Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-08-28
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
For Sept. Paul
BY DIR. MARION McH. HULL

| blindness was the firsO, for he had
TO be let down in a basket to escape
death at the hands of the Jews q;
| Damascus. Stunned by the apoS-
| ties at Jerusalem until Barnabas
| took him in, but speaking boldly
there in the name of the Lord Jesus.
he is soon in Stephens place-and
has to be sent out Of Jerusalem to
prevent his meeting with Stephen S
fate.
In Tarsus and throughout Cilicia
and Syria he bears His name to the
children of Israel until Barnabas
hunts him up and brings him to
Antioch in Syria. From there as a
center he goes out on successive
missionary tours bearing His name
among the Gentiles among kings,
and among the Jews; and suffering
in every place for His names sake
lin stripes about measure, in pris-
ons more frequent. L have been
often at the point of death; five
times have I gotten forty lashes
(all but one) from the Jews, three
times have l been beaten by the
Romans. once pelted with stones,
three times shipwreCked, adrift at
sea for whole day and night. /
have been often on my travels, I
have been in danger from rivers
and robbers. in danger from Jews
and Gentiles, through dangers of
town and desert, through dangers
on the sea, through dangers among
false brothers-through labor. and
hardship, through many a sleepless
night, through hunger and thirst,
starving many time, cold and ill
clad, and all the rest of it," e Cor.
11:23-26). perhaps the pressing
business \ of the care of an the
churches and the spiritual weakness
of some of the members was more
intense suffering than any physical
suffering.
And then after a second Roman
imprisonment he was beheaded by
Nero. He performed his mission
well--he bore His name to Gentiles,
to kings, to the Jews and suffered
for his names sake.
The Man and His Message
What was the message OF the
man? What message was SO inn
portant that God would make a man
like Paul, a man Of intense Jewish
convictions, of Grecian culture, of
Roman citizenship, of cosmopolitan
characteristics a man with genius
for piety-what message was so i'm
portant that God would make a man
like this to carry it?
1t was a simple message but it
was Gn inclusive-it was just the
message of the Christ!
At Damascus he proclaimed Jesus
as the Son of God; when he came
back there he proved that He was
the very Christ. At Jerusalem he
disputed with the Hellenists, that
Jesus and His message were for all
the world. At Thessalonica we get
a glimpse of what he preached every
WHEREAS his custom was, he vert
inland reasoned with them out Of
the Scriptures, opening and alleging,
that the Christ must needs have suf-
fered, and risen again from the dead,
and that this Jesus-is the Christ"
On the Damascus road he had seen
and surrendered to Jesus, and from
that moment forth Christ was the
center and circumference of Sauls
life-he was crucified with Christ;
Christ lived in his heart by faith;
the life which he now lived in the
flesh he lived by the faith Of the
Son of God; to him to live was
Christ; to win Christ, to be in Christ,
to know Christ, to be apprehended
by Christ, to depart and be with
Christ, to win the prize of the high
calling of God in Christ-this was
the passion of Paul. Christ to him
was all in all.
No wonder. then, that whether he
wrote or spoke it was of. Christ
longer is he bound by the necessity
of observing certain ceremonies, for
Christ has set him free from the
bondage Of the law. AS he looks
about at world lost in sin. he sees
God in Christ finding a way to bring
the lost ones back home. Paul pre-
sents God as the Father of all those
who believe in Christ; Christ is the
agent Of creation, and the end of all
creation. Sin is universal, but the
atoning death of Christ makes saliva
ton possible to all who believe.
Christ is the head of the church,
made up of all believers; the work
of the church is to proclaim Christ;
the hope of the church is the second
coming OF Christ; the privilege of
every follower, of every member of
the church is fellowship with Christ,
blessed union with Christ by means
Of which we may share in His vic
tory over sin now and His glory
hereafter.
Saul was the great enemy Of the
rpenterProphet; but when he saw
Him, he surrendered to Him, and be-
came Paul, the greatest exponent Of
Christ both by lip and by life.
And the blessed part of it is that
that same Christ is waiting for you
to surrender to Him and let Him
do for you and in you and through
you His perfect will a. He did with
Paul. Your mission and Paurs will
differ somewhat, but He has just as
definite a work for you to do as He
did for Saul Of Tarsus. He could not
accomplish it with him until he had
surrendered to Him - nor can He
with you until you surrender just as
completely. Will you now?