Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1916-11-23
LESSON FOR NOVEMBER 2e
A LIVING SACRIFICE.

ALIv,Ao SACRIFICE.
LESSON TExT-Romans T.
GOLDEN TExT-Present our bodies
a living sacrifice. holy. acceptable unto
God, which IL your spiritual service
Rom. 12:1 r. ".
The first IL chapters Of this let
ter teach and illustrate the great
principles of the Christian life. Paul
calls it my Gospel" Its funda-
mental principle is that justification
regenerates men, and nothing else.
The second Section is the practical ap-
plication of these truths.
Z. The E%xhortation to Gratitude
wv. 1-2). Therefore" because of the
work Of Christ on II behalf, we are
to present u bodies as living
sacrifices unto God, to be used for
his glory and service. (See chapter
6:13, 16. 1917. Paul urges, he beseeches ;
he Is winsome, though he might com-
mand. To present" technically means,
'bring an offering to God" The body
Is the sum Of all human faculties,
physical and spiritual. 1t must not be
deflled by being yielded as an instru-
ment to sin, for 1t is the temple Of
God. II Cor. 1916. ~. A Living Of
fering," (not as the bodies Of slain
animals offered by Jews) is a conse-
Grafton of the body, and not n destruc-
ton of life. The original means that
this-the offering Of ourselves us q
living SACRIFICES a reasonable, ra-
tional service. God has the right Of
ownership Of every member of our
body. and there never was n day when
there was greater need Of insisting
upon a Christianity that affects the
bodies of men than today. Hands, lips,
ears, eyes-every member should be
constantly presented to him who pur-
chased 1t by the blood of his own Son.
Il Cor. $50; / Pet. 1:1S-19.) This
is a spiritual, religious service be-
cause. 1t is our spirit which presents.
the Offering of the body which he in
habits. Too many of us are "fash-
Toned according to this age" When
the mind is made new, old things pass
AWAY III Cor. SID. We have new
thoughts, new desires, new purposes,
lew affections, new tastes, new am
billions, new ideals; everything is new.
~. The Expression Of Gratitude
wv. 1870 Or the right use of the gifts
of God. ~ Avoid "s%elf-conceit" wv.
3-5). These verses Indicate how inn
portant this subject is. Conceit is en-
PERTAINING an exaggerated opinion Of
ones own ability. The church has
many members, md they do not all
have the same Office; there is a variety
in the unity of the body. So in the
church there are many members in
one body" each of which is important;
all are essential. (2) prophecy"
". 6), not necessarily f~oretelling, but
the revelation of spiritual truth and
experience according to the proper
ton of our faith Cps. 39:3), the living,
spiritual experience Of the presence of
God within us. (3) ministry" ". y.
The business side of the church, col
Iecting of its money and the distribu-
ton to the poor. Some can best at
tend to such business. Many churches
fail by not selecting wise leaders for
this work. "a "He that teacheth."
The true pastor is a combined prOph-
eft, pastor and teacher. We are all
teaching, whether we wish to or not.
1t is a privilege as well rs an obliga-
ton. (5) "He that exhorteth" ".
81; this word is closely akin to the
word comforter, of which John and Bar
nabas We're shining examples. (See
Acts 1886. (6) HE that giveth." do
1t with simplicity, unmixed motives;
according to the revised version, lib
orally" "a "He that ruleth;" those
who r appointed or chosen to take
charge of departments Of church work
are not to fail in diligence. (S) HE
that showeth mercy" must do 1t with
cheerfulness or hilarity for the joy of
the privilege.
III. Conduct Toward All Men wv.
9-21). The renewed soul needs guild
ance, encouragement and instruction.
~ I'm love" ". o.. The ~hypocrite
wears a mask. Notice the close con-
nection of "abhor that which is evil"
with "cleave to that which is good"
The word for cleave means literally
to glue 1t, so that nothing can separate
you from love which Is the supreme
good. SIN honor preferring one an-
other" ". 10Y. Let others carry the
b~anner-few Of us car stand this acid
test. (3) "Diligent In business" ".
ny. Whatsoever your hands find to
do, do it with your might, being fer
vent or boiling in spirit, the reverse of
the previous exhortation, In that which
are thus to serve the Lord. Few
need exh0rtation to be diligent in their
own business, but all Of us need this
exhortatiOn with regard to the kings
business" az Rejoicing in hope ".
12). Triumphing over trials and diff.
culties In the way. Looking for that
"blessed hope" Titus 2:13). (5) Pa
hence and tribulation ". 12). The
Latin "trlbulum" was the threshing in.
strument or roller whereby the hus-
bandman separated grain from the
husk. Sorrow, distress and adversely
are the means for separating men from
the chat Of their lives. Sometimes
small annoyances, long continued, be-
come great tribulations. tSee Joshua