Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1914-12-09
SUNDAY SCHOOL
LESSON FOR DEG. IS
BANNER FOR IT'S MANY
READERS
TO THE
INTERNATIONAL SERIES
Commentary Prepared In An Inter-
esting Way by Rev. ID. NJ.
Stearns


rryeen His resurrection and final Wis
file ascension from Olivet is not more
ensy than the sequence Of some of the
| events I'm His sojourn In His mortal
body. but the heart lessons are not
| difficult. The summary In Acts 1. 3. Is
| clear and full. HE showed Himself
| alive after His passion by many in
fallible proofs. being seen OF them for
ty days and speaking Of the things
pertaining to the Kingdom of God"
He always Showed Himself t.Iohn
XXI. /. IA. and this is our need-to
see no man any more save Jesus only
Mark tx. 81. He showed Himself alive.
and we must live as If we really be-
lieved that our great High Priest Is
alive forevermore and has all power
I'm heaven and on earth
He always spake OF the Kingdom.
both in His earthly life and until His
| ascension. and there is nothing so i'm
portant as the coming of lis Kingdom.
which If we seek first He has assured
us of all other things that we need
Matt. vi 33). This appearance Of our
lesson in Matthew may have been to
the eleven only. or it may have been
the same as when He was seen by
over 500 at once q Cor XIV. l6I. From
the fact that some doubted il would
seem TO have included the latter for
surely the eleven had ceased doubling
ere this. There was another most in
teresting appearance in Galilee to sew
Ell of the disciples after their night
Of fruitless toll on the lake. when He
provided breakfast for them. apart
from their labors, and also filed their
net with 1913 great fishes. 1t was then
that He asked Peter the thrice repeat
ed question. Lowest thou meT spe-
cially commissioned him and foretold
his nartyrdom John xxi. 1-24.
Before His crucifiXion His instruc-
tons to the disciples were to go neither
10 gentiles nor Samaritans. but rather
to Israel. but now that Israel had de
cidedly rejected Him and in cutting
Him off had also cut themselves off
from all privileges as a nation till He
shall come again the instructions are
different. The messengers are To 20
to all nations and gather TO Him dis
ciples. They are to 20 into all the
world and preach the gospel to every
creature; they are to preach repentance
and remission of sins in His name
among all nations. beginning at .Ieru
salem. but they were to wait ut Jeru
salem these first messengersl until
they should receive the necessary pow
er TO do this in the form of a Specia
enduement of power by the Holy Spir
it. for He would he sent To bear wit
ness to crucified. risen. rejected. as
cended Christ. to gather unto Him n
people for His name who by Il special
training in this age would be fitted
TO reign with Him i'm the next age
when He shall come again to set up
His kingdom of righteousness and
peace Verse 10: Mark xvi ID: Luke
xiv, 1910; Acts XIV. 1918; lisa.
xxi, l, III.
There is nothing whatever I'm their
commission about subduing the world
or winning the world to Christ or re-
forming or uplifting the race, but sim
ply to do as Paul tells us he did-de
termine not TO know anything but
Jesus Christ and Him crucifed; to
preach the gospel that Christ died for
our sins according TO the Scriptures.
that He was buried and that He rose
again the third day according TO the
Scriptures; to SO preach as by all
means TO save some; to be ready to
preach the gospel anywhere as debtor
to all and never ashamed of it; to
preach the kingdom of God and teach
those things which concern the Lord
Jesus Christ. knowing that some will
believe and some believe not; to turn
people from idols to God. to serve the
living and true God and to wait for
His son from Heaven; to speak always
not as pleasing men. but God. who
trieth our hearts Il Cor. ii. 2; TX, %;
XIV. 3, A; Rom. |, l4-16; Acts xviii. %.
"a, 81; Thess. 1. 8. 10; Ii. 4; III Tim.
ii, 15). Our responsibility is to be
faithful witnesses, believing all things
written in the law Of Moses and in the
prophets and the Psalms concerning
Him, quite sure that His Word will
not return TO Him void. but always
accomplish all His pleasure verse A:
lisa. lv. III.
Whether we see much or little or
not any present results of our sowing.
we can leave that all to Him with
whom we are fellow workers unto His
kingdom. knowing that He shall not
fail nor be discouraged lisa. Kill 4: /
Cor. XIV. 81. The devil sowed his
tares and went his way quite sure that
they would grow. and we must indeed
be people OF little faith IL we cannot
have as much confidence concerning the
incorruptible seed of the Word OF God
as the devil had concerning his tares.
When we have delivered the Word OF
God lovingly In the mower of the Holy