The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-07-26
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON.
LESSON v. THIRD QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, JULY 30.
Text of the Lesson. Acts xix. LIP
Memory Verses, 2-5-GOIden Text,
John xvi, 1:-COmmentary by the
Rev. ID. VI. Stenrns.

]. And it came to pass that while
ApollOs was at CoTnih Paul. having
passed through the upper coasts, came
to Ephesus." From CorinJh where we
left Paul in the last lesson, he returned
To Antioch in Syria, taking with HIM
Priscilla and Aquilla as far as Ephesus,
where he left them. promising 10 return.
the Lord willing QS-2D. After some
time at Antioch he strated on his third
tour, and passing through Galatia and
Pnrygia. strengthening the disciples.
came in due time to Ephesus. This
A2ollos Of Alexandria. eloquent and
mighty in scripture. had meantime
passed through Ephesus and had been
greatly hSlped and enlightened by
Aquila and Priscilla. How wonderfully
the Lord provides teachers for those
VINO are seeking 10 know Him, Con-
slider the cases of Cornelius and the man
OF Ethiopia.
?. And finding certain disciples he
said unto them. Have We received the
Holy Ghost since ye believed2 And they
SAID unto him. We have NOT SO much as
heard whether there be any Holy Ghost"
There are many like these today who
have heard Of the love Of God and OF
Jesus as q Saviour from the wrath 10
come. ard they have received Him and
are children Of Cod (John /. 12) and
therefore have the Holy Spirit i'm them
as believers q Cor. vi. 10: xii. y. but
yet know little or nothing about the
Holy Spirit and have never received
him as their power for life and service.
Compare John xiv, Il, with Luke xiv,
49,
3. And lie said unto them. Unto
what. then. We're we baptized? And they
said. Unto Johns baptism" This was
DIS far as Apollos had taught them 1929
and would include repentance. remission
O. sins and fruits meet fer repentance
and should have included an expectation
of baptism of the Holy Ghost duke
ill., 3. s, 16). 1t certainly meant salvation.
but not necessarily special power for
service
1. Then, said Paul, John verify bap-
TIED with the baptism Of repentance,
saying unto the people that they should
believe on Him which should come after
Him-That is, on Jesus Christ" II was
Johns delight to cry. 'BehOld the Lamb
of GOdH' and TO point all 20 Him whose
way he came TO prepare John i, u, q,
p, 30; iii. $3.50: Math. iii. ID. People are
apt to follow the human leader, did
the Corinthians q Cor ill., -. and too
often the human leader .loves to have II
So But sucn is not the spirit of Christ,
for even He did not His own will nor
sought His own glory, but ever sought
the glory Of the Father John vi. 50:
viii. %. 80 xvii. a.
:. When they heard this they were
baptized in the name Of Lord Jesus"
They had received the truth which they
had heard and We're living up TO the
light which they had received, and
therefore We're ready for more light.
Now. when additional truth is brought
to them they readily receive it and turn
heartily to Him of whom John was the
forerunner.
6. And when Paul had laid his hands
upon them the Holy Ghost came on
them, and they spake with tongues
and prOphesied." Being baptized in
the name OF Lord Jesus did not neces-
sarily bring the gift Of the Holy Spirit
(ActS viii, 49,. That seems to have been
given in answer to special prayer and
laying on Of hands (Acts vii, Is. I'D,
though in the case of Cornelius and his
company the gift of the Spirit was be-
slowed while Peter was speaking (Acts
X, 44-46), and il was after that they
were baptized. There seems to be no set
way of receiving Christ or Of being filled
with the Spirit. The great thing is TO
receive Him the best way you know
how, then trust Him TO fill you with His
Spirit as He pleases. Only be filed"
(Eph. V 1S).
Z And all the men were about
twelve"-as many as those whom Jesus
chose and called unto Himself Mark iii,
1879: as many as the sons of Jacob,
]
gates OF the New Jerusalem and the
foundations Of the same ReV. xxi, IL.
IA. IT is the heavenly and earthly per-
feet numbers 3 and 4 multiplied. The
full significance we will see some day.
g. "And He went into the synagogue
and spake boldly for the space Of three
months. disputing and persuading the
things concerning the kingdom of God -
He made no apologies for the truth, but
! believing all things written by Moses he
spake boldly I'm the power Of the Spirit
| (Acts xiv. IA: iv. 29). Disputing means
reasoning out the scriptures. as in chap
ter xvii. 2. while persuading indicates
tender and loving entreaty. Thus he
patiently and prayerfully opened to
| them the word of God concerning Jesus
as the Christ
g. But when divers were hardened
and believed not. but spake evil Of that
way before the multitude. he departed
from them and separated the disciples.
/ disputing daily in the school Of one
! Uranus" When truth is rejected the
/ heart becomes hardened. and when once
the heart is turned away from the only
light i'm this dark world the only pros
pect is the outer darkness where light
never comes. Yet Jesus has taught US
that only a portion Of the seed VIII
fall on good ground, and that tares will
/ grow among wheat until the harvest.
10 "And this continued by the space
! of two years. so that all they which
4 dweh in Asia heard the word of the
I Lord Jesus both Jews and Greeks" The
! province of Asia, in which were the
] seven churches of Revelation, Is dis
] tinguished from the other provinces OF
Asaia Minor in chapter xvi. 6. In this
j section of the country he tsetifies that
/ for three years he ceased not to warn
/ every one night and day with tears.
teaching publicly and from house to
1 house. keeping hack nothing, and all
the while with his own hands minister
/ ing to the necessities OF himself ana
/ those who were with him Chapter Xxx.
/ 81, 20. 3D Thus caring his own living
/ he would have no occasion to fear losing
| preached should happen to hit some OF
! his hearers rather severely.
IL And God wrought special mira
: cles by the hands Of Paul" Whether
! ii be a miracle of healing Of the soul or
/ of the body cit is God who worketh''
/ Phil ii. 49,. Whether il be wisdom or
] knowledge or faith or gifts Of healing
/ or miracles IT is all the work of the self
| same Spirit dividing TO every man sew
orally as lie will q Cor. xii. lid. We
/ will know His power more when instead
| of seeking Him to use Him for God we
allow Him TO take us and use US as he
pleases.
10. $50 that from his body were
brought into the sick handkerchiefs or
aprons, and the diseases departed from
them. and the evil spirits went out of
them" There must have been SONS
good reason for these special manifes-
tations OF the power Of God in this un-
usual way-some special form OF unbe-
lief or deviltry which needed just
these manifesto tfons-fOr the Shirt does