READ This week as we study Acts we are focusing on all the examples we can find of people teaching the Word in Acts. Believers teach the Word to raise up new believers in the fear and knowledge of the Lord. This is God’s design through disciple-‐making to train up and send out more laborers into His harvest.
Read Acts 18:24-‐28. In this passage, we learn a little about how teaching the Word impacted the early Church. Apollos was a faithful and gifted man, competent in the Scriptures already. Yet it seemed to the church that something wasn’t quite complete. Some believers took Apollos aside and instructed him more clearly in the way of God.
This is a unique paragraph in this part of Acts, as it is the only one from chapter 16 until the end of the book that doesn’t mention Paul at all. The focus of the passage is completely on Apollos. Apollos was from Alexandria, one of the cultural and academic capitals of the world at this time. This fact, along with Luke’s mention of his eloquence and competency in the Scriptures, shows us that this man was considerably gifted and intelligent. But don’t miss this. Who comes along, in the power of the Holy Spirit, to instruct him more carefully in the way of God? Priscilla and Aquila, a pair of uneducated tentmakers! God uses a simple-‐minded couple who had been trained and instructed by the apostle Paul to disciple and teach the Word to a brilliantly gifted Alexandrian. This is the beauty of our opportunity to make disciples by teaching His Word. It does not require a seminary degree or a great education. God simply calls followers of Christ to be faithful to reproduce what they have been taught. And look at the result. God sent Appollos to Corinth where his ministry was an incredible help to the church where “he greatly helped those who through grace had believed” (v.27). The faithfulness of two tentmakers to take him aside and teach him the Word as they themselves were taught resulted in the magnifying of God in multiple cities. This is the great end of disciple-‐making. Now read Acts 17:1-‐9. Talk about what Paul was teaching and why. Can you think of any passages in the Old Testament he might have been using to do this? Our memory verse for this week is Acts 17:2-‐3. This is another example of teaching the Word; this time with a different aim. Paul is depending on the Word to reason with unbelieving Jews about Jesus. His attempt was not to win an argument, but by the power of God’s Spirit, to cause people’s hearts to comprehend and see the truth of Jesus. How did he do this? Through the gospel. Paul used the Word to proclaim to the Jews that, “it was necessary for Jesus to suffer and rise from the dead.” Paul clung to the truth of the Scriptures, reasoning with them for 3 weeks about the gospel of Jesus. What was the result of Paul’s patient teaching of the Word? We read in 1 Thessalonians 1:6-‐10: “And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.” How incredible! God used the teaching of the Word, not only to make disciples in Thessalonica, but all over the region. Faithful teaching of the Word results in gospel multiplication. Bottom Line: Teaching the Word does not require great education but simple faithfulness, and this results in the glory of God being made known through new believers to all nations. Questions: How can you teach the Word to your family? How can you and your family teach the Word to your neighbors and friends? Make a plan as a family to invest in each other or in other new believers so that the gospel might go forth more powerfully from you.
PRAY The Smiths (name changed for security) have been members of Brook Hills since 2007. Since joining the faith family, they have been learning and participating in disciple making through small groups. In fact, a couple of families from their first small group have moved overseas to make disciples in a global context. The Smiths were married in 2008, and since that time have been seeking where God was leading them to plant their lives and make disciples. After two and a half years of
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prayer, research and studying, the Smiths are moving their family to East Asia to plant churches among the Hui people. The Hui are a Muslim people group of over 12 million who are spread throughout East Asia. Missionaries have lived and worked among the Hui for over 100 years; yet, today there are only about 500 believers. Hui people for the most part are economically disadvantaged, and they work jobs that are undesirable for others in the community. They are farmers, butchers, coal miners, and factory workers. Some are small businessmen and teachers. Isaiah 60:1 says, “Arise, shine for your light has come and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.” The Smiths desire to shine brightly for Christ among the Hui as they proclaim the gospel and make disciples. Please pray for their family as they move to East Asia and plant their lives for the sake of the gospel and the establishment of the Church.
SING This week’s song is ‘Like Incense/Sometimes By Step’. As we are encouraged to teach the Word to each other and instruct one another, we recognize that God’s Word is infallible, that it is the guide for our life, and that we find joy in obeying it. His Word is the standard by which we base everything in our lives. Lyrics like “Your statues are my heritage forever,” “My heart is set on keeping Your decrees,” “Your commands are boundless,” “Your Word is my joy and meditation,” echo the words of Psalm 119. We want to know His Word, we want to hide it in our hearts, and we want to live according to it. We want to teach this Word to our families, to one another, and to the world. Ultimately, our desire is to honor Him with our lives: “With my whole heart I seek you; let me now wander from your commandments!” (Ps. 119:10)
MEMORIZE Acts 17:2-‐3 And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.”
SUGGESTIONS These suggestions were created by the age-‐group ministry leaders as a way to help parents better communicate the biblical truths discussed in the Family Worship Guide. These suggestions are intended to help parents facilitate God-‐centered discussions with their children. Parents should prayerfully use these suggestions, and any other means necessary, to help their children discover the truths of God’s word and worship Him together.
Preschool
• Before you begin, grab a sheet or blanket and make a “tent” in your family room. • Gather your family and have your family worship time in the tent. • Read Acts 17:2-‐3 with your preschooler. • To help with this lesson, remind your child that Paul’s ministry was telling others about Jesus, but his job was making
tents. Paul was a simple tent maker. • Sometimes we may think that the only person that can tell people about Jesus is the pastor or Bible study leader. The
Bible tells us that everyone that loves Jesus must tell others about Him and help people know how much God loves them. It doesn’t matter if you are a child, an adult, a tent maker or a pastor; you, too, can tell others about Jesus!
• God loves us and wants us to help others know about Him. • Questions: Who can you tell about Jesus this week? Our friend who lives next door? A family member? • Conclude by re-‐reading Acts 17:2-‐3.
Children
• Items needed: 2 bean or flower seeds, 1 cup of potting soil or dirt, cup of water, and a simple drawing of the sun. • Re-‐read Acts 17: 2-‐3. • Talk about the fact that it is now spring and the wonderful variety of beautiful flowers and plants God has created are
blooming all around us. • Have your child(ren) hold the seeds. Tell them how God has made the seeds so that 3 things are required to make them
grow: soil, water and sun. Hold up the soil, drawing of sun, and water, having child(ren) name each item. • Explain that extensive knowledge about plants is a wonderful thing and very helpful, but it is not necessary to have a
college degree in horticulture to plant the seeds and see them grow. • Tell them that what is required is to be faithful to provide those 3 things the seeds must have. • Have the child(ren) plant the seeds in the soil, water them, and place them in an area that will receive adequate sunlight
each day, making sure they are faithful to water the soil if needed. As a family you can enjoy watching the seeds sprout and remember how our faithfulness to God results in His glory in the gospel being made known to others.
Students • Read Acts 17:2-‐3. • Ask each of your family to members to recall the most meaningful part of a sermon they can remember. Give them time
to share why that message was so memorable. • Ask each of your family members to name the most powerful Bible communicators they have ever heard. • Now explain that the priority is for God’s Word to be shared. The most powerful communicator of the Bible is the person
who simply tells others what the Bible says. Paul modeled that lifestyle for us. Everywhere he went he explained the Scriptures and told people that Jesus is the Messiah.
• Close by reinforcing that all God asks is for us to be faithful in sharing His Word with others. Pray that God would empower your conversations this week so that others would come to recognize that Jesus is the Messiah.
