Strange Happenings
May 13 – 19
Make sure you read or listen to Dr.
Jack Levison's commentary by following this link:
Be sure to spend some time with
his "Questions for Further Reflection" at the bottom of the commentary. You'll
find new questions there each week!
___________________________________________________________________
Personal Conflict Leads to Reshuffling Mission Teams
Acts 15:36 – 16:5
Ever had a personal disagreement with someone at
church? The most difficult ones tend to
be when we disagree about how to move forward in ministry and mission, and when
it involves a judgment about a person’s qualifications for ministry. Barnabas and Paul disagree on both counts,
and the “disagreement became so sharp that they parted company.”!!! Barnabas and Mark went by sea to Cyprus, Paul
chose Silas and travelled by land in Syria and Cilicia. The story follows Paul and Silas into the
town of Lystra, where we meet Timothy.
Half-Gentile & half-Jewish, Paul had him circumcised even though his
job is to share the decision of the elders in Jerusalem that this procedure is
no longer required of Gentile believers.
What gives? All the while, “the
churches were strengthened in the faith and increased in numbers daily.”
- Have you ever had a disagreement with someone in the church over ministry decisions? Share an example.
- How did you feel about being in this disagreement? How did you feel about the person you disagreed with?
- What, if anything, led to the fixing of the disagreement or healing the relationship?
- How does it make you feel to know that there were major disagreements even in the early church?
How God gets Paul to Philippi
16:6 – 15
The Spirit of Jesus says “No” to Paul and Silas’ ministry
plans. What to do now? But then Paul has a vision in which he sees a
man saying “Come to Macedonia and help us.”
Convinced that God was calling them there, they sailed from Troas to
Neapolis, then Philippi. Who does Paul
meet in Philippi? Not a man, but a group of women gathered for prayer. In particular, a business woman named Lydia
whose heart was opened to their message by the Lord. It is through Lydia’s wealth/resources that
God provides a place for Paul and Silas to stay.
- Share an experience of when God has said “No” to your plans. How did you discover this response, and what did it feel like? How did God lead you in another direction?
- What area of your life do you need God to give you more direction?
- Have you ever known a Christian business woman like Lydia, who makes money from a business and uses it to support the mission of the church? Share your example.
- What is your profession/career – or what do you hope it will be? How might you serve God through this career as Lydia did through hers?
Paul & Silas in Prison – Shaken Up by Salvation
16:16-40The world will put up with a lot of the activities of the church, but here we see an example of where the line is often drawn – when the witness of the church and its caring for oppressed people is bad for business. Freeing the fortune-telling slave girl is what gets them arrested: “But when her owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul & Silas…” In jail, while Paul & Silas were joyfully singing hymns to God, an earthquake shook the foundations and they were free! But the purpose of their freedom was to bring the salvation of the Lord Jesus to the jailer and his family.
- What activities does the church do in the world that might be bad for business?
- What does this episode say about the value of vulnerable people in a world of commerce?
- What is your favorite part of the Prison/Earthquake/Jailer conversion story?
- What would you say to someone who asked you “What do I have to do to be saved?”
- Of all the people in your life right now, who might be closest to actually asking this question? How can you stay alert and ready to respond?
Turning the World Upside Down in Thessalonica & Beroea
Acts 17: 1-15
Jason takes one for the team. We don’t know much about him, but we do know
that he hosted the apostles at his home, and because of this a mob of ruffians attacked his
house and dragged him to the authorities.
In Thessalonica and Berea, Paul starts his ministry the same way he
usually does, with a visit to the Jewish synagogue. Overall, however, the Beroeans were much more
receptive to the message: “these Jews were more receptive than those in Thessalonica,
for they welcomed the message very eagerly and examined the scriptures every
day to see whether these things were so” (v. 11). True to form, Paul and Silas do God’s work in
the midst of opposition that follows them around to harass them and turn the
crowds against them.
- Have you ever “paid the price” for sticking up for someone who was being mistreated? Share your example.
- Come up with some examples of contemporary situations in which hosting a person at your home might expose you to violence. Would God still want you to do it if it exposed you to harm? What safeguards might help protect you?
- Why do you think the Beroeans were more receptive than the Thessalonians? How much a part do you think their eager “examination of the scriptures” played in this?
- How eager are you in examining the scriptures? Is it a daily thing for you?
Athens…The Message Goes Global
17:16-34
Paul arrives in Athens, distressed to see the city full
of idols. He argued in the synagogue
with the Jews, and argued in the marketplace (civic center) with Epicurean and
Stoic philosophers. He is invited to
speak at the Areopagus because people are curious about this “new”
teaching. Paul speaks of Jesus in a way
that the people can understand, fitting his message to their world &
culture.
- How is this story of Jesus different from the ones Paul and Peter have been proclaiming so far in Acts?
- Why do you think Paul quotes an inscription from a pagan altar and Greek poetry instead of sharing the story of God from the Old Testament?
- “Mars Hill” is the Roman name for the Greek “Hill of Ares,” the Areopagus in Athens where Paul preaches. It is also a popular name for new churches started in the last few decades. Why do you think churches choose this name to label their ministry? If you are familiar with any churches named Mars Hill, how does their ministry reflect what Paul is doing/saying on the original Mars Hill in Athens? How might it not reflect the original Mars Hill preaching?
Corinth…Christian Community in the midst of Commerce
18:1-22
Paul’s time in Corinth is made even more memorable by the
two (or more!) letters he wrote to the church there after he moved on. But the story of his original time there is a
story of Christian community. First, Paul meets Aquila and
his wife Priscilla - they become co-workers in the tent-making
business. After meeting resistance at
the synagogue, he goes next door to the house of Titius Justus. From there, Crispus, the synagogue official,
becomes a believer in the Lord. Inspired
by a vision in which the Lord spoke to him, he stayed in Corinth for a year and
a half. That’s a lot of time making tents, developing relationships, and preaching the message of Jesus.
- We don’t always think of work or school as places where we’ll meet other Christians. Has this every happened to you? Share.
- How important to you are Christian relationships?
- What benefits do you receive from others in these relationships? What benefits do you offer others?
- Who might God be calling you to spend more time with so you can be an encouragement to them in their walk with Christ?
Together in Christ,
Kurt
No comments:
Post a Comment