Philip weekly review and Bad River news. [volume] (Philip, Stanley County, S.D.) 1912-1918, 1916-03-02
INTERNATIONAL,
SuYl6YSQlOM
LESSON
By e. o. SELLERS, Acting Director =.
Sunday School Course, Moody Bible
Institute.)
Copyright. 1915. Western Newspaper Unien. J
LESSON FOR MARCH 5
ThE DEATH OF STEPHEN.

OF life that are not fought with fists
or weapons. The boy who holds his
temper 10 more manly than the one
who goes into . fight simply to win.
Paul tells US how and what to fight
(Eph. 6:11, 12). We must show the
scholars clearly the two great bat
ties Stephen fought and the victory
he won a. described in today's les
son. The charges made against
Stephen were made by false wit.
nesses." This does not mean men
who invented false words, but men
who took isolated statements, distort-
ed them and by innuendo used them
for their own ends. Stephen was
charged with three things: (a) Bias
phemy against God (6:11-13), (b)
That he had said Jesus would return
and destroy the temple (6:1D, (c)
That he claimed that Jesus would de-
stroy or abrogate the law (6:14). This
great passage Of Scripture is 80 pro.
found and 80 closely connected that
we hesitate In trying to separate it
into divisions or sections. We much
prefer to note the logical argument
and presentation Stephen the Spirit.
anointed deacon made to the Sanhe-
drin.
!. stephens Defense. Stephen was
. 0recianized Jew, whose name
means n crown" He answered the
charges Of these foreign accusers,
made before the Sanhedrin, seriatim.
His point Of contact was to respect
fully remind the council that he
was IN orthodox Jewish believer and
worshiper u. ~. He called the coun.
ell Men, brethren and fathers" They
were common believers and all were
standing before the G0d-appointed
leaders OF Israel. Stephen in his re-
ply showed that he reverenced God
and Gods prophet Moses. thereby an.
swering the first charge ". III, and
while he reverenced the temple he
showed that 1t was not essential to
worship (7:47:49). This last was in
answer to their second charge (6-14).
In answer to their third charge Ste
phen then turned upon his enemies
and BY direct and indirect charges he
convicted them Of certain facts. In
directly, by skillful repetition Of Jew.
ish history, and Q review of the
prophets, he discloses the vacillation
and sinfulness of Gods chosen people
(23, 29). Directly he accuses these
leaders Of having been subservient to
certain customs as being superior to
the law they professed to obey. Ste
phen's accusers were, as we have
seen, from without Jerusalem (6:9,
10), and his first battle was concern
ing the truth shout Jesus. His second
great battle, and one Of his ultimate
victory. was with these avowed ene-
mics Of Jesus (6:11-S:3).
II. Stephens Death. The real con.
test OF this occasion was Satan vs..
the Holy Spirit. Stephen put to ro;,t
these men from the foreign synagogue,
hence the Jewish authorities deter
mined to take hold of the problem
themselves and put . stop to this
Christian teaching. Stephens sud-
den application of the Scripture to hts
Judges caused intense anger. He
preached the word of God in the dem
onstration of the Holy Spirit, and such
preaching always either produces con.
victton OF sin, or else arouses anger
at the preacher. These men could not
deny the truth OF his accusation; they
therefore turned upon him in anger.
Being full Of the Holy Spirit" 10 an
abiding condition and inevitably in.
wolves . conflict with Satan. It led
stephen to look up and not about
MIN. and In his hour OF testing he saw
. wonderful vision Of heaven-"The
glory OF God and OF Jesus standing
Let 10 accept the testimony Of this
dying man % . literal fact. This
sight strengthened him for his sut.
eering and for his Witnessing. Death
had no more terror for Stephen and
he was faithful and steadfast to the
end.
90. otephen's Burial. These men
overreached Themselves. for persecu-
tion simply scattered those who gave
the Christian testimony . wider and
: more effective hearing (11:1el31).
This foroe Of circumstanceo thrust the
aearly church forth from Jerusalem.
Nov. aftsr . period Of perhaps Ave
O., oeyea yearo, we go the beginning
e The literal ful1llmsnt oe The Psnte
coetal program (Acts 1:s). During
this 6toem of persecution the apostles