The Red Cloud chief., 1909-11-18
Paul's Story of
His Life
Sunda, School Lesson for Nov. Il, 1909
Specially Arranged for This Paper

LESSON TEXT-Cor. il,22-2S l2:l-lo
Memory verses. 20 -
GOLDEN TENT.--"IIc said unto me.
My grace IL sufficient TOR thee, for my
strength is made perfect III Weakness
. Cor. ll9.
TIME.--Autumn os A L. ii to late I'm
~ Or early In 50.
PLACE. In Macedonia. whore the Sec
ond Epistle to the Corinthians was writ
ten.
Suggestion and Practical Thought.
/. The church In Cornth was very
young. not seven years old, from the
first coming of Paul. who remained
with them only year and IA half.
Since that time they had grown In
numbers with but little outside help
from Paul and those who represented
him.
.. The young church was surround
Cd by intense worldliness. and heather
immoralitics and principles. which
were like an intense moral malaria.
an unhealthy atmosphere
3 There was in the city a consider
able colony of Jews who were opposed
to the whole Christian movement.
4 An antiPaulne mission of Chris
tian Jews from Palestine came 10
Corinth with views opposed to Pauls
teachings concerning the Gentilos,
and insisted that all Gentle Chris
tians should conform to the Jewish
ritual.
g. Cases of immortality had arisen
in the church for which Paul had
bccn compelled to reprove them.
Il. There were divisions among
them, one being for Peter, another
for Paul, and another for Christ, as II
all were not for Christ.
I. 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?
so am l."
Are they Israelites," of the true re
ligion, worshiping the one God?
so am l."
Are they the seed of Abraham" in
heritors of the promises. OF the Mes
sianic hopes. and the kingdom OF God /?
so am l."
"a Five times received forty
| stripes save one" from the Jews. None
are mentioned in the Acts. The Jews
| were forbidden to infiict more than
forty stripes (Deut. 25:3), and lest
they should break the law by a mis-.
take in counting they inflicted only
| thirty.nine.
%. Thrice was beaten with rods. ''
| Once mentioned in Acts 1922. A sim.
| liar instance is given by Cicero
| against verres, V. 62.
| Once was l stoned" At Lystra
| (Acts 1919. Stoning was planned
once before at Iconium, but the plan
was not carried out (Acts 1850.
| 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 oh.
| jectors is that he has 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. Il knew" DIETER II know "a
man in Christ" That he is referring
to himself is proved by V. q and the
whole argument implies il. How il
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 ii may have been. II
was into the inmost 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 tC
Rome. In his letter to the Galatians
an. 12) Paul declares:
81 certify you, brethren, that the
Gospel which was preached of me is
not after man.
For ] neither received il of man
neither was taught it, but by the
revelation Of Jesus Christ"
Something of this vision, of this
communion of God with our spirits
of this realization of heaven and its
life, of this insight into spiritua
truths, is necessary to our best useful
ness and our highest life.
Three,---The third test of Paul's
ApOstlcship was his sanity life
12:7-10. Paul shows that the signs oi
an apostle were wrought among The
Corinthians lin signs and wonders anC
mighty deeds" every one of them fol
the good Of the people and the glory
Of God Il seek not yours but you,
Il will very gladly spend and be spen
for you, though the more abundantll
love you, the less ! be loved"
The Thorn in the Flesh. One spcca
form in which his saintliness was cul
tiyatCd and manifested is described it
vs.. 40.
What PGul's ". y thorn in tn,
flesh" was we cannot tell. But it ap
pears to have been something whicl
he feared would lessen his powe
among them and hinder his work,
Ii a person bearing a burden tha