July 1928
T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
436
found Christ. A brutal jailer in the midst of the commotions of an earthquake found the way of salvation. Whether a cultured lady or a hardened turnkey, the need is the same and the remedy always fits : “Believe on the Lord. Jesus Christ and thou shalt. be saved."' ’ —o—■ S ome S elected T houghts “Touch a man’s pocket and frequently you touch the only sensitive' spot .he has about him. These men had no joy at the relief of a- slave from her oppressor. They were overwhelmed with grief at the i loss of their ¡dividends. Just so the -rum- sellers anathematize all movements in the . direction of temperance«^ (v. 19). “The cunning of these men was equal to their- selfishness. They put in the. fore front of their accusation the nationality of the missionaries—' these ' men ' being Jews’ (v.- 20). Because the Jew was everywhere looked down upon .foe his ex clusiveness, arid hated for his commer cial success, thus the adversaries brought the -full force of prejudice to hear upon the missionaries -to draw attention away , from ‘the merits: of” the case—a very, old device of Satan!” ‘ “The mob in every .age has. been easily led by the plausible sayings of those who know how, to manipulate it” (v. 22). “iln that hour when 1 flight is calmest Sang they from the Hebrew Psalmist.” “What would we have given to know which odes they chanted in that dreary place? Did they console themselves with Psa. 103:19-20 or Psa. 146:7?” (V. 25.) “Understand that it is only through the intelligent belief of the Gospel, not- sim ply as ® statement afifacts, but also and especiallyfíás good pews having a direct and personal bearing: on the individual himself, that the soul is saved. God can not save you unless you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and when you have believed) though , you cannot unravel the metaphysics H the case, you will yourself be the first to'acknowledge that you have done so: because the Lord opened your heart” (v. 31). •—o— ■ P ith and P oint Some ’people -are very ¡zealous of the law—when it will help their business (v. 19). ■ ■ I ■ . [ I ■ Demons are sometimes wiser than some theological seminary professors (v. 17). Those who are regular in prayer will find golden opportunities to help others -along the way (y. 16). Are you “grieved” when you hear sacred truth profaned and see another made the instrument of Satan? (V. 18.) When persecuted for Christ’s sake—- pray, praise and preach (v. 25). Mocking-birds sing at midnight, but jailbirds seldom. “Sirs” (v„ 30). Grace changes a man’s language. 1 - - - '' : '■. ) - One cheerful Christian makes many (v. 34). . : . Christianity is a protest against spir itual suicide (v. 28). —o— S uggestive Q uestions Can the truth about Christ sometimes be gotten from the devil’s emissaries ? (V. 17; cf. Mk. 1:23-25.)
them? One wonders, when he hears the constant complaining, if any such are left. The songs of Zjon are never so melo-. dious as when .they come from men and women of God who arc in the midst o f adversity. In the very singing of Chris tian .songs, the downcast believer finds light springing up in his own darkness. “Must Jesus bear- the cross) alone And all the world go free? ' No, there’s a cross for everyone, And there’s „a cross for me. r t The consecrated cross I’ll bear ’Till He shall set me free; .And then go home my crown to wear, For there’s a crown for me.” There is another side,tq tlie story. “The prisoners were listening’ (R, V.).- Such music never before, had been heard, in' that' place. They were accustomed to hearing cdrses. and. oaths.. There was a new spirit, in ’the place. Is that, whait unregeneratedfimeh feel -when you are thrown into their society? How little do' we know who is listening to the tune we whistle ' as we. ,walk down the street, or what may come of it! Do-you sing the hymns of the church as you go about ycrur ,w6rk|l More than one,-: soul has- been brought into the kingdom' through that kind of testimony. There was an •earthquake. The prison doors flew open and the prisoners’ bands fell off (v- 26), biThe.-’jailer would have killed himself,- 'supposing the prisoners' had all fled. “Do thyself no harm,” cried Paul; “we are .all here,” whereupon the jailer, procuring a light, fell trembling-be- forljPaul. and Silas.. .“.What must I do to. bf-savedf" wa!§.: hisgpi'estion. It -is the, question every man will a§k ;:s in e r or later. Some will ask too late and will hear the verdict: “Depart from me." ; Paul put into his1-brief answer all that 'is essential to salvation! “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved, and thy house" (v. 31). It .is not a ques tion of doing. It is done —then receive. ¿The moment there is faith in the Person of Christ andE n "His redeeming work, there is salvatioh. ' “I do believe;,I no-w believe The old cause produced the old effect. Grace works in the heart (Tit. 2:11-12). “The'jailer* took them, the same hour of the night and washed their stripes” . (v. 33) . When you were born again, did you have a desire to wash the stripes you had cruelly inflicted upon other people ? Could you forget the lives you had injured, the graves you had dug for others ? Real salvation drives a man back upon his yes terdays. A truly saved man will start in to make, things .-right arid to heal ■up the wounds he has caused. It is this kind of Christianity that makes the world’ believe ■in the church. In an hour’s time a brutal heathen had been made into an anxious inquirer, a rejoicing believer' (v, 34) arid an, ener getic Christian worker. That shows how quickly God can do things when a man will open his heart to the work of the Holy Spirit. On the same page of the Bible we have had the record of two remarkable con versions. Lydia, through the gentle open ing of her heart on a quiet river-bank, That Jesus, died fbr me, And through His blood,- His precious blood, I am from sin set free.”
r'VUR lesson for today records the first ' “'''persecution of Christianity which came directly from Gentiles. The Jews , were constantly objecting.to the Gospel on religious .grounds, iaSk but the Gentileper
secution : came upon different, grounds—A that of disappointed selfishness. The root of the first antago nist.. to the Gospel in Europe was merce
nary. The financial question is one .con stantly raised by Gentile opposers of the Gospel, although we are given to accus ing the Jew of being mercenary. As Paul and Silas went to prayer, “a damsel possessed of a spirit of divina tion" (v. 16) met them. She had been , bringing her masters’:much gain by .her soothsaying. She insisted upon following the missionaries' ajjput, shouting: “These men are the servants of the most high God, which show us the way o f salvation” , (v. 17). This" she kept up for days. A person in league with Satan will make ad missions about Chrisf if something is :to be gained. This girl saw where she would gain credit to her prophecies by putting the apostle in the same class with herself. ,We may well imagine the annoyance that her actions caused the apostles. The devil is always on hand,to ruffle us'when; we are about to-go to the place, of prayer or when we have Some definite service for Christ on hand. We do well if, like Paul and Silas, we turn our hindrance into an . opportunity for’ Christ. Paul command ed the evil spirit, in the name of Christ, to come out of the girl, and she was de livered that very hour (v. 18). The employers of ¡.the girl" soothsayer “saw that the hbpe of their gains was gone” (v. 19). They caught Paul and •Silas and drew them into the market place. “It will ruin my.business?*—that is still a wery common objection to Chris tianity. " What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul?” The missionaries turned the sit uation into another opportunity to witness for.Christ. Dragged before the magistrates, the missionaries were charged with teaching unlawful customs. It takes little to preju dice a multitude against- any religious leader. The fact that the multitude is against a man does not necessarily prove anything against him. The1majority is 1 usually in the wrong when it conies to a religious issue. . Paul and Silas were beaten and then thrown into a dungeon, where their feet were placed in the stocks (v. 24). The jailer intended -to be wiser than some other jailers had been (cf. 5:19; 12:9). “A t midnight Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises unto God" (v. 25)-: Not many birds will sing in a dark cage, but the Spirit-filled .Christian has something in his heart that enables him to sing any where -under any conditions. This kind of treatment would have put some of us all out of tune. Tertullian wrote: “The limbs do not feel the stocks when the heart is in heaven.” John Bun- yan testified : “Though men may keep the.outward man within these locks and bars,, Yet by faith of God I can mount higher than the stars.” Oh, where are thè Christians today who can stand hard knocks for Christ—who can sing in the dark hour when everyone is against
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