¡8 Dail$ Devotional Home Readings m j W Connected witK International Sunday) School Lessons m Bj> FREDERIC W. FARR, D. D. MONDAY, August 1. A cts 13:1-7. P au l a M issionary In Cyprus.
main land a t P erga and hasten on to Antioch. They go to th e synagogue, where P aul preaches his first recorded sermon. The address is somewhat sim ilar to P e te r’s a t Pentecost, h u t th ere are strik ing differences. Its chief though t is th a t God was a t work in the history of Israel. By a series of progressive changes increasing in bless ing, he has always promoted th e well being of His people. This course of action was crowned by th e gift of his only begotten Son. Every act in this age-long series is th a t of God or His servants as agents save two, viz., th e desire for a king, verse 21, and the rejection of th e ir Messiah, verse 27. In these two instances Israel in terfered and acted to h er own undoing. P aul inserted some notes of tim e in his ad dress th a t helped his h earers to ap preciate God’s patien t continuance and Divine persistence through many cen tu ries in His helpful purpose. THURSDAY, August 4. Acts 13:25-33. P au l on th e D eath o f Christ. Christianity is a historic religion resting upon a series of demonstrable facts. These are stated by Paul in th e order of th e ir occurrence in 1 Cor. 15:3, 4. If th e resurrection of Christ he re garded as th e g reatest m iracle of the Christian faith it pre-supposes th e lit eral and actual death of Christ. A part from all doctrinal explanations of the necessity, meaning and consequences of Christ’s death, we must first of all ad m it its- actual occurrence. Resuscita tion is not resurrection. If He merely fainted or swooned upon the cross, or passed into a sta te of coma, the vital spark had no t fled. A subsequent re vival is not resurrection and th e founda tion of Christianity is destroyed. T hat th is was t h e . case, is a g ratu itou s as sumption of infidelity. The Scriptures are against it, the facts are against it, th e very possibility of such a thing is unthinkable. P aul held and ta u g h t not only th a t Christ died, b u t th a t He died for our sins according to th e Scriptures. FRIDAY, August 5. A cts 13:34-43. P au l on th e Resurrection o f Christ. - In trea tin g of the resu rrection of
Five disciples are gathered for a sea son of prayer. P robably no one of them had foreign missions in mind. They were entirely surrendered to God, how ever, and His though ts were tow ard th e u tterm o st p arts of th e world. This was th e beginning of foreign missions. God did not send all. He kep t th ree a t home and sent two abroad. It m ight be well if th e same proportion held to day. B arnabas and Saul were sent to the foreign field, not by th e Church but by th e Holy Spirit who acted through th e Church. They do no t stop a t Se- leucia, which is only sixteen miles from Antioch and can therefo re be evangel ized by the home church. They keep on to Cyprus and preach in th e syna gogues there. They are under th e di rection of th e Spirit, h u t they have a, plan of campaign and exercise th e ir own judgm ent in all th e details of th e ir jou r ney. John Mark was th e ir a tten d a n t and helper. TUESDAY, August 2. A cts 13:8 -15 . - P au l Journeys to Antioch. On th e island of Cyprus th e mission aries encounter and conquer th e ir first obstacle. Christian in P ilg rim ’s progress is no t far advanced in his journey be fore he meets Apollyon. The Word of God shows th a t th e Devil is active a t the beginning of things. He m et the .S av iou r as he m et Adam, a t th e begin ning of his career and now he seeks to bring to naugh t th e mission to the heathen in its earliest stage. Elymas is an apostate Jew and a sorcerer. He may call him self a son of Jesus, h u t the Spirit of God exposes him and judg ment falls upon him. The judgm ent, however, is tempered w ith mercy, for he is blind bu t “ for a season.’’ The deputy is delivered from his power, being astonished not a t th e m iracle but a t th e doctrine, vs. 12. The grace of God in th e salvation of a sinner, is far more wonderful th an any work of judg ment. WEDNESDAY, August 3. A cts 13:16-24. God in Israel’s H istory. Leaving the island they reach the
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