GOING OUT SESSION 6. The Point. The Passage. The Bible Meets Life. The Setting. Engaging others with the gospel means going where they are.

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1 SESSION 6 GOING OUT The Point Engaging others with the gospel means going where they are. The Passage Acts 16:6-15 The Bible Meets Life The majority of churches in America are not closed to outsiders; they want other people to visit and even get involved. But extending a sincere welcome to those who visit is not enough, because most people never come to the church building. Instead, the church is to go where people are and extend the invitation. Instead of waiting for others to come to us, believers are to go to them and invite them to come to Christ. The Setting Acts 15:36 18:22 records the events of Paul s second missionary journey. Acts 16 details how God stopped Paul from going into various regions of Asia Minor. God also gave Paul a vision of a Macedonian man pleading for Paul s help. Recognizing this vision as divine direction, Paul and his companions crossed over to Macedonia and began spreading the gospel message in the region. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 69

2 What does the Bible say? Acts 16:6-15 (CSB) 6 They went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia; they had been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. 7 When they came to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. 8 Passing by Mysia they went down to Troas. 9 During the night Paul had a vision in which a Macedonian man was standing and pleading with him, Cross over to Macedonia and help us! 10 After he had seen the vision, we immediately made efforts to set out for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. 11 From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, the next day to Neapolis, 12 and from there to Philippi, a Roman colony and a leading city of the district of Macedonia. We stayed in that city for several days. 13 On the Sabbath day we went outside the city gate by the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and spoke to the women gathered there. 14 A God-fearing woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, was listening. The Lord opened her heart to respond to what Paul was saying. 15 After she and her household were baptized, she urged us, If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my house. And she persuaded us. 70 Session 6

3 THE POINT Engaging others with the gospel means going where they are. GET INTO THE STUDY 10 minutes DISCUSS: Invite group members to discuss Question #1 on page 53 of the PSG: What are some places that feel like home to you? ACTIVITY (OPTIONAL): Invite group members to call out items that bring them comfort, whether physical articles, foods, or sentiments. Record them on a tear sheet. SAY: The feelings of comfort that are usually experienced at home can be important to us. SUMMARIZE THE PSG (PAGE 54): Increasingly, people are devoting from around $40,000 to $8 million to install bunkers on their property. 5 People want to be safe and comfortable in case of disaster. We can all relate to the desire for safety, stability, and comfort. But if they are incorporated into a church, they can be counterproductive to the church s mission. Churches in America can develop a bunker mentality, staying safe and warm on their own church property. But most people never come to the church building. TIP: Create an environment where everyone feels free to talk and add to the discussion. Quiet people may want to share, but do not feel their thoughts are important. Stress that everyone s questions and ideas are worth hearing. Notes GUIDE: Call attention to The Point on page 54: Engaging others with the gospel means going where they are. SAY: We need to come out of our church bunker, go where people are, and extend the invitation. PRAY: Transition into the discussion with prayer. PACK ITEM: Pack Item #5 The Second Missionary Journey of Paul poster PLAYLIST PICK: Lead Me to the Cross By Hillsong United BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 71

4 10 minutes STUDY THE BIBLE Notes Acts 16:6-8 (CSB) 6 They went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia; they had been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. 7 When they came to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. 8 Passing by Mysia they went down to Troas. READ: Call on a volunteer to read aloud Acts 16:6-8. LEADER PACK: Draw attention to Pack Item #5, The Second Missionary Journey of Paul poster. Let group members form small teams to explore implications of having the Holy Spirit change your life, as happened to Paul. ALTERNATE QUESTION: How does it make you feel when God says no? DISCUSS: Question #2 on page 55 of the PSG: When have you felt a sense of guidance from the Holy Spirit? SUMMARIZE THE PSG (PAGE 55): Paul did not have a bunker mentality. He was devoted to meeting people wherever they were with the gospel. Paul adapted his method to fit the audience. His core philosophy: don t wait for them to come to you; go to where they are. Paul stopped at places where he had started churches earlier, and also to places where the people had not heard the gospel. The Holy Spirit stopped eager Paul from going to Asia. What hinders us from sharing the gospel? Prosperity (It makes us feel comfortable.); Busyness (We may have to rearrange priorities to make time.); Faithlessness. When someone doesn t respond to an invitation, we need to focus on the gospel to persevere in that relationship. ACTIVITY (OPTIONAL): Lead group members to suggest specific obstacles to sharing the gospel. Record their responses on a tear sheet. TRANSITION: The next verses reveal how we should be in a state of ready awareness for opportunities to share the gospel of Christ. 72 Session 6

5 THE POINT Engaging others with the gospel means going where they are. Acts 16:6-8 Commentary Verse 6. Paul and his companions (Timothy and Silas) serve as a model of those who persevere to reach others with the gospel. They traveled through Phrygia and Galatia. Phrygia was located in both the Roman province of Asia and in the province of Galatia. Galatia was divided into northern and southern regions. The northern region was considered uncivilized and was populated by Celtic tribesmen. The southern half was more civilized and included the cities of Pisidian Antioch and Iconium. Some think Paul and his companions passed through these areas, while others believe they spent time evangelizing the areas and visiting established churches. Paul and his team wanted to go to Asia, west of Phrygia and Galatia. Asia could have referred to the Roman province of Asia, which included Lycia, Lydia, Mysia, and portions of Phrygia. On the other hand, Asia could have included the cities between Philadelphia and the coast of the Aegean Sea. Whatever Paul s intent, the Holy Spirit forbade him from preaching in Asia. Verse 7. Paul and his companions traveled north to Mysia, located in the northwestern part of Asia Minor. They were most likely traveling up the eastern border of Mysia. From Mysia, Paul had intended to go further north to Bithynia, another Roman province located along the southern shore of the Black Sea. Paul probably intended to evangelize the cities of the region, which included Byzantium, Nicea, and Nicomedia the seat of Roman power in the region. For a second time, Paul and his companions were not allowed to enter the area as planned. This time, it was the Spirit of Jesus who stopped them. The Spirit of Jesus may have been the Holy Spirit or a vision of the resurrected Christ. Paul and his coworkers were sensitive to God s leading their efforts. Why did the Spirit not allow the missionaries into this region? We don t know. Both these instances of not being permitted into an area did not mean the gospel would never be preached there. While Paul did not travel to these areas, the gospel eventually reached the people of those regions as indicated by the apostle Peter s first letter (1 Peter 1:1). Verse 8. Obedient to the Spirit s leadership, the missionaries passed by Mysia and went on to Troas. Passing by could mean either they did not stop there to evangelize, or that they traveled along the northern coast of Mysia since there was no main road through the region to the coast. Eventually, they reached Troas (Alexandria Troas), a Roman colony located on the west coast of Asia Minor about 30 miles south of the ancient city of Troy. Troas was a major seaport for northwest Asia Minor, having an artificial harbor. It served as a primary access route to Macedonia. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 73

6 10 minutes STUDY THE BIBLE Notes Acts 16:9-10 (CSB) 9 During the night Paul had a vision in which a Macedonian man was standing and pleading with him, Cross over to Macedonia and help us! 10 After he had seen the vision, we immediately made efforts to set out for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. READ: Call on a volunteer to read aloud Acts 16:9-10. SUMMARIZE THE PSG (PAGES 56-57): Paul constantly looked for opportunities to share the gospel, and the Holy Spirit directed him to cross over into Macedonia. Paul immediately obeyed. Jesus gave a clear command to go into all the world and share the gospel as His witnesses. Paul was ready, and we need a posture of ready awareness. For ready awareness, we must keep certain truths before us. Jesus is coming back. It could be any time. He taught parables centered on His return and how His people should prepare. We live with uncertain confidence in Jesus return. When He does return we want to be found busy doing His work. Opportunities are all around. God intentionally puts them in our paths. We have a tendency to drift. Like a boat unanchored, unless we are actively fighting against it, we will always move away from our original position. ALTERNATE QUESTION: What are some ways God communicates His will to Christians today? DISCUSS: Question #3 on page 56 of the PSG: Where do you have a specific opportunity to share the gospel? DO: Call for group members to complete the activity on page 59 of the PSG. COMMIT: Consider making these three choices in the next month. I commit to pray for these three people. I commit to invite these three people to my Bible study group. I commit to learn the gospel presentation and will witness to one person I ve been praying for. 74 Session 6

7 THE POINT Engaging others with the gospel means going where they are. Acts 16:9-10 Commentary Verse 9. Paul knew that when God presents us with new opportunities to represent Christ, we must embrace them. While at Troas, Paul had a vision at night of a Macedonian man pleading for him to cross over to Macedonia to help the people there. Macedonia was a Roman province across the Aegean Sea from Asia Minor, and was the northern part of ancient Greece. The province of Achaia to the south was the southern portion of Greece. Whereas Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey) was located on the continent of Asia, Macedonia was located in Europe. Verse 10. Paul shared with his coworkers what he had seen and heard as they set out for Macedonia. God had twice blocked them in their efforts at evangelism through the Holy Spirit and the Spirit of Jesus (Acts 16:6-7). They interpreted this vision as another indication of God s direction He was leading them. God had given Paul and his coworkers the green light to sail across the Aegean Sea to Macedonia. God had called them to preach the gospel to the Macedonians. Macedonia was first organized under Philip II. When he was assassinated in 336 BC, his son, Alexander the Great, inherited the strongest military in Greece. Alexander conquered the Persian Empire and extended his rule from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to India s Indus River. The Greek term translated to preach has the general meaning of addressing someone with joyful news. In the New Testament context, it means to proclaim of the good news of the gospel. The gospel is the good news of salvation through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. God had called Paul and his coworkers to make a bold change of plans. Preaching in Macedonia would mark a new beginning in the spread of the gospel. While Luke went into detail about where the men traveled, the geography is secondary. The primary focus is God s leading. When God directs, He closes doors and opens others. He does this so that we may go forth to reach lost people enslaved to sin with the liberating, life-changing good news of the gospel of Christ. In a side note, here the narrator changed how he referred to Paul and his coworkers. Until now the group had been called in the third person they. In this verse, for the first time in Acts, he began writing of the group in the first person we. Both Luke and Acts are held to have been written by a single author Luke. In Colossians 4:14, Paul called him Luke, the dearly loved physician. This language shift seems to be an indication that at this point Luke joined Paul and his coworkers. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 75

8 10 minutes STUDY THE BIBLE Notes Acts 16:11-15 (CSB) 11 From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, the next day to Neapolis, 12 and from there to Philippi, a Roman colony and a leading city of the district of Macedonia. We stayed in that city for several days. 13 On the Sabbath day we went outside the city gate by the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and spoke to the women gathered there. 14 A God-fearing woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, was listening. The Lord opened her heart to respond to what Paul was saying. 15 After she and her household were baptized, she urged us, If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my house. And she persuaded us. READ: Call for a volunteer to read aloud Acts 16: ALTERNATE QUESTION: How can we be prepared to share Christ with those we encounter? DISCUSS: Discuss Question #4 on page 58 of the PSG: How would you describe God s part and our part in leading others to Christ? SUMMARIZE THE PSG (PAGES 57-58): When we proactively choose to share the gospel of Jesus Christ, God will be faithful to bring the opportunities into our path. Paul and his companion Silas went to Phliippi and shared the gospel several times within the city. Then they found a good opportunity outside the city where some women had gathered. We learn that sharing Christ requires a verbal testimony, backed up by a lifestyle exemplifying Jesus love and compassion. We learn that responding to Christ requires the work of God. We learn that sharing Christ produces ripples. Paul and Silas were eventually put in prison, then an earthquake freed them and another earthquake led to the conversion of a prison guard. We should not underestimate the power a single conversation can have in the hands of God. DISCUSS: Discuss Question #5 on page 59 of the PSG: What can we learn from Acts 16:6-15 about becoming a more welcoming group? 76 Session 6

9 THE POINT Engaging others with the gospel means going where they are. Acts 16:11-15 Commentary Verse 11. Paul, Silas, Timothy, and Luke sailed for Samothrace. Samothrace is a small island in the northern Aegean Sea. The next day they arrived at Neapolis, 149 miles from Troas and the port city for Philippi. Neapolis was located 10 miles from Philippi in northeastern Macedonia. Verse 12. The team made the 10-mile walk to Roman colony Philippi. Citizens of Roman colonies received Roman citizenship, were governed by Roman law, were free from paying taxes, and had a city constitution modeled after Rome s. Philippi was also a leading city of the district of Macedonia. The team stayed in Philippi for several days. Verse 13. In a new city, Paul first spoke on the Sabbath to Jewish citizens. Then he d share the good news with the Gentile population. Philippi may not have had a synagogue, as they may have lacked the 10 Jewish men needed to make up a synagogue. The group of mostly women met by the river, outside the city gate, where they had established a place of prayer. Verse 14. Lydia of Thyatira was a Gentile believer behaving as a Jew. Lydia was a purple cloth dealer and possibly wealthy. The expensive cloth was associated with the wealthy and royalty. The Greek term translated opened means to open the mind/heart so that a person not only hears and understands, but accepts what is being presented. The Greek term for heart was used to describe the center of one s being, the seat of the intellect (the mind), feelings, and desires. Paul preached, and God opened Lydia s mind/heart to see, understand, and believe. Verse 15. After Lydia s conversion, she and her household were baptized. The word household is sometimes used to describe a family with children. Lydia s household may have included children at home with her servants. Baptism is always the result of personal faith in and obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Throughout Acts baptism is based on personal faith and commitment, and there is no reason to see otherwise in the household baptisms. 1 Lydia persuaded the missionaries to stay in her home, to show them that she genuinely believed. Later her home became a gathering place for the Philippian Christian community (Acts 16:40). 1. John B. Polhill, Acts, vol. 26 in The New American Commentary (Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 1992), 350. Read the article A Roman Colony in the Fall 2018 issue of Biblical Illustrator. Previous Biblical Illustrator articles The Rise of Macedonia (Winter ), Why Philippi? (Spring 2003), and The Second Missionary Journey (Winter ) relate to this lesson and can be purchased, along with other articles for this quarter, at Look for Bundles: Bible Studies for Life. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 77

10 5 minutes LIVE IT OUT Notes SAY: The church should not be a bunker. To truly be a welcoming church, and to obey the commission of Jesus, we cannot sit around and wait for people to come into the church building. GUIDE: Lead group members to consider the responses to the Bible study listed on page 60 of the PSG. Pray about fear. What is your biggest fear or apprehension about sharing the gospel with someone else? Share that fear with someone in your group and ask them to pray for you to overcome it. Seek the opportunity. Who is one person in your relational circle you know does not believe the gospel? Pray and look for the opportunity to share with that person. Serve together. Brainstorm with your group about practical ways you can go out together to serve and speak the word of the gospel. Wrap It Up SAY: We should take the initiative and go where the people are to share the gospel. Grow with other group leaders at the Groups Ministry blog. LifeWay.com/GroupMinistry 78 Session 6

11 WHO IS MY NEIGHBOR? BY DAVID E. LANIER The question was simple enough: Who is my neighbor? (Luke 10:29). 1 Jesus response was totally unexpected and ran contrary to traditional thinking. In the Old Testament Era The original meaning of neighbor was associate (Hebrew, rea). In Leviticus 19:18, the term clearly referred to a fellow Hebrew: Do not take revenge or bear a grudge against members of your community, but love your neighbor as yourself; I am Yahweh. Here the parallel for your neighbor is members of your community. The Israelites were to treat such persons fairly and kindly and were not to cheat or rob them. 2 Further, they were to extend the same kindness to the foreigner dwelling among them: When a foreigner lives with you in your land, you must not oppress him. You must regard the foreigner who lives with you as the native-born among you. You are to love him as yourself, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt; I am Yahweh your God (Leviticus 19:33). How one treated a neighbor was important in determining righteousness in Israel. To refuse to treat one s neighbor justly was a cause for national disintegration and invited God s judgment (Isaiah 3:5; Jeremiah 9:4 9; Micah 7:5 6). 3 The Old Testament almost always used the word neighbor to describe fellow Israelites with few exceptions. For instance, Exodus 3:22 and 11:2 use the word to describe Egyptians living close by, from whom the Israelites were to ask gold and silver jewelry on the eve of the exodus. In Ezekiel 16:26, BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 79

12 God reminded His people of their idolatry and spiritual adultery by using the term: You engaged in promiscuous acts with Egyptian men, your wellendowed neighbors, and increased your prostitution to provoke Me to anger. 4 Although the Law demanded Hebrews to be neighborly to one another and to foreigners dwelling among them, enemies were a different matter. The imprecatory psalms gave scriptural warrant to hate one s enemies: Lord, don t I hate those who hate You, and detest those who rebel against You? I hate them with extreme hatred; I consider them my enemies (Psalm 139:21 22; see Matthew 5:43, You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy ). In the New Testament Era A narrower interpretation of neighbor arose, one the Qumran community and the Pharisees espoused. People living at Qumran defined neighbor as someone who was part of their separatist community. Everyone outside that community dwelled in darkness and was to be shunned in order to avoid spiritual contamination. 5 Although the people at Qumran were to hate the children of darkness, or the men of the pit, they did not tolerate taking personal vengeance. 6 Likewise the Pharisees separated themselves from contamination, which they believed non-observant Jews transmitted. When the temple police returned from monitoring Jesus at the temple and praised His teaching, the Pharisees rebuked them: Are you fooled too? Have any of the rulers or Pharisees believed in Him? But this crowd, which doesn t know the law, is accursed! (John 7:47 49). This separation applied to fellow Israelites. How much more would the Jews have shunned the hated Samaritans, a group that had no advocates among the Jewish people. The Samaritans dated back to 722 BC, when the hated Assyrians had exiled all but the poorest among the northern ten tribes of Israel. In their place were Elamites and Assyrians, who interbred with the poor Israelites left in the land, resulting in a half-breed race stigmatized with idolatry and uncleanness. They were called enemies in Ezra 4 when they attempted to help rebuild the temple and the city of Jerusalem. 7 The hostility between the Jew and Samaritan was legendary. The Samaritans built their own temple on the slopes of Mount Gerizim. They had their own scriptures, the Samaritan Pentateuch, having rejected the writings and the prophets as authoritative. Samaritans showed hatred and hostility to Jews traveling to Jerusalem, so much so that many Jews preferred to bypass the region of Samaria entirely and to pass on the east side of the Jordan. Further, the Samaritans started false signal fires to throw off the Jewish pilgrims who were traveling from the Euphrates region to keep the Passover. 8 The Jews responded by publicly cursing the Samaritans in synagogue services and refusing to accept their witness in court. When the Samaritans pleaded with Alexander the Great to release them from required tribute payments because they had let the land rest (as Moses commanded), Alexander refused their request after determining they 80 BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE

13 were not true Jews. He afterward besieged and destroyed the capital city of Samaria. 9 Even James and John, the sons of thunder, wanted to destroy a Samaritan village by fire (Luke 9:51 55). Jesus rebuked them. The Good Samaritan An expert in the law approached Jesus and asked what he should do to inherit eternal life (Luke 10:25). Jesus responded by asking him to summarize the law, which he did by quoting Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18 Love the Lord your God with all your heart,... soul,... strength, and... mind; and your neighbor as yourself (v. 27). Jesus told him that was correct and added, Do this and you will live (v. 28). The scribe then attempted to justify himself by asking, And who is my neighbor? (v. 29). This would have been key in the interpretation, for if a person omitted some group that God intended, he would have violated the Law. The scribes prided themselves in defining relationships. They applied the Law of Moses to every conceivable situation involving individuals and groups. To them the lines were clear. The scribes rulings dictated to the Pharisees and to all observant Jews parameters for permissible relationships. This issue was foundational for the Jews self identity. 10 Instead of answering the question directly, Jesus told the scribe how to be a neighbor to anyone in need. He used a hated Samaritan as the hero of the parable. Both a priest and Levite returning from Jerusalem had ignored a wounded Jew on the treacherous Jericho Road, thus preventing defilement and avoiding responsibility for a fellow Jew. A hated Samaritan put his life at risk by stopping, treating the Jew s wounds, placing him on the Samaritan s own animal, and taking him to a nearby inn. There he negotiated with the innkeeper for the man s care, giving him two denarii (two days wage) and promised to pay more, if needed. Jesus asked the scribe, Which... proved to be a neighbor? The scribe avoided the hated word Samaritan and replied, The one who showed mercy to him. Jesus responded, Go and do the same (vv. 36,37). In this encounter, Jesus redefined neighbor broadly and inclusively, a violation of Jewish tradition and understanding. The term now included the least expected. The Samaritan had kept the Law as God intended by loving his neighbor as he loved himself. 1. All Scripture quotations are from the Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB). 2. Merrill F. Unger, Neighbor in The New Unger s Bible Dictionary (Unger s), ed. R. K. Harrison, rev. ed. (Chicago: Moody, 1988), R. L. Thomas, Neighbor in The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, gen. ed. Merrill C. Tenney (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1976), 4: Ibid. 5. A. R. C. Leaney, The Rule of Qumran and Its Meaning (London: SCM Press, 1966), 121. This sentiment is especially evident in the Manual of Discipline. Neighbor refers exclusively to those within the Qumran community itself and appears in texts commanding proper behavior. 6. Heinrich Greeven, plesion, neighbor in Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, ed. Gerhard Friedrich, trans. and ed. Geoffery W Bromiley, vol. 6 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1968), 316, n Samaritans in Unger s, Ibid. 9. Ibid. 10. Trent C. Butler, Luke, vol. 3 in Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville: Holman Reference, 2000), 172. David E. Lanier is professor of New Testament at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Wake Forest, North Carolina. This is an edited version of an article by David E. Lanier that originally appeared in the Spring 2013 issue of Biblical Illustrator magazine. Each quarter Biblical Illustrator offers in-depth articles and information that support our weekly Bible study lessons. You can subscribe to Biblical Illustrator by going to biblicalillustrator, by using your church s quarterly literature oder form, or by calling BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 81