Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1916-06-14
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL
LESSON FOR JUNE a
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Text of the Lesson, Acts XVI, 1894.
Memory Verses, 80, 34-Golden
Text, Acts XVI, 31--Commentary
Prepared by Rev. ID. NJ. Stearns.

prepared Dy HeN- - w. otedrns.
In verses 1918 Of our lesson chapter
we read Of an evil spirit possessing a
woman who. as she followed Paul and
his friends, cried out. These men are
the servants OF the Most High God.
who show unto us the way of saliva
ton" She continued TO do this many
days. but Paul. being grieved by even
so good and true testimony from
such a source and knowing her to be
controlled by an evil spirit, command
ed the spirit to come out Of her In the
name of Jesus Christ. and he did 1t
was certainly strange to hear such a
testimony from such source, but an
evil spirit In the synagogue at Caper-
naum one day when Jesus was pres
ent cried out. II know thee who thou
art, the Holy One of Godw And Jesus
commanded the spirit to come out of
the man Mark l. 1920.
Truth may be talked without being
known In the heart, but the Lord reads
the heart and does not want testimony
from His enemies. Knowing the truth
about the Lord Jesus does not save
any one. yet 1t may be that many
think they are saved because they be-
lieve that Jesus lived and died and
rose again and that He is the Son Of
God. But ii is he that hath the Son
of God that hath life. and he that
hath not the Son of God hath not life
Only such as receive Him become
children OF God Il John v. II: John
1, 12).
When those who employed this wo-
man and made money by her saw that
this source of income was taken from
them they melted riot against Paul
and Silas and had them beaten and
cast into prison. and the jailer. having
received charge TO keep them safely.
put them in the inner prison and made
their feet fast in the stocks oversees
1920. There are some things right
on the surface of this record. and one
Is that people are apt 10 grow very
angry II they are making money
.wrongfully and their business is inter
fered with. Compare the riot Of the
silversmiths at Ephesus in chapter
XIX, and then think of the opposition
of the liquor dealers and all who dis
honor Jesns Christ TO the work and
teaching OF Rev. William Sunday and
all true evangelists; also the opposi-
ton of those who sprofit by graft to
fhnca xrho 1ocfro x.iOhfaoncnacc
Then notice that if you won't let the
devil help you he will take pains to
show you how he can hate you and
prosecute you. Compare in Ezra Nv.
Is, the decided opposition OF those
who were not permitted TO help i'm the
work. There are still those who are
ready to help in many a good work il
they may belong to the devil while
they do ii. But If asked TO renounce
the devil and TO receive the Lord Je-
sus and put their trustsi His great
sacrifice as the Son OF God. then one
is apt to witness the enmity of the
carnal mind against God.
How grand was the victory of faith
in these men of God, who, with sore
and bleeding backs and feet in the
stocks, could praise the God whose
they were and whom they served and
talk with Him in heaven from their
prison! Not only did the other prison
ers hear them praising God, but they
were heard in heaven, and suddenly
the earth was shaken, and the prison,
too; prison doors were opened and ev-
cry ones bonds loosed oversees %, 26).
oh, how great and wonderful is our
God, the God OF Israel, who only doest
wondersl Ops. Xxi. Is, 49, AS some
one has said, these men had not infiu-
ence enough on earth at Philippi to
save them from this shameful treat
ment q Thess. ii, p and from prison,
but they had influence enough in
heaven to shake the earth. 1t was
midnight when they prayed and sang
praises. but the God of Israel neither
slumbers nor sleeps: He watches over
His people night and day ops cxxi. A;
lisa. xvii. -.
Not only was the prison shaken, but
the keeper was SO shaken when he
saw the prison doors open that he
would have killed himself IL Paul had
not cried out. do myself no harm.
for we are all herer' He was shaken
deep down In his soul, too, for, falling
down trembling before Paul and Silas,
he brought them out and said, "Sirs,
what must I do to be saved?" Then
did Paul at this unexpected midnight
service speak to him and to his house
the word of the Lord, and they be-
lieved-that is, they received the Lord
Jesus Christ-and, being saved, they
confessed Christ In baptism and were
all filed with rejoicing. The second
saved household at Philippi verses IA.
10. 27-34).
Reading of saved households, al
ways think of the Lords word to
Noah, "Come thou and all thy house."
and find great encouragement to be-
lieve that the Lord still loves to save
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