The Saint Paul globe., 1903-01-17
A PREACHERS
STRENUOUS LIFE
The international Sunday School Les
son for Jan. 18 - Paul at Thes-
salonica and Berea" Acts xviii,
1-12.

|
son for Jan. 18 - Paul at Thes-
salonica and Berea" - Acts xvii,
1-12
| Everybody who read the dispatches
| concerning Miss Stone, the captured
missionary, frequently ran across the
| word Salonica. This was the city
! nearest the scene of her captivity, and
| the one to which she repaired when
| released. Not all who know of this
| modern city, Salonfca, are aware that
| it is identical with the New Testament
! city, Thessalonica, about which We
study in this Sunday school lesson,
and from which two of the books of
| the New Testament, the Epfstles to the
| ThessalOnians, take their name. It
was a more important city then than
now, and the great missionary apostle
spent considerable time in it while on
his second tour. His habit was to go
into the synagogue, where, like a
Quaker meeting, anybody with mes
sage could speak, and, reasoning from
the Old Testament scriptures, preach
| that Jesus was the long expected Mes
sfah. In Thessalonica, as elsewhere,
many were convinced, but others, big
Oted, were aroused to fury. They
leagued themselves with the riff-raff
of the city, and attacked the house
| where Paul sojourned. Not finding
him, they hailed his host, Jason, and
! other friends, before the magistrates
| on trumped-up charges. Paul was
| spirited away to the city Of Beraa,
| where he continued his usual method
of procedure, finding the Boreans more
| open-nlinded. They searched the scrip
! lures to see whether his words were so.
| Thus many Of them became Chris
| tians. But here also trouble was
l-tf
Indeed, every one Of the lessons from
| the Book Of the Acts during the pres
ent six months is a lesson in Christian
strenuosity, telling Of danger faced and
| overcome and Of hardships endured.
The most excitement-lovin American
could ask for no more thrilling expert
ences than befell Paul.
Turning the World Upside Down.
Mr.. Moody was fond of the phrase
from this lesson, These that have
turned the world upside down are come
| hither also" He, like Paul, believed
in gospel that made itself felt, and
that changed the old order. These
striking words from the lips of the in
| censed Jews were a great tribute to
the power of the message preached by
Paul and his companions. The good
news they proclaimed was in truth
revolutionary; it meant a new state of
things entirely, a transformed city 1t
is right that religion should make a
stir; 1t was designed to overturn and
transform until it should get the world
right side up. 1t is a reproach upon
the churches of some of our great
| American cities that their force is
scarcely felt at all in their communi-
! ties. They are not feared by evildoers,
| and they are not looked up to by the
public as active agencies of phflan-
:
| power. AS one editor expressed It,
''The churches in this city don't count"
| That is shame and a sin. The most
| potent influence in every community,
and the most important factor in al
it's affairs should be the Christian
| churches.
The BuIIy's Argument.
The argument of the fist has always
been popular. In boyhood the bully
says, when unable to maintain his po-
| sition in any other way, ''WeH, l can
| lick you, anyway" Which is a para
| BILE of all war; for force proves Moth
| ing concerning a point under discus
| sion; it simply demonstrates which ad-
versary is stronger physically, and
( that is entirely apart from the ques-
| ton. The Jews of Thessalonica, beat
! en- in argument and moved by envy
| undertook to mob Paul. If they
| couldn't convince him, they could at
| least punish him.
To that end, they hobnobbed with
the rabble, which is always delighted
| with a row of any sort. Think of it
the proud, fastfdious Jews keeping
| company with the off-scourings of the
| city! Well, other motives than poll
| tics make strange bedfellows. and
| there are few lengths to which hate
| will not 60 We do not have to travel
| back to Paufs day to find instances of
mems smothering their consciences
| and violating their manhood and duty
| for the sake Of getting the better of an
| enemy. Pride and prejudice win lead
a man to great lengths.
The Persevering Paul.
Of his experience at ThessaIonica
Paul might have said, None Of these
things moved me-" He went straight
ahead in his appointed work, taking
1t up in another city, If driven from
one. He was willing to do or suffer
anything, If by any means Christ
might be preached. The John Brown
| spirit which freely offered life for the
| sake of the success of a cause, was
strong within him. He was willing tC
be martyred for the truth, but he was
not willing to be turned aside from his
course. Trouble could not sidetracl
him: danger could not deter him. He
had conquering message, and he was
going on to victory. Nothing coul6
stand before the Good News he car
rfed. Not many months since cele-