NT Lessons 87-88 Acts 8-9

https://www.lds.org/manual/new-testament-seminary-teacher-manual?lang=eng

Lesson 87: Acts 8

Introduction

Persecution against the Church in Jerusalem resulted in Church members being scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Philip ministered in Samaria, where many people accepted the gospel of Jesus Christ. After Peter and John bestowed the gift of the Holy Ghost on the new converts, a sorcerer named Simon attempted to purchase the priesthood. God later led Philip to an Ethiopian official whom Philip taught about Jesus Christ and baptized.

I. Acts 8:1–25  Philip ministers in Samaria, where Simon the sorcerer attempts to purchase the priesthood

---Display some money. Ask students to imagine they have received a large amount of money.

• What is something you would purchase with the money?

---Point out that some people believe that money can buy anything. However, some of the most valuable things in life cannot be purchased. Invite students to look as they study Acts 8 for a gift from God that cannot be purchased.

---Remind students that in Acts 7 we learn about the death of the disciple Stephen at the hands of persecutors.

---Take turns reading aloud from Acts 8:1–5. Ask the class to follow along, looking for what Church members did as a result of persecution against the Church in Jerusalem. You may want to explain that haling (Acts 8:3) means dragging or pulling.

• What did persecution lead Church members to do?

---Direct students’ attention to the name Philip in verse 5. Remind students that Philip was one of the seven disciples ordained to assist the Twelve Apostles in ministering to the needs of Church members (see Acts 6:5). Ask students to refer to the “Overview of the Acts of the Apostles” handout (see the appendix of this manual) and find the Savior’s commission recorded in Acts 1:8.

• According to Acts 8:5, how did Philip begin to fulfill the Savior’s commission?

---Read Acts 8:6–8 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for how the Samaritans responded to Philip’s preaching.

• How did these Samaritans respond to Philip’s preaching?
• In addition to preaching the gospel, what other works did Philip perform?

---Read Acts 8:9–11 aloud. Ask the class to follow along and look for the description of a Samaritan named Simon.

• What do we learn about Simon from these verses? (Explain that the “use of power gained from the assistance or control of evil spirits is called sorcery” [Bruce R. McConkie, Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3 vols. (1965–73), 2:82].)
• What influence did Simon have on the people?

---Read Acts 8:12–13 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for how Simon responded to Philip’s preaching. Ask students to report what they find.

• According to verse 13, how was Simon affected by the “miracles and signs” he saw?

---In Acts 8:14–16 Peter and John came to Samaria after hearing that the people there had accepted the word of God. They prayed that the converted Samaritans would receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Ask students to read Acts 8:17 silently, looking for what Peter and John did for the new Church members in Samaria.

• What can we learn from this account about how the gift of the Holy Ghost is given? (After students respond, write the following doctrine on the board: The gift of the Holy Ghost is bestowed after baptism through the laying on of hands by authorized priesthood holders.)

---Read Acts 8:18–19 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for the offer Simon made to Peter.

• What offer did Simon make to Peter?

---Show students the money you displayed at the beginning of the lesson. Invite them to consider how they would have responded to Simon if they had been in Peter’s position.

---Take turns reading aloud from Acts 8:20–24. Ask the class to follow along, looking for what Peter taught Simon about receiving the priesthood.

• What did Peter teach Simon about the priesthood, as recorded in verse 20?
• When he offered the Apostles money in exchange for receiving the priesthood, what did Simon not understand about the priesthood? (Because the priesthood belongs to God, it can be bestowed only according to His will. God establishes the manner in which the priesthood may be obtained.)
• According to verses 21–23, why could Simon not yet receive the priesthood? In what ways do you think Simon’s heart was “not right in the sight of God”? (verse 21).
• What can we learn from this account about receiving the priesthood? (Students may use different words, but make sure they identify the following truth: The priesthood is bestowed according to God’s will and standard of worthiness. Write this truth on the board.)
• Why do you think it is important to know that the priesthood is bestowed upon individuals only according to God’s will and standard of worthiness?

--- In Acts 8:25  Peter and John preached the gospel in many Samaritan villages.

II. Acts 8:26–40  Philip teaches and baptizes an Ethiopian official

---Ask students to think of situations in which they have needed or would need someone to guide them.

• What are some situations in which you could be a guide for someone else? (You might invite students to think of destinations or subjects they are knowledgeable about or talents they have developed.)

---Invite students to look as they study the remainder of Acts 8 for an important way in which they can be a guide for others.

---Read Acts 8:26–28 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for why Philip went to Gaza.

• Why did Philip go to Gaza?
• Who was also traveling in the area Philip was in? (An Ethiopian eunuch. Explain that a eunuch was an official in the court of a king or queen [see Bible Dictionary, “Eunuch”].)
• What was the Ethiopian official doing in his chariot? (Reading from Esaias, or the words of Isaiah.)

---Place two chairs facing each other at the front of the room. Ask for two volunteers to act out the roles of the Ethiopian official and Philip in the account that follows. (You may want to assign these roles before class and invite these students to prepare to act out their parts.) Ask the student playing the Ethiopian official to sit in one of the chairs and the student playing Philip to stand by the door. Invite a third student to perform the role of the narrator.

---Ask these students to read aloud from Acts 8:29–39 and act out their respective parts. Ask the class to watch what took place between Philip and the Ethiopian official. As students read and act out their parts, do the following:

1. After the narrator reads verses 32–33, invite students to consider writing Isaiah 53:7–8 as a cross-reference in their scriptures next to Acts 8:32–33.
2. After the narrator reads verse 35, ask the student performing the role of Philip to explain to the class what he or she would teach about the Savior in this situation. (You may want to invite the class to make suggestions as well.)
3. When the narrator reads verse 38, kindly ask the volunteers not to act out the performance of the baptism.

---After the volunteers have finished this activity, thank them and invite them to return to their seats.

• According to verse 29, why did Philip go to the Ethiopian official’s chariot?
• According to verse 31, what did the official say he needed in order to understand the writings of Isaiah?
• According to verses 35–38, how was Philip a guide for the official?
• What principle can we learn from Philip’s experience about the results of heeding promptings from God? (Students may use different words, but make sure it is clear that as we heed promptings from God, we can receive opportunities to help guide others to Jesus Christ. Write this principle on the board.)

---Provide students with copies of the following handout. Invite students to follow the instructions on the handout and think of ways they could help guide someone to Jesus Christ. Explain that they will have an opportunity to share with the class what they write.

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Guiding Others to Jesus Christ

Select one of the following situations:

• A young man you are friends with belongs to another Christian church. One day during lunch, you feel prompted to talk with him about the Church.
• While walking home from school, you see a young woman who is crying. You recognize her as a member of your ward who has not attended any church meetings for several years. You feel prompted to talk to her. As you try to comfort her, she describes her challenges and asks, “Why can’t I just be happy?”
• The mother of a young man you are connected with on a social media site recently passed away. You feel prompted to respond to the following post he recently made: “Feeling alone right now. Wishing that someone understood.”

On the back of this piece of paper or in your class notebook or scripture study journal, write what you would say and do to help guide this person to Jesus Christ. In your description, include answers to the following questions:

• What truths of the gospel would you share to help guide this person to Jesus Christ?
• What is one scripture you might invite this person to study?
• What would you invite this person to do?

© 2015 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.

---After sufficient time, divide students into pairs. Invite students to explain to their partners what they wrote and why they would take that approach. Then invite several students to explain to the entire class what they wrote. You might consider inviting students who selected one of the first two scenarios to role-play what they would say and do in these situations, with you playing the individual they are trying to help. (If you do so, give students a minute to prepare before inviting them to role-play the scenario with you.) Then ask the class the following questions:

• When and how have you helped guide someone to Jesus Christ?
• When and how has someone helped guide you to Jesus Christ?

---Encourage students to heed promptings from God so they can be directed to individuals whom they can help guide to Jesus Christ. Invite students to ponder what they can do in the next few days to help guide someone they know to Jesus Christ. Encourage students to report back to the class what they experience.

Commentary and Background Information

Acts 8:18–23. Accessing and using the priesthood

President James E. Faust of the First Presidency explained that the way in which priesthood power is accessed differs from the way in which worldly power is accessed:

“This greatest of all powers, the priesthood power, is not accessed the way power is used in the world. It cannot be bought or sold. … Many of you watch and admire linebackers, power forwards, and centers, as well as those who wield wealth, fame, and political and military power. Worldly power often is employed ruthlessly. However, priesthood power is invoked only through those principles of righteousness by which the priesthood is governed” (“Power of the Priesthood,” Ensign, May 1997, 43).

President Gordon B. Hinckley stated:

“Personal worthiness becomes the standard of eligibility to receive and exercise this sacred power” (“Personal Worthiness to Exercise the Priesthood,” Ensign, May 2002, 52).

Acts 8:27–38. Guiding others to Jesus Christ

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught about the importance of helping guide others to the Savior:

“For each of us to ‘come unto Christ’ [D&C 20:59], to keep His commandments and follow His example back to the Father is surely the highest and holiest purpose of human existence. To help others do that as well—to teach, persuade, and prayerfully lead them to walk that path of redemption also—surely that must be the second most significant task in our lives. Perhaps that is why President David O. McKay once said, ‘No greater responsibility can rest upon any man [or woman] than to be a teacher of God’s children’ [in Conference Report, Oct. 1916, 57]” (“A Teacher Come from God,” Ensign, May 1998, 25).

Supplemental Teaching Idea

Acts 8:26–39. God will help us understand the scriptures

After students identify a principle in Acts 8:29–39 about heeding promptings from God, you could ask them to identify another principle from these verses. Although students may identify a variety of truths, help them understand the following principle: As we seek for guidance in understanding the scriptures, God will help us.

Invite a student to read the following statement by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Ask the class to follow along, listening for how we are sometimes like the Ethiopian eunuch:

“We are, in fact, all somewhat like the man of Ethiopia to whom Philip was sent. Like him, we may know enough to reach out for religion. We may invest ourselves in the scriptures. We may even give up our earthly treasures, but without sufficient instruction we may miss the meaning of all this and the requirements that still lie before us. So we cry with this man of great authority, ‘How can [we understand,] except some [teacher] should guide [us]?’ [Acts 8:31]” (“A Teacher Come from God,” Ensign, May 1998, 25).

• What are some situations in which we might need guidance in understanding the scriptures?
• What are appropriate sources from which we can seek guidance in understanding the scriptures? (You might consider reminding students about study aids the Church has prepared, as well as the Church’s Gospel Topics website [see lds.org/topics].)
• How can studying the scriptures lead to revelation?
• How has God helped you as you have sought guidance in understanding the scriptures?

© 2016 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.

Right margin extras:

Fundamentals of Gospel Teaching and Learning

Each scripture-based lesson in seminary focuses on a scripture block rather than on a particular concept, theme, doctrine, or principle. These lessons incorporate the Fundamentals of Gospel Teaching and Learning, helping students to understand the context and content of a scripture block; to identify, understand, and feel the truth and importance of gospel doctrines and principles; and to apply doctrines and principles.

Lesson 88: Acts 9

Introduction

Jesus appeared to Saul as he traveled to Damascus, after which Saul was blind. After Ananias healed him, Saul was baptized and began preaching in Damascus. Three years later, Saul went to Jerusalem, but when his life was threatened, the Apostles sent him to Tarsus. Peter performed miracles in Lydda and Joppa.

I. Acts 9:1–9  Jesus appears to Saul on the road to Damascus

---Write on the board the following statement by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. (This statement is found in “The Best Is Yet to Be,” Ensign or Liahona, Jan. 2010, 25–26.)

“There is something in many of us that particularly fails to forgive and forget earlier mistakes in life—either our mistakes or the mistakes of others. …

“Let people repent. Let people grow. Believe that people can change and improve” (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland).

---Invite a student to read aloud the statement on the board. Then ask the class:

• What are some situations in which it would be important to allow others to change and improve and to believe they can do so?
• What are some situations in which it would be important to believe that we can change and improve?

---Look for truths as we study Acts 9 that we can learn from the experience of someone who changed and improved.

---Most of the text of Acts 9 focuses on the experiences of a man named Saul. Invite a student to read aloud the following description of Saul:

--Saul was born in the Greek city Tarsus (see Acts 21:39) and had Roman citizenship (see Acts 16:37). He was a Jew from the lineage of Benjamin (see Romans 11:1) and was educated in Jerusalem by Gamaliel (see Acts 22:3), a well-known Pharisee and respected teacher of Jewish law (see Acts 5:34). Saul became a Pharisee (see Acts 23:6), and he spoke a “Hebrew tongue” (probably Aramaic) and Greek (see Acts 21:37, 40). He was later known by his Latin name, Paul (see Acts 13:9). (See Bible Dictionary, “Paul.”)

---Remember that Saul was present at the stoning of Stephen (see Acts 7:58–59).

---Invite a student to read Acts 8:1–3 aloud and another student to read Acts 9:1–2 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for how Saul treated Jesus Christ’s followers.

• How did Saul treat Jesus Christ’s followers?
• According to Acts 9:1–2, why was Saul going to Damascus?

---Read Acts 9:3–6 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for what happened as Saul traveled to Damascus.

• Who appeared to Saul?

---Point out the phrase “kick against the pricks” in verse 5. Explain that a prick refers to a goad, or a sharp stick used to make animals move (if possible, show students a pointed stick). In this case, to “kick against the pricks” means to fight against God.

---Invite students to consider marking Saul’s question recorded in verse 6.

• What does Saul’s question teach us about him? (He desired to submit to the Lord’s will.)

---In  Acts 9:7–9  those traveling with Saul saw the light but did not hear Jesus’s voice as He spoke to Saul (see Joseph Smith Translation, Acts 9:7 [in Acts 9:7, footnote a]; Acts 22:9). Following the vision, Saul was physically blind. He was led to Damascus, and he did not eat or drink for three days.

• Imagine being Saul. If you had aggressively persecuted Jesus Christ’s disciples, what might you be thinking and feeling during this time?

II. Acts 9:10–22  Saul is healed by Ananias of Damascus, is baptized, and preaches about Jesus Christ

---Read Acts 9:10–12 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for what the Lord directed Ananias, a Church member in Damascus, to do.

• What did the Lord direct Ananias to do?

---Point out that Saul’s original intent in going to Damascus was to arrest people like Ananias.

• If you were Ananias and knew Saul’s reputation, what might you have thought after receiving this direction from the Lord?

---Read Acts 9:13–16 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for what the Lord taught Ananias about Saul.

• How did the Lord’s view of Saul differ from Ananias’s view of Saul?
• According to verse 15, what had the Lord chosen Saul to be and to do? (You may want to point out that the phrase “chosen vessel” may refer to the fact that Saul was foreordained to his ministry.)
• According to verse 16, although Saul would be a chosen vessel unto the Lord, what would he experience?
• What truths can we learn from these verses about how the Lord sees us? (Students may identify a variety of truths, but be sure to emphasize that the Lord sees us as we can become and the Lord sees our potential for assisting Him in His work. Write these truths on the board.)

---Invite students to ponder how their individual backgrounds, character traits, and abilities can be used to assist the Lord in His work. Ask them to record their thoughts in their class notebooks or scripture study journals.

---Read Acts 9:17–20 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for what Ananias did after the Lord helped him understand Saul’s potential and his future mission.

• What did Ananias do for Saul?
• According to verse 20, what did Saul do “straightway,” or immediately, after being baptized and receiving strength?

---Point out that Saul’s repentance, baptism, and preaching demonstrated his faith in Jesus Christ and his submissiveness to the Lord’s will.

---Read Acts 9:21–22 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for how the people reacted to Saul’s preaching.

• How did the people react to Saul’s preaching?
• Why were the people amazed as they listened to Saul?

---Remind students that the question Saul asked Jesus recorded in Acts 9:6 demonstrated his humility and his desire to submit to the Lord’s will.

• Like Saul, what must we do to change and to fulfill the potential the Lord sees in us? (Using students’ words, write the following principle on the board: If we submit to the Lord’s will, then we can change and can fulfill the potential He sees in us.)

---Invite two volunteers to come to the front of the room. Give one student soft molding clay, and give the other student hardened molding clay. (If you do not have access to molding clay, invite students to imagine doing this activity, then ask them the questions that follow the activity.) Give the volunteers 30 seconds or so to create something of their choosing using their clay. If the student with the hardened clay says it is too difficult, encourage him or her to keep trying.

---After sufficient time, invite the volunteers to display what they created. Ask the student who was given the hardened clay:

• Why was it difficult to sculpt something with your clay?

---Thank the volunteers and invite them to return to their seats. Ask the class:

• How can the hardened clay be likened to someone who is not submissive to the Lord’s will?
• How can the moldable clay be likened to someone who is submissive to the Lord’s will?
• How has submitting to the Lord helped you or others to change and to fulfill the potential the Lord sees in you or in them?

---Read aloud the following statement by President Ezra Taft Benson:

“A [person] can ask no more important question in his [or her] life than that which Paul asked: ‘… Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?’” (“Listen to a Prophet’s Voice,” Ensign, Jan. 1973, 57).

---Invite students to ponder the question “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” Invite them to record any promptings they receive. After sufficient time, read aloud the following statement by President Benson:

“A [person] can take no greater action than to pursue a course that will bring to him [or her] the answer to that question and then to carry out that answer” (“Listen to a Prophet’s Voice,” 57).

---Encourage students to continue to seek an answer to this question and to act on any promptings they receive.

III. Acts 9:23–31  Saul’s life is threatened in Jerusalem, and the Apostles send him to Tarsus

---Point out that after Saul’s conversion, he dwelt in Arabia and later returned to Damascus (see Galatians 1:17). Summarize Acts 9:23–26 by explaining that Jews in Damascus conspired to kill Saul, but Church members helped him escape the city. Three years after his conversion (see Galatians 1:18), Saul went to Jerusalem, where Church members were afraid to receive him because they did not believe he had become a disciple of Jesus Christ.

• Why do you think some Church members were reluctant to accept that Saul had become a disciple of Jesus Christ?

---In Acts 9:27–31  Barnabas, a Church member (see Acts 4:36–37), brought Saul to the Apostles and told them of Saul’s vision and of his bold preaching in Damascus. Church members then welcomed Saul into their fellowship. When Greek Jews in Jerusalem sought to kill Saul, Church leaders sent him to Tarsus. The Church experienced peace and growth in Judea, Galilee, and Samaria.

IV. Acts 9:32–43  Peter performs miracles in Lydda and Joppa

---Divide students into pairs. Ask one student in each pair to read Acts 9:32–35 and the other student to read Acts 9:36–42. Invite them to look for the miracles Peter performed and how people responded. Explain that almsdeeds (verse 36) is the practice of giving offerings to the poor.

---After sufficient time, invite students to discuss in their pairs the miracles Peter performed and how the people responded. Then ask the class:

• According to verses 35 and 42, how did the people in Lydda and the people in Joppa respond to Peter’s ministering?
• What can we learn from their responses about the possible effects of ministering to others? (Using students’ words, write the following principle on the board: By ministering to others, we can help people turn to the Lord and believe in Him.)

---Giving priesthood blessings is one way to minister to others.

---To help students recognize additional ways we can minister to others, ask:

• According to verses 36 and 39, how did Tabitha minister to others?
• How could someone who is “full of good works” (verse 36) and who serves others help people turn to the Lord and believe in Him?
• When have someone else’s good works helped you or others turn to the Lord and believe in Him?

---Conclude by sharing your testimony of the truths taught in this lesson.

Commentary and Background Information

Acts 9:1–2. Saul’s authority to bring Church members bound to Jerusalem

Saul received authority from the high priest in Jerusalem to go beyond Judea and bring Jews to trial before the Sanhedrin, which the high priest could grant because “the Romans allowed the Sanhedrin to exercise civil and criminal jurisdiction (except in capital cases) over the whole Jewish community, even outside Palestine” (J. R. Dummelow, ed., A Commentary on the Holy Bible [1909], 831). Because the law of Moses served as the civil as well as religious law for the Jews, Jewish Christians could be arrested as criminals. The “letters” Saul carried were documents containing instructions related to Saul’s purpose and verification of his authority to perform his objective.

Acts 9:1–22. Saul’s conversion

President Harold B. Lee explained that “Saul of Tarsus was one who had been valiant and conscientiously engaged in trying to stamp out Christianity which he believed to be a sect defiling the word of God” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1946, 144). However, the experience with the resurrected Savior brought about a mighty change in Saul. Elder Bruce R. McConkie of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles described what Saul may have experienced during his three days of blindness:

“During [Saul’s] three sightless days commenced the character transformation which in due course would change the history of Christianity. What anguish of soul he must have felt, what fires of conscience, what godly sorrow for sin, as he humbled himself preparatory to submitting to the direction of Ananias” (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3 vols. [1965–73], 2:90).

President Howard W. Hunter said the following about Saul’s conversion:

“To make [Saul’s] conversion complete he was baptized. Paul’s life was changed. It is remarkable that the man who held the garments of Stephen’s executioners thereafter became the chief exponent of the principles for which Stephen died. …

“… Paul’s life had been bisected by Damascus Road. Before, he was an aggressive persecutor of Christianity, but after Damascus Road he was one of its most fervent propagators” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1964, 108–9).

Acts 9:2. Saul’s efforts to arrest followers of Jesus Christ

President David O. McKay taught about Saul’s intentions in seeking to arrest followers of Jesus Christ:

“So determined was he to put an end to what he thought was a heresy that he secured the right as an officer of the Sanhedrin to arrest the followers of Jesus wherever he found them. He went from house to house, dragging men from their wives and children. He even arrested the women and thrust them into prison! Surely the cries and piteous pleadings of the little children must have rent even his bitter heart almost more than the martyrdom of the faithful Stephen. Surely, as he forced men and women away from their homes, the blanched faces of crouching children, and their heartbroken sobs must have imprinted upon his bigoted soul impressions that would humble him if not haunt him all the days of his life! Only one thing could give him comfort in later life as he looked back upon those awful experiences. It was this, as expressed in his own words: ‘I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth’ [Acts 26:9]. Saul was sincere in what he was doing. He did not believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, and thought it would be pleasing to his Father in heaven to make every believer in Christ deny His name” (Ancient Apostles, 2nd ed. [1921], 147–48).

Acts 9:15–16. The Lord sees us as we can become

President Thomas S. Monson has taught Church members to see individuals the way the Lord sees them (see “See Others as They May Become,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2012, 70).

Supplemental Teaching Idea

Acts 9:1. Who was Saul?

At the beginning of the lesson, in place of having a student read the description about Saul, you could write the following questions on the board (or provide them on a handout) and instruct students to work in pairs to find answers to the questions. After sufficient time, ask students to report their answers. Use the description of Saul provided in the lesson to help students correct their answers.

• Where was Saul born? (See Acts 21:39.)
• What additional citizenship did he have? (See Acts 16:37.)
• What tribe of Israel did he belong to? (See Romans 11:1.)
• Who was he educated by? (See Acts 22:3.)
• What Jewish group was he a part of? (See Acts 23:6.)
• What languages could he speak? (See Acts 21:37, 40.)
• What was his Latin name? (See Acts 13:9.)

Invite a student to read aloud the following statement by the Prophet Joseph Smith. Ask the class to listen for how the Prophet described Paul’s (Saul’s) physical appearance:

“[Paul] is about five feet high; very dark hair; dark complexion; dark skin; large Roman nose; sharp face; small black eyes, penetrating as eternity; round shoulders; a whining voice, except when elevated, and then it almost resembles the roaring of a lion. He was a good orator” (in “Extracts from William Clayton’s Private Book,” p. 4, Journals of L. John Nuttall, 1857–1904, L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Brigham Young University; copy in Church History Library, Salt Lake City).

© 2016 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.

Right margin extras:

Help students understand context and content

One of the Fundamentals of Gospel Teaching and Learning is to understand the context and content of the scriptures. Context includes the circumstances that surround or the background to a particular scriptural passage, event, or account. Content includes the people, events, sermons, and inspired explanations that make up the text. As you help students understand the context and content of the scriptures, they will be prepared to recognize the messages of the inspired authors.