The Republican., 1925-11-12
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
Prepared Especially For The Repub-
lican's Readers by Rev. U. S.
Wright, ID.

Wright, O.D'
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER Is, 1925.
PAUL'S ARREST IN JERUSA-
LEM.
Acts 21:17-22;30.
If man suffer as a Christian, let him
not be ashamed.-I Peter AIS.
THE WAY OF THE CROSS.
Cross-road or Crossed-roads, which
is it? In every decision there is the
possibility of taking a way with
cross in it and the possibility of
taking one for personal advantage. 1t
is because one road leads to Calvary
and the other away from it that man
faces the crossroads and must decide.
Paul was moving toward Jerusalem.
He reached Tyre and searched for the
Christians there until he found them
and spent the delay in Christly con-
tact with their needs. Some travel
ers search for everything else when
away from home-Paul headed
straight for the church. But he faced
ther protest about his continuing his
journey and yet he took ship toward
Jerusalem. Then Ptolemais where
forebodings must have been voiced
again. Next Caesarea and the home
of Philip. Nearly 25 years before he
would have taken his hosts life as
quickly as Stephens, whose comrade
in service he was. Today they sat in
heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so
great was the transformation. But
the shadows deepened as they talked.
Perhaps they had invited Agabus be-
cause he was a kindred spirit, but he
entered his protest against the fur
ther advance. With Paul's love for
his friends the tug was becoming sim
ply overwhelming. 1t was the repe-
tition of the experience of Jesus when
he announced the cross and faced Pc
ter's protest that was born of his
love and was felt so greatly that he
was terriically sharp in reply. Paul
charged them with breaking his heart
and with bending it from it's pur-
pose, with making it all but impossi-
BILE for him to proceed. And they
bowed not to Paul's will but that of
the Lord. What must we do when
convictions collide? When good men
differ?
There is no ChristIy road without
blood in it. And it isn't our Lords
but our own. This world will never be
saved until its Christly sons bleed the
blessing Of God into its heart. The
living Christ walking the way among
the Gentiles and hailed by them as
God must be gotten into the Jerusa-
lem group, into their whole attitude
and Paul believed that he could help
bring that to pass. And because he
counted the worth Of it he counted
also the cost and was willing to pay it
full measure and did go, daring death
that he might carry life as well.
THE CROSSLESS CHURCH
What has happened in Jerusalem?
They are not stoning prophets any
more It has been years since a Chris
tian was in prison. The Jews had
made abundant riots wherever Paul
had been, had been willing enough to
use the stone and scourge-what
made the Jerusalem Jews 50 mild ?
Had they been conquered by the
Christ? Not at all, but the Church
had found a road that held no cross.
They had compromised with Judaism
and could not be distinguished from
it's followers. Sad the day when the
follower of our Lord looks just like
the one who crucifies Him! 1t was to
that Church that Paul came bearing
gifts. They took the gifts-but there
is no record of any show of apprecia-
tion for them. Quite natural; where
Christ is not Master the grace of
Christ is absent also. They listened
to PauPs hot speech, warm with his
passion for all men, and praised the
Lord, but said, "Thou seest how many
thousands of Jews there are"
"Amens" cost nothing in a church
meeting; it is when they are carried
into the street that they grow mean
ingful. These "amens" never passed
out of that room-nothing must be
said outside that would hurt their po-
sition with the Jews. "Show yourself
good Jew, Paul." was their only ad-
vice in the situation. Why didn't they
say, "Show yourself a good Chris
tian?" Paul did nothing wrong, but
did he allow his intense love for his
brethren after the flesh, his passion
to win them to the Christ of the world
direct his steps into lower road than
might have been taken? And after he
had followed the directions of the Je-
rusalem Church they were mighty
scarce when the riot came, during the
plots that followed, the trials that en-
sued-not one of them in sight any