Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1916-07-22
INTERNATIONAL.
SUNDMS0OOL
LESSON
By e o. SELLERS Acting Directo
the Sunday school Course of the Moody
Bible Institute. Chicago-)
Copyright 1915. Western Newspaper Union
LESSON FOR JULY %
PAUL At coRINTH.

GOLDEN TExT-Be not afraid. but
speak. and hold not thy peace--Acts 1s-s
1. Paui's Companions (vv- I-6)
PauI's coming to this city after his
experiences in Athens is significant
when we read 1 Cor. 2:1, 2 He
found a home as usual at first among
his Jewish countrymen- Aquila and
Priscilla were not only fellow Chris
tians but fellow craftsmen w. 81 Paul
supported himself, as Jesus did for
80 years, as 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 q Cor. 1921; I Cor. :6-12;
ii Thess 2-9). PAU did not think 1t
a 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 " % 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 Oh Cor
2:3), probably bodily sickness He
was also in want Oh Cor. IL ~. As
| he meditated' 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," (v. 81. The
good news these helpers brought en-
couraged him in his conflict (v- g.
II. PauPs CompuIsion. (vv. 7-11)-
| 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 Paui
could exclaim, st am clean" w. 81. Ii
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: II shrank
not from declaring unto you the whole
counsel of God" Or. w II 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 a proselyte,
not a born Jew. (b) The place was
, close to the synagogue so that his
preaching would be a standing invita-
;, ton to the Jews, and (c) Justus was
evidently a Roman citizen, and Pau
4 would gain access through him te
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 h'
;, left his lodgings in the home of Aquil'
: and Priscilla nor ceased his work O
tent making
Paurs testimony after Athens wa
based only on the cross Il Cor. Il, 2
and it was that which turned impure
!: sinful souls into pure brides whom n
: conducted to Christ (See Cor. 6 6
: l11). This vision kept Paul in the cit
- where he founded one of his stronges
:. classes wv. IL. 49,
III. PauPs Contest, wv 12-17,
Gallo, the brother of Seneca, hstene
:. TO the charges. but threw the accuss
!. tions out of court (vv. a. 3D. 81
- William Ramsey calls this decision tn
u acharter of Christian freedom" Free
,s dom of religious speech was granite
81 over the entire Roman empire so ia
- as Roman authorities were concerns
:, ! and the door was open for Paul
make his way throughout the civiiize
world Thus we have further evicen'
? that all of Corinth was no match Il
- Christ. The Lord had people the
- who must be called by the spoke
- word, and Paul was the one TO spec
=, the word The Lord only allows
~ to be hurt when both We and Il
work can be helped thereby T
nc never really allows US to be hu
- (Rou1- :13; Isaiah "a I'D Christ'
,;s workers in this land are confrontil
the same Corinthian evils In eve
als great city; intemperance, crime, gra
m dishonesty, white slavery. oppressi
ife | of the poor and other works OF I
flesh
1t is the business of every preach
red and Christian to pray and teach
Of work and live to save men from the
the evils and to convert them TO rig
in eousness-
There are also Corinthian evils
the heart, and in order to overco
lin. | them we must put on the whole
NV NOR of God. and be filed with
ing Spirit of Christ
ina Summary: At Corinth Paul worl
ybt- at his trade, converted his fellow VIC
,wu men. preached to Jews and Cent