Read for This Week’s Study: Acts 18:24-28; Acts 19; Acts 20:7-12, Acts 20:15-27; 2 Cor. 4:8-14; Acts 21:1-15. Memory Text: “I do not count my life of any value to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the good news of God’s grace” (Acts 20:24, NRSV). Luke’s account … Continue reading –>
Further Study: “Those who today teach unpopular truths need not be discouraged if at times they meet with no more favorable reception, even from those who claim to be Christians, than did Paul and his fellow workers from the people among whom they labored. The messengers of the cross must arm themselves with watchfulness and prayer, … Continue reading –>
Acts 18:1-11 recounts Paul’s experience in Corinth, where he would stay for one and a half years. Aquila and Priscilla would become Paul’s lifelong friends (Rom. 16:3, 2 Tim. 4:19). The account implies they were already Christians when they came to Corinth, probably because of the deportation of Jews from Rome by the Emperor Claudius. Roman historian Suetonius … Continue reading –>
Athens, the intellectual center of ancient Greece, was literally given to idols. Marble statues of persons and gods were found everywhere, especially at the entrance of the agora (public square), which was the hub of urban life. Paul was so distressed about such dominant idolatry that he changed his usual practice of going first to … Continue reading –>
When Paul and Silas were released from prison, the missionaries departed from Philippi (Acts 16:35-40). From Philippi, Paul and his companions went straight to Thessalonica, the capital city of Macedonia. Read Acts 17:1-9. How did the Thessalonian Jews react to Paul’s successful preaching among the Gentiles? Once again we see Paul looking for the synagogue where he … Continue reading –>
The memory verse tells our missionaries to “keep on speaking”: Hymn 378, “Go, Preach My Gospel” and Hymn 368, “Watchman, Blow the Gospel Trumpet”. The missionaries were to “Work, for the Night Is Coming” – Hymn 375, along with Hymn 582, “Working, O Christ, With Thee”. Paul chose to travel several places (on Sunday) with the Holy … Continue reading –>
Part 1 Back in Lystra “Keep on speaking. Do not be silent” How many times have you been admonished like that? Or are you more likely to receive–or hear others receive–messages to “stop talking so much” or “be quiet”? Are Paul and Barnabas angry with each other? Why couldn’t Paul agree with Barnabas to take his cousin Mark with him … Continue reading –>
Key Thought: Knowing that God is with us can move us from fear or lack of confidence to courage in sharing the gospel. Paul gives us principles of sharing from his mission trips. September 1, 2018 1. Have a volunteer read Acts 17:11-14. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important … Continue reading –>
Once in Macedonia, Paul and his companions traveled to Philippi, where they established the first Christian congregation in Europe. Read Acts 16:11-24. Where did the missionaries go on Sabbath and why? What ultimately happened to them there? Whenever Paul arrived in a city, his practice was to visit the local synagogue on Sabbath in order to … Continue reading –>
Luke’s selective choice of events brings Paul almost straight to Derbe and Lystra. About Syria and Cilicia, the only thing he says is that Paul went through those regions confirming the churches (Acts 15:41). Read Acts 16:1-13. What does Paul’s action here teach us about how sensitive he was in seeking to reach others? Though Timothy’s father … Continue reading –>
