The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1920-02-05
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON.
Especially Prepared for The Republic
can by DIR. u. S. Wright.


Peter at LYDIA and Joppa. Acts 9:
32-43.
The prayer of faith shall save him
that is sick, and the Lord shall raise
him up. James sis.
THE ITlNERANT.
Scattered, each Christian became the
source of a group of believers. In every
CITY there was the clamoring demand
that some instruction be given to these
converts from Judaism Just as in India
from thousand villages there is the
call, "Send US a teacherp Jerusalem
could not be Indifferent and Peter be-
came the shuttle that wove anew the
seamless robe for the body of Christ.
Back and forth. in and out, he travelled
carrying the instruction needed for
their development. Conversion might
be instantaneous but knowledge was
not and it had to be given by the slow
process familiar to US all. So Peter be-
came well known figure upon every
highway leading from the Capital. 1t
was the adjustment of an alert mind
open to the stirring breezes of his own
time that adopted such an innovation In
the early church. That Wesley follow
ed the plan borrowed from Wickliffe
and utilized by others earlier shows the
same general mindedness on the
part of all. The chief thing was to get
things done rather than to stick to any
theory of form that should be used in
church activity. The adoption of the
motion picture, the advertising plans,
the recreational activities, the pooling
of resources in schemes of Kingdom
building comparable to the biggest of
Big Businesses, the sacrifical passion
expressed in many forms, all point to
the kinship of the church of today with
that of these Apostles. The SLOW wits
of this ready tongued disciple were be-
ing brushed into brilliance by the
Spirits use of his human faculties. DR..
Gordon of Boston tells of mans con-
secration of himself that resulted in the
development of undreamed of powers
and even charged the contour of his
skull; Peter was experiencing some
thing of the same transformation.
THE BENEVOLENT.
LYDIA was one of the stopping places
for saints" had rooted themselves
there. Probably we would hesitate
over the designation but Christ who
saw rock in shiftly Simon gave a good
precedent for using term with room
for abundant growth. Lydia was
busy transit city upon the great high
way to Egypt and center whence any
event would travel far upon the lips of
passing caravan members. Peter
sought out the Christian community
there and taught things as he knew
them concerning the Christ. But his
eyes were commencing to lift toward
the horizon line and he was beginning
to see wider strategy than was known
in Jerusalem. Could he set tongues
wagging all along this highway about
his Lord then indeed would soil be
plougbed for the coming harvest. So
he found" bedridden Aeneas. eight
years helpless and set him carrying his
bed thru the streets that had not known
him thru all these years. AS public
ity measure it was superb. There were
other sick in LYDIA but Peter was sa-
tisfied to work that which would most
vitality affect the cause of Christ. Mass
healing seems never to have been prac-
ticed, the church was not cure-all and
Peters benevolence was aimed at
spiritual remarking rather than at the
transformed body. But it was an &C.
tive, aggressive benevolence that we
with cur larger power for changing
bed ridden community down with hook
worm. yellow-fever or tYphus into Wig
orous health do we'll to follow.
THE SYMPATHIZER.
Joppa was seaport where the
world stopped and the saints" were
to be found there also. But just now
they were in sore trouble. Tabitha or
Dorcas had given herself in kindly min
TRY to the poor that would be many in
such a town. Ceaselessly her needle
flew that garments might grace the
limbs of folk who shivered in the
winds from the sea. But now the hands
were still and mourners did not need to
be hired for this funeral. In such hours
we lnstinctively clutch at goodness. Not
the big brain but the big heart is ask
ed for now. And it is the everlasting
glory of Peter as it is of the church
that in such times men turn naturally
in that direction for comfort and cour-
age. Mingled tears were more desired
than the customary hour of burial and
they sent for Peter, matter of not
more than three hours walking. The
heart that had cared enough to call