The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1909-02-17
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL,
Lesson vIlls--First Quarter, For
Feb. FL, 1909.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES,

VeNS OF ehe LESSON Acts VI, 0-1oi viz,
81, to viii, 3-Memory Verses vii, s5,
66-Golden Text, Acts vii, 5s-com-
unentary by Rev. D. M. stearns.
Copyright 1905, by American Press Association
We have in this book of the Acts the
history of the beginning of the church.
the body Of Christ, gathered from
Jews and gentiles by the Spirit
through the apostles and others who
were used as we'll as the apostles. such
as Stephen and Philip, men who were
chosen and set apart to oversee the
ministration of funds to the poor, but
who, being filed with the Holy Spirit.
were used nightly in preaching the
word. Our Lord Jesus said concern
ing His church, "The gates (wisdom,
power) of hell shall not prevail against
1t" Matt. xvi, 1S), but He did not say
that hell would not fight against it.
but just the contrary. So He instruct
cd the prophets centuries before DER.
|, 10; Eek. II, o.. There are always
enemies without, but sometimes the
trouble gets within the church, as in
the case of Ananias and Sapphira.
Now 1t is case or many cases Of dis
satisfaction on the part of some being
ministered to from the common fund.
The twelve therefore called the dis
ciples together and appointed seven
men full of the Holy Ghost and wis
dom to see to these matters, Stephen,
man full of faith and of the Holy
Ghost being what we would call chair
man of the committee. The apostles
gave themselves to the word and pray
er, and the disciples multiplied greatly,
and many of the priests followed. So,
whether it was prayer and preaching
or serving tables, the Spirit wrought
and God glorified in them.
We must be Spirit filled for every
kind of service, even the lowliest. IL
we would truly serve the Lord. Happy
are those who can look up into His face
and say, "For any manner of service
wholly at Thy commandment q
Chron. xviii. 2D. To accept meekly
and cheerfully whatever He appoints
us and hear 1t or do 1t unto the Lord"
and before the Lord" is all He asks
Of us and to continue therein till He
calls to something else Stephen, hav-
ing accepted the lowly and difficult
service, is soon found working mir
acles and so speaking that those who
heard were unable to resist the wis
dom and the spirit by which he spake.
Such manifestation of the power Of
ha vic Cl,,.;e,f OF Iro
that Stephen is arrested and brought
before the council and false witnesses
lay to his charge things that he was
wholly innocent of. While he was be-
ing thus treated like His Lord the
Lord must have been smiling upon
him, for the reflection was seen in his
face, which seemed to the council like
the face of an angel.
Being permitted to speak for himself.
he rehearsed the national history from
Abraham, through Isaac, Jacob, Jo-
seph, Moses, and on to David and Solo
mon and the temple, and then to the
immortal Son Of David, the true tenn
pie. He enlarged upon the Ill treat
ment Of Joseph by his brethren and of
Moses by the people whom he was
sent to deliver and then accused them
to their face of being the murderers
of Jesus, as their fathers had been of
the prophets. Those to whom Peter
preached were pricked in their hearts
and asked what they should do, and
thousands repented and received Jesus
as their Saviour and Lord iii, 80, 80,
but these were cut to the heart and
CRASHED their teeth, stopped their ears,
cast Stephen out and stoned him to
death. Spirit filed Peter got 5000
souls, but Spirit filed Stephen got
stones enough to kill him, and in each
case God was glorified. Although the
young man at whose feet the wit
nesses who stoned Stephen laid down
their clothes continued his murderous
career a little longer, perhaps when we
have clearer light on the connection
between Stephens death and Saurs
conversion we may see that Stephen,
through Saul, won more souls than
Peter. The ways Of the Lord are Of
ten to us great deep, but we are sure
that "as for God His way is perfect"
Cps. xviii 30). Spirit filed Stephen
looked up steadfastly into heaven and
saw the glory of God and Jesus and
was able to pray for his murderers,
Lord, lay not this sin to their charge"
If we look up into heaven as he did
and see Jesus there for us, we will not
see our prosecutors nor feel much the
stones that are thrown at us. We may
80 see Jesus and hear His voice that
we shall be blind and deaf to all else.
This seventh chapter may be said to
begin and end with ''the God of glory"
(verse p and "the glory of God" (verse
65). We shall not be apt to "walk
worthy of God, who hath called us to
His kingdom and glory" q Thess. ii,
12), unless that kingdom and glory are
as real to us as the risen Christ was to
Stephen. This is one of the seven
places in Scripture where we find the