Passaic City record., 1893-07-29
SABBATH SCHOOL.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON FOR
JULY 80.
Lesson Text: tsPauI at Ephesus,t y
Acts xix, 1-f2-Golden Text:
John xvi, 13-Com-
mentary.

the upper coasts, came to Ephesus." From
Corinth, where we left Paul in the last les
son, he returned to Antioch in Syria, taking
with him Priscilla and Aquila as far as Ephe
sus, where he left them, promising to return
the Lord willing C1S2D. After some time
at Antioch he started on his third tour, anc
passing through Galatia and Phrygia
strengthening the disciples, came ia due
time to Ephesus This ApoIlos of Alexan-
dria, eloquent and mighty in Scripture. had
meantime passed through Ephesus and had
| been greatly helped and enlightened by
Aquia and Priscilla How wonderfully the
/ Lord provides teach rs TOR those who are
seeking to know Him. Consider the cases
| of Cornelius cnd the man of Ethiopia.
| g ''And finding certain disciples he said
| unto them, Have ye 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 to-day who have heard
| of the love of God and of Jesus as Savior
from the wrath TO come, and they have re-
| ceived Him and are children of God (John l.,
| 121. and therefore have the Holy Ghost in
| them az believers q Cor. vi, 49, xii. y, but
vet know little or nothing about the Holy
Spirit and never have received Him as their
power for life and service. Compare John
xiv. II, with Luke xiv, 40.
3. ssAnd H. said unto them. Unto what.
then were ye baptized? And they said,
Unto Johns baptism" This was as far as
Apollos had taught them (1S-25) and would
include repentance, remission OF SINS and
fruits meet for repentance and should have
| included an expectation of a baptism of the
Holy Ghost (Luke ill.,, 3, 8, 16). 1t certainly
meant salvation, but not necessarily special
| power for service.
4 s'Then. said Paul, John verify baptized
with the baptism of repentance, saying unto
the people that they should believe on Him
| which should come after Him-that is, on
! Christ Jesus" It was Johns delight to cry.
ssBehold the Lamb of God r and to point all
to Him whose way he came to prepare (John
l.. Is. 81. 90. 81: iii, $3.50 Math ill.,, I'D
People are apt to follow the human leader,
as did the Corinthians G Cor. ill.,. A. and too
often the human leader loves to have it So.
But such 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, IS viii, 20, so xvii. A.
5. 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 additional truth is
brought to them they readily receive it and
| turn heartily to Him of whom John was the
! forerunner.
| G. and when Paul had laid his hands up
| on them the Holy Ghost came on them. and
! they spake with tongues and prophesied. '
! Being baptized in the name OF the Lord
| Jesus did not necessarily bring the gift OF
the Holy Spirit (Acts viii, 16). That seems
! TO have been given in answer TO special prayer
| and laying on of hands Acts viii, Is, ID,
! though in the case of Cornelius and his COM
! pany the gift of the Spirit was bestowed
while Peter WAS speaking Acts X. 44-46).
| and it was after that they were baptized. There
seems to be no set way of receiving Christ or
| of being filed 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 plesses. Only 'be filed
! (Eph. ". 18).
i. And all the men were about twelve -
| as many as those whom Jesus chose and
called unto Himself Mark Ill, 13-l5) as
| many as the sons of Jacob, the tribes OF
| Israel as many as the gates OF the New
| Jerusalem and the foundations of the same
| (Rev xxi. 70, 14). It is the heavenly and
! earthly perfect numbers and multiplied.
/ The full significance we will see some day.
g. "And He went into the synagogue and
spake boldly for tie space Of three months,
| disputing and persuading the things con-
corning the kingdom of God" He made no
apologies for the truth, but believing al
things written by Moses he spake boldly in
the power of the Spirit acts XIV, IA iv.l
4 29). Disputing means reasoning out OF the
! Scriptures. as in chapter xvii, 2. while per-
suading indicates tender and loving entreaty
Thus he patiently and prayerfully opened to
| them the word of God concerning Jesus as
the Christ.
9. |sBut 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 hardened, and
| when once the heart is turned away fromthe
| only light in this dark world the only pros
pect is the outer darkness where light never
| comes Yet Jesus has taught us that only q
rfia of ha aaad will Fall OOO1 ground
and that tarcs will grow among the wheat
until the harvest.
10. "And this continued by the space o.
two years so that all they which dwelt IL
Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both
| Jews and Greeks" The province of Asia, in
which were the seven churches of Revelation
is distinguished from the other provinces o
Asia Minor in chapter xvi, 6. In this sector
Of the country he testifies that for three years
he ceased not to warn every one night ant
day with tears, teaching publicly and from
house to house, keeping back nothing, ant
all the while with his own hands ministerine
to the necessities Of himself and those VINO
were with him (chapter Xxx, 81, 20, 34). Thu
earning his own living he would have no oc
casion to fear losing a portion OF his salar,
If the truth he preached should happen II
hit some of his hearers rather severely.
II. "And God wrought special miracles b,
the hands of Paul" Whether it be a mir
aele of healing of the soul or of the body
lit is God who worketh' (Phil. IL. f3)
Whether it be wisdom or knowledge or faitl
or gifts of healing or miracles, it is all tn
work of the one self same Spirit dividing t.
every man severally as He will G Cor. xii.
7-11) We will know His power more whe
instead Of seeking Him to use Him for Go
we allow Him to take us and use us as II
pleases.
12. 80 that from his body were brough
into the sick handkerchiefs or aprons an
the diseases departed from them, and tn
evil spirits went out of them.' There mus
have been some good reason for these spt
sial manifestations OF the power OF God
this unusual way-some special form 81 al
telief or deviltry which needed just thea
manifestations the Spirit does nothin
needlessiy Lesson Helper.