Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1897-02-18
The SUNDAY SCHOOL

international Lesson for February g I, 1897
| The First Christian Martyr Acts
6:S-15; 7:54-6o.
ARRANGED from Peloubet's Notes.1
GOLDEN TEXT.-Be thou faithful unto
death. and will give thee crown or life
Rev. 2:1e.
THE SECTION includes Chapters 6 and
Z. The story OF the choice Of deacons. and
the work and martyrdom OF Stephen, VINO
was one of them. and brought into notice
by his choice to the Office
EXPLANATORY.
I. Stephen. The First Christian Mar
| tyr.-V. s. "And Stephen" One of the
most active of the seven deacons was
man named Stephen, probably Gre
clan (Henenistic) Jew. He was full
of faith" the faculty through which he.
received the Holy Spirit, the power and
the character which was his. He was
| u man of power" Grace and power do
not always go together. Some things
are beautiful, but not strong. Some
| things are strong and not beautiful.
''How seldom is a Boanerges (son OF
thunder) at the same time Barnabas
| "a son of consolation)." But the highest
| characters combine both. He was
man of deeds. "Did:" Was doing dur
| ing the events just described. Great
wonders" Proving the power of God
that worked in and through him. And
miracles" A sign of Gods presence
and Endorsement, and object lessons of
the loving. saving spirit of the Gospel.
II. The Public Discussion.-Vs. e-10.
0. 'Then:" r. v. But, as new diff
Guilty. synagogue of the Libertines:"
A synagogue for the foreign Jews, who
were libertines, j. E., freed men, Roman
captives who had been made free by
their captors and their descendants.
'Disputing with Stephen" Either in
public debate. or more probably in the
synagogues.
10. And they were not able:" Had
not strength ito resist" to withstand
his Scriptural arguments that Jesus
was the Messiah, as he was inspired by
the Holy Spirit to see and to explain:
III. Stephen Accused of Blasphemy,'
and Brought Before the Sanhedrim--
VS.. Ills. II. "Suborned:" Provided
secretly. and instructed themwith false
accusations.
IL. They stirred up the people:"
This is the first notice of opposition
from the people. Elders, and the
scribes:" Who could carry out the i'm
pulses of the people and were glad to
do it. They now no longer feared the
people, 1hey SSIZc0 HILL 1u0 GIOck
expresses an act of great violence. They
grasped him roughly; hurried him off.
Councils" The Sanhedrim, the SUI
preme court and parliament of the ma
ton. Against this holy places" The
temple adjoining. The same charge
was made against Christ (Matt. &c: 81;
Mark IA: $50.
Ia Shall change the customs which
laIs -I011
monial and theocratic dispensation,
which was now to come to an end, hay-
ing fulfilled its mission. 1t was a
calumny. for the whole Old Testament
itself points beyond itself to Christi
anity. as the fulfilling of the law and
the prophets.
". Stephens Argument in Reply.-T:
1-53. ~ Stephen begins most gracious
~. (2) His appeals to the Scripture are
themselves an answer to the charge of
blasphemy. 80 He proves that Gods
dealings with His people showed con-
slant progress implying that the Cos
pei was a continuation of the same plan
of progress and growth. a. In the
historical discourse he shows that he
holds his faith in Moses and the temple.
(5) He shows that the Scriptures adj
vocate the very principle which he as
serted. and which were perverted by
his accusers. (6) He declares that his
accusers are simply treating him as
their fathers treated the prophets. %
There is a sudden change at verse 81,
as if the speaker had been interrupted
in his argument, and had to leave it
unfinished. He broke off his argu-
ment and made an earnest personal APP
plication.
V. Stephen Mobbed and Stoned to
Death.-Vs. $500. "a. ''They were cut
to the hearts" literally, they were sawn
through. or asunder. A figurative ex-
preston for being greatly enraged. ex-
asperated. This was a very different
thing from being convicted of sin.
SIS. Being full of the Holy Ghost:"
The Greek being full" implies. not q
sudden inspiration, but a permanent
state. And saw the glory of God:s
Some visible manifestation of the in
effable brightness and splendor of God,
such as Moses saw on Horeb, and the
apostles on Hermon. "And Jesus stand
ing on the right hand of God"
IS. "And cast him out of the city,"
According to the law for executions
(Lev. 24:14.) "And stoned him." The
Jewish mode of capital punishment
And the Witnesses" According to the