The Wilmington morning star., 1945-06-09
Sunday School
son
Nv WILLIAM E. GILRoW, ID.

"
The Acts of the Apostles be-
gan with the acts OF Jesus CHRIST.
The Book that tells how the CHRIS
tan church began and spread
would never nave been written
had it not been that the Apostles
as early disciples had gone with
Jesus as He went about dong gooo'
listening to His teaching, observ-
ing His ways of graciousness and
love, and witnessing His acts OF
mercy and kindess.
All that Jesus said and did stood
out the more clearly in their
memory, as He left them with
the promise of the Holy Spirit;
and in the light of His death and
resurrection they understood
deal that they had never under
stood before. This understanding,
too, brought a new sense OF re-
sponsibility and devotion. The dis
putes and quarrels about pre-
cedence and preferment, as to
which of them should be the great
err, which had con>Gled almost to
the very verge Of the Cross, were
thing of the past as their minds
and hearts were consecrated to
the great work of witnessing to all
that they had seen and heard.
The Christian church had its be-
ginning, following the work OF
Christ, in witnessing; and its con-
tinuance and strength through the
centuries has been in witnessing.
The simple process of telling to
others the good news that one has
heard, and of witnessing to the ex-
perience that one has found, has
been at the heart Of all Christian
progress. When Christians cease to
be witnesses, and the church
ceases to be a witnessing church,
pretension has taken the place Of
reality; the spirit of Christ is not
there eye shall be Witnesses,
said Jesus (Acts 1:0; and the
Apostles became witnesses indeed.
One can hardly overestimate,
too, the Transformation that took
place in the Apostles themselves.
1t was not simply that they be-
came humble, and unselfish, and
filled with the spirit of service,
where formerly they had been
self-seeking and jealous of power
for themselves; they bacame men
Of power; but what different sort
of power it was!
"Ye shall receive power said
Jesus, latter that the Holy Gnost
is come upon you; and the re-
atty and effectiveness of the bap-
tism of the Spirit could not more
forcefully be displayed than in the
quickness and completeness with
which a few Galilean fishermen,
and peasants, and lowly people, be
came suddenly transformed into
leaders and World-builders of the
greatest thing on earth.
They found the perfect love that
casts out fear. In the depth of their
faith they found courage to face
persecution and death for their
Masters sake, and the more mag
nificent courage of daring to win
thinks of the s7nallness and seem
the world for Him. When one
ing weaness of that band, in con-
trast with the vast extent and
power of the Roman world, what
they attempted and achieved
seems miraculous. Even in an out.
ward, historic sense the achieve
ment was amazing; for in less
period of time than our own
American history has consumed
the Galilean had conquered, and
Christianity became the official
religion of the Roman Empire.
But it is the inward triumph,
of Christ over the souls Of men
that is vital; and the Apostolic
achievement goes on and is re-
peated wherever and whenever the
Apostolic conditions are fulfilled.
Jesus still lead on!