The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1909-10-01
THE SUNDAY School,
Lesson Fourth Quarter, FOR
Oct. 9, 1909.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.

Text Of the Lesson, Acts xxi, 1879.
Memory Verse, se--Goldsn Text, nj
Tim. u, documentary Prepared BY
Rev. q. M. stearns.
Our last lesson in the Acts left Paul
and his companions at Jerusalem,
whittier they had just returned from
Paul's third missionary journey. and
there we resume the story and imagine
ourselves present at the service, when,
In the presence or James and the cid
ers, Paul declared particularly what
things God had wrought among the
gentiles by His ministry, and with
them we would glorify the Lord verses
10, 20l. Right here comes In our per-
piexity concerning the advice from the
church to Paul that for peace sake he
should conform to certain things which
were not essential, but which were
made much Of by the Jews at Jerusa-
lem who believed-the thousands OF
jews who believed, but yet continued
jealous of the law. That Paul should
consent to this suggestion seems some
what like doing what he condemned
Peter for doing In Gal ii, lila There
is always trouble when we depart
from the simplicity that is In Christ
Oh Cor. XII. 81 and seek to keep peace
with legal Christians by conforming to
their ways instead of standing fast in
the liberty wherewith Christ has made
us free (Gal v, ID. Well, the plan did
not work, for the Jews which were of
Asia succeeded in exciting the city
against Paul, and he would have been
killed had not the chief captain with
centurions and soldiers rescued him
from the mob who were beating him
to death
In Paul's defense, as recorded in the
next chapter. he acknowledges that the
Lord had said to him some time after
his conversion, Make haste and get
thee quickly out of Jerusalem, for they
win not receive thy testimony con-
corning me; depart, for / will send
thee far hence unto the gentiles'' (xxii,
18 21. This. with chapter xxi, 4, and
the events which followed Paul's re-
turn to Jerusalem at this time, causes
me to think that perhaps there was
something of Paul in all this and that
his years of Imprisonment might have
been avoided. No one Is qualified to
throw any stones at him, for who is
there that has not been at some time
or other very set in his own way be-
cause he thought it was the Lords
way, notwithstanding the opinion and
the advice Of his most intimate fellow
believers? TheH see how the Lord
overruled it all to give us His most
helpful epistles from prison, in some
OF which we can almost hear the
clanking of his chains, as some one
has said. See Eph. iv, l.; Col. iv, IS.
But, to return to our story and to
pursue 1t, Paul must have been strong.
" reminded Of his own zeal against
'the way" in past years as he heard
the mob cry, Away with himg and a
little later, Away with such a fellow
from the earth, for it is not fit that he
should live" xxi, SO; xxi, 22l. The
people were SO violent that not only
had the soldiers to rescue him from
them, but they actually had to carry
him. Asking permission to speak as
he was about to be led into the castle,
the chief captain was surprised that
his prisoner could speak Greek, and
then Paul had new occasion to I'M
derstand what 1t meant to be falsely
accused and numbered with transgress-
ors, for the captain asked him lie he
was not an Egyptian who had made
an uproar and had led 1900 murderers
into the wilderness (verse 38). Paul
acknowledged himself q blasphemer
and a prosecutor Il Tim. /, 1877, but to
be reckoned captain of 1000 murder
ers was pretty heavy accusation AS
followers of Christ we must be con-
tent for His sake to have laid to our
charge things we know not Cps. xxxv,
III. Paurs testimony for himself was
that he was Jew of Tarsus, a citizen
of no mean city. In xxi, %. and back
in xvi, 81, he pleads that he is a Roman
citizen, citizenship not purchased
with money, but his by birth Because
of a great price, even the precious
blood of Christ. paid for our redemp-
tion. all who receive Him are thus
born from above and become citizens
of that holy city the new Jerusalem
(John i, II. 10; Phil fill. 20D. Being
citizens OF such city, how glad we
should be to bear anything for His
sake who at such infinite cost has
made us such. and how eager we
should be to have others enrolled as
such citizens for any one from any
part of the wide world may have the
| privilege.
Paul addressed the multitude in He
brew. and when they heard him speak
in that language they kept the more
| silence. He rehearsed the story of his
birth and education and his zeal to-
ward God such as they were that day
| manifesting. Then he told how Jesus
of Nazareth risen from the dead and
| assembled to heaven. had appeared to
him on the way to Damascus and
convinced him that He was IsraeIs
Messiah and the Saviour of all men
and that he was to bear the good news
to al! men OF forgiveness OF sins
through His name When they heard
OF his being sent TO the gentiles they
as Jews had no use for such a man.
cast of their clothes. threw dust into
the air and made such an uproar that
the chief captain was only prevented
from scourging him that he might find
out what he had been talking about
/ ffnr hn 191H hear G,o0o hfYs<s ~ TJatvoxnyA