Know: Outline the challenging events that led to the preaching of the gospel to the Gentiles.
Feel: Sense the tensions surrounding Paul’s transformation from zealous Pharisee to zealous gospel preacher to the Gentiles.
Do: Offer his or her talents and life ministry to God to be fitted for service.
Learning Outline:
Know: Go to All the World.
A What circumstances surrounded the development of the ministry of the young church to the Gentiles?
B Why was preaching the gospel to the Gentiles such a revolutionary practice for the early Christians, and how did they respond to this challenge?
Feel: Challenges and Tensions
A What effect did Saul’s persecutions have on the early church?
B In what variety of ways did the early church leaders respond to Paul’s transforming call to gospel ministry?
C How did the young church resolve the tensions raised by the evolving ministry of the gospel to the Gentiles?
Do: Fitted for Service
A What transformations do we need in order to be fitted for ministry?
B How might we learn to adapt to the changing faces of the gospel ministry as did the early church?
C What different challenges do we as an older church face, and what transformations do we need?
Summary: At first the young church faced determined opposition from the zealot Saul of Tarsus; but his transformation in response to God’s call resulted in the development of a strong ministry to the Gentiles.
Learning Cycle
STEP 1—Motivate
Key Concept for Spiritual Growth: Like Saul of Tarsus we can be absolutely sure—and just as absolutely wrong—about what we believe. Being open to God’s leading means being open to surprises, even when they aren’t easy or pleasant.
Just for Teachers: Emphasize the fact that both Saul/Paul and the early Christian church needed to allow God to open their minds. Paul needed to be shown that what he thought couldn’t possibly be true was, in fact, true. The early Jewish Christians, in turn, had to be woken up to the fact that the gospel was for all, even Gentiles.
Do you want to become really bad? Not bad as in “misunderstood”; not bad as in a diamond-in-the-rough kind of character with the proverbial heart of gold; but bad as in some of the world’s most evil men? You must start by convincing yourself you’re good. So good, in fact, that you believe you’re better than anybody else. Or that you can do no wrong. Not only that, but you have God on your side, and anyone who opposes you opposes God. French philosopher and mathematician Blaise Pascal wrote: “Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from a religious conviction.”That could be you. It could be any of us if, in misguided devotion, we put ourselves in God’s place and stopped listening to the real God.
This week, we will study someone who was following that path, Saul of Tarsus. Saul was well on his way to becoming, as he later put it, the chief of sinners (1 Tim. 1:15). But God had other plans.
Discuss With the Class: It is important for us to be reasonably sure of what we believe and why. How can we balance that requirement with the need for the humility to realize that our ideas and perceptions are fallible and may need to change as we deepen our relationship with God and our understanding of His Word?
STEP 2—Explore
Just for Teachers: In the Gospels, we are introduced to Jesus Christ. We become familiar with His personality, His nature, His mission, and His relationship to—and fulfillment of—all that had gone before. In Acts, we see how the early disciples went forward in the light of Jesus’ mission and message. We see old ways challenged and transformed and lives made new. Nowhere is this process clearer than in the life and career of Saul/Paul. Emphasize how this process of trial and transformation is paralleled in our lives as individuals.
Bible Commentary
I. Guilty Bystander (Review Acts 7:58 and 8:1–5 with your class.)
In English there’s an expression, “I’ll hold your coat for you.” Like so many other expressions in the English language, it could have come from the Bible, in this case, Acts 7:58. It can be used in one of two ways. One can either be approving of an act of violence or aggression but not quite willing to do it himself or herself, or it can be a trenchant commentary on someone else’s fervor for bloodshed that never quite manifests itself in personal risk taking.
As Christians and students of the Bible, we view Saul of Tarsus as a great persecutor. But we know little about him or his activities before the events recounted in these verses. Did he have strong opinions about the early Christians before he saw Stephen preach? Obviously Stephen’s preaching was enough to motivate him into some sort of action, but why? Was he attracted to the message at the same time he was repelled by it? Did he know it was true, even while he attempted to force himself and others to believe it wasn’t?
And look at his actions. He wasn’t an active participant in Stephen’s death, to judge by the passage. The author might not have bothered to mention it at all, except to introduce Saul as a character who would later be important to the narrative of Acts. If acting as an innocent bystander had been all Paul did, it would have been hard to blame—much less charge—him with wrongdoing on the basis of the information given in the text. Maybe he incited Stephen’s murderers to kill, but it’s not recorded. He watched his colleagues stone Stephen. Two verses later we are told he approved of Stephen’s death. But we can surmise it probably wasn’t his idea.
Does this mean that Paul was not guilty of Stephen’s death? He himself felt he was; he carried the guilt for the rest of his life. We have good reason to believe that the account of the events here was related to Luke (generally thought to be the author of Acts, as well as of the Gospel bearing his name) by Paul himself, and that Paul was quite insistent that Luke mention his role and his approval. And several verses later, in Acts 8:1–5, he was shown to be the bloodthirsty persecutor we all know.
Why didn’t Saul take a more active part in the stoning of Stephen? Was he a manipulator behind the scenes, or was he waiting to see what the authorities he revered and modeled himself after would do? In any event, his decision to facilitate this act of mob violence, disguised as theocratic justice, made him as guilty as if he had gathered and thrown all the stones himself, although he seemed to take no action at all. Only the grace of God could divert him from the course he had chosen freely for himself.
Consider This: Have you ever made a wrong decision—a decision that had repercussions far beyond the immediate circumstances—by taking no action at all or by acting passively to facilitate injustice or wrongdoing? If so, how did you make it right?
II. Saul’s Conversion (Review Acts 9:1–18; 22:6–21; 26:12–19; 1 Corinthians 9:1; 15:3; Galatians 1:11, 12, 15, 16 with your class.)
To refer to the event mentioned or discussed in the passages above as a conversion is accurate, but not really adequate. The biblical words we usually translate as “conversion” (sub in Hebrew and epistrophe in Greek, respectively) refer to a turning or returning to God or the path that leads to God. As such, it is an act of will, aided by God or His Spirit.
Saul, on the other hand, does not so much turn as he is turned. Until the moment when the living Christ appears and incapacitates him, we see no sign of a change of heart in Saul. The passages in chapters 8 and 9 tell us nothing at all about his internal state. We see a lot of his external state, vividly described in terms evoking a fierce predatory animal (Acts 8:3). Was the Holy Spirit working with him? Undoubtedly, but to see it would have taken greater faith than most had then or have now.
The experience that Saul had was a conversion that resulted in a dramatic turn from his previous path. And as overwhelming as the call and the experience were, and as preposterous as the very idea may be to the reader, Saul could have—at least, in theory—refused. But what did happen here? First, Saul was deprived of his faculties, including sight. God took away the things Saul depended upon. All he could do was sit and listen. And when God finally had his undivided attention, He gave Saul a revelation—a revelation he later described in several places as a glimpse of the risen Christ. As skeptical as others may have been, Paul had no hesitation in matching this experience with those of apostles, who had walked and talked with Jesus Christ, the Man, during His earthly ministry.
Jesus Christ gave the best that He had to Saul, a man who deserved it least. To some this generosity may have been disconcerting or even infuriating. But if one is aware that one is a sinner in need of grace, Saul’s conversion demonstrates how limitless and powerful grace is.
Consider This: While we all claim to believe in God’s grace, we may sometimes be tempted to picture Him doling it out in strictly measured spoonfuls. Why are we tempted to think this way? When may we sometimes even wish that were the case?
STEP 3—Apply
Just for Teachers: Use the following questions to help your students to see what the conversion of Saul of Tarsus teaches us about God’s grace and how one should respond to it.
Thought Questions:
We actually are told little about Saul’s early life and the influences that shaped him. What do you think his motivations for persecuting the Christians might have been?
In Acts 9:5, the mysterious voice refers to Saul kicking against the goads. How exactly was God “goading” Saul, even when Saul seemed to be acting in a way most contrary to God’s will?
Application Questions:
We have all met, or heard from, people with spectacular conversion stories, and perhaps ours is a bit more prosaic. In what ways do you see the grace of God manifested in yours? Perhaps it is in the very fact that you did not have to experience all those things.
How do you react when a person you distrust or have reason to fear or dislike seems to have changed for the better?
STEP 4—Create
Just for Teachers: The story of Saul is most of all a story of grace. God showed grace to him when he wasn’t even looking for it and didn’t feel the need of it. And those whom Saul persecuted, or might have persecuted, learned how one can genuinely be changed by that grace and how to show grace themselves. The following activity is intended to encourage students to make grace a part of their daily thoughts and lives.
Activity: We all face challenging situations or people in our daily lives. How do we react? Do we fly into a rage? Do we say certain words and phrases when we think no one can hear them? Do we nurse our resentments silently?
Over the next week, bring grace into your thoughts when faced with a challenging situation or relationship. Look at it as a learning opportunity or an opportunity to practice showing grace. Where the usual thoughts enter your mind and perhaps come out of your mouth, consciously think—and say— something else. Shield your thoughts with a relevant biblical verse. Report back the next week. How did practicing grace change the way you acted and felt in such situations?
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Key Texts: Acts 11:18
The Student Will:
Learning Outline:
Summary: At first the young church faced determined opposition from the zealot Saul of Tarsus; but his transformation in response to God’s call resulted in the development of a strong ministry to the Gentiles.
Learning Cycle
STEP 1—Motivate
Key Concept for Spiritual Growth: Like Saul of Tarsus we can be absolutely sure—and just as absolutely wrong—about what we believe. Being open to God’s leading means being open to surprises, even when they aren’t easy or pleasant.
Just for Teachers: Emphasize the fact that both Saul/Paul and the early Christian church needed to allow God to open their minds. Paul needed to be shown that what he thought couldn’t possibly be true was, in fact, true. The early Jewish Christians, in turn, had to be woken up to the fact that the gospel was for all, even Gentiles.
Do you want to become really bad? Not bad as in “misunderstood”; not bad as in a diamond-in-the-rough kind of character with the proverbial heart of gold; but bad as in some of the world’s most evil men? You must start by convincing yourself you’re good. So good, in fact, that you believe you’re better than anybody else. Or that you can do no wrong. Not only that, but you have God on your side, and anyone who opposes you opposes God. French philosopher and mathematician Blaise Pascal wrote: “Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from a religious conviction.”That could be you. It could be any of us if, in misguided devotion, we put ourselves in God’s place and stopped listening to the real God.
This week, we will study someone who was following that path, Saul of Tarsus. Saul was well on his way to becoming, as he later put it, the chief of sinners (1 Tim. 1:15). But God had other plans.
Discuss With the Class: It is important for us to be reasonably sure of what we believe and why. How can we balance that requirement with the need for the humility to realize that our ideas and perceptions are fallible and may need to change as we deepen our relationship with God and our understanding of His Word?
STEP 2—Explore
Just for Teachers: In the Gospels, we are introduced to Jesus Christ. We become familiar with His personality, His nature, His mission, and His relationship to—and fulfillment of—all that had gone before. In Acts, we see how the early disciples went forward in the light of Jesus’ mission and message. We see old ways challenged and transformed and lives made new. Nowhere is this process clearer than in the life and career of Saul/Paul. Emphasize how this process of trial and transformation is paralleled in our lives as individuals.
Bible Commentary
I. Guilty Bystander (Review Acts 7:58 and 8:1–5 with your class.)
In English there’s an expression, “I’ll hold your coat for you.” Like so many other expressions in the English language, it could have come from the Bible, in this case, Acts 7:58. It can be used in one of two ways. One can either be approving of an act of violence or aggression but not quite willing to do it himself or herself, or it can be a trenchant commentary on someone else’s fervor for bloodshed that never quite manifests itself in personal risk taking.
As Christians and students of the Bible, we view Saul of Tarsus as a great persecutor. But we know little about him or his activities before the events recounted in these verses. Did he have strong opinions about the early Christians before he saw Stephen preach? Obviously Stephen’s preaching was enough to motivate him into some sort of action, but why? Was he attracted to the message at the same time he was repelled by it? Did he know it was true, even while he attempted to force himself and others to believe it wasn’t?
And look at his actions. He wasn’t an active participant in Stephen’s death, to judge by the passage. The author might not have bothered to mention it at all, except to introduce Saul as a character who would later be important to the narrative of Acts. If acting as an innocent bystander had been all Paul did, it would have been hard to blame—much less charge—him with wrongdoing on the basis of the information given in the text. Maybe he incited Stephen’s murderers to kill, but it’s not recorded. He watched his colleagues stone Stephen. Two verses later we are told he approved of Stephen’s death. But we can surmise it probably wasn’t his idea.
Does this mean that Paul was not guilty of Stephen’s death? He himself felt he was; he carried the guilt for the rest of his life. We have good reason to believe that the account of the events here was related to Luke (generally thought to be the author of Acts, as well as of the Gospel bearing his name) by Paul himself, and that Paul was quite insistent that Luke mention his role and his approval. And several verses later, in Acts 8:1–5, he was shown to be the bloodthirsty persecutor we all know.
Why didn’t Saul take a more active part in the stoning of Stephen? Was he a manipulator behind the scenes, or was he waiting to see what the authorities he revered and modeled himself after would do? In any event, his decision to facilitate this act of mob violence, disguised as theocratic justice, made him as guilty as if he had gathered and thrown all the stones himself, although he seemed to take no action at all. Only the grace of God could divert him from the course he had chosen freely for himself.
Consider This: Have you ever made a wrong decision—a decision that had repercussions far beyond the immediate circumstances—by taking no action at all or by acting passively to facilitate injustice or wrongdoing? If so, how did you make it right?
II. Saul’s Conversion (Review Acts 9:1–18; 22:6–21; 26:12–19; 1 Corinthians 9:1; 15:3; Galatians 1:11, 12, 15, 16 with your class.)
To refer to the event mentioned or discussed in the passages above as a conversion is accurate, but not really adequate. The biblical words we usually translate as “conversion” (sub in Hebrew and epistrophe in Greek, respectively) refer to a turning or returning to God or the path that leads to God. As such, it is an act of will, aided by God or His Spirit.
Saul, on the other hand, does not so much turn as he is turned. Until the moment when the living Christ appears and incapacitates him, we see no sign of a change of heart in Saul. The passages in chapters 8 and 9 tell us nothing at all about his internal state. We see a lot of his external state, vividly described in terms evoking a fierce predatory animal (Acts 8:3). Was the Holy Spirit working with him? Undoubtedly, but to see it would have taken greater faith than most had then or have now.
The experience that Saul had was a conversion that resulted in a dramatic turn from his previous path. And as overwhelming as the call and the experience were, and as preposterous as the very idea may be to the reader, Saul could have—at least, in theory—refused. But what did happen here? First, Saul was deprived of his faculties, including sight. God took away the things Saul depended upon. All he could do was sit and listen. And when God finally had his undivided attention, He gave Saul a revelation—a revelation he later described in several places as a glimpse of the risen Christ. As skeptical as others may have been, Paul had no hesitation in matching this experience with those of apostles, who had walked and talked with Jesus Christ, the Man, during His earthly ministry.
Jesus Christ gave the best that He had to Saul, a man who deserved it least. To some this generosity may have been disconcerting or even infuriating. But if one is aware that one is a sinner in need of grace, Saul’s conversion demonstrates how limitless and powerful grace is.
Consider This: While we all claim to believe in God’s grace, we may sometimes be tempted to picture Him doling it out in strictly measured spoonfuls. Why are we tempted to think this way? When may we sometimes even wish that were the case?
STEP 3—Apply
Just for Teachers: Use the following questions to help your students to see what the conversion of Saul of Tarsus teaches us about God’s grace and how one should respond to it.
Thought Questions:
Application Questions:
STEP 4—Create
Just for Teachers: The story of Saul is most of all a story of grace. God showed grace to him when he wasn’t even looking for it and didn’t feel the need of it. And those whom Saul persecuted, or might have persecuted, learned how one can genuinely be changed by that grace and how to show grace themselves. The following activity is intended to encourage students to make grace a part of their daily thoughts and lives.
Activity: We all face challenging situations or people in our daily lives. How do we react? Do we fly into a rage? Do we say certain words and phrases when we think no one can hear them? Do we nurse our resentments silently?
Over the next week, bring grace into your thoughts when faced with a challenging situation or relationship. Look at it as a learning opportunity or an opportunity to practice showing grace. Where the usual thoughts enter your mind and perhaps come out of your mouth, consciously think—and say— something else. Shield your thoughts with a relevant biblical verse. Report back the next week. How did practicing grace change the way you acted and felt in such situations?