Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1916-07-20
INTERNATIONAL
SUNDGYSGIOOL
LESSON
LESSON FOR JULY 20
PAUL At coRINTH.
Q5y u. o. SELLERS, Acting Director Of
the Sunday School Course of the Moody
Bible Institute. Chicago)
copyright, 1919, Western Newspaper Union.)

LESSON TExT-Acts 1s:1-22
GOLDEN TEXT-Be not afraid, but
speak, and hold not thy peace.-Acts 1873.
1. PauPs Companions. wv. 1-6)
Paul's coming to this city after his
experiences in Athens is significant
when we read / Cor. 2:1, 2. He
found home as usual at first among
his Jewish countrymen. Aquila and
Priscilla were not only fellow Chris
tians but fellow craftsmen ". 81. Paul
supported himself, as Jesus did for
30 years, as a carpenter. This 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 Il Cor. 10 81; Cor. 9:6-12;
II Thess. 2-9). Paul did not think 1t
a lack of faith to do manual labor or
secular work for his own support be-
cause God had called him to preach.
In the midst of his labors ". 81 Silas
and Timothy came to him from
! Philippi 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 (II Cor.
/ 2:3), probably bodily sickness. He
/ was also in want (II Cor. IL :9). As
/ 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," ". e.. The
good news these helpers brought en-
couraged him in his conflict ". 81.
II. PauI's compuIsion. wv. 7-11.
The opposition of the Jews did not
prove his testimony to be untrue or
that 1t had been unwisely presented,
but rather 1t revealed the iniquity of
the hearts Of the men who were the
religious leaders. To their faces Paul
could exclaim, 81 am Clean" ". 81. It
is a great thing for any man to be
able to say this, and it is the priv
ilege of every believer (Acts 20 :26).
Then we can say with Paul: II shrank
not from declaring unto you the whole
counsel ot God" Or. W If we do not
declare unto men the way of life, then
their blood Is upon US ezekiel 33: "A, 8,
o., 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
religionists of his day. From hence
forth will 20 unto the Gentiles." The
advantage of the house of Justus was
(a) that the owner was a proselyte,
not born Jew. (b) The place was
close to the synagogue so that his
preaching would be q standing invita-
ton to the Jews and (c) Justus was
evidently a Roman citizen, and Paul
would gain access through him to
the more educated people Of the city.
Moreover he would have greater ad-
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.
Paurs testimony after Athens was
based only on the cross Il Cor. . L, p
and it was that which turned impure,
sinful souls into pure brides whom he
conducted to Christ" (See I Cor. 6 %
~. This vision kept Paul in the city
where he founded one of his strongest
classes wv. IL, 49,.
III. PauPs Contest, wv. 12-17).
Gallo, the brother of Seneca, listened
to the charges, but threw the accusa'
lions out of court wv. II, 49,. 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 fol
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. Hi
never really allows us to be hur
, (Rom. S:13; Isaiah 81 I'D. 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 thu
, flesh.
. 1t is the business of every preachel
. and Christian TO pray and teach ant
n.
: evils and to convert them to right
eouSneSS.
There are also Corinthian evils II
the heart, and in order to overcOm
them we must put on the whole ar
NOR of God, and be filed with tn
Spirit of Christ.
Summary: At COrinth Paul worket
M HE fr0dR (tonVertad his follow work