The Mississippi enterprise. (Jackson, Miss.) 1938-current, 1958-02-15
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
February 16, 1858
BY Rev. Geo. A. Harper
Sill Avenue G.,
Greenwood. Miss.

Greenwood, Miss.
THE PREACHING MINIS
TRY OF THE CHURCH.
Romans 1O:14-17; l Corinth-
ians 1881; Ephesians 3:7-19.
Print Romans 10:14-17; Ephes-
ians 3:7-19.
MEMORY SELECTION =
Faith cometh by hearing, and
hearing by the word of Cod
Romans 10:10. This verse
means that faith cometh by
hearing the Word of God.
Faith is the gift of God in
the sense that it results from
a merciful arrangement of
God, not independent of, but
in connection with the free
moral agency of man. God
has provided a Saviour, his
Word and promises, intelligent
minds and influence of the
Holy Spirit, which should lead
us to believe in God. He is
the Author and Finisher of our
faith. However, God will not
do the believing for us and
faith is to be considered as
Che act of the creature. Faith
is the act of believing, and
involves the will of the heart
and the exercise of the mind,
and is dependent upon the be-
lever. Faith is dependent up
on the believer. Faith is pos
Sible to all men and if they
will read the Word of God and
exercise their will, faith will
become active and appropriate
Gods promises.
THE PLACE OF FAITH
AND PREACHING IN SAL
VATION:
'How then shall they call
on him in whom they have
not believed? and shall they
believe in him of whom they
have not heard, and how shall
they hear without a preacher"
- They that call upon the
name of the Lord in faith shall
be saved, but this is not so
simple a proposition as it
seems on the surface, especi-
ally for those people who have
never heard of the Lord. "And
how shall they preach, except
they be sent? AS it is written:
How beautiful are the feet of
them that preach the gospel
of peace, and bring glad It'd
ings of good things" 1t is
not enough to be just a preach
er, but it is necessary to be
called in order to be a genu-
inc minister with a message
that will result in salvation
for the unsaved. So the mess
enger who is qualified to tell
others about God must be sent
from God, for how can he tell
others about someone he does
not know? But they have not
all obeyed the gospel. For
Esaias saith, Lord, who hath
believed our report" :.
Isaiah had said, who hath be-
lever our report; and unto
whom is the arm of the Lord
revealed?" $50 then faith
cometh by hearing, and hear
ing by the word of God" i
faith comes as the result of
first having learned about
God and his righteousness. In
the final analysis, faith comes
by listening to the Word of
God, and that comes in turn
through those who are COM
missioned of God to bring glad
tidings of good things.
BEING AN AMBASSADOR
FOR CHRIST:
whereof / was made a min
lister, according to the gift of
the grace of God given unto
me by the effectual working
of his power" - Paul explains
here to the Ephesian people
just why he was commissioned
to preac hthe gospel of Christ.
Paul had been called from the
beginning of his ministry to
be a minister unto the Gentiles
and it was among these peo-
pie he did most of his work, |
for he understood Gentle
people having been brought up
among them and having learn
ed their laws and ways of life. |
"Unto me, who am less than
the least of all saints, is this
grace given, that I should@
preach among the Gentiles the |
unsearchable riches of Christ"
Paul always felt himself to
be the least in degree COM