The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1941-06-05
BEGINNING OF WORLD
MISSIONS


LESSON TEXT-Acts 12:25.13:12
GOLDEN TEXT-And he said unto them
Go We into all the world, and preach the
gospel to every creature.-Mark 1915.
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 1890
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 'to
fight the good fight of faith q Tim.
GID. First we must have
/. 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 a
home church which is spiritually
asleep, indolent, Indifferent, and
worldly minded.
The church at Antioch prayed and
tasted. It ministered the Word of
God. It 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 a 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.
II. Good Soldiers of the Cross
wv. 2-4).
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 insists or fail
ures. A girl was once heard to re-
mark: eff I can't get married, I
will be a missionary" Fortunately
for Gods work, she did get mar
ried. Some men who cannot sue
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. 5-10).
Warfare is not 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 deviI' (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. 0-10).
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
a Greek city of high culture and low
morals. 1t was ruled by the Roman
governor, a man of noble character
CllQ q IlldIl VI uIluG1 ".
y. But right with him was Elymas
the sorcerer, wicked and ungodly
Jew, a 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,
of high or low estate, wicked or
good, interested or antagonistic.
They all need Gods Word.
w. Victory for Christ wv. II, 12).
The army goes into battle with the
purpose of winning victory, or it
is defeated before it starts. The
Lords army is on victorious
march, certain of success, because
He that is in us is greater than he
that is in the world" Il John 40.
In dealing with the sorcerer, Paul
brought down the drastic judgment
of God. Note that this was not done
because Elymas opposed Paul, or
because he had some different be-
lief, but because he in his wickedness
opposed God. Those who fight
against God are in losing battle,
the victory is always on His side.
There was another kind of victory
here, and the soldiers of the cross
are (or should be- far more inter-
ested in that type of victory; namely,
the surrender of a sinner at the foot
of the cross. Gcd won a victory in
the heart of Sergius PauluS.