Morgan County republican. (Versailles, Mo.) 1906-1914, 1909-05-13
AULATICONIUM
AND LYSTRA
Specially Arranged for This Paper

LESSON TExT.-Acts 14:1-zs. Memory
verses 81. q.
GOLDEN TExT.-"Ail the gods of the
nations are idols: but the Lord made the
heavens."-Psalm &:5.
TIME.-Immediatcly after the last les
son. Perhaps in the autumn Of A.. d. A.
PLACE.-Lycaonla, in southern Gala
tia. 1conium, Lystra, Derbe. with a re-
turn to Antioch and Perga. and thence to
Antioch in Syria.
suggestion and Practical Thought.
The greater the work a man en-.
v to do, the greater the obsta-
cles that he will meet, and the more
numerous they will be. 1t is a princi.
pie OF physics that resistance increases
as the square OF the velocity. Paul's
work, like that of all true Christians,
was very great, and therefore 1t en-
countered formidable obstacles.
But these hindrances were over.
come, in Christ's strength; and the
process Of overcoming them strength.
ened Paul, as 1t will strengthen us. "A
certain amount OF opposition Is a great
help to a man. Kites rise against and
no with the wind. Even a head wind
Is better than none."-John Neal.
"a great multitude both of the Jews
m also Of the Greeks Jewish prose-
lytes) believed" but there we're "unbe-
lieving Jews" Or. V. "disobedient" to
the TRUTH. who prejudiced the Gentle
populace against the missionaries by
their calumnies. For this double rea.
son C'therefore," v. 81 Paul and Barn.
abas remained at Iconium a long
time" probably several months, since
ID there were so many converts to be
Instructed in their new faith, and (2)
that faith was evidently to be tried by
severe opposition and would need to be
strongly REINFORCED by instruction.
Finally, however, the hatred of the
Jewish rulers and Of the Gentiles
whom they Influenced mot the Gentle
rulers, see v. 81 became so innamed
with the missionaries bold speech and
increasing success that a plot was
formed to stone them as b~lasphemers.
Getting knowledge of this, and mindful
OF Christ's command Matt. 1929 to
flee from persecution, Paul and Barna-
has escaped, going first to "Lystra,"
IL miles s~outh.southwest of Iconium,
and then to the Dcrbe, 20 miles to the
southeast Of Lystra.
Stories Of the gods coming down to
man were common among the Greeks
and other races. Like distorted and
obscure reflections in muddy water,
they give a blurred image of the great
truth."-Maclaren. They show that
Christ's coming was in response 10 a
universal need. One OF these tales
was of the visit of Jupiter and Mercury
to this very Lycaonia. The people
thought them to be poor Migrants, re-
fused to entertain them, ridiculed and
maltreated them. At last they came
to the hut Of the poor peasants, Baucis
and Philemon. who received them hos
pitably and entertained them with the
best they had. In return. the gods
transformed their hut into a glorious
temple owe which they were set as
the chief ministers of worship, while
the churlish %neighbors were punished
by a terrible food which overwhelmed
them. The statue of Jupiter stood be.
fore the gate of Lystra, and Ewald
suggests that this story of Baucis and
Philemon may have been recited year
by year at the great festival In this
temple.
They persuaded the people" prob.
ably they Influenced the m%ultitudes to
regard the miracle, the reality Of
which they could not dispute, as the
work not Of b%enefcent gods, hut of
evil demons."-Expos. Greek Tesla.
ment They raised a mob, which
"stoned Paul." whose bold speech had
centered hostility upon himself. What
memories Of the stoning of Stephen
ten or eleven years before must have
passed through Paul's mind! Trans
formed into a bowling mob, like those
which even In Christian America shoot
negroes, Cinnamon and Italians, the
quondam w%orshipers left Paul ready,
as they supposed, for the cremation
fires or the vagrant dogs."-William
Elliot Griffs. l.. II. ID. Perhaps, as the
stoning of stephen must have moved
Paul toward Christianity, the stoning
OF Paul w9s the turning point in the
life OF Timothy. The young man may
have been among the disciples who
stood round about him." to give what
aid they could, and care for his body
II he were really dead.
Note the sudden char ge In the feel
lngs OF the people toward Paul. and
compare 1t with the revolution in the
attitude Of the people of Jerusalem to-
ward Christ from "Hosanna!" to
Cruelty hint Compare also the sud