Morgan County republican. (Versailles, Mo.) 1906-1914, 1909-11-18
Paul's Story of
His Life

Specially Arranged for This Paper

AcoooN ELN - AN
Memory verses, "a, Is.
GOLDEN TExT.-"IIe said unto me.
My grace Is sufficient for thee. for my
strength is made perfect in weakness"
% Cor. 1928.
TIME.-Autumn Of A. d. 81 to late In
81 or early In So.
FLACE.-In Macedonia, where the Sec.
ond Epistle to the Corinthians was writ
ten.
Suggestion and Practical Thought.
l.. The church in Corinth was very
young, not seven years old, from the
first coming Of Paul, who remained
with them only a year and a half.
Since that time they had grown in
numbers with but little outside help
from Paul and those who represented
him.
2. The young church was surround.
ed by intense w%orldliness, and heather
i~mmoralities and principles, which
we're like an intense moral malaria,
an unhealthy atmosphere.
3. There was in the city a consider.
able colony Of Jews who were opposed
10 the whole Christian movement.
4. An anti.Pauline mission of Chris.
tian Jews from Palestine came to
Corinth with views opposed to Paul's
teachings concerning the Gentiles,
and insisted that all Gentle Chris.
tians should conform to the Jewish
ritual.
s. Cases OF immortality had arisen
IN the church for which Paul had
been compelled to reprove them.
8. There were divisions among
them, one being for Peter, another
for Paul, and another for Christ, as II
all were not for Christ.
z. There were attacks upon Paul's
character and authority.
Speaking OF those who claimed to
be the real leaders and apostles, and
who condemned him, Paul says:
%. Are they Hebrews" Of purest
blood, one OF the nation and Ian.
guage?
$50 am l."
Are they Israelites," of the true 70.
ligion, worshiping the one God?
$50 am l."
Are they the seed Of Abraham" in.
heritors of the promises, of the Mes
sianic hopes, and the kingdom Of God?
80 am l."
"a. "Fiv, times received forty
stripes saw, one" from the Jews. None
are mention ed in the Acts. The Jews
were forbidden to infict than
forty stripes (Deut. $3.50. and lest
they should ! reak the law by q mis-.
take in counting they inflicted only
t~hirty-nine.
Is. Thrice was I beaten with rods"
Once mentioned in Acts 1922. A sim.
ilar instance is given by Cicero
against Verres, v. 62.
"Once wal I stoned" At Lystra
(Acts 14:19). Stoning was planned
once before at Iconium, but the plan
vas not carried out (Acts 14:5).
Two.-The second test of apostle
ship.-12:1-6. Vision. Insight. Com.
munion with God. Realization OF the
spiritual. Paul's second answer to OBJ
~jectors is that he has a right to speak
in the name OF God: for though he
had not seen Jesus in the flesh. he
had seen eternal things. he had re-
ceived revelations from God.
2. II knew" DIETER Il know") "a
man in Christ" That he is referring
to himself Is proved by '. 7; and the
whole argument implies It. How II
came. he could not tell. but he knew
the fact. Caught up to the third
heaven" beyond the visible heaven.
ito the highest heaven where the
throne Of God is," to Paradise the
abode Of the Just, and Of the angels.
Whatever place 1t may have been, It
was into the Utmost spiritual realities.
Note the several visions which are
recorded in the Acts from this vision
of Jesus at his conversion. to his
vision in the storm on the way to
Rome. In his letter to the Galatians
(1:11, 12) Paul declares:
II certify you. brethren. that. the
Gospel which was preached Of me is
not after man.
"For I neither received It of man,
neither was I taught It. but BY the
revelation of Jesus Christ"
Something Of this vision. Of this
communion OF God with our spirits,
of this realizat'o of heaven and its
life, Of this insight into spiritual
truths. Is necessary to our best useful.
ness and our highest life.
Three.-The third test Of Paul's
Apostleship was his sanity life
1910. Paul shows that the signs OF
an apostle were wrought among the
Corinthians "in signs and wonders and
mighty Deeds" every n Of them for
the good of the people and the glory
Of God. II seek not yours but you"