Sundav School Lesson
(Continued from Page 2)
Kings 22:3 through 23:25. The
discovery of a book occupies the |
center of Interest. But the em
phasis is not on the content of
the book but on its effect on
King Josiah.
Psalms 118:28-29 praises God
for the present experience of
light which God has caused to
shine on his people. The plea for
help In Psalms 130 nevertheless
expresses absolute confidence
that God's help 1s sure. The
psalmist urges Israel to trust
God's promise.
How Does the Church Live?
When we ask the wider ques
tion, "By what does the church
live?" the Scripture allows only
one answer ? 'By Christ liv
ing in her." Biblically speaking,
the presence of Christ, the pres
ence of God, and the work of
the Holy Spirit are the same.
However, the Scripture will
not allow the presence of God
to degenerate into a vague,
warm feeling of "spirituality."
It produces responsibilities that
the church must carry into ac
tion. Therefore, the church in
which Christ is present lives by
doing its Job and dies when it
rejects its task.
Within the framework of this
understanding the Bible now
takes its proper place. It wit
nesses to the God and Father
of Jesus Christ, who gives life
to the church. It defines the
task laid upon the church by
I her Lord. Because it provides
I these two essential services tor
the church, the Bible is the
bread by which the church lives.
What the Scripture Says to Us
What are the priorities that
sustain the life o f the church?
J They are Christ himself, the
I mission to which he has com
| mltted the church, and the
Bible. The three belong together
in the order given.
I Modern Idolatry often selects
one of the three elements and
emphasizes It out of proportion
to the others. Looking at some
forms of modern Idolatry may
' help clarify the importance of
the priorities.
| Bibliolatry. This distortion of
Christianity puts the Bible in
the place of God. To say "The
Bible is God's revelation" is to
neglect God's living word in the
preaching of the church and in
the heart of the believer. "The
Bible saves all who believe it"
substitutes faith in the Bible for
faith in Christ. Christ saves ?
not the teaching about Christ.
Ecclesiolatry. This word mean a
giving first place to church
structures and practices. Essen
tially it sees the work of Christ
and says the church has done It.
For example, worship is often
regarded as a way by which we
are brought Into God's presence.
Biblically, worship is the peo
ple's response to God's presence
already with them. (See Ephes
ians 8:10.)
Prayer is sometimes thought
of as a wa to make God more
agreeable to the wishes of the
(Continued on Pace ?>
-J JpiD-**;
CD V ?
If you don't have
a frost-free refrigerator-freezei>
you're working too hard.
Chop, chop, chop, chop, chop, chop.
Hack, hack, hack, hack, hack, hack
Drip, drip, drip, drip.
You wouldn't have to put up
with that nonsense if you had a frost
free refrigerator-freezer. Because it de
frosts itself - and eliminates a pretty
messy chore - automatically.
See your favorite appliance dealer
or Duke rower for a frost-free refriger
ator-freezer.
And live the carefree electric way.
DubPower^S