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12 THE PRESBYTERIAN
Young People's Societies
SAVING OTHERS.
Topic for Sunday, January 9:
Bringing Others to Christ: Who should do it? How is it to
be done? John 1:35-51.
DAILY READINGS.
Monday: The preacher. 1 Corinthians 9:18-27.
Tuesday: The Christian. Acts 8:1-8. '
Wednesday: The friend. Mark 2:1-12.
Thursday: By word. Luke 4:16-30.
Friday: By example. 1 Timothy 4:6-16.
Saturday: By the Spirit. John 16:5-11; Acts 2:37.
Soul-winning is to be the great duty of every one who is
Christ's. "Let him that heareth say, Come."
This is God's appointed way of gathering the church. He
might have adopted some other way. But he chose this.
Until one believes, every call of Christ and the Spirit is,
Come! After one believes and has come, the word is, ever Go!
"Go ye out into the highways and hedges and compel them
to come in." "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel
to everj* creature." *
To whom shall we go? Of course first to those who are
nearest at hand, in our own families, at our doors, our neighbors,
among our companions and friends.
A man was once dispossessed of a df vil. He at once besought
Christ to let him stay with him, that he might look up
Into his face always. The Master said, "Return to thine own
house!"
Closest around a light that light shines its brightest. Near-'
est to oneself the work can be most effective. There, too,
the greatest mischief was done. There the quickest reparation
and healing should be offered.
Just around oneself is perhaps the hardest place to work
for souls. They all know us too well there! Conscious guilt
makes us hesitate. The more need to do the right, that we
may correct the wrong and compel others to hink well
enough of us to heed our words.
At the first ingathering of disciples to Christ there were
five, some interpreters say six, who followed him and enrolled
under his banner. Of these all but one came to Christ
through the call and urging of their friends. Only one, and
that was Philip, came at the Lord's own call.
Moses, about to depart from Sinai, in the lower part of
Midian, invited his brother-in-law, Hobab, to go with him to
the Promised Land. "Come thou with us, and we will do
thee good, for the Lord hath spoken good concerning Israel."
And Hobab went, the progenitor of the Kenites whose history
was so closely interwoven with that of the Jews.
One has well written, "You can not introduce some one
whom you do not know to some one you do not know. You
must be acquainted with both Christ and the man whom you
would bring to Christ." The first step in saving others is to
have personal knowledge of the Saviour in all the fullness of
his grace. Then you can make him known to all your friends.
They will see that you have been with Christ and that he
knows you and you know him.
When God bids you do a thing he will give you the grace
to do it. A father would not order his child to undertake an
impossibility. Ready obedience on the part of the believer
binds God to help. His strength will be made perfect in your
weakness. And do not forget his promise. "They that turn
many to righteousness shall shine as the stars, forever and
iorever. mere win De stars in your crown lor an wnom
you have led to Christ.
GROWN-UP SCHOLARS.
Pay attention to grown-up folk in your school. Have a
class, a teacher and a course of Bible instruction that will appeal
to strong men and women. Use the home department
to enlist all who do not attend the main session of the school
on the Lord's day. Some can not attend, and others Just will
not, because they are not interested. It is your business to
interest them.?Standard.
OF THE SOUTH December 29, igog.
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Prayer Meeting
TOPIC?THE THINGS WHICH ARE BEFORE.
Week Beginning Jan. 2, 1910. Phil. 3:13-14.
There are many forms in which the scriptures would impress
upon us that the Christmas life is active and progressive.
We are compared to laborers and are to work out our
sunanon. we are compared to servants who are to give account
of our faithfulness to our Master. We are compared
to soldiers engaged in a deadly conflict with numerous and
powerful enemies. We are compared to wrestlers and other
contestants in games, especially to those who ran on the race
course.
The truth to be taught by these several illustrations is the
necessity of exertion and effort in order to the fulfillment of
life's mission. The laborer must not sot laiooii rri
_ ? ? ? ?? v MW ?M?V Ull vu<c ua ? . X 11C
soldier must do guard duty and fight when the battle is on, or
he will fall into the hands of the enemy. The runner must
summon every energy and put forth every power or he will
fail to secure the prize.
The special figure before us in this passage is that of the
runner in a race. The Grecian runner made thorough preparation
for the contest?by careful training; and when ready
for the race divested himself of everything that could encumber
his progress. He practiced self-denial and self-control; he
cultivated firmness of purpose and persevered in his course
10 me eua.
But with all the discipline and earnest efforts he had a
constant and to him a powerful incentive. It was the prospect
of winning a crown, which was soon to fade indeed, but
the symbol and token of distinguished honor. Every step
brought him nearer to the things that were before.
He strove "to obain a corruptible crown but we an incorruptible."
if he was vigilant and faithful that he might obtain
honors that were soon to vanish, shall not we by patient
continuance in well doing, seek for glory and honor and immortality?
To us the prize to be obtained is of Infinite value.
The possession to be secured is Christ and all the benefits of
redemption. The crown to be worn is eternal life. Failure
would involve infinite loss for it would mean banishment from
the favor of God and consignment to the blackness of darkness
forever.
As we contemplate the new year it should be with more
ouoyant anticipations than we have ever cherished in the
past. Why not? Have we not had one more year of God's
guardian care and faithfulness to his promise? Through
the uncertainties of the past he has not forsaken us, not one
word of all that he has spoken ha3 failed. His grace has
been sufficient. This added testimonial that he is faithful
'who has promised should Inspire ub to ever enlarging expectations
as we contemplate the years that are to come.
There is another reason for our "reaching forth," or as in
the revision, ' stretching forward," with increased confidence
and keener anticipation than ever before. It is found in the
development of character ahd confirmation of faith that experience
supplies. Growth is a law of the spiritual kingdom.
We steadily progress toward perfect manhood in Christ Jesus.
The fruits of the Spirit in the healthy Christian are ever
advancing toward maturity. A more robust faith and a more
whole hearted consecration are the fruits of loving service.
An lntenser longing for and a higher estimate of the treasures
of the spiritual kingdom are effects of belonging to that
kingdom.
To the true believer then, the things that are before include
a larger appreciation, and therefore a larger appropriation
and enjoyment of the riches of God's grace. Whatever
of comfort or delight we may Bave found In the favor of our
God and In communion with our Redeemer in the years that
have passed, should be Intensified and magnified in the years
to come. Whatever visions we may have had of the glories
of our Lord's person and work should be an earnest and a
prophecy of yet brighter visions of the excellent glory in
which he is enthroned and the communications of his love
that he ever bestows on waiting, expectant souls.