The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1909-08-20
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Lesson VII. Third Quarter,
For Aug. 22, 1909.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.

Text Of the lssson, Acts XIX, 2s-A1.
Memory Verses, 26-colden Text, II
Cor. xii, e-commentary Prepared by
Rev. %. NJ. Stearns.
ICopyright, 1903, by American Press AsOCiataon.l
1t was Paul's thought, IL It should
prove to be the VIII Of God, to visit
the places in Europe where he had
been on his previous tour and then re-
turn to Jerusalem, hoping at some
slime to see Rome also. Meantime he
sent Timothy and Erastus, two OF his
ministers, into Macedonia, while he
tarried In Asia for season oversees 21,
22). Remembering what we wrote In
the last lesson of the little that is said
Of some disciples, we might easily for
get that Timothy was one OF the com
pany were 1t not for an occasional ref
erence to him. This is our first intro
duction to Erastus, OF whom we read
elsewhere In Rom. xvi, %; III Tim. iv,
20. 1t may not seem like saying much
for them to say that they mintstered
unto Paul, but for some years it was
all that could be said Of Elisha with
regard to Elijah, "He ministered unto
him" Il Kings xix, 2D, and in doing
this they as truly ministered to the
Lord as those who ministered to Him
personally when He was here on
earth Matt. K, Az. 1t is impossible
to minister to the Lord sincerely with
out exciting the enmity of him who
even dared to ask the Lord Jesus to
worship him Cdatt. tv, 81. He Is the
god of this world and may also be
called the religious leader, for the vast
majority of religious people worship
him. perhaps unconseiously. No one
can draw near to or worship the one
only living and true God except by
Jesus Christ, the Son Of God, and by
virtue of His atonement for sin, His
great vicarious sacrifice.
That which is not the worship Of
God is the worship OF the devil q Cor.
X, 20), whether it be the worship Of
Diana or Jupiter or Buddha or Mo-
hammed or the professed worship Of
God who saves people because they
try to do right and to follow Jesus
who is not God and never suffered as
a sacrifice for our sins. Like the men
In chapter xvi who caused the perse-
cution Of Paul and Silas because their
demon possessed slave was healed,
and thus further hope Of gain through
her was gone, Demetrius and his
craftsmen caused a riot at Ephesus
because the sale Of silver shrines for
Diana was falling of through the
preaching Of the truth concerning the
Lord jesus Christ. Their cry that, not
alone at Ephesus, but almost through
all Asia, Paul had turned away much
people from the worship Of Diana was
splendid testimony to the work OF the
Spirit through Paul, but that was not
the aim Of Demetrius. The testimony
was like that OF the Jewish rulers in
Acts v, %, Behold. re have filed
Jerusalem with your doctrine" Where
is there such zeal today, such spirit
filed men? ah
The cry Of the opposition was: "Our
craft is In danger. |" I" BY this craft
we. have our wealth" (verses %, 20.
What is the difference between that
and the cry OF the unrighteous rulers
in many cities today who by oppres-
sion and theft have their wealth and
yet have power enough somehow to
cover up their misdeeds and to escape
punishment, but who are ready to
raise great outcry against any who
would attempt to put their Ubiquitous
craft in danger2 As to the condition
Of multitude of churches, with their
new theology dishonoring God and
Christ and His word and filing the
church with all manner Of worldli-
ness, what can we say but "How long,
o Lord, how long" canst Thou suffer
it9 When teachers In our Sunday
schools and even some preachers en-
Joy the Sunday newspapers, light read
ing of any kind, the theater, and such
like, and consider those who renounce
these things as only babes and unde-
veloped. and the cry from all sides is
"Great is our Diana, whom all the
world worshipeth?' can those who
would be OFT and out for Christ lay
to heart the advice Of the town clerk
Of the city OF Ephesus and -be quiet
and do nothing rashlyT' Verse 36.)
Yes, truly, for, though the heathen in
heathendom and Christendom rage as
they please and shout themselves
hoarse in honor of their gods, we may
well be, quiet, knowing that 'our Je
hovah is above all gods and whatso
ever He r'eases He win do 0Ps
cxxxv, 5, 81. Jesus of Nazareth shall
reign as King of kings and Lord OF
lords, and the kingdoms of this world
shall become wholly His. Let us not
be afraid, but speak boldly His word
and of all that concerns His kingdom.
Ephesus was filled with confusion
and the assembly was confused, an6
some cried one thing and some ON
other, and the greater number kner
not why they were come togethe
(verses 20. 32). What picture Of tli
world lying in the wicked onel sec
is not the author Of confusion, but 0
peace" q Cor. XIV, 33). Where enyy
ing and strife are there are confdsic,
and every evil work, but that wisdol
is not from above, but is earthly, ser
sual, devilish (Jas. iii, Is, 49, In vers
2a we are introduced to two more o.
Paups companions with whom we ca
talk more fully and freely In the KING
dom OF all the events OF that day IL
It shall then seem worth while, brit
ali suffering here for His sake shall
seem SO small then that many things
we now feel like desiring to know