Bible Studies for Life Sunday School Lesson

Acts 13:1–3, 44–52

While the earliest Christians were unified, as last week’s Bible study revealed, they also faced conflict, both from within and without. As a newly formed religious sect, these earliest believers were asking basic questions that would solidify who they were and what they believed.

What were the requirements for salvation? What practices would set these first-century Christians apart from the outside world? How were they to function or interact with the larger Greco-Roman world? Did Gentiles need to become Jews in order to follow Jesus? What kinds of people would comprise the Church’s leadership? What was the role of Jesus for these early believers, following His death and resurrection? As we consider the theological history of these early believers presented in the Book of Acts, it is clear that these women and men had much to sort out.

The Book of Acts is important for many reasons, not least of which is its connection to the larger corpus of literature written by Paul. Acts is a travel narrative, penned by Luke, who was a travel companion of Paul. Luke was privy to Paul’s engagement with various groups of people, groups who would ultimately form into churches. Acts is in part how the congregations Paul corresponded with formed — such as the Corinthians, the Philippians, the Colossians, the Ephesians, the Galatians, the Thessalonians and others.

God will lead a revitalized, united Church to send people out with the gospel. (1–3)

Contingent upon the spread of the gospel was the giving of the Parousia, the Comforter, promised by Jesus in John’s Gospel. It is this giving of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost that enables the earliest believers to do “even greater works” than Jesus (John 14:12). Prior to Acts 13, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit occurs in Acts 2 for the Jews, in Acts 8 for the Samaritans, in Acts 10 for the Gentiles and later in Acts 19 for those few who had only been baptized by John’s baptism of repentance. The multiplicity of this Pentecost event — the pouring out of the Holy Spirit — is important because it gradually shows the more ardent Jewish believers in the group, like Peter, that Christianity and the love of Jesus must spread beyond the Jewish community. The Holy Spirit is given to the Samaritans, whom the Jews hate, and to the Gentiles, whom the Jews felt superior to. Everything that God has called “clean” is in fact “clean,” which means that all persons can be saved (Acts 10, 15).

We will experience rejection as some reject the gospel and joy as some embrace the gospel. (44–52)

Paul’s Damascus Road experience, typically thought of as a conversion experience, should not be considered as somehow separate from his calling as an apostle. For Paul, “conversion” and “call” went hand in hand. He experiences both at precisely the same time (Acts 9:3–9, 20).

Paul does not “abandon” Judaism and trade it for Christianity. Rather Paul’s experience appears to be more in keeping with the prophetic calls of the Old Testament. He experiences a calling to a specific task — the mission to the non-Jews — in the manner resembling the calling of the classical prophets. He refers to himself repeatedly as an “apostle to the Gentiles.”

The Jews’ rejection of his ministry — and his companions’ ministries — opens the door for him to preach to the Gentiles. Paul’s fortitude and perseverance, gifted to him by the Holy Spirit, is something for contemporary believers to emulate as we face the rejection of the outside world.