Explore the Bible Sunday School Lesson for Oct. 20

Here’s the Explore the Bible Sunday School lesson commentary for October 20, written by Mark Rathel, pastor of Friendship Baptist Church in DeFuniak Springs, Florida.

Explore the Bible Sunday School Lesson for Oct. 20

TOGETHER

Acts 18:1–11, 18–21

My local Baptist association has a motto of “Better Together.” I have known Lone Ranger Christian leaders who neglect partnering with other leaders or churches. This is a myopic understanding of the nature of missions and the local church. While each Baptist church is an independent church, we join together for the purpose of the gospel and missions. In our passage, Paul describes churches ministering together.

Build Relationships (1–4)

Paul apparently had a brief yet successful ministry in Athens, the intellectual center of the first century. His next missions field was Corinth, an influential city in political matters and economics famed for its immorality. Within the city were numerous locations for worshipping goddesses such as Aphrodite, the goddess of sex. Thankfully, Paul was not alone in his ministry to people in Corinth. Not only did Silas and Timothy arrive from Macedonia, but Paul worked alongside the ministering couple Priscilla and Aquila. Paul reasoned every Sabbath with both Jews and Greeks regarding the message of salvation.

How can partnering with other believers make us more effective in ministry?

Share the Gospel (5–11)

Paul did not continue with his trade of tentmaking after the arrival of Silas and Timothy. He devoted himself to proclaim the message that Jesus is the Messiah. When the gospel was not received except by a small number of Jews, Paul performed the Old Testament symbolic action of shaking the dust off his garments. When the Jewish leadership in the synagogue “resisted and blasphemed,” Paul left the synagogue and went to the house of Titius Justice — a Gentile believer who lived next door to the Jewish synagogue. There were, however, a few Jewish believers in Corinth. Crispus, the synagogue leader, believed in the Lord along with his household. Many of the Corinthians heard the gospel, believed in the Lord and were baptized. God spoke to Paul in a night vision and gave him three commands and two promises. The commands were, “Don’t be afraid but keep on speaking and don’t be silent.” In addition, God also spoke a promise to Paul. “I have many people in this city.” Evangelism is easier when you know there will be a response. Paul continued to minister in Corinth for 18 months — his longest ministry in one location.

How does God’s protection and presence encourage Kingdom work?

Follow God’s Lead (18–21)

Priscilla and Aquila came to Corinth after the emperor Claudius ordered all the Jews to leave Rome (v. 2). Interestingly, in the New Testament the name of the wife, Priscilla, is always listed first rather than her husband. They were tentmakers like Paul. After a while, Paul and this noteworthy couple sailed toward Syria. Paul left them in Ephesus, perhaps to provide leadership in the church there.

Paul debated with Jews in Ephesus regarding the Messiah, and some requested Paul stay for a longer time. Paul could not at this time because he most likely was delivering the collection from the Gentile churches for Jewish believers in Palestine. New Testament scholar Grant Osborne commented, “[Paul] covers 1,000 miles in one verse, traveling by ship the 600 miles to Caesarea then going down to Jerusalem to meet the congregation there and then very quickly going back to Antioch in Syria, a trip of 350 miles.”

How can believers support other believers in ministry?


By Mark Rathel
Pastor of Friendship Baptist Church in DeFuniak Springs, Florida

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