The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1909-11-18
Paul's Story of
His Life
Sunday School Lesson for Nov. II, 1909
Specially Arranged for This Paper

LESSON TEXT.-Cor. D:zz-E6i H'l-lV'
Memory verses, "a, S
GOLDEN TExT.-"He said unto me,
NY grace Is sufficient for thee; for my |
strength Is made perfect In weakness.
% Cor. 1919.
TIME-Autumn of A. D. 81 to late In |
81 or early in So.
PIACE.-In Macedonia, where the Sec |
ond Epistle to the Corinthians was writ
zen.
Suggestion and Practical Thought.
1. The church in Corinth was very
young not seven years old, from the
FIRST coming of Paul, who remained
with them only year and half.
Since that time they had grown In
numbers with but little outside help
from Paul and those who represented
him.
2. The young church was surround
ed by intense worldliness, and heather
immoralities and principles, which
we're like an intense moral malaria,
An unhealthy atmosphere.
8. There was in the city a consider
able colony Of Jews who were opposed
TO the whole Christian movement.
4. An anti.Pauline mission of Chris
tian Jews from Palestine came to
Corinth with views opposed to Paul's
teachings concerning the Gentiles,
and insisted that all Gentle Chris
tians should conform to the Jewish
ritual.
5. Cases of immortality had arisen
in the church for which Paul had
been compelled to reprove them.
6. There were divisions among
them. one being for Peter, another
for Paul, and another for Christ, as II
all were not for Christ.
7. 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-
liglon, worshiping the one God?
$50 am l."
Are they the seed of Abraham" in
heritors of the promises, of the Mes.
$50 am l."
"a. 'F1Ve tunes received IOTly
stripes save one" from the Jews. None
are mentioned in the Acts. The Jews
were forbidden to innict more than
forty stripes (Deut. 25:3), and lest
they should break the law by a mis-
take in counting they inflicted only
thrty-nine.
%. Thrice was beaten with rods.
Once mentioned in Acts 1929. A sim
ilar instance is given by Cicero
against Verres, V. 81.
"Once was | stoned" At Lystra
(Acts 14:19). Stoning was planned
once before at Iconium, but the plar
was not carried out (Acts 14:5).
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 OBJ
jectors is that he has a 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. 81 knew" (better 81 know'O Il
man in Christ" That he is referring
TO himself is proved by v. z; and the
whole argument implies IT. How 4
came, he could not tell, but he knew
the fact. Caught up to the thirC
heaven" beyond the visible heaven
ito the highest heaven where thu
throne of God is," to Paradise the
abode of the just. and Of the angels
Whatever place It may have been, 4
was into the inmost spiritual realities
Note the several visions which ar,
recorded In the Acts from this visioI
of Jesus at his conversion, to hi
vision in the storm on the way t,
Rome. In his letter to the Galatian
C:11, 12) Paul declares:
81 certify you, brethren, that tn
Gospel which was preached of me 4
not after man.
For / neither received 1t of man
neither was | taught II, but by tn
revelation OF Jesus Christ"
Something of this vision, Of thi
communion OF God with our spirits
of this realization of heaven and II
life, of this insight into spiritua
truths, is necessary to our best useful
ness and our highest life.
Three.-The third test of Paul
Apostleship was his sanity life
12:7-10, Paul shows that the signs o
an apostle were wrought among tn
Corinthians "in signs and wonders an
mighty deeds" every one of them TO
the good of the people and the glor.
OF God. Il seek not yours but you,
81 will very gladly spend and be spen
for you. though the more abundantl
love you, the less l be loved"
The Thorn in the Flesh. One specia
form In which his saintliness was Gu
tivated and manifested is described 4
vs.. ITO.
What Paul's ". y "thorn In tn
flesh" was we cannot tell. But 1t al
pears to have been something whic