SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON 18 February 5, 2006

Paul and Silas follow Jesus as he directs their missionary journey
Theme: Living by Faith in Christ Alone
Theme Verse: "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Galatians 2:20 NIV
Readings: Acts 16:6-15
Optional: 2 Corinthians 5:17-6:2
Memory Verse: We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 2 Corinthians 5:20

      Notice how Paul and Silas are led by the Holy Spirit and how closely they follow that leading. This reminds us once again that God is the missionary. God is the one with the master plan who knows all things! The Holy Spirit is in charge of where they go to witness and the timing of it. God opens and closes doors: if we don't obey the closed ones we will miss the open one. A word received: I AM the one who leads and directs where you are to go and what you are to do. (See also Proverbs 3:5-6 -- "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths.")

      Notice that Paul and Silas pass through Phrygia and Galatia where they had been on the first journey. The Holy Spirit also has them avoid the Province of Asia (Eastern Turkey where Paul went later). Bithynia on the north coast of Turkey is also a closed door. So they keep going. Sometimes God doesn't show us right away what he wants so we just keep going with the last direction. We don't know why God said, "NO," but the best guess is that God had set up something in Macedonia and timing was important. Paul and Silas were obedient to God's direct and they were listening for God's guidance and promptings. Witnessing to Jesus is always good but if they hadn't been listening they would have missed a major "God moment."

      We need to be connected (listening) to God to know what he wants us to do [think of an internet, TV, or telephone connection]. If the system is "down" we don't get it! In John 15 Jesus talked about himself as the vine and us as the branches. To bear fruit we need to be connected to him constantly -- not just "near" the vine or "exposed" to the vine. And to be connected to the vine we have to abide in Jesus and let his word abide in us. To abide in his love is to obey him just as Jesus obeyed the Father, then we will be fruitful. We also need to subject our "paths" to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Prayer: Lord, show me where you want me to go and how you want me to spend my time and my life. Prevent me from taking the wrong direction. Open up opportunities for me to serve you.

The Gospel Moves to Europe
      Paul received a vision in the night. Sometimes God does speak to us in dreams and pictures (visions). When he does we need to check them against Scripture and pray and test them with other mature Christians. Notice how the three of them tested the vision (Luke first appears here -- see "we" in Acts 16:10) and "concluded" that God had called them to preach the Gospel in Macedonia and set about getting there. Paul and Silas are models for us here. A word received: I will lead you. Open your heart to me and follow my directions. (God wants us to follow his will not only in wherever we are to go and when, but also in our major life decisions and in our physical and spiritual journey.) Share how God has directed you in the past. Example -- God clearly led us to Liberia and to the Capital District -- in part by eliminating other options.

      Paul, Silas and Luke know the area where God has called them (See note on Macedonia) but strategically they head for the leading and major city, a Roman colony. It is interesting how the apostles usually head for the cities and contemporary Americans head for the suburbs! A friend told me recently that she was praying for revival to come to New York City because whatever happens there quickly gets spread around the world.

      The vision is a man Macedonia pleading with Paul to "come over and help us." A word received: Hear the cry of My people. Pray that the children and the adults will hear the cries of those who long to hear the gospel. Pray for hearts that melt and respond to the call to serve Me in other countries. The cry is still there and the call is still there. Who will answer the call?

      After Paul had seen the vision, "immediately we sought to go." A word received: "Immediately." Think of all the times I have showed you the quick response to my call. That is what I want -- hearts that respond to the call, My call, immediately.

      These people were hungry for the Good News of Jesus and God responded to their pleas. Paul, Silas and Luke respond at once. NO questions or stalling. Do we stall or question?

      There must not have been a synagogue in Philippi (it takes ten men to start one), but there was a place of prayer by the river where at least Jewish women and "God-fearers" who were women regularly met for prayer. Paul, Silas and Luke found them and shared the good news about Jesus with them (they didn't despise the opportunity just because it was not what they probably expected). A word received: Paul and the others are sharing the Good News with women. They are sharing my blessings with whoever will respond. Will you be willing to do the same?

      It was a place of prayer and Lydia was listening. She already worshiped the God of Israel and the Lord opened her heart to hear what Paul said. This is how God works, by opening people's hearts to respond. Prayer: Lord, open my heart to what you are trying to say to me. A word received: I opened her heart -- that's my job; your job is to share the word I give you to speak to the heart.

      Lydia was soon baptized "with all her household" and begged them to come and stay with her. She was obviously a wealthy business woman. (Purple dye was very expensive -- so much so that purple was the color of royalty -- no one else could afford it.) So she must have had a big house. It looks like they had a house church there from verse 40. She was from Thyatira in Turkey (see the letter in Revelation 2:18-29). Are we as really hungry for God as Lydia and the others were? Are we willing to respond totally?

      "We implore you on Christ’s behalf: be reconciled to God." (2 Corinthians 5:20) This is the message that Lydia responded to. The only way we can be right with God and become a NEW creation is to receive God's free gift of grace and forgiveness through what Jesus did for us. God the Father was in Jesus reconciling (reconciliation means bringing together two who were separated and enemies) the world to himself by (AMAZING) making the sinless Jesus BE SIN for us on the cross SO THAT we might become the righteousness of God!! But to accept that we have to know about it. God wants us, you and me, who have received this gift to be Ambassadors for Christ -- carrying his message, representing God in the foreign territory of a sinful world and society. We are called to be "God's fellow workers". What an honor! It is never too late to accept God's invitation. A word received: I want you to be Ambassadors for me just as Paul and Silas were.

      The world is in a mess. People are self-destructing and destroying others. The task is urgent. God wants them to take advantage of his offer now. In the optional reading we see the same urgency: Now is the day of salvation. A word received: This is a current word to us. The call is now. The opportunity is now, the choice is now. Hearts are waiting for the word now.

Notes on Macedonia from Candace Foust

      The passage about the vision is one of my favorites. That the man was from Macedonia may have been surmised by his clothing. Until after WWII, different areas of Greece were known for different styles of dress clothing. [For example, before WWII, if you had a vision of a man wearing wooden shoes and wide pantaloons, you'd know he was Dutch.] Anyway, my Dad was from Macedonia, not far from Berea and what if the man in the vision was my ancestor? While Macedonia does have some very rugged mountain country, because of Alexander the Great and his father Philip this area achieved prominence, although elite Athenians would have considered it mostly hillbilly country.

      I think Philippi was somewhat of a military town, with a Roman garrison there. Philippi was where Octavian and Anthony defeated Brutus and Cassius (the last defenders of a Roman Republic), in 42 BC.

Teaching Ideas for Lesson 18
Please read the Study Guide first. Go over Memory Verse to make sure the children understand it and then if they have memorized it.

      Remind them their parents need to sign a report slip monthly if they have read the lessons, so they will get credit at the end of the year.

      Make sure they know what happened in the story. Get them to tell you.

Basic points of the lesson for little ones:
1.God loves us and has a plan for our lives. He wants to show us the plan and what to do.
      2. When we pray and learn to listen to God, he can show us what to do and where to go.
      3. God loves us so much that he will also tell us when NOT to do something;. We just need to pray, listen and obey.
      4. God wants us to share his love with others. He will show who, how and when. We just need to listen to Jesus.
      5. When we do wrong things (sin) God wants us to come quickly to him and ask for his forgiveness and help so nothing comes between us and him. Don't wait.