Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1942-02-19

LESSON Al-Luke O.1Z-zO.
GOLDEN TEXT-Let your light sd
good works, and glorify your Father
which is in heaven Matthew 5:16.
God is sovereign and has all pow
err He might, therefore, perform
His works without~the help Of man.
and on many an occasion He does
just that.
That fact makes it all the more
glorious that He ordinarily works
through men. giving to them the
privilege of companionship with
Him in service. Sinful and weak
though they may have been. they
become strong and holy in Him
able to do valiant service in His
name.
I. Appointed to Serve Christ WV.
1910.
1t is the constant teaching of
Scripture that those called to serve
God are not self-appointed. They
are:
l. Chosen by Him (vv. IL, 13). He
chooses whom He will. gives tn ~
the gifts and the grace for minis
land both are Importantly, and
vides them place of service. It Is
vital to the servant Of Christ that
he know that he has been chosen
and called of the Lord. Only with
that assurance can he meet the
problems and bear the burdens of
the work.
Observe that it was after a night
of prayer that Jesus appointed the
twelve. How many churches give
that much prayer to the choosing
of its leaders? Do we not need it
far more than did our Lord?
2. Called from Many Walks Of
Life (vv 1910. The apostles were
men of widely differing gifts. tenn
peraments. and personal character
istics. Some had unusual ability,
others apparently were of ordinary
qualifications. They were of many
occupations. fishermen. a tax gath.
erer, etc.; but not one was by pro
fession preacher or priest
We're men to choose for such Of
fees they would look within the mar.
row limits Of few learned profess
sions. with certain nationalities pre-
ferred. and with position in lie ar
important factor. God cuts across
every man-made limitation and
calls His workers as He sees st.
8. Companions in Service wv. IT,
l9. At once the twelve received
their introduction to service to the
great multitude diseased, demon
possessed. In spiritual need. It was
Jesus who healed them (and notice
that he healed them ALL" v. 19).
but verse II tells US that the newly
appointed apostles came and stood
with Him. They had fellowship with
the healing and serving Christ, just
as we may have 1t in service for
Him today.
ii. Prepared to Live for Christ
wv. 1920.
Service for Christ is as much (per-
haps we should say. nore) by life
as by ministry. The twelve needed
instruction that their spiritual per-
spective might be right. He tells
them
l. How to Meet Difficulties (vv,.
20-20. Poverty, hunger, weeping,
being hated for Christ's sake, these
were the things that Jesus knew
His servants might expect, so He
prepared them. They were told that
these things need not disturb them,
for there is a kingdom coming;
there will be a time when every
hunger will be satisfied, when weep
ing shall turn to laughter.
Hatred for Christ's sake is de-
clared to be the occasion for an
outburst of joy because of the re-
ward which awaits in heaven.
Scripture speaks much of rewards,
and we do well to encourage our
selves and other Christians by the
blessed prospect.
Meeting difficulties is a matter
of having mental and spiritual eyes
rightly focused. II we do, we can
see right through them and see that
on the other side there is blessing.
But there are temptations in an
other direction, so He tells them
2. How to Avoid Dangers (vv. "a
26). Jesus is here speaking Of those
who, lacking true spiritual vision,
revel in the satisfaction Of worldly
thing s without thought Of God. The
passage. however. may well be ap-
piled to the worker for Christ. Often
he will be tempted to covet the
wealth. the prosperity, the pleas
ures. and popularity Of those round
about him.
The question which comes to him
is, Why should and my family not
share these pleasant things? There
in lies a temptation to become
worldly-minded. centered In the tenn.
poralities of life Let him learn that
money in itself cannot bring last
ipu iov. that fha ffllpaos ~ tk;