Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1941-06-05


Mark 1918.
Nineteen hundred years Of front
line action" for Christ began that
day in Antioch when the first mis-
sionaries Of the cross were sent
forth. There is no more thrilling
story in all history than that Of mis-
sions. The glorious thing is that it
goes on year after year. and will do
so as long as the Lord Of the harvest
continues to send forth workers.
The writer Of these notes Is glad to
be associated with a training center
which in its half century Of operation
has prepared for service about $500
men and women who have been sent
to the foreign field by their churches
and missions, and Of whom approx
mately 1000 are still active on the
field in spite Of peril, toll and pain"
Our lesson teaches US how ito
fight the good fight Of faith" Il Tim.
GID. First we must have
I. The Base Of Operations wv.
1-3).
Every army must have a home
base: just so, the army Of the Lord
looks to the home church, the local
gathering of Gods people. An army
would fail If those at the base Of its
action were asleep, or so interested
in the pleasures of this world, or SO
indifferent to their responsibility,
that they would not work hard in
support Of the active army. So the
cause of Christian missions cannot
go ahead If it has to depend on
home church which. is spiritually
asleep, indolent, Indifferent, and
worldly minded.
The church at Antioch prayed and
tasted. It ministered the Word of
God. 1t was responsive to the guild
ance of the Holy Spirit and ready
to sacrifice by giving its leaders to
the missionary cause. Is your church
that kind of church? If not. why
not?
Observe also that it is from such
a church that God calls His workers.
Sunday school teacher, you may
have in your class next Sunday one
of the missionary leaders Of the next
generation. See to it that the mes
sage from God reaches that heart.
III. Good Soldiers of the Cross
wv. "a.
The army does not call for the
weak or physically handicapped to
serve. Just so. Gods service calls
for the strongest men and women Of
the church, not the misfits or fail
ures. A girl was once heard to re-
mark: IF / can't get married, I
will be a missionary" Fortunately
for Gods work, she did get mar
ried. Some men who cannot suc-
coed in business think that means
they should be missionaries.
God wants our best (Deut. 1879
and He wants the best church can
give, which means the best spiritu-
ally, but in other ways as well.
Note also in verses 8 and that the
messengers of the Lord must be con-
stantly led Of the Holy Spirit.
III. The Heat Of Battle wv. 5-1O.
Warfare is not a Sunday school
picnic. 1t means conflict with the
forces Of the enemy. So the mis-
sionary of the cross must be pre-
pared to meet Satanic opposition.
Saul and Barnabas met this "son Of
the devip' (by the way. reader, we
trust you do not belong to that fam
ily) who opposed the work of grace
which had begun in the heart of the
governor wv. 8-10).
However, there are those who do
seek to hear the Word of God ". y
as did Sergius Paulus. The business
Of the missionary is to preach to
them, but not only to them. The
city of Paphos was really a minia-
ture of the world of that day. 1t was
Greek city Of high culture and low
morals. 1t was ruled by the Roman
governor, a man of noble character
and imam of understanding" ".
y. But right with him was Elymas
the sorcerer, wicked and ungodly
Jew, disgrace to his own people
and hindrance to the work of God.
The messenger Of God rejoices in the
opportunity to minister the Word.
whether to Roman, Jew, or Greek,