Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1915-12-23
AN INTRODUCTION TO THE SUN.
DAY SCHOOL LESSON FOR 1916
1. The Book of Acts.

1. The Book of Acts.
We like men who DO things. The
Sunday School lessons for 1916 are
about ACTS, things done, things
worth while done by BIG men. 1t is
book of Beginnings and many of
the great "frst things" in the world
are recorded. There is the first mar
tyr, the first church. the first mission
ary, the first people called "chris-
tians." the first prayer meeting after
Christ assembled. the first brotherhood
Believe me, this is great hook end
you will miss much if Won don't We" 4
and study it. It's strictly down-to-
date too! 1t is book of wonders.
Two men stand out in this history
Of ACTS. Without men there would
be no history. The two men who will
challenge our attention are Peter and
raul. One was fisherman. the
other a scholar. One followed Christ.
the other never saw him in the flesh.
one was impetuous and hot-headed
the other was fiery, determined and in
teliectually a master. The early
christian church could not do without
either of these men. The church
needs all sorts of men today. 1t needs
YOU.
The book of ACTS was written by
a doctor. Other doctors have become
famous in literature since that time.
This doctor was also author of the
third Gospel, Greek by birth and a
companion of Paul, perhaps his reg
ular medical attendant.
2. The Country Church.
The book of ACTS was known as
early as 95 A. d. 1t shows how the
early church grew. Churches can
grow in the same way today. There
is need that our rural churches should
grow and be strong. Over half the
people of the United States still live
In the country. They furnish a
stream of life which goes into our
cities to strengthen and purify them.
We need men strong in body, brain
and morals in the city. Men of
weak morals soon go under in the
city. Unless the country church and
the country home train their youth
soundly, they will be caught in the
malestorm of the city's temptations
and destroyed. Men who love their
country must therefore more and
more support the country church and
make it strong. What are you doing
for the country church near you, be-
sides criticising it? l met a man a
few years ago in Michigan who ad-
mitted he had not been in the church
nearest his home, or any other, in
twenty years, except to a funeral!
Such attendance will never make the
church all it ought to be and can be.
3. The Hero of Acts.
Nearly threefourths of the Sunday
school lessons for 1916 are about Paul
and his teaching. He wrote some
fine letters and these we shall study.
He was free-born Roman citizen al
tho Jew. His home was at Tarsus,
In Asia Minor, a country now under
the misrule of the Turk. There is a
fine christian school at Tarsus today
and l have just received into my
church two Armenian young men who
were educated there. Over 100000
people of this race have been sys-
tematically slaughtered by the Turks
in the last six months. The history
Of the Armenian race goes back to the
sth century before Christ. 1t was the
FIRST race to accept Christ as nation.
Probably it has furnished more mar
tyrs for Christ than any other nation.
1t is interesting to study Paul's trav-
els and teaching in this territory
which today is one of the prizes
sought for in the great war.
Paul was a well-educated man. His
leadership was invaluable for the early
church. We need educated leaders
in the ministry and everywhere else
today. "For eighteen centuries men
have been speaking in Interpretation
Of this inspired writer, Paul." says
Dr.. Abbott, "and they are likely to
continue speaking in Interpretation
OF him for centuries to come" He
has message. Let us examine it
from week to week together.
Human nature is always the same.
Furthermore IT. couldn't ha cboogad