Something all Sunday School Teachers and Pastors should read

Acts 29:17-26 17From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders of the church.
18And when they had come to him, he said to them, "You yourselves know, from the first day that I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time,
19serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials which came upon me through the plots of the Jews;
20how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly and from house to house,
21solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
22"And now, behold, bound by the Spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there,
23except that the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions await me.
24"But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.
25"And now, behold, I know that all of you, among whom I went about preaching the kingdom, will no longer see my face.
26"Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men.
27"For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God.
28"Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.
29"I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock;
30and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.
31"Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears.
32"And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
33"I have coveted no one's silver or gold or clothes.
34"You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my own needs and to the men who were with me.
35"In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"
36When he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all.

Paul’s prayer tells us we should serve the Lord with all humility and not shrink from declaring God’s truth. Verse 24 reminds us not to put ourselves before others or God and to put God’s work (sharing the Gospel) first.

Minstry with Others - Part 4

The Ephesians encouraged Apollos to help Christians elsewhere and supplied him with letters of recommendation. He went off to Corinth where he was warmly received. So warmly, infact that for a while the believers were divided. Some liked Paul’s style of preaching and some Apollos’ and they actually argued about who was best. But, Paul quickly put an end to this telling them they weren’t following Paul or Apollos, but Christ.

Paul wrote his letter, 1st Corinthians from Ephesus in response to distressing reports he heard. The church, which Paul had started, sent a letter to Paul with a glowing report of the spiritual gifts they were receiving and wonderful things they were hearing, but they also asked several questions related to church life and Christian faith that made Paul realize they were “puffed up” over their so-called “wisdom”, talents and what they believed was spiritual maturity.

Their questions were of minor importance and totally blind to gross sins, that if continued, would bring spiritual ruin to any church. So he wrote them a letter, which became 1st Corinthians.

His letter covered things like:

1.Their grave dissensions over personalities brought about by pride (chapters 1-4)
2.Outrageous gross immorality (chapter 5)
3.Lawsuits between Christians brought before pagan judges (chapter 6)
4.He answers questions about marriage (chapter 7)
5.Food offered to idols (chapter 8-10)
6.Church worship and communion (chapter 11)
7.Spiritual gifts (chapter 12-14)
8.Resurrection of the body (chapter 15)

People get puffed up over learning scripture, head knowledge, and totally neglect the basic principles of knowing God’s wisdom and will, especially in regard to moral conduct and ethical principals. Doctrinally, they had received much yet their lives were so far from right Paul called them immature, worldly babes.

When God calls us to be His children He calls us to live lives according to our place in Christ and His call empowers us to do this.

Ministry with Others - Part 3

So, Paul was a tentmaker. Rabbis were expected to have a trade, to support themselves and making tents allowed Paul to travel with his business and also talk to people while he worked. This is a good example for us to bring God into our daily lives. Into everything we do.

Think through one of your days. Think how in a chore, a job, a relationship, a conversation or a letter, you can glorify God by reflecting Him, by sharing Him, by serving or encouraging someone.

There’s a great story about Suzanne Wesley, mother of 17 children including John and Charles, who used to put her apron over head and the children knew when she did that she was having quiet time with God and they weren’t to disturb her. What an example she set for her children!

Paul used his tent making as an informal classroom for gospel instruction. But, formally, he taught in the synagogue. And the Bible says he would argue there to convince Jews and gentiles. This showed it wasn’t easy. This was a tough crowd. They were hard to convince. The message he was telling them was: Jesus was the Messiah, the Messiah had to suffer and Jesus, the Messiah, rose from the dead.

The Corinthians had mostly been pagans, so they wouldn’t have known the Old Testament, which meant they knew nothing about God’s personal character. His moral standards for humanity and for His people in particular.

So Silas and Timothy eventually joined Paul and when he left Corinth after about 18 months, they stayed on. Aquila and Pricilla accompanied Paul. He wanted to go to Jerusalem to attend some festivities. He hadn’t been there in a long time and he wanted to stop and visit old friends in Antioch. They stopped in Ephesus for a short while and Aquila and Pricilla ended up staying there to minister to the Ephesians. The Bible stays with them there to tell the story of Apollos.

Apollos arrived at Ephesus as a preacher. He was a Jewish convert from Alexandria, known for his eloquence and burning enthusiasm. Alexandria, Egypt was the 2nd most important city in the Roman Empire at this time and had 600,000 people, including 150,000 Jews. Its library housed 700,000 volumes and epitomized the learned culture that thrived in the city. Some scholars think Apollos wrote the book of Hebrews, while others thought it might have been Barnabas. Apollos had a “learned” style of preaching which appealed to a lot of people, especially the Greeks.

Sometime during Jesus’ life, Apollos had visited Judea and come under the influence of John the Baptist and was baptized. But, while he was very familiar with the Old Testament, he didn’t have a full understanding of the Gospel. He knew nothing of Pentecost or the Holy Spirit. Or the true meaning of the death and resurrection of Jesus. So the Bible says in verse 25, his baptism was “only the baptism of John”. It wasn’t of the spirit.

A lot of people today, especially certain denominations argue about baptizing people as babies. Since they aren’t making any kind of a choice for themselves. Some churches look at infant baptism as a dedication and then confirmation is when the child commits.

When Aquila and Priscilla heard Apollos preach they realized his knowledge was incomplete, so they took him aside and told him the whole story. This in another good example for us. They didn’t hesitate to instruct him, but they also didn’t confront him in front of a lot of people, or talk about him to others behind his back.

Before this, Apollos had been brilliant, learned, eloquent and dedicated, but after Aquila and Priscilla talked to him, he was born again with the Holy Spirit and was empowered and eager to share his experience.

And that’s what Christianity is. Not knowledge, but an experience and a relationship.

Ministry With Others - Part 2

As soon as Paul arrived in Corinth he met a Christian couple, formerly Jews from Rome, named Aquila and Priscilla. They had recently arrived from Italy, victims of a decree of Emporer Claudius who had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. They were also tent makers, like Paul and they welcomed Paul into their home and workshop to live and work together while he was in Corinth.

They may have met him at the synagogue because it was common practice for the members of specific trades to sit together at worship. Remember Judean synagogues provided a variety of services for the Jewish community. They were worship centers on the Sabbath and holy days, schools for education and the study of the Torah, courthouses for the resolution of Jewish legal conflicts, general meeting rooms, storage areas for archives and the collection and distribution of food for the poor and a place for newcomers to connect with the community.

My church has a lot going on, but not nearly that much! I saw an article in the paper about a church moving into our town and it said they would be opened to the public during the day and have a coffee house and wireless internet! Today, churches are trying different things to get people to come inside. Back then they were the center of activity, but remember too, back then they didn’t have as many places of recreation that we have today.

Each synagogue had a leader who supervised its religious activities and a council of elders who governed its daily affairs. Membership consisted of Jews by birth, proselytes (people who converted to Judaism) and “God fearers” who were Greek or Gentiles. This last group didn’t get a lot of the benefits of the Jews so they in particular responded positively to the Christian preachers.

Aquila and Priscilla were a ministry team. They are never mentioned separately. They complemented each other and capitalized on each other’s strengths. Their united efforts affected those around them. They made a huge difference in people’s lives by supporting Paul and later guiding Apollos, which I’ll get to in the next post.

They opened their home for Christian gatherings, which is a good example for us. I think of minister’s wives when I hear “working together in ministry.” My oldest sister married a Lutheran minister and they were missionaries in Africa for 20 years. My sister had gotten a master’s degree in English and while in Africa kept the church books, translated all kinds of things; even a medical book. She cooked for everyone who came by. Missionaries are often in teams.

Teamwork has always been a part of God’s plan. When He created the world, He didn’t want Adam to be alone. He created a woman, Eve, to be his companion and helper. God Himself is part of the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The author says the world shows us many examples of necessary teamwork. Life would not exist without the sun and earth, land and water, oxygen and carbon dioxide, etc.

You can tell in this story Paul was lonely arriving in Corinth, but God hooked him up with a supportive Christian couple immediately. And what a difference Paul made in Corinth thanks to that added strength they gave him.

Ministry with Others - Part 1

This lesson covers Acts 18:1- 19:10

After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them. Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.

When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. But when the Jews opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, "Your blood be on your own heads! I am clear of my responsibility. From now on I will go to the Gentiles."

Then Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. Crispus, the synagogue ruler, and his entire household believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard him believed and were baptized.
One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: "Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city." So Paul stayed for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God.

While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him into court. "This man," they charged, "is persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to the law."

Just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio said to the Jews, "If you Jews were making a complaint about some misdemeanor or serious crime, it would be reasonable for me to listen to you. But since it involves questions about words and names and your own law—settle the matter yourselves. I will not be a judge of such things." So he had them ejected from the court. Then they all turned on Sosthenes the synagogue ruler and beat him in front of the court. But Gallio showed no concern whatever.

Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time. Then he left the brothers and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. Before he sailed, he had his hair cut off at Cenchrea because of a vow he had taken. They arrived at Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila. He himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. When they asked him to spend more time with them, he declined. But as he left, he promised, "I will come back if it is God's will." Then he set sail from Ephesus. When he landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church and then went down to Antioch.

After spending some time in Antioch, Paul set out from there and traveled from place to place throughout the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.

Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.

When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. On arriving, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. For he vigorously refuted the Jews in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ

While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples and asked them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" They answered, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit."

So Paul asked, "Then what baptism did you receive?" "John's baptism," they replied.
Paul said, "John's baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus." On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. There were about twelve men in all.

Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.

On Paul’s missionary journeys, he rarely stayed in one city for any length of time. This was mostly because his preaching the gospel often resulted in hostility and he was chased out of town!

In this story he heads to Corinth, about 50 miles west of Athens. I always thought Corinth must have been a wonderful church because it had 2 books of the Bible named after it and there are churches today named Corinth, but the city Corinth back then was known for 2 things; greed for material gain and sensual lust.

The Roman writer Horace said that Corinth was a town where “no one but the tough survives.” It was a center for the cult of the goddess of love, Aphrodite, and the Greek geographer, Strabo, reported there were love priestesses(prostitutes) attached to her temple. In fact, prostitutes of the time were known as “Corinthian girls”!

Corinth was a major transfer port for traffic and commerce moving between Asia Minor and the Aegean Sea in the east and the Western Mediterranean and Rome. It was an ancient city that fell victim to the Romans in 146 BC. The consul, Mummius, butchered its men, sold its women and children into slavery and burned it down.

For 100 years it lay abandoned. Then in 44 BC Juslius Caesar re-established the city as a Roman colony and named it Colonia Lous Julia Corinthiensis (or Corinth, the praise of Caesar.)

In 27 BC Augustus carved Achaia out of Macedonia and made Corinth its capital. And after that Corinth boomed.

By Paul’s time Corinth had surpassed Athens in culture, trade and interchange of ideas. It was a cosmopolitan city of about 500,000 inhabitants and its hustling, bustling urban streets attracted characters hawking their wares, negotiating the transportation of their goods across the isthmus or taking a break from their travels.

These “breaks” often turned into debauchery. Eventually the Greeks coined a new verb, “to Corinthianize” which meant to practice immorality.

We usually think of Paul as being strong, bold and brave in his preaching, but he had had limited success in Athens and he was alone as he set out for Corinth. These facts, along with the notoriety of Corinth itself led him to confess later to the Corinthians, “I came to you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling.”

But, he ended up staying there longer than any other city on his missionary tours except possibly Ephesus.

Through out his ministry he returned twice to the city and he wrote them at least 4 times, 2 or which became the books in the Bible.

If the gospel could succeed in Corinth it could succeed anywhere! But, Paul needed much patience, firm admonition, persistent correction, moral guidance, liturgical direction and clear teaching to minister to them.

But Paul came to Corinth, alone.

Sharing God - Part 3

After that the Eunuch asked to be baptized as an outward symbol of his inward belief and Philip did so. And right after that Philip was “snatched away” by the spirit. And he found himself 18 miles away on the coastal plain. From there he continued to work through towns until he reached Caesarea and raised a family of 4 daughters who are mentioned in Acts 21:8-9.

The Ethiopian went back to Ethiopia a new person in Christ. And according to the 4th century church historian Eusebius, he became an evangelist in his native land. (Biblical Ethiopia is the present day Sudan.)

John Wesley loved to read and he read everything: history, poetry, natural science, philosophy, but he described himself as a “man of one book, the Bible.” He believed that the Bible was the essential text for the people of God and that all Christians in the power of the Holy Spirit could read it and understand it.

Wesley offered some advice on spiritual reading, which could easily be applied to reading the Bible. He said he was giving the advice to those who know “they have not yet attained” and “despise no assistance which is offered to them.”

In other words like the Ethiopian on the road to Gaza.

1.Read at a regularly determined time each day.

2.Prepare for reading with fervent prayer to God and aiming for pure intentions and the good of your soul.

3.Do not read hastily, but leisurely, seriously and with great attention. Pause at intervals to allow the inspiration of divine grace. Consider how you can put it into practice. Read orderly. Have a plan, don’t just skip around.

4.Let your feeling be involved. Treasure sayings that may protect you against later temptations or inspire you to act with virtue, humility, patience and the love of God.

5.Conclude your time of reading with a short prayer to God that what you have read may be sown in your heart and bring forth fruit to life eternal. In other words take your time, meditate on it, take it seriously. The Bible is not just a source of comfort. It is the living voice of God calling us to action.

The story of Philip and the Eunuch, besides telling us how important every individual is to God and telling us that the Gospel is for everyone, tells us that the Bible is a gift from God. And God’s people can offer hope to the world.

Our faith must be more than a collection of lightly held traditions. It must show us an example of how a person trusts God and is obedient. Philip didn’t argue or pretend. He didn’t miss God’s calling. He went. Immediately.

Philip allowed God to reshape him, an ordinary person, into an extraordinarily obedient disciple. This didn’t happen overnight. Philip was likely one who for years had followed God to the best of his ability, even before he heard of Jesus. When that happened and he believed, the spirit filled him and equipped him for service.

We may be somewhere in that preparation story and God will do for us what He did for Philip. He wants us to be continually moving deeper into our relationship with Him so we can be ready when He chooses us to be His witness.

It takes more then Sunday morning in church and Sunday School to be ready. Bible study, Christian literature, Christian radio, service projects help. Prayer, open and continual communication with God is a biggy. And then doing the things that please God. Putting into practice what you learn.

This might be a good time for you to take inventory of how much time you give God. You won’t be an effective witness if you don’t love God and love His Word.

I hate to sell anything! Ask my daughter if I ever sold a box a Girl Scout cookies for her! But, I can sell $100 tickets to fundraisers for causes I believe in and that I knew the person would have a great time attending. I was doing someone a favor by sharing it with them! Before I started 7 years of Bible Study Fellowship, or went on the Walk to Emmaus I used to get nervous doing a 2 minute devotion in front of a group. But, then I started studying the Bible, really studying it and reading other things and listening to Christian radio programs and I wanted everyone to love it all as much as I do: sharing Jesus with people, sharing God, sharing the Bible…and I stopped being nervous.

Ask God to lead you to someone who needs to know Him today.

Sharing God's Word - Part 2

This lesson covers Acts 8:26-40

“Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet. The Spirit told Philip, "Go to that chariot and stay near it."

Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. "Do you understand what you are reading?" Philip asked.

"How can I," he said, "unless someone explains it to me?" So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture: "He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth.
In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants?
For his life was taken from the earth."

The eunuch asked Philip, "Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?" Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.

As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be baptized?" And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea."

Philip was on of the 7 deacons chosen in Acts 6:5. The 7 were Godly men. When he witnessed to Samaria he actually reaped a harvest previously sown by Jesus Himself. Remember Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well? How she ran to tell the other town people and they believed because her transformation was so amazing? From a disgraced woman to a radiant person with a powerful testimony? At that time Jesus told the disciples, that they would reap what others (including Himself) had sown and pointing to the Samaritan territory around them said, “open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for the harvest.” About 5 years later this happened.

This is a story about Philip leading a person to Christ. This story teaches how important a single person, a single soul, is to God.

Philip was preaching to multitudes in Samaria and many people were being saved. Yet God called him away to a desert road in order to meet one man who needed Him.

How many people think the ministry God has them in is too small? “All I do is teach Sunday School and some Sundays there are only 9 or 10 people there.” “Surely if I do well God will move me up, to bigger groups, expand my territory.”

This story tells us He might have us where we are for just one person, or 1 group. Maybe that person will be the one used to go to the multitudes!

The Ethiopian was a Eunuch. He was castrated. These men were then considered safe to work for a queen, but it was unlawful under the law of Moses to have membership in any Jewish synagogue if you were a Eunuch. But, here he was, seeking God the best he could with the Old Testament, all by himself.

In Jeremiah 29:13 God says, “If you seek me with all your heart, you will surely find me.”

And God sent Philip to the Eunuch.

Philip had learned from Peter, who learned from Christ that in the Old Testament was the meaning of the cross and of Christ’s mission to the world:

Luke 24:44-46 “Then He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day.”

So Philip was prepared. And we need to be prepared to explain to people too.

The Ethiopian was reading the scroll of Isaiah in his chariot. Normally men of his standing weren’t approached directly. But, the spirit said to Philip, “Go over to this chariot and join it.” And Philip ran right over. He asked the Ethiopian if he understood what he was reading and the Ethiopian said no.

He was teachable, approachable; if he had pulled rank and snubbed Philip he would have missed the opportunity for eternal life. He was reading from Isaiah 53:7-8. This chapter is about Christ’s coming.

Philip didn’t need to research the answer. The events of Christ’s suffering and dying were recent. He was able to explain to the Ethiopian that Jesus Christ was the promised one. If Philip had strictly observed Moses law in Deuteronomy about Eunuchs, he wouldn’t have taught him. But, there’s another verse in Isaiah.

Isaiah 56:3-5 “Do not let the son of the foreigner who has joined himself to the LORD speak, saying, “ The LORD has utterly separated me from His people”; Nor let the eunuch say, “ Here I am, a dry tree.” For thus says the LORD: “ To the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths, and choose what pleases Me, and hold fast My covenant, even to them I will give in My house and within My walls a place and a name better than that of sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off.”

The Good News is for all people!