LESSON 3 DECEMBER 17, 2017 FAITH TO PERSEVERE BIBLE BASIS: Acts 14:8-11,19-23 BIBLE TRUTH: Paul was stoned and persecuted, but his faith in his message impelled him to proclaim the Good News. MEMORY VERSE: And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch, Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God (Acts 14:21-22). LESSON AIM: By the end of the lesson, we will: EVALUATE the nature of the miracle performed at Lystra; CONSIDER the fickleness of the crowd mentality; and PRAY for courage and strength in the face of resistance to the Gospel. BACKGROUND SCRIPTURES: Acts 14; Colossians 2:6-7 - Read and incorporate your insights from the Background Scriptures into your study of the lesson. LESSON OVERVIEW LIFE NEED FOR TODAY'S LESSON Sometimes the good things we do are blocked by unexpected events, but we pick up and go on anyway. BIBLE LEARNING Paul encouraged believers to continue in their faith regardless of the suffering they endured. BIBLE APPLICATION Believers accept that suffering for Christ can be a part of the faith journey. STUDENTS' RESPONSES Students discover that faith gives them the strength to endure. LESSON SCRIPTURE ACTS 14:8-11,19-23, KJV 8 And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother's womb, who never had walked: 9 The same heard Paul speak: who stedfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed, 10 Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked. 9 And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men. 19 And there came thither certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, who persuaded the people, and having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead. 20 Howbeit, as the disciples stood round about him, he rose up, and came into the city: and the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe. 21 And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch, 22 Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that
we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. 23 And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed. LIGHT ON THE WORD Iconium. A city in central Asia Minor, it is home to a lush agricultural production, and because of its location, served as a link between ancient trade routes. Iconium is now the site of the modern-day Turkish city of Konya. Lystra. A small village and Roman colony 18 miles southwest of Iconium in modern central Turkey. An inscription dedicating a statue to the Greek gods Zeus and Hermes was discovered there. It is quite possibly the home of Timothy (Acts 16:1). Antioch (of Pisidia). This city is not the same Antioch spoken of in Acts 13:1. It was situated in the area of Pisidia on the Anatolian Peninsula. Antioch of Pisidia was located on the southern bank of the Anthios River. The city was believed to have been founded by a Seleucid king or by Seleucius himself. As a Roman colony, the city became a miniature version of Rome, complete with ornate sculptures and architecture. Review these ancient biblical cities on a map to have a better understanding of their locations then and now. TEACHING THE BIBLE LESSON LIFE NEED FOR TODAY'S LESSON AIM: Students will affirm the good things we do are sometimes blocked by unexpected events, but we pick up and go on anyway. INTRODUCTION You Are My Witnesses Jesus tells His disciples, But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth (from Acts 1:8). These words outline the book of Acts and highlight three stages in the church s early development: Acts 1-7: The apostles witness to Jews in Jerusalem. Acts 8-12: In response to persecution, and through the leading and empowering of the Holy Spirit, Paul and his companions share the message of the Kingdom of God (14:22) to the Samaritans in Judea and Samaria. Acts 13-28: Paul witnesses to Gentiles as he journeys to the ends of the Earth. The events in chapter 14 occur during the third stage of the church s early development. The previous chapter recounts Barnabas return to evangelize in his hometown region, Cyprus (4:36). Paul, with holy boldness, con-fronts the Jewish sorcerer Barjesus and witnesses the governor Sergius Paulus conversion. Next, they traveled to Iconium, where they witnessed in the synagogue to both Jews and Greeks. They were again met with violent opposition before traveling to Lystra (14:6). BIBLE LEARNING AIM: Students will be strengthened by Paul s encouragement for believers to continue in their faith regardless of the suffering they endured. I. KINGDOM BREAKTHROUGH AT LYSTRA (Acts 14:8-11) Paul and Barnabas fled Antioch for Lystra in continued obedience to God. As the church grew beyond Jerusalem, God confirmed His presence by repeating the same miracle twice: once in Jerusalem (Acts 3:2-12) and again in Lystra. God used both Peter and Paul to heal men who were lame from birth, and they gave honor to Him rather than accept recognition for themselves.
The crowd initially responds with wonder and awe, assuming these wonder workers to be gods (Acts 14:11). They could only comprehend this concept in terms that they understood. Unbelieving and pagan cultures have their minds affected by what they have been previously taught. Paul and Barnabas would need to explain how the man was healed through the power of Jesus and not pagan gods. While a miraculous healing is a kingdom breakthrough, misunderstanding and negative influences would become a barrier to the people. This does not hinder the apostles explaining the power of God and glorifying Him. 8 And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother s womb, who never had walked: In the first century AD, all of the Anatolian Peninsula (modern central Turkey and the area in which Lystra was located) was controlled by the Roman Empire. Rome made Lystra a colony in 6 BC, and the city was incorporated into Galatia at a later date. During Paul s time, the city was known as a key location for learning. The population consisted of Roman soldiers, Greeks and Jews (Acts 16:1, 3), and native Lycaonians (14:11). Paul and Barnabas visited the city several times (in AD 48 and 51) and it was where Paul met Timothy (16:1). In the ancient world, a disability was considered a divine punishment from the gods; it was believed that a person was disabled because he or she had done something wrong or his or her parents had sinned. The belief that disability implied punishment for wrongdoing was extremely stigmatizing. The healings by Jesus and the apostles radically denounce this widespread notion. Jesus directly explains to His disciples that rather than a sign of sin, disabilities are an opportunity for God to be glorified (John 9:3). Some people believe as they did in ancient biblical times that a disability or an illness was divine punishment. What would you say to someone who proclaimed this belief to you? 9 The same heard Paul speak: who stedfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed, 10 Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked. Usually, healing is authorized in the name of Jesus in Acts, and typically does not originate solely with the apostles. For example, Peter s healing of a crippled man is done in the name of Jesus Christ (3:6). However, here Paul s healing omits this statement. In this verse, the man s faith causes his healing. Paul s actions are similar to those of Jesus in the Gospels (cf. Mark 2:1-12; John 5:1-9). 11 And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men. The people who were prepared to worship Paul and Barnabas as gods were not Greeks or Romans, but native Lycaonians, made evident by the phrase in the speech of Lycaonia. The local elites and educated people of the land spoke Greek (which was the common language of the Roman Empire) as well as Latin. The people, upon seeing Paul s healing ability, believed that he and Barnabas were the gods of their belief system incarnated in human form. Archaeological evidence indicates that Hermes and Zeus were the patron gods of this city. Later, the Scripture (Acts 14:12) states that this is who the people believe them to be. II. KINGDOM OPPOSITION IS NORMAL (vv. 19-23) After Jews arrived from Antioch and Iconium, the story takes a drastic turn. These Jews had forced Paul and Barnabas to leave those cities. They now persuade the crowd to stone Paul to death.
The crowd believed they had killed Paul, so they dragged his body outside the town. In this time of pain and suffering, Paul had two sources of comfort. The first was the presence of the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3). His second source of comfort was the caring presence of the disciples in Lystra who gathered around him until he was able to get up, leave the city, and go to Derbe. What are your sources of comfort when you experience stress or tension for your faith? 20 And there came thither certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, who persuaded the people, and having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead. The New Testament refers to two cities named Antioch one in Syria and one located in Pisidia (in Asia Minor). Both cities are named after the Seleucid ruler Antiochus IV, a ruthless king who controlled Syria from 175-164 BC. In Antioch of Syria, a vital Jewish disapo ran community flourished and Paul began his ministry, also stopping in Antioch of Pisidia. Stoning was the form of capital punishment prescribed in the Torah. Typically, the act took place outside the walls of the city (Leviticus 24:23; Numbers 15:35-36; 1 Kings 21:13). The witnesses to the offense cast the first stones, and the rest of the people followed (Deuteronomy 17:7); all this was done to purge evil from the community (22:21). A death penalty by the act of stoning was required for a person found guilty of various offenses, including idolatry, prophesying in the name of a foreign god (Deuteronomy 13:1-5), divination, blasphemy, and adultery. 21 Howbeit, as the disciples stood round about him, he rose up, and came into the city: and the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe. 21 And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch, 22 Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. 23 And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed. Derbe was located in the south of Galatia, a Roman province established in 25 BC, not far from Iconium. The Good News is synonymous with the Gospel. Christians often understand the term to imply the Good News of Jesus Christ. In Acts 14:21, Paul and Barnabas are obviously preaching the Gospel of Jesus. The term good news (Gk. euangelion) was a term that had significance with the Roman Emperor Augustus, who regularly applied the term to his decrees. The term was appropriated by the Christian community and applied to the humble, non-elite Jesus. This countered the Roman imperial structure because only the emperor could spread the good news. The appropriation of imperial attributes to a colonized subject of the empire, which Jesus was, would have been considered resistant to the Roman Empire because only the emperor was considered a son of a god. In addition, the Jewish community would not have welcomed Paul s telling of the Good News of Jesus because this belief conflicted with their religious beliefs. It is important to note that the early Christians were still a part of the Jewish synagogue, and thus were considered to be Jews. Their presence in the synagogues would have caused dissension among the group as they began to develop their understanding that Jesus was the Messiah and the Son of God. SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES QUESTION 1
Why do some Christians experience suffering for the faith more than others? What can believers do to support each other and stop the attacks? QUESTION 2 Who started the phrase good news? What group adopted this phrase and how is it used? QUESTION 3 Describe the response of the crowd to the healing of the man who was lame. Explain why you think they reacted this way. Is this Scripture similar to another healing of a man who was lame? LIGHT ON THE WORD Hold Fast! After Derbe, Paul returns to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, coming full circle to strengthen the believers and exhort them to remain true to the faith. Some of these believers had earlier gathered around him after his stoning. Now they receive encouragement from him and are exhorted to hold fast to the faith despite hardship. Paul lets them know that persecution and hardship are part of the normal Christian life. However, by arising from being stoned, he shows the disciples the believer s life is also filled with blessings, miracles, and deliverance. BIBLE APPLICATION AIM: Students will accept that suffering for Christ can be a part of the faith journey. Acts 14:17 says God has not left Himself without testimony. In addition to the four seasons, wonders of nature, and laughter, God provides food that we enjoy. 1) How important is this in showing us God s presence in our lives? 2) How does recognizing His presence help us to persevere in our faith, especially as we face opposition? STUDENTS' RESPONSES AIM: Students will discover that faith gives us the strength to endure. Beyond the borders of the United States, Christians are dying in record numbers. These modern-day martyrs face beheadings on television, abductions from school, indefinite imprisonment without trial, and countless other atrocities. According to the Center for the Study of Global Christianity, approximately 100,000 Christians were killed each year from 2000 to 2010, including almost 1,000 in Nigeria alone. That more believers have died for Christ in the 20th and 21st centuries than in all previous centuries combined lends itself to meditation on a phrase in an old hymn: Should I be carried to the sky on flowery beds of ease, while others fought to win the prize and sailed through bloody seas? What is your response to the above question? All cultures have experienced this type of persecution for their faith at some point. In America, thousands of Black American Christians and non-black Christian supporters were lynched, shot, and imprisoned under the banner of targeted racial violence. However, with every personal interaction, our Christian witness is on the line and our loves, fears, and values are tested. The African American Christian knows suffering from the rich tradition of the Civil Rights Movement a campaign that was grounded in the faith. Today, standing boldly is complicated by social pressure to compromise and fit in, but God can strengthen His people to remain fully committed to Jesus. PRAYER Precious God, forgive us for not recognizing those who speak the truth and those who speak beautiful words of deceit that make our hearts glad. Help us to remain focused and decisively on the Word. Protect us and comfort us from those
who would harm us because we believe and live Your Word. In the Name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.