The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1909-07-08
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INTERNATIONAL LESSON COM.
MENTS FOR JULY II.

Subject: Paurs Second Missionary
Journey-The Philippian Jailer,
| Acts t0:t8-4O-Golden Text,
Acts 1G:3t-Commit VS.. 29-31.
TIAIE.--A. d. SO. PLACE.-Phil.
ippi.
EXPOSITION. Il. A Midnight
Prayer and Praise Service in Jail. %.
20. This is one of the most inspiring
| and instructive prayer and praise ser.
| vices on record. G) The circum-
| stances-in dark hole, with torn
/ and bleeding and aching backs, and
| with a very dark outlook for the NOR
row. A good time to pray Cps. SO:
| Is; comp Jas. 5:13). But it might
| seem a strange time to sing praises
| Luke 6:22, 23, ch. SAL; Ro. 5:3;
Phil. 2:17; 1 Pet. 14:4; Eph. 5:2O).
Sorrows and aches taken in that way
become sweet friends. GU The time
midnight. There is no better time
for prayer and praise meeting. 1t
might seem as If Paul and Sias would
have been better employed sleeping
and getting strength for the next
days trials. But strength can often
he better gained by prayer than by
sleep. t3) The result-"a great
earthquake" foundations of the pri.
son shaken" every ones bands
loosed," the jailor and his whole
household converted and rejoicing.
, This land needs q moral earthquake.
Let us pray for It, There are many
prisoners who need to have their
bands loosed. Let us pray for that.
There is great need of the conversion
of whole households Let us pray for
! this also. Paul would never have
gotten a hearing from those prisoners
had he not himself been cast into pri.
son. They were doubtless a hard.
ened crowd, more used to profanity
and blasphemy than to prayer and
songs of praise.
III. The Jailor at Philippi Suddenly
and Thoroughly Converted, 21-3I. In
a moment the brutal jailor becomes
/ an anxious inquirer. He asked a
! great question. A question every
man should ask. Note why the jailor
asked it, how he asked it, from whom
/ he asked it. % Why: Because he
/ was lost and had been brought to see
| it and feel it. The jailor had not
been listening with the prisoners as
Paul and Silas prayed and sung. He
had been fast asleep But God woke
] him up. 1t is great thing to have
God wake US up. He had been
| brought face to face with death. He
had been brought face to face with
| two holy men. EIe had been brought
face to face with God, and he saw
himself utterly lost, as any sane man
sees himself when brought face to
face with eternity and God. CD
How: In deep earnestness. None OF
the trihing and shallowness charac.
terstic of so many modern inquiry.
rooms" here - trembling for fear,
! fell down" Men who ask this ques.
ton, in this spirit, will soon be rejoic.
ing as this jailor was. CD From
whom: From men who knew the an.
swer; from men who knew Gods
word ". 32); from men who were
saved themselves. A great answer to
the great question. But a very SIM
pie answer. What is 1t to believe on
the Lord Jesus? To receive Him"
or take Him tJno. 1:12). Take Him
as our Saviour who died in our place
! lisa. 53:6; l Pet. 2:24; Gal. 3:13).
Take Him as the One who rose again
| to be our Lord and King, and to de.
liver us from sins power (Acts 1886;
| Heb. 1920. Again 1t is to commit
ourselves and all that we have to Him
| e Tim. 1:12). Cast yourself upon
/ Him, surrender absolutely TO Him,
leave all with Him, that is the step
that saves man. But Paul and Silas
did not stop with merely telling the
jailor to believe on the Lord Jesus.
they "Spake the Word" unto him
from. 1917; comp. Jno. 20:3D.
Here is where many workers make
mistake They rightly tell people to
"believe," but they do not give them
the word about Christ crucified and
risen to enable them to believe. II
does not take long to get man saved
II he is in earnest. This jailor seemed
a hard case. He was brutal. he was
Indifferent, he was utterly ignorant.
But in an hour ". 33) he had passed
out of suicidal despair into the rejoic.
ing, gentleness and aboundlng hospi.
tality of baptized believer in Christ.
Surely there is nothing about the way
of salvation that 1t takes long to tell
or long to learn. One hour is suffi.
cient for the whole business. Note
the results of genuine conversion: Cd
Transformation from brutality to ten.
/ der compassion. CD Open and inn
mediate confession of Christ in bap-
tism. (3) Great Joy Or. W. (4
Generous hospitality. 60 A trans
| formed home.
/ III. Paul and Silas Released From
| Jail, 1910. In the morning the mag
| istrates were frightened. They no
/ longer wished to punish Paul and ST.
las. but to get rid of them as quickly
as possible. The earthquake had set
| them thinking. But they were not to
get rid OF Paul as easily as they
| thought. He was a Roman citizen
and they had beaten him publicly and
uncondemned. This was a serious Of
fense. They had beaten him publicly
and now they must Justify him as
publicly. Their former severity
changes into utter obsequiesness. They
| came and they besought and they
brought and they begged. They did
/ not hasten their departure from the
city. They comforted the young dis
ciples before they left. Their impri-
sonmenS had turned out to their
honor and to the glory of God (cf.
Rom. S:28). The officials were very
foolish. They ought to have begged
Paul to stay instead OF to have gone.