Evening star., 1923-09-01
Sunday School Lesson

| with telling effect in his missionary
work.
Tarsus was not only a great edu-
cational center. but also an impor-
tant hide market. This probably in
huenced Paul. following the Jewish
custom. to learn the trade of tent
making. Probably. it was there that
he nrst became aware of the i'm
portance of being born Roman
citizen, which was destined to play
such a great part in his future life.
Paul was silently being fitted during
his boyhood days in Tarsus for his
place among the great world lead
ers of history
Ramsay has pointed out that Paul's
Iather belonged to the aristocracy of
Iarsus because of his wealth and
social position due to his Roman citi-
zenship. His financial condition en-
abled him to give his son the very
best educational preparation for
Gods service by sending him to
Jerusalem, which was the center of
the Jewish faith, and love for all
Hebrews who were not residents of
Palestine. Possibly the marriage of
his hrst sister and Jerusalem becom-
ing her home may have hastened the
breaking of the family ties and the
entrance of Saul. he was then
known. as a student in the Rabbin-
ical College. One result of his stu
dent days in the House of Interpre-
tatlon in Jerusalem. was the posi-
tion that he occupied when the cma n
clpatlon of Christianity from the linn
ltatlonS of JudaiStic legaliSm and ma
tionality was advocated by Stephen
NO one would detect the significance
or stephens principles quicker than
Saul, who may have been absent in
IarsuS during most of the ministry
or the Lord Jesus. The moment that
Christianity sought to become sep
arate from Judaism. it could count
upon his antagonism. As a menil1 e =
OF the Sanhedrin. that tried and lille
galiy convicted Stephen, Saul had cast
his vote against the first martyr of
the church He revealed his hatred
by attending Stephens execution and
he recalled with burning shame in
later years how he watched the
clothes of the people who stoned
stephen. While the Sanhedrin author
ltleS found in Saul an active agent
in their efforts TO crush by the fires
OF bitter persecution the rising
church that testified to their faith
III the risen Lord, Saul never forgot
the speech OF stephen and the spirit ual
polse revealed in his prayer and faith
IN the presence of the living Christ.
IL planted in his heart the seed of
something different, that germinated
IN hlS epochal conversion and that
transformed the prosecutor into the
aggressive apostle to the gcntileS
lnents of Paul from the hour when he
met Jesus on the way to Damascus
until the apostle died. like Stephen. a
martyr to the cause. in the Acts OF
the Apostles and his epiStleS. His
message or gospel cannot be under
stood without knowledge of his eX-
perience as a Campaigner and master
builder of character and churches for
Christ. The third chapter of Philip
pans. In the portion assigned for our
study. sets before US very clearly and
thoroughly PaulS experience, each
! feature of which calls for "a sermon
his complete surrender to Christ,
! his confident faith in Christ for justi-
| fication, his personal union with
Christ, his earnest desire for the
resurrection, his humble sense of i'm
perfection, his Steadfast and strenu-
Gus purpose of progress in santifica-
ton His life from the beginning
unto the end is a story full of ad-
! venture and achievement that re-
suited from his love for the Lord and
! loyalty to His call for service
Next to Paul's faith. that enabled
! him to correctly interpret the events
in the life of men and the Church of
Christ, the secret of his success was
probably the intensity OF his love
! His heart was afiame for Christ and
His cause. His love for Jesus made
| him the slave of the Lord. He was
devoted to all his friends. He never
forgot them. In every epistle one
sees the evidence of his passionate
love for Christ and his co-laborerS.
| No one has ever given us Il better
definition of love than his summing
up of ''the greatest thing in the
world" In the hour of darkness and
despair Gods love sustained him In
every trial and testing he was conf
dent that ''all things" would work
out for his good and Gods glory. His
confidence in the future of the gos-
pei has been confirmed by its
achievements. The religion OF Jesus
that Paul planted as the need of mod
ern civilizatiin in Europe has devel-
oped and adapted itself to every sit
uation in human life. 1t is as quick
with its initiative and power today as
it was in the days of its founder and
its great interpreter, whose mission
AIRY genius and marvellous campaigns
have thrilled the annals of men with
the story of their victories.
. Copyright, 1921