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20 THE CONVENTION TEACHER and is entitled to his bounty of blessings. LIGHT NO. 2 -- God is presented in Romans 8th Chapter as being all sufficient in the things he does. Even the death of Jesus for the redemption of mankind was in fact an action of the Divine Father rather than the wrath of human beings. Men committed death to his body only because Jesus was delivered of himself up to them. (a) The expressions "Who shall separate us from the love," etc. and "I am persuaded that neither death nor life, etc. teach men that no external force whatsoever can break a divine contract between God and man. When a man enters into the fellowship of God, it is spiritual, and is unaffected by anything that any other person or thing does. A divine relationship of man and God results from the man's taking hold of God and God's taking hold of man. God's power is so great, that nothing can make him turn loose, and God will give man enough power to hold on despite all efforts of external forces. Editorial Reflections By Rev. S. A. Pleasants, D. D. We are debtors to God, and not to the flesh. We can never pay God what we owe Him. When we give Him our whole being we still owe Him. We can only plead the merits of Christ Jesus. We live only in Christ, when we live in Him, the deeds of the body die. All, who live in Christ, are led by the Spirit of God, and are God's sons. To truly be in Christ by the New Birth takes away tormenting fear, and so gives us the nature of Christ to the end, we make our Father the dearest being to us. He no more becomes to us a dreaded being but a loving, kind, and true One. Dearer to us than our own earthly fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers and our own lives. He becomes our all. When we know positively that we are children of God without a shadow of a doubt, it is when the Word and Holy Spirit tell us so. They make it known to our inner being, where no deception can be. When we truly are His, we then become heirs and joint-heirs with Christ to all that our father owns, and He owns everything in the Universe. The Kingdom Book teaches, that this world and all worlds and everything in them is His. He created all things and they are owned by Him. He is the only Being, who owns every being, and every thing. When we are His children truly, we possess all He owns, and in the world to come He will make us owner of all that is His. Truly this will be the joy of our Lord. To keep conscious of such weans us truly from the breast of this evil world. All His children are known truly, when the days of suffering come. The Bible and the Holy Spirit let them know, if we suffer with Him and for Him, we shall be glorified by Him. He suffered for us with joy, that we might enjoy the freedom of body and soul, without fear and torment. When God is for us, who is all, what is the use of any one being against us. God's love was proven, when He gave His Son, delivering Him up for us all. Since God gave us His best in the gift of His Son. This is to every sane mind the proof that He will not keep from us any thing He owns that we need. Who can bring any charge against us to God, and He will accept it? Not one. All of His children were elected before the creation of the world, and all hell may be summoned and appear against us, but none can get our Father to agree with them against His own. Our Intercessor will never fail us with Him, who loves us, as dearly as He loved His Son. In this Scripture the Holy Spirit tells us through Paul: that tribulations anguish, persecutions, famine, nakedness, peril, sword, in all these we are more than conquerers through Christ. Again he says death, life, angel, principalities, things present, things to come, power, heights, depths, nor any other created thing or being shall be able to separate us from God's love in Christ. [[end page]] [[start page]] 21 THE CONVENTION TEACHER Lesson IV. January 25, 1948 WHEN WE WORK WITH GOD SENIOR TOPIC: GOD'S FELLOW WORKERS II Corinthians 5:20 - 6:10 [[line]] AUTHORIZED VERSION 20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. 21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. 1 We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. 2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succored thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) 3 Giving no offense in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed: 4 But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, 5 In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in watchings, in fastings; 6 By pureness, by knowledge, by long-suffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, 7 By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, 8 By honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true; 9 As unknown, and yet well known; [[faint text, possibly "as"]] dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed; 10 As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things. [[line]] REVISED VERSION 20 We are ambassadors therefore on behalf of Christ, as though God were entreating by us: we beseech you on behalf of Christ, be ye reconciled to God. 21 Him who knew no sin he made to be sin on our behalf; that we might become the righteousness of God in him. 1 And working together with him we entreat also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain 2 (for he saith, At an acceptable time I hearkened unto thee, And in a day of salvation did I succor thee: behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation): 3 giving no occasion of stumbling in anything, that our ministration be not blames; 4 but in everything commending ourselves as ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, 5 in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in watchings, in fastings; 6 in pureness, in knowledge, in long suffering, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in love unfeigned, 7 in the word of truth, in the power of God; by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, 8 by the glory and dishonor, by evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true; 9 as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed; 10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things. [[line]] MOTTO TEXT - We are fellow workmen for God. I Corinthians 3:9. [[line]] LESSON SETTING Time: A. D. 56. PLACE: Corinth. LESSON OUTLINE I. Christ's Ambassadors' Need. (VV. 20-21.) II. Christ's Ambassadors as Worthy Workers. (VV. 1-3.) III. Christ's Ambassadors Honored the Gospel. (VV. 4-10.) DAILY HOME READING January 19 - January 25. M. Chosen to Serve, Isaiah 6:1-8 T. The Cost of Discipleship. Matthew 19:16-30. W. Guidance in God's Work. Acts 16:1-10. T. Serving With Faithfulness. Joshua 24:14-24. F. Serving With Goodness. Romans 12:9-21. S. Ambassadors for Christ. II. Cor. 5:20-6:10 S. Working by Witnessing. Titus 3:1-8. INTRODUCTION When man works with God, it should not be how much we can get from the world but how much we can give the world; and it should be one of the principles by which the Christian serves. The idea of getting for one's self leads to selfishness and greed and covetousness and other evils that have brought untold sorrow to humanity. The idea of giving one's self leads to such lives as were lived by the great Bible workers of all time. It is easy to believe now, as Paul says, "We are laborers together with God," when we are enjoying religious activities; but do not the apostle's words justify our reading into them a wider meaning than that? Would not God have us to recognize our partnership with Him in all our ways -- building a home, running a business, making and selling the many articles the world uses, and the innumerable other things by which we make our daily bread and that keep the wheels of the world turning. God's interest in us is not confined to a fragment of our life. He is concerned with all that it touches whether it be great or small. Therefore if we entered into partnership with Him, let us try to keep nothing back, but dedicate the whole of life to Him.
