NT Lesson 95-96 Acts 18-22

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

Lesson 95: Acts 18–19

Introduction

Paul was rejected by many of the Jews in Corinth but had success there among the Gentiles. A righteous married couple, Aquila and Priscilla, helped Apollos understand the way of God. Paul preached of the Holy Ghost, performed miracles, and avoided an unruly crowd in the theater at Ephesus.

I. Acts 18:1–17  Paul preaches in Corinth

---Read the following questions aloud, and invite students to write their answers in their class notebooks or scripture study journals:

• What are some ways you have participated in the Lord’s work?
• What challenges have you experienced as you have tried to do the Lord’s work?

---Ask a few students to share their responses. Invite students to look for a principle as they study Acts 18 that can help them as they try to do the work of the Lord.

In Acts 18:1–4 Paul left Athens and traveled to Corinth, where he taught in the synagogue about Jesus Christ. (You may want to invite students to open to Bible Maps, no. 13, “The Missionary Journeys of the Apostle Paul,” and find Athens and Corinth.)

---Ask a student to read Acts 18:5–6 aloud. Invite the class to follow along, looking for challenges Paul experienced as he taught Jews in Corinth about Jesus Christ.

• What challenges did Paul experience?
• What did Paul plan to do because the Jews in the synagogue rejected his message?

---Invite a student to read Acts 18:7–10 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for what happened that may have given encouragement to Paul.

• What happened that may have given encouragement to Paul?
• According to verse 10, what did the Lord promise Paul if he preached the gospel?
• What principle can we learn from these verses about what the Lord will do for those who worthily do His work? (Students may use different words, but make sure they identify the following principle: If we live worthily, the Lord will be with us as we do His work.)
• Why is it important to know that the Lord will be with you as you do His work?

---Ask a student to read aloud the following statement by President Thomas S. Monson:

“Now, some of you may be shy by nature or consider yourselves inadequate to respond affirmatively to a calling. Remember that this … is the Lord’s work, and when we are on the Lord’s errand, we are entitled to the Lord’s help. Remember that the Lord will shape the back to bear the burden placed upon it” (“To Learn, to Do, to Be,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2008, 62).

• When has the Lord been with you as you did His work? How did you know He was with you?

---Acts 18:11–17 says that Paul continued to preach in Corinth for a year and a half (and likely wrote his epistles to the Thessalonians during this time). While he was in Corinth, certain Jews attempted to put Paul on trial for what he was teaching, but the legal deputy refused the case.

II. Acts 18:18–28  Aquila and Priscilla help Apollos understand the way of God

---Acts 18:18–23 tells of a husband and wife, Aquila and Priscilla,who  accompanied Paul to Ephesus. Leaving the couple in Ephesus, Paul traveled to the Jerusalem area and then north to Antioch. At Antioch, he concluded his second missionary journey, which lasted three years and covered about 3,000 miles (about 4,828 kilometers). After some time, he departed Antioch and began his third missionary journey, traveling to the branches he had previously established and strengthening the members.

---Invite a student to read Acts 18:24–25 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for what happened in Ephesus after Paul left.

• What happened in Ephesus after Paul left?
• What did Apollos already understand about “the things of the Lord”? (verse 25).
• What knowledge did Apollos lack? (By “knowing only the baptism of John” [verse 25], Apollos lacked an understanding of the fulness of the Savior’s gospel.)

---Invite a student to read Acts 18:26 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for what Aquila and Priscilla did when they heard Apollos’s teaching.

• What did Aquila and Priscilla do when they heard Apollos’s teaching?
• What does it mean that they “expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly”? (verse 26). (Aquila and Priscilla taught Apollos more about Jesus Christ and His gospel, which added to Apollos’s knowledge and understanding.)

---Invite a student to read Acts 18:27–28 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for evidence that Aquila and Priscilla helped Apollos understand the way of God more perfectly.

• What phrases in these verses indicate that Aquila and Priscilla helped Apollos understand the way of God more perfectly?

III. Acts 19:1–20  Paul bestows the gift of the Holy Ghost and performs miracles

---After Paul traveled to various places, he returned to Ephesus. Invite a student to read Acts 19:2–6 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for how Paul helped people in Ephesus to understand the way of God more perfectly.

• What doctrine did Paul help the disciples in Ephesus to understand more perfectly?

---Invite a student to read aloud the following statement published under the direction of the Prophet Joseph Smith, and ask the class to listen for why these people needed to be rebaptized:

“It seems … that some sectarian Jew had been baptizing like John [the Baptist], but had forgotten to inform them that there was one to follow by the name of Jesus Christ, to baptize with fire and the Holy Ghost:—which showed these converts that their first baptism was illegal, and when they heard this they were gladly baptized, and after hands were laid on them, they received the gifts, according to promise” (“Baptism,” editorial published in Times and Seasons, Sept. 1, 1842, 904; spelling modernized; Joseph Smith was the editor of the periodical).

• Why did some of the people at Ephesus need to be rebaptized?
• What truths about baptism can we learn from Acts 19:2–6? (Although students may use different words, help them identify the following truths: Baptism must be performed by an authorized servant of God. In order for baptism to be complete, it must be accompanied by the reception of the Holy Ghost.)

---Invite a student to read aloud the following statement by the Prophet Joseph Smith:

“You might as well baptize a bag of sand as a man, if not done in view of the remission of sins and getting of the Holy Ghost. Baptism by water is but half a baptism, and is good for nothing without the other half—that is, the baptism of the Holy Ghost” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith [2007], 95).

---In Acts 19:7–10 Paul continued to preach in Ephesus for over two years.

---Invite a student to read Acts 19:11–12 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for what miracles occurred in Ephesus while Paul was there.

• What miracles did God perform through Paul?
• What truth can we learn from this account about what God does through His authorized servants? (Using their own words, students should identify a truth such as the following: One way God manifests His power is through His authorized servants.)

---Invite a student to read Acts 19:13–16 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for what happened when some Jews tried to cast out devils as Paul had done.

• What happened when the seven sons of the chief priest tried to cast out an evil spirit?
• Who did the evil spirit recognize? Who did the evil spirit not recognize?
• Why did the evil spirit not recognize the sons of Sceva? (Because they were not authorized to minister in the name of Jesus Christ.)

---Invite a student to read Acts 19:17–20 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for what many individuals did after learning about this event. Explain that “curious arts” (verse 19) refer to sorcery and other evil practices.

• What did many people do after this event to show that they had faith in Jesus Christ? (They confessed and forsook their evil practices by burning their books associated with those practices.)
• What principle can we learn from these verses about how to manifest our faith in Jesus Christ? (Students may use different words, but make sure they identify the following principle: By confessing and forsaking evil practices, we manifest our faith in Jesus Christ.)
• What sacrifices might we need to make in order to forsake a sin we have confessed?

---Testify of the importance of manifesting our faith in Jesus Christ by not only confessing our sins but also forsaking anything that may lead us to return to those sins.

---Invite students to ponder whether there is anything in their lives that the Lord would want them to forsake. Encourage them to act on any promptings they may have felt during this lesson.

IV. Acts 19:21–41  Worshippers of the false goddess Diana speak against Paul and cause an uproar in the city

---Acts 19:21–41 says that part of the economy in Ephesus was driven by the worship of Diana, who was a false Roman goddess. Paul’s preaching against the worship of false gods caused craftsmen who made shrines and idols of Diana to turn the people against Paul. The people gathered in the city theater (which could hold up to 24,000 people) in confusion and uproar. Paul desired to speak to the crowd, but he was persuaded by some disciples and government leaders not to enter the theater. The town clerk eventually calmed the crowd, and they dispersed. Point out that Paul’s protection is an example of how God’s work will not be thwarted even in the face of wicked protests. (It was during this time in Ephesus [about A.D. 57] that Paul wrote 1 Corinthians.)

---Conclude by testifying of the truths taught in this lesson.

Commentary and Background Information

Acts 18:11–12. Can someone be healed with a handkerchief alone?

Elder Bruce R. McConkie of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:

“Healings come by the power of faith; there is no healing virtue or power in any item of clothing or other object, whether owned by Paul or Jesus or anyone. But rites and objects may be used to help increase faith” (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3 vols. [1965–73], 2:169).

Acts 18:18. “Having shorn his head … : for he had a vow”

Elder Bruce R. McConkie of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained the following about this verse:

“‘As an incentive to greater personal righteousness, it is a wholesome and proper thing for the saints to make frequent vows to the Lord. These are solemn promises to perform some duty, refrain from some sin, keep some commandment, or press forward in greater service in the kingdom. Thus Jacob vowed to accept Jehovah as his God and to pay an honest tithing (Gen. 28:20–22), and Hannah vowed to give Samuel to the Lord for his service. (1 Sam. 1:9–18.)

“‘The saints should offer their vows both on the Lord’s day and on all days (D&C 59:8–12); and once offered, they are to be kept. (D&C 108:3; Num. 30:2; Eccles. 5:4–5.) …’ (Mormon Doctrine, 2nd ed., p. 825.)

“What Paul’s vow was is not clear. From the fact that he shaved his head it is assumed he may have been following the Jewish custom where Nazarites are concerned. (Num. 6.) If so he was performing an unnecessary and improper rite, for the apparent purpose of humoring either the Jewish segment of the Church or prospective Jewish converts or both. Compare Acts 21:17–26” (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3 vols. [1965–73], 2:165).

Acts 19:13. “Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists”

Elder Bruce R. McConkie of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said the following about false priests:

“In imitation of the true order whereby devils are cast out of people, false ministers (having no actual priesthood power) attempt to cast them out by exorcism. This ungodly practice was probably more common anciently than it is now, because few people today believe either in miracles or in the casting out of literal devils. But over the years it has not been uncommon for so-called priests to attempt to expel evil spirits from persons or drive them away from particular locations by incantations, conjuration, or adjuration” (Mormon Doctrine, 2nd ed. [1966], 259).

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

Right margin extras:

Help students apply doctrines and principles

Give students opportunities to ponder their own situations and to consider specific ways they can apply a principle or doctrine. As students are given time to reflect and consider how to personalize a principle, the Spirit can direct them.

Lesson 96: Acts 20–22

Introduction

Paul preached the gospel in Asia Minor (present-day Turkey), and while he was in Miletus, a city near Ephesus, he warned of a future apostasy and encouraged priesthood leaders to edify Church members. He then traveled to Jerusalem, where he was persecuted and arrested. While standing on the steps of the Antonia fortress (a garrison where Roman troops stayed), Paul shared his conversion story.

I. Acts 20:1–21:40  Paul ministers in Asia Minor and travels to Jerusalem, where he is beaten and arrested

--Ask students to think of a time when they had to leave their family, friends, or other people they care about for several days, weeks, or months.

• What kinds of feelings did you or those you were with have before you left?
• What did you say to each other before parting?

---During Paul’s third missionary journey, he spent time in Macedonia, Greece, and Asia Minor. During this journey, he felt impressed to return to Jerusalem. As he traveled, he stopped to preach and say good-bye to Church members along the way. The night before his departure from Troas, on the new Sabbath (Sunday), Paul and the disciples came together to partake of the sacrament (see Acts 20:7). Paul then spoke with the Saints long into the night.

---Invite a student to read Acts 20:9–12 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for what happened to a young man named Eutychus after he fell asleep during Paul’s sermon.

• What happened to Eutychus?
• What did Paul do to show love and concern for this young man?
• How did Paul’s actions mirror the Savior’s ministry?

---As part of Paul’s third missionary journey, Paul had spent about three years in Ephesus laboring among the people there. Summarize Acts 20:13–17 by explaining that on his way to Jerusalem, Paul paused in Miletus, just outside of Ephesus, and sent word for the Church leaders of Ephesus to meet with him.

---Invite a student to read Acts 20:18–23 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for what Paul explained about his service.

• How did Paul describe his missionary service?
• What might Paul’s statement that he “kept back nothing” (verse 20) from those he taught mean?
• According to verse 23, what was Paul willing to face as the Lord’s servant?

---Paul was particularly susceptible to danger in Jerusalem, where the Jewish leaders viewed him as a traitor because of his efforts to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ.

• According to verse 22, why was Paul willing to go to Jerusalem?

---Invite a few students to take turns reading aloud from Acts 20:24–27. Ask the class to follow along, looking for what Paul was prepared to do as a servant of the Lord.

• According to verse 24, what was Paul prepared to do as a servant of the Lord?
• What emotion did Paul say he felt in doing what the Lord directed?
• What can we learn from Paul’s example of service? (Students may use different words, but make sure they identify the following truth: True servants of the Lord faithfully perform their duty, and in doing so they feel joy.)
• What does it mean to you to faithfully perform your duty?
• How can we apply this truth in our own lives?

---Invite students to share a time when they or someone they know chose to serve the Lord with all their energy and strength and experienced great joy.

---Remind students that Paul visited Church leaders in Ephesus for the last time before departing for Jerusalem.

• If you were in Paul’s position and knew that you would not see the Church leaders of Ephesus again, what advice would you give them before you left?

---Ask students to read Acts 20:28–31 silently, looking for Paul’s warnings to these Church leaders.

• What did Paul warn these leaders about?

---Paul used wolves as a metaphor for unfaithful people who would deceive faithful Church members.

• What word do we use to describe the condition of those who turn away from the truth and seek to lead others away from the truth? (Apostasy. Explain that Paul was warning Church leaders of future apostasy within the Church.)

---Invite a student to read Acts 20:36–38 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for how the Church leaders responded as Paul departed. Invite students to report what they find.

---In Acts 21:1–10 Paul continued his journey toward Jerusalem and stopped in different regions to spend time with Church members along the way. When Paul stopped in a city called Tyre, some disciples—evidently concerned for Paul’s safety—advised Paul not to go to Jerusalem (see Acts 21:4).

---In Caesarea, a prophet named Agabus prophesied concerning what would happen to Paul in Jerusalem. Invite a student to read Acts 21:11 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for what Agabus prophesied. (You may want to explain that the word girdle refers to a belt.) Invite students to report what they find.

---Invite a student to read Acts 21:12–14 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for how Paul and his companions responded to the prophecy.

• How did Paul’s companions react to the prophecy?
• How did Paul react to the prophecy? What stands out to you about Paul’s response?
• What principle can we learn from Paul’s example about being true servants of the Lord? (Students may use different words, but be sure they identify the following truth: True servants of the Lord are willing to do God’s will regardless of the personal cost.)

---Invite students to ponder the kinds of sacrifices we might be asked to make as servants of the Lord.

• When have you been willing to do God’s will regardless of the cost to you? Why were you willing to do that?

---Invite a student to read aloud the following summary of Acts 21:17–40.

---Paul arrived in Jerusalem and gave a report of his missionary labors to local Church leaders. Paul went to the temple, and when a group of Jews who knew Paul from his missionary journeys saw him, they proclaimed that Paul was a false teacher who taught against the law of Moses and unlawfully brought Gentiles into the temple. Because of this accusation, a mob removed Paul from the temple and began beating him. Roman soldiers intervened and carried him away to be tried. While on the stairs of the Antonia Fortress (see Bible Maps, no. 12, “Jerusalem at the Time of Jesus”), Paul asked the soldiers if he could speak to the people.

II. Acts 22:1–30  Paul tells of his conversion and testifies of Jesus Christ

---Write the word convert on the board, and explain that to convert means to change. Ask students how water can be converted or changed so that it can be used for different purposes. (For example, water can be converted to ice.) Ask students to ponder the kind of change that conversion to the gospel entails.

---Invite a student to read Acts 22:1–5 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for how Paul described himself as he spoke to the Jews from the stairs of the Antonia Fortress in Jerusalem.

• What was Paul like before he was converted and became a disciple of Jesus Christ?

---Copy the following questions and scripture references on the board or provide them to students on a handout. Divide students into five groups and assign each group one of the questions. Ask students to silently read the scriptures that correspond with their assigned questions and then answer the questions in their class notebooks or scripture study journals.

1. How does Paul describe his initial vision? (Acts 22:6–9)
2. What was Paul instructed to do? (Acts 22:10–11)
3. Whom did Paul meet in Damascus, and what did Paul regain? (Acts 22:12–13)
4. What did Ananias prophesy about Paul? (Acts 22:14–15)
5. How did Paul show his faith in Jesus Christ? (Acts 9:18; 22:16)

---After sufficient time, invite students to report their answers. Invite a few students to summarize what they learned about Paul’s conversion process. (You may also want to explain that between the time of Paul’s initial vision and the time he served as a missionary, he spent three years in Arabia, which was likely a period of spiritual preparation and growth [see Galatians 1:11–18].) Then ask the following questions:

• In what ways do you think Paul changed as a result of his conversion?
• What happened that allowed these changes to take place?
• What can Paul’s conversion teach us about how we can become converted? (Students may use different words, but be sure they identify the following truth: As we obey the words of Jesus Christ, we can become fully converted.)
• How might this principle help someone who wants to be converted?

---Invite a student to read aloud the following statement by Sister Bonnie L. Oscarson, Young Women general president, in which she explained the difference between having a testimony of the gospel and being truly converted to it:

“True conversion is more than merely having a knowledge of gospel principles and implies even more than just having a testimony of those principles. It is possible to have a testimony of the gospel without living it. Being truly converted means we are acting upon what we believe. …

“… Conversion comes as we act upon the righteous principles we learn in our homes and in the classroom. Conversion comes as we live pure and virtuous lives and enjoy the companionship of the Holy Ghost” (“Be Ye Converted,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2013, 76, 78).

---Read the following question aloud, or write it on the board, then invite students to record their answers in their class notebooks.

How can I become truly converted to the gospel?

---In Acts 22:17–30 Paul told his audience that after his conversion the Lord sent him away from Jerusalem to be a missionary among the Gentiles. The audience then proclaimed that Paul should be put to death. Paul was brought before the chief captain of the Roman army in Jerusalem, who decided that Paul should be scourged, or whipped, a punishment normally used to humiliate and obtain information from criminals. However, when the Roman officers learned that Paul was a Roman citizen, they decided not to scourge him because it was against Roman law to bind or scourge a Roman citizen who was “uncondemned” (verse 25). They instead brought him before the Jewish governing council, the Sanhedrin.

Conclude by sharing your testimony of the principles taught in Acts 20–22.

Commentary and Background Information

Acts 22:1–24. Paul has the courage to share the gospel

The Apostle Paul had the courage to share his testimony of Jesus Christ even though there were severe consequences (see Acts 22:1–24). President Thomas S. Monson taught that courage to do what is right, even if unpopular, is still required of disciples of Jesus Christ:

“Courage comes in many forms. Wrote the Christian author Charles Swindoll: ‘Courage is not limited to the battlefield … or bravely catching a thief in your house. The real tests of courage are much quieter. They are inner tests, like remaining faithful when no one’s looking, … like standing alone when you’re misunderstood.’ I would add that this inner courage also includes doing the right thing even though we may be afraid, defending our beliefs at the risk of being ridiculed, and maintaining those beliefs even when threatened with a loss of friends or of social status. He who stands steadfastly for that which is right must risk becoming at times disapproved and unpopular” (“Be Strong and of a Good Courage,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2014, 67).

Supplemental Teaching Idea

Acts 22:16. Video presentation—“Reclaimed”

Testify to students that Paul was reclaimed from a life of sin and was washed clean through baptism and faith in Jesus Christ. To help students understand that we too can change through Jesus Christ, show the video “Reclaimed” (3:26). In this video, Elder Shane M. Bowen of the Seventy testifies that the Atonement of Jesus Christ can wash away our sins. This video can be found on LDS.org.

Play

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Right margin extras:

Ask questions that help students understand scripture content

Asking questions that help students analyze scripture passages can expand students’ understanding of the scriptures. Such questions can help clarify the meanings of words or phrases and help students find greater meaning in the details of a storyline. Students will then be prepared to identify doctrines and principles.