Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-12-03
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON
For Dec. 4. Acts e
BY DIR. MARION NH. HULL

Three days after reaching Rome,
Paul called for the chief of the Jew"
There were $4,000 Jews in Rome -
that time, and of course many syn
agogues. True to his plan of preach
ing to the Jew first, he sent for
their leaders, as he could not go to
them. He told them of his arrest,
and trials, and of his appeal, and of
his lack of any animosity against
his own nation; for it was for his
faith in the Hope of Isreal, toward
which they also looked, that he was
bound.
They disclaimed any knowledge of
his coming, but admitted that they
knew that sect was everywhere
spoken against, and would like to
hear what he had to say about it.
The Jews of Asia and Of Jerusalem
had probably realized that it would
be useless for them to prosecute
Paul before Nero on any charge
that had not been able to gain an
advantage before one of his depu-
ties, so they had dropped the case.
On a day appointed, many Jews
gathered to hear Paul, as he spoke
of the Kingdom Of God and of Je-
sus' relationship to it, and testified
out of his own experiences of the
marvellous grace of God. All day
long questions and answers flew
back and forth. and the ambassa-
dor in chains quoted law and proph-
cts to prove his point. Some were
convinced; some were not. The lat
ter, it appears, were so much in
the majority that Paul finally
turned on them with Isaiah's proph-
ecy of their dull ears and closed
eyes-and then turned from them to
the Gentiles.
For two years he waited for trial;
but they were not idle years. Many
soldier heard the good news from
life that could tell it in a matchless
way; news of the news reached the
very household of the emperor; and
hundreds of others came to sit at
the feet of this prisoner-preacher
and hear him, for he never grew
tired of telling about his lovely
Lord.
1t was the one time in his life
he could work without hindrance--
the only time he could preach with
out any man forbidding him. Dur
ing those two years he also wrote
some letters through which he is
still preaching. But that is another
story which must be told at another
time.
Finis
At the end of every book we ex-
pect this word actually or implied;
but this book of the Acts has nei-
Their. 1t is an unfinished story
which we who are the followers of
the Lord Jesus Christ are continu-
ing today. 1t was not even the end
of Paul's life. He was released from
prison, and went to Spain and Eng
land, and back to Asia Minor. He
was afterwards arrested and taken
back to Rome. His second imprison-
ment there ended in his martyrdom.
Luke has completely his job-of
showing how Jesus continued to live
after His ascension, but now
through His disciples, and how they
carried out His last commission lin
Acts 1:8) beginning at Jerusalem
and going in overwhelming circles
until they had reached what to
them was the uttermost part of the
earth.
In this last chapter, the outstand-
ing characteristic of His great apos-
tie is markedly manifest-his eager
ness to seize every opportunity to
"speak a good word for Jesus
Christ" It is the characteristic most
needed today, and the one you at
least can initiate. Are you doing it?