The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1904-10-07

w IN Tn'G tbe pIsce she% on
darkness and encouragement. Not
working alone, but the Lord working
with them. | remember as a boy that
the heaviest task seemed easy and de-
lightful when father turned in and
helped. The moment he began work.
ing with me, that moment | knew the
task was going to be accomplished, and
encouragement and WEAKNESS van
ished. One instance in particular comes
to my mind. A ton of coal had been de-
livered to our next-door neighbor and
dumped in front of the house. There
was no one to carry it into the wood
she'd and my brother and l were ambi-
tious to undertake the task and earn q
bit of spending money. With the 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 it was a
pretty big task for two such little chaps
as we were, for brother was not yet ten
and l was two years his junior, and so
after the first few scuttlefuls had been
carried in, the coal pile locked bigger
Judu ever. Livery Jln6 NH DdCh
with the empty bucket it tGemed as
though the pile had mysteriously grown
in cur absence. The more we carried in
the more it seemed that We woufa never
be able to finish the task. Tho after
noon dragged itself out and our trips
from the coal pile to the woodsheN be-
came less and less frequent, unit as
wilight began to fall we were readI TO
give up our task. Father came hoife
just at this time and, quickly graspihg
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 it again. And with
,ather working with us, how much
smaller that pile of coal looked. There
was no more doubt that the task would
be completed. and there was new in
terest in the work. for father was there
to encourage and help. Father work
ing with us made all the difference be-
tween Encouragement and failure and
encouragement and success. And this
illustrates in part at least what it means
when Scripture declares that the dis
ciples went everywhere preaching, the
Lord working with them"
A ND where this was true in the case
I \ 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 none more striking
and remarkable than that which we
find in the account OF the disciples i'm
mediately following Jesus crucifixion
and up to the day of Pentecost, and
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 call
tiously and with great fear moving
the streets and seeking 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, they come forth and
boldly preach their message.
no YOU not recall the words of
II Jesus wherein He told His dis
Ciples and wherein He tells you and me
that without Me ye can do nothing"
And the very last promise which He left
with His disciples was 10, l am with
you always, even unto the end of the
age" If it is true that without Jesus
we can do nothing in His service that
counts for anything in His estimation;
if 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
-eHt. and it explains the fearlessness
If the disciples, their faithfulness, their
;C firing zeal, their wonderful success.
Nothing is more destructive of efficient
ana persistent effort than the thought
hat one is utterly alone in a great IN
1ertaking. The army, leaderless and
with its brave general dead upon the |
fed of battle, is disheartened and dis |
outraged and at the mercy of the on
rushing enemy. And the Christian |
without the realization of the presence |
IF the Great Captain, the Conquering |
King, is hOpelessly weak and ineffect- |
Ial as a soldier Of the cross of Jesus |
Christ. But if he feels and knows that |
His Lord is at his side ready TO strike |
when he strikes, ready to press for
ward when he presses forward, ready |
u encourage when he falters, ready to |
1T up when he falls, ready to succor |
Iud heal when the poison darts of the |
euemy inflict their cruel wounds-when |
he disciple realizes all this then he is
Ltle to fight the good fight of faith.
1sn he is able to run the race success
Willy.
.rURELY, it was not the will or DUR
; pose of Jesus Christ that such
AOuld be the case. The tremendous
uergies. the wonderful success of the
arly disciples as they went everywhere
reaching is the evidence indisputabIe
hat the Lord was working with them
he fact that nightly grew the Word
nd prevailed" emphasizes the perfect
Zion which prevailed between the hu-
IAN and the Divine-the one the in
trument, the other the guiding and
nabling power; the one the channel.
be other the life-giving current flow
lg through 1t to the blessing of all
no came in touch with it. This
lessed partnership has never been re-