The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1909-02-18
Stephen the First
Christian Martyr
Sunday Sehssl Lessen for Feb. Il, 1903
Specially Arranged for This Paper

LESSON TEXT-Aoks 6:S-l5; 7:54-8:S
Memory verses 65. Sc.
! GOLDEN TEXT.-Thev stoned Stephen,
calling upOo God. and saying: Lord
| Jesus receive my spirit."-Acts 1859.
J TIME.-AboUt a. d. g. Sc. Ramsay and
| Harnack place it earlier, 81 and IS. Ac-
/ cordiaE 70 Prof. Riddle there was an in
| terregnum Of the Roman governors about
| A. d. Dc when PLATE was deposed, which
| made It eaEier for the Jewish rulers &c
/ put stephen TO death contrary to Roman
| law.
| PLACE-Jervsalen. The city, the syn
| agogue Of the Iibertines, the council
| chamber. and outside of st. Stephens
gate opposite Gethsemane.
Comment and Suggestive Thought.
We now enter upon new epoch
Of continuous development which will
lead as without pause to Acts 1925,
i. e., from Hebrew disciples at Jerusa-
lem TO Greek Christians at Antioch
! Raekam.
There we're two clesses of Jews at
Jerusalem. The Grscja2s' ". u,
R. " "Greeian Jews" Hellenists,
those Jews who had settIed in Greek
speaking countries, who spoke the
| common Greek dialect in place Of the
vsrrAculAr Araneic current in Pales-
tive and who would be more or less
IN hAsnesd by Greek thought and Gus
to<as. and broahsned to accept of
the necessary new development Of
Christianity. Against the Hebrews"
" II, the Jews Of Palestine who com
posed By far the Larger part of the
church Of Jerusalem.
Bstween thsse two ciaese. there
arose a complaint and nurm sring be-
cause tbs widows Of the foreign Jews
did not receive their natural share of
tbs support given TO the home Jews.
And yet they needed It even more than
the widows who were among acQuain-
tances and friends.
The Difficulty Settled by the Or
gani1ation of Laymen for the Work
The church elected seven men to at
tend to this and similar duties, leav-
ing the apostles free to give their
Whole time to preaching prayer, and
training the disciples.
The qualities required IN these Off
GERS Of the church were % of good re-
port, 90 full OF the Holy Spirit, CD
of wise Judgment, (4) full of faith.
Character Sketch of Stephen-1,
- young man OF such original genius
and special grace that there was moth
ing he might not have attained to had
he been allowed to live His wonder
full opsnnsss OF mind: his perfect free
dom from all the prspossessions, pre-
| judicss and superstitions of his day;
his courage, his eloQusnce, his spot
less character; with q certain sweet,
and at the same time majestic man
ner, all combined to set Stephen in
the very front rank both Of service
and Of risk. He was already all but
the foremost man OF his day Alex
andsr Whyte, Bible Characters.
2. He was man Of power the
power Of faith and character ahame
with the Holy Spirit
3. He was full Of grace, and Of
graces, and the beauty of holiness
Grace and power do not always go to-
gether Some things are beautiful, but
not strong. Some things are strong
and not beautiful. How seldom Is a
Boanerges (son Of thunder) at the
same time Barnsbas "a son of con-
solauon). But the highest characters
combine both. They that wait upon
the Lord shall renew their strength
and the beauty of the Lord
God shall be upon them Pres.
Mark Hopkins, Strength and Beauty
4. The source of his power was that
he was filed with the Holy Spirit w.
81. Prof. Bruce said OF Phillips
Brooks: The man is just a great
watsr-mRin attached to the everlasting
reservoir Of Gods truth and grace and
love, and streams Of life, as by a
heavenly sravitation. pour through
him to refresh weary souEs"-Prof
| A. V. G. Aliens LIE OF Philips Brooks.
). The fruits Of his power were
deeds Of healing and love, wonderful
miracles, signs" which were Gods
Endorsement Of his tsaehirFx. II is
almost impossible to prove that ones
teachings are from God, except by
deeds that only God can de-miracles
of transformed character, or miracles
OF healing and help.
Stephens Argument OF Defense Be-
fore the Sanhedrim.-Aets7 :1-53.
l. Stephens address is not q direct
| but a real answer to the charges
against him.
2. His very use OF the Scriptures Is
proof that he received them and did
not blaspheme by repudiating them.
g. He defends what the Christians
thought Of the temple by the history
in the Bible they accepted.
4. He shows that the Jesus he
preached was the one foretold by
Moses.
g. He shows that they who pretend
ed to uphold the law were themselves
! breaking 1t as did their fathers, whom
the prophets condemned.
Saul standing by and deeply i'm
pressed by the scene, and not long aft
erward changed into a disciple of
Jesus, shows how the blood of mar
tyrs became the seed OF the church.
seemingly ordinary man was con-
verified, opened his heart to receive
| the Holy Spirit, and became one of