The Washburn leader., 1916-10-20
SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Lesson lv.-Fourth Quarter, For
Oct. 22, 1916.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.

the. INTERNATIONAL SERIES.
Text Of. the Lesson, Acts XVI, I, 24.32.
Memory Verses, %, 2s-0eIdsn Text,
Acts XVI. 1s-cemmsntary Prepared
BY Rev. o. NJ. 8tearns.
With the king aud queen and all
their pompous retinue. and the chief
captains and principal men Of the city
(xxv, 23). this was probably one Of
Paul's greatest opportunities to tell to
earth's great ones the wondrOus story
Of redeeming grace. Festus, having
had Paul brought In before this great
gathering, said to the king and all
present that, although the Jews were
demanding his life. he had not been
able to find that he had committed
anything worthy Of death, but that.
having appealed to Caesar. he was 60
ing to send him to Rome. though he
could not signify any crime that he had
been guilty of, but he hoped that after
Agrippa had heard him and examined
him he might have something definite
to write.
The king. having given Paul permis.
sion to speak for himself, he began by
saying that he was happy to be per.
mitted to state his case before the
king because he knew him to be ex-
pert in all customs and questions
among the Jews. He therefore asked
to be heard patiently (verses 1-3).
With a word concerning his early life
at Jerusalem and his being brought up
a Pharisee and we'll known to all the
Jews, he said that the accusation
against him was that he had become
follower Of Jesus. risen from the dead
and coming again to restore the king
dom to Israel. according to all the
promises made by God through the
prophets to the fathers (verses 49,.
We hope to consider or refer to some
Of these later in this lesson. He then
confessed that. like the Jews who were
now prosecuting him. he had himself
been also prosecutor of the followers
of Jesus of Nazareth, under the au-
thority of the chief priests and very
cruel one, even going to distant cities
to arrest them oversees 9-11). Then he
told Of his experience on the way to
Damascus and of his commission from
the risen and ascended Christ and Of
his subsequent obedience to this COM
mission up to that day oversees 1928.
We may be sure that such an assem-.
blage never heard such a testimony be.
fore, and we can only hope that some
Of those who heard became followers
of Jesus as Paul prayed that they
might (verse 29). Festus certainly
heard more about the "One Jesus
(xxv, 1V than he knew before, but he
had no use for such talk and told Paul
that he was mad and beside himself
(verse 24). It was not pleasant to be
told SO publicly. but this also was fel-
lowship with the Lord Jesus. for they
said Of Him. "He hath devil and is
mad; why hear ye Him?" John <.
2O) Long ago it was said of the serv.
ants of the Lord. "The prophet Is a
fool; the spiritual man is mad" (Hos.
tx, y, and the wisdom Of this world is
still of the same mind.
It is possible that some in the assem-
bly, thought Paul to be more sane than
Festus, and it looks as If the king was
inclined to that opinion (verse 2S). The
revised version reads, with but little
persuasion thou would'st fam make
me Christian" and Pauls heart went
out to God In great desire, that not
only Agrippa, but all who heard him
speak. might become Christians. or, as
he put it, almost and altogether such
as I am, except these bonds (verse
29). The king and governor and others
having gone aside to consult, their de-
cision was that Paul had done nothing
worthy Of death or Of bonds, and that
If he had not appealed unto Caesar he
might have been set at liberty tverses
3O-32). But with. such fanatical Jews
about, who were determined to kill
him, liberty would probably have
meant death to him. and we know
from the Lords night message that 1t
was in the plan for him to 60 to Rome.
Going back in our lesson to Paul's
account Of his commission by the Lord
Jesus, at the time Of his conversion.
which is a little more full here than
in the other two records, note the as
surance of deliverance from the people
and from the gentiles (verses 16, 10.
and compare Jer. l, 8. 10; Isa., xliii, 2.
Then in lesson verse 1S. how full
and clear and simple his instructions.
showing that all unsaved people are in
darkness and under the power Of Sa-
tan, but that by the gospel they may
obtain light and deliverance. the for
giveness Of sins and an eternal inheri-
tance, the only condition being that
they repent and turn to God and then
prove the reality Of their repentance
BY their works verse 20). Not that
God needs any works Of ours to prove
to Him our sincerity. for He reads the
heart, but; good worka prove to msn
the reality Of our faith in Christ Tit.
III, 81. Paul declared that BY the help
| OF God he had continued to teach the