Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-09-16
CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR HOUR
Conducted by Grace Livingston Hill-Lutz.


| From the New Testament translated from the
| Greek into current English by Farrar Fenton.
THE Conversion of SAUL" Acts ix:1-22.
Meanwhile, Saul, still breathing threaten
| ings and murder against the disciples of
| the Lord, applying to the high priest de-
manded from him letters addressed to the
synagogue of Damascus, ordering that If
any should be found on the way, whether
| men or women, he should bring them UNI
/ der arrest to Jerusalem. But while he
| travelled arriving near to Damascus.
light from heaven suddenly flashed around
| him. and falling upon the ground, he heard
| a voice asking him. Saul! SAUL Why do
| you prosecute MeT'
And he replied, who are you, sir?'
Il am Jesus whom you persecute,' was
| the response. But rise up and go into the
| town, and it shall be told you what you
| must do
The men accompanying him. however.
| were stunned, hearing the voice indeed.
but seeing one. Saul then arose from
could see nothing. They accordingly, lead
ing him by the hand, entered into Damas-
Gus. And for three days he was without
SIGHT, and did neither eat nor drink
Now there was a disciple at Damascus
named Ananias; and the Lord said unto
him in a vision: "Ananias!
Il am here, Lord" was his reply.
The Lord then said unto him: Rise up
and go into the street called Straight and
inquire at the house of Judah for a man
named Saul. Tarsan; for To- he is now
praying. And in vision he has seen
man named Ananias entering ana laying
hands upon him. in order that ne may re-
cover his eyesight.'
Ananias answered: Lord have heard
from many people about this man, how
much injury he has done to your holy ones
a1ar, nd no iS cOmmlSSi OneQ
by the chief priests to apprehend all calling
upon your name
The Lord said unto him: GO, because
this man is an intrument specially chosen
by myself to bear my name in the pres
ence of both the heather and kings, as well
as the sons of Israel; for l will show him
what he must endure for the sake OF my
name.
Ananias accordingly went; and entering
the house, he placed his hands upon him,
and said: Brother SAUL the Lord Jesus,
who appeared to you during your journey,
has sent me, so that you may recover your
eyesght and be endowed with Holy spirit
And something like scales falling from ms
eyes, he Immediately saw again. Then get
ting up, he was baptized; and partaklng OF
food he was strengthened.
And for some time afterward he remained
with the disciples in Damascus, and at
once in the synagogue he proclaimed Jesus
that He is the Son of God. But all who
heard him were astonished, and exclaimed:
| rs not this the very man who devastated
| those who called upon His name in Jeru-
salem; and who came here specially Tor
| the purpose of apprehending them and
bringing them before the chief priests!
| But Saul the more theoretically overpow-
| cred and refuted the Judeans lnhabltlng
| Damascus, proving that He was the Mes
| siah.
| 10 PauD. Never! Know you not that
| to whom you present yourselves as obedl-
ent slaves. you are slaves to those you
| obey: whether of sin to DEATH or obedience
! to righteousness? But, thank God. that
although you were slaves of sim now you
heartily obey the rules of the discipline un-
| der which you enlisted; and, being llperateu
from sim you are engaged by Righteousness.
l speak humanity because OF your natural
weakness For as you presented your or
gans slaves to impurity and unrestralneo
lawlessness so now you should present your
organs slaves to righteousness in holiness
For then you were slaves of sin, but now
YOU are freemen of righteousness. What
benefit had you then from those practices
that now shame you? For their result Is
death But now, having been freed from
sin, and serving with God, you nave the
fruit of your conservation; the result Is
eternal life. For the wages of sin is death;
but the free gift of God Is eternal life in
Jesus Christ our Lord
The Lesson.
These two passages of Scripture present
a most striking picture of full surrender
| life 1t might be yours or mine.
paul started out to fight against Jesus
| Christ. but meeting Him the way, he
| became at once convinced of the power
and majesty of. his divine antagonist, and
| threw all the fervor of his intense enthus-
| iastic nature upon the side of Him whom
| he had been prosecuting. There was no
| halfway laying down of arms such as
| some Christians do today; mere giving up
| Of bpStiljtieS without attempt nRNt
| upon the Christ side. Paul no sooner
| heard Christ's voice than he recognized his
was his application for enlistment. He
| arose and was baptized" that was his en-
| listment. and straightway he preached
| Christ In the synagogues, that was ms
| commissions; he was sent to the front at
once. His surrender was voluntary. entire
and immediate
| Blessed are they who, like Paul, can
look back to a day when they gave them
| selves to Christ in complete surrender
| There is no halfway ground. no compro-
mise. no troublesome settling of questions
| of right and wrong to true soidier OF
Jesus Christ; he is under orders; he has
| no questions to decide Tor hlmseiIi MS ~
| but to trust and obey
Applied Truth.
| The commander of a rock fortress in In
dia, that seemed almost impregnable, sur
rendered to victorious Alexander and his
army without blow. preferring to enlist
| with than oppose one destined to conquer
all SO Jesus asks our allegiance? If
we refuse, 1t is to sink into far worse
| servitude. II we obey. He. as did Alex.
| ander with this soldier, makes US ruler
| over that citadel In his stead.
| ITO have the spirit and to be filled with
the spirit are two different things. Egypt
always has the Nile.' as some one has
said, but Egypt waits every year for its
| IIoV he In nna
| but having the Nile overflow IL quite an
| other Now 1t 10 the Niles overflow that
is Egypt's salvation. and to overflow 1t
must first be filed. So 1t IL the Christian
| overflow that is the worlds salvation, and
/ In order to have the overflow there must
FIRST be the filing" Rev. John MacNeil.
when was boy my father had me
taught drawing and my master put before
| mo something and my copy needed to have