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Covenanter Witness Vol. 55 - Rparchives.org

Covenanter Witness Vol. 55 - Rparchives.org

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soul?"am?"send?"me,"up,"purged."us."up."me."up"me."matter."package."mony to the people that they had rejected the offer of salvation that hadbeen made to them. Then it was tolighten the burden they might feel forthe rejection of their message by thepeople. They traveled on their feet. Theywere to shake off the dust so that theirfeet would not be made heavy by thedepressing influence of that city.PRAYER MEETING TOPICfor November 30, 19<strong>55</strong>C. E. Caskey, D.D.WHOM SHALL I SEND?Isaiah 6:8Suggested Scripture Reading, Isaiah 6Suggested Psalms:Psalm 145:1-3, page 350. (openingPsalm)Psalm 40:9-12, page 103. (closingPsalm)Psalm 51:7-10, page 131.Psalm 22:9, 11, 12, page 51.Psalm 107:1, 5, 6, page 264.Psalm 103:1-4, page 246.Suggested References: (Remember thecountryprayer meetings when we saton a plank between two nail kegs andeverybody, including we children, foundhis own references?) Matthew 9:36-38;John 5:35-38; I Cor. 12:28; Eph. 4:11-13; Acts 13:2; Jer. 3:15; Rom. 10:13-15;Titus 1:2, 3; Jer. 23:21, 22; Acts 18:3-5 (in connection with suggested discussion).This is the last of the series "GreatQuestions God Asks." We have takenthese up on the fifth Wednesdays duringthe year, with the question, "What isthat in thine hand?" in March, "Whatshall a man give in exchange for hisin June, "Whom sayin August,ye that Iand now the challengeto definite Christian service and action,"Whom shall IThat our church needs to considerthis question is evident from the factthat we have issued calls for workersrecently to which no one has respondedfrom our own ranks. A few years agothe question was raised as to what to doabout the ones who would volunteer fordefinite Christian service and therewould be no opening for them. Untilrecently there have always been somewho volunteered for foreign missionaryservice and there was no place for themto go. (About 50% of an interdenominational group in 1920 actually got intoforeign mission work. In our own denomination more were volunteering thancould be used.) Why the change? Maybethe things that happened just beforeIsaiah said, "Here am I; sendhelpus answer the question.1. The Removal of King Uzziah.willWas Isaiah's mind too much taken upNovember 9, 19<strong>55</strong>with the splendor of Uzziah's court?Did the victories over the Philistines,the fame of Uzziah, the towers that hebuilt, the skill and strength of his armies, and the new and clever militaryweapons which were devised under hisencouragement, shut out the vision ofthe greatness of God? At any timewhen a nation feels strong because ofarmies and armaments the vision of Godand the sense of needing God will decrease.It may be that our failure to have volunteers for more places than can befilled is because our "Uzziahs" dim ourvision of God.2. Vision of the Lord "High andliftedPerhaps our vision of the Lord hasnot been high enough. We have not seenHim on His throne with absolute authority over everything, includinglives. We have not seen Him "liftedour ownabove our own personal desires. We havenot seen His glory prevading everythingbut have been too consciousour ownglory. We have not caught the vision ofHis absolute holiness. If we had something of the vision Isaiah saw of theLord, "sitting upon a throne, high andlifted and felt something the wayIsaiah felt about God's holiness, our response to His call might be different.3. Consciousness of Sin.Seeing the Lord and sensing His holiness caused Isaiah to cry out, "Woe isme! for I am undone: because I am aman of unclean lips, and I dwell in themidst of a people of unclean lips: formine eyes have seen the King, the Lordofhosts."Isaiah became deeply conscious of his own sin and that of hispeople. Isaiah a man of unclean lips?We can't imagine such a thing aboutthe man who wrote so beautifully andspoke so powerfully. Yet he confessed it.Were his lips unclean by the commonstandards of his day and ours? Or wasit the vision of God that made him cryout about his own sin and that of thepeople around him? Have we an adequate vision of God?4- F<strong>org</strong>iven and Cleansed.When Isaiah lamented that his lipswere unclean one of the seraphim tooka live coal from the altar and laid itupon the mouth of the prophet and said,"Lo, this hath touched thy lips; andthine iniquity is taken away and thy sinThen Isaiah heard the question, "Whom shall I send, and who willgo for And then Isaiah was readyto say, "Here am I; sendPerhaps we have not had an experience similar to the touching of the lipsof the prophet. When our lips are readythere will be plenty of work to do, forthe opportunities are all about us. Unclean lips are not called to service, butcleansed lips can scarcely respond to themultitudes of calls.What is there for us to do? First, letus pray for workers. We are definitelycommanded to pray that the Lord ofthe harvest will send forth workers.Second, we can be available to answer,"Here am I; send It may be tosend us to our next door neighbor, or toa fellow-worker, or down the street. Orit may be to the distant places. It doesnot matter so much where we are; it iswhat we are that matters. If we areavailable to go wherever the Lord leadsthere will be no problem in manning ourfields at home and abroad.To discuss and pray aboutWhat of encouraging our young peopleto take up some work in which theycan make their living, but with the purpose of servingthe Lord as their chiefaim? That is going as Miss Faris hasto work in Japan in order to help ourmissionary work; or for a young minister to take a job teaching, or in someother occupation, with the purpose ofopening a church in a new place.W. M. S. DepartmentMrs. Ross Latimer. Editor.Praver Hour. 1:00 P.M. Monday"Please send all used Christmas cards,pictures, and books to be colored, as"printed1. Do not seal packages only tie them.2. Erase with purex the writing andleave plain side for Arabic Bible verses.3. Do not send over 6 lbs. 3 oz. in anyoneElizabeth McElroyPSALMS 103:1-5Bless the Lord, O my soul: and allthat is within me, bless his holy name.Bless the Lord, O my soul, and f<strong>org</strong>etnot all his benefits: Who f<strong>org</strong>iveth allthine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life fromdestruction;lovingkindness and tender mercies; Whowho crowneth thee withsatisfieth thymouth with good things;so that thyyouth is renewed like theeagle's.THE MINUTES OF SYNODARE NOW READYORDER FROM C. R. FOX209 Ninth St. Pittsburgh 22, Pa.Price $1.00315

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