Middletown transcript., 1916-07-22
LESSON FOR JULY 2a
PAUL AT coRINTH.
LESSON TExT-Acts 1s:1-22

1. PauI's Companions. wv. l-6.
PauPs coming to this city after hi'
experiences in Athens is significant
when we read 1 Cor. 2:1, 2. Ht
found q home as usual at first among
bis Jewish cOuntrymen. Aquila ant
Priscilla were not only fellow Chris
tians but fellow craftsmen ". 81. Pau
supported himself, as Jesus did fol
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. 10:31; Cor :6-12
II Thess. 2-9). Paul did not think II
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 III Cor.
2:3), probably bodily sickness. He
was also in want (II Cor. IL :9). AS
he medita4ed on the word, it 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 it out, but the
Jews were not willing to receive
his testimony. "They opposed them
selves and blasphemed," ". g.. The
good news these helpers brought en-
cOuraged him in his conflict ". g..
II. PauI's compuIsion. wv. 7-1D.
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" ". g.. 1t
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: 81 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,
81, 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 go unto the Gentiles." The
advantage of the house of Justus was
(a) that the owner was proselyte,
not a born Jew. (b) The place was
close to the synagogue so that his
preaching would be a standing invita-
tiOn 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. At this critical time there
came to Paul another one Of those
visions which mark the course Of his
". 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). eve wrestle not against
flesh" Nowhere had the Gospel been
brought face to face with such world
liness nor had assigned to it a more
difficult task than in this city. Il
Perhaps Pauls scant success in Ath- |
ems was to prepare him for this task, |
because our disappointments and ap-
parent failures are sometimes the very |
by which we are enabled
both to glOrify God and to bless hu-
nanity.
PauPS testimony after Athens was
based only on the cross Il Cor. 2:1, p
md it was that which turned impure.
sinful souls into pure brides whom he
conducted to Christ" (See Cor. 6:9-
ID. This vision kept Paul in the city
where he founded one of his strongest
classes wv. II. 18).
III. PauIs Contest, wv. 12-1O.
1alliO, the brother of Seneca, listened
% the charges, but threw the accusa-
ions out Of court wv. IA, 15). Sir
William Ramsey calls this decision the
charter of Christian freedom" Free
lOm Of religious speech was granted
'ver the entire Roman empire so far
s Roman authorities were concerned,
nd the door was open for Paul to
make his way throughout the civilized
World. Thus we have further evidence
hat all of Corinth was no match for
lhrist. The Lord had people there
rho must be called by the spoken
1ord, and Paul was the one to speak
he word. The Lord only allows us
0 be hurt when both we and the
rOrk can be helped thereby. He
ever really allows us to be hurt
Rom. 8:13; Isaiah 54 10. Christian
'orkers in this land are confronting
ne same Corinthian evils in every
reat city; intemperance, crime, graft.
lshonesty, white slavery, oppression
the poor and other works of the
ash.
1t is the business of every preacher
nd Christian to pray and teach and
ork and live to save men from these
rflc nnd 70 | :