Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-11-17
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON
For Mop. 2Oy. Acts rs, rs.
BY DIR. MARION .M'H. HULL

No more was said, the King arose;
the others did also. The royal pro-
cession filed out of the audience
chamber. Paul was taken back to
the prison. But the decision was
This man might have been set at
liberty if he had not appealed to
Caesar" That decision probably
saved his life two years later before
Augustus; for the emperor could not
have condemned him to die, when
every lower court had adjudged him
innocent.
An Under Oarsman
There is very interesting word
in 26:16 that throws "a flood Of light
on Pauls life. He is telling what
Jesus said to him on the Damascus
road. 81 have appeared to thee to
make thee minister"-an under
oarsman, is the word in the original
and going on with his commission
that he is to turn the Gentiles from
darkness to light, from the mastery
Of Satan to the mastery of Cod
and all to the end that they may re-
ceive an inheritance.
The secret of the underoarsman's
usefulness is his yieldedness to the
will and direction of the upperoars-
man, the stroke oar. No progress
can be made with a craft, large or
small, if the underoarsman insist on
pulling when and where they please.
But the race is won by the team
that pulls together best as the stroke
oar directs. The underoarsman must
yield himself, his will, his muscles,
his all, absolutely to the will of
the leader.
This was hard for Paul to do. He
had been the leader Of the fight
against the Nazarenes; he had been
having his own way and doing his
own will and depending upon his
resources up to that moment on the
Damascus road. But when he saw
Jesus glorified and heard Him speak
these words to him, he made a COM
plete surrender and yielded himself
henceforth to the Stroke Oar, he
took his place as an underoarsman
and followed orders from that time
with only one exception-when he
disobeyed the Spirits express COM
mand and came on to Jerusalem.
His orders were that his work was to
be with the Gentiles; and he was
nightly used with them. 1t was
when he began to. pull his own way
and try to win his own race that
he became powerless.
What a gracious work he was call
ed to do as an underoarsman!-
to turn the Gentiles from darkness
to light; from the mastery of Satan
to the mastery of God. And that
is our work, too. All about us we
see people who are under the mas
terry of Satan. Oh, they may not be
guilty of any outrageous sin; they
may be very decent folks so for as
the world counts decency; but they
are insisting on their way instead
of choosing Gods way. This just
tlckles Satan to death. for they are
doing just what he wants them to
do; they are under the mastery of
Satan. Our job is to tell them of
Him who came to make it possible
for them to get away from the mas
terry Of Satan and to do the will of
God, for it is only when one is do
ing the will of God that ne is in the
way of peace.
The ultimate end of such a life
that is, one which has chosen to
be under the mastery of Gods
an inheritance among them who
are sanctifed through faith in
Christ. A glorious inheritance it
is, the fullness of which we cannot
know until we come into possession
of it; but the earnest we have now
is so great that the full possession
must be wonderful.
The way-oh, it is SO simple we
are apt to stumble over it's simplici-
ty. 1t is just believing Gods word;
just putting your trust in Gods
Son.
If He is to be the Stroke Oar,
will you not be one of the under
oarsmen? Will you not yield your
all to Him, keep your eye fixed on
Him, wait for Him to command,
and then obey Him Immediately and
in,n1ioit1u2