memory Verse: “ Inasmuch as Jye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me” (Matt. 25:40). Approach: We have been talking about the family of Christ which is made up of
But three w ork -lik e-m a gic lesson helps that w ill open the w ay to ■ A vital Adult Department in your Sunday-school • ADULT BIBLE! CLASS F or the class member. Full challenging treatment o f In ternational Uniform Lessons, plus practical articles and de partments. Price, 13 Vz cts. per quarter—club rate* • NEW CENTURY LEADER F or the teachers and officers. Covers every phase o f teach in g and adm inistrative work. Price, 20 cts. each per quarter. • POCKET QUARTERLY F or everyone. B rief supplementary treat ment o f the lessons. Easy to carry; easy to use. Price, 4 cts. each per quarter. FREE SAMPLE COPIES! Mention this publication when writing David C. Cook Publishing Co., Elgin, 111* W THE TEST : Issued for 67 years w ith ou t a break, and read the W orld over. C i j e ^ t t n e g g A Monthly o f Original, Orthodox, and Only Soul Refreshing Subjects. Read by 31,000 Active Workers. 32 pages. 2d. (2 /6 or 60c. per year post free). PICKERING & INGLIS, 229 Bothwell Street, Glasgow; or 14 Paternoster Row, London,Eng.
all the “born-again” people, those w ho have received Christ as th eir S aviou r. These people, whose f a m i l y n a m e is “ Christian,” have a family home. This is t h e c h u r c h . O f course, som etim es people come into this home and pretend to
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belong to the family and yet are not really members, but God knows whether they are or not, and He will take care of that. Lesson Story: After the Lord Jesus had gone back to heaven, and as the family of Christ began to grow bigger, certain jobs had to be given out to different mem bers., God likes things done in an orderly way. God’s house, the family home of Chris tians, is first of all a house of prayer. The Lord Jesus Himself reminded the people of God’s message: “My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer.” It is a house for the preaching of God’s Word, too. And the apostles as ministers of the gospel were to give over their time to “prayer, and to the ministry of the word.” But in a family there are always some members who need more help than others.
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