The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1916-02-25
INTERNATIONAL.
|NNDNYSQlO0L
LESSON
lBy u. O.. SELLERS, Acting Director of
Sunday School Course, Moody Bible
I~nstitute.)
Copyright, 1916, Western Newspaper Union.)
LESSON FOR FEBRUARY n
THE SEVEN

2 ing il every teacher and scholar woul,
! read through the book OF Acts severe
) times during the year. Such readin,
will give vision, inspiration and
more comprehensive idea Of the con
! %tinuation OF what Jesus began anC
l which record is not yet fully written
| The time CT this lesson is about A. D
30, though Ramsey places it at 80, SO.
and the place, the city of Jerusalem
l.. The Occasion, w 1-2. For a time
the preaching OF the Gospel of Jesus
continued in Jerusalem, but soon the
pressure OF circumstances thrust il
forth as prophesied (1:8). There
were two groups Of men in the early
church: those who had been born in
Judea who spoke Hebrew (Aramaic)
and those born In foreign cities and
who spoke the Greek language. Trou-
BILE arose over the distribution of funds
among certain of the dependent wild.
ows-the text suggests secret dis
pleasure" There was im%perfection,
~selfishness, suspicion and jealousy in
that early church.
II. The Method, W.. 8, 4. 1t does not
appear that God gave the church a
cut and dried program according to
which It must act. Certainly the
church had no precedent to follow,
and step by step God was developing
it. This lesson gives us a suggestion
Of those steps: Cd AS the occasion
demanded, (2) The Apostles refused
to diminish their praying and preach
ing, literally it was moi pleasing" to
God for the Apostles to serve tables"
Such work raust be done, certainly,
but it was not to be done by these
God-appointed and selected leaders,
their duty was clearly stated. The
minister's business is praying and
ministering the word. These things
should fully engage his attention, and
in them he is ito continue steadfast-
ly." The minister cannot manifestly
know more about books than the
schoOlteacher; more about politics
than the politician; more about med
icine than the doctor; more about
psychology than the college profess
sor." No, that is out of the question,
though he should be intelligent in
these lines. But he should be pre-
eminent in prayer and in the minis
try of the word, and furthermore he
should preach that word pre-eminent-
ly. 81 The church, not the apps
ties, must needs select these new Of
ficials. (4) The qualifications OF
these men, who were thus to care
for these temporal affairs, were (a)
men of good report" not those bear
ing doubtful regulations, nor chosen
because they were rich or shrewd in
business. (b) full of the spirit" 1t
demands the Spirit-filled man to look
after financial affairs as certainly as
it does to teach or preach the word.
(c) full of wisdom" Men OF COM
sense, a quality often sadly lacA-
ing among spiritually-minded men.
meeting such qualifications will
be men of the spirit of power, of
love, and of a sound mind" Literally
sound sense). Gil Tim. I'D.
Ill. The Method of Choosing, w. S, 6.
W IL PCOplC ulQ LuS CuOOSluS. lu6
church seems to have been re-
markably democratic. ~ The choice
was made after, and not before, pray
ar had been offered. This is a sug-
and a warning for p~resent-day
of choosing church officials.
~ 1t was a legal selection, not the
selection of a minority, and it was
confirmed by the laying on OF the
lands of the apostles.
~. The Result, w. 7, 8. First of all
the people. ID The word "in-
The number of disciples
multiplied greatly" and (3) Some OF
he priests of the Jews were "obedi.
mt to the faith" Secondly, the re-
ult in the lives Of the thus chosen
nd Spirit-anointed men gave evidence
+ the good hand of God. They we're
full Of grace" (Eph. 40, Acts 1919;
hey were full of power" (1:8). The
rst two of them oon became great
nd mighty preachers as well. In
eed as far as we can read they ever
utsfripped the apostles themselves
/ real achievement for God. Ste
hen, Of course, stands out pre-emi-
emily. His character is suggested in
erse eight. He was (a) full OF faith"
b full Of the Holy Spirit" (c) full
grace" (R. W, (d) full OF power
sad it is that so frequently our
lurches fail to make a wise and
choice Of it's leaders, and are
'ntent with few, or perhaps none, be-
& added to it's membership.
No man is fit to be an officer in the
lurch of Christ unless he is filled
it'll the Holy Spirit, (Acts 1:8, Luke
:49).
Such a man will always stir up Op-
'sition of the powers Of evil, even
did Stephen.
Those who opposed Stephen were
oral and religious men ". 81. FIRE.
emily the opposition a Spirit-fIled
IN encounters is not from the i'm
'ral, the worldly, or the utterly un-
.ly; but those who stand out
ainst him, and reason against him
10), and often seek to kill him,
, moral and religious men. f.