Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1921-08-04
IMPROVED UNIFORM INTERNATIONAL
Si11g@daySeflool
' Lesson '
CBy REV. P. B. FITZWATER, d. d,
Teacher Of English Bible In the Moody
Bible Institute Of Chicago.)
%, 1921. Western Newspaper Union.>
LESSON FOR AUGUST I
PAUL IN CYPRUS AND IN ANTI.
OCH OF PIsiDlA.

GOLDEN TEXT-Ye shall be witnesses
| unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all
Judea. and In Samaria, and unto the ut
| termost part of the earth.-Acts 1:S
| REFERENCE MATERIAL Matt. 10:
n-33; 8:lS-20: Mark 1915; Luke M:46. n.
| PRIMARY TOPIC-Adventures of Paul
and Barnabas.
JUNIOR TOP1C-Saul Silences a Sor-
! earer.
INTERMEDIARY AND SENIOR TOPIC
Paul Begins His Missionary Travels.
YOUNG PEOPLE AND ADULT TOPIC
Paul Becomes Missionary.
This marks the beginning Of foreign
missions as the deliberately planned
enterprise of the church.
!. The Gifts Of tho Church at Anti
och ". ~.
Young as Antioch, the new religious
center, was, she had prophets and
teachers. Such are essential to church
life. Indeed, they are never absent
| from the true church. In EphesianS
4:S-12 Paul says that when Christ as
cended He gave gifts unto men for the
purpose Of perfecting the saints unto
the work Of the ministry.
II. Barnabas and Saul Sent Forth
wv. 2, ~.
| While the five ministers were pray
ing and fasting, the Spirit of God COM
manded them to send forth Barnabas
and Saul. The work of evangelizing
the world was laid so heavily upon
these men that they refrained from eat
| ing in order to seek the will of the
ic, ~
fasting that meets Gods approval.
From the fact that they were directed
to send forth those whom the Spirit
called, we learn that the real call to
Christ's service comes from the Spirit.
| The Spirit calls and the church Sec
onds the motion by sending those who
are called. They sent the very best
men from the church at Antioch.
III. Preaching the Word of God in
! Cyprus wv. 4, 81.
\ We are not told as to why they first
went to Cyprus, but we infer that 1t
was because 1t was the home Of Bar
nabas. 1t is most natural that those
who have heard good news should go
with 1t first to their kindred and
friends. AS they went forth they
preached the Word of God; not civic
righteousness, current history, philoso-
ply, etc. The great need today is
Spirit-called and Spirit-tilled men
preaching Gods Word.
w. Withstood by Elymas the Sor-
cerer wv. 6-l2).
When Barnabas and Saul by invita-
ton were telling Sergius Paulus of the
Word Of God, Elymas maliciously
sought to turn his mind from the faith.
This is the first obstacle they encoun-
tered. This opposer is the same one
who came to Adam in Eden and to
Jesus in. the wilderness. He is the
enemy of God and man. He now seeks
to bar the gospel as it enters upon its
career of the conversion of the hea-
then. Saul denounced him in the most
scathing terms, calling him the child of
the devil, full of guile and villainy, and
pronounced him the enemy OF all right
eousness, accusing him Of perverting
the right ways Of the Lard.
Happily, the deputy needed Saul's
teaching and believed the gospel. 1t
was in this connection that Sauls
name was changed to Paul.
| v. In the Synagogue at Antioch In
Pisidia wv. Is, 16).
From Paphos Paul and Barnabas
went northward to Perga. From
Perga they went into Antioch in Pi.
sidia, where they entered the syna.
gogue on the Sabbath day. Though
he was sent to the Gentiles he does
not depart from the order of begin.
ming with the Jews. After the usual
reading of the Scriptures, upon the
invitation Of the rulers, Paul deliv
cred the discourse recorded in verses
17-41. This sermon Is worthy Of care
full study. It consists Of four parts
~ Historical wv. 1929; apologet
ical wv. 24-37); (3) doctrinal, wv
38. 800; ~ practical wv. 40, '41). Il
sets forth the missionary message fol
all times and lands. It's essence
should ever be the same. In this ser
mon he presented the glOritied ant
risen Christ as the Savior from sin
basing his proof upon the testimony o
living witnesses and the inspired
Word.
vi. The Effect Of the Sermon wv
1852.
Many of the Jews and proselyte,
, requested them to speak to then
!; again. Almost the whole city cam,
!, to hear the Word of God the mex
Sabbath. This great crowd incfte,
the jealousy of the Jews. This jeal
ousy could not long be restrained;
broke out in open opposition. Thi
opposition was in turn answered b
Pauls rejection of them and turnin
to the Gentiles.