Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1902-01-04
International gessot1.
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON u, FIRST QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, JAN. 12.

Text of the Lesson. Acts II. 1-21.
Memory Verses. 2-4-Golden Text
Acts IL, 3a-Commentary Prepared
: By Rev. d. N. Stearns.
copyright, 1ool, by American Press Association
1. "And when the day Of Pentecost
was fully come they were all with one
accord in one place." This day, called
Pentecost. or "6ftieth day." is mentioned
again in chapter *. III. and Cor. xvi,
8, as a day to be remembered and obserV-
ed and is foreshadowed in Lev. xiii. 10,
16, in the new meal offering Of first
fruits fifty days after the sheaf Of first
fruits, the former representing the resur-
rection of Christ on the day after the
Passover Sabbath and the latter. fifty
days later, suggesting the event OF our
lesson in connection with the beginning
of the gathering Of the body Of Christ
from all nations. The leavcn in the tf-
tieth day offering sets forth the sin even
In the believer, for leaven is always
type of evil, but it is met by the blood OF
the sacrifice LEV. xiii. lI-2l). Christ
is the first fruits; we are kind OF hrst
fruits Il Cor. XIV. %: Jas. i. 1S). While
the disciples of Christ waited for the
promise of the Father they continued in
prayer and supplication tActs i, 4, l4),
but whether the election Of Matthias to
fill the place Of Judas was Of the Lord
or Of Peter Is a question. Some disciples
still find it difficult to pray and wait with
out the transaction Of some other busl.
ness. We may possibly find Paul and
not Matthias as the twelfth. See the
one accord of the Lords people in |. IA;
Ii, |, 46; iy, "a: v, II: viii, &; XIV. 20: just
seven times; the one accord Of Sutan's
followers in vii, 81: xii, 20: xviii. II; xix,
30; Just four times, the worldwide num-
bcr, suggesting the whole world in the
wicked one hating God tRev. vii. l; |
John v, 10. K. "; John XIV. IL. Id. The
word is only used once elsewhere tRom.
xv, 81, and teaches us with one mind and
one mouth to glorify God.
"a. They were all filled with the
Holy Ghost" When the Holy Spirit
came upon Christ at His baptism. He
came in the form of dove. for there
was no need Of a purifying or consuming
fire, but saved sinners need the Spirit as
FIRE. The saying in Isa. Xiv, =. THE
fire causeth the waters to boil to make
Thy name known" taken in connection
with the water as the word tEph. v. 26).
and the Spirit as fire helps us to under
stand why some people who know much
of the word Of God seem to have no
power or 20 in them. The water is not
boiling: they need the fire Of the Holy
Spirit. The Spirit came as the Lord
Jesus said He would and took possession
of these redeemed ones, His temples. and
at once they began to speak. or rather
the Spirit who filled them began to speak
through them. See in Acts iv. 81. how
when they were filled on another occa-
sion they spake the word Of God with
boldness. While yet with them in His
mortal body Jesus had told them. 1T is
not We that speak, but the Spirit of your
Father that speaketh in you" Matt. x.
2O). Neither the thoughts nor the words
were theirs; but. as in the case of the
sweet psalmist of Israel. the Spirit of
the Lord spake by them, and His word
was in their tongue Ill Sam. xiii. 20.
Sill. Jews from all nations were gath
cred at.Jerusalem, and quickly they came
together and heard these unlearned Cali
leeans talking in the languages Of all
lands concerning the wonderful works OF
God. The Holy Spirit had taken full
control of these men and was telling
through them the things Of God and of
Christ as Jesus said He would John xvi,
1916. He who first gave different Ian
guages to people tGen. xi, % can US cas-
lily cause others to speak these languages
when He sees fit, and. although we do
not hear Of missionaries in our day ac-
quiring a foreign language in that way,
yet | am acquainted with missionaries
who, in reliance upon Job xxxvi. 4, were
able to speak in foreign tongue in
very short time. One whom | know
passed an examination in six months
that would ordinarily require a year of
study. The Spirit does not talk Of the
works Of man, nor does He honor man,
but He loves to honor God. Like the
servant Of Abraham when he went to
obtain wife for Isaac, He tells Of the
only Son and how the Father had given
all things into His hand. The messenger
Of the Lord is not expected to think out
his message and tell the people his
thoughts, but he is expected to receive it
from the Lord and deliver it as the
Lords message lex. iv. II; Jer. !, Z;
John XII, 40; Pet. iv, III.
12-15. This supernatural occurrence
was to these devout Jews wholly incom-
prehensible, and they tried to explain 1t
by saying that these men were full OF
new wine, about as silly an explanation
as Is given by some Of the wise and pro-
fessedly devout men Of our day Of some
Of the wonderful works Of God. The
natural man, however educated or reli-
gious he may be, cannot receive the
things of the Spirit of God. for they are
foolishness unto Him II Cor ii, 14). and
these devout, religious Jews needed just
what Nicodemus needed, new birth.
the gift Of God, which many Of them
little later received. That the wisdom Of
this world cannot comprehend or explain
the things Of God is repeatedly shown in
the book Of Daniel. q book which some
Of the wise men seem to wish out Of the
Bible, perhaps because therein is shown
the utter inability Of the wisdom Of
Egypt to explain the things Of God. The
wise Of this world are drunken. but not
with wine lisa. xxx, 81. Consider also
Eph. v, Is. and some similarity between
q man filled with wine and one filled with
the Spirit.
1921. Peter does not say that this was
the ful6llment Of that part Of Joel's
prophecy which he quotes. but that it
was a sample Of it or, if you prefer, a
fulfllment, for one has truly said that
prophecy may have q germinant accom-
plishment while the complete fultillment
Is yet in the future. That Joel's prophecy
has not yet had its ful6llment lif you
will suffer the word) or it's final fulfill
ment is seen in the context, for Israel is
still ashamed and humiliated among the