The Detroit times., 1916-05-17

The international Sunday sehoo
Lesson for May p IS The Grip
pie Of Lystrs."-Aets On. "a.
BY WILLIAM T. ELLIS
II YOU can NEE, with triumph anc
disaster
And treat those Two imposters just
the same,
II neither foes nor loving friends
can hurt you.
II all men count With YOU, but none
too much -klplins
When one adventures greatly in
life he learns to be superior to cir
cumstances. Buffetings and bouquets
both come 10 be part OF the day 5
work of masterful men. The cur
which life presses 10 the lips Of the
great holds alternate drafts OF bitter
and OF sweet. They who attain the
highest plane OF spirit are as little
perturbed by cries of Cruelty Him,
Cruelty Him" as by the rabbie' ;
shouts OF "Hosanna Hosanna'
Palm branches and scourges, gar
lands and stones. are equally unable
10 swerve from its purpose tri'
umphant life.
In the great story which is today :
Sunday school lesson. We find Paul
ard Barnabas acclaimed as gods
come down from heaven. and then
they are by the same crowd mobbec
and stoned and left for dead. The
adventures OF these first mission
aries make our commonplace and
conventional and comfortable Chris.
tianity seem hundrum.
A Railway and Some Refugees
II took a riot TO move Paul and
Barnabas from Pisidian Antioch TO
their next preaching place. which
was the ancient city ~ fCOnium IA
| city that disputes with Damascus
the claim 10 being the Oldest in the
| world. The few Americans and
Europeans who have travelled in
Asia Minor know Iconium, or konia.
as IL is called today. as central
railway point, and as the place
where is 10 be found the largest and
best hotel in Turkey, outside OF Con
stsntinople. When ! registered at
this hotel. a few lines above my sig
nature was that OF Sir William Ram
sey. the famous archaeologist and
authority upon the life and travels
of 81. Paul who makes Konia his
Headquarters when il Asia Minor.
Here. too. IL Or. Dodd's noble Amer
lean hospital which is just now
vainly trying 10 save the lives OF
more than a score Of thousands OF
Armenian refugees, who are encamT.
ed outside the city. Today, a IN
the time Of Paul Konia is a place
where men suffer for their faith IN
Christ
All OF the marks Of a successful
mission attach 10 the apostle wor' .
in Iconlum. First OF all they made
converts. and then they made en-
cmies. Paul would have thought
that the devil was having everything
his own way If his preaching had
been viewed with indifference or
complacency. II Paul and Barnaoas
had not made more OF a commotion
I'm a goddess community than some
modern churches, they would have
,rent the night in confession and
contriton and prayer When oppo-
sition arose they were not dlscour'
aged but spoke freely and worked
tirelessly, being given many signs
and marvels TO attest their ministry
Christianity became the issue
above all other issues 10 the grea,
heather city OF lconium The sue
cess OF these missionaries from An
tioch was 80 great that both Gen
tiles and Jews and the Roman poll
ticians combined for an attack upon
the Christian leaders Hatred. like
politics. makes strange bedfellows
The Gentiles and the Jews ceased
from opposition 20 each other to
make common cause against Paul
and Barnabas The arguments they
used were those OF force, stoning the
men out OF the city. These doughty
missionaries accepted their expul
sion from the city OF Iconium az a
"call" 10 Lystra, where they con
tlnued to tell the Good News
Scared by Success
v The sort OF preaching that doe
D things always attracts attention
= Among PauIs hearers one day was
man who had been a cripple from
= birth. a well.known town character
q beggar on one of the principa
highways Him Paul healed with
: word. The restored cripple leadinl
and shouting. told his tale 10 tn,
city.
The crowd. always eager for som,
novelty. were caught by this wonde
and they began to shout, The god
have assumed human form and thel
have come down 10 US" Here Vas