Lesson Date: August 28, 2011

Focal Scripture Passage: Acts 14:1-28

AIM: To lead adults to describe how Paul and Barnabas responded both to popularity and to persecution, and to ask God to help them remember who they are in Jesus Christ so that they will not be swayed by the opinions of other people.

 

INTRODUCTION (Create Learning Readiness): Before class: Using the map and the Sunday School Teacher Book, familiarize yourself with the locations named in this lesson.  Write the word “Fame” on the marker board or chalkboard.

When class begins: Tell the class that fame is something most people want, but few people can handle.  Biographies of famous people reveal that as most of them rise to fame, popularity, and wealth, their personal lives and families fall apart.  Darrell Strawberry is just one example of a famous athlete whose life is a mess because he is hopelessly addicted to illegal drugs.  Many people in the entertainment industry go through divorce, alcohol addiction, and drug abuse.  The personal lives of most famous people are a mess.

Winston Churchill knew that public favor was no proof of real success.  Once, after he gave a speech for which 10,000 people came out, a friend asked, “Winston, aren't you impressed that 10,000 people came to hear you speak?”  Churchill replied, “Not really. 100,000 would come to see me hang.”[1]

Tell the class that in today’s lesson they are going to learn how Paul and Barnabas responded both to popularity and to persecution.  They understood that their value as human beings did not depend on the opinions of others.

 

HEART OF THE LESSON (Bible Study):

1.     Review.

a.     Remind the class that last week they learned about the beginning of Paul’s First Missionary Journey. 

b.     Refer to the map to remind them that Paul and Barnabas traveled to the island of Cyprus, after which they went into central Turkey. 

c.     Last week’s lesson ended with them being thrown out of Antioch and traveling to Iconium (locate on the map).

2.     Paul’s Ministry in Iconium.

a.     Ask a volunteer to read Acts 14:1-5.

b.     Remind the class that the Jews in Antioch rejected the gospel, so Paul and Barnabas turned to the Gentiles (Acts 13:46).  After such an experience we might think that Paul would give up on trying to reach Jews with the gospel.

c.     Ask: “Where was the first place Paul and Barnabas went in Iconium?” (the synagogue of the Jews).

d.     Paul was determined to take the gospel to his people, the Jews (Rom. 10:1).

e.     Tell the class that a great multitude of Jews and Gentiles believed the gospel and were saved, but there was also opposition.

f.      Ask: “According to verse 5, what did the enemies of Paul and Barnabas want to do to them?” (stone them to death).

g.     Some people loved Paul and Barnabas, while others wanted to kill them.

3.     Persecution in Iconium drove the Missionaries to Lystra.

a.     Read Acts 14:6-7.

b.     Ask: “What did Paul and Barnabas do when they found out about the plot to kill them?” (they left Iconium and went to Lystra – locate on the map).

c.     Ask a volunteer to read Acts 14:8-10.

d.     God used Paul to heal a crippled man.

4.     Popularity in Lystra.

a.     Remind the class that Paul and Barnabas had to flee Iconium because some of the Jews and Gentiles wanted to kill them.

b.     Ask the class to listen for what the people in Lystra thought of Paul and Barnabas, as you read Acts 14:11-18.

c.     Ask: “According to verses 11-12, who did the people think Paul and Barnabas were?” (gods who had come down to them in the form of men).

d.     The people of Lystra, who worshiped many false gods, even went so far as to assign specific names to Paul and Barnabas.  Explain to the class that the people spoke in their native language, which Paul and Barnabas did not understand.

e.     Ask: “According to verse 13, what did the people intend to do?” (worship and sacrifice to Paul and Barnabas as if they were gods).

f.      Paul explained that they were human beings, just like the people of Lystra.  He further told them they had come to tell them about the One True and Living God so they could turn away from their idolatry.

g.     Verse 18 tells us that Paul and Barnabas were barely able to restrain the people from worshiping them.

5.     More Persecution in Lystra.

a.     Paul and Barnabas faced death threats in one town and were thought to be gods in the next; what a contrast!

b.     Ask a volunteer to read Acts 14:19-20.

c.     The people in Lystra loved Paul and Barnabas.

d.     Ask: “Who came to Lystra and stirred up trouble?” (Jews from Antioch and Iconium).

e.     Ask: “What did they do to Paul?” (stoned him and threw him out of the city).

f.      The Jews thought Paul was dead (see notes on verse 19 on page 64 of the Sunday School Teacher Book), but as the sorrowing disciples stood around, he got up and went back into Lystra.  Paul went right back into the city where those who tried to kill him were located.

g.     The next day, Paul and Barnabas went on to Derbe (locate on the map).

6.     Paul’s Fearless Concern for the New Believers.

a.     Tell the class that Paul had a pastor’s heart of concern for the new believers and the new churches.

b.     Read Acts 14:21-25.

c.     Paul and Barnabas went back through all the towns they had previously visited in Turkey.

d.     Ask: “According to verses 22-23, what did they do in those cities?” (confirmed the disciples, encouraged them to continue in the faith, warned them to expect tribulation as they followed Christ, ordained elders in each church, prayed and fasted with them, and commended them to the Lord’s care).

e.     Paul was fearless in all of this: he went back through the cities where people had thrown him out or tried to kill him.

7.     Paul and Barnabas Returned Home.

a.     Tell the class that Acts 14:26-28 describe the end of Paul’s First Missionary Journey.

b.     Ask a volunteer to read those verses.

c.     Paul and Barnabas reported back to the church at Antioch (in Syria – locate on the map), which had sent them out on this missionary trip (Acts 13:1-3).

 

PERSONAL APPLICATION: Ask: “How did Paul and Barnabas respond to persecution?” (they didn’t let it stop them – they went right on ministering in Jesus’ name regardless of the personal price they had to pay).  Ask: “How did they respond to popularity?” (they directed attention away from themselves and to the Lord Jesus Christ).

Paul and Barnabas experienced fame, but they also faced hatred.  Fame didn’t ruin them and persecution didn’t stop them.  Ask: “Why do you think they could handle both fame and persecution?” (they understood who they were).  Paul and Barnabas knew that they were only messengers of Jesus Christ so they didn’t accept praise for the things Jesus did, such as healing a lame man or saving a lost sinner.  They knew that they were only messengers of Jesus Christ, so they didn’t claim the rejection and hatred as being directed toward them.  They realized that those who rejected the gospel were rejecting Jesus – not them.

Tell the class that a healthy understanding of who we are in Jesus Christ will help us respond properly to both fame (or praise) and persecution (or opposition).  We will probably never be worshiped as gods, but we can easily let praise go to our heads and become puffed up with pride.  We will probably never be stoned and left for dead, but we can easily let opposition or rejection paralyze us so that we no longer serve the Lord.  Ask: “Who are we in Jesus Christ?” (sinners saved by the grace of God, and messengers with the gospel of Jesus Christ to spread throughout our world).  When we remember who we are in Jesus Christ, we will not be swayed by the opinions of other people.  Tell the class members to ask God to help them remember who they are in Jesus Christ, and to respond properly to praise and rejection.  Lead a closing prayer.

 

CONCLUSION: Be sure everyone has a new Sunday School Member Quarterly for the Fall quarter.  Ask everyone to read Acts 15:1-35 this week.  Next week’s lesson is an important one, in which we will answer the question: “Are works necessary for salvation?”  Ask everyone to try to bring a friend to class next Sunday.