Adult
Sunday School Lesson Plan
MORNINGSIDE BAPTIST CHURCH
Lesson Date: October 16, 2011
Focal Scripture Passage: Acts 21:1-40
AIM: To lead adults to discover what Paul did when given the choice of either obeying God or protecting himself from danger, and to commit themselves to obeying God regardless of the cost.
INTRODUCTION (Create Learning Readiness): Before class: Write the following statement on a piece of poster board or some other large sheet of paper: “God will never deliberately lead His children into situations that involve danger or hardship.” Turn the poster to the wall so the class cannot read it until you want them to. Familiarize yourself with the locations named in this lesson so you can point them out to the class on the map. Prepare the cards or slips of paper described in the conclusion step.
When class begins: Tell the class that many popular religious broadcasts and churches in America today teach things like: “Something good is going to happen to you;” or “It is God’s will for you to be healthy, happy, and wealthy;” or “Smile, God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.” These are the prominent messages of many large ministries. They are popular messages that draw huge crowds.
Show your poster to the class, and read the statement aloud. Ask the class if they agree or disagree with the statement, and why. Tell the class that in today’s lesson they will see that the Apostle Paul faced a choice of whether to obey God or protect himself from certain danger.
HEART OF THE LESSON (Bible Study):
1. Review.
a. Do a brief review of the book of Acts.
b. Read Acts 1:8.
c. Remind the class that the book of Acts tells about the spread of the gospel from Jerusalem throughout the known (Roman) world.
d. Remind them that Paul felt compelled by God to go to Jerusalem (Acts 19:21 and 20:22).
e. Using the map, remind them that at the end of last week’s lesson Paul was in Miletus saying goodbye to the Ephesian elders. He was on the homeward leg of his Third Missionary Journey.
2. Paul was Warned Not to Go to Jerusalem.
a. Read Acts 21:1-3.
b. Use the map to show Paul’s journey across the Mediterranean Sea: from Miletus to Rhodes to Patara, and then south of Cyprus to Tyre.
c. Ask a volunteer to read Acts 21:4-6.
d. Ask: “What did the believers in Tyre tell Paul?” (not to go to Jerusalem).
e. Ask: “Did Paul follow their advice?” (no).
f. Ask: “Why do you think he went on to Jerusalem?” (he felt compelled by God to go there, he knew bonds and affliction lay ahead for him, and he was more concerned with obeying God than with protecting himself – see Acts 20:22-24).
g. Read Acts 21:7-9.
h. Use the map to show that Paul and his traveling companions sailed down the coast from Tyre to Ptolemais and then to Caesarea.
i. Ask: “Who did they stay with in Caesarea?” (Philip the evangelist).
j. Using the notes on these verses in the Sunday School Teacher Book (page 41), remind the class who Philip was (Acts 6:1-5; 8:5-40) and explain the special role his daughters filled in the early church.
3. Paul was Warned a Second Time.
a. Read Acts 21:10.
b. Tell the class who Agabus was (see Acts 11:28).
c. Ask a volunteer to read Acts 21:11-12.
d. Ask: “What did Agabus do and say?” (he took Paul’s belt and bound his own hands and feet, then said that the owner of the belt would be bound by the Jews at Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans).
e. If you like, you could even borrow someone’s belt and demonstrate this object lesson. The message Agabus brought through this vivid object lesson was understandable to all.
f. Ask: “What did Paul’s friends beg him not to do?” (they begged him not to go to Jerusalem).
g. Ask a volunteer to read Acts 21:13-14.
h. Ask: “How did Paul respond to their insistent urging?” (he said, “I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus”).
i. Paul was completely submitted to the will of God, regardless of the cost or consequences.
j. When his friends saw that Paul’s mind was made up, they stopped begging him.
4. Paul Arrived in Jerusalem and Joined a Jewish Vow.
a. Read Acts 21:15-24.
b. Paul and his companions went on to Jerusalem (locate on the map).
c. Ask: “According to verse 17, how did the believers in Jerusalem receive Paul?” (gladly).
d. Paul told James and the elders about the many Gentiles who were coming to Christ throughout the world.
e. Ask: “According to verse 20, what did James and the elders do when they heard this?” (they glorified the Lord).
f. Briefly lecture on verses 20-24 using the explanation in the Sunday School Member Quarterly (page 29) and the following outline:
1) Many believers in Jerusalem had heard that Paul taught against the Jewish Law.
2) The entire Jerusalem church would want to hear from Paul, and these false charges would undoubtedly be brought out.
3) There were four men in the church who had taken a Jewish vow. James and the elders urged Paul to help these men complete their vows.
4) This would be done publicly, which would show everyone that Paul was not an enemy of the Law.
g. Ask a volunteer to read Acts 21:25-26.
h. The leaders of the Jerusalem church repeated their previous ruling (Acts 15:20, 29) that Gentile Christians were not expected to keep the Law.
i. Ask: “Did Paul follow their advice?” (yes).
5. Paul was Seized in the Temple.
a. Read Acts 21:27-30.
b. Tell the class that Jews from the region of Asia (locate on the map) stirred up the rest of the Jews in the Temple. They falsely accused Paul of bringing a Gentile into the Temple.
c. Ask: “According to verse 30, how big was the commotion?” (very big – the entire city joined in).
d. The Jews dragged Paul out of the Temple, intending to kill him (see verse 31).
e. Remind the class that Paul was familiar with bloodthirsty Jewish crowds: he actually helped in the stoning death of Stephen (Acts 7:57-59), and he was himself stoned by a Jewish mob at Lystra on his First Missionary Journey (Acts 14:19).
f. Ask a volunteer to read Acts 21:31-33.
g. Ask: “Who rescued Paul from the bloodthirsty crowd?” (the commander of the Roman garrison).
h. Ask: “According to verse 33, what was done to Paul?” (he was bound with chains and delivered to the Gentiles – just as Agabus had predicted in Acts 21:11).
6. Paul Asked to Address the Crowd.
a. Read Acts 21:34-40.
b. Tell the class that the crowd was so riotous that the Roman commander could not determine what was going on, so he took Paul to the Roman fortress.
c. On the way, Paul asked if he could speak to the crowd, and the commander agreed.
d. Paul was always eager to preach about Jesus, regardless of his own safety!
PERSONAL APPLICATION: Point to the poster you used at the beginning of the lesson and read the statement on it to the class. Paul’s life (like that of Jesus) proves this statement to be untrue. God does, indeed, sometimes send His children into hardship and danger. The life of famed missionary Jim Elliot is another example. He was led by God to take the gospel to the Auca Indians in the 1950s. The Aucas killed Elliot and some of his missionary colleagues, but later came to faith in Christ. God had a plan for Elliot and his family that included danger and hardship.
Those who believe the Lord will always bring “good” things into the Christian’s life have a very narrow and unbiblical view of God. They have created a “god” of their own design that is not the God of the Bible. Such people are ill-prepared for personal tragedy or crisis. The biblical examples of the prophets, apostles, and missionaries, as well as the life of Christ, show us that God’s purpose in our lives is much bigger than simply providing us comfort, health, and convenience.
When given the choice of either obeying God or protecting himself from danger, Paul obeyed God. He knew God would be with him through whatever danger he might face. Ask: “Will you commit yourself to obey God regardless of the cost?” Urge everyone to personally tell God of his or her commitment as you lead a closing prayer.
CONCLUSION: Give everyone an index card or slip of paper on which you have written or printed the following: “A Christian who is obedient to God is indestructible until God’s work for him on earth is finished.” Ask everyone to memorize Acts 5:29 this week and to read and study Acts 22. Tell them to come to Sunday School next Sunday to find out what happened when Paul addressed the bloodthirsty crowd.
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