The Montgomery tribune. (Montgomery City, Mo.) 1892-1910, 1909-01-15
Beginnings of
Christian Church
Sunday School Lesson for Jan. IL, 1909
Specially Arranged for This Paper

LESSON TExT.-Acts 2:22-47. Memory
verses. %. %.
GOLDEN TEXT.-"They continued
steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and
fellowship, and in breaking Of bread and
In prayers."-Acts 2:42.
TIME.-Probably on Sunday, May %,
A. D.. 30. The same day as our last les
SON.. and the days following.
PLACE.-Jerusalem. Peter preached In
the vicinity of the upper room, or In the
temple court. Then in the temple court,
and in the homes of the people.
PLACE IN HISToRY.-The birth of
the Christian church.
Comment and Suggestive Thought.
with this sermon we must COM
pare st. Peters other sermons-to the
Jewish people acts 3:12~26) and to
the Gentiles (Acts 10:34-43)."--
Rackam.
Peters object was to prove that
Jesus of Nazareth was their prom
Used Messiah, whom they were expect
ing. The reasoning of Peter was con-
elusive and unanswerable. Stated in
brief modern form it was as fol
lows:
/. What has taken place In your
presence is exactly what your proph-
cts foretold would characterize the
Messianic times for which you are
hoping. Turn to the prophet Joel,
and you will see that both what
has been done to the disciples and
the things you are suffering under the
Roman yoke are the fulfllment OF
Joels picture of the times.
2. Jesus of Nazareth fulfilled the
prophecies concerning the expected
Messiah deliverer, as many of you
have seen and experienced. God in
dorsed and approved him "by mira
cles and wonders and signs"
3. Moreover, God reversed your
wicked work by raising him from the
dead, according to your Scriptures. He
is not dead, but living.
4. We are witnesses of the fact of
his resurrection.
5. Another proof that he is living
is the gift of the Holy Spirit. He
hath shed forth this which We now
see and hear"
Peters hearers were convicted of
sin and its danger. v. 81. They were
PAASANN - hSii ASdAL . pISSh
for pricked mean 'pricked with a
sharp point intensely, deeply" For
the word of God is living, and active,
and sharper than any two-edged
sword, and piercing even to the divid.
ing of soul and spirit . and quick
to discern the thoughts and intents of
the heart" for ALI things are naked
and laid open before the eyes of him
with whom we have to do."-Heb.
4:12-13.
"The sense Of sin is the plowshare
that opens the soil of the heart FOL
the reception of every true grace Of
character"
The Second Duty.-Believing IN
Jesus as Master, Messiah, King, Say
Jour, and Guide-a faith which trusts
the whole life to his guidance and
control. This is implied in the re
quirement to be baptized.
The third duty was to confess Christ
publicly, openly, By baptism; that they
%henceforth are his disciples for life
and death. 1t was like taking an oatt
Of allegiance when one becomes a cit
iZen of a country.
This picture of the early church 1.
= so attractive, so beautiful, so ideal
that some commentators have fel
that it was idealized by late writer's
and was not literally true. But as
matter of fact, it has been repeated
over and over again for short spaces
of time. Our own eyes have seen 1t
V. A. "All that believed had al
things common" They we're mem
, bers of one family and held things il
f common, just as members of a famil.
do. Everything was for the good o
all. No one, said that anything wa
his own but all was for the use o
!, friends and Of whatever Christian ha,
e need.
: Oriental Light.-R. Talbot Kelly
: speaking Of the Bedouin Of the desert
says: Conducting me to my tent, h
: added: This house is yours, and al
it contains; do what you will with Il
Z and with us, your servants. Ger
fury, February, 1897. p. $50. All tru
: Christian hospitality is filled with tn
: anne spirit.
This was necessary because s
= many were ana VlSltOrS.
was an emergency.
z 1t was not an instance Of what 1
: now called communion. 1t was not
new business enterprise, nor a me-
. sociological organization.
Individuals did not give up all the
property to the church.
g 1t was one expression Of an etern;
t principle, that all possessing good
h and industries are 10 be c~onsecrate
Of to God in the service of humanity
!, a fundamental Christian principl
is Matt. 25:14-S0; Luke 1869, b,
d neither experience nor Scripture Il
~ dicates that selling all and dividing
the poor is the best method calculate
to serve humanity, or eve the poor
1.-THE sacrament of holy commune