Chapter VII: Part FOUR: Paul and His Companions (1)

LESSON 22

SAUL OF TARSUS

"Good company, and good discourses are the very sinews of virtue."

[Sidenote: A Benjaminite.]

At the time that Peter and Andrew, James and John were boys playing in Bethsaida, on the shores of Galilee, there was another bright, clever little lad playing and studying in a town about three hundred miles from them, whom they were to know in after years, first as a bitter enemy and afterwards as a friend and brother. This boy's name was Saul, and he lived in Tarsus, the capital of Cilicia. He was a Jew and belonged to the tribe of Benjamin, the youngest son of Jacob. Benjamin's father, you remember, kept him home when the other sons first went to Egypt to buy corn. The tribe of Benjamin was said to have been valorous; and in this respect, you will see that Saul was a true Benjaminite.

[Sidenote: Other Members of Family.]

Of Saul's parents and boyhood days we know very little. His father, at one time, lived in Palestine, and would, of course, teach his son to be a good orthodox Jew. Of his mother we know nothing, but we may be sure that she watched over him carefully, guided him in his games and in his studies and inspired him, even in his youth, to desire to grow up to be a great and useful man. Undoubtedly, this was the kind of mother he had, for all great men have been blest with just such noble mothers. We are not told whether he had any brothers; but he had at least one sister, whom he always loved and to whom he was a true and noble brother all his life.

[IMAGE: ST. PAUL.]

[Sidenote: A Good student.]

Saul was a good student, and attended school probably from the time he was six years old until he became a man. But in those days, school boys had no school books. They would just listen to what their teacher told them, remember it, and try to be able to tell it again when asked to do so. The principal study in the schoolroom, at that time, was the holy scriptures. Of course, they did not have the Bible then as we have it now, but they had the Old Testament, and could learn all about Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the children of Israel. King Saul, King David, King Solomon and the prophets. Thus, he was taught early in his life to look forward to the Messiah who should be King of the Jews.

[Sidenote: Pharisees and Sadducees.]

Among the Jews were found different sects or religions, chief among which were the Pharisees and the Sadducees. In Saul's day, Pharisees were the most popular of all the sects, and held most of the highest offices in the state and the church. They believed in the oral law as delivered from God to Moses, as well as in the written law. They believed also in the resurrection of the body. But they made long and frequent prayers, not only in the synagogue and temple, but in the streets, so they could be heard of men. In other things, too, they were very hypocritical.

The Sadducees did not believe in a bodily resurrection. You will see, later, how Saul used to good advantage this difference of belief between these two sects.

[Sidenote: A Pharisee.]

Saul was a Pharisee; and a good Pharisee, too. He was just as sincere in his belief and education as any good man could be. If Saul had been a hypocritical Pharisee, he probably never would have found the truth, but being sincere, that is, always doing what he thought was right, he was led to the Gospel.

[Sidenote: A Roman Citizen.]

There is another thing to learn about this boy, "Saul of Tarsus;" viz., that he was born a Roman citizen. Tarsus, an exceedingly rich and populous city, was a Roman municipium, or free corporation. This means that the freedom of Rome (which ruled all those countries at that time) had been given to the freemen of Tarsus. This freedom had been granted because the men of Tarsus had defended two emperors of Rome during a rebellion against them.

Thus, Saul, though a Jew, was a freeborn Roman citizen. In this double capacity, he had two names, Saul and Paul; the first his Jewish name and the latter his Roman or Latin name.

[Sidenote: A Tentmaker.]

As has been said, Saul was a student; but he was industrious, not only with his head, but also with his hands. He was a tentmaker. This trade he learned when he was still a boy. It was a constant practice of the Jews to bring their children to some honest calling that, in case of necessity, they might provide for themselves by the labor of their own hands. The time came when Paul, though an apostle, labored at intervals for twenty-nine years at the trade his father had taught him. It was during such times that he wrote "These hands have ministered unto my necessities."

[Sidenote: Gamaliel.]

When Saul had completed the studies as given in the Jewish schools at Tarsus, and had learned his trade, he desired to attend college. He was then, probably, about fourteen years of age. There were Gentile universities near his home, but, as he wanted to become a Rabbi, he went to Jerusalem, and became a student in the famous "School of Hillel." The president of this noted institution of learning was, "a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law had in reputation among all the people." [1] It is supposed that he was a son of Simeon who was in the Temple when the little baby Jesus was blessed, and who said, "Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace; for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation."

But though Gamaliel was the most learned man of his day, he did not know that the Messiah had come. Evidently, he did not believe what his father had told him about the child Jesus.

Under the instruction and influence of his great teacher, Saul continued for several years studying in Hebrew and Greek, and memorizing all the important commandments which the old Testament contained.

[Sidenote: Stephen.]

Saul completed his course under Gamaliel, and probably returned to Cilicia. In the meantime, Jesus had been crucified and a bitter persecution against some of His disciples had begun. The first to suffer death during this persecution was Stephen, one of the seven deacons chosen to look after the funds for the poor. Stephen was a very faithful servant "full of faith and the Holy Ghost." He declared that Jesus was the Savior of the world, and that all men must believe in His name if they would be saved. Stephen knew that the Pharisees were wrong in what they thought was necessary to salvation, and he, undoubtedly, told them so. At any rate he disputed with them in the synagogue.

[Sidenote: Stephen Before Sanhedrin.]

Being defeated in their disputations, the angry Jews dragged Stephen before the Sanhedrin and accused him of blasphemy. Even in court he still bore testimony of the divinity, death and persecution of the Savior, which so maddened the wicked Jews that they "gnashed on him with their teeth," and finally dragged him out of the court room, and stoned him to death.

[Sidenote: Consents to Stephen's Death.]

Among those blinded Pharisees who disputed with Stephen, was the young, learned student, Saul of Tarsus. And when "they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord," Saul consented unto his death, held the cloaks of the murderers and stood by and witnessed the cruel death of this first Christian martyr. Saul was sincere in believing that Stephen was an enemy to the Jewish religion. Probably Stephen recognized this when, just as he was dying he prayed, "Lord, lay not this sin to their charge."

Footnotes:

1. Acts 5:34.

LESSON 23

SAUL'S CONVERSION

"Better is the wrong with sincerity, rather than the right with falsehood."

[Sidenote: A Bitter Persecutor.]

[Sidenote: His Sincerity.]

After the death of Stephen, "there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad, throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria." One of the Saints' most energetic and persistent persecutors, during those terrible days, was the blinded Pharisee, Saul, of Tarsus. So determined was he to put an end to what he thought was a heresy that he secured the right as an officer of the Sanhedrin to arrest the followers of Jesus wherever he found them. He went from house to house, dragging men from their wives and children. He even arrested the women, and thrust them in prison! Surely the cries and piteous pleadings of the little children must have rent even his bitter heart almost more than the martyrdom of the faithful Stephen. Surely, as he forced men and women away from their homes, the blanched faces of crouching children, and their heartbroken sobs must have imprinted upon his bigoted soul impressions that would humble him if not haunt him all the days of his life! Only one thing could give him comfort in later life as he looked back upon those awful experiences. It was this, as expressed in his own words: "I verily thought with myself that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth." Saul was sincere in what he was doing. He did not believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, and thought it would be pleasing to his Father in Heaven to make every believer in Christ deny His name.

[Sidenote: Made Havoc of the Church.]

So Saul "made havoc of the church;" and when he had either imprisoned or driven out of Jerusalem every man he could find who confessed the Christ, with his soul "yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord," he asked the High Priest for "letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem." [1]

[Sidenote: Doubt.]

Damascus is about one hundred and fifty miles north of Jerusalem, so it would take Saul and his attendants about a week to travel the distance. Perhaps during those few days of comparative leisure, he began to wonder whether what he was doing was right or not. Perhaps the shining face of the dying Stephen and the martyr's last prayer began to sink more deeply into his soul than it had done before. Little children's cries for their parents whom Saul had bound began to pierce his soul more keenly, and make him feel miserably unhappy as he looked forward to more experiences of that kind in Damascus. Perhaps he wondered whether the work of the Lord, if he were really engaged in it, would make him feel so restless and bitter. He was soon to learn that only the work of the evil one produces those feelings, and that true service for the Lord, always brings peace and contentment.

[Sidenote: Light.]

But, whatever his thoughts and feelings were, he was hastening on with a determination to arrest every follower of Jesus whom he could find. As he neared the city, however, "suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven." Saul fell to the earth, and the men with him stood around him speechless.

From that moment, Saul was a changed man. When he fell to the earth, he was a proud, haughty Pharisee, a persecutor of innocent people: when he arose, he was a humble, submissive seeker after truth, a repentant follower of Him whom he had been persecuting. From the midst of the light, came a voice saying:

[Sidenote: The Revelation.]

"Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?"

"Who art thou, Lord?" asked Saul.

"I am Jesus whom thou persecutest," and then He added, in effect. "The more you persecute me the worse you feel; and the more your conscience troubles you." Fighting the Lord is just like kicking a "prickly pear," the harder you kick the worse it hurts.

When Saul realized this, and knew he had been doing wrong, he asked, "What wilt Thou have me to do?"

[Sidenote: A Commission.]

"Arise, go into the city, and it will be told thee what thou must do," not what Saul would like to do; not what he might do; but what he _must_ do, if he would be accepted of the Lord.

[Sidenote: Eyes but Saw Not; Blind, but Sees.]

Saul had been blessed with eyesight but had been blinded spiritually. Now he was blind physically, but light was coming into his soul. As he arose he could see nothing, and his attendants led him into the city, where he lodged in the house of Judas, in a street called Straight.

[Sidenote: Ananias.]

In the meantime, the Lord, in a vision, said to one of His servants called Ananias, "Arise and go into the street called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth."

But Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to Thy saints of Jerusalem: and here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on Thy name." Ananias was probably one whom Saul would have arrested first.

The Lord told Ananias to go as directed, for He had chosen Saul to bear His name, "before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel."

[Sidenote: Saul Administered to.]

Ananias did as directed; and when he entered the house of Judas, he found Saul not only penitent but blind. All the proud Pharisee's bitterness was gone and he was praying for light--light in his eyes and light in his soul. His prayers were answered, for God's humble servant laid his hands upon him and said, "Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost."

[Sidenote: Receives Sight.]

And Saul received his sight immediately, and arose and was baptized. This was one thing he had to do if he would be numbered in the Church of Christ. Thus in the conversion of this great man, we find illustrated the application of several principles of the Gospel, viz.: Faith, in Jesus Christ; Repentance from wrong doing; Baptism and the recognition of Christ's authority on earth.

Footnotes:

1. Acts 9:2.

LESSON 24

IN ANOTHER SCHOOL

"All the scholastic scaffolding falls as a ruined edifice, before one single word--faith."

[Sidenote: Teachers Compared.]

For several days immediately following his wonderful conversion and his restoration to sight, Saul "was with the disciples who were at Damascus." Saul had now entered another school, but how different from the one in which he sat at the feet of the learned Gamaliel! There he listened to instruction from the most learned men of his day; now he is listening to men who were thought unlearned. There he received training of the intellect; now he is receiving training of the soul. There he studied blindly; now he studies, truly seeing! His instructor is one of the faithful men whom he had despised and whom he came to arrest. "Not Peter, or James or John, no great and eminent apostle need be sent for, to instruct the learned and highly talented Saul; but Ananias, some poor, simple-hearted Christian of whom the Divine word has never before made mention, is fully sufficient, in God's hand, to teach this most richly endowed of all the early converts."

[Sidenote: True Zeal.]

As he listened, hour after hour, during those few memorable days, his soul became fired with a true zeal; and we can imagine hearing him say to his new teachers,

"Set on your foot. And with a heart new fir'd I follow you."

"And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God."

[Sidenote: Jews Amazed.]

We are not told whether any of the men who accompanied him to Damascus became converted. Perhaps one or two did; but, undoubtedly, some of them thought Saul had turned traitor. So also did the Jews in Damascus, who were amazed, and said to one another, "Is not this he that destroyed them which called on this name in Jerusalem, and came here for that intent, that he might bring them bound unto the chief priests?" But the more they opposed him, the more eloquently he defended the name of Jesus and proved to them that Jesus is the Christ.

[Sidenote: The School of Solitude.]

After a few days of fiery disputations in the synagogues, Saul concluded to leave Damascus and go into retirement; so, bidding his new friends goodby, he went into Arabia in the mountains near the Red Sea. Here he received instruction in the School of Solitude.

"O sacred solitude! divine retreat!
Choice of the prudent! envy of the great!
By thy Pure stream, or in thy waving shade,
We court fair wisdom."

Like Moses, Elijah, John the Baptist, and even the Savior Himself, Paul now sought to be alone with God, and to learn how to get his spirit in communion with the Holy Spirit.

How long he remained there, we do not know. All he says about this journey is: "I went into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus."

HIS FLIGHT FROM DAMASCUS

No sooner had he returned to the city of his conversion, than he began to preach again in the synagogues. Again the Jews began to dispute him, and again he confounded them. Day after day, and week after week the religious controversy continued until the Jews could stand it no longer, and "took council to kill him."

[Sidenote: Every Gate Guarded.]

Around the city of Damascus was a high wall, and no one could go in or out except through the gates. Therefore, when the Jews decided to kill Saul, the first thing they did was to make sure he could not escape. So they placed guards at every gate, and "watched day and night to kill him."

[Sidenote: Friends.]

But Saul had his friends as well as enemies, and he had one Friend who had chosen him for a great and useful mission, and as long as Saul was faithful, his life would be spared until this special work was done. Through inspiration or otherwise, Saul knew that his enemies were lying in wait for him, so he kept out of their way.

[Sidenote: Over the Wall.]

Fortunately, one of his friends lived in a house built right near the wall of the city; and from here, some of the disciples assisted Saul to escape. They put him in a basket, and then watching carefully to see that no enemies were in sight, they carried Saul to the top of the wall, and let him down on the other side. Thus it happened that while the wicked guards were watching day and night to entrap Saul, that disciple of the Master was making his journey back to Jerusalem.

WITH THE DISCIPLES IN JERUSALEM

[Sidenote: Returns to Jerusalem.]

Three years before, he left Jerusalem as an officer of the Sanhedrin, bearing a special commission, and accompanied by attendants and officers. He left with enmity in his heart for every person who professed to believe in Jesus Christ. Now he journeys back alone, rejected by those whom he had served, a fugitive from the Jews who, a few years before, awaited to welcome him as a hero! But Saul is happier now alone as he is than when he went in pomp to arrest God's servants. And yet he can look forward to no welcome in Jerusalem! His old friends and teachers think he has turned traitor to their cause, and the Apostles of Jesus doubt his conversion. "They were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple."

[Sidenote: Barnabas.]

But there was one, an old friend and true, a classmate, and fellow townsman who extended to Saul the glad hand of fellowship. That was Barnabas, who "took him, and brought him to the apostles," declaring how Saul had been converted by a light, and the voice of the Lord, and how he had preached in Damascus in the name of Jesus.

With this testimony, the Apostles accepted Saul, and gave him their companionship. Soon Saul was preaching in Jerusalem as boldly as he had in Damascus. In his disputes with the Grecians, he evidently confounded them as he had those in Damascus, and with the same effect--"They went about to slay him."

[Sidenote: Back to Tarsus.]

When the brethren learned this, "they brought him down to Caesarea, and sent him forth to Tarsus" back to his old home, to his parents and to his sister. But what a changed man from what he was when he left to practice in Jerusalem. In name he was still "Saul of Tarsus;" but in nature he was Paul the disciple of Jesus Christ.

[IMAGE: MAP, ST. PAUL'S FIRST JOURNEY.]

CALLED TO ASSIST BARNABAS

During the persecution in which Stephen was martyred, the Saints scattered to different places, and where ever they went, they preached the Glad Tidings of Great Joy. "And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned unto the Lord."

[Sidenote: Christians.]

A large number of these converts gathered in Antioch and it was there as you already know that the Saints were first called Christians. It was first applied to them in derision just as the word "Mormon" was first applied to the Church in this day, but later was accepted as an honorable title.

[Sidenote: Barnabas Seeks Saul.]

Barnabas, who "was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith" was appointed to look after the Saints in that great city. Finding a great missionary opportunity in that field, and desiring able assistance in carrying on the great work assigned him, Barnabas decided to go to Tarsus, his old home, and try to find Paul. What a happy time these old playmates must have had when they met once again in the familiar scenes of their boyhood days! We are not told what they did, nor what they said, nor what their old friends and relatives thought of their new religion. We do know, however, that Paul accepted the call to go with Barnabas to Antioch. There "they assembled themselves in the Church, and taught much people." This seems to have been Paul's first definite assignment in the Church.

LESSON 25

SPECIAL MESSENGERS TO JERUSALEM

"God has so ordered that men, being in need of each other, should learn to love each other, and bear each other's burdens."

"To pity distress is but human; to relieve it is God-like."

[Sidenote: Agabus.]

While Paul and Barnabas were at Antioch, there came "prophets from Jerusalem," one of whom was named Agabus. He is thought to have been one of the Seventy chosen by the Savior; but just what priesthood and what position in the Church he held we do not know for certain. But he must have been a righteous man, and filled with the Holy Ghost, for he could foretell, through the inspiration of the Spirit, things that other people, by their own intelligence, could not see. At the time of which we are speaking he prophesied that "there should be a great dearth throughout all the world," meaning that there would be a famine in the land, and that people would go hungry.

[Sidenote: Offerings to Poor.]

The disciples had faith in Agabus and believed to be true what he said. They knew of some of the Saints in Judea who could not stand a famine; in fact, many of them had given all they had to the Church; so "every man according to his ability determined to send relief unto the brethren who dwelt in Judea." Paul and Barnabas were chosen as the messengers of relief.

[Sidenote: Famine.]

It was well they did so, for the famine came just as Agabus had said it would. Luke tells us that it happened in the days of Claudius Caesar (44 A. D.), and profane historians inform us that it was so severe that even the emperor himself was insulted in the market place by those who were starving.

[Sidenote: Persecution Under Herod.]

At about the time that the two elders were sent from Antioch to Jerusalem, there was a bitter persecution, waged against the Saints; and "Herod the king began to vex certain of the Church, and he killed James, the brother of John, with the sword." Those were the days in which Peter was imprisoned and chained to his guards, but through the miraculous intervention of God, was delivered by an angel. Paul and Barnabas were probably present in the house of Mary the mother of John Mark, joining in prayer for the preservation of Peter's life, when, as we have already learned in the lessons on Peter, Rhoda announced Peter at the door.

[Sidenote: Return to Caesarea.]

After witnessing this wonderful manifestation of the power of God in behalf of His servants, Paul and Barnabas probably witnessed how God sometimes punishes the wicked. If so, it happened on this wise. Their duty as messengers for the Saints in Antioch had been faithfully performed, and the relief sent to the members of the Church in Judea properly delivered to those who should have it in charge. They had spent many days renewing old friendships, and enjoying the companionship, even in persecution, of the leaders and members of the Church of Christ. They were now ready to return and report their labors to the Church in Antioch. Their return journey took them to Caesarea. Perhaps they visited Cornelius, whose home, you remember, was there. At any rate, some who have carefully studied the life and travels of St. Paul tell us that on his return from Jerusalem at this time, he witnessed the death of the wicked King Herod. Weed describes the scene as follows:

[Sidenote: Death of Herod.]

"The Roman Emperor Claudius had obtained great victories in Great Britain. On his return to Rome there was great rejoicing. Herod thought he would gain great favor with the emperor by a grand festival in his honor in Caesarea, to which he hastened from Jerusalem. On the morning of the second day the theatre was filled with a mass of human beings to witness the inhuman exhibition of gladiators who fought one another for public amusement. Herod appeared in a magnificent robe, sparkling with silver. As the rays of the early morning sun fell upon him, the eyes of the beholders were dazzled by the brilliant robe. Flattered by their foolish cries of admiration he made an oration to the people who gave a shout, crying, 'It is the voice of a God and not of a man.' He was willing to be so called, though this was blasphemy, giving to a man what belongs to God alone. "Immediately the angel of the Lord smote him because he gave not God the glory." This was very different from the experience of Peter in prison when the angel of the Lord came upon him, and smote him upon the side; and led him from death.

"The smiting of Herod by the angel was with a dreadful disease such as had caused the death of his grandfather. He was carried from the theatre to his palace where he lingered five days in agony until death closed his life in the fifty-fourth year of his age. It was the fourth year of his reign over the region where had ruled his grandfather, whose wicked example he had followed to a like inglorious end."

"When in the theatre the scene was suddenly changed from the gladiatorial and other wicked amuesements to the judgment on the king, the multitude fled, rending their clothes according to the custom in horror."

[Sidenote: John Mark.]

All these things and many more, Paul and Barnabas would report to the Saints upon their return to Antioch. Luke informs us that after they had fulfilled their ministry they returned from Jerusalem, and "took with them John whose surname was Mark."

[Sidenote: The Report.]

Interesting meetings were held in Antioch, at which the report of the mission of Paul and Barnabas was given. In attendance at these meetings and reasiding in Antioch at the time were certain prophets and teachers, Barnabas, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manean, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, "separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them." They had performed one duty well and faithfully, and were now better prepared for a greater one for which the Lord had chosen them. This was a special mission to the Gentiles.

Some time later, after fasting and prayer, some of the prophets and teachers laid their hands on the chosen missionaries, set them apart, and bade them prepare for their journey.

LESSON 26

FIRST MISSIONARY JOURNEY

"Let your religion be seen. Lamps do not talk, but they do shine. A lighthouse sounds no drum, it beats no gong; yet far over the waters its friendly light is seen by the mariner."

Soon after the special meetings mentioned in the last chapter, Paul, Barnabas and John Mark started on their mission, which is now known as Paul's first missionary tour.

[Sidenote: At Cyprus.]

Leaving the famous city of Antioch, in Syria, they sailed down the river to Seleucia, a seaport town on the Mediterranean Sea. Here they took the boat on the open sea, and sailed southwestward to the island of Cyprus.

[Sidenote: At Salamis.]

Landing at Salamis, a port of Cyprus, the missionaries began their labors at once, preaching the word of God in the synagogue of the Jews. Here Barnabas was at home, and undoubtedly experienced great joy in preaching the Gospel to his old friends and playmates. But he must have been deeply grieved to see how many of them rejected his message, and continued in sin and idolatry.

The Gentiles on this island worshiped the goddess Venus, to whom they built a temple and offered sacrifices.

[Sidenote: Call to Repentance.]

Their religion, instead of making them purer in their thoughts and more virtuous in their actions, made them more sinful. So Paul and his companions found the people very wicked indeed. Wherever they went, these three missionaries preached the only true Gospel, and called on men "everywhere to repent."

They traveled the entire length of Cyprus, a distance of one hundred miles, telling the people about Christ the Redeemer of the world.

AT PAPHOS

[Sidenote: Governor Hears Gospel.]

On the southwestern coast of Cyprus was the chief city of the island named Paphos. Here is where the Roman governor, or, as Luke says, the "deputy of the country," lived. As was their custom, soon after the missionaries entered the city they proclaimed their message to the people. When the governor, Sergius Paulus, heard about them, he "called for Barnabas and Paul, and desired to hear the word of God." Luke says he was "a prudent man," so we conclude that he was sincere in his desire to know the truth.

ELYMAS THE SORCERER

[Sidenote: A Sorcerer Rejects Gospel.]

But there was living in the deptuy-house at the time a man who was not sincere, and who claimed to be a sorcerer. He rejected Paul's message, and opposed his teachings. Bar-Jesus was his right name, and he was a Jew, and a false prophet. Paul read his wicked heart, and knew that because of selfishness and love of money he rejected the Gospel.

"Then Paul, filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him and said, O full of subtlety and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?

"And now behold the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season.

"And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some one to lead him by the hand."

If in his darkness he had let the messengers of Light lead him they would have given him eternal sight, just as Paul had received it through Ananias, in Damascus. But we are led to believe that he remained blind and bitter.

[Sidenote: The Governor Believes.]

Sergius Paulus, however, believed, "being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord." Many others believed also, and in the wicked town of Paphos, where the revellers worshiped the goddess of love, a church was organized, and a little body of Christians came together to worship the true God and His Son Jesus Christ.

IN PAMPHYLIA

[Sidenote: A Missionary Returns.]

From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed northward to Perga in Pamphylia. At this place something happened about which we wish we knew more. All that Luke says about it is this:

"And John departing from there returned to Jerusalem."

We know that later, this circumstance became a matter of sharp dispute between Barnabas and Paul, but just why John wished to return we are not informed. Perhaps he had not intended to travel so far; or it may be that matters at home needed his attention; or he might have been over sensitive, and felt that "two were company but three were a crowd;" but whatever the cause Paul and Barnabas had to continue their journey without the young man Mark. Later, he resumed his missionary work traveling with Barnabas. There is no record of his traveling again with Paul; although the latter wrote of him later as "a comfort, and a fellow worker unto the kingdom of God."

IN PISIDIA

[Sidenote: Through Mountain Passes.]

From Perga in Pamphylia, Paul and Barnabas continued north to Antioch in Pisidia. Day after day, these two missionaries traveled on foot through a mountainous region, where very few people resided. Sometimes, perhaps, they could find lodging with some shepherd, but more often, they would sleep in caves or among the trees. But they had a message of salvation in their hearts and so were happy. After about seven days of wearisome and dangerous travel, they reached Antioch in Pisidia.

[Sidenote: In the Synagogue.]

When the Sabbath day came, as was their custom, the missionaries went into the synagogue, and sat down in the congregation. After the leaders had read the law and the prophets, they asked the visitors if they had "any word of exhortation for the people." At this, Paul stood up and delivered a most impressive sermon, so much so, that the people invited Paul to speak again on the next Sabbath. Many who were present accepted the Gospel. [1]

"And the next Sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.

[Sidenote: Turn to Gentiles.]

"But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming." Their opposition and contradiction made the missionaries only more earnest and emphatic. Finally, when it was apparent that the Jews would not accept the truth, Paul and Barnabas waxed bold and said, "It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you; but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo we turn to the Gentiles." When the Gentiles heard this announcement, they were delighted and many of them accepted the principles of the Gospel.

[Sidenote: Jews Jealous.]

But the Jews were jealous; they became filled with envy and determined to drive the missionaries "out of their coasts." This they did with the aid of "the devout and honorable women and the chief men of the city." The persecution became so bitter that Paul and Barnabas "shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came unto Iconium."

IN ICONIUM

[Sidenote: Again in Synagogue.]

Filled with the joy that comes from true service to one's fellowmen, Paul and Barnabas began their preaching in Iconium. Entering the synagogue here, as they had done in the city from which they had just been driven, they spoke "boldly in the Lord, who gave testimony unto the word of His grace, and granted signs and wonders to be done by their hands."

[Sidenote: Again Opposed.]

Jews and Greeks also rallied around the standard as unfurled by these great missionaries; but Jews and Greeks also organized to oppose them. The result was that the city was divided; "and part held with the Jews and part with the Apostles."

Hearing that a plot was on foot to do them injury, and to stone them, Paul and Barnabas withdrew from the city, and went to "Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and unto the region that lieth round about."

Footnotes:

1. See Paul's sermon, Acts 13:14-41.

LESSON 27

FIRST MISSIONARY JOURNEY--Continued

AT LYSTRA AND DERBE

"Outward attacks and troubles rather fix than unsettle the Christian, as tempests from without only serve to root the oak more firmly in the ground."

"As sure as ever God puts His children in the furnace, He will be in the furnace with them."

[Sidenote: Among the Heathen.]

At Lystra, Paul and Barnabas found a people who were almost entirely heathen for they worshiped Jupiter and Mercury and other false deities, and knew little or nothing about the true God. There were Jews amongst them, but not of sufficient numbers even to build a synagogue.

The country was wild and rugged, and the inhabitants were like the country. They were "villagers of little learning, and rude in dress and manner." Such people are usually shy of strangers, and slow to accept anything new. But once they begin to get confidence in the stranger, they may be easily swayed by him; not having very definite opinions of their own.

The doctrine preached by Paul and Barnabas was new to them, and after a time began to arouse their curiosity, and then awaken their interest.

[Sidenote: Choice People Among Them.]

Some of the most intelligent comprehended the truth, and accepted it. Lest you boys and girls might think that there were no superior people among these heathens, you must be reminded of the fact that in Lystra there was at least one choice family of whose membership in the Church the Bible makes mention, and in Derbe there were others.

[Sidenote: Timothy.]

In these towns, out of the persecution and affliction heaped upon them by the ignorant and wicked, Paul and Barnabas brought to the faith some of the choicest members of the early Church. Among these were Timothy, whom Paul afterwards called his son; Eunice, Timothy's mother, and Lois, Timothy's grandmother, whose "unfeigned faith" Paul commended in later years. Undoubtedly, the friendship alone of these noble people more than paid Paul for all the persecution he suffered during this first mission.

But to the people generally, the message was strange and incomprehensisble. They could not separate the doctrine of Christ from their heathen deities as was shown by a remarkable experience.

[Sidenote: A Miracle.]

Paul and Barnabas and a few converts were holding a meeting one day in the "open air." In the audience sat a man "impotent in his feet," who had been a cripple from birth, and who had never walked. This fact, of course, all the people knew, for many of them were acquainted with him, and had seen him carried to the meeting. "The same heard Paul speak," and conviction entered his weary heart that what Paul said was true. Paul looked at him, and "perceiving that he had faith to be healed," said, "Stand upright on thy feet." This he commanded by the power of the Redeemer.

[Sidenote: Effect.]

"The man leaped to his feet and walked." When the people saw this, they created an uproar in the city, and they said in their language, which was a mixture of Greek and Syrian:

"The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men," and they named Paul and Barnabas after their gods. Barnabas was tall, so they called him Jupiter; and Paul, being short and a gifted speaker, they called Mercury, because Mercury was supposed to preside over learning and eloquence.

[Sidenote: To Offer Sacrifice]

Some time after the meeting, the priests of Jupiter, who officiated in the temple of Jupiter that was in the city, decided to offer sacrifice to their gods as personified in Paul and Barnabas. So with the people, they gathered at the gates of the city, brought oxen and began to prepare to offer sacrifice.

[Sidenote: Missionaries Protest.]

When Paul and Barnabas heard of it, they ran among the people, and "rent their clothes" in protestation against such sacrifice. To rend their clothes was to express intense feeling and the people so understood it. Besides doing this they cried: "Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein."

[Sidenote: Paul Stoned.]

However, they could scarcely make the people refrain from worshiping them; but there were certain Jews there who had followed the missionaries from Antioch and Iconium, "who persuaded the people" that Paul and Barnabas were deceivers, and that the miracle which had been performed had been done by the power of the evil one. These Jews swayed the people to such an extent that instead of worshiping Paul and Barnabas, they picked up stones and stoned Paul until he fell to the earth, apparently dead. Thinking he was so, the mob then dragged his body out of the city and left it.

[Sidenote: A Many Headed Monster.]

What a many-headed monster this mob was! First they were ready to worship the men as gods, and then in just a few minutes became so bitter that they would stain their souls with murder! Shakespeare called such a crowd

"The blind monster, with uncounted heads.
The still discordant, wavering multitude."

[Sidenote: Paul Regains Consciousness.]

The mob dispersed, and around the still bleeding, silent body on the ground, stood the few intelligent, faithful disciples who had believed the true Gospel. How delighted and thankful they must have been when they saw Paul move, and later regain consciousness.

He had been stunned, but not seriously injured; so a little gentle nursing gave him strength to stand on his feet, and he walked back to the city.

[Sidenote: Gaius.]

The next day he left Lystra and traveled twenty miles to Derbe. Here he preached boldly and effectively, and converted many to the truth, among them a man by the name of Gaius, who proved to be a staunch and true friend to Paul and to the Church generally.

[Sidenote: Another Branch Organized.]

As they had done in other cities, so the missionaries did in Derbe--organized a branch of the Church and ordained elders over it. These they instructed, and met with them and with the Saints in fasting and prayer, "commended them to the Lord," and bade them goodby, for the time had come when the first missionaries from Antioch should return home.

[Sidenote: Return Home.]

They visited all the branches, preaching the Gospel, instructing, blessing, and comforting the Saints in Lystra and the regions round about. They then returned forty miles to Iconium and sixty miles back to Antioch in Pisidia. From there, they went to Perga in Pamphylia, and sailed from Attalia to Antioch in Syria.

Here the Saints gathered and bade them welcome, and heard the returned Elders report "all that God had done with them, and how He had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles."

LESSON 28

A GREAT CONTROVERSY

Texts: Acts 15:1-35

"The union of Christians to Christ, their common head, and by means of the influence they derive from Him, one to another, may be illustrated by the loadstone. It not only attaches the particles of iron to itself by the magnetic virtue, but by this virtue it unites them one to the other."

[Sidenote: Jews Scattered Over Empire.]

As we followed Paul and Barnabas in their first missionary journey, we noticed that in nearly every city they visited, they found Jews, and that their preaching was frequently first done in a synagogue. The fact is, that the Jews were scattered over nearly all of the Roman Empire. They were on the coasts and islands of Western Asia, on the borders of the Caspian Sea, and some were even as far as China.

[Sidenote: Jews Kept to Their Religion.]

But no matter where the Jew was living, he always kept his own religion, and studied carefully the Law of Moses. That is what James meant when he said, "Moses of old time, hath in every city, them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath day." Their religion taught them not to mingle with the Gentiles in marriage or in social intercourse.

[Sidenote: Gentiles Would Not Worship With Jews.]

The Gentiles, on the other hand, looked with contempt upon the Jews; while the "gay and licentious festivities of the Greek and Roman worship" made the Jews look with contempt upon Gentiles. They would trade with each other, and mingle together in daily vocations, but as a rule, that is as far as their intercourse went. They said with Shylock: "I will buy with you, sell with you, talk with you, walk with you, and so following; but I will not eat with you, drink with you, nor pray with you." [1]

Of course, there were Gentiles who sometimes became converted to the Jewish religion, and there were some who married Jewish women, but the line of dislike and suspicion was none the less sharply drawn.

[Sidenote: Peter's Prejudices.]

You remember how difficult it was for the Lord to convince Peter that the Gentiles were worthy to be baptized into the Church of Christ. Peter saw in a vision a vast sheet descending from heaven in which there were unclean animals, and he heard a voice saying, "Arise, Peter, kill and eat." But Peter said, "Not so, Lord: for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean." [2]

[Sidenote: Peter's Revelation.]

When Peter realized the meaning of the vision, his whole Jewish nature was shocked; for to obey was to break the Law of his forefathers by associating with Gentiles. The Jewish Christians who were with Peter from Joppa to Caesarea were "astonished" when they saw "the gift of the Holy Ghost poured out" on the "unclean" Gentiles. When Peter reached Jerusalem, he was accused of having not only associated but eaten with Gentiles, but Peter had learned by revelation that "what God has made clean" no one should "call common or unclean," that the Lord is "no respecter of persons," and that "every nation" that accepts Him, and "feareth Him and worketh righteousness," may receive His blessings.

THE QUESTION AGITATED

[Sidenote: The Church Agitated.]

But there were many Jews in the Church who did not believe this, and the only condition on which they would accept a Gentile was that he should obey the Jewish religion also. When this class of Christians heard that Paul and Barnabas had baptized hundreds of Gentiles, they became very much agitated in their feelings, and some of them went to Antioch and began to preach, first privately then publicly, that unless the Gentiles obeyed a certain Jewish rite, they could not be saved. Paul and Barnabas had told the Saints that obedience to the Gospel of Christ would save the Gentiles as well as the Jews, and that the Gentiles did not have to become Jews. Now these men from the chief branch of the Church declared that Paul and Barnabas were wrong. No wonder "those who from among the Gentiles were turned unto God," were "troubled" and perplexed. Indeed, the controversy became so sharp that it threatened to lead some out of the Church.

MESSENGERS SENT TO JERUSALEM

[Sidenote: Messengers to Jerusalem.]

So it was "determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question."

The Church in Antioch evidently believed Paul and Barnabas to be in the right, for when they started on their journey they were escorted on their way by the Church. As they passed through Syro-Phoenecia and Samaria, and told the Saints who greeted them how the Gentiles had been converted, they "caused great joy unto all the brethren."

[Sidenote: Paul's Third Visit.]

This was Paul's third visit to Jerusalem since his conversion. The first was three years after he joined the Church, when he spent two weeks with Peter, and then had to flee for his life. The second was when he accompanied the messengers who brought relief to the Saints in Judea during the famine. That was the time Peter was sentenced to be killed. Fifteen years had passed since he left Jerusalem for Damascus with papers to arrest all Christians whom he found! Now he enters the city as the defender of one of the greatest truths that the Christian Church or the world can know; namely, that God is no respecter of persons, but will bless every nation as it obeys the principles of life and salvation.

IN COUNCIL WITH THE LEADERS

[Sidenote: Titus.]

He first met in council with Peter, James and John, and received for the first time, so far as we know, "the right hand of fellowship" from John the beloved disciple. Titus was with Paul as an example of those who were Gentile converts.

[Sidenote: An Appeal to the Presidency.]

This visit was really an appeal to the Presidency of the Twelve, and confirms the belief of the members of the Church today that Peter, James and John were appointed leaders at that time just as three High Priests are now chosen as the First Presidency of Christ's Church.

[Sidenote: An Important Meeting.]

At length the great meeting was called at which was to be settled once and for all the standing of the Gentiles in the Christian Church. "It was a scene of earnest debate, and perhaps, in its earlier portion, of angry disputing"; but finally Peter addressed the assembly, and told how God had revealed to him the fact that the Gentiles could accept the Gospel without obeying all the Jewish ceremonies.

[Sidenote: Missionaries Testify.]

Then Paul and Barnabas spoke amidst great silence, while every eye was riveted upon these two great missionaries who had first organized branches of the Church among Gentile nations.

[Sidenote: The Decision.]

Finally, James, the brother of the Lord, who was known among the Jews as "James the Just," arose and gave the decision of the council, which established the union of the Jewish and the Gentile Christians.

PAUL RETURNS TO ANTIOCH

[Sidenote: Judas and Silas.]

Thus the controversy ended, and Paul's mission to the Gentiles was authoritatively approved. When he started back to Antioch he was accompanied by Judas surnamed Barsabas and Silas, "chief men among the brethren." It seems that John Mark went with them also. They carried with them the decree of the council to be read to the churches that had been so disturbed by the controversy.

When they reached Antioch, the whole body of the church met together, to hear the decision of the council. We can imagine with what interest and consolation the saints listened to the decree that there should not be one Church for the Jew and another for the Gentile; but that everyone who sincerely believed in Christ, and obeyed the Gospel would be saved.

[IMAGE: MAP, SAINT PAUL'S SECOND JOURNEY.]

Footnotes:

1. Merchant of Venice; Act 1, Scene 3.

2. Review entire experience.

LESSON 29

PAUL BEGINS HIS SECOND MISSIONARY JOURNEY

"Man should trust in God, as if God did all, and yet labor as earnestly as if he himself did all."

[Sidenote: Paul Desires to Visit Branches.]

After Silas and Judas Barsabas had remained in Antioch a short time "teaching and preaching the word of the Lord" with Paul and Barnabas and "many others also," Judas returned presumably to Jerusalem, but it "pleased Silas to abide there still." Two years had passed since Paul and Barnabas had returned from their first mission, and Paul felt impressed to visit again the churches they had established on that memorable tour. So one day he said to Barnabas. "Let us go again and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they do."

[Sidenote: Disagreement.]

To this Barnabas readily consented, but said, "Let us take my cousin John Mark along with us." "No," answered Paul, "it is not good to take Mark with us, because he turned back from us at Pamphylia, and went not with us to the work."

[Sidenote: Separation.]

But Barnabas knew why Mark had done that, and was sure he would not turn back this time. Paul, however, would not consent; so these two great missionaries agreed to separate, and each take his own companion. Barnabas chose John Mark, and Paul chose Silas. They probably also agreed that Barnabas and Mark should go to the churches on the islands, and Paul and Silas to those on the mainland.