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Wednesday
The First
Lesson
1 Maccabees 4:36-51
36 Then said Judas and his brethren, Behold, our enemies are
discomfited: let us go up to cleanse and dedicate the sanctuary.
37 Upon this all the host assembled themselves together, and
went up into mount Sion.
38 And when they saw the sanctuary desolate, and the altar profaned,
and the gates burned up, and shrubs growing in the courts as
in a forest, or in one of the mountains, yea, and the priests'
chambers pulled down;
39 They rent their clothes, and made great lamentation, and cast
ashes upon their heads,
40 And fell down flat to the ground upon their faces, and blew
an alarm with the trumpets, and cried toward heaven.
41 Then Judas appointed certain men to fight against those that
were in the fortress, until he had cleansed the sanctuary.
42 So he chose priests of blameless conversation, such as had
pleasure in the law:
43 Who cleansed the sanctuary, and bare out the defiled stones
into an unclean place.
44 And when as they consulted what to do with the altar of burnt
offerings, which was profaned;
45 They thought it best to pull it down, lest it should be a
reproach to them, because the heathen had defiled it: wherefore
they pulled it down,
46 And laid up the stones in the mountain of the temple in a
convenient place, until there should come a prophet to shew what
should be done with them.
47 Then they took whole stones according to the law, and built
a new altar according to the former;
48 And made up the sanctuary, and the things that were within
the temple, and hallowed the courts.
49 They made also new holy vessels, and into the temple they
brought the candlestick, and the altar of burnt offerings, and
of incense, and the table.
50 And upon the altar they burned incense, and the lamps that
were upon the candlestick they lighted, that they might give
light in the temple.
51 Furthermore they set the loaves upon the table, and spread
out the veils, and finished all the works which they had begun
to make.
1st Lesson Questions -
What must it have been like to be present as the sanctuary was cleansed and re-dedicated? RESOLVE.
The Second
Lesson
Acts 18:24-19:7
24 And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent
man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus.
25 This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being
fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things
of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John.
26 And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila
and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded
unto him the way of God more perfectly.
27 And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren
wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he was
come, helped them much which had believed through grace:
28 For he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publicly, showing
by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ.
1 And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul
having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding
certain disciples,
2 He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye
believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard
whether there be any Holy Ghost.
3 And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And
they said, Unto John's baptism.
4 Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance,
saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which
should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.
5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the
Lord Jesus.
6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost
came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.
7 And all the men were about twelve.
2nd Lesson Questions -
When does a person first receive the Holy Spirit? RESOLVE.