The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-02-23
SUNDAY Sfudg
BEGINNINGs or THE cHURcH

BEGINNINGS OF THE CHURCH.
The International Sunday school lesson
for Feb. % is the sixth chapter of Acts.
The Golden text is Matthew K. g. In
this lesson the apostles show a strong
desire of looking after the bodily as well
as the spiritual welfare of the poor, and
appointed deacons, one of whom was ar
rested by enemies of the church by rea-
son of his zeal and activity.
1T is not reason that we should leave
the word OF God and serve tables. This
was the decision of the twelve when
there began to be some murmuring
among the disciples concerning the daily
ministration of things temporal AS the
number of the disciples multiplied it
could hardly be expected that in these
new workers, even Peter, James and
John might remember quite a number
of things in their own lives, even after
they mad been a year or two with Christ,
which We're Of the flesh and not of the
spirit.
We will give ourselves continually
to prayer and to the ministry of the
word. They would not serve tables,
but they would pray and search and
teach the word. They recognized the i'm
portance- and the difficulty of attending
to the daily ninistration, for they saw
the necessity of committee of honest
report, full of the Holy Ghost and wis
dom.
''They chose Stephen, a man full of
faith and Of the Holy Ghost, and Philip"
The other five are not mentioned again
after this verse, which is not necessarily
anything against them. Philip is men
toned sixteen times and Stephen, who
became the first martyr for Christ, is
mentioned seven times. If the mind of
the majority IS correct guide, then the
appointing of this committee was the
all.
"And Stephen, full of faith and power,
did great wonders and miracles among
the people," The word of God increased,
grew and multiplied grew nightly
and prevailed The number of the dis
ciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem,
and a great many of the priests became
believers. They were not able to resist
the wisdom and the spirit by which he
spake," The Lord Jesus had promised
mouth and wisdom which no adversary
could gainsay or resist and this was
ful1llment of His promise.
They caught him and brought him to
the council" The power Of God in Ste
phen was more than the Jewish priests
could put up with, and SO they stirs up
the rulers and the people to lie about
him and arrest him.
And set up false witnesses" So Jeze-
bel did to Naboth, and so these same
ten concerning Him. False witnesses
did rise up; they laid to My charge things
that I knew not ''They that hate Me
without a cause are more than the hairs
OF Mine head; they that would destroy
Me, being Mine enemies wrongfully, are
mighty" We must, if we follow Him
fully, expect the same treatment He re-
ceived, for "all that will live cody in
Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution"
and He Himself said eff they have per-
secuted Me, they will also prosecute
you"
'And all that sat in the council, look
inc, steadfastly on him, saw his face as
1t had been the face of an angel" He
was no doubt thinking of the Lord Jesus
and all that Christ had endured for him.
By faith he saw Christ and not these
Nys11-N y
Of Christ was seen upon him. We are
apt to think it very hard when people
wrengfully accuse us and lay to our
charge things we know not, but we
with Christ, remembering His own words.
BLESSED are we when men shall revile
you and prosecute you and shall say all
manner of evil against you falsely for
glad, for great is your reward in
heaven"