Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1883-05-02
Sunday School Lesson Notes.
Ey REV. j. o. sHERBURN.

the mlnu OF Ielcr, ny sPeoiai Plo''oohSoo'
to II broader view of the meaning of Christ I
sacrifice, and astonishing the Jews by the
g'fc of the spirit impaired to the Gentiles
news began to reach Jerusalem that many
among the Gentiles in other places had
received the truth and were rejoicing in
Christ AS their Savior.
The persecution arising at the time oil
Stephens death had scattered believers
no,lhward to he ilourishing and elegant
roman capitol of Syria, Antiochi and to
the country of Phenice, still farther north
.uil TO the island of Cyprus little way of
lhe coast of Phonicein the Mediterranean
sea.
some also had gone to Cyrcne on the
northern coasl of Africa, and on their way
thHher they had helped to establish the
work at Antioch. The statement that they
preached to tho Grecians there might be
easily misunderstood, as we have before
h,a HAT torn applied to the foreign Jews
Tho Revised Version has made the
matter plain by rendering the word, as it
.sould be-, Genties. 1t would seem that
laese strangers grasped the idea of saliva
ioa for all more easily than Peter, who
hll heard so much from Jesus lips which
should have taught him this great fact.
Al Antioch it Is said great number
believed and turned unto the Lord. AS
s,oa ~ it was known that there was a
comoanv of disciples at Antioch, the Apos-
Ties md elders at Jerusalem became inter-
cs.eJ to strengthen and build up the work
there. Similar circumstances happen often
in mission work at the present day. Some.
times i. is found in our foreign folds that
some faithful convert has returned from
The place where he heard of Christ, to his
native town, and has told the story of SAL
yaton go clearly and effectually that many
0. his neighbors have believed and turned
unto the Lord.
S50n these believers desire baptism. and
send OF 10 some missionary to come and
visit, and instruct, and baptize them.
In circumstances like these the church
having then its head quarters at Jerusa-
lem, sent out Barnabus, that he should 60
TO Antioch and confirm the work there.
The record puts the matter we'll when it
sl5s that when Barnabus saw the work of
God among the Gentles of Antioch he
WAS clad. NO matter by what agencies
men are brought to a knowledge of the
truth, OF Of what nationality these men
may be, every devout man will rejoice in
the work, and will be ready to do all in
his power to secure it's porpetuity. The
sexherlation that Barnabus gave these
believers is one which every convert
would be wise to heed: THAT with pur-
pose of heart they would cleaUe unto the
J. rl.' No company Of believers ever
did that and became scattered by feuds,
OF distracted by doclrinal differences, or
weakened because there were no addi-
lions To supply the natural losses which
they sustained.
The remark on the character Of Barna-
b13 is also very significant: "a good man
fall Of the Holy Ghost and faith" Such
nlan does not labor anywhere without
reward, and good results coming from his
clIJlys. The expression used to describe
the growth of the church at Antioch is
also significant: "Much people was
added unto the Lord" This indicates
,l.-, 4Eo o,Ilol hol;ouors ,yora of couaral
nationalities, hence called neither Jews or
Greeks OF Syrans, but simply people, men
for whom Christ died. Again they were
added unto the Lord, not converts to
BArnabas, but to Jesus. That preacher
or evangelist does the cause great harm
who allows people to be attracted to
himself rather than won to Christ. In
the mist of very successful work at Anti
och, Htrnabas sets off to Tarsus to seek
@4u. Probably the work grew to such
an extent that he felt the need of a
colleague. More than this. there were
doubtless special features of the work at
Antioch which demanded such gifts as
Paul had. Then Antioch was, what would
now be called in mission work strategetic
point First it was "a large city. the
Roman capital of Syria, q place where
the civilizations of the west and the east
met. \ rich and cultured city, full of
merchants and soldiers, and travellers {;
jJst tho center from which Christianity
could 60 out to almost every land then
known to the Roman nation. A church
thoroughly established here would be a
perpetual source OF ever widening Chris.
Tan influence. Barnabas found Saul, and
together tLey spent year in labor at this
point. Here the disciples began to be
called Christians. The Jews had called
tlcm the "Sect of the Nazarenes," or
sometimes "Galileans" The heather
alout them gave them first this fitting
appcllalion.
The work grew to such an extent in
Antioch that when the needy condition of
the Christians in Judea was known, the
church here determined to send relief to
these poor brethren. This they did and
sent their offerings by the hands of Bar
ntba, and Paul. 1t is not easy to recon.
c,ic this visit of Saul TO Jerusalem with
the account O. himself which he gives in
Gal. lst and II, where it would seem that
TOR pace OF fourteen years after his first
viii. when the disciples were afraid of
l',u. Ea did not visit Jerusalem. 1t may
however be that the expression "by the
hands of Bunabas and Siul'' only means
tral these leaders became responsible for
tG. funds collected, and forwarded the
sumo, without personally making the
ipusucy. We could so understand the
matter lid not Luke speak in Acts 1925
of heir return from jerusalem. after they
he'd fulfilled their ministry, which natu.
rally refers to this same occasion.
P,urs language in Galatians may mean
that AT this time no council was held at