WEEKLY SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

An international Sunday school lesson commentary

For Sunday November 29, 2015

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TEACHING GOD’S WORD

(Working for the LORD is a way of life for those who believe)

(Acts 18)

   Throughout the Book of Acts, Luke introduces us to many characters that were instrumental in the development and establishment of the early Church. Here in Acts 18 we are introduced to two more of those wonderful workers who helped shape the Christian Church movement in its infancy during the first century. They became two of the Apostle Paul’s closest friends, and their names were Priscilla and Aguila. They were the husband and wife team who quite literally birthed in the “House Church” concept of early Christianity.

    Now we all know that Paul was a Rabbi, but what many don’t know is, that, in addition to being a Rabbi, Paul was also a tentmaker, and this is something that he had in common with his friends, Priscilla and Aquila. They met while Paul visited Corinth during his second missionary journey, and he lived and worked with the couple during his stay there. And so the three of them, each, being missionaries for CHRIST was just another of their common threads.   

    But perhaps, we will not find a more fascinating couple in all of Scripture, than Priscilla and Aquila. They were a very bold and defiant pair who stood against the antichrist elements that often reared its ugly head throughout the Roman Empire in the first century, mostly in the person of the Emperor Claudius, or later, the Emperor Nero.

    Most Christian Church services in those days, both teaching and worship, were held in private homes, because, at the time, no purely Christian Church temples could be openly constructed. At that time, it was very dangerous to be a follower of CHRIST, or, an “Adherent of the Way”, as they were called then, and Christian worshipers would have to meet in secret locations to preserve their own lives, and to continue to teach the Word to willing listeners.

    Priscilla and Aquila were also a curiously nomadic pair, as they were found wandering and moving from place to place throughout the Roman Empire. In the Book of Acts, we first find them in Rome (Acts 18:2), where they were ejected by the Emperor Claudius, as he sought to expel all Jews from Italy, in and around A.D. 52. Then, we find them in Corinth, where they first met Paul, and had him as a house quest, during his second missionary journey (Acts 18:1-3).

    Next, we see them in Ephesus (Acts 18:24-28), where they had traveled with Paul from Corinth. There, we find them instructing a Jewish scholar named Apollos, in the ways of GOD more accurately, educating him about the impact of CHRIST JESUS on humanity. Apollos, who was already well versed about CHRIST and baptism with water, needed to be informed about baptism with the HOLY SPIRIT.

    In Romans 16:3-5, Paul sends greetings to this intriguing couple who had made their way back to Rome, and had opened up, yet another House Church in their home there. Also, in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, written a couple of years earlier, he informed us that they were back in Corinth, where they were operating, still another House Church, from their home (1 Corinthians 16:19). And then finally, in Paul’s second letter to Timothy, his last known written communication, he tells us that Priscilla and Aquila have set up house, once again, in the large port city of Ephesus (2 Timothy 4:19).

    However, it doesn’t really seem to matter, where, we find this intriguing couple, whenever, and wherever we do run across them, we always seem to find their home to be a place of Christian fellowship and service. Every home, in essence, should be a Christian Church, a place where, perhaps, JESUS could come any time to stay for a while. And for Priscilla and Aquila, wherever we find them, their home always seemed to radiate Christian friendship, fellowship, and love.

    Oftentimes we humanly look at home as being a place where we go to shut the world out. However, we need to always remember that, equally, our homes should be a place with an open door (Romans 12:13 & 1 Peter 4:9). We should always keep in mind that, an open door, along with an open heart, and an open hand, are three of the key characteristics in the Christian Faith.

    And so, we can see that, despite Priscilla and Aquila having appeared to always have lived a nomadic life, for them, working for the LORD in this manner, was a way of life. “Upon this rock (concept), I will build MY Church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it”. That is what JESUS said to Peter in Matthew 16:18 (KJV).

    And, even though, we, as Christians, may never organize our churches in the same way, nor, may never worship GOD in the same way, and we in fact, may never even believe in precisely the same things about Christianity. However, “Christian unity”, can and will, transcend all these differences, and bring GOD’s people together in fellowship and love.

    It is the kind of unity that JESUS prayed about in John 17, and, the kind of unity that Paul wrote about, to the Churches in all of his doctrinal letters. It is a unity, not born, of bricks and mortar, but rather, it is a unity of personal relationships, not unlike the one we’ve already seen between the FATHER and the SON, as an example to us, for all times.

A Sunday school lesson by,

Larry D. Alexander

Larry Dell Alexander (1953–) - Encyclopedia of Arkansas

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WEEKLY SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

An international Sunday school lesson commentary

For Sunday November 22, 2015

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TURNING THE WORLD UPSIDE DOWN

(Teaching and learning Scriptures leads us to joy in the LORD)

(Acts 17)

   Thessalonica was a city of some 200,000 residents that was located about 100 miles from Caesarea Philippi, along the major stretch of Roman highway known as the “Egnatian Way”. In fact, the main street through Thessalonica was actually a part of that road.  This bustling city had a very large Jewish population, and also, had a Jewish synagogue there that was used for their worship services.

    After having to leave Caesarea Philippi under duress, Paul, Silas, and Timothy made this long journey to Thessalonica, and began to look for other opportunities to preach JESUS. Whenever Paul arrived in a city that contained a Jewish synagogue, he would always go there first, to preach to the congregation that was already there worshiping. This occasion was no different, and, keeping in line with that custom, he went into the synagogue and taught about JESUS for three Sabbaths in a row.   

    Many of the Jews who worshiped under the banner of “Judaism”, and the “GOD-fearers”, those Greek men and women who worshiped the GOD of Israel, as a result of Paul’s and Silas’ preaching, were immediately drawn to the Christian doctrine and were converted to include CHRIST in their worship.

    This angered the, already jealous, Jewish leaders, and they, as a result, went out into the streets and stirred up a mob of unsavory fellows to strike against Paul and Silas. They attacked the house of Jason, the person, whom Paul and Silas were residing with while in Thessalonica, but did not find them. Not being able to find Paul and Silas, they dragged Jason out, along with some other believers instead. Jason and the others were then charged with treason, and later released after posting bail.

    That same night, Paul and Silas left town and headed for Berea, about 60 miles away. There, they found the people of Berea a lot more receptive to their message. In fact, they became avid listeners, and also, searched the Scriptures each day to prove the correctness of Paul and Silas’ teachings.

    After seeing the truth of the men’s teachings, many in Berea were converted to Christianity, including some prominent Gentile men and women of the city. However, when the Jews in Thessalonica got wind of Paul and Silas’ success in Berea, some of them went there immediately to stir up trouble. The believers in Berea came to Paul’s aid and escorted him to Athens. He left Silas and Timothy there in Berea under the protection of some of those believers. When he arrived in Athens, Paul sent the escorts back with a message for Silas and Timothy to join him there as soon as possible.

    While waiting in Athens for the arrival of Silas and Timothy, Paul became deeply disturbed by all the idols that he saw throughout the city of Athens. He then went into the synagogue to debate with the Jews and the GOD-fearing Gentiles, and he spoke daily in the public square to all who happened to be there, and were willing to listen.

    While speaking in the town square one day, he got an opportunity to debate with some of the “Epicureans” and “Stoics”, who were two of the main religious philosophical groups in town. The Epicureans were a group that believed that everything happened by chance, and that the gods cared nothing about this distant world of ours. They believed that when a person dies, that was it, and nothing else would happen after that. They also believed that a man’s pleasure in life should be his ultimate objective.

    The Stoics, on the other hand, believed that everything was God, both spirit, and matter, and, that every person had a small piece of that spirit in them. They believed that that spirit would return to God once a person died. The Stoics also believed that, periodically, the world would be destroyed by fire, and then, GOD would start all over again, repeating the same cycle.

    And so, when Paul told them about JESUS, they scoffed at him and tried to dismiss him as a babbler who had picked up some strange ideas, or, foreign religion. They then took Paul down to the Council at “Areopagus”, or “Mars Hill” to stand before their Council, and to tell them more about his strange doctrine (Acts 17:19).

    In verse 22, we find Paul standing in the midst the Areopagus, where he is about to deliver a brilliant six-point sermon to this idol worshiping, superstitious group of pagans. Here in verse 22, as expressed in the original Greek, the word Paul uses for “superstitious” is “deisidaimonesteros” (dice-ee-dahee-mon-es-ter-os), and “it describes one who is religiously superstitious, or much more paranoid than others, and in fact, actually, faithless”.

    While walking along in Athens, Paul had noticed an altar that was inscribed with the words, “To the unknown GOD”. He then brilliantly uses this altar as a base, or beginning point for his sermon (verse 23). In order to make his teaching the most effective, a great teacher always finds a way to meet the person or people where they are in their thinking.

Here Paul decided to meet the Council where they were in their thinking, and so he uses their own “alter to an unknown god” to show them the GOD of Heaven, WHOM they did not know.

    Paul’s first point is that GOD is the CREATOR, not the “created” like their idols are (verse 24). Paul’s second point is that GOD is the “GREAT PROVIDER” (verse 25).  Thirdly Paul says, that, not only is GOD the “CREATOR” of man, GOD is also the “ORCHESTRATOR and CONTROLLER”, of all men’s lives (verse 26).

    Paul’s fourth point illustrates how GOD has placed a hunger and thirst inside of each of us, innately from birth, and the only way to satisfy that hunger or thirst, is by seeking, and ultimately finding HIM. He tells them that even their own respected poet says that “We are the offspring” of this unknown GOD, and so, if that is true, we shouldn’t think of this GOD as an idol designed by craftsmen. It is in HIM that we live and move and exist, and it is only for HIS purpose, that we were ever created in the first place (verse 27-28).

    The Fifth and final point Paul raises to the group is that, GOD will no longer overlook our ignorance in building idols, and HE has set a day of judgment for all men. Paul closes out his speech by telling them about JESUS, WHOM, GOD has appointed to be that judge. Furthermore, GOD has shown every one of us just WHO that MAN is by raising CHRIST JESUS from the dead.

    When they heard Paul speak of the resurrection, some laughed, but still, there were others who wanted to hear more. And some even joined him and became believers that day. One of those who joined, a man named Dionysius, had been a member of the very Areopagus that Paul was preaching to that day. And so you see, Paul had brilliantly used their own monument to the unknown god, to show them the real GOD, WHOM they did not know.

    For Paul, Silas, Timothy, and Luke, and even Barnabas and John Mark, who had gone in the other direction, the “Christian Journey” was filled with ups and downs, assaults and persecutions, people who listened, and those who mocked, those who joined the struggle, and those who dropped out due to their love of the things of this world.

    It is still that way now, all along anyone’s Christian journey, and it was that very same way for CHRIST, WHO showed us how it was to be done. We must continue to move along on our Christian journey and never waver from the trials and tribulations that we encounter. And we must always remember that we do not set out on this journey alone, but rather, we are always accompanied by, and equipped with, the power of THE ALMIGHTY GOD, through JESUS CHRIST, and the HOLY SPIRIT. 

A Sunday school lesson by,

Larry D. Alexander

Larry Dell Alexander (1953–) - Encyclopedia of Arkansas

LARRY D. ALEXANDER'S BOOK BY BOOK BIBLE STUDY

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WEEKLY SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

An international Sunday school lesson commentary

For Sunday November 15, 2015

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FROM DERBY TO PHILIPPI

(Taking the Gospel across social and cultural barriers)

(Acts 16:1-15)

   Acts 16:1-15 chronicles the story of the beginning of the Apostle Paul’s second missionary journey, which for the first time, would lead him into Europe. Along with Silas, and later, Timothy and Luke, Paul travels into the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia, which, at that time (around A.D. 50), was a province of the Roman Empire. The men had persistently tried to go north, deeper into the peninsula of Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey), but the SPIRIT OF JESUS, by way of some unexplained methods, had not allowed them to enter at that time.

    With the issue of the basis of “Gentile inclusion into the Church” now officially settled at the Acts 15 council, Paul, sets out with Silas, who had replaced Barnabas on this second missionary journey. Paul and Barnabas had split after a disagreement concerning Barnabas’ cousin John Mark. Paul had become disappointed with John Mark, because he abandoned them on their first missionary journey, while at Perga of Pamphylia (Acts 13:13).

    Barnabas and John Mark had already set sail for Barnabas’ homeland, the island of Cyprus, to begin working their second missionary trip there. Meanwhile, Paul and Silas make their first stop in Derbe, and then, move on to Lystra, the home of Timothy, where Paul had preached on the first missionary journey, and was stoned by an angry mob and left for dead.

    The people of Lystra had thought that Paul and Barnabas were the Greek gods “Hermes” and “Zeus” after they had healed a cripple man there in their city. However, some Jews came down later from Antioch and Iconium, and they turned the people against Paul and Barnabas, causing them to have to flee to Derbe (Acts 14:8-19).

    While in Lystra, they meet the young Disciple Timothy, whose mother was a Jewish believer, but whose father was a Greek. Timothy was well respected by the believers in both Lystra and Iconium, and so Paul asked him to join them on their mission. Out of respect for the opinion of the Jews in that area who knew Timothy’s father was a Greek, Paul arranged for Timothy to be circumcised before they left. The three men then traveled from town to town explaining the decision made by the Apostles and Elders at Jerusalem during the Acts 15 council, that, “Gentiles did not have to be circumcised to become Christians”.

    Next, Paul, Silas, and Timothy traveled through the area of Phrygia and Galatia, as the HOLY SPIRIT still would not let them go any farther into Asia Minor, at that time. They traveled instead, on to Mysia, and again, tried to go north, this time, into Bithynia, however, the SPIRIT OF JESUS compelled them, instead, into the city of Troas. It is here that the author of GOD, Luke, joins the journey, and it is also there that GOD shows Paul a vision, telling him to go to Macedonia (Europe) and preach the Gospel there.

    So they boarded a boat and sailed from Troas to the island of Samothrace. There they spent the night, and, the following day, they sailed on and landed in the port city of Neapolis. They then went to the neighboring major city of Philippi, a Roman colony at that time, in the district of Macedonia, and there, they abided for three days.

    On the Sabbath, they went down to the riverbank, where the people who were worshipers of GOD met to pray. They sat down to talk to some of the women who had come together there. One of them, Lydia of Thyatira, who was a merchant of expensive purple cloth, and a devout worshiper of GOD, listened intently and opened up her heart to what Paul and his companions were saying about CHRIST.

    Lydia soon accepted what Paul and his crew were saying about CHRIST, and she was baptized, along with other members of her family. Lydia then insisted that Paul and his entourage come to her house as her special guests. She and her family had, that day, become the first Europeans in recorded Scripture to accept CHRIST into their lives, and this was truly a cause for celebration.

    And so we see, at a time when it seemed that all doors were being shut to Paul and his companions, it turns out that GOD, in HIS infinite wisdom, had something much greater in store for those who were willing to work according to HIS will. It must have seemed strange to Paul, being blocked from the Roman province of Asia by the HOLY SPIRIT, but no one can ever know and understand the eternal plan of GOD. Ironically, as history would have it, Asia Minor would become the place that was to contain all of the recipients of the letters to the seven churches mentioned in the Book of Revelation by the Apostle John.

    Paul and his entourage were then compelled to go the route of Alexander the great, a pagan king, whom GOD had used some 400 years earlier to spread the Greek language and culture all over world. HE had, by doing so set the stage for the writing of the New Testament, of which Paul himself would be its most prolific writer. The world had also already seen the translation of the Old Testament Hebrew Scriptures, into what then had became, the universal Greek language of the “Septuagint” (the Greek version of the Old Testament) at Alexandria over 200 years earlier.

    Paul, Silas, Luke, and Timothy all believed in the sovereignty of GOD over all things, and we can see, quite vividly, throughout the Book of Acts, just how that belief impacted their everyday life and travels. And as for the Thyatiran woman, Lydia, and her family, they, in a very special sense, had become immortalized through their faith and belief in CHRIST. They will forever be remembered as being the first European family to accept our LORD and SAVIOR. And her first act as a Christian was, ironically, to invite other Christian people into her home. It is the kind of human action that CHRIST had just a few years earlier, commanded us to perform.

    Before we can offer our love, charity, and ministry to people who come into our Church, we must first be able to offer that same love, charity, and ministry to people who come into our homes. Oftentimes we look at home as a place where we go to shut the world out, but equally, it should be a place with an open door. The effectiveness of our ministry at church is always predicated upon the life we live at home. The way to a changed home, church, job, and life, has always been, through a changed heart.

A Sunday school lesson by,

Larry D. Alexander

Larry Dell Alexander (1953–) - Encyclopedia of Arkansas

LARRY D. ALEXANDER'S BOOK BY BOOK BIBLE STUDY

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WEEKLY SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

An international Sunday school lesson commentary

For Sunday November 8, 2015

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SAVED BY GRACE

(GOD’s grace goes beyond our restrictions on salvation)

(Acts 15:1-21)

   It was William Barclay who wrote, “The paradox of Christianity is that, the way to victory is through surrender, and the way to power is through admitting one’s own helplessness”.

    In the, now famous, “Acts 15 Council” that is chronicled by Luke here in this chapter of the Book of Acts, we see, once again, the core differences between the man who sees religion as “ritual”, and the man who sees in religion, loving GOD and loving his fellowman. Perhaps we saw it first in the Gospel of Mark in chapter 7, verses 1-15, when JESUS sought to teach the Pharisees about “inner purity”, on an occasion in the port village of Gennesaret, shortly following HIS legendary “walk on water”.

    For the orthodox Jew, the law meant two things. First of all, it meant the “Ten Commandments”, and then secondly, it meant the “Pentateuch”, the first five books of the Old Testament that were written by Moses. From these two documents, they formed a very complex, “self-made”, spoken list of rules and regulations, known as “Oral Laws”, or, “The Traditions of the Elders”.

    However, it wasn’t until roughly 300 years, after the Crucifixion of CHRIST, that these “Oral Laws”, were first written down. Over time, they came to form the compilation we know today as the “Mishnah”, which is the first, and most basic part of the “Jewish Talmud”, and the written basis of religious authority for traditional Judaism. To the orthodox Jews, Scribes, and Pharisees, these rules and regulations were the essence of religion. In their minds, to observe and obey them was to please GOD.

    Here in Acts 15, while Paul and Barnabas were still at Antioch of Syria, some men came from Judea and began teaching the newly formed Christian Church, that, unless they keep these ancient Jewish customs, and, in this case, the ancient custom known as “circumcision”, they could not receive “Salvation”.  In other words, they seemed to be telling the Gentile newcomers that the only way to become a Christian, was that they first, become a Jew.

    Paul and Barnabas sharply disagreed, and they argued forcefully and at length with these former Pharisees. Finally, Paul and Barnabas, along with a few of the other Believers, were sent to Jerusalem to discuss this dispute with the apostles and elders there at the central Church. The discussion that ensued that day is what has now come to be known as the “Acts 15 Council”.

    During this council, the Apostles and Elders ruled in favor of Paul and Barnabas and stipulated that the Gentile believers only had to abstain from eating foods that were sacrificed to idols, abstain from sexual immorality, and abstain from drinking blood and eating the meat of strangled animals. They felt that these requirements were “HOLY SPIRIT” led, and had been preached in the Synagogues for centuries.

    James, the half-brother of JESUS, apparently the head of the Church at Jerusalem at that time, cited a quote from the Prophet Amos (Amos 9:11-12) as the basis for their decision in Acts 15:16-18. They then sent Paul and Barnabas back to Antioch with a letter announcing their decision.

   All of the requirements cited by James in his letter speak only to moral issues that any person in CHRIST should seek to observe. The things mentioned by the Jerusalem council did not require a person to make physical changes, such as circumcision, in order to come to CHRIST, but rather, they required a person to make certain spiritual disciplinary adjustments that are necessary to become more like CHRIST.

    No person can be justified by keeping the “Law of Moses”. Circumcision was that part of the law that GOD gave to Abraham, only as a sign of the Jews personal commitment to HIM. It was never intended to be a requirement for Salvation. GOD’s plan of Salvation had not yet been revealed to man in those days.

    Abraham was accredited righteousness by GOD, because of his faith, not because he was circumcised, or kept any other law. Salvation has always been, is now, and will forever be, a gift of grace from GOD, and serves as a reward for our belief in our LORD and SAVIOR, GOD’s only begotten SON, JESUS CHRIST.

    Christianity is the only true religion, because it is the only religion that is a product of GOD’s mind. It is the religion that is based simply on listening to GOD, and accepting HIS Word. And so we can conclude that, any rule that prevents us from helping our fellowman can never be a rule of GOD.

    JESUS came to show us that worshiping GOD can only be done from the inside out. Peter, perhaps, put it best in Acts 15:10-11 when he says, in effect, “Why are we now questioning GOD’s way, by burdening other believers with a yoke that neither we, nor our ancestors were able to bear? We believe that we are all saved the same way, and that is, by the special favor of our LORD JESUS”.

    And so, all of the Church leaders involved themselves in the process of solving and getting over the early Church’s first major internal hurdle. They first obtained a clear statement of the issues, heard arguments from both sides, consulted the scriptures, maintained good communications, and as a result, built upon the strong unity that it takes to be successful in GOD’s work.

A Sunday school lesson by,

Larry D. Alexander

Larry Dell Alexander (1953–) - Encyclopedia of Arkansas

LARRY D. ALEXANDER'S BOOK BY BOOK BIBLE STUDY

larrydalexanderbiblestudies.blogspot.com

            Larry D. Alexander's Books and Publications Spotlight

Larry D. Alexander - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

                                 

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