Chit-Chat; Nirvana; The Searchlight Part 27

"Paul, Apostle to the Gentiles, servant of Jesus Christ, on the road to Damascus ordained of G.o.d and called to the apostleship; having been taken a prisoner at Jerusalem, charged with sedition; appealed to Caesar and now traveling to Rome for trial, is in Syracuse and will preach to us tonight.

"He took ship at Adramyttium, touched at Sidon, Cyprus and Myra. There a ship of Alexandria was found sailing into Italy. This he boarded and, sailing many days, pa.s.sed near Chidus, Crete, Salmone and Fair Havens, near the city of Lascea. From whence he sailed, when the south wind blew softly, close to Crete. There a tempest arose. The ship was forced from her course and driven by wind until, days after, she was wrecked on the island of Malta.

"After an enforced stay of three months, he sailed away in the good ship Castor and Pollux and arrived in Syracusa this morning. He will remain with us for three days.

"The church knows his service. He has faced every crisis and danger with an iron will and with unfailing resolution has kept the faith. He is a most faithful worker in the cause of Christ and his field of service is, messenger unto the Gentiles.

"In his present troubles he has our prayers. We will now hear him."

"Brethren of the Church of Syracusa; grace be to you and peace from G.o.d the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.

"First, I thank G.o.d that your faith is spoken of and an example to all the Christian churches.

"I came first after landing to Sergius Publius of your church, to whom I bore a letter from his cousin Publius, the Roman ruler at Malta.

"We were at Malta three months waiting for a ship. During that time by prayer and the laying on of hands, the father of Publius was healed. For this and other things, the people honored us with many honors and when we departed they laded us with such things as were necessary, we having lost all by shipwreck on our journey from Caesarea to Rome.

"Not unwillingly am I sent to Rome for trial as fitting one born free and a Roman citizen, since Rome is mistress of the world and to Rome the Christian faith must be carried to be spread over the Gentile world.

"Being ordained an apostle to the Gentiles, it is but meet that I should a.s.sume the risks of the journey and take as personal the command to preach the Gospel in Rome or elsewhere and to every Gentile nation. A gospel of universal faith granting to Jew and Gentile alike repentance unto life and grace through the redemption of the Lord Jesus Christ.

"This work has been most successful and many strong Gentile churches have been established; but G.o.d forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.

"After the establishment of a number of these churches, when I returned to Jerusalem I was falsely accused of teaching all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake the law of Moses; and of having brought Greeks into the temple and polluted the holy place. And after this charge I was cast from the temple and the doors closed; then set upon and beaten with staves and stones until Roman soldiers came to quiet the disturbance; and by them bound with chains was led towards the castle.

When asking and receiving permission to speak unto the people, I did so in the Hebrew tongue saying:

"'Men, brethren and fathers, hear ye my defense, now made unto you, I am verily a man, a Jew born in Tarsus, in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers and was zealous towards G.o.d, as ye all are this day.

"'And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prison both men and women. As also the high priest doth bear me witness, and all the estate of the elders; from whom also I received letters unto the brethren and went to Damascus, to bring them which were bound unto Jerusalem for to be punished.

"'And it came to pa.s.s that as I made my journey and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me. And I fell unto the ground, and hearing a voice saying unto me, "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?"

"'And I answered, "Who art thou Lord?" And he said unto me, "I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecuteth."

"'And they that were with me saw indeed the light and were afraid, but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me.

"'And I said, "What shall I do Lord?" And the Lord said unto me, "Arise and go unto Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do."

"'And when I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of them that were with me, I came into Damascus.

"'And one, Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews which dwelt there, came unto me and stood and said unto me, "Brother Saul receive thy sight." And the same hour I looked up upon him.

"'And he said, "The G.o.d of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldst know his will and see that Just One, and should hear the voice of his mouth. For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard. And now why tarriest thou? Arise and be baptized and wash away thy sins," calling on the name of the Lord.

"'And it came to pa.s.s that when I was come again to Jerusalem, even while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance; and saw him saying unto me, "Make haste and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem; for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me."

"'And I said, "Lord they know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue them that believed in thee; and when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by and consented unto his death and kept the raiment of them that slew him."

"'And he said unto me, "Depart; for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles."'

"When I had spoken thus far, the mult.i.tude would not hear me further.

"At the castle, the chief captain ordered that I be scourged, when, hearing the order, I said to the centurion standing by, 'Is it lawful to scourge a man that is a Roman and uncondemned?' Thereafter no further indignity was offered me.

"Then the Lord appeared unto me saying. 'Be of good cheer, Paul, for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also in Rome.' Then I was sent to Caesarea, unto Felix.

"Before Felix, I was accused by Tertullus, speaking for the priesthood, as a pestilent fellow and a mover of sedition among all the Jews and a leader of the sect of the Nazarenes.

"To which I answered, 'They can charge me with nothing unlawful though I confess that after the way which they call heresy so worship I the G.o.d of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and the prophets, and have hope towards G.o.d that there shall be a resurrection of the dead both of the just and the unjust. And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence towards G.o.d and men.'

"After a period of two years Porcius Festus succeeded Felix and willing to favor the Jews, asked, If I would go to Jerusalem to be judged, to which I answered; 'I stand at Caesar's judgment seat where I ought to be judged.'

"Then Festus after conference said, 'Hast thou appealed unto Caesar?

Unto Caesar shalt thou go.'

"Shortly thereafter I was delivered to Julius, a centurion of Augustus'

band, and we set sail at Adramyttium for Rome to be delivered for trial as a Roman citizen.

"What a privilege it is to be a Roman citizen; to have the protection of a strong and capable government; whose laws are stable and enforceable; a bulwark against petty strife and sect jealousies. Christ our Master declares the divine origin of government and the obligation of his followers to obey human law when not in conflict with the commandments of G.o.d.

"This, it seems, is the greatest obligation, next to our faith.

"What is faith? What are the teachings of our faith?

"Faith in G.o.d is more than the exercise of the understanding.

"Faith changed me from a persecutor, until now, I preach the faith I sought to destroy; hoping thereby you may rejoice the more in Christ because of my coming; while I rejoice at your patience and faith under all the tribulations which you now endure.

"Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. And Christ our Lord, is its author and finisher.

"For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake.

"For G.o.d who commanded the light to shine out of darkness hath shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of G.o.d in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of G.o.d and not of us.

"We are troubled on every side yet not distressed; perplexed but not in despair; persecuted but not forsaken; cast down but not destroyed; always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.

"For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. So then death worketh in us but life in you.

"We have the same spirit of faith according as it is written, I believe and therefore have I spoken; we also believe and therefore speak; knowing that He which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise us up also by Jesus and shall present us with you. For all things are for your sakes that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many rebound to the glory of G.o.d.

"For which cause we faint not, but though our outward man perish yet the inward is renewed day by day.

"For our light affliction which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

"For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved we have a building of G.o.d, an house not made with hands eternal in the heavens.