The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-01-11
Exposition Of the
Sabbath Jch00tLess0n
FOR JANUARY 10, 1902
BY John R. whitney. Copyright. 1870

By John R. whitney. Copyright, 1902.
The Early Christian Church-Acts III.
37-47.
Golden Textile Lord added to the church
daily such as should be sayed.-Acts H., AZ.
was the only explanation which the great
multitude could give when they saw the won
derful effects produced by the descent Of the
they might have said it with all seriousness,
for a great miracle had been wrought like
that in Cana of Galilee, and 1t is not strange
that "they were all amazed and in doubt"
or that they began asking one another What
meaneth this?S wv. l2-13.)
When God, the Son, began his work as
ginning Of miracles was the turning of water
into wine. 1t manifested forth his glory,
and his disciples believed on him" John H..
transformation. At one moment six water
pots of stone,'' contained nothing but
water" The next, there was nothing drawn
When God the Holy Ghost, entered upon his
work In the church. in like manner his ''be-
ginning OF miracles was the more wonder
full and gracious transformation" of men It
manifested forth his glory, and 1.-The same
day there were added unto" the disciples
"a, three thousand sand soul: souls" For
had been ignorant and tinid men were now
possessed with marvellous intelligence, and
an aoa mccarthy bodness was indeed the
Of divine grace. 1t had made these men
new men -" for mo man putteth new wine
mo old bottles, but new wine must be put.
into new bottles" Mark H., 22D
The disciples who ministered to this multi
tude were not only conscious Of this great
change in themselves, but now they saw that
they stood in very different relation to
other men from any they had ever before oc-
cupied. They had all come from the humber
walks of life, and had never been known as
ans Of late s as the of tha aaza
rene. No one had ever looked up to them as
teachers. or, in any sense, as leaders.
When their Master was seized by the mob
come with fear that they all forsook him
and fed mark, xiv, SOY. Even Peter-the
bodest Of them all-was SO frightened by the
| 1nsnuations Of the servants and the soldiers
that he openly and persistently denied that
he had ever known him. And, after the cru
clfxion, they all feared even to meet together,
excepting in secret, and when the door was
now stood before them had gathered the day
before, around the house where they met
for prayer, they would probably have skunk
| away in the most abject fear And all be-
| cause they did not really know Jesus himself,
or what he was to them, or what he had come
| to do for them.
Now, however, when ''flled with the Holy
Ghost there was not only a wonderful at
traction about them which drew the multitude
to them. but they, themselves, were inspired
with deep sense Of responsibility towards
this multitude, and with a holy boldness and
zeal to fulfil it. Even Peter did not now fear,
or for moment hesitate to stand up before
this great and ecited company as their
teacher and guide.
I so it has been ever since. Nothing is more
common than to find those who fear and
tremble to make an open confession Of faith
in him whom they do in measure truly
| love, and who shrink from entering fully into
his service among men,. They have such a.
deep sense of their own weakness and I'M
Worth1ness they say, that they are utterly I'M
fit for such responsibilities. But when taught
by the holy ghost to fully understand what
| Christ has done for them, and how complete
| they are in him. even in such persons fear
! soon gives way to faith, and weakness be-
! comes both strong and very courageous. Then
! they are not only fitted to be teachers of
| others, but they cannot help being such. Like
| St. Paul. they then feel that they are debt
| ors' to all men. (Rom. l., 14-163
| In fact, no one can be very effectual
! teacher until he is thus taught by the holy
! ghost. e.,
! Not only, however, We're these early disci-
| Piles thus changed in themselves, and in
| their relationship to others, but now the
scriptures appeared to them in an entirely
! new light Now they understood them as
never before, From early childhood they
/ had known what they said; now they saw
the of Emmaus, be. evidently did not
tell them anything that they did not already
know-for no Jew, however, ignorant in other
respects, was ever ignorant of the scriptures
| things which they already knew were things
/ concerning himself luke xiv, 25-27. }
! This application of the facts Of the scriptures
! they had never known before. Many have
not learned 1t even yet. es...-.. .rEs
| In like manner all of the Apostles and their
companions were now enlightened by the Holy
Ghost. Peter had evidently been long famil-
lar with what the prophet Joel Gil, 1888
had said concerning the authorizing of the
Holy Spirit, for he had no difficulty in quot
ing it at once; Now. however, he under
of Jesus, for which they had been waiting
and praying. So he presented it without a
moments hesitation as the perfect and salts
factory explanation of all that had SO amazed
the people: They also were evidently as IA
miliar with the passage he, and they saw
its significance as clearly; So, also, with
4 and he were equally familiar with them, and
both recognized at once the force Of their
application to the existing circumstances.
Moreover, not only did they understand the
Scriptures, but now they understood the work
of Jesus Of Nazareth and it's relations to eter-
nal life For the address Of Peter-even in
was very remarkable address. It shows as
clear a comprehension of 1.-THE Gospel" on
that first day of Pentecost as was ever after
by any other Of the Apostles. It's emphatic
points were-The life Verse 22), the death
! (verse 23), the resurrection (verse 2D, and
the ascension (verse 9Sl of Jesus Christ No
one has ever been able to add anything to
4 these. sr
l. Nearly thirty years later, St. Paul wrote
to the church in Cornth almost exactly the
same thing when he said: 81 declare unto
you the Gospel. For delivered unto you,
first of all, that, which I also received now
that Christ died for our SINS according to the
Scriptures; and that he was buried, and that
he arose again the third day according to the
Scriptures. q. Corinthians, XIV, la. And
in writing to the Galatians, about the same
time, concerning this gospel which he ere
ceived" not of man, "but by the revelation OF
any other Gospel. let him be accursed." (Gal.
H., 8-12).
That was said for all time. According tc
mans philosophy, 1.-The Gospel may change
adaptation to the times-but the The Gospel
as interpreted by the Holy Ghost, has never
changed an iota, and never will change. Il
rested then, it rests STILL it rests alone, il
rests everywhere and always-on the life
the death. the resurrection and the ascension
of Jesus Christ, the Son Of God.
| Peters address began with facts concerning
which his hearers were perfectly familiar
For three years Jesus of Nazareth had gone
in and out among them, doing good (Acts
x, 38), and speaking as "never man spake, J
! (John vii, 49, At the end Of that time, as
they very well knew, lie had been crucifed-
was actually dead and had been buried. Sc
far he could appeal to their personal knowl-
edge.
But of his resurrection and ascenton they
/ knew nothing whatever. For he had never
been seen by any of the multitude, after his
crucifxion and burial. When he' rose from
his own disciples and to them, only occasion
! ally. The record speaks of only ten times IN
forty days To all others, he was perfectly
and always, invisible. To prove the resurrec-
! appealed to the scriptures. This was an
authority with which all of his hearers were
/ acquainted and one whose testimony none
would dare to dispute, or in the least degree