The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1916-03-03
INTERNATIONAL.
SUNlNSQ10OL
LESSON
(By E. 0. SELLERS, Acting Director Of
Sunday School Course, Moody Bible
Institute.)
Copyright. 1916, Western Newspaper Union)
LESSON FOR MARCH 5
THE DEATH OF STEPHEN.

LESSON TEXT-Acts 71-S:3
GOLDEN TEXT-Be thou faithful unto
death and will give thee the crown of
life.-Rev 2:10.
This lesson closely follows that OF
last Sunday. There are some battles
OF life that are not fought with fists
or weapons. The boy who holds his
temper is more manly than the one
who goes into fight simply to win.
Paul tells us how and what to fight
(Eph. Gil, 12). We must show the
scholars clearly the two great bat
ties Stephen fought and the victory
he won as 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 GID, (c)
That he claimed that Jesus would de-
strey or abrogate the law GID. This
great passage of Scripture is so pro-
found and SO 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
a Grecianized Jew, whose name
"a 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 an orthodox Jewish believer and
". p. He called the coun-
Gil Men, brethren and fathers" They |
were common believers and all were
standing before the God-appointed
leaders of Israel. Stephen in his re-
ply showed that he reverenced God |
and Gods prophet Moses, thereby an
swering the first charge w. ID, and |
while he revererced the temple he
showed. that it was not essential to
(7:47:49). This last was in
answer to their second charge GID.
IN answer to their third charge Ste
1hen then turned upon his enemies
md by direct and indirect charges he
convicted them of certain facts In
iirectly, by skillful repetition of Jew
sh history, and a review of the
prophets, he discloses the vacillation
md sinfulness of Gods chosen people
90, 29). Directly he accuses these
eaders of having been subservient to
certain customs as being superior to
he law they protested to obey. Ste
3hen's accusers were, as we have
een, from without Jerusalem (6:9,
%, and his first battle was concern
ng the truth about Jesus. His second
treat battle, and one of his ultimate
was with these avowed ene- {
MES of Jesus (6:11-S:3).
II. Stephens Death. The real con- {
est of this occasion was Satan VS.. t
he Holy Spirit Stephen put to rout ,
hese men from the foreign synagogue, !,
ence the Jewish authorities deter
mined to take hold OF the problem
themselves and put a stop to this
Christian teaching. Stephens sud-
en- application of the Scripture to his f
Judges caused intense anger. He +
reached the word of God in the DEM
of the Holy Spirit, and such j,
reaching always either produces con- ;
lotion of sin, or else arouses anger