Acts, Chapter 13, verse 16
So Paul got up, motioned with
his hand, and said, “Fellow Israelites and you others who are God-fearing,
listen.
Most effective speakers gesture. A gesture is
defined by The American Heritage College Dictionary as “a motion of
the limbs or body made to express thought or to emphasize speech.” Surely every
gospel preacher should want to emphasize his sermon. Let’s take a look to see
what the Bible teaches about such. As Paul was asked by the rulers of the
synagogue, “. . . if you have any word of exhortation for the people, say on.
Then Paul stood up, and beckoning with his hand said, Men of Israel,
and ye that fear God, give audience” (Acts 13:15-16). The apostle Paul knew
that gestures can help to enforce the oral expression in gospel preaching. In
Jerusalem, “. . . Paul stood on the stairs, and beckoned with the hand unto
the people. And when there was made a great silence, he spake unto them in the
Hebrew tongue, saying . . .” (Acts 21:40). Paul knew that gestures help communicate
ideas and help get and hold attention. It has been said that gesturing is not
in keeping with humility. Paul, who gestured, said, “Serving the Lord with all humility
of mind, and with many tears, and temptations, which befell me by the
lying in wait of the Jews” (Acts 20:19). Paul was a humble-gesturing preacher!
When the apostle Paul made his defense before King Agrippa, he “. . . stretched
forth the hand, and answered for himself” (Acts 26:1). The stretching
forth of one’s hand is gesturing.
Have you
ever noticed that some people may be very, very good at lying with their lips;
yet by their gestures or body language you can always see the truth? This may
be the reason we have such a great affection for pets who bodily speak the
truth of their own likings. Let us ask our Lord whose hands were nailed to the
wood and can no longer gesture---to allow us to be His hands thus making our
own gestures speak His language of love.
A
British man, Mr. Harrison Weir, got the idea for the first cat show. He was a
Fellow of the Horticultural Society, and artist, and a cat lover. He developed
a schedule, classes, and prizes for the show. He also created the "Points
of Excellence" -- a guideline for how the cats would be judged.
The
Crystal Palace, in south-east London, was chosen for the site of the first
show. (Dog shows had already been held there). A man named Mr. F. Wilson was
appointed manager of the show for setting up the Crystal Palace. The judges
were Mr. Weir, his brother John Weir, and the Reverend J. Macdona.
The
show was held on July 13, 1871. Nearly 160 cats were shown. The cats were
mostly short-haired, and were divided into different color groups. Pedigrees
were not around at this time. It wasn't until 1887 that the National Cat Club
formed in Britain and began tracking the parentage of cats. The prize cats did
not have their photos taken, but were drawn by an artist to record them.
The
show attracted a great deal of interest. Cat shows soon became fashionable in
Britian, particularly because they were patronized by Queen Victoria, who owned
a pair of Blue Persians. In the 1870s, larger and larger cat shows were held in
Britain. In 1895 the first official cat show was held in Madison Square Garden,
New York.
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