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The Voice in Speech and Song
seeing that He is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples
made with hands; neither is worshiped with men’s hands, as though
He needed anything, seeing He giveth to all life, and breath, and all
things.”—
The Acts of the Apostles, 238
.
Tact With Heathen Audiences—Paul’s words contain a treasure
of knowledge for the church. He was in a position where he might
easily have said that which would have irritated his proud listeners,
and brought himself into difficulty. Had his oration been a direct attack
upon their gods and the great men of the city, he would have been in
danger of meeting the fate of Socrates. But with a tact born of divine
love, he carefully drew their minds away from heathen deities, by
revealing to them the true God, who was to them unknown.—
The Acts
of the Apostles, 241
.
Christ the Center of His Mind—His words were spoken with
solemn earnestness, and his hearers could not but discern that he loved
with all his heart the crucified and risen Saviour. They saw that his
mind was centered in Christ, that his whole life was bound up with
his Lord. So impressive were his words, that only those who were
filled with the bitterest hatred against the Christian religion could stand
unmoved by them.—
The Acts of the Apostles, 247, 248
.
Sound, Practical Instruction—Paul was an eloquent speaker. Be-
fore his conversion, he had often sought to impress his hearers by
flights of oratory. But now he set all this aside. Instead of indulging in
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poetic descriptions and fanciful representations, which might please
the senses and feed the imagination, but which would not touch the
daily experience, Paul sought by the use of simple language to bring
home to the heart the truths that are of vital importance. Fanciful
representations of truth may cause an ecstasy of feeling; but all too
often, truths presented in this way do not supply the food necessary
to strengthen and fortify the believer for the battles of life. The im-
mediate needs, the present trials, of struggling souls—these must be
met with sound, practical instruction in the fundamental principles of
Christianity.—
The Acts of the Apostles, 251, 252
.
Gospel in Its Simplicity—During the year and a half that Paul
had spent in Corinth, he had purposely presented the gospel in its
simplicity. “Not with excellency of speech or of wisdom” had he come
to the Corinthians; but with fear and trembling, and “in demonstration
of the Spirit and of power,” had he declared “the testimony of God,”