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THE KING’S -BUSINESS
(5) The sorrows of the saints are soothed by the blessed hope. (6) We walk in the Lord; we work with . the Lord; we wait for the Lord. (7) Believers fall asleep in the Lord; are present with the Lord; and will come with the Lord. (8) The Lord Himself will descend; not a substitute, but the same Jesus. (9) The Lord gives the signal for the shout.
(10) The sleep of the saint is a pledge of his rest, and a prophecy of his res urrection. (11) There is no comfort for the believer comparable to the doctrine of the coming of the Lord. The order is, the trump, the transformation, the translation. (12) Conversion is a conscious change of attitude from rejection to reception of the Lord Jesus.
Paul at Athens JULY 16. LESSON III. Acts 17:22-34. (Read 6-34. Commit vs. 22, 23). G olden T ext : “For in Him we live, and move, and have our being.”—Acts 17:28.
DAILY BIBLE READINGS Mon., July 10—-Acts 17:16-34. (The Lesson).
Tues., July 11—Psalm 96:1-13. Weil., July 12—Isaiah 40:18-25. Thurs., July 13—Isaiah 2:10-22. Fri., July 14—2 Cor. S:10-17. Sat., July IS—Col. 1 :9-17. Sun., July 16—John 5 :17-25.
EXPOSITION AND PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
v. 22. “Then (And) Paul stood in the midst o f Mars’ hill (the Areopagus), and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things (in all things I perceive that) ye are too superstitious (somewhat supersti tious, or, very religious).” While Paul waited for Silas and Timothy at Athens, he was deeply stirred as he saw the city full of idols (v. 16), and he improved such opportunities' of preaching the gospel as were opened to him. He not only reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews who gath ered there, and the Gentiles who had been affected by the Jewish faith, but he also went every day to the market place where people gathered, and reasoned with such people as he met, about Jesus and the res urrection (vs. 17, 18). But now, having attracted attention by his reasonings in the market place, he is brought before a cele
brated gathering of philosophers and uni versity professors on the Areopagus, the most celebrated gathering place of think ing men and judges in all the world in that day. It was to this same place that Soc rates some five centuries earlier was brought to face the charges of his accus ers. Paul was not at all over-awed, by the wisdom and prominence of the men who constituted his audience, and he had no new gospel for this distinguished throng, but only the same gospel of a Jesus who rose from the dead and who was to be the judge of the world, that^he preached to common people. But while Paul had rio new gospel for this extraordinary audi ence, with divinely given tact he intro duced it in a new way. He began with what appeared like words of approval, not with words of criticism. This is not brought
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