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lion wholly obscures it from their view. It is a solemn hour when any soul defi nitely turns an unhearing ear to the Word of God, and God then directs that Word to another. 3. The Word which he preached was re ceived by some. ' “Many of the Corinthians believed and were baptized.” They did not believe in Paul, but in Christ whom Paul preached. There was no saving power in the apos tle, but he preached a Saviour who could and did save all who put their trust in Him. Sinners though they were, sunken in terrible vice and wickedness, Paul said nothing to the Corinthians about reforma tion. He simply told the story of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, believing and receiving which, regenera tion was assured. He knew that reforma tion would follow regeneration. III. P aul ' s V ision in C orinth (18:9-11). Following the persecution, the Lord spoke very graciously to Paul one night in a vision. The Evangelical Christian
1. It brought a call to continued preach ing. The Lord said: “Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace.” Perhaps, in the light of the determined opposi tion and blasphemy with which Paul was faced, he might have been tempted to forsake his work. But the Lord assured him that He had taken him to Corinth for a purpose, and that purpose was to speak the Word. 2. It brought great encouragement. It revealed to Paul that God was with him to protect him. He had the assurance of the -Lord’s presence for his help, the Lord’s protection for his guard, and the Lord’s people for his object. And these are the things upon which each Christian may rely today. The Lord has promised never to leave its nor to forsake us. He has promised also to protect us, so that no evil shall befall us without His per mission. Furthermore, we have the Lord’s people always around us as the objects of our love, our prayers, and our labor. We may not know just who, among the peo ple by whom we are surrounded, are the Lord’s, but He knows, and thè ownership will be revealed by their attitude toward the Word. 3. It was answered by obedience. Paul “continued there a year and six months.” He was with the Corinthians long enough to enable him to know them well. Later he wrote that they were “be hind in no gift” (1 Cor. 1:7). When the Lord called him to Corinth, he went; when he knew it was the Lord’s will that he should remain there and minister, he obeyed. Many conjectures have been ad vanced as to what made Paul the great man that he was. Undoubtedly the secret of his greatness lies in his. obedience and faithfulness to his Lord. Lesson Questions Acts 18 :l-3. Describe Corinth. With whom did Paul live in this city? What did they have in common? Vs. 4-8. Although Paul made his liv ing as a tent maker while in Corinth, what was his real work? Where did he engage in it? What’ was the result? Who was Justus? Where did he live? Was his home really a gospel center ? Vs. 9-11. Did the Lord grant Paul a vision in order to reassure him? What did he teach him by this method? What was Paul’s response? What is the secret of the apostle’s greatness? Golden T ext Illustration St. Paul’s, in London, has a marvelous pipe organ, and the organist is one of the great European masters *of that in strument. The other day, I had the op portunity of being present at “Evensong.” At the conclusion of the service, the or ganist played the “Dead March” from “Saul.” I have heard it many times and many times have been stirred by its state ly grandeur. To my mind, it is the most solemn and the most-majestic of all the dead marches. But this time . . . I stood in utter silence, thrilled to the core of my being. And as the climax came, which speaks not of dying mortality, but of ever-triumphant immortality, the spiritual ecstasy was all that my poor measure could hold.
BLACKBOARD LESSON
After the benediction, I sought the verger and inquired the reason for play ing the “Dead March.” He said that one of the cathedral trustees had just died, and the organist was his dearest friend. I remarked that I had never heard the “Dead March” played with such extraor dinary feeling. The verger answered, “Aye, I think he put a bit of love into the playing.” The verger was correct. Putting a bit of love in it makes all the difference in the world.-— B ishop T itus L owe . Paul W orking for Jesus in a G reat City A cts 18:1-11 Memory Verse: “Be not afraid . . . for ,1 am with thee” (Acts 18:9, 10). Approach: After a while, Paul came to a large city named Corinth. This city was on the. sea, and boats from all over the world came to its shores bringing travel ers and goods from many countries. L e s s o n Story: At first Paul preached in the synar gogues, but when the Jews wouldn’t listen, he preached to the Gentiles. It must have seemed to Paul that there were so many people and so few to tell them the gospel story that it was hardly worth while. God knew that Paul was discouraged, so He sent him a vision. One night it seemed as if the Lord came to Paul and spoke to him. Read Acts 18 :9, 10. ? Then Paul felt better, and he was so encouraged that he stayed in Corinth a long time—a year and a half—“teaching the word of God among them.” Missionaries in other countries are sometimes discouraged because there are so many people who haven’t heard the gospel story and so many who don’t want to hear if. But they can remember the vision which the Lord sent to Paul, and they can know that God means it for them, too. Sing, pray, and swerve not from His ways, But do thine own part faithfully; Trust His rich promises of grace, So shall they be fulfilled in thee: God never yet forsook at need The soul that trusted Him indeed. Although Co r i n t h was such a big and busy city, Paul at once found some friends with whom to stay. A q u i 1a, like Paul himself, was a tent maker, and he and his wife were also believers.
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