The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1923-12-06
GARRETT COUNTY SUNDAY
SCHOOLN0TES OFINTEREST
In the Early Days the Sunday
School Was Unknown
SARA ROBERTA GETTY
The First Christian Church

We, with our enormous advantages
and great advancement today in work
Of the Kingdom can scarcely realize
the great difficulties under which the
first Christians labored in following
Christ's example and direct command
to preach the gospel to every crea-
ture, for then the laborers were few
and the Sunday school, now an es-
sential part of every church, was then
unknown.
It Will be found that the word
church" has many definitions, among
them being "a building dedicated to
Christian worship" "a body of Chris
tians with distinct history, creed
and form of worship" and "the whole
body Of Christian believers" and it
was the last two definitions that APP
piled to the early Christians before
and at the time of Christ's death and
| resurrection, for the followers of this
new and beautiful religion were
themselves learning and practicing
new creed, that taught them by the
loWly Nazafone, the Man OF Sorrow,
who had dwelt among them and
taught them by His example.
That the faith Of this little band of
( disciples was great can be readily as
ccrtained by a perUsal of the scrip
lures. 1t is a comparatively easy mat
ter to do good when one has a leader
or teacher to guide one, but to be left
to ones own resources without any
leader, one less courageous or less
Iself-roliant and faithful to the cause
| than these would have followed the
| line Of least resistance and became in
different. But difficulties only strength
ened their belief. One can readily
fancy their dismay and disappoint-
ment, even though they were partly
prepared, when on the mountain top
they witnessed the ascension and
heard the voice of the angels as they
asked: aye men Of Galilee, why stand
| We here gazing into heaven?" Surely
! it must have been with a feeling Of
deepest sorrow and sadness that they
returned to Jerusalem. But not once
did they falter but in the little upper
room met in prayer for strength and
guidance. In those days there were
about one hundred and twenty dis
ciples, the leader of whom appeared
to be Peter, who daily admonished
and urged the others on their work Of
spreading the gospel.
This missionary work seemed at
first to be confined to the Jew alone,
but We read on and find the wonder
full story Of the coming Of the Holy
Spirit which filled them with religious
zeal and left them with the power to
speak in many tongues to the intense
establishment Of men of other nation
alities and no doubt to themselves as
we'll.
So great was the outpouring of the
Holy Spirit upon this wonderful day
of Pentecost that we learn that three
thousand persons were converted and
added to the church. Then began the
real work of Christ's followers, and
the miracles wrought by Peter and
John occasioned both establishment
and anger among the Jews who had
them imprisoned, afterward COM
manding them to preach no more of
this strange doctrine.
1t was about this time that the
apostles felt that the work of the
church would be both simplified and
strengthened if there were more in
numbers more directly in charge of
the work, 50 seven deacons were set
apart, or rather added, being Stephen,
Philip, Prochorus, Timon, Parmenas,
! Nicanor and Nicolas. In the simple
language of the Acts we read: "and
when they had prayed for the seven
they laid their hands upon them" Ste
and the word of God increased" Ste
plleil anu mp, we Iedu, were pdI =
ticularly Jealous in the Masters work.
Today we cannot hear the name Of
church without thinking of the name
Christian 50 essentially Synonymous
are the two, but we are told in Acts
1925 that the disciples were called
Christians first at Antioch. Hitherto
they We're known among themselves
and to others as followers or disciples
of Christ. Then, the word carried
with it a sneer. being used as an cpl
thet, in opprobrium, now to be known
among ones fellow men as Chris
tan real disciple of Christ is a mark
of honor and distinction greater than
any other title one can have bestowed
upon one.
We today who worship in comfort
and without fear, finding it so easy
to he Christians or at least church