The Spectator., 1916-02-25
INTERNATIONAL. SUNlASQlDO
 LESSON (By 10. O. SELLERS, Acting Director o1 Sunday School Course. Moody Bible Institute)
 Copyright. 1916, Western Newspaper Union.l ,
LESSON FOR FEBRUARY 2I
THE SEVEN HELPERS.

Gal. 6:2.
 It would be a source of great bless ing if every teacher and scholar would read through the book of Acts several times during the year. Such reading will give vision, inspiration and q more comprehensive idea of the con tinuation of what Jesus began" and which record is not yet fully written. The time of this lesson is about A. D. 35, though Ramsey places it at 32, 33; ; and the place. the city of Jerusalem.
 1. The Occasion, w. 1-2. For time the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus continued in Jerusalem, but soon the pressure of circumstances thrust it forth as prophesied G:S). There were two groups of men in the early church: those who had been born in Judea who spoke Hebrew (Aramaic) |, and those born in foreign cities and who spoke the Greek language Trou. ble arose over the distribution of funds among certain of the dependent wid ows-the text suggests secret dis pleasure" There was imperfection, selfshness. suspicion and jealousy in that early church.
 II. The Method, w. 3, 4. It does not appear that God gave the church a 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 1t. This lesson gives us suggestion of those steps: CD As the occasion demanded. @ 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 to be done by these God-appointed and selected leaders, their duty was clearly stated. Tho 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-eninent- ly. (0 The church. not the apos- ties, must needs select these new of ficials. (4 The qualifications of these men. who were thus to care for these temporal affairs, were (a) men of good report" not those bear ing doubtful regulations, nor chosen because they were rich or shrewd in business. (b) full of the spirit" It demands the Spirit-filled man to look after financial affairs as certainly as it does to teach or preach the word. tc) 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, O; love, and of sound mind" Literally sound sense). UI Tim. 1:O.
 III. The Method of Choosing, w. 5, 6. CD The people did the choosing The early church seems to have been re- markedly democratic. (2) The choice was made after, and not before. pray CT had been offered. This is a sug- gestion and warning for present-day practice of choosing church officials. t3) It was 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. 7, g. First of all upon the people. CD The word in. creased."(2) The number of disciples multiplied greatly" and (S) 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. 4:9. Acts 15:l5): they were full of power" u:s). The first two of them soon became great and mighty preachers as we'll. h. 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" tbl full of the Holy Spirit" (c) full of grace" (R. VI, (d) full of power.' How sad it is that so frequently our churches fail to make a wise and spirit-led choice of it's leaders, and are content with few. or perhaps none. be- ing added to it's membership.
 No man is fit to be an officer in the church of Chriet unless he IS filled with the Holy Spirit. tActs IS, Luke 24:49).
 Such a man will always stir up op- position of the powers of evil. even as did Stephen.
 Those who opposed Stephen were moral and religious men (v 9). Ere quently the opposition Spirit-filled man encounters is not from the i'm moral. the worldly, or the utterly un.