Note: As a Sunday school leader I take my role of educating our youth about Jesus very seriously. As such, I feel it necessary to dig deeper into the stories I have known throughout my life to really have a strong background and grasp on the stories, concepts, and possible life applications that can be drawn. Therefore, the following is my own quest for that knowledge prepared for you in “Bible study” form. I encourage you to learn and grow as much as you feel called to in order that you might not only feel prepared to teach and share with our children, but that you may also be filled and renewed in your study of God’s Word. This is not meant to be an exhaustive of the text, but notes to help provide context and background for leaders.
Objectives:
• Provide leaders with a historical context for understanding.
• Provide leaders with a Biblical context for reaching and teaching.
• Provide a theological basis for the concepts to be taught to the children.
• Serve as a renewal and time of reflection to strengthen leaders to serve.
Scripture: Acts 16:13-15
Memory Verse for this rotation: “Be good soil. Good soil represents honest, good-hearted people. They listen to God’s words and cling to them and spread them to others who will soon believe.” Luke 8:15
Concepts to be learned by children:
* Baptism is a key component to our relationship with Christ.
* We are to be like Lydia; listening, learning, and applying all we can about Jesus.
* We are all important in God’s family; regardless of our gender or background.
* Lydia is good model of Godly behavior.
Historical/Theological/Biblical Contexts
Authorship, Date, & Background on the book of Acts:
The Acts of the Apostles and Luke’s Gospel were written by the same person. Luke has been identified with both books from the earliest days, and while neither book has any author’s identification in the text, there is no reason for supposing the books were written by anyone else. The date for the book lies somewhere between A.D. 64 and 72. Tradition has it that Luke died shortly after Paul was executed and therefore Acts ends with Paul’s imprisonment in Rome. The two years spent there gave Luke sufficient time to do his research work in tracing down what happened as the gospel was preached throughout the Roman empire. There is good reason to believe that the good news was preached in North Africa and in the regions to the east of Palestine and perhaps as far as India and maybe even China. Luke did not write about that aspect of the gospel’s progress. He confined his attention to Palestine, Asia Minor (now Turkey), Macedonia, Greece, and Rome.
In so short a book as Acts, it would be impossible to do more than give the briefest account of all that transpired following the ascension of Jesus Christ and the beginning of the church at Pentecost. So Luke limited his account largely to the ministries of Peter and Paul. For this reason, some say that the title could well be “The Acts of Peter and Paul”. Others have suggested it should be titled “The Acts of the Holy Spirit”, and other “The Acts of the Church”. When all is taken into account, however, “The Acts of the Apostles” appears to be the appropriate title.
In these discussions it should be remembered that the ultimate author of all Scripture is the Holy Spirit, who selected and used the writers to accomplish the driving purpose (see 2 Tim 3.16; 2 Pet 1.20, 21). In doing this, while we have not been told everything that happened, we can know that what we are told is trustworthy and dependable theologically and factually. Moreover, in Luke’s case he certainly knew by personal experience some of what he wrote about. He no doubt gathered information from such people as Silas, Titus, Timothy, Apollos, John Mark, and Barnabas. The Holy Spirit aided him in the choice and selection of his material and kept him from saying what is not true.
Characteristics and Content:
Luke provides the link which connects the four Gospels with all the other apostolic writings found in the N.T. This book is really the bridge, the absence of which would leave us immeasurably poorer and in the dark about the earliest days of the church. Luke commences with the ascension, recording another statement of Jesus’ command to take the good news to the ends of the earth (1.8). Then comes Pentecost, the birthday of the church. On that occasion the disciples of Jesus received the power the Master had promised and were enabled to go forth preaching the word and performing miracles to attest to the truth of what they proclaimed.
The sermons Luke records are strikingly similar in content. Again and again the core of the messages claims that Jesus Christ fulfilled the Scripture by dying for people’s sins and rising again, and that he is now exalted in heaven at the throne of this Father. This Jesus, they claim, is the Lord and Christ (the Messiah), who is for Jew and Gentile alike. They urge people everywhere to repent, accept Christ by faith, be baptized, and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, and enjoy God’s promise to participate in the new age that began at Pentecost and that would reach its consummation with the return of Jesus in righteousness to judge the world. The resurrection of Jesus lies at the heart of the apostolic good news.
Luke also emphasizes the person and the work of the Holy Spirit—the one who brings conviction of sin, righteousness, and judgment (cf. Jn. 16.8). He sends forth workers into the harvest field (see Acts 13) and directs the missionary enterprise (cf. 16.6). Sin is judged immediately in the early church to show that no one can play fast and loose with God and with trust (cf. the Ananias and Sapphira episode in ch. 5). Peter spoke of their sin as one in which they were lying to the Holy Spirit (5.3). Luke records how believers are filled with the Holy Spirit and this makes all the difference in their lives and ministry.
This book comes to a conclusion at a time when the Roman empire had been evangelized, churches established, elders and deacons selected, and the basic order of the church set up.
Structure
I. Jerusalem (1.1-8.3)
II. Judea, Samaria, and on to Antioch of Syria (8.4-12.25)
III. Throughout the Roman empire with Paul (13.1-28.31)
Text Study
Phrases/Ideas for Thought and Reflection (using NRSV)/Questions to Consider:
Lydia was originally from Thyatira (where one of the Seven Churches of Asia was later located), but was a resident in Philippi, in Greece, when the apostle Paul traveled there. Although she is mentioned only briefly in the scriptures, she holds a prominent place in Bible History…Lydia is the first recorded Christian in Europe to be converted by Paul, and her home became the place where the subsequent first church in Europe gathered to worship.
It is important to note that her conversion to Christianity was made possible only after “The Lord opened her heart to give heed to what was said by Paul”.
More about Lydia…
* She was a dealer of purple cloth. Purple cloth was very expensive. The reason it was so costly was that it was difficult to make. The dye for the cloth had to come for a shell fish. The juice was white while it was in the veins of the fish, but when it was exposed to the sun, the liquid changed into bright purple and red colors. It took a lot of work to catch enough shellfish to dye even one garment. The beautiful cloth was mainly used by members of the royal families and Roman senators who were required to have a purple band around the edge of their robes.
* We do not know for sure if she was married, single, or a widow.
* She probably had people working for her in her business since she was a merchant.
* She told the men if they considered her a believer in the Lord, she would like to for them to come and stay at her house. Evidently she had plenty of room to accommodate the four of them; Paul, Silas, Timothy, and Luke.
* Many scholars question why Lydia was baptized at all. Generally, baptism is considered necessary for joining a local church or making a statement to believers that she is saved. Since there was no local church at the time and there were no other Christians (her being the first convert) it stands to reason the Lydia was baptized simply to show her love of the Lord and her desire for him to give his grace and remove her sins.
From Who’s Who in the Bible
“In a dream the apostle Paul saw a man calling him to Macedonia, a region in northern Greece, and there the apostle made his first convert in Europe. At Philippi, on the Sabbath, he “went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer” (Acts 16.13). There he met Lydia, a Gentile, who worshiped as a Jew. Since Paul did not mention her in his letter to the Philippians, some suggest the name identified only the territory of Lydia in Asia Minor, which encompassed the woman’s hometown of Thyatira, and that she was either Euodia or Syntche, the converts the apostle urged to stop their disputations and “agree in the Lord” (Phil. 4.2).
Lydia apparently was a prosperous merchant who sold royal purple cloth to the rich. Inscriptions of the period show her hometown had a guild of dyers. And Homer’s Iliad tells of two women in Lydia famous for their work in purple dyeing. Lydia had either moved to Philippi or had access to a large house there. After she and her household were baptized, she invited Paul and Silas to use her home as a center for their ministry while they were in town. Macedonian women were known for their independence, and Lydia’s prominence allowed her to overcome Jewish custom that would have prevented her from making such an offer. It may have been Lydia’s hospitality that persuaded Paul to keep accepting help from this church though he refused it from others—for example, the one at Corinth.”
From “Lydia” by Vicki Kraft
Study Questions:
1. Look at the maps in the back of your Bible to help you. What is the province of Asia today? What country is Macedonia in today?
2. What principle about God’s guidance is illustrated in 16:7-10?
3. Acts 13.5, 14; 14.1; 17.2, 10 reveal Paul’s usual missionary strategy. Why do you think he went to the riverside in Philippi? 16.13.
4. Describe Lydia from 16.14-16. How is her conversion described? What is the immediate evidence of her faith? What did her home become?
5. The other events in Paul’s visit to Philippi had to have had a direct effect on Lydia. Try to imagine what decisions she had to make in light of these events concerning her family, friends, and business.
6. Paul wrote the letter to the Philippians about 10 year later. Compare the character of the church to its first convert, Lydia. Phil. 1.4, 5, 7; 2.25;4.15-19; 2 Cor. 8.1-5
7. What insight does this give us into the influence of women in the early church? See also Phil. 4.2-3; Rom 16.1-4, 6-7,12-15. What do you think their specific contributions were? Are they still needed today?
Closing Prayer
Lord, you’ve told us that while on this earth we will know only in part and understand only in part, but in the end we will see all and be like you in our understanding. God we pray that you will fill us as completely as needed to share this information with our youth. We ask that you would fill us with what you want taught and how we can best relate to our youth. We also ask that you would help us to live out what we are teaching in our daily lives. Finally, Father, we thank you for our youth. We pray that they and their parents would find their way to Sunday school each week so that they can grow in the fulfillment of your plan for them. We pray that they would take the lessons learned and always apply them to the lives they are living for you.
We ask this all in your name, amen.
WORKSHOP SUMMARIES
How We are Sharing the Good News with Hope Kids
Opening Songs/Prayers/Activities: Students will have the opportunity sing songs
Enforcing the ideas of the scripture, take part in enrichment activities regarding the story, and pray and praise as a group. Offerings will be taken, Birthdays recognized, and memory verse introduced and rehearsed. They will also receive their Sunday school dollars at this time in the morning.
Woods (Drama): Students will act out the story and baptism of Lydia’s household.
Ocean (History): Students will consider the different roles of women in the early church, understanding that while they were not treated equally, the role they played was very valuable. They will also contrast how women of today’s church of valued and how they, as children, are a valued part of our congregation, using Lydia as a starting point.
Arcade (Games): Students will play a game that encourages them to be like Lydia; listening, learning, and teaching others.
Creation (Arts & Crafts): Students will dye fabric purple using natural means as way to learn about Lydia’s profession.
REFERENCES/RESOURCES:
Halley, Dr. Henry H. Halley’s Bible Handbook. Twenty-Fourth Edition, Copyright 1965 by Halley’s Bible Handbook, Inc. Zondervan Publishing House 1415 Lake Dr. S.E. Grand Rapids, Michigan 49606.
NRSV Harper Study Bible. Copyright 1991 by Zondervan Corporation
“Lydia” by Wayne Blank http://www.keyway.ca/htm2001/20010516.htm printed on 1/11/09
“Lydia” by Vickie Kraft http://www.bible.org/page.php?page_id=5187 printed on 1/11/09
No comments:
Post a Comment