The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1939-02-23

LESSON TEXT-Acts 8:14-25
GOLDEN TEXT-Come We, buy, and eat;
yea, come. buy wine and milk without
money and without price.-Isaiah SSH.
Commercialism certainly should
have no place in the Christian
Church. But in an age that will
even commercialize a mans love
for his mother, it is small wonder
that the great holy days of the
Church-Christmas and Easter
have become the special object of
proft-seeling purveyors of every
thing from hats to whisky. New
Years day, Thanksgiving day,
Mothers day, Fathers day, any day
at all, becomes just another oppor-
tunity to take mans money, waste
his time, and possibly to destroy
his soul. 1t is high time that intelli-
gent folk make effective protest
against such perversion of sacred
things.
The Scripture lesson for today
tells of one who went so far as to
try to buy the power of God for mon
ey, that he might use it to get gain
for himself, failing to realize that
the power of God is a gift and to be
used only for His glory.
I. Spiritual Power-the Gift of
God wv. 14-17).
The Holy Spirit who is the third
person of the blessed Trinity had
called Philip, a layman, and sent
him forth to preach in Samaria
Men and women were converted,
and when the church at Jerusalem
heard of it, they sent Peter and
John to give counsel and help to the
new converts. Through the laying
on of hands these received the gift
of the Holy Spirit even as we now
receive Him the moment we believe
on Christ.
What a glorious truth it is that
the believer is indwelt by the Holy
Spirit Il Cor. GID. Thus even the
humblest believer has in Him the
One who redeems man, gives grace
for holy living, and empowers for
service. The greatest power in all
the world is consequently available
to every true and yielded believer.
Gone then are all excuses for weak
and careless living. Gone is every
ground for claiming that one can
not serve God. The power and
grace are His, and He gives them
to His followers as gift Christian
friend, are you giving the Holy
Spirit of God liberty to infll and
use you as He will?
ii. Spiritual Power-Not for Sale
wv. 1924.
Men who put their trust in money
are prone to think that one can buy
anything. They say with Walpole,
every man has his price" But
they are wrong. There are men
and women in the world who can
not be bought, and it is even more
certain that the best things that life
can give man have no price tag
on them-a mothers love, friend
ship, fellowship with God, the Holy
Spirits poWer-these among many
others are not for sale.
Simon, protested believer, rec
ognized that these followers of Je-
sus had a great power which he
thought to buy for his own business
as a magician. His was very gross
and blatant effort to do what many
have done in the Church, and are
doing today, by more skillful and
sometimes by under-cover methods.
There are those who by holding the
CIV Cnnly 70 oAofra1 Ia
message of the preacher, or who use
their financial influence to obtain
control of church organizations and
institutions. Their efforts are
doomed to ultimate failure, but the
present harm they do to the cause OF
Christ is appalling. Many a church
and pastor would be far better off
if they could rise up and say with
Peter, ''Thy money perish with
thee"
III. Spiritual Power-for Testi.
mOny ". 25).
Peter and John set the Samari-
tan believers a good example by
permitting the Spirit of God to use
them to testify and preach the Word
of the Lord in many villages. The
Holy Spirit does mot speak of him
SELF" but guides the believer sir
all truth" John 1919, and His
primary ministry is to glorify Christ
John 1914. 1t follows that the
outstanding mark of a Spirit-borr
and Spirit-flled believer is his de.
sire to speak of and to glorify
Christ.
Such a testimony will be mot ir
words which mans wisdom teach.
eth, but which the Holy Ghost teach
eth" Il Cor. 2:13), and will bear
fruit for eternity.