Evening star., 1925-06-13
Sunday School Lesson

CO. ordinate its members efforts by
warning of the danger they faced and
exhorting them to be loyal to Christ
Recognizing the need of assistance,
he recalled SauPs conversion and spe-
cial fitness for work among these
Gentle converts. He went to, Tarsus
to seek Saul and when he had found
him he brought him TO Antioch. This
was a forward step both for the
church and the kingdom of God. In
securing this strong personality as
his Coworker Barnabas had a
brother pastor and teacher to help
him mold the life Of the newly organ
lied church along distinctively Chris
like lines. They developed the mem
bership of the church so that every
one of the newly baptized converts
had share in trying TO win Antioch
for Christ.
1t was due to the prominence of
the work in the city that they were
called Christians. While there has
been much discussion as to how the
term originated, il was probably due
to the Greeks and Romans Of the
city that they We're called Christians.
Among themselves they called them
selves brethren" and disciples" so
that the new name was not of their
own coinage Farrar sees in the be-
stowal of this name the watershed
of all history" The citizens of that
gay and iniquitous city recognized
that they differed from the Jews be-
cause they believed that the Messiah
had come in the person of Jesus.
The formation of the new name has
its roots in the Hebrew that gives
us the conception of Messiah in the
Greek. Christ, and with a latin ending
Ganos) reveals their relationship 10
the Lord. Thus the three languages
that furnished the inscription Of the
cross of the worlds Redeemer are
united in the new name given His
followers first in Antioch.
Worldwide Christian Center.
For many long years after the
opening of this world wide Christian
center Christianity wore a double
form. It gathered around two head
Centers-a Hebrew center at Jerusa-
lem and a Gentle center at Antioch.
Jerusalem never sent forth any mis-
sionaries except those forced out by
the persecution. Antioch became the
ment that was deliberately started
after prayer. 1t is possible that
Jerusalem was hindered in obtaining
a worldwide vision because they
were hampered by the rabbinical
yoke and their eXpectance of the
Lords return. The atmosphere of
Jerusalem was antagonistic to mis-
sions. 1t developed in the free and
cosmopolitan city of Antioch just as
1t has in our own land within the
last hundred years.
Under such circumstances 1t was
| inevitable that the two centers would
sooner or later come TO a point where
the question of church unity as well
as Christian brotherhood would be
come a practical and pressing ques-
ton. It was inevitable that Antioch
was destined TO supercede Jerusalem.
Although they did not view Chris
tianity from the Jewish viewpoint,
the brethren in Antioch felt that they
were called upon to give a practical
demonstration of the unifying power
of the faith Of Christ by contributing
literally during a famine to the
needs of their brethren.
BY their generous contribution for
the Jerusalem Church, dispatched by
Gentle Christians, we have the first
historical evidence that a change had
developed in Jerusalem in that the
church and synagogue had parted
company; that to be a follower of
the NaZarene cut off a son of Abra
ham from the charities of his own
people. 1t reveals that a new force
had entered humanity. 1t proves that
with the comforting of the new name
that God had started to reconcile
ancient feuds and commenced TO erect
upon the ruins of old national distinc-
uons a spiritual faith and religion
that sought to unite all mankind into
one brotherhood, founded upon the
crucifixion of the Christ and Cemented
to one another through mutual love
for those who love Him. The gifts
of charity were samples of their de-
votion to one another.