The midland journal., 1946-10-04

clesiastes 1871.
God works through men. When
we study his work we study the
lives of men-all types of men
but all yielded to him, and used by
him.
Paul stands out as one of the most
influential characters in all history.
His life and letters, which we are
to study the next three months,
have had a tremendous effect on
the human race. Especially is this
true of his position and influence in
the Christian church.
Under God he was the one who
carried the gospel to the Gentle
world, and then began the great
missionary program of the church,
which goes on to this very day. His
writings are the steady and ex-
tensive foundation of much of our
study and teaching of Christian doc
trine.
1. Birthplace (Acts 81: :39).
The place Of a mans birth has
definite influence on his personality
and usefulness. Tarsus, where Paul
was born, was one of the most cos
mopolitan cities in the world of that
day. 1t was a Roman province,
where men proudly held their cit
izenship in the great empire. Greek,
the language of world culture, was
spoken thare.
Tarsus was a great educational
and university center. 1t was in a
rich and fertile area. 1t was at the
head of navigation on the river
Cydnus and on a great Roman high
way. It was the capital of the
province.
ii. Education (Acts 22:3).
After his early training in the
home and under rabbis in Tarsus,
he went to Jerusalem to study in
what was probably the best
equipped Hebrew college of that
day, under one of the greatest
teachers, Gamaliel.
Somewhere in his rearing he was
taught a trade, for every Jewish boy
learned to support himself with his
own hands (see Acts 1879.
He was instructed in the Word of
God, and had consuming zeal for
religious things. Until he was con-
verted, it counted against Christian
ity, but afterward it became a
flaming fire to spread the truth in
all the world.
His combined zeal and knowledge
made him a man of truly broad
mind and tolerant spirit (Acts $685.
39)
III. Citizenship (Acts 22:27, 28).
The mighty power and prestige Of
Rome stood behind every Roman
citizen. Paul used his citizenship
for protection. 1t helped him in his
service for the Lord. It's prestige
was used for Gods glory.
1t is good sign when a man is
proud of his national background,
and it speaks well for the nation to
which he belongs. But Paul came
Gas every Christian does) to know
and appreciate higher citizenship.
Nv. Religion (Acts 26:4, 50.
Though a free-born Roman citi-
zen, Paul was a Jew, and loyal to
the religion of his people. He was
member of the strictest sect, the
Pharisees, in which his family had
held membership for generations.
He lived consistently in the OBJ
servance of the laws and customs of
his religious faith, and none could
point to any flaw in his doctrine or
failure in his life.
When he became a follower of
Christ, there was no ground on
which anyone could dismiss his con-
version aid his witness as the out
break of a new viewpoint on the
part of renegade Jew.
1t is to a mans credit that he
faithfully lives up to the beliefs of
the religion he processes. The re-
suit of such sincerity will be con-
version, if he, like Paul, meets
Christ ana honestly faces the ques-
ton of loyalty to him.
v. Race (Phil. 3:5, g..
Paul counted it to be an honor to
be known as Hebrew and gloried
in the fact that he was born, trained
and lived within that racial as well
as religious circle.
No one need ever be ashamed of
his race, although he may be
ashamed of things which members
of his race have done. But there
are even more things of which to
be proud, and man may add to
the standing of his race by living
his own life in cleanness of char
acter and nobility of purpose. It is
never a commendable thing to be
ashamed of the race of ones IA
Tiers.
We must remember, however,
that all the things in which Paul
gloried, he found to be but refuse
when he compared them with Christ
(see Phil. 3:7, 81.
Everything worthwhile in a mans
life God can glorify and use. But
none Of them, no matter how pre-