(Helpful to Sunday School Lesson of February 22, 1920, Acts 12:1–19)
“Was kept in prison.” How wonderful is the contrast between these words and the words in the 9th verse, “And he went out.”What a contrast of power is here. In the first place poor little puny government officials, needful as they are, honored as they must be by every Christian and obeyed as God has commanded them to be, yet how little is their power when God says, “Open the door and let them out.” It is so with every door that shuts against us. We are under …
(Helpful to Sunday School Lesson of February 15, 1920, Acts 10:30–48)
“Behold, a man stood.” Cornelius did not know the Holy Ghost as yet, and it was necessary for God to use an angel. God speaks through the saints by the Holy Spirit. How important it is that we should thoroughly recognize this. Jesus says, “My sheep hear my voice.” Again, the Scripture says, “As many as are led by the spirit of God they are the sons of God.” How many sad hearts are calling themselves Christians today, who must be led about by bit and bridle. There are …
“Judah was his sanctuary, and Israel his dominion.”—Psalm 114:2
I gather from this verse that God in a collective sense has His people, and then inside of His family, among those who are His own children, He has another special little group in which He peculiarly works, in which He peculiarly lives, in which He peculiarly shows His grace, His power and His blessing.
The whole Jewish race was God’s chosen people, and yet one of the twelve tribes of the Jews was particularly selected by God as his sanctuary, says our text. When God selected His king, He was …
“And the king sent and called for Shimei, and said unto him, Did I not make thee to swear by the Lord, and protested unto thee, saying, Know for a certain, on the day thou goest out, and walkest abroad any whither, that thou shalt surely die? and thou saidst unto me, The word that I have heard is good. Why then hast thou not kept the oath of the Lord, and the commandment that I have charged thee with?” —1 Kings 2: 42–43
We have in this chapter the setting forth of a kingdom like unto the kingdom of …
(Helpful to Sunday School Lesson of February 8, 1920, Acts 9:32–43)
“Jesus Christ maketh thee whole.”
The Acts of the Apostles might be called also “The Acts of the Risen and Seated Christ,” or, “The Acts of the Holy Spirit.” The things which Jesus had done as He walked on Earth are in this lesson done through faith in Him since the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples. It is the same Jesus who is working, the same Jesus who is able to heal today; for He is “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.”
“But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few; pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.”—Matthew 9:36–38
Volunteers are missionaries in the making. What makes the missionary is the movement of compassion—that is, the compassionate heart of Jesus in your heart, throbbing with the same desires and the same ambitions, and then compelling you through these longings to …
(Helpful to Sunday School Lesson of February 1, 1920, Acts 8:4–39)
“Scattered abroad.” This sounds like a calamity; but what looks like a calamity to the world is God’s method of sowing the seed. Men who knew nothing about seed would say the farmer is throwing it away as he reaches into his bag and scatters it abroad; but it will come up if it die and bear much fruit. Persecution has always been followed by power in the Church. They put Jesus to death, but fifty days from His death one hundred and twenty were filled with Him and …
“And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.”—Ephesians 6:15
This chapter of Scripture tells us that we wrestle against principalities and powers, and whenever the Gospel is preached there are onslaughts from the devil. If I were to talk tonight about gasoline engines, men’s interest would be aroused, there would be no darkness in their minds at all, and they would be quick to comprehend my meaning. If I were giving a travel lecture on Alaska, describing it as the pictures were thrown upon the screen, there would be no veil over men’s minds. Now comes …
(Helpful to Sunday School Lesson of January 25, 1920, Acts 5:1–11)
“Kept back part.” Primarily this lesson is on lying to the Holy Ghost, but the reason for the lie is in these little words. Many are lying to the Holy Ghost who are not killed in our day; but they started by keeping back part. They promised to go all the way with Christ. They said they made a full surrender, but they kept back part. Oh, examine your heart. Have you kept back part?
“Satan filled thine heart.” Remember Satan hates us, going about as a roaring lion. …
We climb the mountain by stepping from rock to rock; but the soul makes its way in faith by stepping from one word of the Lord to another. Some think that Peter walked on the water, but if you will read the passage you will find Peter really stepped on the little word, “Come,” and was safer on that little word “come” than any man is in an ocean liner. Peter would have been foolish to have stepped on the water without this little word of Jesus, “Come,” beneath his feet. Faith cannot plant its feet in certainty except the …
