Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1916-02-25
INTERNATIONAL
SUNlMSOOOL
LESSON
LESSON FOR FEBRUARY II
THE SEVEN HELPERS.
(By E. o. SELLERS, Acting Director OF
Sunday School Course. Moody Bible
Institute.)
Copyright. 1916 Western Newspaper Union-)

LESSON TEXT-Acts 6.
GOLDEN TEXT-Bear ye one another's
burdens, and SO fulfill the law of Christ
Gal. 6:2.
1t would be 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
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.
S5, though Ramsey places it at 80, 33;
and the place. the city of Jerusalem.
!. The Occasion, w. ~. For time
the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus
continued in Jerusalem, but soon the
pressure of circumstances thrust 1t
forth as prophesied Q: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-
BILE arose over the distribution of funds
among certain of the dependent wild
ows-the text suggests secret dis
pleasure" There was imperfection,
seltishness, suspicion and jealousy in
that early church. We do not know
what grounds there may have been
for complaint, but no sooner did the
occasion arise than the apostles set
about 20 remedy the difficulty.
II. The Method, w. 8, a. 1t does not
appear that God gave the church q
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
it. This lesson gives us suggestion
Of those steps: ID AS the occasion
demanded, (2) 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 it was not to be done by these
God-appointed and selected leaders,
their duty was clearly stated. The
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-eminent-
ly. (3) The church, not the apos-
ties, must needs select these new Of
ticials. (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" II
demands the Spirit-filled man to lool
after financial affairs as certainly as
it does to teach or preach the word
mon sense, 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" Cliterally
sound sense). (II Tim. I'D.
III. The Method of Choosing, wv. 5, 6
(D The people did the choosing. TIL,
early church seems to have been re
markably democratic. ~ The choic,
was made after, and not before, pray
er had been offered. This is a sug
gestion and a, warning for present-da,
practice of choosing church officials
(3) 1t was legal selection, not tn,
selection of minority, and it wa
confirmed by the laying on of th,
. hands of the apostles. This last was t,
! signify the amounting of the Holy Spir
it and the separation unto their PAL
ticular task of these men, 1t is sig
nificant that every man chosen Dor
a Greek name, and suggests that Jew
: ish church desired to avoid any charg
/ of favoritism. The spirit of fairness
! of love and of concession, and tn
: character of the men chosen, cause
I the word of God to increase exceed
: ingly."
J ~. The Result, wv. 7, 8. First of a
| upon the people. ID The word iii
| creased."(2) The number of disciple
B. multiplied greatly" and (3) Some c
J, the priests of the Jews we're 'obed
: ent to the faith" Secondly, the r,
suit in the lives of the thus chose
= and Spirit-anointed men gave evidenc
] Of the GOOD hand of God. They wer
, full of grace (Eph. 40, Acts 1919
they were full of power" (1:S). Th
first two of them soon became grea
and mighty preachers as WELL Ii
deed as far as we can read they eve
in real achievement for God. ST
i phen, Of course. stands out pre-em
= nently. His character is suggested i
verse eight. He was (a) full of faith
(b) full of the Holy Spirit" (c) "fu
, of grace" (R. W, (d) full of power
i How sad it is that so frequently OF
churches fail to make a wise an
) spirited choice of it's leaders, and al
), content with few, or perhaps none, b
u ing added to its membership Or
y great denomination reports thousar
churches having no additions by G
their confession or letter for the o
riod of a whole year. All the ws
9 through the book of the Acts we res
this same history of an ever gro,
/ ing church, a church that surmounte