The Red Cloud chief., 1909-04-22
THEGOSPEL
In ANTIOCH
Sunday School Lesson for April Is, 1909
Specially Arranged for This Paper

called Christians FIRST In Antiuch."-Act
ll:26.
TIME. Tho Antioch church WIS formed
soon after the martyrdom OF stephen, y.
~. 26. Paul and Barnnbas were AT An
tioCh Inv some part NJ \, ~. $40. Tho
| famincs occurred during a. u. gas; that
In Palestine utamsHN) In \. ". IT. The
visit OF Paul and Rnrnahns U,amsay) to
Jerusalem was probably the same year.
A. u. NJ.
PLACE-Antioch the rich aud impur-
tant capital VI syria, 800 miles north "
Jerusalem. 81. Luke was II native of An
tioch; 80 was Chrysostom.
Suggestion and Practical Thought.
Having proceeded to such n
length, the rage OF the people turned
| upon the whole Christian body Cam
bridge Bible. The disciples were scat.
tered abroad" The Greek verb Is
based upon the thought of seed sowing,
and indeed every disciple was II seed
Of truth. May all Christians be such
when they go abroad, travelling either
for business or pleasure, h Jews
were like foolish children trying to
stamp out "a forest fire, and merely
| spreading more widely the sparks and
blazing Goals. The disciples were
driven 'as far as Phenice" (Phoenicia.
the Mediterranean coast north Of Gall.
lee). and Cyprus" tthe large Mediter-
ranean island northwest Of Jerusalem.
60 miles from the Phoenician COAST.
"and Antioch" tthe most northern city
on the coast. Thus the fleeing Chris
tians, following the track OF coasting
vessels, went northward. "-~Rackham.
II Is easy even for the modern
church to conceive Jewish prcjudiceu,
and feel that there is no possibility
of much good outside our" denomina-
ton, or our" country. or our race.
True Christianity. however. makes It's
followers realize that all men are
brothers for whom Christ died. and
that the most degraded nations and
races have In them the making Of
saints and apostles.
V. 81. "A great number believed, and
turned unto the Lord" The reasons
for this were many:
/. The Christians who established
the Antioch church had been strength.
ened by prosecutions. which they had
met with unflnching bravery and
fidelity.
2. The very vices OF Antioch showed
the need of a purifying gospel, and
, doubtless many were disguised with
them and eager to turn from them.
The strongest Christians often grow
up amid Corruption
b 3. The people of Antioch were ener
a getic, vigorous, In he habit OF doing
things. The aggressive character OF
n Christianity appealed to them. and
n when they accepted the new religion
they carried into Il the same activity
0 that had brought success In the world
[ ly enterprises OF Antioch.
4. But the chief reason for the
growth OF the Antioch church Is given
t In the text. The hand of the Lord
1 was with them" 1.-The hand" Is the
symbol of power and of work. Willing
{ Christians are Gods hands. Through
. them God can easily accomplish what
would be impossible to their unaided
efforts. Here were a little group OF
refugees, poor. despised, pursued
Here was one of the worlds proudest
mightiest. richest, wickedest cities
. And the handful OF refugees so moved
upon the city that three centuries later
Q it's greatest son Chrysostom the gold
q %en-mouthed preacher. said that half it,
population were Christian.
V. %. "They sent forth Barnabas.
that he might Cd learn the exact state
v Of affairs, since rumors, untrustwor
t thy even in these days of the tele
graph, were doubly doubtful then; q
encourage the new disciples: CD war;
$ them against error, and ca proven
discord between the Jewish and Gen
@ tile converts, of which the seque
d showed the real danger acts 15:1-25)
They might have sent a letter, bu
face.to.face methods are always best
v. 2S. "A great dearth throughout a.
the world In the days @
Claudius," she Roman emperor VIII
I. reigned A. ID. 41.54. This does no
It mean 'all the world" in our enlarge
x sense, but all the civilized world, tn
q Roman empire; nor does II mean tina
It the famine fell upon all parts simu
n %taneously. That widespread failure c
r harvests and scarcity OF food did occu
o is ~"singularly well attested, consider
k ing the scantiness of evidence for thi
n period. Suetonius alludes to assidua
d sterilitates causing famine prices III
It der Claudius, while Dion Cassius an
Tacitus speak OF two famines I
Rome: and famin? in Rome implie
dearth I'm the great corn-growing cour
D. tries OF the Mediterranean; Eusebiu
a mentions famine In Greece, and an II
ID scription perhaps refers to famine 1
ir Asia Minor Ramsey. The famin
n. probably occurred In Judea A. ID, 44-4'
N Josephus tells us that the Syria
y. queen Helena of Adiabene. a JEWS
N proselyte who was then In Jerusalem
ID imported corn and figs from Egypt an
v. Cyprus, which she distributed anon
a. the people to save them from starvi
y, ton.
ID This account of the Antioch churc
Is a mirror in which we may view on
selves. Are we true TO Christ ami