Lesson 9 (Aug 25-31), Paul's Second Missionary Journey

Back in Lystra

1. Once members are converted whose responsibility is it to keep them from backsliding?
2. Why is Jewish descent through the mother rather than the father?
3. Was Paul a hypocrite for having Timothy circumcised against his own beliefs?
4. How can one know whether is it God closing doors or the devil?

Philippi

1. Is it wrong to spend Sabbath in nature or at home, when there is a church nearby? 
2. Why did Paul not accept the earthquake and the open doors as a sign that God was rescuing them from jail?
3. Was Paul manifesting an ego problem when he demanded that the magistrates come personally to escort them out of prison? 
4. Why didn't Paul reveal his Roman citizenship at the time of beating rather than when he was being released from jail?

Thessalonica and Berea

1. What is accomplished by beating leaders of religious groups? What effect does it have on the religious group?
2. Why do prominent women join a religious group? Why could they not arrange for protection of Paul and Silas?
3. Why did Paul insist on preaching in synagogues when he kept getting beaten for it?
4. What made the Berean Jews so much more susceptible to the gospel?

Paul in Athens

1. What are some dangers in adapting the gospel to a local culture? What are the boundaries for contextualization?
2. Why is an idol called an image? Why is God against being worshipped through representations?
3. What could the Greeks have meant by the term "unknown god?"

Paul in Corinth

1. What are the advantages of requiring clergy to earn their own keep through some trade?
2. Can pastors have a side business?
3. Should husband-wife team ministry be encouraged?
4. Should pastors' wives be paid a stipend so they do not have to have a job of their own?

Lesson 8 (Aug 18-24), The Jerusalem Council

The Point at Issue

1. What impelled Judaizers to go around churches compelling converts to observe the Mosaic law? What was their motive?
2. Was it wrong for early Christians to observe aspects of the Ceremonial Law?
3. What kind of people today can be equated with those Judaizers?

Circumcision

1. What is similar in the God-believer relationship to a husband-wife relationship that a local marriage sign (circumcision) was adapted to identify believers?
2. Would Jesus have been circumcised if he had a choice? 
3. Why did Jesus choose to be baptized? Does one have to be baptized into a denomination to be saved? If a person asked an Adventist pastor to baptize him/her, but who did not wish to join the denomination, what should the pastor do?

The Debate

1. Is circumcision a doctrinal issue?
2. Should doctrinal issues be settled by votes such as in a committee or a council?
3. How was the debate in Jerusalem brought to a close? 
4. What lent the conclusion enough weight that it was not challenged?
5. Should the chairman always have the last word?
6. Why did Paul not enforce the "food offered to idols" part while happily accepting the "circumcision" part?

The Apostolic Decree

1. Were the dietary restrictions imposed by the Council a compromise with the Judaizers?
2. Why did Paul allow converts to eat food offered to idols when the Council clearly forbade that?
3. Should Christians today restrict themselves to Kosher meat which has the blood drained properly?
4. If the dietary restrictions were temporary what makes the laws on fornication still binding?

The Letter from Jerusalem

1. How is authority in the church determined after the passing away of the apostles?
2. How well would the Judaizers have received the decree? Why did the decree not cause a split in the church?
3. Why do people have different opinions in the church? Does the Holy Spirit speak differently to different people? 

Lesson 7 (Aug 11-17), Paul's First Missionary Journey

Salamis and Paphos

1. Was the laying on of hands on Paul and Barnabas before they set out on the first missionary journey an ordination or commission? Who laid hands on them? What authority did they have to perform this ceremony?
2. Why were the twelve disciples not "ordained?"
3. Why is the Bible record silent about what happened to Elymas after he was struck with blindness? How probable is it that he was converted by that event as Saul/Paul was?

Pisidian Antioch

1. Why do we think that order in lists (Barnabas and Saul/Paul and Barnabas), indicates primacy? Was James superior to John? What order do we use for the sons of Adam and sons of Isaac, and the sons of Amram, and what does it signify?
2. How significant is a name? Why do persons change names? Why would Luke use the name Paul instead of Saul for his ministry years?
3. Is a call to the ministry for life or may a pastor (such as Timothy), give up the ministry? 
4. What is the purpose of including Paul's sermons in the history book of Acts?
5. Does Paul teach more in support of the law, or does he seem against it? What influences his attitude to the law?
6. How come Paul and other apostles were allowed to speak in the temple and synagogues?
7. Can a person be both a Jew and a Christian?

Iconium

1. If the leaders of a community reject the truth and close their doors, are preachers excused from witnessing to that community? Is that how Paul and Barnabas felt indicated by "shaking the dust off their feet and leaving"?
2. Despite so much persecution, why did Paul persist with preaching first to the Jews before going to the gentiles?
3. Are Adventists justified in preaching to other Christians first or should we be taking the gospel to non-Christians first?

Lystra and Derbe

1. If Paul and Barnabas had known that the city would eventually turn against them, would they have still healed the cripple?
2. Should Paul and Barnabas have allowed the people of Lystra to believe they were gods and then convert them all?
3. Why didn't Paul and Barnabas perform another miracle to dispel the crowd that was stoning them?

Lesson 6 (Aug 4-10), The Ministry of Peter

At Lydda and Joppa

1. How genuine and complete could have been the conversions of ALL the residents of Lydda and Sharon that resulted when they witnessed Peter healing a paralytic miraculously? What does "turned to the Lord" mean? Are people who need to see a miracle before they are convinced lacking in faith?
2. Why would Peter who had healed the paralytic Aenas in full public view have wanted complete privacy for restoring Dorcas to life?
3. Why did the widows show Peter all the clothes stitched by Dorcas? Did it help convince Peter to help?
4. Why doesn't God perform more miracles through the Adventist church and pastors to convince the world that this is the true church?

At Cornelius's House

1. What do you think prevented the Roman Centurian Cornelius from becoming a Jew officially even though he was a devout worshiper of Yahweh?
2. Why did the apostles heal Jews also and not only Christians? Shouldn't charity begin at home? 
3. What prompted God to help Cornelius? Would it have been his devout prayers or his service to the poor?
4. Why did God direct Cornelius to Peter instead of teaching him directly?
5. Are people in today's world all treated as equal? Whose fault is it if there are inequalites?

The Gift of the Spirit

1. Why would the early Christians have wanted the gentiles to become Jews first before becoming Christians?
2. What convinced Peter that the "tongues" the gentiles spoke in, was a result of the receiving of the Holy Spirit?
3. How did the Jews hope to evangelize gentiles if they would not fellowship with them? How far can Adventists go in mixing with a group targeted for evangelism?

The Church in Antioch

1. How would people have perceived that "the Lord's hand" was with the Christians who reached out to the gentiles also? How would that have been evidenced? When evangelism is conducted today how can we know if the Lord's hand is with them?
2. What does it mean that Barnabas was "full of the Holy Spirit?" On what basis would people describe a person with those words?
3. How would church members know if a person like Agabus was a true prophet or not? Does it show a lack of faith if one decides to see first if a prediction comes true?

Herod's Persecution

1. Why would Herod support the Jews and want to please them rather than taking sides with the Christians?
2. What would make God decide to deliver Peter when he had allowed James to be put to death?
3. When the record states that the "Angel of the Lord" struck Herod and worms ate him causing his death, would the death have been by natural means or unnatural means?