• Acts 18:24-28; 19:1-10

Over the past few decades, it has become somewhat fashionable to be religious. Celebrities increasingly have paraded their personal choices in religious beliefs through the media. The religious beliefs of political candidates have played an increasing role in elections. It has become acceptable to openly discuss personal experiences in our individual quests to understand the deep spiritual hunger we all feel.

One thing this situation has revealed is the error in the frequent assumption that people from the same area or with similar backgrounds share religious beliefs and understandings. This is simply not true in many cases. Even in the midst of what many see as a “Christian nation,” there is widespread misconceptions or accepted half-truths about the Christian faith.

In order to address this, many churches develop “seeker-sensitive” ministries through which they seek to explain Christianity to those who are religiously curious. Yet in doing so, some merely emphasize the religious aspects of Christianity by watering down or adding to the Christian message.

God created humans to seek spiritual connection with God and calls all believers to help others understand how to truly make that connection in a way that brings purpose to life. The story of Paul’s encounter with the people of Ephesus has much to teach us about how we can respond to religious people.

Listen to what others say (Acts 18:24-28)

In order to know what someone believes, we must first listen to what they say. Often due to a person’s reputation or position, it is possible to assume they have a complete understanding of what they are talking about. Yet when we take time to listen, we may find their understanding is in error or incomplete.

Apollos apparently had a reputation as one who was highly educated in the Scriptures and was an effective teacher. Perhaps he had the right degrees from the right schools. Yet when Priscilla and Aquila heard him speak, they quickly saw he did not fully understand God’s plan for salvation. He knew and could thoroughly explain the external rituals and practices of the Christian faith, but lacked an understanding of the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer. In other words, he was an expert in Christianity as a religion, but did not understand it as a relationship between the individual and God.

Many today similarly know the vocabulary of Christianity well enough that, on the surface, they sound as if they are a growing believer when in fact their Christianity is only incomplete head knowledge. Only as believers really listen to them can they help them more fully understand.

Ask others questions (Acts 19:1-3)

As we listen to others share what they know, we may begin to detect shortcomings or weaknesses in their understanding. It is at those points that believers need to ask questions.

As Paul talked to the residents of Ephesus, he sensed they had an inadequate understanding of the Holy Spirit. Yet rather than brush it aside by assuming they understood, Paul asked a question directed at the area where their understanding was incomplete.

Today, many may see Christianity as a set of rules like other religions or they may see salvation as simply securing a future home in heaven. Both of these are simply inadequate beliefs which need to be corrected. The best way a believer has to assist in that process is to refuse to assume someone understands Christianity is much more about freedom and meaning in life and has great significance for life prior to death and to ask questions about their perspective on Christianity.

Teach what’s needed (Acts 19:4-7)

Once areas of misunderstanding or incomplete understanding have been identified, then a believer can teach the other person the truth. This is an area where many believers feel inadequate. They may come to a certain point in the conversation and then refer them to a pastor or minister.

While this is not always a bad idea, it may instill the erroneous idea that one needs some special training or education to fully understand the Christian faith. This strengthens the perception that Christianity is a religion. Correcting misconceptions or filling in incomplete understanding of Christianity does not take a seminary degree. It simply takes a believer faithfully walking with God on a daily basis through Bible study and prayer.

Seek opportunities to help (Acts 19:8-10)

The Bible clearly teaches Satan is an enemy of the Christian faith constantly seeking ways to weaken or discredit it. One of the most effective tools in Satan’s arsenal against Christianity is misinformation and half-truths. Once these are part of a person’s thoughts, they can lead the person to assume their salvation and relationship with God is good when in fact they may be lost or living an ineffective Christian life.

Because of this, it is important that faithful growing believers always be watchful for opportunities to help others understand and grow in their relationship with God.

Everywhere Paul went, he sought out those groups or individuals who lacked something in their beliefs. This does not give believers license to take a “holier-than-thou” attitude and seek to correct every minute detail in someone else’s theology. Such action would simply further discredit Christianity as a religion of strict detailed regulations and dogmatic doctrines.

Yet when we see one whose beliefs are misguided or incomplete, we should all follow Paul’s example in seeking out opportunities to help them grow in a deeper relationship with God.
 

• Hebrews 2:14–3:1, 5-14

 Theodore Roosevelt said, “It is better to be faithful than famous.” While success and fame are more valuable that faithfulness in the present culture around us, faithfulness is the quiet hallmark to which Christians are called. It is by remaining faithful—even when all other signs indicate we should not—that we are most counter-cultural. 

When faithfulness to one’s commitments takes a back seat to indulgence in one’s wants, we find a recipe for a stew that is flavored with personal discontent, feelings of inadequacy, covetousness and unfulfilled lives. But when we are faithful to God rather to our indulgences, we find a rich way of living that offers peace beyond all understanding.  

While God expects believers to be faithful, God also provides resources and tools to keep the faith. Our spiritual resources for remaining faithful are rich and plenty, and this week’s lesson is about discovering those precious gifts for keeping the faith. God will not call us to faithfulness without giving us a way to accomplish this goal! 

What can help me stay faithful to God? Our tools are Jesus our helper, our calling, our Bible and our church family.

My Helper (Hebrews 2:14-18)

Perhaps one of the most comforting and reassuring passages in all the Bible, Hebrews 2:14-18 paints a portrait of the human side of Jesus who endured testing and suffering in order to provide salvation for the world. His humanity is evidenced as a reminder that you and I, though human, have a helper in Jesus. Jesus is able to provide a resource to us in the times of testing and temptation—times when our faithfulness is being stretched to the max.

The great beauty in this passage is that it acknowledges the fully human nature of Jesus. It clarifies that his temptations and tests were as real as ours, and as our model of faithfulness, Jesus’ help to us can help us endure. 

Application idea
 
• We can be confident that when we trust in Christ and what he has done for us, we are released from sin’s domination. Ask your class to privately consider a time when they were tempted and needed to trust in Christ’s power to help them through the temptation. How might they encourage others going through similar tests and temptations?   

My calling (Hebrews 3:1, 5-6)

Moses stood firm, we are told in verse 5, to watch over God’s “house” as a servant. That is to say, he was faithful in guiding the children of Israel out of Egypt and to the very edge of the Promised Land. It was this holy calling that took priority in his live, and the genuineness of his work guided his life.

The same faithfulness was seen in Christ as God’s Son, and he faithfully followed his calling. Like Moses, Jesus was a servant in God’s house, and in fact, we can say he was a servant to all. That was his calling.

As believers today, we are equally subject to a heavenly calling to put our faith in Jesus and give him priority in our lives. We are the house of God if we “hold firm the confidence and the pride that belong to hope” (Hebrews 3:6). 

Application ideas

• Because Christ lives in us as believers, we can remain faithful to God’s calling upon our lives. Ask your learners to share or consider a time when they sensed God was calling them to do something. Tell them about a time you did what you thought God was asking you to do and how that turned out. Or perhaps share about a time when you did not follow God’s calling. What were the consequences? 

My Bible (Hebrews 3:7-11)

In this passage, the writer is recounting the wandering of the Israelites in the wilderness as a consequence of their lack of faithfulness to God. It is important for us to know the voice of God so that we, too, can be faithful in our walk. While God speaks in many ways and in many times, the Scriptures can be affirmed as one of the best ways God speaks to us.

It is important, then, if we are to remain faithful in hearing God’s voice, that we would be diligent students of Scripture. Memorizing texts, understanding the context of Scripture and praying for the Holy Spirit to guide us in reading the Bible are all ways we can be faithful to God. The writer of Hebrews began his quotation from Psalm 95 by noting the psalmist’s words were the words of the Holy Spirit (3:7).

Ultimately, believers are called to read the Bible through the “lens” of Jesus as savior.  Jesus’ life, ministry, death and resurrection must necessarily “flavor” or influence how we read all of the Bible. To be faithful to Christ, it is imperative to read Scripture in this way.

My church (Hebrews 3:12-14)
       
The fourth tool God gives us to help us remain faithful is the church. We are to be on guard that we do not have unfaithful hearts as the Israelites did (vv. 7-11). The church at her best offers believers encouragement to help Christians maintain a higher level of commitment and faithfulness to God. 

Verse 13 says we should exhort one another so we might not be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. The encouragement of fellow believers helps us avoid the snares of sin, and it keeps us closely connected to one another. In this sense, the church—the body of Jesus Christ—serves to keep us strong and help us be faithful.

Application ideas

•    Ask your learners to tell about a time when the church helped them remain faithful to God.

•    Ask your learners to consider the people in their church that are hurting or suffering and brainstorm how your group might “be the body of Christ” to those people—and thereby encourage them in their faithfulness to God.
 

 • Acts 17:16-31

Life is full of questions. Many of these deal with the practical issues of living while others concern the great mysteries of life and reality. Humans are unique in all creation for our ability to ask and seek answers to these later questions.

As we do so, our quest inevitably leads us to explore various religious beliefs and traditions. We seem to instinctively know that the answers to our deepest questions can only be found within the realm of the divine.

Unfortunately, there are an ever-increasing number of voices in the world claiming to offer the most meaningful and fulfilling answers to our questions.

As a result, many come away from such a pursuit with the idea that all religions lead to the same place. They all seem to have basically the same answers to life’s questions, and thus one may choose the one he or she prefers from among many equally valid religious traditions. They fail to appreciate or understand the ways in which Christianity offers answers which are distinctive from other religions in important ways.

Many Christian believers also fail to fully acknowledge this uniqueness and seek to blend their Christian beliefs with various other philosophies. When non-believers ask them, they are unable to point to the unique aspects of Christianity because they have not taken time to fully understand them.

Such a situation is nothing new. Paul was faced many times by people asking questions. At a time when what would later be known as “Christianity” was just taking shape, many people questioned its teachings. As we look at the account of Paul’s encounter with one such group, we can understand Christianity’s uniqueness and how we can help others to recognize it as providing the only meaningful answers to their questions.

Who God is not (Acts 17:16-18)

It often can be difficult to imagine the cultural and religious life of the people with whom Paul interacted. It was a time dominated by competing philosophical ideas and religious devotion to a wide variety of gods.

Many of the myths concerning the various gods presented them in a way which resembled human behavior and interaction. These myths included stories of jealousy, deception, pettiness, lust and revenge.

Religious beliefs also were influenced by the many ideas of the great Greek philosophers who taught everything from stoic self-denial as a means to achieve enlightenment to the pursuit of pleasure as the highest goal in life. These were the convictions of the majority of the people Paul encountered, and thus Paul spent much time seeking to show God was not the same as the many pagan deities.

Today, there are many misconceptions concerning the God of the Bible among non-believers. Many only have heard a few stories from the Bible and believe God is a great cosmic police officer or judge waiting to strike down any who cross the line of the divine law. Others see God as a God of centuries ago who could not possibly understand life in the 21st century. Still others hold that God is only a crutch for the weak-minded.

As believers, it is vitally important that we take time to show people the error of their misconceptions and clearly distinguish the God of the Bible from all the things God is not.

Who God is (Acts 17:19-29)

While it is important to clarify misunderstandings about God, it equally is important to clearly convey who God is. As he toured Athens, Paul came across an altar to an unknown god. This may indicate the Athenians knew their many other gods did not satisfy their deepest hunger for answers but, knowing the answers must be “out there somewhere,” sought to worship the god who held the answers even though they did not know that god’s name.

Paul simply filled in the blank for them. He clearly told them that this “unknown god” did indeed hold the answers they were seeking. This unknown god was in fact the Creator of the universe who gave life to everyone.

Since we enjoy that life and bear within us the image of the divine, we should not seek to worship an idol of gold. The “unknown god” is the only true God who created us and loves us. Today, the issue believers face is not that people worship God among many other gods, but that they lack an understanding of who God really is. They may understand that God created everything, but may not see God as a personal being.

It is not enough that we know God’s name and understand what God is not. We must come to appreciate God for all God is.

How is God unique (Acts 17:30-31)

Over the centuries, many people have brought their questions about the meaning of life to the door of Christianity for answers. Many of these have come as atheists intent on disproving the validity of the Christian message. As they have explored its pages, many of these have come to one aspect of the story which they could not explain away and which convinced them of the uniqueness and truth of the gospel—the resurrection.

No other religion looks to an empty tomb for validation. Paul addressed those who believed that physical death was the end of a person’s entire existence.

Today, death remains as the single greatest fear and unknown for every person. Then and now the resurrection stands as proof that death is not the end. There is life on the other side. Yet the Bible is clear that one’s experience of the afterlife is dependent on one’s actions and beliefs in this life. In order to live for eternity in the presence of all that God is, one simply must accept by faith the unique teaching of the resurrection. Believing that the only true God is the Almighty Creator of all that is and that he loves us and demonstrated that through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus as God’s Unique Son will answer all of life’s questions.

• Hebrews 1:1-6,10-14; 2:1-4 

Have you ever wondered why a lion tamer uses a stool? Is the trainer really going to stop the lion with that stool? Nope. The reason is that the big cat’s vision does not allow him to focus on more than one thing at a time. The stool has four legs and thus four points to distract the lion. It keeps the cat busy trying to focus while the trainer is working with other lions.

The ability to stay focused is the key to success—in sports, in school, in business, and in life. If we focus on too many things – like the lion – we get distracted and can’t focus on the life that God would have us live. Focus is important in the Christian life. Jesus said it this way: “If your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light” and “No one can be a slave to two masters” (Matt. 6:22,24).

So what does it mean to have a focused life if you claim to follow Christ? Primarily it means that we are to focus our lives on the life that Jesus lived in order to find the pattern for living a life that pleases God. Today’s lesson will help your learners understand the reasons we ought to focus on Jesus and help them take specific steps to keep their focus on Jesus. Because Jesus is the perfect, most complete revelation of God, we need to focus on Him.

Jesus is worthy of our attention (Heb. 1:1-3)

God has spoken ultimately, completely, and fully in Jesus. Jesus is the perfect, most complete revelation of God. Because Jesus is perfect in his example for us, he is the beginning point for focusing our lives. What’s more, his perfection is a revelation of the nature and character of God – the same God that we are called to imitate in all our dealings and relationships.

There is no need to look beyond Jesus for any greater revelation. He is the ultimate and best and having redeemed us from our sin, he becomes the channel through which we can experience fellowship with God the Father. Sometimes we make the mistake of putting the Bible on the same level as Jesus in terms of revelation, but this lesson is a good opportunity to remind your learners that Jesus is the one and only lens through which we should read scripture. Scripture only becomes a revelation when it is understand from the perspective of one who sees Jesus as the savior of the world – and the perfect revelation of God to the world.

Jesus Is Superior (Heb. 1:4-6,10-14)

This portion of scripture is replete with Old Testament quotes. Ask your learners to consider why the writer would go to such lengths to report what the Old Testament passages are saying? One might conclude that these quotes are designed to show that Jesus is superior to the angels, and that as God’s Son, he is unchanging and has authority of the whole of creation.

Application Ideas:

• Ask your learners to identify the things that distract them from focusing on following Jesus in their lives. They might mention work, sickness, recreation, television, and so forth. After a time of sharing, ask them to describe why Jesus is superior to all those distractions.

• Ask your learners to share sources of spiritual authority in their lives. They might mention certain authors, pastors, or other church leaders. Remind them that the greatest spiritual authority is Jesus himself and that while those other authorities might be credible, they are not infallible. Believers should weigh out the teachings of those whom they grant spiritual authority as well as making sure that the greatest authority for living the Christian life is granted to Jesus.

The Consequences of Neglect (Heb. 2:1-4)

Because of Jesus’ superiority, believers need to pay attention to Jesus. Ignoring him or neglecting to follow him after the great gift of our salvation can lead to some serious spiritual problems. This means that we cannot be content to simply hear Jesus, we must also obey Jesus with our lives.

The recipients of this letter were not ones who’d rejected Jesus, they were ones who had been ignoring him or neglecting their spiritual formation under him after coming to faith. Who among us has not experienced this? We have a significant spiritual awakening – either at our salvation, or perhaps during a retreat or revival – only to later find that our fervor and excitement have diminished.
.

Application Ideas:

• Believers need to pay attention to Jesus because ignoring Him leads to serious spiritual problems. Ask your learners to identify a time when they felt themselves “slipping away” from their relationship with God. What happened to “bring them back?”

• Ask your learners to ponder this: Which is more difficult: “Staying devoted to God” or “Coming back to God?”

• Consider singing the words to Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing. The lyrics describe well the “prone to wander” nature of Christians, as well as the journey back to God.

• Revelation 21:1-5,22-27; 22:1-5

I remember a conversation I had with an elderly Christian man when I was a mere 24 years old. We’d been discussing a wide range of topics on a cool June evening and we came to the topic of the afterlife. Both of us being Christians, we were thinking in terms of heaven and what it would be like. After a while I said, “It all sounds pretty good, but I don’t know if I’m quite ready for it. I have a lot of living I still want to do.”

His gentle reply was that he, too, had felt that way when he was younger, but now that he was on up in years his view had changed. He’d seen so many people die whom he missed that he was eager for a heavenly reunion and to see God. While I’m not ready to die at this moment, the more I’ve aged, the more I’ve come to appreciate his perspective. Heaven will be a wonderful place for believers in Jesus and it will be a God-centered place as well. Today’s study will help your learners appreciate the beauty, joy, and glory of heaven that is described in the Book of Revelation.

New (Rev. 21:1-5)

After a lot of imagery that is frightening, John offers us an exciting image of the new heaven and new earth that is to come. Now God is dwelling with God’s people and all the things that have caused us grief and pain will be absent. Every tear shall be wiped away and all things will be made new.

When we live in this world that has pain and sorrow, it is encouraging for us to remember that there is a place in heaven for believers, and it is new and glorious. What’s more, it is completely God-centered. The passage says that, “They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God” (Rev 21.3b). This verse points to the wondrous intimacy with God that believers will experience in heaven. This is an assuring promise that need not be limited to heaven – remind your learners that intimacy with God can happen in the here and now as we nurture our relationship with God through spiritual formation.

Application Ideas:

We can better endure those things that cause us sorrow and pain by remembering that those are only temporary and will be absent from heaven. Ask your learners how they might be encouraged through hard times by remembering this promise.

We will have a complete and unhindered intimate relationship with God in heaven, but we can begin to experience that relationship even now. Ask your learners to think about what steps they can take this week to draw closer to God.

Ask your learners to think about how a new car or new house smells and feels. Think about how fresh paint makes a house seem new and bright. Then encourage them by saying that as good as those experiences may be, they will ultimately pale in comparison to the wonder of the new heaven and the new earth.

Glorious (Rev. 21:22-27)

John described the glory of heaven as the glory God Himself brings to it and the glory brought in by the kings of the earth. His descriptions illustrate that the very light of heaven will be from God’s glory, and of it there will be no end. No night will descend upon heaven, and it will be a place of peace – there is not even a need to shut the gates of the city. Further, heaven will be a place of purity and righteousness.

The wonder of this glory is staggering. A student of the Bible will recall God’s pillar of fire that guided Israel during the Exodus, and John is harkening back to this Shekinah glory of God’s presence that brings illumination to all who follow. In heaven this glory will be so close that all will be illuminated.

In the midst of this glorious heaven, John’s references to the nations indicate that our unique cultures will play a role in contributing to the glory of the holy city – but this will be without competition or prejudice as we know it on earth today.

Application Ideas:
Ask your learners to imagine how it will be to have God’s presence so close and strong that it illuminates our everyday living. What will this be like? Is it possible to live in the glow of God’s glory in our lives here and now?

Ask your learners to reflect on the diversity of heaven. Do you think there will be dissension over the songs being sung? Or about the diversity of races and cultures represented?

Joyful (Rev. 22:1-5)

In this final scene for today’s study we see the river of living water – crystal clear – that nourishes the tree of life. Bearing fruit twelve months out of the year, this tree of life is a source of healing for all the nations. This tree removes the curse that came by way of Adam and Eve eating from another tree – the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The final abatement of the curse is the source of ultimate joy for all believers as they dwell in God’s home.

We can rejoice that all we have lost due to sin and the curse upon humans will be restored in heaven, and it will be a place of great joy. Ask your learners to imagine the implications of the removal of the curse of sin. For example, what would the removal of the curse do to affect the way we relate to one another? What happens to jealousy, pride, greed, and hatred? Or, what would the removal of the curse do to affect our bodies? What happens to cancer, heart disease, and other human maladies?

• Acts 15:1-28

It has been said that the problem with living in the world is that occasionally one must interact with other people. The problem is that whenever two individuals are together for long enough, conflict will occur. Regardless of what type of relationship they share, differences of opinion will arise. In general, people approach conflict in one of three ways. Some seek to avoid conflict at all costs even if it means abandoning their personal preferences.

At the other extreme, some people welcome conflict by asserting that their way is the only “correct” way and demanding others submit. Finally, many people try to ignore conflict, hoping that it will simply go away and leave things unchanged. In the book of Acts we read about a conflict that threatened to split or stifle the growth of the early church. It was a conflict that both theological, in that it dealt with the meaning of salvation, and practical, in that it effected evangelism and fellowship within the church.

As we read the story, we see an example of how God desires His followers to deal with conflict. God calls on us to resolve any conflict in such a way that both sides of the issue are benefited, the relationship is preserved, and God is glorified.

Agree to Resolve the Problem (Acts 15:1-2)

For a number of years following the resurrection of Jesus, the beliefs of His followers were widely seen as comprising a new sect within Judaism. All of the earliest converts were Jews who maintained some connection to the rituals and ceremonial law of Judaism after accepting the Gospel. As these believers spread beyond Judea, they came into contact with Gentiles.

Through the missionary work of men like Paul, many of these non-Jews believed, accepted their message, and were baptized. Some of the Jewish leaders within the church thought that these new converts should be required to adhere to Jewish law in order to be a true believer. Paul, Barnabas, and others disagreed.

Rather than causing emotionally-heated argument, the two groups decided to resolve their disagreement peacefully before a judge in Jerusalem. Just as too often happens today, they could have either disregarded the problem and allowed bitterness to grow or insisted on their different opinions and created a fight. Instead, they chose to face and resolve the matter in a way that would please God.

Discuss the Issues (Acts 15:6-12)

Once everyone involved had gathered in Jerusalem, each side presented their arguments before James and the other leaders of the Jerusalem church. There are at least two things to take note of in these verses. First, one of the overarching concerns of everyone was likely to preserve the unity and reputation of the young church. It is often true that you can tell the most about a group of people by observing how they disagree.

At the Jerusalem Council, it appears that a genuine search for God’s will trumped any personal agendas. It appears that there was a sincere desire for open discussion. Second, there was a clear desire to discuss and consider the arguments of each side. Each side had sound reasons and used them to persuade the others.

Today it can be easy to face differences of opinion with the attitude that “it has never been done that way before,” and close off any further discussion. But there would never be any growth or development if there were no differences which were openly discussed. Conflict can be a good opportunity to examine our beliefs and determine why we hold them.

Look at the Scriptures (Acts 15:13-17)

While it is important to openly discuss and examine particular beliefs and practices periodically, we should always be sure no final decision be reached without consulting the Bible. Any brief look at the history of the church reveals that there have been many times when large crowds followed those who could offer convincing, but erroneous statements of belief.

The followers fell for the eloquent speech and forgot to assess what was said according to the consistent witness of Scripture. When Peter referred to the past history and traditions of the people, James looked into their sacred texts (which we now have as the Old Testament) and was convinced by what he found there. There are a number of issues confronting churches today such as the place of women in ministry which have honest believing supporters on both sides.

As churches wrestle with these issues, God wants us all to remember that he has provided assistance and guidance in the pages of His Word. It is up to us to look beyond carefully crafted human arguments and consider what God has said in the pages of the Bible whenever we are faced with conflicting opinions.

Reach a Consensus (Acts 15:22-28)

Finally, after carefully weighing the various arguments, the members of the Jerusalem Council determined that Gentiles should not be required to adhere to Jewish Law as part of becoming a believer and follower of Christ.

While it appears that James and Peter were clearly seen as leaders, neither of them simply imposed their position on the rest. They continued debating the issue peacefully until the rest of the leaders were convinced and then sent word throughout the region concerning their consensus.

The church has one head – Christ. No other human has been given sole authority to unilaterally make decisions concerning the direction of the church. God speaks to all believers and leads each into the Truth. Because of this, whenever we face conflict within the church, we should always be careful to get input from all and refuse to move forward until agreement has been reached.

• Acts 14:1-4, 11-23 

“I am following Jesus, so why do so many bad things keep happening to me?” At one time or another, every believer has asked this question.

Some seem to believe that committing his or her life to God and seeking to obey him should be the end of struggling with difficult situations. They move out in obedience to God’s call assuming God will simply remove any hindrance or resistance. Then when troubles come, they react.

Some become disillusioned with the Christian life and perhaps try to run and hide from life. Others complain to God and others. Still others seek to summon up the will power to overcome the difficulty within their own strength. God, however, never promised following him would be easy.

In fact, throughout the Bible, we can see following God often leads directly to problems because obedience to God puts us on a path contrary to the “way things work” in the world. God allows believers to encounter these times in order that we might grow stronger. God desires followers who will be committed to keep following him regardless of any obstacles. The life of Paul as recorded in the book of Acts provides us with ample examples of how we might do this.

Rejection and dependence (Acts 14:1-4)

As Paul journeyed as a missionary throughout the Roman Empire, large numbers of people came to accept the gospel and were saved. Many today read verses such as Acts 14:1 and think that that is how their own personal efforts at witnessing should be. As long as they are genuinely sharing the good news, they feel they should find nothing but success as many come to believe based on their testimony. When they meet resistance, they can quickly retreat into doubt and discouragement.

When we read the story of Paul, we see one who faced resistance greater than any we encounter today. There were many well-educated people who were directly contradicting Paul’s message and seeking to turn people against him. These people also convinced many Paul should be killed. Yet verse 3 indicates Paul did not leave at the first sign of trouble. He remained faithful to his calling to preach in the face of hostility, depending on God for protection. God is looking for believers who will refuse to run or be side-tracked by trouble.

Misconception and explanation (Acts 14:11-18)

As a way to strengthen and validate his message, Paul was given the ability by God to perform miracles. This gift, however, occasionally led some to see Paul as superhuman or divine. Paul then had to correct their misconceptions and direct their attention away from his miraculous acts to the God who was responsible for the gift.

Most believers today are not confronted with that kind of accusation, but often have to correct other misconceptions of those to whom they witness. Many outside the church look at the Christian life as a life of rules and regulations which take most or all of the fun and spontaneity out of life. They may see faith in Jesus as merely a crutch for the weak-minded. Believers need to be aware of such misconceptions and be prepared to deal with them honestly and explain the fallacy behind them.

The life of Paul clearly shows we never should allow anything to shift the focus away from Christ. Whatever misconceptions or false ideas we may encounter, we always should quickly refute them and clearly explain the truth.

Persecution and faithfulness (Acts 14:19-21)

Everywhere Paul went, he faced resistance and persecution. Often this was people from other areas following him and seeking to stir up distrust or hostility toward Paul. Soon false stories and accusations about Paul spread throughout the Roman Empire so that Paul was assaulted even as he traveled between towns. The level of persecution also escalated from verbal arguments and attacks to physical assault and attempted execution.

It certainly would have been understandable if he had altered his plans or stopped. Yet through all of this, Paul remained committed to fulfilling his call to spread the message. He simply refused to allow other people to distract him. His faithfulness even led him to return to places where he previously had been persecuted, even when friends tried to convince him not to go.

As we have mentioned, seeking to share the gospel often will place us at odds with those who do not believe. But God is calling his followers to press on through resistance and even persecution in our mission. Jesus told us we should even rejoice in our persecution knowing our faithfulness will have a great reward in heaven (Matthew 5:11-12).

Recognition and acceptance (Acts 14:22-23)

In this world, there will be trials and difficulties. Accepting Christ and seeking to follow him does not remove those troubles and may bring its own problems. Believers need to accept that and not allow it to cause them to give up.

Indeed, one of the most effective witnesses to the truthfulness of the Christian message is when a believer maintains their witness in the face of resistance. The world’s way is to seek the path of least resistance, so when an unbeliever sees someone maintain their commitment in spite of persecution, he or she is motivated to ask why. Persistence through obstacles leads to a recognition and acceptance of the truth. And God is looking for believers to demonstrate that kind of commitment whenever they face trying times.

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• Revelation 19:6-9, 11-16, 19-21 

Christians take extreme points of view on the return of Christ. Some folks look at every event in history as a sign of the end times. Conflict in Israel signals Armageddon, and global warming indicates God’s wrath and return. Some Christians take another extreme. They say, “I don’t know when Christ will return, so let’s just live as if it will never happen in our life times.”

The ideal, it would seem, falls in between these two points of view. Jesus indicated a great deal of uncertainty would exist around when he would return and bring about the fully realized kingdom of God, and he simultaneously indicated we also should live in anticipation of when that will happen.

This week’s lesson is about finding a way to live fully in anticipation that Jesus will return and bring ultimate deliverance for believers. It is about the belief that Christ’s return will signal Christ claiming his people, bringing about God’s kingdom and defeating the forces of evil in this world. Therefore, we can rejoice in what Christ will accomplish when he returns, and we can choose to live life here and now with a sense of victory because of what awaits us at the return of Christ.

Claimed! (Revelation 19:6-9)

Consider how good it feels to receive an invitation to a party, or even better, to a really nice party such as a wedding feast. It is an honor to be on the guest list, to be thought of so highly by another that we are invited to a celebration. Now ask your learners to consider how good it must be that the Creator of the cosmos is inviting us to the most important party in the history of time—the wedding of the Lamb of God.

By inviting us to the wedding feast of the Lamb, God is claiming us as special and dear. We will be called to rejoice and celebrate that the Lamb of God—Jesus—has arrived. We can celebrate because we will then know for fact all the things we have accepted as a belief. We will know Jesus’ promise to return to us is real. We will know the battle of this world between good and evil will be won. We will know we are claimed by Jesus, and we are invited to the party.

Faith in this event can help us to realize how beautiful a gift our salvation really is. Faith in this event also can help us to live victoriously now by living as if the battle is won and done. Faith in this event can inspire us to live righteously and faithfully because we anticipate a different outcome than the evil one would have us believe in.

While this passage does not describe the wedding feast, it does announce it. Is this wedding feast at the immediate time of Christ’s return? Or some later time? We cannot know for sure, but the bottom line is the wedding feast will come with the new heaven and new earth mentioned in Revelation 21:2, 9.

Conquered! (Revelation 19:11-16)

In this section of Scripture, we see the rider of the white horse, and by name, “King of Kings and Lord of Lords,” we identify him as Jesus, the one who previously has conquered death and is about to conquer the Antichrist and the beast. This chapter is the “end game” account of what ultimately will happen to the beast and the Antichrist we discussed July 6 and 13, and it is their vanquishing that further fortifies the lordship of Christ over all the earth.

For discussion with your learners, you might want to ask:

• How can we be encouraged by the certainty of Christ’s return?

• How can we proclaim Christ’s lordship with our words and actions?

Crushed! (Revelation 19:19-21)

Some say the battle of Christ and his army against the Antichrist and his army as depicted in Revelation 19:19-21 is the battle of Armageddon, as referenced in Revelation 16:12-16. This final battle between good and evil will be decisive. John predicts Christ’s victory in Revelation 17:14 and shows the end that will come to the false prophet and the Antichrist—being cast into the fiery lake. Their armies don’t fare so well either; they are killed with the sword that comes from the mouth of the horseman—Christ.

Your learners can stand on these truths from this passage:

• No matter how bad things get in our lives, Christ ultimately will be victorious.

• When we stand with Christ in our daily living—by following his teachings and witnessing of our faith in him—then we unify ourselves with Jesus and will not become a follower of the evil one.

• Just as Christ’s return and the believer’s victory are sure, so is the judgment of Christ’s enemies. We can be assured that ultimately, justice will come to pass according to God’s plan of grace and mercy.

• Revelation 13:1-10,16-18

This week’s lesson presents many difficult angles for the teacher—Revelation clearly is a coded book referencing many of the political and religious persecution problems of John’s day. This week’s passage focuses on an evil beast, frequently called the Antichrist by some interpreters, who rises from the seas and is followed by the whole earth.

While its cryptic nature makes it hard to follow, this passage has major implications for the way we live today, and in particular what leaders we choose to follow. Our own lifetimes have seen the rise of men like Hitler and bin Laden, so we are left to ponder if perhaps they are also examples of the idea of Antichrist?

Satan’s PR man (Revelation 13:1-6)

Whether you read the beast as the Antichrist is irrelevant. This passage clearly indicates that there is someone or something—a beast—that is a tool of the dragon, and the dragon is thought to be the evil one we refer to as Satan. The dictate for modern readers is to be careful in choosing whom we may be following, and to be careful about joining in “just because everyone else is doing it.”

We should reject any leader or teaching that lessens the sovereignty, holiness and majesty of Christ. Ask your learners to discuss how they evaluate the quality of a leader, such as a pastor. In particular, how should followers of Christ evaluate the preaching and teaching to which they expose themselves?

The ultimate control freak (Revelation 13:7-8,16-18)

The first beast will exercise such authority that the whole world will follow him. This beast is given authority to make war, and it also is given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. In John’s vision all the people of the world (except those written in the Lamb’s book of life) worship the beast.

John then identifies a second beast (vv. 11-12), later called the false prophet (16:13; 19:20; 20:10), who will require people to receive the mark of the beast in order to live or do business. Clarify for your learners that there are two beasts in chapter 13, and the mark of the beast refers to the first of the two beasts—the one commonly referred to as the Antichrist.

Gematria is the practice of assigning numbers to letters, a practice used by many to determine the significance of the number 666. There are scads of opinions about the significance of the number, with much speculation as to whom it could refer. The most probable is Neron Caesar according to the editors of the New Revised Standard Version, but the biblical truth for our lives is that John’s words in verse 18 call for divine wisdom and not mathematical ingenuity.

After all, others have thought that Hitler, bin Laden and Ronald Reagan were the Antichrist, too.

The persecutor (Revelation 13:7, 9-10)

In John’s vision, the beast was a source of suffering for followers of Christ, persecuting and killing believers. The harsh reality is that the evil forces at work in this world do intend to cause harm to God’s children, and this reality forces us to heed the call for patient endurance and faithfulness from those who suffer persecution.

If you feel the sense of dread and doom in this passage, that’s what John intended. He is partially quoting from Jeremiah 15, a passage his contemporary readers would know well as a word of doom from God. Yet there is a word of grace in this section of material, as it also is a partial quote from Matt 26:52.

There, Jesus is being captured in the garden and tells one of his disciples to put away his sword, “for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.” It is John’s way of saying that believers must deal with the persecution in the manner of Jesus, not returning bad for bad, but instead choosing the peaceful way of Jesus as their ethical framework.

Exercising this endurance and faithfulness to Christ in the midst of persecution and even martyrdom is the call upon the life of a Christian. The harshness of our world is a good reminder, though, that Christians are “called out ones.” Paul uses this sentiment to describe the church in his use of the word “ecclesia.” It describes the very nature of the church as a body distinct from the world, yet very much in the middle of the rest of the world.

Our persecution and suffering, then, can be seen as an indicator of our faithfulness, especially when we intentionally live strong faith while the world looks on.

• Acts 11:19-30 

We all know at least one of them—those individuals who seem to always be able to immediately see the bright side of any situation. Not only do they seem to be continually optimistic, but they also have the ability to spread that feeling to everyone they come in contact with. They are natural encouragers who seem to have been given a gift for raising anyone’s spirit.

Because everyone knows someone like this, many excuse their own lack of encouraging by claiming they do not have that gift. Yet throughout the Bible, anyone who claims to be a follower of God is called on to be an encouragement to others. While there are those who have a special gift of encouragement, no one is exempt from encouraging.

The book of Acts tells us about someone who clearly was a gifted encourager. His name is Barnabas, and he was known as the “son of encouragement.” My dad always said that with a reputation like that, Barnabas is easily the most underrated and underappreciated person in the Bible. As we study his story, we can learn a lot about the meaning and method of being an encouragement in the life of someone else.

Approach new Christians (Acts 11:19-22)

In the early days of the church, there was a significant debate over how the gospel should be presented to those who were not Jewish. Some within the church, especially those from Jerusalem and Judea, simply would not preach the Good News to Gentiles.

Yet as the message spread beyond the borders of Israel, many Greeks became believers. Jewish believers from those Gentile areas such as Cyprus and Cyrene began to tell their neighbors about Jesus. Perhaps it was because they were more comfortable around Greeks, having lived among them.

Whatever the reason, suspicion arose among the church leaders in Jerusalem concerning these Gentile converts, and they sent Barnabas to assess the situation. While their exact motives may be unknown, it seems significant that they chose to send one who was especially known as an encourager. Certainly these new believers would need encouraging. They had believed a message which called on them to have a distinctively different lifestyle than they had lived before. Such a change may well draw scrutiny or criticism from friends and family.

The same is true for many today. New believers often are uncertain about aspects of the Christian life. They often find it difficult to break away from old habits. They need more mature believers to come and support and encourage them and calm their uncertainties. God calls on each of his followers to be ready to encourage new Christians.

Affirm all Christians (Acts 11:23-24)

New believers are not the only ones who need encouragement. Verse 23 states Barnabas exhorted all who were there to remain faithful. Perhaps Barnabas could foresee there would be those who would come to call into question the salvation of the Greeks or would criticize the Jews’ method of sharing the gospel with Gentiles. Whatever his motive, Barnabas clearly understood there are times when even mature believers need to be affirmed. Later, in Acts 15:37-39, Barnabas would again demonstrate this by taking Mark with him even when it created a rift between him and Paul.

Believers today certainly need affirmation and encouragement. Remaining faithful in following God can be difficult with so many other voices seeking to draw us onto a different path toward happiness and fulfillment in life. Sometimes something as simple as a pat on the back or an unexpected phone call or even just a smile is all it takes to “spur one another on to love and good works” (Hebrews 10:24).

Help Christians serve (Acts 11:25-26)

Barnabas also knew these new believers needed more than his encouragement. They needed to be taught by someone who understood them. His first thought was Saul. It was Barnabas who had first taken Saul to the disciples in Jerusalem following Saul’s conversion (Acts 9:27). He knew Saul was a true believer and a gifted teacher. He also knew that even though Saul had been trained in strict Judaism, he knew how to “speak the language” of the Greeks. Finally, he knew that bringing Saul would not only encourage the new believers, but would be an encouragement to Saul as it gave him a place to serve.

Churches all across the world have believers who simply do not know where or how to serve. They may be unsure about their gifts and abilities and how those fit into the church. They may be unaware of opportunities to use their gifts. One of the greatest ways to encourage a fellow Christian is to help him or her plug into a specific ministry in which he or she can use their gifts in service. Doing so not only allows that person to grow through the experience, but encourages all those who are served through their service.

Show concern for Christians (Acts 11:27-30)

All Christian believers are part of a much larger family than most can even imagine. As such, we have the opportunity to be an encouragement not only to those we see daily, but also those we may never see.

When these new believers heard there would be a need among the believers in Judea, they immediately contributed to meeting the need. They gathered money and sent Barnabas to deliver it. They recognized that Barnabas was not only an encourager, but was also generous with his own resources (Acts 4:36-37). They knew that in addition to delivering the offering, he would also be a blessing to those in need through his words of support and concern.

Today, whenever there is any type of disaster anywhere in the world, hundreds of individual Christians and churches join to send people and materials in order to help. Jesus told us the world will know we are his disciples as we love one another (John 13:35). The most apparent demonstration of this is when we encourage others simply by showing concern for them.

• Acts 11:4-18

We live in a world where we are confronted with new ideas or perspectives on an almost daily basis. Most of the time when we hear about one of these, we take at least a moment and consider whether we can accept it. In many areas of our life we may even find that we are willing to alter previously held ideas in light of the new insight. Yet when it comes to issues concerning the Bible or religious beliefs, many will immediately reject any idea or thought that appears to be “new” without considering it. The attitude seems to be “that cannot be true because it does not fit with everything that I have always been taught.”

Within the realm of personal religion, “new” is seen as evil. Yet God did not stop speaking when the final words of the Bible were written. God is continually speaking in order to reveal new insights into His character or to correct erroneous beliefs. Often the beliefs one holds are based more on centuries-old church tradition than on biblical revelation. Yet when someone suggests an alternative interpretation of biblical teaching, many reject it as heresy instead of weighing it against the Bible. There is an old Hebrew prayer that expresses this well: “From the cowardice that shrinks from new truths, and from the laziness that is content with half-truths, and from the arrogance that claims to know all truth, O Lord of Truth, Deliver us.”

The book of Acts tells the story of when Peter came to understand this. From this story, we can learn that God desires for His followers to be always open to the possibility of new spiritual insight and attentive to hearing and applying those “new” truths.

Listen to God (Acts 11:4-10)

Peter had had a special relationship with Jesus. Not only was he one of the twelve apostles who traveled with Jesus during his earthly ministry, but he was also one of three (along with James and John) who seem to have made up a sort of inner circle. It was these three who Jesus often invited to significant events such as the Transfiguration.

It was Peter who boldly professed that Jesus was the Messiah shortly before the triumphal entry into Jerusalem. And it was Peter who had stood before the masses at Pentecost and preached the first post-resurrection sermon at which 3,000 people become new believers. In all of this, Peter maintained his firm devotion to his Jewish religious heritage. He knew and kept all of the law, including the dietary regulations. It is this characteristic that God chooses to use to teach Peter and future generations of believers an important lesson.

As a leader in the early church in Jerusalem, Peter would soon be faced with a question that would shape what we now call Christianity for many years: could non-Jewish people join this new movement? Dealing with this question would involve many of Peter’s traditional beliefs. God needed Peter to view people differently than that tradition had taught him.

Just as it was for Peter, today God desires to give new insight to the church which will help the church accomplish the mission God has given. This may require members of the church to throw out old deeply held beliefs based on tradition in favor of Truth. This can only begin as we commit to genuinely listening to the voice of God.

Look for Confirmation (Acts 11:11-14)

While it is important to be open to new ideas and perspectives, it is also important to avoid simply accepting any new thought even if it sounds good. We need to test such new ideas and look for support for its truthfulness. Peter had heard God calling on him to give up his traditional ideas of clean vs. unclean animals, but those ideas had been such a central part of his religious life, how could he be sure that this new way of thinking was correct and, more importantly, how was he to apply it to his life?

Confirmation came quickly as three Gentile men arrived at the home where Peter was staying at the very moment that the vision ended. These men were there to ask Peter to return with them to Caesarea. God does not want us to be lost in uncertainty about his call on our lives, so, along with the call, He will provide us with some form of confirmation.

This may come through the words of a trusted friend or through circumstances that arise which seem to point us toward following what God has said. It may also come as we pray and study God’s Word in a search for confirmation. However it comes, we can be assured that, if the new idea was truly from God, God will confirm it if we only look.

Learn the Application (Acts 11:15-18)

Finally, any new idea which God gives is given to us for a reason. God wants us to do something with it. It will either be for our personal growth, so that we can teach or help someone else, or to lead us into a new area of ministry. It is therefore important that, after we confirm the truthfulness of a new idea, we look for how God intends for us to live the new truth.

For Peter, a message which seemed to concern a new perspective on dietary laws was intended to teach him to be open to sharing the Gospel with all races and nationalities. While we today may not explicitly refer to any groups of people as “unclean,” we most often tend to minister only to those who look like us. One thing we may learn from this story of Peter is thus to be more consciously inclusive with the message we proclaim.

But this story also teaches us the way God desires for us to encounter new ideas. Even when they appear to directly contradict what we have “always been taught,” they may be part of God’s revelation to us of His Truth. We should therefore always be open to consider new ideas, looking for how God will confirm the truth, and ready to adjust our own thoughts and lives to align more closely with God’s full revelation.

• Revelation 5:1-14 

We begin a new series for July titled “Living with the End in Mind.” It is a four-part series that is a broad overview of Revelation and a bird’s-eye view of four major ideas found in this controversial and sometimes unsettling book.

This study is not about predicting the “end times” or “last days” because Jesus was clear only the Father knew those things (Mark 13:32-34). Jesus did say, however, there would be certain signs, and a careful reading of Revelation—even though it won’t give us a timetable—does help us to understand what we see around us. It also will help us to “live with the end in mind.”

For clarification, these lessons will distinguish between the use of the terms “end times” and “last days.” Scripture refers to the “last days” as the time between the resurrection of Christ and the fulfillment of God’s kingdom. The term “end times” refers to those events immediately preceding and surround the second coming of Christ and the fulfillment of God’s kingdom.

This week’s lesson is all about the power of Christ. By John asking the question “who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” we learn Christ indeed is worthy of title of Messiah, and that through Messiah, we see God’s plans for the cosmos are executed according to God’s will. Therefore, God really is “in charge.”

This is a message of hope for living in the world today, in times when it seems God is not in the midst of our world and that crises abound out of God’s control. But through the study of this passage, we can come to see that in the big picture, God is sovereign and the lordship of Jesus as the Christ is real.

Because Christ is victorious over death, he is in charge and believers will be victorious in him. We can trust God in the midst of what we are facing today.

Looking to Jesus (Revelation 5:1-7)

In this portion of his vision, John sees the scroll containing the events of God’s coming kingdom. He is dismayed, however, that no one is able to open the scroll because there is none who is worthy. His fears are allayed by the elder who speaks, “… the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”

The elder is referring, of course, to Jesus. The One who is worthy was a lamb standing among the elders. He goes to the One seated on the throne and takes the scroll. Jesus is the Lamb who is able to take and open the scroll because he has been victorious over death.

Application ideas

• Read Ezekiel 2:9-10 aloud. Ask your learners what they believe the scroll contains. It is thought the scroll contains the purposes of God written upon it. Ask them to consider why Jesus’ holiness was required to open that scroll.

• Life’s biggest questions—the meaning of life and where we are going—are answered in the scroll. Because Jesus holds the scroll, he is the one to whom we should look for answers. Consider the words of Thomas in John 14:1-7 asking, “Lord, where are you going?”

Reigning with Jesus (Revelation 5:8-10)

This section of Scripture largely is the text of a new song sung by the four living creatures and the 24 elders. The song is a statement of praise about why Jesus is indeed worthy to open the scrolls. The slaughtered lamb harkens us back to Isaiah 52 and 53, the messianic script Jesus read as the guide for his life, ministry, death and resurrection.

The praise is centered on what Christ’s death means for the world and specifically for his followers. Made into a priesthood, this “tribe” of followers would come from every nation, every tongue, every ethnic group to serve as a kingdom of priests serving God.

The great news is that God is including us in the victorious kingdom by making us God’s children. No matter how challenging life is today, we can be encouraged to know that ultimately we share in Jesus’ reign of the coming Kingdom. Ultimately, nothing will ever defeat God nor God’s followers.

Application idea

• What does it mean in this time of “not yet” to see ourselves as ultimate co-heirs with Christ in his reign of the world? How can that change the way you live your life today, tomorrow or next week?

• What does it mean to live as a kingdom of priests? Can that happen in the here and now? Are believers called to live as if they are already citizens of God’s kingdom? How might that look?

Responding with worship (Revelation 5:11-14)

Don’t miss that the living creatures and elders were singing a song of praise to the Lamb, Jesus. They were joined by a host of angels in verse 11, living creatures numbering in the thousands, and then ultimately by all living creatures in heaven and on earth and under earth and in the sea. All of the elders fell down and worshipped.

It is our natural response to worship God when we recognize what God has done through Jesus the Christ. Our response of praise proclaims God is worthy and great.

Application idea

• Ask your learners these questions:

• Should we wait until we are in heaven to worship God?

• How often should we worship God? Where?

• What does worship do for us? How are we transformed by being in God’s presence, by praising God, by petitioning God with our needs?