Mrs. Grundy. (Tracy City, Tenn.) 1903-1930, 1921-08-04
LESSON FOR AUGUST 7
PAUL IN CYPRUS AND IN ANTI.
OCH OF PiSiDiA.

IESSON IEAI--ACIS lo.l-06.
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 Is:
31-3s; 2S:is-20; Mark 1915; Luke A:46. A.
PRIMARY TOPIC-Adventures OF Paul
and Barnabas.
JUNIOR ToPIC-saui silences sor-
serer.
INTERMEDIATE 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.
l. The Gifts Of the 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
ASH 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.
n. 6arnabas and Saul Sent Forth
(vv. 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
Lord In prayer. This Is the kind OF
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
| Cnrist'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. a, 81.
We are not told as to why they first
went to Cyprus. but we infer that 1t
i was because 1t was the home Of Bar
nabas Ii is most natural that those
| who have heard good news should 60
/ 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 IL
Spirt-called and Spirit-tilled men
preaching Gods Word.
~. Withstood by Elymas the Sor-
cerer (vv. 6-l2).
When Barnabas and Saul by invita-
ton were telling Sergus Paulus OF the
Word of God, Elymas maliciousy
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 1t 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 viliainy, 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 Saul's
name was changed to Paul.
| v. In the Synagogue at Antioch In
Pisidia tvv. Is, 16).
From Paphos Paul and Barnabas
went northward to Perga. From
Perga they went into Antioch In Pr
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. II consists of four parts:
/ Q) Historical (vv 1929; apologet-
ical (vv. 24-37); (3) doctrinal, tvv.
SO, 800 ~ practical tvv. 40, Az. 1t
sets forth the missionary message for
,all times and lands. Its essence
should ever be the same. In this SER
mon he presented the giOrined ana
risen Christ as the Savior from sin.
basing his proof upon the testimony Of
living witnesses and the inspired
Word.
vi. The Effect Of the Sermon tvv.
42-52).
Many Of the Jews and proselytes
requested them to speak to them
again. Almost the whole city came
to hear the Word Of God the next
Sabbath. This great crowd melted
the jealousy of the Jews. This jeal-
ousy could not long be restrained; 1t
broke out in open opposition. This
opposition was in turn answered by
Pauls rejection Of them and turning
| To the GentileS