SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON 26 April 9, 2006

Palm Sunday: Pressing Toward the Goal
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 21:1-16
Memory Verse: "Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me (heavenward in Christ Jesus)". Philippians 3:13b-14

      Paul continues on his 3rd missionary journey planning to end up in Jerusalem by Pentecost. Luke is still with them. (See "we" passages. This is an eye witness account.)

      Something that runs through this lesson is the closeness of the early Christians. We see strong mutual love between Paul and the believers at each stop. (Paul has a lot of bad press in the church and world today. However hard, legalistic and cruel he once was when he watched with approval the stoning of Stephen, he now has great love and tenderness toward his fellow believers--and they feel the same way about him.)

      "After we had torn ourselves away from them" (literal translation vs. 1). The fellowship and friendship runs deep and it was hard to part. Word received: It is the fellowship in Me that will help carry you through hard times. When they landed in Tyre they "sought out" the disciples there (vs. 4) and stayed seven days. Paul and his friends look first for other disciples when they come to a new place. Word received: Seek out My people wherever you go. At Tyre all the disciples including their wives and children accompanied Paul's group out of the city to the beach where everyone knelt to pray. Look at how close they were after only seven days. God wants that for us too. They probably laid hands on Paul and the others before Paul and the others get on the ship. Word received: Will you pray in public? Will you let others see and hear you crying out to Me?

      As Paul's group goes from port to port they contact Christian brothers and sisters. In verses 7-8 at Ptotemais (near present day Haifa) they greeted the "brethren" and stayed one day. The next day in Caesarea they stayed with Philip, one of the original seven deacons (Acts 6:1-7). When Agabus prophesied about Paul being bound in Jerusalem, the people started weeping and begging Paul not to go to Jerusalem. Paul's response was, "Why are you weeping and breaking my heart"? This is a close relationship of people who cared passionately about each other. When Paul and his group went up to Jerusalem, "some of the disciples from Caesarea went up with them" (!!) and took them to stay at the house of a man from Cyprus. Perhaps the Greeks in the group would feel more comfortable there. It says (vs. 17) that the brethren in Jerusalem "received them gladly".

      God intends the church to be "the household of God", his family! Remember that Jesus taught his disciples to call God, "Father". God wants us to have a close relationship with himself and with each other.

      We see the gifts of the Holy Spirit widely used in the first century church. Many people are listening to the Holy Spirit and sharing what they hear and deciding how to respond. Also some have a regular gift of prophecy and are called "prophets" (both men and women), like Agabus and the four unmarried daughters of Philip. Philip had the gift and ministry of evangelism. (Would Philip and Paul and the others have traded stories about what they had seen God do?)

      Now look at Paul's response of determination to obey God's call to go to Jerusalem even though he is repeatedly warned that imprisonment and even death await him. Paul kept on making the choice to obey. We need to recall Acts 20:22-24 (read) as background for these repeated warnings made by people hearing by the Holy Spirit what awaits Paul. Paul has already been warned "in every city" about what's going to happen. God is strengthening Paul as he has to keep on making the choice to obey and confirming what Paul himself has heard from the Holy Spirit. Paul is very single-minded about doing what God wanted. See the Memory Verse. Word received: I want you all to be as single minded about following My will as Paul was. How committed are we to doing God's will when we already know what it is???? When Paul "would not be persuaded" not to go to Jerusalem, his friends ceased and commended him to God's will and care. Word received: I want you to commend one another to My will and My care.

      Look at the Memory Verse again. Word received: "Forgetting" is a choice you can make. Let My goodness and mercy come between you and the hard memories of your past. (See Psalm 23:6a)

      Notice the parallels to Jesus' last journey to Jerusalem where he "set his face" to go to Jerusalem (Luke 9:51). His disciples didn't understand and Peter rebuked Jesus once when Jesus talked about what was going to happen in Jerusalem. Jesus knew what was ahead and he had many warnings. Jesus also compared it to a race, "on the third day I finish my course" (Luke 13:32). Paul had been told by God numerous times by the time he said goodbye to the elders from Ephesus "that imprisonment and afflictions await me." Paul says he is "bound in the Spirit". He knows it will be bad but doesn't know exactly how. Paul sees his life as a race for the prize and the finish line. He is determined to be obedient. He is prepared to "share in his (Christ's) suffering. "For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things…in order that I may gain Christ…that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death…(Philippians 3:8-10). Paul is in the same company as Peter and John who rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer for the name of Jesus. (Acts 5:41 & Acts 4:29) after being threatened by the Sanhedrin. Afterwards they prayed for more boldness and more signs and wonders.

      A problem for us is comparing verse 4 "through the Holy Spirit they told Paul not to go on to Jerusalem" and Agabus simply stating a fact, "Thus says the Holy Spirit, so shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this girdle and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles." In this case people beg Paul not to go there. Even as we try to understand this, we have to say with C.S. Lewis, "It says what it says". In such situations we have to look at the larger context. On the whole it seems clear that God was warning and preparing Paul and the church for what lay ahead. Paul never wavered as he repeatedly made the choice to go forward in obedience. Paul did not take the path of least resistance. He doesn't allow fear to distract him. His relationship with the Lord who turned his life around keeps him steady. The Holy Spirit warns Paul but also compels him ("bound in the Spirit"). The desire of the people who loved Paul was to protect him but even though it grieves him to give them pain, his first loyalty is to his Master and Savior.

      Also reflect on the man in Afghanistan who converted to Christianity and was willing to risk death to stay true to Jesus. He is in Italy now but many are curious and want to know more.

      Ask the Holy Spirit to show you/us where we are wavering when he wants us to go forward in some way.

Postscript for adults and High School students:
      In the latest Guideposts (April 06) there is an article about Bonhoeffer a young Lutheran pastor in Nazi Germany who was part of the underground "confessing church" and it occurred to him that the will of God might be different from the will of the people he loved. In 1930 he had a year at Union Seminary in NYC and was touched by the enthusiastic worship of black Christians there. It was his first encounter with racism so he quickly spotted it in Hitler's talks. Many churches supported the new order or remained silent. When the secret community was discovered he received a return invitation from NYC, went thinking it was God's will. Soon he told his stunned friends, I'm going back and returned on the last ship to go there. He was soon imprisoned in a plot to kill Hitler in order to rescue masses of Jews headed for the camps. He was executed in the final weeks of the war because he was on Hitler's enemies list. He wrote, "The will of God is not a system of rules established from the outset. It must be found new each day as we walk in God's presence."

Teaching Ideas for Lesson 26
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.In God's family we can be very close with each other, caring for each other and praying for each other.
      2. When God's family is close and loving, it is a witness to Jesus' love for each of us and helps us through hard times.
      3. When God gives us a job to do, He wants us to pay attention and do it with our whole hearts.