■ ' ■ iY, MAR. 90,1M4 .' ' ■'^"' “■’■■ ^ ■ -^ >' ' •■' . ' r WP" THE THREE® f.. ^‘-->3’ For Sunday, April 2nd By Dr. Paul Caudill Topict SAUL BECOMES A NEW MAN ScHptjure Lewmi: Acts B:l», 18>lte BerlnniiiK with the present lea- son, we are to study for the next three months the life and letters of the apostle Paul. Those who are In any measure interested in Motraphlcal studies -should find the series to be of compelling in terest from the beginning to the ALLEN THEATRE Now Showing end. Without a doubt, Paul is the greatest fojlower Christ has ever had, from the -standpoint of loyalty, ability, and achievement. Thirteen out of the 27 books of the New Testament are generally considered to have been written by him—some would say 14, on the assumption that he also wrote Hebrews. From the day that he met Christ on the Damascus Road, his life was out and out for Christ. He was ever fearless In his stand for right, and courageous unto the uttermost even when his own per sonal safety was involved. He died, tradition says, as a martyr, being beheaded on the Ostian Way around 67 A. D. THREATENING AND SLAUGHTER Acts 9:1-2 We meet Paul, or rather Saul, tor the first time, in the New Tes tament, under circumstances that are none too pleasant. Luke’s words of “threatening and slaugh ter” against the disciples of the Lord, may be regarded as charac teristic of the attitude of Paul to ward Christianity up to the time of his experience on the Damas cus road. We do not know a great deal about the family of Saul. We do not know the name of either of his parents. We do know that he was the son of a Pharisee (Acts r«t 0' RANDOLPH SCOTT NOAHIIHY,Jr. AUN CURTIS Ntar Cm David Irutt Son Uvut J.CarrolNaisli DdNtdlana MAtimStona Mid GIACi MtDONAlD Olr.d»\ RAY ENRIGHT Produc«i by WAITER WANGER A UNIVERSAL PIOURE ALLEN THEATRE Monday - Tuesday Dolribvl.l by UniY.r,ol to Wor Activitiw 28:6), a strtot Jew (AoU 22:1), that he waa a deeeendant of Abra ham (2 Cor. 11:22). and that he was of the%rtt>e of In‘Ti eailhmi that jiwn eo-prcmdiy^l hav^ te Benjamin (Phil. S':B). He was well edu cated, being Iwottght up at the feet of Gamaliel, and educated ac cording to the Btrlcteet manner of the law (Acta 22:3), and he aur- paaaed his fellows In his studies (Gal, 1:18). About the moat one can aay about him up until the time he was converted la that be waa a vigorous leader in the per secution of the Christians. Act 8: 3, 26:11, 28:i0, 22:4, 1 Tim. 1:18, and Gal. 1:13. The descrip tion ‘‘thfwtenlng and slaughter” certainly describes Paul’s early life In appropriate manner. His zeal for persecuting the Chrls- tlons knew no bounds. In the words of Dr. A. T. Robinson, “the taste of blood in the death of Stephen was pleasing to young Saul (8:1), and now he revelled In the slaughter of the saints both men and women. In 26:11 Luke quotes Paul as saying that he was ‘exceedingly mad against him’ The expression ‘breathing threat ening and slaughter’ suggests that the very breath of Saul was charg ed with ‘‘threatening and slaugh*.- er”, “like a warhorse who sniffed the smell of battle”. A LIGHT OF HEAVEN Acts 9:8-9 As our lesson opens, we find Saul on the'way to Damascus. He has In his possession letters of au thority that will permit him to en ter the synagogues there and bind and bring to Jerusalem any whom he might find of “this way”, whether they be men or women. Luke tells us that “as he Journey ed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round him light from Heaven”. In Acts 22:6 Paul calls it “a great light” ‘abouLnoon”, while in Acts 26:13 he says that it was “above the brightness of the sun”. At any rate the light had a tremendous effect upon Saul, for he tell upon the earth. Tremendous change was taking place in the life of Saul. He had met Jesus face to face. He was becoming convert ed. For the full historical narrative dealing with Saul’s conversion one should read not only the ac count in Acts 9:3-18, but also the account given in Acts 22:6-16 as well as Acts 26:12-20. In com menting on the numerous varia tions In these narratives Dr. A. T. Roibinson has the following to say: “A great deal of capital haq been made of these variations to • Allen Theatre MONDAY - TUESDAY m IrMoanpiidsd gnai (bwtov «pm yoif of th« Order of of ^nttn Pablo Duarte, and the Oidef' of TniliUo In the grade of officer. .AR—“ r-tj LIBERTY - . “Preeldent TriiJlllp^ The eti^s response to the tele- Ir' v-" :-A- ■ . \W . H' gram, sent after the volatile Latin took considerable time to compose herself, read as follows: "Your excellency: I am deeply touched and very proud of the great honor that you and my com- petrlots have rendered to this, your humble servant. I assttre yon that this gesture of appreelat- tlon will be a great and luminous incentive to my artistic career, and will assist infinitely the mnl- tlplication of my effo^ and in that way help me deeerve the ap probation of my country, my president and my compatriots. To my thanks and gi'atitnde, allow me to add my ibest regards” l\ M».Yniim*GioriaDaHAVEir “5^g**^\Tomroy DORSEY and ORCB fc. ¥' f ?r-v n^>. Marie Montez, Latln-Amerlcan Queen of Technicolor”, and a na tive of the Dominican Republic, was officially honored by her country and Its President during the filming of Universal’s "AH Baba and the Forty Thieves.” coming Monday to the Allen ‘Thea tre. Awarded two decorations in recognition of her artistic success and for her “spirit of Dominican- ism”, she was informed of her new honors in a telegram from President Rafael L. Trujillo, ct the Dominican Republic. Surprised and obviously delight ed, Marie took a few moments to wonder if it could really be true, then hastened to a phone to tell Jean Pierre Aumont, handsome French actor to whom she waa re cently wed. Miss Montez’ message from the Dominican Republic’s President read as follows: "To render you homage and to recognize your brilliant success as an artist, and to express to yon Maria Montez_ and Jon- Hail again are lovers in the Universal Technicolor fantasy, ‘‘Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves”, showing Monday and Tuesday at The Al ien 'Theatre. my deep satisfaction and that of all your compatriots because of the never-ending spirit of Domini- the discredit of Luke as a writer as if be should have made PauTs two speeches conform at every point with his own narrative. 'This objection has no weight except for those who hold that Luke com posed Paul’s speeches freely .as some great writers used to do. In broad outline and in all essentials the three accounts agree and testi fy to the truthfulness of the ac count of the conversion of Saul. It is impossible to overestimate the work to the student of Christiani ty of this even from every angle because we have in Paul’s Episcles his own emphasis on the actual appearance of Jesus to him as the fact that changed his whole life. (1 Cor. 15:8, Gal. 1:16). The point that interests us here chief ly is found in the fact that in this experience is seen the turning point in the career of a great man a turning point that set his life forever from that day on on the side of Christ. One cannot read- the account of Saul’s conversion wlthoi^t think ing On the glorious power of the Gospel in Christ Jesus. It is so powerful in Its meaning for the human heart that it is able to change the whole course of a whole life in a single moment. Let those who preach and who teach the Gospel find in this grand fact encouragement and strength to carry on at their given post—un til the end. A CHOSEN VF.SSEL Acts: 9:18-19 It was not an easy matter for Ananias to accept the bidding of the Lord to contact Saul in the house of Judas, as instructed. He had heard of Saul’s “threatening and slaughter”. What assurance did he have that he would not be one of his victims. What power was there great enough to change the course of his life so quickly? How could he trust him? Never theless, he made his way to the house of Judas and there spoke to Saul the words given him by the Holy Spirit: 'Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee In the *ay as thou earnest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost". Luke adds “and immediately there toll from his eyes as if It had been scales; and he received sight forthwith, and arose, end weis bap tized". In other words, Saul had now •become “a chosen vessel” of the Lord. He had been designated to bear God’s name before the Gen tiles, and kings, and the children of Irsael. He had become a new man. He must have a new task. The old way St persecution must give over to the nerw way of love. He had been an enemy of Jesus. Now he was a friend of Christ, and His most ardent follower. The message of the Lord Christ had triumphed in him. Old things had passed away. All things had become new. AT LET EASTER REFLEa , i: A Smart New YOU! SPRING INSPIRED With All the Charm of the New Season « Liltin^. blossom-prints on soft-hued backgrounds —radiant as spring itself! One and two-piece de signs, slimly tailored or gently moulded to make the most of your firare. Handsomely detailed j«ets, braid or shirred podeets, eye-catching buttons, flatteringly soft necklines. 12-20,16V^-24^. ® 2at> 2-98 FABRIC HANDBAGS Large envelopes, roomy pduches, draw- string and over-the-shoulder styles, in RAYON GLOVES Spring colors and black. Rayon fabric, smartly tailor^, cleverly stitched. Casual slip-on style. Latest Spring shades. 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