The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1916-07-22
LESSON FOR JULY 20
PAUL AT coRlNTH.

Paul's coming to this city after his
experiences in Athens Is Significant
when we read / Cor. 81, z. he
found n home as usual at first among
his Jewish countrymen. Aquiln n
Priscilla were not only fellow Chris
tians but fellow craftsmen ". 81. Paul
supported himself, as Jesus did for
80 years, as a carpenter. h gave
opportunity to reach the people natu-
rally as one Of them. At the same
time he set them the example of do
ing good q Cor. OBI; l Cor. 9:6-12;
II Thess. 2-9). Paul did not think 1t
n lack of faith to do manual b or
secular work for his own support be
cause God had called him to preach.
In the midst of his labors ". % Silas
and Timothy came to him from
Phillppi and Berea. The Philippians
had sent him aid and brought news of
the abundant harvest Of faith and
love in that church. Paul was weak
and sick and detected in spirit Oh Cor.
2:3), probably bodily sickness. He
was also In want Gil Cor. IL ;9). Az
he meditated on the word, 1t had so
got hold on him that he could not
keep still. 1t overpowered him with
the thought that Jesus was the Christ
and that he must tell 1t out, but the
Jews were not willing to receive
his testimony. "They opposed them
selves and blasphemed," ". O.. The
good news these helpers brought en-
cOuraged him in his conflict ". 81.
u. Pauls ~compuIsion. wv. I'D.
The opposition of the Jews did not
prove his testimony to be untrue or
that it had been unwisely presented,
but rather it revealed the iniquity OF
the hearts of the men who were the
religious leaders. To their faces Paul
could eXclaim, 81 am clean" ". 81. 1t
is a great thing for any man to be
able to say this, and 1t is the priv
ilege of every believer (Acts 20:26).
Then we can say with Paul: ~ shrank
not from declaring unto you the whole
counsel of God" OR. w If we do not
declare unto men the way of life, then
their blood is upon US Ezekiel 33 a, 8.
%, but are we indeed clean of the
blood of all in our own homes, in
our churches, in our Sunday school
classes, in our communities and in the
lands beyond the sea? This compul.
sion disconnected Paul from the false
Teligionists of his day. "From hence
forth | will go unto the Gentiles." The
advantage of the house of Justus was
(a) that the owner was a proselyte,
not Il born jew. (b) The place was
close to the synagogue so that his
preaching would be a standing invita-
ton to the Jews, and (c) Justus was
evidently a Roman citizen, and Paul
would gain access through him 10
the more educated people of the city.
Moreover he would have greater adj
vantage of the Romans than Of the
Jews for protection of the Christian
converts. We do not infer that he
left his lodgings in the home of Aquila
and Priscilla nor ceased his work Of
tent making. At this critical time there
came to Paul another one Of those
visions which mark the course of his
development ". 81, in which God spake
to him words Of encouragement and
eXhortatiOn not TO hold his peace ".
19). God Is ready to speak to us,
but we do not need visions as Paul did,
for we have the revealed word which
we can carry around in the vest pocket,
and have him speak to us whenever
we will. Quite likely Paul was dis
couraged at the seeming impossibility
of making an impression upon this
great city of 100000 inhabitants. He
realized the magnitude of the struggle
(Eph. 6:12). I'VE wrestle not against
flesh" Nowhere had the Gospel been
brought face to face with such world
illness nor had assigned to it a more
difficult task than in this city.
Perhaps Paul's scant success In Ath-
ems was to prepare him for this task,
because our disappointments and ap-
parent failures are sometimes the very
experiences by which we are enabled
both to glorify God and to bless hu-
mainly.
Pauls testimony after Athens was
based only on the cross Il Cor. 2:1. p
and it was that which turned Impure,
sinful souls into pure brides whom he
conducted to Christ" (See l Cor. 60
~. This vision kept Paul In the city
where he founded one of his strongest
classes (vv. IL, 18).
III. PauPs Contest, wv. l2-17).
Gallo. the brother of Seneca, listened
to the charges, but threw the accuse.
lions out of court wv. IA, I5). Sir
William Ramsey calls this decision the
charter of Christian freedom" Free
dom of religious speech was granted
over the entire Roman empire so far
as Roman authorities were concerned.
and the door was open for Paul to
make his way throughout the civilized
world. Thus we have further evidence
that all of Corinth was no match for
Christ. The Lord had people there
who must be called by the spoken
word, and Paul was the one to speak
the word. The Lord only allows us
to be hurt when both we and the
work can be helped thereby. He
never really allows us to be hurt
tRom. 8:13; Isaiah 54:17). Christian
workers In this land are Confronting
the same Corinthian evils In every
great city intemperance, crime. GRAFT.
dishonesty, white slavery, Oppression
OF the poor and other works of the
flesh.