The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1916-02-24
LESSON FOR FEBRUARY Fl
THE SEVEN HELPERS.

read through the book OF Acts severa
times during the year. Such reading
will give vision, inspiration and 6
more comprehensive idea of the con
tinuation OF what Jesus began anc
which record is not yet fully written
The time of this lesson is about A. ID
80, though Ramsey places it at 80, 80;
and the place, the city of Jerusalem
I. The Occasion, w. 1-2. For time
the preaching OF the Gospel OF Jesus
continued in Jerusalem, but soon the
! pressure OF circumstances thrust Il
forth as prophesied Q:S). There
were two groups of men i'm the early
| church: those who had been born il
Judea who spoke Hebrew (Aramaic)
and those born in foreign cities anc
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 imperfection
| selfishness, suspicion and jealousy in
that early church.
~. The Method, w. 8, q. 1t does moi
! appear that God gave the church q
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 mot pleasing" to
God for the Apostles to serve tables
Such work must be done, certainly
but 1t was not 70 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 profes
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. CD The church, not the apos
ties. must needs select these new of
ficials. ca The qualifications OF
these men. who were thus to care
for these temporal affairs, were Cal
men of good report" not those bear
ing doubtful regulations, nor chosen
because they we're rich or shrewd in
business. (b) full OF the spirit" II
demands the Spirit-filled man to lool
after financial affairs as certainly as
it does to teach or preach the word
(c) full of wisdom" Men OF com
mon sense. a quality often sadly lack
ing among spiritually-minded men
Men meeting such qualifications will
be men of the spirit of power, OF
love, and of a sound mind" Oiterally
sound sense). III Tim. I'D.
III. The Method Of Choosing, w. 5, 6
(D The people did the choosing. The
carly Cnul SttlllS W nave DCtl It
markedly democratic. t2) Thechoice
was made after, and not before, pray.
er had been offered This is a sug
gestion and a warning for present-day
practice of choosing church officials
CD IL was a legal selection, not the
selection of a minority, and it was
confirmed by the laying on of the
hands of the apostles.
w. The Result, w. z, 8. First of all
upon the people. (1 The word in.
creased. "(2) The number OF disciples
multiplied greatly" and (3) Some OF
ent TO the faith Secondly, the re
suit in the lives of the thus chosen
and Spirit-anointed men gave evidence
! of the GOOD hand OF God. They were
full of grace" (Eph. 40. Acts 1919;
they were full of power" Q:S). The
first two of them soon became great
and mighty preachers as well. In.
deed as far as we can. read they even
outstripped the apostles themselves
in real achievement for God ste.
phen, OF course, stands out pre-emi
nently. His character is suggested in
verse eight. He was (a) full of faith"
(b) full OF the Holy Spirit" (c) full
of grace" Or. W, I'D full of power
How sad il is that so frequently our
churches fail to make a wise and
spirit-led choice Of its leaders. and are
content with few, or perhaps none, be
ing added to its membership.
No man is At to be an officer in the
church OF Christ unless he is filled
with the Holy Spirit, facts is, Luke
24:49).
Such man will always stir up op
position Of the powers of evil, even
as did itephen.
Those who opposed Stephen were
moral and religious men ". 81. Ere
quently the opposition a Spirit-filled
man encounters is not from the i'm
moral, the worldly. OF the utterly un
cody; but those who stand out
against him, and reason against him
". 10) and often seek to kill him
are rnoral mr. rcliUious x.ou