The Tupelo journal., 1903-03-06
H SUNDAY SCHOOL.
for March s, 1~0O3-Paul at
Ephesus.
THE LESSON TEXT.
nt. 1870 %

M Auo there were SSNcH sOnS VI oHe
Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which
did so.
Is. And the evil spirit answered and said,
Jesus / know, and Paul ! know; but who
are We?
16. And the man in whom the evil spirit
was leaped on them, and overcame them,
and prevailed against them, so that they
fed out of that house naked and wounded.
II. And this was known to all the Jews
and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and
fear fell on them all, and the name of the
Lord Jesus was magnified.
IL. And many that believed came, and
confessed, and Showed their deeds.
10. Many of them also which used curious
arts brought their books together, and
burned them before all men; and they
counted the price Of them, and. found II
$4,000 pieces Of silver.
70. So nightly grew the word of God and
prevailed.
GOLDEN TEXT-The name of the
Lord Jesus was maEnified. = Acts
1917.
OUTLINE OF SCRIPTURE SECTION.
Preaching in the name Of Jesus. Acts 1882.
Acquiring in the name of Jesus. Acts 1896
Magnifying the name Of Jesus. Acts 19:17-20.
d, 81.
PLACE.-Ephesus.
NOTES AND COMMENTS.
AS usual, Paul began his work in
Ephesus with the Jews and prose
lytes in the synagogue. Remember
that it was here that. the Jews had
asked him to stay longer when he
stopped on his way to Jerusalem after
the second journey. He evidently
impressed them favorably, and that
may in part account for the fact that
he was able to work with them longer
than usual before the rupture oc-
CURED. He preached in the synagogue
three months. In Ephesus, as on 9TH
er mission fields, Paul supported him
self by working at his trade. When
Paul finally left the synagogue he
took a number who had become Chris
tians with him. Ephesus, like Athens,
had its scholars and philosophers
who taught sometimes in a public hall
devoted to that use, and sometimes
in their W private lecture rooms. 1t
is not easy to decide which was the
case here, for some of the ancient
manuscripts read, the school of Ty-
rannus, as in the revised version, ia
voring the view that the building was
a public one, and called the school
of ~Tyrannus," while others read with
the common version, the school of one
~Tyrannus, meaning OF a certain man
named Tyrannus. One of the manu-
scripts says that Paul used the build
ing from IL o'clock till four, that is.
after the regular lecturer was through
for the day. The teaching day at that
time began very early and closed an
hour before noon. Ramsay rather
favors the second view. as probably
representing what Luke actually
wrote. Paul's work here continued
for two years, and influenced the
whole province CT Asia, for Ephesus
was a great commercial center, and
no better place could be found from
which to spread the Gospel. IT is more
than likely that the seven Churches
of ASIA" addressed in Revelation, were
a result of this period of Paul's work.
The work outside of the city was prob
ably pushed by his missionary COM
panions and by many native helpers.
"Strolling Jews, eXorcists:" The
practice of magic" socalled, was
very common among the Jews in spite
of the prohibitions in the Old Tesla
ment. These eXorcists went about
from place to place, claiming the
power to work miraculous cures, and
particularly to cast out the demons
which in those days were supposed to
dwell in those whom to-day we should
call insane. They used charms of
various kinds and repeated magical
sentences, and evidently believed, from
what they had seen of Paul's work,
that the name Jesus was a magic word
of unusual power. The experience of
two of the sons of Sceva, for only two
of them seem to have been connected
with this incident, was a rebuke to
such superstition not soon to be for
gotten.
MANY also of them that had be-
lieved:" Showing how general such
superstition had been in Ephesus.
Fifty thousand pieces of silver"
These magic books, or rolls, made by
hand, of course, have always been very
costly. The pieces of silver were prob
ably denarii, and the denarius was the
average price of a days work. By
burning their books the Christians
put temptation behind them, and pre-
vented the possibility of returning to
their demoralizing practices, showing
their sincerity and their wisdom.
PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS.
The more boldly one testifies for
| Christ the greater number of converts
he will
People still need to be reasoned with
and persuaded as to the things con-
corning the Kingdom of God.
To invoke the name of Jesus insin-
cerely is to rouse evil, not to drive
it out.
The Gospel arouses the consciences
of men SO that they confess their evil
deeds and abandon them.
The Gospel forces no one to give up
anything but that which is false and
hurtful.
Christian Character.
To reject correction is to refuse wis
dom.
Great sorrow expand the heart to
receive great joys.
Humility is the secret of the steady