The Twin City star. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1910-19??, 1916-02-05
SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Lesson W.-First Quarter, For
Feb. 6, 1916.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.

Text Of the Lesson, Acts ~, 8-21.
Memory Verses, IL, 13-GoIdsn Text,
Cor. xvi, documentary Prepared
by Rev. D. M. Stearns.
The high priest and his kindred, with
the rulers and elders and scribes, be-
ing gathered together at Jerusalem,
Peter and John, being brought from
prison, were placed before them and
asked, by what power or by what
name have We done thisY' (verses go
Here was provided great opportunity
to testify again to the risen Christ,
and the witnesses were all ready.
Whether they had much or little sleep
in the prison that night we may not
know, but we may be quite sure that
they had communion with Him for
whom they were still on earth. And
now Peter, being specially filed with
the Spirit, is again the messenger OF
the risen Christ.
The Lord Jesus had told them while
He was still with them that when they
should be brought before rulers for His
sake it would be given them by the
Spirit what to say (Math. K, 1920,
and this was one Of many fulflllments
of that assurance. See with what
holiness Peter tells this gathering Of
earth's great ones that Jesus Christ OF
Nazareth, whom they crucified, God
had raised from the dead and that BE,
the risen living Christ had made the
lame man whole (verse 1O. This was
the same doctrine they had been put
in prison for the previous evening, but
for this they stood fearlessly and could
not say otherwise The reference to
the rejected stone takes us back to Ps.
cxviii, %; lisa. xviii, Is, and to our
Lords reference to it in Matt. xxi, AZ.
But the stone takes US farther back
to Gen. xix, "a, and onward to the king
dom dan. Il, "a, 35. 49,. We cannot
but think of Pet ii, 4-8, where he
makes such full reference to the stone
and the stones. With what utter dis
regard of their earthly greatness he
said to them. you builders can new
er be saved except by that stone which
you despise!' VERSES II, 12) How
could they help marveling at their
boldness? But was it not little
strange that they should attribute it
to Jesus, who had been crucified?
(verse 49, Beholding the healed man
and knowing that Peter and John had
no power to do this, they must have
been in measure convinced that
there was some truth in their tesh
mony concerning the risen Christ
But it must not be spread farther, and
the name of Jesus must not be men
toned oversees 1879. Filled with the
Spirit, they had no fear Of what man
might do to them Ps. xvii. u, their
only standard was what was right In
the sight of God. and what they had
seen and heard they could not help
telling even If they died for it oversees
10, 2O. The messenger Of God must
never consider the faces Of people nor
whether his message is acceptable to
them or not. But his motto must be.
3>OI pICdolAS ucA, Uut WIZ
trieth our hearts," remembering that
If we live to please men we are not
servants of Christ Ger. /. 8, II; Eek
Il, 6; iii, 8; Thess. Il. 4; Gal. i, 10Y.
With threatenings from these men
Of power and importance from a hu
man standpoint. they were set free
and went to the company of believers,
who had no doubt been praying for
them, and reported all that the chief
priests and elders had said With one
accord the believers turned to God and
told Him all, but did not ask to be de-
livered from further persecution. rath
er that they might speak the truth
boldly regardless Of consequences, and
that healings and signs and wonders
might be wrought in the name of Je-
sus Christ. There are men in promi-
nent pulpits today who seem not to
know what the Scriptures teach con-
corning this present age and the COM
ing and kingdom Of our Lord There
are others who, If they know these
things, do not seem ready to tell them
AOA iCoA tACy hASht give OucuSc W
some important (O people, and there
are still others who once did seem to
know, but now for some reason are no
longer valiant for the truth Note
how these believers relied upon the
living God. believed His word. quoted
from Ps. ii and xxxiii, and. like Jere-
miah. considered nothing too hard for
Him who created heaven and earth
Jer. xxi, ~.
The words of Ps ii, which have had
many fulfillment and notable one
in the days of Herod and PLATE. will
have their last and complete fulfillment
in the days before us. when under the
anti Christ the kings of the earth and
their armies shall make war with the
Lamb. but the Lamb shall overcome,
and the two great leaders shall be sent
alive to the lake of fire Rev. xvii,
12-14; xix, 10, 20). Every true child
of God should rejoice to be on the
winning side. and. though the present
conflict may be severe and the enemy
be permitted for a time to have seem.
ing victory. let Us continue to shout.
THE Lamb shall overcomer' See in
verse 81 how heaven heard and an.