The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1904-10-08


darkness and encouragement. Not
working alone, but the Lord WORKING
with them. | remember as a boy thar
the heaviest task seemed easy and de-
tightfuI when father turned ID ana
heIped. The moment he began WORK
ing with me, that moment knew the
task was going to be accomplished, ana
disbursement and WEAKNESS van
fshed. One instance in particular comes
60 my mind. A ton Of coal had been de-
tivered to our neXt-door neighpor anu
dumped in front of the Il 1hero
was no one to carry it into the wood
shed, and my brother and | were amDl-
tious to undertake the task and earn a
bit of spending money. With h vision
before our eyes of the good things we
were going to buy with that money. the
pile of coal did not look very big. and
we went bravely at it, But 1t was a
pretty big task for two such little chaps
7C~ we were. for brother was not Jet ten
and [ was two years his junior, and so
after the first few scuttlefuls had been
carried in, the coal pile looked bigger
than ever. Every time we came back
with the empty bucket it seemed as
though the pile had m~ysteriOusly grown
in our absente. The more we carried In
the more it seemed that We would never
be able to finish the task The after
moor dragged itself out and our trips
from the coal pile to the woodshed be-
came less and less frequent, until as
WiIight began to fall we were ready 10
give up our task. Father came home
aust at this time and. quickly grasping
the situation. encouraged us to keep on,
saying he would come and help US. That
promise put new life into our tired lit
tie, bodies, and by the time he came out
we were hard at 1t again. And with
father wOiiIing with us, how much
smaller that pile of coal looked. There
was no more doubt that the task would
be completed. and there was a new IN
terest in the work. for father was there
TO and help. Father work.
inc with us made all the difference be-
tween Encouragement and failure and
announcement and success. And this
illustrates in part at least what it means
when Scripture declares that the dis
cfpies went everywhere preaching, the
Lord working with them"
A ND where this was true in the case
II of the early disciples, it is also true
to-day, and has been so all through
the centuries which have interviewed.
Scripture presents some striking con-
trasts. but there is one more striking
and remarkable than that which we
find in the account o. the disciples inl-
mediately following Jesus cruci1xion
and up to the day of Pentecost, aud
that following that day when they were
endued with power by the descent OF
the Holy Spirit. Before that day what
do we see? The few doubling. trem-
bling disciples gathered in the upper
room behind locked doors or else eau
uously and with great fear moving
through the streets and seeing to es-
cape notice and trying to hide their
identity. But after the day of Pente-
cost, how striking is the contrast! No
longer hiding in the upper room. no
longer fearing the Jewish rulers. no
longer seeking to avoid the multitudes
In the streets. thew come forth and
boldly preach their message.
40 YOU not recall the words OF
~ Jesus wherein He told His dis
ciples and wherein He tells you and me
that without Me We a do nothing"
And the very last promise which Heleft
with His disciples was 80, | am with
you always, even unto the end of the
age" II 1t is true that without Jesus
we can do nothing in His service that
counts for anything in His estimation;
tf it is true that Jesus is with His dis
ciples always, then it must follow that
Jesus is really and truly present with
His disciples and Is working with
them. This Is the declaration of our
text, and 1t explains the fearlessness
OF the disciples. their faithfulness. their
untiring zeal. their wonderful success.
Nothing is more destructive of efficient
and persistent effort than the thought
that one is utterly alone in a great un-
~dertating. The army. leaderless and
with its brave general dead upon tie
field of battle, is disheartened and dis
Outraged and at the mercy of the ca
rushing enemy. And the Christian
without the realization of the presence
Of the Gruat Captain, the C~onquerlnG
king, Is hopelessly weak and i%neffect-
nal As a soldier of the cross of Jesus
Christ. But If he feels and knows thai
His Lord is at his side ready to strike
when he ~strikes. ready to press for
ward when he presses forward. ready
20 when he falters. ready t.
lift up when he falls. ready to succol
and heal when the poison darts of thu
enemv infict their cruel wourds-wher
the disciple realizes all this then he II
able to fight the good fight of faith
then he is able to run the race success
fully.
CURELY, 1t was not tho will or pur-
- pose OF Jesus Christ that such
should be the case. The tremendou'