The Mississippi enterprise. (Jackson, Miss.) 1938-current, 1959-12-12
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
BY Rev. George A. Harper,
511 Avenue g.,
GreenM0Od. Miss.

lNL NI4NlO n i q.
Acts 9:32-11:18; Print
Acts 10:1-18.
MEMORY SELECTION -
Of truth | perceive that God
is no respecter of persons: but
in every nation he that fear
eth him, and worketh right
eousness, is accepted with him.
facts 1884, 80.
This was always truth, be-
fore Peter perceived it, that
God respecteth no mans per-
son; it was the fixed rule of
judgment from the beginning:
If thou doest we'll, shall thou
not be accepted? And if not
well, sin, and the punishment
Of it, lie at the door. But in
every nation, and under every
denomination, he that fears
God and works Righteousness
is accepted of him. This ex-
cellent sermon of Peters is
admirably suited to the cir
cumstances of those to whom
he preached it; for it was
new sermon. Because they
were Gentiles to whom he
preached. He shows that, not
withstanding this, they were
interested in the gospel of
Christ, which he had to
preach. and entitled to the
benefit of it, upon an equal
footing with the Jews.
PETER CRITICIZED FOR
GOING TO GENTILES:
"And the apostles and
brethren that were in Judaea
heard that the Gentiles had
also received the word of God"
The word of God was no
longer and the exclusive pos
session of the Jew, but of all
people, both Jews and Gen
tiles. "And when Peter was
come up to Jerusalem, they
that were of the circumcision
commended with him" It
was this same group that rails
ed contention with Peter after
his return to Jerusalem from
a tour of service among Gen
tile people. Had it been left
to the members of the circum-
cision Christianity would have
died a Jewish sect on the shore
of Palestine, having failed to
touch the bulk of the worlds
people. Saying, Thou went
est in to men uncircumcised,
and didn't eat with them
To them Gentiles were infer
ior, unclean, people with
whom no self-respecting Jew
ought to associate. 1t was un-
lawful for a Jew to eat or
drink with a Gentle, or to be
a guest in his home.
PETERS ENLIGHTENING
VISION:
''But Peter rehearsed the
matter from the beginning,
and expounded it by order I'M
to them, saying" - Peter be-
lieved that some explanation
and Qualification of the situa-
ton would mitigate the matter
between him and the brethren,
for he too, had once been of
the same opinion as they, be-
ing Jew with the narrow
viewpoint. Il was in the city
of Joppa praying: and in a
trance | saw vision, A GER
tain vessel descended, as it
had been a great sheet, let
down from heaven by four cor
ners; and it came even to me-"
-Joppa was a city within the
territory of Israel. 1t was while
here that Peter had his vision
of the cleansing and equality
of all man in the sight of God.
"Upon the which when / had
tasted mine eyes, / considered,
and saw fourfooted beasts of
the earth, and wild beasts, and
creeping things, and fowls of
the air" In this visionary
sheet which Peter saw were
all sorts of domestic and wild
life.
Some of these were labeled
as clean and fit for food ac-
cording to the laws of pure or
clean food among the Jews.
"And / heard a voice saying
unto me, Arise, Peter; STAY
and eat"-The vision was in
terms of something to eat, cor
responding to Peters physical
state at that time. The invita-
ton to eat is of the same ma
A.