The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1916-07-21
LESSON FOR JULY %
PAUL AT coRikTA.
LESSON TEXT-Acts lS:i-G2.

experiences In Athens IL significant
when we read l Cor. 81, 2. Ii,
found n home as usual at first among
his Jewish countrymen. Aqulla ant
Priscilla were not only fellow Chris
tinns but fellow craftsmen ". 81. Pau
supported himself, MS Jesus did 70,
80 years, as Il carpenter. This gave
opportunity to reach the people nntu'
rally MS u of them. At the same
time he set them the example Of do,
ing good Il Cor. 1921: I Cor. 9:G-12
II Thess. POI. Paul did not think II
o 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. Tho Philippians
had sent him aid and brought news Of
tho abundant harvest Of faith and
love in that church. Paul wns weak
and sick and detected In spirit Gil Cor.
2;3), probably bodily sickness. He
was also In want tlI Cor. II :9). As
he me1itated on the word. Il Ind no
got hold on him TINT he could not
keep still. 1t overpowered him with
the thought that Jesus wos the Christ
and that he must tell It out, but the
Jews were not willing to receive
his testimony. "They opposed them
selves md blusphcmcd" ". a.. The
good news these helpers brought en-
courapod him in his conflict ", G).
n, pauI's CompuisIon. WV. TN.
The opposition of the Jews did NOT
prove his testimony to be untrue or
that Il had been unwIscly presented.
but rather II revealed the iniuuity Of
the heorts of the men who wore the
religious lenders. To their faces pnul
could exclolm, ~ nm cIcnn" ". a. #
Is Il rreat thing for nnv mnn 10 he
able to say this, md Il IL tbe priy-
Ilere Of eycrv believer Acts % . a
Then we can sav with ponl. az shronh
not from decIn rinp INTO Won tbe wboIe
counsel of n m W ~ ,va ID not
declore INTO men the wov NJ life then
their blood ia upon ia (Ezel.,el aa a q
o.. but ore we indeed Glenn of Tho
blood OF nil in our own homes in
our churches. In orr Sunday school
classes. IN orr communities and In tbe
lands beyond the sem This compul-
sion disconnected pnul from the folse
relIglonIsts OF his dav. "From hencc-
forth I will 70 unto the GentIles." The
advantage Of the house of .Justus WINS
(a) that the owner was n p~roselyte.
not a born Jew. (b) The place WINS
close TO the so That his
preaching would be n standing inyltn-
ton to the Jews. md fc) ,Justus wos
evidently q Roman citizen. and paul
would gain access throuph him to
the more educated people of the city.
Moreover he would have greater nd
vantage of the Romans than of the
Jews for protection of the Christian
converts, We do not infer tbat he
left his lodgings in the home of AouIla
md 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 ". o.. in which God snoke
o him words Of and
axhortatIon not TO hold his pence ".
I9). God is ready to speak to us.
,ut we do not need visions IA PAM did.
or we have the revealed word which
We can carry around in the vest pocket.
md have him sneak to us whenever
We VIII. Quite likely Paul was dis.
outraged ut the seeming i%mpossIbIlIty
making an impression D O this
,reat city of 4OO, 900 inhabitants. He
'eafized the magnitude of the struggle
,Eph. GID. 1--WE wrestle not against
lesh." Nowhere had the Gospel been
,rought face to face with such world.
nor had assigned to 1t a more
lIficult task thnn in this CITY.
Perhaps Paul's scant success In Ath.
ms was to D him for this task.
because our dlsappointments and nm
,arent failures are sometimes the very
Experiences by which we are enabled
10Th to glorify God and to bless hu.
nanlty.
Paul's testimony after Athens was
ased only on the cross q Cor. 81. q
nd 1t was that which turned "Impure,
lnful souls into pure brides whom he
onducted to Christ" (see I Cor. SO.
y. This vision kept Paul In the city
1here he founded one of his strongest
wv. II. 49,.
III. Paula Contest, wv. 12-17).
'allio, the brother Of Seneca, listened
D the charges. but threw tba accuso.
Ions out Of court wv. II, 49,. Sir
William Ramsey calls this decision the
Of Christian freedom" Free
ON of religious speech was granted
yer the entire Roman empire so far