The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1916-10-28
LESSON FOR OCTOBER 20
n VOYAGE.
LESSON TEXT-Acts q7:1-ss.

LESSON TEXT-Acts 27:1-3s.
GOLDEN TEXT-Commit thy way unto
Jehovah: trust also in him. and he VIII
bring It to pass.-Ps. TS.
Paul sailed from Caesarea August.
A. d. 50 (Ramsey), a few days after
bis address before Agrlppa. He
reached Malta about November Is.
Paul knew how to meet mobs,
but none of his adventures are more
outstanding than the one we are
studying today. Luke, his physician,
was a companion, and the historian,
~Josephus, states that on board the
ship there were more than 600 people
travelling with Paul. Paul was a man
of distinction, Il Roman citizen. He
bad his own hired house in Rome.
Aristarchus may possibly have been
his servant to furnish comfort for
the journey. Ramsey believes Paul
bad received hereditary property, thus
making him a Roman citizen of rank,
of learning and of standing inan-
cially.
l.. Fair Weather and Contrary Winds
wv. 1-12). Sidon was about 20
miles north of Caesarea on the coast
of Palestine. Here Paul received lib
erty to go ashore and visit his Chris
tian friends. Myra is in Asia Minor.
1t requires IA days to reach this point
from Sidon, q distance of about 400
miles. Here, instead of going up the
Aegean sea route, often used in going
to Rome, the centurion found a grain
ship bound from Alexandria to Italy,
and put his prisoners on board. Sep
TENDER l they started for Italy. The
direct course would have been west
ward, but the wind was contrary, and
the progress was slow. On the 23d
they were opposite Cnidus, the south
west point of Asia Minor, $50 miles
from Myra. September % they
entered the harbor Of Fair Haven,
near the middle Of the south shore
Of the island of Crete. The fast day,
October 8, the day of the great atone
ment, was observed in this place. The
question Of going farther was a de-
batable one, yet the commander per-
sisted, and about the 10th of October
they sailed for Fair Haven.
II. The Hurricane wv. 1920. TAX
ing advantage Of a gentle wind they
Tut out of Fair Haven, and almost
Immediately encountered the hurri-
cane. 1t was perhaps hard for Paul
during those IA days to discern the
wise, gentle hand of God. (Jonah
1-4). Gods most faithful servants do
not always find smooth sailing. (Phil.
4:6, Z; Isaiah &c 3; John 16 1887, but
they may, no matter how fercely tenn
pest tossed, know that God has not
ceased to look upon them with favor.
Sometimes the best thing for us to
do, when thus tempest tossed, Is "to
tighten the ship" ". 49,.
Many Of US are carrying too much
cargo for such a stormy voyage as
this world presents, and the tempest
is often Gods call to unload (Heb.
PA; Phil. 3:7-S; Math. 16 :26).
Their greatest danger was lest they
should fall into quicksand. 1t was
indeed a dark and doubtful situation.
III. The Message Of Cheer: al Be-
Ifeve God" wv. 2O-26). Neither sun
nor stars having shone for many days,
and all hope that any should be saved
seemingly taken away, yet God is able
to save in the darkness as well as in
the sunshine, in the tempest as well
as in the calm, and there was in that
boat one man at least whose hope was
not gone, for God had said to him
"Thou must bear witness at Rome
also" (23 III. Paul's message OF
cheer in the midst of this despair and
after they had been so long without
food, Immediately stamped him as q
leader of wisdom and power. In the
presence of passengers and sailors ht
began his message by saying that they
had come into this disaster by neglect
ing his advice two weeks before. HI
refers to this in order to inspire conf
dence in his message, that there
should be no loss of any mans life
among them.
Paul could make this promise be
cause ian angel of God whose l an
and whom I serve" had come to hin
and assured him that God would re
deem the promise made two years be
fore. This implies that Paul had givel
himself to prayer. Observe how on
cody man can save many ungodl,
men (Gen. IS :22-33). Gods visiol
came to Paul, but Paul used 1t for tn.
comfort and cheer of the whole ship
company (H Cor. 1-4). A modern il
Illustration of a similar experience wa
that Of Mr.. Moody and General How
ard, returning from Europe on tn
steamship Spree in 1892.
General Howard relates that Nj
Moody did a great deal to cheer tn
passengers, by both his words and hi
actions, during those days of stres
and storm. The darker and stormle
the night, the more likely are tn
angels Of God to appear If we are In
deed his ". %: CT. Oh. IS 1923 III
Sometimes these angels stand besid
us and we do not see them, we ar
taken up with the darkness and tn
bowling of the storm. 1t is a gref
thing to be able to look up to the II
finite God and say, II am his" 7
make this statement intelligently, an
with a deep realization Of its meanin
will give significance and solemnity
all.
~. Paul, the Life Saver wv. 27-37
Paul did not stop with simply sayir
xhaf God mon hts hut xyanf n to an