The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1939-06-02
PAUL PLEADS HIS OWN CASE

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PAUL PLEADS HIS OWN CASE
LESSON TExT-Acts 21:Ao-22:4: a4:l4.
GOLDEN TEXT have lived in all good
conscience before God until this day
Acts 1911.
'They say. What do they say?
Let them sayl" So reads the in
scription over a doorway of one Of
the great schools of England. What
does it mean? It bespeaks the con-
fidence of life lived SO nobly that
the barbs flung out by wicked and
slanderous tongues may be faced
without fear, in fact, ignored.
The best defense against the at
tacks of men is the testimony of a
good life. Paul had lived such a
life, and consequently when the
hour came for him to speak in his
own defense, he needed but to point
to the record. It is significant that
his enemies did not deny the facts.
They could only cry out, throw off
their garments and throw dust in
the air while they shouted, away
with such fellow from the earth!"
(Acts 22:22-24). They did, indeed,
manufacture accusations against
him, but even the heather officials
knew enough to throw these out Of
court. The impotent rage shown
by wicked men when they run up
against the consistent testimony Of
a true Christian life is one of the
strongest of testimonies to the gen.
uineness of faith.
At first glance the portions as
signed for our lesson seem some
what unrelated though taken from
the same general narrative. A little
study reveals a surprising unity.
l. A Matter of Conviction (21 40
22:4).
Many men and women have no
real convictions. They are Repub-
licans or Democrats because their
fathers were, and often they have
not the remotest idea Of what it all
means. They are members of GER
tain denomination because they
were brought up in it, and have little
knowledge Of its teachings and no
definite convictions relative to them.
Paul was a Christian because Of
strong personal convictions Of the
deepest kind. He was reared in a
tradition which made him a bitter
prosecutor of the followers of Christ,
and it was a personal experience
Of the regenerating grace of God in
Jesus Christ which made him into
the bond slave of the One he had
prosecuted. We need more Of that
kind of know-so and say-so type Of
faith. Joining a church as one
might join social club means moth
ing-but following Christ in full and
free devotion is everything.
II. A Matter Of Authority tA:14-
16). .,. Il
just as Paul's life was built on
faith which was, inward, based on
personal convictions, it was also. a
faith that was Godward, based on
the authority Of His Word. The
Jews might call it heresy, but Paul
stood on "all things which are writ
ten" ". 40: he had a hope toward
God" ". 15), and ga conscience
void Of offence toward Cod ". 16).
Those WHO ridicule Christianity
would have it that faith is really
credulity. They say we believe
things which we do not know to be
true, while hoping that they may
somehow prove to be so. A man
who reads these notes in his home
town newspaper recently wrote to
ask me if was fool enough to be-
lieve the things I wrote. The fact is
that we, even as did Paul, have the
strongest Of all foundations for our
faith, namely the Word of God.
Men act in faith on the word Of their
fellow men-their very existence is
all bound up in that faith in men
whom they hardly know. They be-
ieve them, but they will not believe
God. I suggested to my correspond
ent that he read Corinthians 1913
Is and 2:14. -
Christian faith calls for personal
belief, but that belief is not In any
word Of man, but in the Word Of
God, which abideth forever.
iii. A Matter Of Witness (26:19-
2S).
Inward, Godward, and now out
ward in witness-these are the three
relationships Of Paul's good life. He
could plead in his own defense the
record Of his eife, for he had not
selfshly cherished a fellowship with
God which had lighted and warmed
his own soul and then left his fellow
man to sit in the chilling darkness
of sin. He was obedient to the
heavenly vision ". 1917, and
preached repentance, faith. and
good works to both Jew and Gentle
". 20), continuing to do so with
Gods help even in the face of severe
persecution. #
Some people are just so good that
they are "good for nothing" Such
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