Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1893-07-29
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON v, THIRD QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, JULY 80.

Text of the Lesson, Acts xix. i-fs-Mem-
DRY Verses, 2-5-Golden Text. John xvi,
is- Commentary by tho Rev. D. III.
Stearns.
l. And itcame to pass that while Apollos
was at Corinth Paul. having passed through
the upper coasts, came to Ephesus."
From Corinth, where VIC left Paul In the
last lesson, he returned to Antioch in Syria,
taking with him Priscilla and Aquila as
far as Ephesus. where he left them, promis-
ing to return, the Lord willing Qs-2D
After some time ut Antioch lie started on
his third tour. and passing through Galatia
and Phrygia, strengthening the disciples
came in. due time to Ephesus This Apollos
of Alexandris. eloquent and mighty in
Scripture, had meantime passed through
Ephesus and had been greatly helped and
enlightened by Aquila and Priscilla. How
wonderfully the Lord provides teachers foi
those who are seeking to know Him. Con
slider the eases of Cornelius and the man OF
Ethiopia
9. And finding certain disciples he said
unto them, Have ye received the Holy
y
unto him. We hare 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 Saviour
from the wrath to come, and they have re
ceived Him and are children of God John l.
la) and therefore have the Holy Spirit in
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, 10
3. And He said unto them, Unto what
then, were ye baptizedt And they said
Unto Johns baptism" This WAS US far as
Apollos had taught them Clsa5) and would
include repentance, remission of sins and
fruits meet for repentance and should have
included an expectation of Il baptism of the
Holy Ghost duke iii, 3, s, lG). 1t certainly
meant salvation, but not necessarily special
power for service.
4. Then, said Paul, John verify baptized
with the baptism of repentance, saying un
to the people that they should believe Oh
Him which should come after Him-that
is, on Christ Jesus" 1t was Johns delight
to cry, Behold the Lamb of GodP' and tc
point all to lin whose way he came TO pre-
pare (John j, l5 q, 20, 80; iii, $3.50; Math
iii, I'D. People are apt to follow the human
leader, as did the Corinthians Il Cor iii, a.
and too often the human leader loves tc
have it so. But such is not the spirit oi
! Christ, for even He did not lis own will
nor sought His own glory, but ever sought
the glory of the Father John vi, IS; viii, 20
80; xvii, ~.
;. when they heard this, they were bap
tized in the name of the Lord Jesus" They
had received the truth which they had
heard and were living up to the light
which they had received. and therefore
were ready for more light. Now, when adj
ditional truth is brought to them they read
lily receive it and turn heartily to Him OF
whom John was the forerunner
e. And when Paul had laid his hands
upon them the Holy Ghost came on them.
and they spake with Tongues and prophe
Sled" Being baptized in the name of the
Lord Jesus did not necessarily bring the
gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts viii, 49, That
seems to have been given in answer to spe
cial prayer and laying on of hands (Acts
viii, Is, Ia. though in the case Of Corne-
lius and his company the gift of the Spirit
was bestowed while Peter was speaking
Acts X, 44-4G) and it 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 re
ceive Him the best way you know how.
then trust Hin to fill you with His Spirit
as Hepleases. Only "be filed" (Eph v, Isl.
l. And all the men were about twelve
as many as those whoa Jesus chose and
called unto Himself MARX iii, 1870; as
many as the sons of Jacob, the tribes OF
Israeli as many as the gates OF the New Je
rusalem and the foundations of the same
(Rev. xxi, IL, 14). 1t is the heavenly and
earthly perfect numbers 3 and multiplied
The full Significance we will see some day
8. 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 be
leving all things written by Moses he
spake boldly in the power of the Spirit
Acts xiv, Il; iv, 29). Disputing means
reasoning out Of the Scriptures. as in chap
ter xvii, 2, while persuading indicates ten.
der and loving entreaty. Thus he patient
ly and prayerfully opened to them the
word of God concerning Jesus as the Christ
0. but when divers were hardened and
believed not, but spake evil of that way be
fore the multitude, he departed from them
and separated the disciples, disputing daily
in the school of one Tyrannus" When
truth is rejected, the heart becomes hard
ened, and when once the heart is turned
away from the only light in this dark
world the only prospect is the outer dark
ness where light never comes. Yet Jesus
has taught us that only portion of the
seed will fall on good ground, and that
tares will grow among the wheat until the
harvest.
TO- And this continued by the space of
two years, so that al they which dwelt iu
Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, bot,
Jews and Greeks" The province Of Asia,
in which We're the seven churches of Rcvcla.
tion, is distinguished from the other prov.
inces of Asia Minor in chapter xvi. g. In this
section Of the country he testilies that fo-
three years he ceased not to warn every one
night and day with tears, teaching publicly
and from house to house, keeping back
nothing, and all the while with his own
hands ministerng to the necessities OF him
self and those who were with him (chapter
Xxx, 81, 90 34). Thus earning his own living
he would have no occasion to fear losing a
portion Of his salary il the truth he preached
should happen to hit some Of his hearers
rather severely.
II. And Gcd wrought special miracles
by the hands of Paul" Whether it be a
miracle of healing of the soul or Of the
body, "it is God who worheth" (Phil. ii, 49,
Whether it he wisdom or knowledge or
faith or gifts CT healing or miracles it il
all the work Of the one self same Spirit di-
wiling to every man severally as He will
q Cor. xii, I'D. We will know His power
more when instead of seeking Him to use
Him for God we allow Him to take MS and
use US as He plcases.
II. so that from bis 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 some good reason for these spe
cial manifestations Of the power OF God In
this unusual way-some special form of
unbelief or deviltry which needed just these
manifestaticns-for the Spirit does nothing
needlessly
Always Punishable.