Know: Identify the places, objectives, and methods of Christian mission.
Feel: Appreciate that success in mission depends on reliance upon, and the guidance of, the Holy Spirit.
Do: Involve himself or herself in the mission task of local churches.
Learning Outline:
Know: The Why, the Where, and the How of Missions
How does your church support your mission? Have you got a workable plan? If so, what is it?
What kind of team have you selected to assist you in your mission work? What financial and organizational provisions have been made for your mission?
Feel: Executing the Mission
Even before you start your mission work, why must you seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit? Why must your team members experience the power of unity among themselves before they can reach out in mission?
Consider including in your mission plan a support point in the sites that you plan to visit. Who are the people in those sites that you could count on for assistance?
Do: Involving the Believers
How do you plan to involve the believers in the cities that you intend to visit?
Summary: Success in mission depends on the reliance of the Holy Spirit, the backing of a sending church, and the dedication of the missionaries to the planned task.
Learning Cycle
Step 1—Motivate
Spotlight on Scripture: Acts 13:1-3
Key Concept for Spiritual Growth. Gospel mission does not transpire at the initiative of any human being. Our Lord made that very plain just before His ascension: “ ‘You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth’ ” (Acts 1:8, NKJV). The plan to leave Ur did not originate in Abraham’s mind. Moses did not issue on his own the call for freedom. Joshua did not choose to split the Jordan River. Isaiah did not pick his career as a prophet. Daniel did not invent the prophetic telescope. Esther did not choose to deliver the Jews. Peter didn’t leave the fishing net on his own. Neither did Saul become Christianity’s first great missionary on his own. In each case, the Holy Spirit made the call.
Just for Teachers: Before we consider Paul’s first missionary journey, we would do well to note how the Holy Spirit planned Paul’s missionary task. It all began in Antioch of Syria. The church there was founded by believers who fled the persecution that followed the stoning of Stephen (see Acts 11:19). Antioch was among the first congregations to envision a church without walls. Although the gospel was first preached to the Jews, it was embraced by other ethnic groups. All received the gift of the Holy Spirit. This news, so unbelievable, shocked the church at Jerusalem. The headquarters decided to send a dependable leader to investigate the Antioch phenomenon. The man they chose was Barnabas. Barnabas saw what the Holy Spirit had done in Antioch. A new creation had emerged, resulting in an expanding multiethnic church. Barnabas needed assistance to minister to this growing church, and he went out to Tarsus and brought Paul. Together they ministered to the Antioch congregation. It was not exclusively Roman, Greek, or Jewish. No name could describe this new community. A new name emerged: “The disciples were called Christians first in Antioch” (Acts 11:26).
Along with growth, the Antioch church had in its midst prophets, teachers, and high government officials (Acts 13:1-3). As these believers ministered, fasted, and prayed, the Holy Spirit commanded them: “ ‘Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them’ ” (Acts 13:2, NKJV). Thus, the first missionary journey commenced.
Discussion: Have you ever felt a tug at your heart, a whisper in your ears, or a direct command to get involved with mission? How can you plot your mission journey? Where does it begin, and where might it end? Share with your class your experience in witnessing.
Step 2—Explore
Just for Teachers: The risen Jesus charged the disciples to take the gospel to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. The Pentecostal outpouring and the powerful witness of Peter, Stephen, and others have already shaken Jerusalem and Judea with the message that, in Jesus, the Old Testament hope of the Messiah has been fulfilled. A strong foundation for the Christian church has been established in Jerusalem, and an equally strong opposition to the Jesus Way has initiated waves of persecution, beginning with Stephen’s death. But this opposition and persecution led to the spread of the gospel to Samaria and to the adjoining pagan territories of the Roman Empire. The Antioch church recognized that it was now time to let the Jesus mission reach out to the ends of the earth. Paul, Barnabas, and their missionary team readied to proceed.
Bible Commentary
I. Mission to Cyprus (Review Acts 13:4-12 with your class.)
Cyprus had already received the gospel from those fleeing the persecution unleashed after the stoning of Stephen, and it is from Cyprus that the first preachers of the gospel descended on Antioch (Acts 11:19, 20). Eventually, Antioch’s faith community, with the promptings of the Holy Spirit, aimed to turn a city known as the “Queen of the East” into a global center for the good news of Jesus Christ. And so, Barnabas, the native son, and Paul, the former persecutor, arrived in Cyprus to begin their first missionary journey.
Paul’s presentation of the gospel to Sergius Paulus, the governor of Cyprus, at Paphos, was the first known such presentation of the gospel made to a Roman governor. Satan was determined to disrupt Paul’s effort. To Satan’s aid came a sorcerer in Paulus’s court, a man by the name of Bar-Jesus (son of Jesus). Paul confronted the magician for what he was: the son of the devil, an instrument in the hands of Satan in preventing the light of truth from reaching Paulus. The immediate miracle of the magician going blind convinced the governor of the veracity of Paul’s message. Paulus was “astonished,” not so much at the magician going blind but at the “teaching of the Lord” (Acts 13:12, NKJV).
Consider This: The mission to Cyprus marks an important transition. For the first time, Luke mentions “Saul, who also is called Paul” (Acts 13:9, NKJV). From then on, the name Saul disappears, as if to note that Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, had arrived. But the most virtuous moment in the narrative is Barnabas’s submissive and humble response to Paul’s advancement. Up until that moment, Barnabas was number one, and without him, perhaps Paul would have been a forgotten factor. But the man who brought Paul to join him now meekly takes second place without a murmur. For Barnabas, whose name means “the son of encouragement,” the mission is more important than who does it. What lessons can we learn from Barnabas?
II. Mission to Antioch of Pisidia (Review Acts 13:14-52 with the class.)
Paul’s sermon at Antioch of Pisidia is perhaps the most complete sermon of the apostle on record. The sermon asserts that history is not an accident, but rather is God’s action plan to fulfill His will. This philosophy is in keeping with the thinking of other, earlier apostolic leaders, namely Peter and Stephen. Through all the sermons, one theme dominates: God is a God of history and the Lord of the universe. His universal message is that His love, mercy, and grace are applicable to all—both Jews and Gentiles—and this news has been transmitted from age to age from the time of Abraham to the time of Christ Jesus. Paul argues that the link from the old to the new, from the prophets to the gospel, from hope to fulfillment, is found in the life and ministry of Jesus. Jesus is the fulfillment of the Messianic hope of Israel, and in Him the national history of the Jews reaches its culminating point. From then on, salvation of both Jews and Gentiles is dependent on how these people groups relate to the saving grace of Jesus.
Paul’s sermon reaches its apex in Acts 13:26-39 with these salient points: (1) God has revealed, through Jesus, His salvation plan; this revelation is central to the history of Israel from Abraham to Christ. (2) Although the people for whom Christ came rejected Him and crucified Him, God could not be defeated. Indeed, in God’s plan the Crucifixion was the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of the world. (3) Not only did Jesus offer Himself as a sacrifice for sins, but He rose from the dead victorious over sin and death. He is the ultimate victor. (4) Jesus’ victory over sin and His resurrection power are made available to everyone who believes in Him—both Jew and Gentile—in order that all may enjoy the fellowship of the newness in Jesus.
Consider This: As the missionary team arrived in Perga on the way to Antioch of Pisidia, a sad event occurred: John Mark decided to quit the mission and return home to Jerusalem. No reason is given. However, Mark’s departure became so contentious that, when the apostles planned the second missionary journey some three years later, Paul refused to take Mark. Barnabas, however, insisted on taking Mark. The dispute became so hot that the missionary pair broke up. As for Mark, the Holy Spirit eventually used him in a task no less important: he wrote the Gospel that bears his name, the first Gospel to be written incidentally. Years later, Paul, an aged prisoner in Rome, wrote to Timothy: Bring Mark “with you, for he is useful to me for ministry” (2 Tim. 4:11, NKJV). It took a long while for Paul to recognize that grace means giving second chances. A believer may fail at one moment, but to the one who “dwells in the secret place of the Most High” (Ps. 91:1, NKJV) none of our falls need be permanent.
Step 3—APPLY
Just for Teachers: Antioch provided to its inhabitants with safety, wealth, and the security of religious indifference. But the fleeing believers settled down in Antioch with a higher purpose: to make the impossible become possible. Antioch showed that Christianity could be a home without walls. It did become such. But it was not the work of the Jew that made it so. Nor was it the persistence of the Gentile. Or the combined goodness of both. No, it was the “evidence of God’s grace” (Acts 11:23, CEB).
Thought/Application Question:
How can such grace be seen at work in your church or community? What are some concrete ways that your church can personally foster an appreciation in your community for the outworking of God’s grace?
Step 4—Create
Just for Teachers: Take a few moments to share testimonies. The members of the Antioch church fled to Antioch to escape persecution and oppression. Ask your members if they have ever been victims of anything that insults or diminishes one’s humanity. Ask them how they faced, or felt that they should have faced, such a problem. How can we make the Antioch experience more than a dream of the wishful and, indeed, an experience of the faithful?
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Key Texts: Acts 13
The Student Will:
Learning Outline:
Know: The Why, the Where, and the How of Missions
Feel: Executing the Mission
Do: Involving the Believers
Summary: Success in mission depends on the reliance of the Holy Spirit, the backing of a sending church, and the dedication of the missionaries to the planned task.
Learning Cycle
Step 1—Motivate
Spotlight on Scripture: Acts 13:1-3
Key Concept for Spiritual Growth. Gospel mission does not transpire at the initiative of any human being. Our Lord made that very plain just before His ascension: “ ‘You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth’ ” (Acts 1:8, NKJV). The plan to leave Ur did not originate in Abraham’s mind. Moses did not issue on his own the call for freedom. Joshua did not choose to split the Jordan River. Isaiah did not pick his career as a prophet. Daniel did not invent the prophetic telescope. Esther did not choose to deliver the Jews. Peter didn’t leave the fishing net on his own. Neither did Saul become Christianity’s first great missionary on his own. In each case, the Holy Spirit made the call.
Just for Teachers: Before we consider Paul’s first missionary journey, we would do well to note how the Holy Spirit planned Paul’s missionary task. It all began in Antioch of Syria. The church there was founded by believers who fled the persecution that followed the stoning of Stephen (see Acts 11:19). Antioch was among the first congregations to envision a church without walls. Although the gospel was first preached to the Jews, it was embraced by other ethnic groups. All received the gift of the Holy Spirit. This news, so unbelievable, shocked the church at Jerusalem. The headquarters decided to send a dependable leader to investigate the Antioch phenomenon. The man they chose was Barnabas. Barnabas saw what the Holy Spirit had done in Antioch. A new creation had emerged, resulting in an expanding multiethnic church. Barnabas needed assistance to minister to this growing church, and he went out to Tarsus and brought Paul. Together they ministered to the Antioch congregation. It was not exclusively Roman, Greek, or Jewish. No name could describe this new community. A new name emerged: “The disciples were called Christians first in Antioch” (Acts 11:26).
Along with growth, the Antioch church had in its midst prophets, teachers, and high government officials (Acts 13:1-3). As these believers ministered, fasted, and prayed, the Holy Spirit commanded them: “ ‘Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them’ ” (Acts 13:2, NKJV). Thus, the first missionary journey commenced.
Discussion: Have you ever felt a tug at your heart, a whisper in your ears, or a direct command to get involved with mission? How can you plot your mission journey? Where does it begin, and where might it end? Share with your class your experience in witnessing.
Step 2—Explore
Just for Teachers: The risen Jesus charged the disciples to take the gospel to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. The Pentecostal outpouring and the powerful witness of Peter, Stephen, and others have already shaken Jerusalem and Judea with the message that, in Jesus, the Old Testament hope of the Messiah has been fulfilled. A strong foundation for the Christian church has been established in Jerusalem, and an equally strong opposition to the Jesus Way has initiated waves of persecution, beginning with Stephen’s death. But this opposition and persecution led to the spread of the gospel to Samaria and to the adjoining pagan territories of the Roman Empire. The Antioch church recognized that it was now time to let the Jesus mission reach out to the ends of the earth. Paul, Barnabas, and their missionary team readied to proceed.
Bible Commentary
I. Mission to Cyprus (Review Acts 13:4-12 with your class.)
Consider This: The mission to Cyprus marks an important transition. For the first time, Luke mentions “Saul, who also is called Paul” (Acts 13:9, NKJV). From then on, the name Saul disappears, as if to note that Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, had arrived. But the most virtuous moment in the narrative is Barnabas’s submissive and humble response to Paul’s advancement. Up until that moment, Barnabas was number one, and without him, perhaps Paul would have been a forgotten factor. But the man who brought Paul to join him now meekly takes second place without a murmur. For Barnabas, whose name means “the son of encouragement,” the mission is more important than who does it. What lessons can we learn from Barnabas?
II. Mission to Antioch of Pisidia (Review Acts 13:14-52 with the class.)
Paul’s sermon at Antioch of Pisidia is perhaps the most complete sermon of the apostle on record. The sermon asserts that history is not an accident, but rather is God’s action plan to fulfill His will. This philosophy is in keeping with the thinking of other, earlier apostolic leaders, namely Peter and Stephen. Through all the sermons, one theme dominates: God is a God of history and the Lord of the universe. His universal message is that His love, mercy, and grace are applicable to all—both Jews and Gentiles—and this news has been transmitted from age to age from the time of Abraham to the time of Christ Jesus. Paul argues that the link from the old to the new, from the prophets to the gospel, from hope to fulfillment, is found in the life and ministry of Jesus. Jesus is the fulfillment of the Messianic hope of Israel, and in Him the national history of the Jews reaches its culminating point. From then on, salvation of both Jews and Gentiles is dependent on how these people groups relate to the saving grace of Jesus.
Paul’s sermon reaches its apex in Acts 13:26-39 with these salient points: (1) God has revealed, through Jesus, His salvation plan; this revelation is central to the history of Israel from Abraham to Christ. (2) Although the people for whom Christ came rejected Him and crucified Him, God could not be defeated. Indeed, in God’s plan the Crucifixion was the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of the world. (3) Not only did Jesus offer Himself as a sacrifice for sins, but He rose from the dead victorious over sin and death. He is the ultimate victor. (4) Jesus’ victory over sin and His resurrection power are made available to everyone who believes in Him—both Jew and Gentile—in order that all may enjoy the fellowship of the newness in Jesus.
Consider This: As the missionary team arrived in Perga on the way to Antioch of Pisidia, a sad event occurred: John Mark decided to quit the mission and return home to Jerusalem. No reason is given. However, Mark’s departure became so contentious that, when the apostles planned the second missionary journey some three years later, Paul refused to take Mark. Barnabas, however, insisted on taking Mark. The dispute became so hot that the missionary pair broke up. As for Mark, the Holy Spirit eventually used him in a task no less important: he wrote the Gospel that bears his name, the first Gospel to be written incidentally. Years later, Paul, an aged prisoner in Rome, wrote to Timothy: Bring Mark “with you, for he is useful to me for ministry” (2 Tim. 4:11, NKJV). It took a long while for Paul to recognize that grace means giving second chances. A believer may fail at one moment, but to the one who “dwells in the secret place of the Most High” (Ps. 91:1, NKJV) none of our falls need be permanent.
Step 3—APPLY
Just for Teachers: Antioch provided to its inhabitants with safety, wealth, and the security of religious indifference. But the fleeing believers settled down in Antioch with a higher purpose: to make the impossible become possible. Antioch showed that Christianity could be a home without walls. It did become such. But it was not the work of the Jew that made it so. Nor was it the persistence of the Gentile. Or the combined goodness of both. No, it was the “evidence of God’s grace” (Acts 11:23, CEB).
Thought/Application Question:
How can such grace be seen at work in your church or community? What are some concrete ways that your church can personally foster an appreciation in your community for the outworking of God’s grace?
Step 4—Create
Just for Teachers: Take a few moments to share testimonies. The members of the Antioch church fled to Antioch to escape persecution and oppression. Ask your members if they have ever been victims of anything that insults or diminishes one’s humanity. Ask them how they faced, or felt that they should have faced, such a problem. How can we make the Antioch experience more than a dream of the wishful and, indeed, an experience of the faithful?