Correspondence Lessons.

Waiapu Church Gazette, Volume XVII, Issue 5, 1 November 1926, Page 9

Correspondence Lessons.

Lesson 83. SHEEP. In Lesson-71 we learned the story of the i lost sheep. lam going to tell you now some more lessons that Jesus taught us about sheep and shepherds. I have told you that m Eastern countries they used to shut up the sheep at night m yards, called "folds," with stone walls round them to keep away tfie wolves. One shepherd would w t at6h by the door and the rest' would 'sleep nearby. If a shepherd wanted to go m amongst his sheep he, of course, went into the fold through the door. A thief would jump over the wall on the opposite side of the fold so that he could steal the sheep without being seen. Jesus said, Venly I say unto you, he that entereth nof;by the door into the sheep fold but climbeth up some other way, the same jj a thief and a robber. But he thaflentereth by the door is the shepherd pi the sheep. To him the porter openfeth; and the sheep hear his voice; and he calleth his own sheep, by name, and leadeth them out. And< when: he: putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow hinlj;. for they know his voice. And a stranger they will not follow, but will flee from him for they know not the voice of strangers. Several flocks of sheep would often be put together m one fold. When a shepherd wanted to take his flock out he did not have to pass them through a narrow, gate and pick them out one by one as we would have to do, picking them by looking at their earmarks. All he had to do was to call them and they would come to him and followed him out just, as your pet dog wilt come when^ytiu -call 'Him; Jesus told them", I am the door of the sheep; if any man enter m by Me, he shall be sated;--They are only thieves and robbers

who try to entice us to follow them instead of our Shepherd Jesus Christ, and who try to get into 'the fold any way except through faith m Jesus and baptism m His name. Our Lord Jesus Christ calls us His sheep and He has put us into His fold— the Holy Catholic Church— by baptising us m His own name. "We must not listen to the voice of anyone who sneaks m amongst us and tries to persuade us to follow him and leave Christ's Church. They are thieves and robbers. We enter the Church through Jesus— He is the Door of the Church. He is also Our Shepherd — we must listen to His voice. He knows us and we must try to know Him and follow, Him and Him only. Jesus speaks to us through . His Sacraments, through the teaching of the Church and through the Holy Scriptures. If we folldw Him, He will lead us m the right way all through this life and into the life to come. He loves us and will defend us from our enemies. He gave His own life to overcome the Devil and to protect His sheep. There are all kinds of false teachers and false guides m the world who want us to follow them, but we must not listen to them. Jesus said; I am the Good Shepherd, the good shepherd gives his life for the sheep because they are his own. He will not let the wolf catch them, He knows His sheep and His sheep know hi n, just as His Father knows Him and He knows the Father. The sheep He spoke of were the, Jews who had become His disciples, but He said. Other sheep I have which are not of this fold: them also I must bring and they shall be one flock. We are the other shetipy who are not Jews. Jesus our Shepherd has called us and joined us to His flock: our forefathers were heathens. When Jesus was preaching these words the British people and the Anglo-Saxon people were all heathens, but Jesus: sent missionaries to Britain and called them to be Christians. Just m the same way there are millions of heathen m Africa, and China, and Melanesia — Jesus wants us to go or to send missionaries to bring these heathens into His flock so that they and we may be one floek — His Holy Catholic Church. Exercise: Write "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My Hand. " St. John 10, verse 27. Lesson 84. IAM THE VINE. In the 83rd Lesson we read how Jesus called Himself "the door of the sheep"; that is, the door through which the sheep enter the fold; and how He called Himself the *<Good Shepherd." Another day our Lord called Himself the '? true vine." If you were hi my garden and I took

hold of a branch of a vine with a bunch or! grapes on it, you might L say "What fine grapes that vine bears!" Or if the branch had a blight on it — i)r seale — I might point out the bjight on the branch and say, "This vine has scaly blight. " You see the branch is a part of the vine. The branch is kept alive by the sap which is pumped up into it from the roots, through the stem. All the leaves and grapes on it have, come this way. If I cut the branch off the vine it gets no more sap— it dies. The branch cannot live if it is separated from the vine. Jesus said, "I am the true vine, My,. Fattier is the husbandman and you are the branches. A "husbandman" is a farmer or fruit grower. The fruit grower looks after his vine and prunes it. He cuts back the branches that will not bear grapes. "Every branch m Me that beareth not fruit He taketh away and every branch that bears fruit He keeps clean from blight, so that it. will bear more fruit." "Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. " They had been with ' Jesus for over {two years. He had taught them to repent of their sins and He had just given them absolution. (See next Lesson). They were now clean, like the branches of a vine from which the old dead bark and the scales have been removed. But though they were clean they could not bear fruit unless they remained m the vine — unless.;they "ab°d e '^i&H^. _-•■:■ He said, "Abide m Me and 1 m you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, uness it abide m the vine; no more can ye, unless ye abide m Me. lam the vine, ye are the branches ; He that abideth mMc and I m him, the same bringeih forth much fruit; for without Me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not m Me, he is cast forth as a branch and is withered; and men gather them and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide m Me and My teachings abide m you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you." Our Father gives us everything we need to help us to bear fruit. The more fruit we bear, the more God is glad. A branch that bears no fruit is no: good, we do not grow vines so as to get beautiful leaves, we" grow vines so that we may get grapes. The more fruit we bear the better we please God and the happier we are ourselves; but we can bear no fruit unless we get our life from the sap of the vine* that is, the Blood of Jesus Christ. So you see we must stay fast m. the Church, or Body, of Jesus Christ; we must have His teaching or doctrine always flowing into us and His. Blood always strengthening us and bringing forth fruit m us. St. Paul gives us a list of such fruits, "Love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness*

., f fjith,. ', meekness,, tempprance,.;',' \ \ We'^ ; .^anno^fbring jEortb these fjuitspfebur-i i selves^ iney ; are ]bhe r fiiuits '. ipf ..Jesus; .' : Cihrist^s life within yip. ,Jf we neglect ' pur prayers, if w,e, neglect pur. con- . ies^ioiis ofsin, if we give way to, the'/; ■ sins of the world, the flesh and the . • devil , . if | we. •_ neglect the , worship of .. r .j^b4Vian i 4r^h'e.-.receiying p| the/ Body (!: .and. Blood '"of/ Christ m: Hply Jjom 7 / niunion, the, sap dries up, we can bear/ . no; fruit, we wither/away/ and l become useless, dead branches. There . are\ thousands pf people whp, call , t^em-^, , ; selves Christians, ; . who , ar,e only . .dis-, , eased or dead branches of the ;yine,/ tliey (j bear noi. fruit^ in .^ristian.,good wprks .because the.. sap of .Gnris^'s.'lif^;. is, no lpngerv flowing . . through them, 1 Such deal , jChristians are all aroundj us, Isn't ii,a, sad, thing tpsiee a tree/i cpyered wit&u dqad branches and; bear-f ". ,-. ing frmt, . pn only one or twp 1. . Are .you a 'dead; branch pr , a diseased branch or a ,live fruitful branch 1 If/.' : you . learn these/ lessons carefully, and . ireally say your, prayers. t froni your,. : heart regularly and are trying all you . : .can to learn about God and to know. . Him; going to church and worship- , : ping Him ; ipoking forward ; to „ your \ , Confirmation and your ;.',' if, m fact, you love God, God will en-/ able you to bear fruit. You will show,, the life and love of Jesus Christ m,: . everything you do., . _ ■ ■ ■ '" <M ''^ M '^* M " M^ ■ ■ w