SEIZE THE DAY - EMBRACING A MISSION WITH PURPOSE BIBLE STUDY SERIES
Bible Study Lesson
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Seize The Day: Embracing A Mission With Purpose
Bible Study Series
Session 1
“A MISSION FULL OF OPPORTUNITIES”
Acts 3:1-10
The Point
We intersect daily with people who need Christ.
INTRODUCTION – Seize the Day
Since the one true God revealed in the Bible is a missionary God, His people should be a missionary people. God’s mission is clear: through the death and resurrection of His only Son, Jesus, God will redeem a people for Himself from all nations, tribes, peoples, and languages. God’s method is also clear: He will use the redeemed to carry the good news of salvation to all peoples.
This study in the book of Acts will help you understand what all of this means for you. You’ll learn how Jesus, who came to share the good news with His own people, the Jews, then called His disciples to take the gospel to the Gentiles. You’ll see how God’s plan to spread the gospel to those who have not heard, has always been through the church sending out people we call missionaries. And of course, the Great Commission also includes work for us to do here at home. You’ll also discover which of the roles in mission work God has planned for you. God has a plan to reach the nations—and it involves all of us.
Question 1: What do you remember about learning to drive?
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?
Acts 3:1-4
1 One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. 2 Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. 3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. 4 Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!”
Here, in the beginning of Acts 3, two of Jesus’s apostles, Peter and John, were on their way to pray in the temple when they encountered a lame beggar calling out to them. As leaders in the young, growing church, Peter and John were no doubt plenty busy and had lots to pray about as they made their way to the temple that afternoon. But, as they approached an intersection, someone was in their way.
The intersection was at one of the temple gates, called the Beautiful Gate. Though the Bible and historical documents from biblical times don’t indicate which of the many temple gates in the large temple compound was referred to by this title, we can assume it was a busy entrance since the lame man had been brought there to beg. Most busy people coming to a busy intersection may have pretended not to see or hear him, looked the other way, and kept on walking.
As with many encounters in life, the beggar wanted something from Peter and John. They were already diligently serving the Lord and faithfully tending to their congregation. Thinking they were doing enough, they may have been tempted to ignore the beggar, maybe to even pretend they didn’t see him—but that’s not what they did. Instead, they “looked straight at him . . . Then Peter said, “Look at us!”
Their request is fascinating, isn’t it? Why would they ask a man who has called out to them to “Look at us?” We enter the store and hear, “Welcome to Walmart!” but are we seen? At the pharmacy, we are asked, “Did you find everything you were looking for here at the corner of happy and healthy?” but does anyone care about the devastating news we just heard at the doctor’s office? Peter and John understood that many of our interactions with others are simply transactional and they may have discerned the same was true of this man as he begged from those who were walking into the temple to pray.
I recall being in a conversation with my young daughter while I was carrying on another important texting conversation with a coworker on my phone. When I looked down at the phone, she put her hands on my face and pushed until I was looking back at her. We all want to be seen. We all want to be heard. Peter and John wanted to be seen and heard because they had something important to say. However, I believe they also wanted the lame man to know that they saw him—truly saw him.
When our lives intersect with others, we always have choices. We can choose to ignore them, carry out our business with them, and move along on our way. Or we can choose to see them, hear them, and be seen and heard by them, recognizing that some intersections may be God-ordained interactions.
Question 2: What might prevent us from seeing the needs of those around us?
Acts 3:5-8
5 So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. 6 Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” 7 Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. 8 He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God.
Still in a transactional frame of mind, the lame man turned his attention to Peter and John, expecting a handout. Little did he expect he would get a hand up, but that’s exactly what they gave him. As they took the man by his hand and lifted him from the ground, God healed him.
But it was more than a hand up or even physical healing that Peter and John offered the lame beggar. They offered him hope. How so? The Scripture records Peter as saying, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” They offered him Jesus.
In our missions organization, we talk a lot about our mission to bring help and hope. Both matter. The hungry need food, but their greatest need is for the Bread of Life. The thirsty need a drink, but their greatest need is for the Living Water. Those left in darkness need light, but their greatest need is for the Light of the World.
As you and I go about our lives, intersecting with people on a regular basis gives us opportunities to also interact with them. Like the beggar at the temple gate, some have needs that money or other resources can temporarily help to solve. When that’s the case, God calls us to be generous. There are, of course, problems that no amount of money can ever fix. For example, money isn’t a cure for depression, addiction, or a struggling marriage. Sometimes money can even make the problem worse! One of the big problems money can’t solve is the world’s greatest problem.
What is the world’s greatest problem? Spiritual lostness. Lostness, a relationship with God that’s been broken by sin, is the world’s greatest problem because it’s the only problem that’s eternal and universal. Lostness is an eternal problem because to die in one’s sin means that a person will spend eternity separated from God. Lostness is a universal problem because, as the Bible says in Romans 3:23, all “have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
Those who, like Peter and John, have believed the gospel and found forgiveness of sin through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, know the solution to the world’s greatest problem. That solution is the gospel, the eternal truth that Jesus died for sinners and was raised from the dead. Any person who places their faith in Jesus, repenting of their sins, and confessing Jesus as Lord, has had their greatest problem solved. After that, it’s time to become part of the solution by sharing Jesus with others.
While on a mission trip overseas, I served alongside a career missionary family who had been working among an unreached people group displaced to the city because of drug gang violence in their jungle homeland. Having come into the cities with no education, no money, and no jobs, these families remain poor, desperate, often exploited, and hopeless. On top of all of that, an informal but easy-to-observe class system continues to work against them.
There’s an image from that trip that has not left my mind. We had stopped on the street to visit with some ladies from the people group who were sitting on the concrete sidewalk with their children all around them. The ladies were trying to sell small pieces of jewelry they were making from wire and plastic beads. At the feet of one of the ladies was a little girl about 2 years old. She was asleep face down on the concrete. No blanket, no pillow, no shoes or socks. Just a little dark-haired girl in a dirty dress with her face pressed against the dirty, cold, hard sidewalk—asleep.
On the city streets sleep the little ones, despised by the world but loved by the Father. And on the city streets walk the beautiful feet of those in search of the little one so lost that a dirty, cold, hard sidewalk is her only bed. How beautiful are the feet that bring good news!
What Peter and John did in their day and what the missionary does in our day is what every Christ follower is called to do. We are called to bring help and hope.
Question 3: What do you appreciate about the lame man’s response to God’s work in his life?
Acts 3:9-10
9 When all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
The miracle was undeniable. What an incredible change of fortune! Right before their eyes, the lame beggar the people all knew went from invalid to upright, from total dependency to independence, from hopelessness to hope fulfilled, from begging to praising. Who or what was responsible for such an extraordinary transformation? Surely, this was a miracle, and an opportunity to bear witness to Jesus, the One whose miracle-working power they had observed throughout His earthly ministry.
On their way to the temple to pray, suddenly Peter and John were presented with an opportunity to proclaim the good news about Jesus. That opportunity came about because, instead of rushing through one of life’s intersections, they welcomed a divine interruption and saw others around them in desperate need of help and hope. Allowing God to use them, they were able to see God do what only He could do.
Is a miracle like the one the people witnessed here in Acts 3 necessary for people to believe in Jesus today? John 20 records that Thomas, one of Jesus’s disciples, refused to believe the news of His resurrection. Thomas went so far as to say, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe” (v. 25). Eight days later, the risen Lord appeared to the disciples and Thomas was there. Seeing the miracle of the resurrection with his own eyes, Thomas emphatically declared his belief. In response, Jesus said, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (v. 29).
The testimony of Scripture and the life change evident in Christ followers are two of the most convincing forms of evidence for those who believe in Jesus today. That’s why sharing God’s Word and living an authentic Christian life are so important to the advance of the gospel. God’s greatest miracle unfolds around us every time a lost person trusts in Jesus to have their broken relationship with Him restored. Those of us who have experienced that miracle get to tell others what Jesus has done for us.
One of the things we stress in missions is the priority of “missionary presence” among people groups who have no gospel access. While modern technology provides us with lots of ways to share the gospel online, or through media avenues, nothing can replace the in-person sharing of the gospel. The most effective method of sharing, and the example we find in the New Testament, is a person who goes to proclaim the good news. When God does what only God can do, He expects us to tell what He has done. There’s no greater privilege for the follower of Jesus.
Question 4: How have you been personally affected by others’ obedience to Christ?
Question 5: What is our role in creating opportunities to meet needs and share the gospel?
LIVE IT OUT
We intersect daily with people who need Christ. Choose one of the following applications:
• Pray. Do you have a relationship with Jesus? If not, talk to your group leader about how to have your own intersection with Jesus, the Son of God. You can also find help on the inside cover of this book.
• Practice. If you know Him already, write the highlights of your own testimony of God’s miracle in saving you. Try to use less than two hundred words. Practice telling this story to someone in your group.
• Share. Be on the lookout at the intersections of life this week. Be prepared to share your story with others you meet who need to hear about Jesus of Nazareth and how He is mighty to save.
Bible Study Lesson
Session 2
“A MISSION WITH A MESSAGE”
Acts 3:12-20, 24-26
The Point
We can have a relationship with God through Christ alone.
THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE
On a train in the bowels of the busiest airport in the world, I noticed an elderly woman trying frantically to communicate with the passengers around her. She was showing her boarding pass to anyone who would look, but they were unable to understand her Spanish and she, their English.
Unfortunately, most of what little Spanish I once knew I’ve long since forgotten. But I know a lot about airports, so I intervened. The Atlanta airport has 192 gates spread across 7 concourses in 2 terminals. That’s 192 opportunities to fly somewhere, but only one flight would take her from Lima to Louisville. My immediate challenge was how to convince her not to get off at any of the next three train stops, then hope she would trust me enough to get off at the fourth one and follow along with me to Gate B11!
Our world abounds with religions and spokespeople telling us their version of how to know God and how to get where everyone wants to go—heaven. But there is only one way to know God and only one way to heaven. Just as only one gate would take that lost traveler from Atlanta to Louisville, the death and resurrection of Christ alone opened the way for us to come to God. Having come to see the truth about Christ and the gospel, Peter and John wanted others to know the truth of salvation through Christ alone.
Question 1: Where’s a big place you’d hate to get lost?
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?
Acts 3:12-15
12 When Peter saw this, he said to them: “Fellow Israelites, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? 13 The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. 14 You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. 15 You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this.
Seizing the opportunity presented by the miraculous healing of a lame man begging at the temple, Peter and John shared Christ with those who were amazed by the miracle. The message they shared, and how they shared that message, provide a great model to Christians in every age for being an effective personal witness.
First, Peter and John made it clear that neither the miracle that had taken place, nor the message they had to share, were about them. They asked the people in the crowd, “Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?” (v. 12). Con artists and false teachers typically have this in common—they attempt to manipulate people for personal gain. Peter and John distinguished themselves by being honest and humble enough to deflect personal attention they received and turn the attention to the One whose power the people had seen in the miracle of the lame man being healed. Taking no credit for what had taken place, they instead immediately gave credit to God.
Being a mature disciple means we guard ourselves against the natural, prideful tendency to exploit the attention that often comes from doing good or to leverage our moment in the spotlight when we are blessed to be a part of God working through His people. Peter and John modeled this demeanor at the temple.
Second, as Peter and John turned the conversation to Jesus, they spoke clearly to the people about the reality of their problem of sin and pointed them to the death and resurrection of Jesus as the solution.
Communicating with facial expressions and hand gestures, I somehow convinced the Peruvian lady lost in the Atlanta airport which train stop was hers. As we stepped off the train, she followed close by my side until we stood before an escalator that looked like it had ascended to the heavens. Her face was painted with panic as she began tugging at my arm and stepping back from the escalator. But I knew what she didn’t. That escalator was the only way she would get to her destination. So, I persisted. She clearly didn’t like the fact that I had led her to the escalator but, finally, she stepped on, and we continued our journey.
As Peter and John spoke boldly about the crucifixion of Jesus, they put the blame directly on the crowd, even going so far as to remind them—many of whom were probably there on that fateful day—of the way they had demanded Pilate release Barabbas when he had offered instead to release Jesus. When Jesus’s fate was in their power, they had cried out, “Crucify him!” His blood was on their hands. No one in the crowd would have welcomed that reminder or being confronted with their sin. But becoming a disciple of Jesus always begins with the truth about our sin and our need for a Savior.
Spiritual conversations that never get to the gospel are no more helpful than a discussion with your doctor about the pain in your side that never gets to a diagnosis or treatment. Peter and John knew the Great Physician and were quick to turn this conversation about the power of God displayed through the miracle to the saving power of God displayed in the death and resurrection of Jesus. They identified Jesus as “the source of life” who had been killed by the people but whom God raised from the dead. But they didn’t stop there.
Question 2: What do you appreciate about the beginning of Peter’s message?
Acts 3:16-20
16 By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see. 17 “Now, fellow Israelites, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. 18 But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Messiah would suffer. 19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, 20 and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus.
Having pointed those in the crowd to the truth of the death and resurrection of Jesus, Peter and John now called them to action. First, they should place their faith in the name of Jesus because, as they had just witnessed, faith in the name of Jesus had restored the health of the lame man. Not only was the name of Jesus powerful enough to bring healing, but the disciples also boldly proclaimed Jesus “the Messiah, who has been appointed for you” (v. 20). The name of Jesus is powerful enough to save us from our sin.
Far more than simply believing the right things about Jesus, placing faith in the name of Jesus means trusting in Him and Him alone as the source of salvation. Placing faith in the name of Jesus means trusting in His death on the cross and His bodily resurrection as the only source of forgiveness and eternal life. He is the Messiah and by trusting in Him, our greatest need is met—the need to be spiritually healed through forgiveness and reconciliation to God.
Second, Peter and John called upon the crowd to repent. What is repentance? The disciples clarified what they meant in the call to repent: “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out” (v. 19).
The biblical understanding of repentance is much more than a mere acknowledgment of wrongdoing. In the Old Testament, two Hebrew words express the idea of repentance. The word nacham occurs 108 times and is translated into English as “repent” in about a third of those occurrences. In most instances, nacham has God as its subject. God is the one who “repents,” but a better translation might be “relents.”
A second Hebrew word, shuv, always has man as its subject. The word literally means “turn back” or “return.” While the verb has numerous nuances of meaning, when used in reference to spiritual relations, the term refers to turning back from God or turning back to God, as well as turning back from evil, and is typically translated as “repent.”
In the New Testament, the Greek verb metanoeo is often translated as “repent,” as here in Acts. The word is a conjunction of the preposition meta, meaning “with, together with, to, towards,” and the verbal form of noeo, meaning “to perceive, observe, understand.” Noeo is derived from nous, meaning “mind” or “intellect.” Occurring thirty-four times in the New Testament, the word literally means “to think differently about something or to have a change of mind.” In its noun form (metanoia), occurring twenty-three times, the word signifies the whole process of change that takes place when one comes to faith.
John the Baptist preached “a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Mark 1:4), and Jesus proclaimed, “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news” (Mark 1:15). By its biblical definition, repentance is much more than an acknowledgment of sin. It’s a change of mind about sin—a turning away from sin.
Peter and John made it clear to the crowd that turning from sin is an essential part of the biblical requirement for salvation. They issued a clear call: “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out” (v. 19). Without genuine repentance, the gospel has not been fully received.
Question 3: How should the ignorance of God we see in our culture affect the way we share the gospel?
Question 4: What seasons of refreshing have you seen come from the presence of the Lord?
Acts 3:24-26
24 “Indeed, beginning with Samuel, all the prophets who have spoken have foretold these days. 25 And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.’ 26 When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.”
The disciples closed their message with a personal appeal based upon three realities. First, the disciples highlighted the personal identity of those who had ventured to the temple: “And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.’” (v. 25). The disciples were pointing to God’s desire to have a personal relationship with them. Beginning with God’s call upon Abraham, God had revealed Himself in unique ways to the Jews. God’s desire was for them to know Him and to make Him known. God had blessed them and called them to be a blessing.
Next, the disciples pointed to the reality that God had sent Jesus first to the Jews: “God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you” (v. 26). As the son of Mary and with Joseph serving the role of his earthly father, Jesus was indisputably a Jew. From the beginning and throughout the days of his ministry, he taught in the Jewish temple and synagogues and performed miracles primarily among the Jews. This was further evidence of God’s desire for the people of Israel to know God and to make God known. God had blessed them and called them to be a blessing.
Then, with their closing words, the disciples once again pointed to the reality of the people’s sin and their need for personal repentance: “God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways” (v. 26). A personal relationship with God always begins with faith and repentance, turning from sin and turning to Jesus as the Savior. Without faith and repentance, even the Israelites, God’s covenant people, remain spiritually lost in their sin and will spend eternity separated from God.
The gospel comes to every individual as a personal appeal, requiring a personal response, and resulting in a personal relationship. Many in our world today have the benefit of being raised by parents who know and follow Jesus. But being part of a Jewish family or a Christian family does not, in any way, resolve the problem of our sin. Every person must respond in repentance and faith in Jesus to be forgiven, have our relationship with God restored, and enjoy the ultimate blessing of eternal life.
Question 5: What are some blessings we receive through our relationship with God?
LIVE IT OUT
We can have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Choose one of the following applications:
Reflect: Have you depended upon the faith commitments of your family when it comes to your identity as a Christian? If so, this study of God’s Word has made it clear that isn’t going to work. Repent of your sins and place your faith in Jesus. The inside front cover of this book can help.
Challenge: Who in your life might be assuming that the reputation of their family is enough for them to be a Christian? Commit to sharing with them about their need for personal faith and repentance.
Cross Cultures: If you have friends who follow a different faith, set aside some time for study to better understand what they believe about having a relationship with God. From that understanding, engage them in a discussion about God’s desire to make Himself known to them through Jesus.
Bible Study Lesson
Session 3
“A MISSION MET WITH COURAGE”
Acts 4:1-3, 8-12, 19-20
The Point
God gives us courage to speak boldly about Christ.
THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE
We’re familiar with the cynical expression: “No good deed goes unpunished.” That’s not a biblical statement, but good deeds do occasionally get us into hot water.
Trying to fly home from Nigeria with a volunteer team, our luggage was being inspected by military personnel in the airport for anything we might have purchased in the country that they deemed “taxable.” While our missionary work wasn’t illegal in that country, we weren’t trying to advertise why we were there. One of the officers, however, was quick to discern the purpose of our visit. She talked openly about her love for the Lord and invited our team members into her line where she began to expedite the inspection. Her superior, displeased by her actions, offered her a stern rebuke. Recognizing that I was the group leader, he then confronted me, requesting my passport. Upon handing it over, I was shocked to watch him place it in his pocket and walk away.
In Acts 4, Peter and John did a good deed that drew attention to Jesus Christ, and that got them in hot water with the religious leaders who opposed them. Their experience shows us how God gives us courage to stand strong in the face of adversity.
Question 1: What’s the hardest time you’ve had just trying to get home?
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?
Acts 4:1-3
1The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. 2 They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people, proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. 3 They seized Peter and John and, because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day.
God had used Peter and John to miraculously heal a lame man known by many. The crowd of people walking by the gate were astonished by the miracle. Seizing the opportunity, the disciples testified of God’s power not only to heal the lame but, through the death and resurrection of Jesus, to forgive people of their sin. They needed only to turn from their wrongdoing and to Jesus, whom Peter and John declared to be the Messiah. The message of the disciples not only created a stir among the people—as many were immediately convinced it was true—it also caused an uproar among the temple’s religious leaders, who strongly objected to it.
Why was their message, considered wonderfully good news to so many in the crowd, adamantly rejected by the leaders? The priests, temple police, and Sadducees represented the upper class of wealthy Jews who, by and large, controlled the temple and its activities. The Sadducees are often referenced in contrast to the Pharisees, another dominant group in Jewish society, for their differences of belief and well-known theological debates and disagreements. The Pharisees were viewed as more middle-class as opposed to the upper-class Sadducees. The Sadducees affirmed only the first five books of the Bible, known as the Torah, meaning “teaching” or “law.” One of the better-known theological distinctions among the two groups is that the Sadducees focused almost exclusively on the physical realities of life and rejected the idea of the eternal nature of the soul. Acts 23:8 states, “The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, and that there are neither angels nor spirits, but the Pharisees believe all these things.”
For Peter and John to stand at the gate proclaiming the resurrection of Jesus and the culpability of the worshipers and their religious leaders in the crucifixion of the Messiah, would have been offensive to anyone unconvinced of the truth of their message. The temple leaders were unconvinced. Instead of welcoming the good news from the disciples, “They seized Peter and John and, because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day” (v. 3).
Sharing the gospel includes confronting people with their wrongdoing and wrong beliefs. That takes courage. Confronting powerful people with their wrongdoing and wrong beliefs takes even more courage because it can prove costly, as Peter and John experienced.
Thankfully, my experience in Nigeria didn’t prove as costly, but the contrasting reactions to our volunteer mission team was similar to the reactions Peter and John observed. The Christian officer openly stated her love for missionaries and wanted to help us get on our way. Her superior officer didn’t share that love, nor a belief in the message we had come to proclaim. After disappearing from the gate with my passport, he reappeared just as the agent issued the last call for passengers. Rather than ask about the good work our team had aspired to do among his people, the officer remarked that my flight was about to leave. He held my passport in one hand with his other hand resting on the weapon strapped across his shoulder. So, I expressed my love for the people of Nigeria, my appreciation for the hospitality of his country, and sadly had to pay a fee to get my passport back. Taking my passport from his extended hand, I rushed to the gate agent and walked onto the plane just as the door closed.
Whether sharing the gospel with a friend or family member, a stranger who intersects with our life, or those we might encounter on a mission trip overseas, we can never know how a person will react to Jesus’s gospel until we share it. Like many in the crowd at the temple, some will be amazed and will joyfully repent and believe. Others will be indifferent. Some, like the leaders who confronted Peter and John, may be incensed. But unless those who have believed the good news have the courage to share it, no one else can accept it and experience the joy of forgiveness and salvation.
Question 2: In what ways might we face resistance when speaking about Jesus today?
Acts 4:8-12
8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! 9 If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, 10 then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. 11 Jesus is “‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ 12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
After a night in custody, Peter and John were interrogated by the religious rulers and elders. What had they done wrong? Was it the healing or the preaching? Was it that they had confronted the people with their sin and called them to repent? Peter and John weren’t wrong in any of their claims, nor in their good deed for a man who had suffered a lifelong disability. They simply spoke the truth—truth that the religious leaders didn’t believe and didn’t want the people to hear. But even after a night in custody, the disciples would not be silenced.
Luke, the author of Acts, notes that “Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit” as he began to proclaim the truth about Jesus. Two things should be kept in mind. First, the Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit is the presence of God in the life of every born-again believer (John 14:17; Acts 2:38; 1 Corinthians 6:19; Ephesians 4:30). Second, while the Holy Spirit abides with every believer, the Bible often references occasions when the Holy Spirit “fills” God’s people. There are times when the Holy Spirit is uniquely and powerfully at work in and through God’s people to accomplish God’s purposes (Luke 1:67; Acts 2:4; 4:31; 13:52). For Peter, this moment was one of those times.
Stating his claims about Jesus once again, Peter boldly proclaimed: “then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed” (v. 10). The One responsible for the miracle was the same One these very leaders had conspired to have killed. And though they may have refused to believe in the afterlife, that One had been raised from the dead! Pointing to the prophetic words of Psalm 118:22, Peter declared Jesus to be the Messiah and indicated the religious leaders were rejecting the only One in whose name salvation can be found.
The clarity of Peter’s message still rings true. In a Hindu temple in South Asia, I stood among throngs of people gathered to deposit offerings, chant, and to bow before and rub the feet of countless idols fashioned by human hands. My heart was broken by the devotion of people hungry to know God but unaware that God, through His Son, Jesus, draws near to them
Walking along the shores of the Ganges River at night, the glow of funeral pyres stretching as far as my eyes could see sent a shudder down my spine. Again, my heart was broken by the longing of people to find hope for their deceased loved ones and forgiveness for themselves, unaware that God, through Jesus, has paid the debt of sin and provided a way to eternal life.
Whether to the religious leaders of Peter’s day or the billions of people held captive by false religions in our day, the gospel of Jesus is good news. Peter’s declaration is an inescapable truth: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
Question 3: How would you describe the role of the Holy Spirit in sharing the gospel?
Acts 4:19-20
19 But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! 20 As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
I was in awe listening to the testimony of a friend who had spent more than a year incarcerated for sharing his faith in a closed country. Knowing the risks, he had obeyed God’s call to minister among a people who had no access to the gospel. Eventually, he was taken into custody. Held in solitary confinement, he was regularly interrogated and abused.
He shared about how scared and lonely he had been during the first weeks of his imprisonment. As weeks turned into months, he began reciting Bible passages he had memorized, quietly singing worship songs he knew by heart, and whispering to God in prayer. He shared about the moment he came to realize God was in complete control of his situation and how, at that moment, everything changed.
Peter and John’s incarceration only lasted for a night. But those responsible for their detention hadn’t gone away. Motivated by their fear of the message the disciples had proclaimed, the religious leaders sought to bully the disciples into keeping silent. But the disciples chose to obey.
What does obeying the Lord look like for Christians today? First and foremost, obedience means what it has always meant: living according to the teachings of God’s Word. Thankfully, God has blessed us with a set of written instructions regarding how we are to live as faithful disciples of Jesus. Among other things, Scripture teaches us to be generous, forgiving, compassionate, and to abstain from sexual sin, greed, and prejudice. God has called us to be active in a church—worshiping and serving with other believers. We’re to follow Jesus’s example by being baptized and obey His commission to make disciples. In these and other ways, we can live out the faith we profess through obedience.
Obedience also requires a willingness to endure the costs associated with obedience. Speaking openly about God’s Word while gathered for Bible study or worship with other believers is one thing. Declaring God’s Word to those who haven’t heard or haven’t believed is another. Sometimes the response isn’t belief—it’s rejection. In those moments, as it did for my missionary friend and for Peter and John, obedience to God means we continue to proclaim Christ, regardless of the cost.
When weighing the cost of obedience, the cost of disobedience should not be forgotten. Our disobedience hurts our fellowship with Jesus. It weakens our spiritual life and puts us in the position of needing God’s discipline, which is always intended to bring about “a harvest of righteousness and peace” (Hebrews 12:11).
May we instead be “unable to stop speaking about what we have seen and heard,” knowing that whatever the price of obedience, the price of disobedience is more than we can imagine.
Question 4: What are some ways we can prepare for times of opposition?
Question 5: What happens when we try to please people rather than God?
LIVE IT OUT
In a world that grows increasingly hostile to the gospel, the need for courage to boldly proclaim the gospel also grows. Choose one of the following activities:
Pray. Ask God to give courage to missionaries and Christ followers who work and live in the midst of persecution. Pray they will share the gospel wisely but with boldness, and that God will give them fruit.
Investigate. Spend time learning about unreached people groups around the world by visiting the website peoplegroups.org.
Commit. Commit to sharing the gospel this week with someone you know has been unwilling to believe. Many who were hostile toward Jesus for years eventually heard the good news one more time and finally surrendered their lives to him.
Bible Study Lesson
Session 4
“A MISSION SOAKED IN PRAYER”
Acts 4:23-31
The Point
God empowers and emboldens us to share the gospel.
THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE
Lazy summer days were interrupted when my father announced to my brothers and me that our house needed a fresh coat of paint—and that we would be the ones to meet that need. He had come home on a lunch break with several buckets of paint, three brushes, and a roller. Since our house was old and we were painting outside, his painting lesson lasted about fifteen minutes before he left again for work. We managed, over the next week, to cover every inch of the exterior—and plenty of grass and sidewalk—with paint.
A few years later, I signed on with the custodian of our church who was making extra money as a painter in the evenings. He was a skilled painter. The skills he passed along to me were significantly more advanced than dad’s tutorial. In fact, my mentor eventually handed me his business. Keeping it in the family, I recruited my old painting partners—my brothers—and we literally “painted the town.” That is, many of the houses and buildings in the small town we called home.
As we learn a new skill, we get progressively more self-reliant the more we hone that skill. That’s a good thing in every area but one: we should never lose our dependence on God in any area of our lives. No matter how confident we become in ministry and sharing the gospel, we must always maintain a dependence on Him through prayer. Jesus’s followers model that for us in Acts 4.
Question 1: What’s a job you learned as a child or teen that paid off later?
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?
Acts 4:23-26
23 On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them. 24 When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. 25 You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David: “‘Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? 26 The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed one.
Fresh out of jail and having courageously told the religious leaders they had no plans to stop sharing about Jesus, Peter and John gathered with the other believers and told them about their experience.
Hearing about the miscarriage of justice and the persecution and jailing of their brothers, how did the other believers respond? Rather than obtain the services of an attorney, organize a protest march in the streets, or flee the city in fear, the believers prayed. The words of their prayer help us understand why that was the right response. They acknowledged realities about God that reveal our dependence on Him in every circumstance of life.
The believers acknowledged God is the “Sovereign Lord” and the one who “made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them.” The believers reverenced God, acknowledging his authority over everything.
Theologians use the word “omnipotent” to describe God, a term denoting God’s unlimited power. Unlike human beings who hold positions of power or authority, God’s power is infinite. In fact, no creature or entity in the universe, including the universe itself, has power that in any way rivals the power of God. So, in their prayer, the believers acknowledged that those who resist God’s rule do so in vain. Quoting Psalm 2:1-2, they declared the futility of the people, and even of kings and rulers, who think they can plot or stand against God.
Imagine what that meant to Peter and John who had been held against their will by powerful men. Consider what that meant to the believers who were confronted with the reality of the very real consequences of being hated by their government and religious authorities. Now think about what that means for us.
Religious persecution is more prevalent in the world today than at any time in human history. Millions of people around the world suffer marginalization because of their faith in Jesus. They are ostracized in their families and communities. Jobs and educational opportunities are withheld. Their property is seized, and their places of worship are razed. Some are imprisoned; many are subjected to violence and torture; thousands die as martyrs every single year. Being able to trust in the one true God, who has promised an eternal reward and in whose hands they know they ultimately reside, gives them the courage they need to endure.
The reality of God’s omnipotence is a source of encouragement and courage for every believer, not just those who suffer religious persecution. Facing illness, financial struggles, grief, a prodigal child, or other hardships in life with the assurance that we lift our prayers to the One who reigns supreme over every circumstance, gives us confidence. At times we’re able to look back and see how even the most painful of circumstances have worked for our good (Romans 8:28). In eternity, we’ll be able to see the truth clearly. Until then, our confidence rests in our omnipotent God.
Question 2: What are some benefits of praying in community?
Acts 4:27-28
27 Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. 28 They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.
Continuing in their prayer, the believers again acknowledge that God’s power is not only overwhelming but without any limits. The people and their leaders, including King Herod himself, had exercised no power over God the Father or His Son, Jesus. They had merely carried out God’s plan, doing, as they prayed, “what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen” (v. 28). In the death of Jesus, God’s sovereign power was on display. Through the sacrifice of His own Son, God atoned for humanity’s sin and, in raising Jesus from the dead, showed His power over our greatest enemy, death itself.
Simply put, God is sovereign over the universe He has made and over those who dwell in His universe. Recognizing God’s sovereignty surely brought comfort and courage to the believers as they gathered for prayer that day. Recognition of God’s sovereignty should bring comfort and courage to Jesus’s disciples today also, because God still holds absolute authority over His creation and all who dwell in it. His plans for the universe and for each of our lives unfold without interruption. Not only is standing against God futile, it’s also self-defeating, because it’s in Him that we find purpose, meaning, and hope for our lives.
Acknowledging the reality of God’s rule, the believers could rest assured that even the religious leaders and government authorities ultimately had no control over them. God’s plans for them were simply unfolding. In a jail cell, Peter and John could be comforted by the fact that God was their Master; the jailkeeper wasn’t. And they could have the courage to continue to share their faith, trusting God with the outcome, regardless of the threats of the leaders. Whether people believed or rejected their message was in the hands of God. Whether they were celebrated as messengers of hope or cast into prison, that too was in the hands of God. And, as the believers spoke in their prayer, God’s purposes are to be acknowledged and celebrated.
The missions organization where I work has created a document entitled “Philosophy and Theology of Risk” that guides our missions strategy and decisions surrounding the circumstances and places where our missionaries serve. In one section, citing a plethora of Scripture passages, the document states,
We are obligated by Scripture to obey the laws of any place where we live or travel as long as those laws do not contradict the commands of Scripture. We are obligated to obey God at all times and in every situation even if it means disobeying human law. Therefore, we will be careful to obey the laws of every place where we find ourselves, within the parameters set by Scripture. Where human law and biblical command conflict, we will always obey God rather than man.
Believers today, like those who prayed in response to Peter and John’s report, can have courage to obey God when we find ourselves in conflict with people’s opinions or even human laws. Acknowledging God’s sovereignty over the affairs of the world means we should also acknowledge and submit to God’s sovereign rule over our lives. From consequential decisions about answering a call to missions to everyday decisions like gathering regularly with other believers for worship, being generous givers, or readily sharing the gospel, our belief in God’s sovereignty should be on display in the courageous ways we obey God’s Word.
Question 3: How should we understand spiritual opposition in light of God’s sovereignty?
Acts 4:29-31
29 Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. 30 Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” 31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
I often have the privilege of commissioning new missionaries heading overseas. One of the things I share with them is that they go with the hope of doing what they cannot do. They go with the hope of seeing spiritually lost people come to faith in Christ, yet not even the greatest missionary or preacher has had the capacity to save a single soul. The believers who welcomed Peter and John back into their fellowship after the pair was released from a night in jail understood that and prayed accordingly.
Not wavering in their commitment to testify about Jesus, regardless of the cost, the believers asked God to “grant that your servants may speak your word with all boldness.” Rather than asking God to keep them safe or punish their persecutors, the believers asked for boldness.
Whether under threat of persecution by authorities or fear of personal rejection from a friend, sharing the gospel requires boldness. The gospel confronts every person with our wrongdoing and state of condemnation before God. The gospel declares that we have fallen short. Communicating the need of every person for a savior, even while sharing the good news that a Savior has come, requires boldness. Understanding that, they prayed for that boldness.
Question 4: Why do you think the believers prayed for boldness instead of protection?
The believers also understood they were inadequate to convince any person of the truth of the gospel. Only God can convict a person of their sin, convince them of the truth of the gospel, and save them. That’s where prayer comes in. Prayer is our access to God. In prayer, we can acknowledge God’s sovereignty over the affairs of the world and petition for the redemption of those who have not yet believed, knowing that God alone has the power to save.
As Peter and John had acknowledged to the crowd at the temple that it was God who healed the lame beggar, the believers also acknowledged in their prayer that all the miracles they had witnessed, and those they would witness, came from God. They prayed, asking God: “Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders . . . ” Human power is limited. God’s power is unlimited. And through prayer, our will and our desires become aligned with the will of God.
God answered the believers’ prayers. And just as the actions of Herod, Pontius Pilate, the Gentiles, and the people of Israel were the means by which God carried out what His “power and will had decided beforehand should happen” (Acts 4:28), so too, through the prayers of His people for boldness, God would carry out His plan. He would use the believers to speak “the word of God boldly” (v. 31), and the gospel would continue to be proclaimed regardless of persecution, just as Luke reported. Praise God this is still happening around the world today.
Question 5: How do these verses give you confidence to share the gospel boldly?
LIVE IT OUT
God empowers and emboldens us to
share the gospel. Choose one of the following applications:
• Pray. Like the believers in Acts 4, pray that God will give you boldness in sharing the good news about Jesus.
• Share. Think about who in your life is most resistant to the gospel? Make a plan to share the gospel with them yet again and execute on that plan.
• Participate. Billions of people around the world live in places where the gospel is unwelcome. Who will have the courage and boldness to take the risks of sharing the gospel with them? If God is calling you to go, answer His call. If God is not calling you to go, He is calling you to send. Ask your church leaders how you and your church can be more involved in getting the gospel to the unreached and unengaged. Be sure to reach your neighbor across the street as well.
Bible Study Lesson
Session 5
“A MISSION OUTSIDE YOUR COMFORT ZONE”
Acts 8:26-38
The Point
The gospel crosses cultures—and so should we.
THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE
Sitting on our front porch, my wife and I were enjoying a quiet evening watching neighbors stroll by on the sidewalk. With little warning, a stray cloud unleashed a sprinkle of rain as a couple was passing by. Frantically, they scurried beneath a tree in our yard for shelter. Admittedly, I was a bit amused by their reaction to a light sprinkle of rain, but I invited them to join us on the porch in the dry. In the ensuing conversation, I inquired about their home country as they were clearly of foreign descent. They were thrilled to know I had visited their hometown in South Asia. When the sky grew darker and rain picked up, I drove them home, along the way learning more about their background and their faith.
It’s tempting to stay within the circle of those we already know. It’s easier to talk with people just like us, but those are not the only people we encounter on a daily basis. America is becoming ever more diverse, and we see that in our local communities. All are people made in the image of God, ones for whom Christ died, and we should embrace the privilege and opportunity to introduce them to Jesus.
Question 1: What’s another culture that you find interesting or intriguing?
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?
Acts 8:26-29
26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” 27 So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. 29 The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”
We’re first introduced to Philip, known as “the evangelist,” in Acts chapter 6, during the appointment of those whom many believe were the first deacons—individuals chosen to serve food to widows. These men were chosen for their faith and for being Spirit-filled. The church soon grew as internal conflict was resolved thanks to Philip and the other men’s godly service. Not surprisingly, as Luke records here in Acts 8, when Philip had obeyed the angel’s instructions to travel the road from Jerusalem to Gaza, he was eager to obey the Spirit’s leading to engage a foreigner he encountered on the road.
Like many in our world today, the Ethiopian whom Philip met along the Gaza road probably had a very diverse spiritual background. The influence of Egypt upon Africa was strong. He may have known about the sun god and the worship of the pharaohs. African traditional religions of Spiritism and Animism were likely a part of his religious experience. Yet, somehow this servant of the queen had been exposed to Judaism, the religion of his day that taught there is one true God who is the Creator and who desires for humanity to know Him. With more than a mere interest in the religion of Israel, the Ethiopian had traveled to Jerusalem to worship, presumably in the Jewish temple.
Philip, as a follower of Jesus, would have rejected the pagan religions of Egypt and Africa and knew the failure of Judaism to recognize Jesus as the Messiah. Not only were the religious understandings of Philip and the Ethiopian different, so was their ethnicity. In addition, both the socio-economic standing and everyday life of Philip, a man seemingly of humble means, and the Ethiopian, a “high official” of a queen, were markedly dissimilar. Moreover, Philip was a family man, a father to four daughters (Acts 21:8-9), and the Ethiopian, a eunuch. Obviously, these two men had very little in common.
However, Philip knew that the Ethiopian, like every person on the planet, needed a relationship with Jesus. Disregarding their religious, cultural, social, economic, and ethnic differences, Philip obeyed the Lord and joined the man in his chariot to share the gospel with him.
The gospel being proclaimed among every nation, all tribes, peoples, and languages is God’s plan, aligned with God’s heart, and revealed in God’s Word. The result of that plan, pictured in John’s vision in Revelation 7:9-10, is that one day a great multitude will stand before God’s throne in heaven, and that multitude will include some who have heard and believed the gospel from every nation, all tribes, peoples, and languages. But that vision has not yet come to pass. The Ethiopian eunuch was one of those people in Philip’s day who had no access to the gospel. Until Philip became his access.
Moving out of our comfort zone and eagerly disregarding the differences that often keep us distant from others is a crucial step of obedience when it comes to sharing the gospel and making disciples. Followers of Jesus should always be on the lookout for those whom God has brought into our community or sphere of influence who don’t have a relationship with Jesus. As Philip was for the Ethiopian, we can be their access to the One who died to bring them salvation. In that, we reflect God’s heart to bring the blessings of His salvation to every people group on earth.
Question 2: What are some obstacles we face when crossing cultural boundaries?
Acts 8:30-35
30 Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked. 31 “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 32 This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 33 In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth.” 34 The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” 35 Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.
We sometimes use the term “divine appointment,” to reference opportunities that seem to have been clearly arranged by God. No doubt, Philip had been given a divine appointment.
Following the angel and the Spirit, Philip found himself seated in a chariot, discussing Scripture with a man from Ethiopia who was traveling home after worshiping in Jerusalem. The Ethiopian, who had been reading from Isaiah 53, asked for Philip’s help in understanding to whom the passage was referring. Taking advantage of Isaiah’s messianic prophecy about the One who would suffer for our sin, Philip told the Ethiopian “the good news about Jesus” (v. 35).
Throughout his life and ministry, and in his atoning death and bodily resurrection, Jesus fulfilled literally hundreds of Old Testament prophecies. As both a foreigner and a eunuch, the Ethiopian becoming a believer and being welcomed into the family of God was also a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. Hundreds of years after God spoke through Isaiah, we see His promises coming true here in Acts 8, where Philip introduced the Ethiopian Eunuch to Jesus when he found the man reading from Isaiah. The “others” from among the nations are still being gathered.
How was Philip, a humble servant living in Jerusalem, able to play a part in the unfolding of plans across salvation history?
• Philip believed the good news about Jesus and answered the call to follow Him.
• Philip had studied God’s Word, so he was able to help others understand it.
• Philip was obedient to follow the Lord’s leading in his life.
• Philip was eager to tell others the good news that had changed his life.
While Philip was used by God in a unique way to fulfill Old Testament prophecies and advance the gospel, his role in sharing the good news is one every follower of Jesus is called to embrace. All around us are people, like the Ethiopian, who don’t know anything about the One true God or are confused about how to have a relationship with Him. If they don’t come to know Him, they will spend eternity separated from him, bearing the consequences of their sin in hell. Our role is to help them know how they can enjoy God’s presence forever in heaven.
We can fill that role as simply as Philip did. To do so . . .
• We must first believe the good news about Jesus and answer the call to follow Him.
• We should study God’s word, so we are able to help others understand it.
• We must be obedient to follow the Lord’s leading in our lives.
• We should be eager to tell others the good news that changed our lives.
I recall sharing from Isaiah 56 and its connection to Acts 8 in a message years ago as a guest preacher. After the message, I invited people to respond by believing the gospel and to share that response with the church. As the worship team began to lead the congregation in song, a girl walked to the altar where I was standing and said she was committing her life to following Jesus and desired to be baptized. Following behind her was a couple who shared with me that they were the girl’s adoptive parents and their daughter, who was Ethiopian, was clear in her understanding of the gospel and determined in her decision to be baptized.
As we are faithful to share the gospel like Philip shared it with the Ethiopian, the promises of Isaiah are kept. More people on the outside are welcomed into the kingdom of God and those without families are adopted into God’s family.
Question 3: What steps can we take to be ready to share the gospel when opportunities arise?
Acts 8:36-38
36 As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?” 38 And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him.
By God’s appointment, an official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, heard the gospel from Philip. How did he respond? He asked to be baptized. Philip’s gospel proclamation must have included the call to respond through believer’s baptism because, as we read in verse 36, the Ethiopian understood his need.
Why is baptism a right response to the gospel? The Bible teaches us that the symbolic act of baptism is the first step to be taken after you have come to trust in Jesus. Many examples can be found in the book of Acts. From these passages we can conclude that baptism follows conversion as a means of witnessing to the commitment of our lives to Jesus Christ. In none of these passages does baptism come before this personal commitment. Once you’ve been baptized as a believer, you’re not known as just a person who believes in God; you’re known as one who has declared Jesus as your Savior. To experience the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ is to be inwardly changed. Baptism is the outward symbol of that change.
In v. 38 Luke pointed out that Philip and the Ethiopian went down into the water and Philip baptized him. The word Luke used is from the Greek word baptizo, which means to immerse or dunk under water. The same word is used in every instance in the New Testament where baptism is mentioned. Baptism by immersion is designed to present a symbolic picture of what Jesus has done in the life of His follower. The symbolism of baptism is found in Romans 6 also. Paul pointed to baptism as a picture of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. So, baptism shows us a beautiful and symbolic portrait of Christ’s saving work.
The Ethiopian’s request to be baptized is a clear indication that, as Philip shared the gospel, he also taught that believer’s baptism by immersion was the right response. Our gospel witness should include the same clear explanation to those we point to Jesus. Baptism is the next step for everyone who believes the gospel.
Question 4: How can we help new believers in their journey with Christ?
Question 5: What steps can our group take to be more engaged in missions and evangelism?
LIVE IT OUT
The gospel crosses cultures—and so should we. Choose one of the following applications:
• Step in. If you have trusted in Jesus for your salvation but haven’t yet followed him in believer’s baptism, reach out to your group leader or one of the pastors to begin a conversation about stepping into the waters of baptism as an essential act of obedience in following Jesus.
• Step up. If you’re already baptized as a believer, roleplay a conversation about baptism with someone in your group to help you prepare to share with someone who claims to be a Christian but doesn’t understand the nature or importance of believer’s baptism.
• Step out. Like Philip, find an opportunity to share the gospel cross-culturally, whether through a ministry in your church or community to internationals, or through a volunteer mission trip overseas.
Bible Study Lesson
Session 6
“A MISSION WITHOUT BOUNDARIES”
Acts 13:1-3, 44-52
The Point
Sharing the message of Christ is a privilege that could take you anywhere.
THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE
We live in a unique time in history as modern air travel allows us to arrive nearly anywhere in a matter of days or even hours. Consequently, people are migrating all around the world. With the advance of technology, the gospel has advanced. Yet of the approximately twelve thousand unique people groups known to exist, more than seven thousand remain less than two percent Christian—and of those, roughly three thousand remain unengaged with the gospel. How will the millions of people who are part of these people groups hear the good news?
America itself has become an amazingly diverse country of ethnicities and backgrounds. We can be thankful for the many opportunities to do “international missions” in our own backyard. The nations have come to us, but that doesn’t negate the call for us to go to the nations. The world needs to know about Jesus, and we have a role to play in that. The church at Antioch understood its role in the Great Commission and has much to teach us today.
Question 1: Where are some places you’ve been that you will never forget?
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?
Acts 13:1-3
1 Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.
From Acts 11:19-20, we learn that the church at Antioch was intentionally sharing the gospel beyond the Jewish community: “Now those who had been scattered by the persecution that broke out when Stephen was killed traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, spreading the word only among Jews. Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus.”
In terms of biblical prophecy and salvation history, the significance of what is communicated in Acts 11:20 could hardly be overstated. The Old Testament records God’s unique relationship with Israel, God’s covenant people. But going all the way to back to God’s declaration to Abram in Genesis 12 that “all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you,” the Bible is filled with prophecies and declarations about God gathering the redeemed from all nations, tribes, peoples, and languages. Since redemption comes through the gospel, the proclamation of the good news to Greeks by these men from Cyprus and Cyrene who had come to Antioch marks both the fulfillment of biblical prophecy and the church’s obedience to Jesus’s Great Commission to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19).
In Acts 13, we find another important step of obedience to the Great Commission, again being taken by the church at Antioch. Luke, the author of Acts, notes five of the leaders in the church as being Barnabas, Simeon, Lucius, Manaen, and Saul. Barnabas was known as an encourager who often traveled with Paul, especially early in Paul’s ministry. Simeon, Lucius, and Manaen, we know little about. Saul, or Paul, who we know the most about, had been brought to Antioch by Barnabas to teach the new believers and remained there for a full year (Acts 11:25-26). Presumably, near the end of that year, we read in Acts 13:2 that the Holy Spirit called out Barnabas and Saul for a specific mission God had for them. We learn later in the chapter that an important part of Paul and Barnabas’s mission would be to take the gospel to the Gentiles (vv. 46-47).
Paul and Barnabas were called by God to go out from the church, and even the community where they had settled, to take the gospel to those who had yet to hear it. That’s the call of a missionary. The church at Antioch gave their full support to Paul and Barnabas through fasting, prayer, laying on of hands, and sending them off.
Every follower of Jesus has a role to play in God’s global mission, but the roles aren’t the same for everyone. What are those roles? We have been called to be either missionaries or mobilizers for the mission. The church at Antioch obviously understood that since, as Luke indicated, “after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.” (v. 3). Through fasting and prayer, the Antioch church acknowledged the dependence of the missionaries and the mission itself upon God. Missionary work is spiritual work and genuinely fruitful only when the Spirit of God works through the missionary.
By laying their hands on Paul and Barnabas, the Antioch believers were following a common biblical practice of showing their full support and giving their blessing. All of this was a part of intentionally sending the missionaries out, with the acknowledgment that they go not to represent themselves, but the church—which supports them and holds them accountable.
Like Paul and Barnabas, believers today who have heard God’s call to go to the nations should joyfully answer that call and go. Believers who have not heard God’s call to go to the nations have the calling to send to the nations. As mobilizers, we are to fast and pray for our missionaries, give generously to meet the financial needs of our missionaries, and send them out with our blessing.
Question 2: What’s the role of the local church in sending and supporting missionaries?
Question 3: How would you describe the Holy Spirit’s role in reaching the world with the gospel?
Acts 13:44-47
44 On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. 45 When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy. They began to contradict what Paul was saying and heaped abuse on him. 46 Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. 47 For this is what the Lord has commanded us: “‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”
Having been commissioned by the church at Antioch for the ministry to which the Holy Spirit had called them, Paul and Barnabas were faithfully sharing the good news. As crowds gathered to hear them proclaim the gospel, Luke informs us that “When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy. They began to contradict what Paul was saying and heaped abuse on him” (Acts 13:45). Answering God’s call to go where He leads doesn’t always result in a warm reception when we arrive.
Paul and Barnabas endured the same travails and abuse common to missionaries across the ages. Though some rejected them and refused to believe their message, they weren’t dissuaded. Instead, they sensed the reaction of the Jews was an indication that they had fulfilled their obligation. It was the same obligation that Jesus felt when he declared, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” (Matthew 15:24). Similarly, Paul and Barnabas told the Jews, “We had to speak the word of God to you first” (Acts 13:46).
Having been rejected by the Jews, rather than quit the work, Paul and Barnabas announced their intent to now share the gospel with the Gentiles “that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth” (v. 47). As was true when the men from Cyprus and Cyrene who came to Antioch began sharing the gospel with the Greeks (Acts 11:20), the significance of this announcement of Paul and Barnabas could hardly be overstated. Biblical prophecy and salvation history was being fulfilled in their midst. These moments, recorded by Luke, would result in the world being turned upside down by the good news. Birthed from a fledgling movement within Judaism, Christianity has now advanced literally around the world and has been embraced by billions of people.
Revelation 7:9 reveals the end result of what started here in Acts. Having been shown a vision of heaven as it will someday be, John recorded, “After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.” Though many in each generation since the resurrection of Jesus have rejected the gospel, someday—after it has been proclaimed to the ends of the earth—heaven will be filled with people from every nation, tribe, people, and language who heard and believed. They will have heard and believed because those who proclaimed weren’t willing to give up when some rejected them and the good news they shared.
Question 4: What are some common reasons people reject the gospel today?
Acts 13:48-52
48 When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed. 49 The word of the Lord spread through the whole region. 50 But the Jewish leaders incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region. 51 So they shook the dust off their feet as a warning to them and went to Iconium. 52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
As Paul and Barnabas began to share the gospel with the Gentiles, they were blessed to see fruit from their labors. As Luke described the salvation of the Gentiles, he referred to them as those who “had been appointed to eternal life.” The Bible is consistent in giving credit for salvation to the grace of God. No one is deserving of it. That was as true of the Gentiles who were receiving salvation as it was of the Jews who were rejecting it. It’s no less true of any human being who has ever lived. We are responsible for our sin, and we must respond to the gospel with repentance and faith, but all credit goes to our merciful God.
When the Jews continued to create problems, Paul and Barnabas followed the Lord’s instructions to his disciples (Matthew 10:14; Mark 6:11; Luke 9:5) and shook the dust from their feet as they departed for their next destination. But the best part of this passage is that they refused to be discouraged by the trouble caused by the Jews. Luke noted, “And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit” (v. 52).
I regularly try to remind myself and my coworkers in the missions organization where I serve, that we have the privilege of being a part of the most important work in the universe. Those who are part of sharing the gospel with people who have never heard, are impacting eternity. But you don’t have to be an overseas missionary or work for a missionary sending organization to be a part of the most important work in the universe. In fact, every follower of Jesus is called to be part of that work. By regularly sharing our faith and answering God’s call to mobilize missionaries to the nations through our prayers, generosity, and sending, we join in that great work. What a cause for joy!
Luke observed that, not only were the disciples filled with joy, but they were also filled with the Holy Spirit. As the disciples were used to spread the gospel throughout the region, this moment was another one of those times, like those we’ve studied earlier, when the filling of the Holy Spirit was evident. May we continue to see the same thing in our day!
Question 5: What does this passage teach us about joy in the life of a Christian?
LIVE IT OUT
Sharing the message of Christ is a privilege that could take you anywhere. Choose one of the following activities:
• Reflect. In what ways could you be a greater part of the Great Commission? Commit to pray for missionaries, generously support them, and be a part of sending them out.
• Rejoice. Spend some time in prayer thanking God for His work in your life, in your church, and in our world. Ask God to allow your heart and mind to be filled with joy in knowing Him and being a part of his work, and to protect you from discouragement and negativity, even in the midst of difficulties or painful circumstances.
• Respond. If you sense God is calling you to be more than a mobilizer for overseas missions and that He may be calling you to go, tell Him of your willingness and seek the counsel of one of your pastors or a mature believer to help you discern God’s leading.
Bible Study Lesson
“DON’T FORGET TO REMEMBER”
Joshua 4:1-7, 20-24
The Point
Never lose sight of God’s goodness and faithfulness.
THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE
Most Americans are familiar with the story of the Louisiana Purchase, which took place in 1803. That one addition of territory led to a doubling of the land mass of the United States. Shortly after that purchase, President Thomas Jefferson commissioned an expedition to explore and map as much of the new territory as possible. A few of those heroes are well-known to us: Captain Meriwether Lewis, Lieutenant William Clark, and the young Shoshone woman, Sacagawea.
Someone not as well-known was Sergeant Patrick Gass. Sergeant Gass was left in charge of the expedition on many occasions, constructed important forts along the way, and even published the first book about the expedition upon the party’s return. Patrick wasn’t the first of the (noble) Gasses to serve in our military and he certainly wasn’t the last. A long line of us have served even to the present day, including myself and two of our sons. We have served for one primary reason: we remember that our country is worth fighting for.
Another military leader much longer ago understood the importance of remembering. Joshua had seen great victories, and he had experienced his share of failure. There would be more of both in the days ahead. As he prepared to lead God’s people to one of its greatest victories, the Lord would prepare their hearts by first calling them to remember His work in the past. There’s a lesson here for us all here: Let’s not forget to remember.
Question 1: Who’s someone in your family tree that people like to talk about?
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?
Joshua 4:1-3
1 When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua, 2 “Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe, 3 and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from right where the priests are standing, and carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight.
Joshua, son of Nun, certainly had many significant events in his life that he could remember.
• He was likely by Moses’s side when the Israelites left Egypt.
• He had no doubt watched as the Red Sea parted—and then, just as quickly, enveloped the Egyptian army.
• He had served as one of only two faithful spies into and out of the promised land.
• He had led the Hebrew army in vanquishing Israel’s foes.
• He had climbed Mt. Sinai with Moses and observed the idolatry of the golden calf.
• He had also served as Moses’s attendant at the tent when Moses met with God.
But now Moses was gone, and Joshua had been tasked with finally leading God’s people into the promised land. All the help God had promised to Moses was now true for Joshua as well. “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Joshua 1:5). Just as his mentor Moses had done, Joshua sent spies into the land to survey the situation. The report came back positive. God had prepared the stalwart city of Jericho for the taking. The spies told Joshua, “The LORD has surely given the whole land into our hands; all the people are melting in fear because of us” (Joshua 2:24). This was yet another confirmation of the promise God had made to Joshua; it was all he needed to hear to begin executing God’s plan.
Now Joshua told the priests to step into the Jordan River just as the Lord had commanded him to do. It must’ve seemed a lifetime ago when he watched Moses stretch out his staff, and the Red Sea parted. Why did God perform such a similar miracle as before? That’s not left to our imagination. “And the LORD said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses” (Joshua 3:7). And exalt Joshua He did. The river was overflowing its banks; it must have seemed like a sea to those few who had seen the previous miracle almost half a century before. The Lord let them see dry land once again, and the people crossed safely.
Now, before proceeding to their next victory, it was time to remember. And to continue a pattern of remembrance that would carry God’s people through challenging times. The Bible is replete with calls to remember the work of God.
• “Remember the days of old; consider the generations long past. Ask your father and he will tell you, your elders, and they will explain to you” (Deuteronomy 32:7).
• “Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me” (Isaiah 46:9).
Of course, the ultimate call to remember God’s work for the Christian came at the last supper when Jesus said, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19). And as each local church commemorates the Lord’s Supper together, every time we eat the bread and drink from the cup, we proclaim Jesus’s death until He returns.
There are many significant occurrences I remember in life too. I remember my first day attending school and the exhilaration I felt. I remember spelling bees I did well in or important plays I made on the football field. I remember the first time I saw my wife-to-be and knew she was the one. And of course, I remember the first time I held each child born to us, even the two who didn’t make it. I recount some of those remembrances as often as I get the chance, while others are just a wisp of a memory. But the one event I’ll never forget and the one I’ll never stop talking about is the day Jesus saved me. God calls us to remember what He’s done, and He gives us the opportunity—really the responsibility—to share those stories with others.
Question 2: What are some things God has done in your life that you will always remember?
Joshua 4:4-7
4 So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, 5 and said to them, “Go over before the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, 6 to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 7 tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.”
It’s important to remember both the good and bad events in our lives. We often hear the saying from writer-philosopher George Santayana repeated: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” That’s a warning to nations and to individuals to learn from our mistakes. I tried to be open and honest with my children about my mistakes when they were growing up. My goal in that was so they could go and make their own mistakes later—hopefully smaller ones—instead of repeating mine! But just as it’s better to offer ten words of praise for every criticism, positive reinforcement with memories goes a long way.
Our senses are often intertwined with memory. In this passage, we see a visual reminder being set up. Imagine the scene. The priests carried the ark of the covenant into the Jordan River, the river rolled back and in the center of the riverbed stood the priests holding the ark of the covenant. Soil and rocks that had not seen the light of day in perhaps a millennium were now exposed. And twelve men were chosen, each representing a different tribe, to obtain a stone from nearby the ark of the Lord. To be so close to that precious symbol of God’s presence itself must have filled the men with awe. These stones were to be carried on their shoulders, so they wouldn’t have been small. In fact, they were to be used to build a full-scale monument. These stones would be a symbol of unity for the people of Israel for each of the twelve tribes. God had done this mighty thing for all of them, and for each of them.
Then Joshua described how this memorial would play a role in the lives of their people by giving them a short catechism of sorts. The question: “What do these stones mean?” (v. 6). The answer: “the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off” (v. 7).
The fathers, mothers, grandfathers, and grandmothers would have many opportunities to tell the great story of what God had done on this day. And they, in turn, would tell of God’s greatness to their children and grandchildren and countless generations to come. In fact, we’re still recounting this historical event today!
Question 3: In what ways has our culture forgotten God’s work?
Joshua 4:20-24
20 And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan. 21 He said to the Israelites, “In the future when your descendants ask their parents, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 22 tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ 23 For the LORD your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The LORD your God did to the Jordan what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. 24 He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the LORD is powerful and so that you might always fear the LORD your God.”
Joshua’s catechism now had questions added to it. The question: “What do these stones mean?” (v. 21). The answer: “Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground” (v. 22). The earlier reminder was reinforced with more detail added. “Not only did the Lord roll back the waters, but kids, we walked across on dry land!” The children’s imaginations would have run amok without the details, I’m sure. Slimy, soggy, cloggy mud. Tough to cross. And filthy afterwards. (Okay, maybe they would’ve enjoyed thinking of it that way; they were children after all.) But no, God did a complete miracle on that day, and the details only made that more clear. It might lead us to think of the apostle John’s description of Jesus: “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched. . .” (1 John 1:1). Vivid. Clear. Leaving no doubt about what had been experienced.
Question 4: How can we help those who come after us remember God’s faithfulness and power?
Joshua went on to explain why this memorial was so important—why these questions were so important. This was a mighty thing God had done in the life of His people, not once but twice. Not only would they remember crossing the Jordan River when they saw these stones, but they would remember crossing the Red Sea as well. And more than the events themselves, they would remember who God is, and by extension, who they were.
One of the most difficult things I ever had to do as a missionary was to drop my fourteen-year-old son, also named Joshua, off at the airport. He would fly almost four thousand miles to boarding school and his mother and I wouldn’t see him for several months. Through tear-soaked eyes, my last words to him would always be: “Son, remember who you are and remember Whose you are.” I couldn’t be with him, but I knew that God would be. And I knew that if he remembered that, he’d be okay. Through the years, this became a necessary ritual for me, especially when his little sister joined him. It never got easier, but my trust in God grew. He proved Himself faithful over and over again.
God is faithful. And He’s strong. Not only does He want to do the right thing for His people, but He is wholly able to. I love that God does this for us because He loves us. But He also does it for us because He loves others. He wants us to fear Him because that fear “is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10). But as the Lord shows Himself to be powerful on our behalf, He displays His strength to the nations, to “all the peoples of the earth” (Joshua 4:24). He blesses us to be a blessing, and in the end, there will be people from every tribe and language and nation gathered around the throne, worshiping our God.
Question 5: How can we build a culture of remembrance in our group?
LIVE IT OUT
We should never lose sight of God’s goodness and faithfulness. Choose one of the following applications:
• Remember. Make a list of events in your life when you felt certain God was at work. Write down some lessons from those times that you can apply to your present situation.
• Recite. Choose a Bible verse that helps you remember God’s goodness and faithfulness. Read it each day this week and try to commit it to memory.
• Repeat. Once you’ve committed that verse to memory, look for opportunities to share it with others. Encourage them to share it as well.
