Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1909-01-14
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INTERNATIONAL LESSON COM.
MENTS FOR JANUARY II.

Subject: The Beginnings of the Chris
tian Church, Acts 2:22-47-
Golden Text, Acts 2:42-Commit
Verses 80, 33-Exposition.
TIME.-Sunday, May %, A. D. 80.
PLACE.-Jerusalem
EXPOSITION.-I. God Hath Made
Jesus Both Lord and Christ, 1926.
Jesus could not be held fast by death.
| No more can we If we are in Him.
| David hundreds Of years before had
caught glimpse of the Greater David
who would go down into hades, but
who would not stay there; who would
not even see corruption, but would
| be raised before corruption had over
taken His body. Peter, though an
eyewitness to the resurrection, goes
to the Scripture for proof before ap-
pealing to his own experience. Some
to-day think that their wonderful ex-
| perience does away with the necessity
| of appeal to the sure Word of God.
Let all such learn wisdom from Peter.
But Peters testimony had its place
and our testimony has its place,
| though it is not the first place-that
belongs to the Word of God. Peter
and the rest were witnesses of the full.
fillment of this prophecy. Their tes-
timony Is unimpeachable. There was
still another witness to the certainty
of the resurrection of Jesus-that
was the outpoured Spirit ". 33).
II. What Shall We Do? $40.
Peter told his hearers that Jesus had
I1yr En- hn hot T
and Christ. This fact carried home
by the Holy Spirit produced the deep
est and sharpest conviction of sin.
No other truth is calculated to pro-
duce such profound conviction of sin
as the truth concerning the glory Of
Jesus and our consequent enormous
guilt in the rejection and crucifixion
of such an one. The Spirit came to
them and through them convinced
the world (Jno. 16:S). These con-
victed Jews cried out to know what
they were to do. Peters answer was
very plain, and perhaps nothing in
the Bible makes the way of salvation
and blessing palmer. Cd Repent"
l. e., change their minds about Jesus.
They were to change from that atti-
tude of mind that crucified Jesus to
that attitude of mind that accepted
Him as that which God had exalted
Him to be, Lord and Christ. This, Of
course. involves repentance of sin, 4.
e., renouncing all sin. And it in
wolves the absolute surrender of our
wills to Jesus as our Lord. GU BE
baptized" There was t. be outward
water baptism. But there must be
more than the mere outward symbol
there was to be the great inward
fact for which the outward symbol
stood, the remuneration of sin, faith
In Christ and the putting on of Jesus
Christ (cf. Gal. 1926, 81; Ro. 6:3.
~. Being "baptized in the name of
Jesus Christ" means more than hav-
lng some water sprinkled upon you
Tor being Immersed in some water)
while certain baptismal formula is
repeated. 1t means confession and
.enunciation of sin, faith in Christ's
death and resurrection in our behalf.
identification with Christ in His death
and in His resurrection. When there
Is real repentance and real baptism
there will be remission of sin and
there will be reception of "the gift of
the Holy Ghost" ". 3S). The gift OF
the Holy Ghost Is the blood-bought
birthright of every believer in Jesus
Christ. If one does not have the gift
Of the Holy Spirit experimentally it
Is either because he does not claim
his birthright by simple prayer and
faith (Acts 4:31; SIS, 16), or else
because he has not really made Jesus
Lord and Christ by the absolute sur
render of the will to Him and by
identification with Him In His death
and resurrection by a real baptism OF
which his water baptism was SYM
Dol. "The promise" 1. e., as the lam
guage used and the context unmistak-
ably demonstrates (cf. oh. IA, s; 2:
90, 3S), the promise of the baptism
with or gift of the Holy Spirit-was
tor them as well as for the apostles.
III. A Model Church, Al, AZ. Pet
srs sermon had tremendous effect,
5000 were saved by it. No such eff
feet had followed Jesus own preach
Ing. and His promise that they should
DO greater works after His ascension
than He Himself had wrought during
His humiliation (Jno. 14:12) was thus
fulfilled. And we to-day are united
with this same exalted Christ In the
place of power at Gods right hand.
and may speak in the power Of this
same mighty Spirit. The inward re-
:eption of the word was outwardly
expressed in baptism. These 5000
5aptisms in a day were the outcome
IT the ten days Of waiting upon God
n prayer (cf. Oh. 1:14). Surely those
ZEN days had not been wasted. The
work proved to be lasting, they con-
inued steadfastly." The four things
IN which they continued steadfastly
are worthy of note. "a 1.-THE apos-
Ties teaching" There was no rum
aing away after every new religious
tad that came UP. (2) 1.-THE apos-
lies fellowship" Fellowship Is one
Of the necessities of healthy Christian
growth (Eph. 4:13, 16). The one
who seeks to grow in seclusion, separ-
ated from the brethren, Is doomed
not only to disappointment, but worse
still. to sad distortion of character.
co "In the breaking of bread" They
did not neglect regular obedience to
Jesus commandment to show His
death and to feed upon Him in the
communion service. ca I'm pray
ers." Just here Is the point where
the average Christian of to-day de-
parts most lamentably from the ex-
ample of the apostolic church.