The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1935-06-20
WEEKLY SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
CHRISTIAN MISSIONS
By HIGHT c. MOORE

Scripture: Acts 800; 10
i Golden Text-Go We into all the
world. and preach the gospel te
every creature. Mark 1915.
Needing the call of God, Abra,
ham, patriarch missionary, came
from Ur of the Chaldees to the
land of Canaan. and so in HIM al
the nations of the earth have been
blessed Genesis 12:l-3). -,
I Voicing the word of God
Isaiah, prophetic missionary
babe all the ends of the earth
look unto the one God and, be
saved Isaiah 45:22) and promls'
ed the Messiah, a light to the
Gentiles, that salvation might be
unto the end of the earth Isaiah
49:6).
Obeying at length the COM
mand of God, Jonah, though a
prejudiced foreign missionary,
preached the divine message to
the pagan city of Nineveh Jonah
3:1-16.
Announcing his worldwide and
agelong program, Jesus. the d.
vine missionary, gave the Great
Commission to the five hundred
and more on a mountain in Cali
lee Matthew 28:19, 20) and re-
iterated it to the Apostles in Je-
rusalem just before his Ascension
(Acts 1859.
Following the leadership of the
Holy Spirit the church at Antioch
in Syria, perhaps the most mis-
sionary of all the early churches,
sent out its first foreign mission
aries (Acts 13:l-12).
Devoting himself to the spread
of the gospel Paul, peerless apos-
tolic missionary, evangelical
western Asia and southern Eu-
rope (Acts 16:6-l0) and when a
prisoner for his faith he reviewed
his remarkable missionary labors
in his address before Agrippa at
Caesarea (Acts 26:12-20).
/. AUTHORITY FOR
CHRISTIAN MISSIONS
(Acts :6-S)
The Missionary Christ Still
Commands Christian Missions.
His word to the Apostles on the
slope and summit of Olivet on
Ascension Day was never more
apt and urgent than today.
% Consider the personnel.
On the last of the forty days fol-
lowing his resurrection Jesus ap-
peared the last of five times to
the Apostles as a body. Their as
ISOLATION with him in in the flesh
was now a thing of the past, and
since they had been given many
infallible proofs" of his resurrec-
ton, they were never again to
see his risen body with their nat
ural eyes. Alone they were being
left in the world--a, world that
had slain their Master and was
soon to lift against them bloody
hands. But they were not left
without compass and chart to sail
the unsailed seas before them. Be-
fore leaving them Jesus in a few
simple majestic sentences outlin-
ed their fundamental duties reach
| ing from that moment to the end
, of the age and circling out from
Jerusalem to the ends of the
earth.
(2) Consider the power. Al
ready they had been told that
when Jesus went away another
Comforter would come and guide
them into all truth. Now Jesus is
going away and so in his last
words he commands his followers
to wait for the fulfilment of that
: promise mot many days hence"
They must wait in Jerusalem
which was not only redOlent with
recent association but also the
best radiating point for the new
faith. Nor must they confuse the
spiritual kingdom of the Messiah
with the utterly material view OF
mere restoration of a glorious
earthly kingdom to the people OF
Israel. And let them in their wait
ing be ready for the early coming
of the Holy Spirit who would
plunge their souls into his envel-
oping presence as the Baptist
plunged their bodies in the Jor-
dan waters, and who would EN-
power them for service in the
days to come. More could they
do by waiting than by work.
90 Consider the program. The
disciples were now told by the
risen Lord to be not apologists
for his cause or antagonists OF
his foes, but simply, because in.
clusively, witnesses unto me.
Let them but give Christ chance
at the world through their testi'
mony, and he will win his way
over the hearts and lives of men