Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-04-15
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON AND
YOUNG PEOPLES MEETINGS
News Of Interest to Church Goers BY a
Writer Who is An Authority on Religious
Subjects. The International Lesson for
Next SUNDAY.

SatlonS. Young persons OF the saul
type are bound to be and do some
thing: the only question is the char
acter Of their career. Shrewdly, the
Jewish leaders took up the promising
young teacher. They gave him avenues
for the outgo of his energies.
These very men, often set adrift as
'black-sheep," are the very ones that
the church and the state need most.
The new body of Christian believers
especially needed such. Jesus himself
covets this strong, brave spirit.
Though he had passed from earth,
Christ still yearned for the disciple
ship of such a vigorous character as
this well-equipped young prosecutor,
who fairly breathed forth threatenings
and slaughter against the new sect.
Heaven is more interested In earth
than earth ever suspects. God cares
for individuals with personal, watch
full concern that mortals cannot
| realize. Looking from his throne In
heaven, Christ saw Saul Fastening
toward his cruel Damascus goal and
as in the case Of the goodly young
man of an earlier day, "beholding him,
| loved him.
|
version of this choice spirit of i'm
portance enough to warrant another
earthly reappearance. He could not
trust any messenger with this mo-
mentous message, SO he went himself.
| A Vision-A Transformation.
Behold the wonder-a master
logician and philosopher is converted,
not by overwhelming argument. but by
a vision. The psychologist is won
through his emotions. The disciplin-
ed nationalist is conquered by a
! spiritual experience. Thus does God
put to confusion the high and the
mighty. The profoundest intellect, as
we'll as the simplest faith, is over
whelmed when it is given clear Wis
ion Of the inevitable Christ.
Amid light brighter than the SHIN
mering Oriental noontide, Saul saw
Jesus. All his philosophy and fluency
disappeared on the instant. and he
could only stammer out the needless
question, who art thou, Lord?" A
modern philosopher, using the favor.
lite current shop-tall1 of his trade
would call that magnetism. 1t was
truth in demonstration. To that ex
/ perience Saul thenceforward appeal
ed. This was the bedrock of his new
faith; he had seen Jesus, and seeing
Jesus had made new man of him.
I'VE would see Jesus--this is all we're
needing,
Strength, joy and willingness come
with the sight;
We would see Jesus, dying, risen
pleading,
Then welcome day, and farewell
mortal night"
The way Saul was made over is still
the way new men-who alone car
] make new social conditions-are to be
secured for the world. A transform
ing spiritual experience, which viii
bring men into allegiance to the ideals
and personality Of Jesus, is the deep
est need of our day. Not a new socia
environment imposed upon the old HUI
man nature, but new hearts in indivd
ual men and women Is what alone car
heal the ills Of the present social or
der. Nothing would so bless our gen
GRAFTON as for our people to have
SauPs experience of confronting
Christ, and entering his discipleship.
A New Ananias Club.
Blinded by the radiance of his Wis
ion, and all his old world hanging ii
shreds around his heels, Saul was LEI
into Damascus. There he remained IL
darkness for three days, fasting The
while, and brooding over the tremend
Gus experience which he ever after re
garded as his new birth.
, There he was found by a disciple
named Ananias, sent by Jesus. Let III
, advertise the fact that there is in thu
New Testament another Ananias be
sides the liar. This is different sor
of man. Would that there could be il
every Sunday school an Ananias clul
Of boys pledged to be helpers like him
? He was an II am here" man, no
afraid to obey even where he did no
understand. Sent to instruct Saul The
arch-persecutor, whose very name wa
a terror to the Christian community
he went whole-hearted, saluting him al
+ Brother Saul" His part was Jesse
part, such as falls to the most of us
but he did it well. Thus he becam,
: identified with Sauls life and work
and a sharer in alIthe triumphs of tn,
kingdom that were effected through
this made-over prosecutor.
!,