The Republican., 1925-12-24
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
Prepared Especially For The Repub-
hcan's Readers by Rev. U. S.
Wright, I'D.

ROME. Acts 17-I8.
Being therefore justified by faith, we
have peace with God thru our Lord
Jesus Christ.-Romans 81.
THE GROWING CHURCH-THE
GROWING MAN
For six months Paul has been the
center of our thinking because he was
at the heart Of the expanding move
ment of the church. Antioch super
ceded Jerusalem in its activities ana
thrust out its best workers in its ex-
preston of missionary passion. They
planted the cross in Cyprus and in
Asia Minol and closed that first Jour
ney with the joy of seeing not only
Christians along their route but orga-
nized churches as well. The second
journey carried them into Europe
where Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea,
Athens, Corinth were added in peril
and pain to the growing list. Letters
were added to the means of carrying
the gospel into the regions beyond
The next adventure was the intensive
work in Ephesus and the stir of the
entire city with The presentation OF
Christ as its Lord. Daring Jerusa-
lem Paul's arrest followed and
brought him before Governors and
Kings with his message of righteous
living and ultimately carried him to
Rome where for two years he was so
actively engaged that even into Gaze
sar's palace the good news was car
ried and thruout the army of the In
perial Guard there were soldier fol-
lowers of the Christ. Once more on
the road there were visitations of old
fields and the further extension into
new ones so that at the close Of our
records Christ has been preached in
all the great centers of the Empire
and had followers upon three CONT
nents. Such was the growth of 20
years and while the number of con-
verts can not even be guessed it was
spread among the vast slave popula-
tion in much the same manner that is
familiar in the low caste mass move
ment in India and great points of
commanding influence had been Sc
cured from which advance was direc-
ted until the entire Empire surren-
dered to its power and the Cross re-
placed the eagle as the symbol of au-
thority.
Paul grew with the movement he
fostered. This can be judged by the
revealings of his letters whose arder
at least is clear On the march him
self his Christ was also moving into
ever expanding fields that called for
continuously new interpretations of
His teachings. In the letters to the
Thessalonians it is the returning Lord
in the clouds that catches the eye and
the church is to be caught up with
Him in the air. When Corinth is
reached Christ has touched earth and
all things, marriage, meats and mer-
chandise are utterly unimportant in
the presence of this Lord of the Spir-
it. In Ephesians and Colossians which
present two sides of the same subject
Christ has grown colossal and fills
Iall time and space for 'In Him were
all things created, in the heavens and
upon earth, things visible and invis-
ible, whether thrones or dominions
or principalities or powers-that in
all things He might have preeminence
that in Him should all fullness
DWELL" And the glory of the church
was that it had access to all His life
and shared His glory and was His
body, mind of His mind, spirit of His
Spirit. In the letters the radiance
transfgures the commonplace things
of the home so that within these
Christ was to have His manifestation
and to bring His Presence. Thus Paul
grew in intimacy with his Lord until
there was no hour of any day or
night, no task of whatever sort, no
relationship however attenuated with
in which Christ was not. His Lord
had indeed become his life.
PRIMARY: HOW PAUL SHOWED
HIS BRAVERY. Memory Verse Phil.
Alb.
Pictures like Wilde's or Perry's will
be the best way of getting a recall
of the event of the life. These may
be used as rewards for good work
done and may be given upon the
ground of the best story of the event
pictured. A child may draw and then
tell what is seen allowing the class to
guess the story or having drawn it
he may be asked to tell its story. If
he fails to recall another will be given
a chance. Much of the courage of
Paul is beyond the group-it would
seem to me better to show how
CHEEKY, how kindly, how helpful he
was under circumstances of physical
JUNIOR: WHAT PAUL DID FOR
CHRIST. Memory Verse Phil. 4:13.
If the peg map has been used it will
offer excellent material for a review