NT Lessons 91-92 Acts 13-15

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

Lesson 91: Acts 13–14

Introduction

Paul (formerly called Saul) embarked on his first missionary journey with Barnabas as his companion. They preached the gospel and established branches of the Church amidst continued persecution. When the Jews refused to receive the word of God, Paul and Barnabas focused on preaching among the Gentiles.

I. Acts 13:1–13  Paul and Barnabas embark on a missionary journey and rebuke a false prophet

---Before class, prepare one sign that says “No opposition” and another sign that says “Constant opposition.” Post them on opposite walls of the classroom.

---Ask students to imagine the space between the signs as a scale representing the level of opposition one encounters when trying to live the gospel. Invite students to stand between the signs in places that they think demonstrate the level of opposition experienced by Moses. Ask a few students to explain their choices of location. Repeat this exercise by asking students to stand somewhere on this scale of opposition for Joseph Smith and then for Nephi. Ask a few students to explain their choices for each one. Invite students to return to their seats.

---Acknowledge that every disciple of Jesus Christ will encounter opposition at different times in his or her life. Ask students to think about where they would place themselves along the scale of opposition as they have tried to live the gospel. Encourage students to look for principles as they study Acts 13–14 that can help guide them when they encounter opposition in their efforts to live righteously.

---Acts 13:1–6 says that as certain prophets and teachers were gathered in Antioch in Syria, they received direction from the Holy Ghost that Saul (later known as Paul) and Barnabas should be called to preach the gospel together. After they were set apart, Saul and Barnabas traveled from Antioch to the island of Cyprus and preached in a synagogue in the city Salamis. From there they traveled to the other side of the island to the city Paphos. (You may want to invite students to locate Antioch and Cyprus on Bible Maps, no. 13, “The Missionary Journeys of the Apostle Paul.”)

---Read Acts 13:6–8 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for what happened when Saul and Barnabas arrived in Paphos.

• According to verse 7, who wanted to hear the gospel from Saul and Barnabas? (Sergius Paulus, who was the Roman deputy of the country.)
• What opposition did the missionaries face in teaching the gospel to Sergius Paulus?

---Beginning in Acts 13:9, Saul is referred to as Paul. Invite a student to read Acts 13:9–12 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for how Paul dealt with opposition from the false prophet Elymas.

• What did Paul say about Elymas in verse 10? (Explain that Paul used harsh words because Elymas was attempting to keep another person from receiving salvation.)
• According to verse 11, what did Paul do to the false prophet through the power of God?
• According to verse 12, how did witnessing God’s power influence the deputy?
• What can we learn from this account about God’s power compared to the power of the devil? (Though students may use different words, make sure they identify the following truth: The power of God is far greater than the power of the devil. You may want to suggest that students write this truth in their scriptures next to Acts 13:9–12.)

---Invite students to ponder how understanding that God’s power is vastly superior to the power of the devil could help us as we face opposition in our lives. Ask a few students to share their thoughts with the class.

II. Acts 13:14–43  Paul recounts the history of the Israelites and testifies that Jesus Christ came in fulfillment of God’s promises

---Invite students to think of a mistake they have made that they wish they could go back and erase. Explain that sometimes the opposition we face occurs because of our own sinful choices. Encourage students to look for a principle as they study Acts 13:14–43 that can help them overcome this opposition.

---In Acts 13:14–37 Paul and Barnabas left Cyprus and sailed to Pamphylia (in present-day Turkey), after which one of their companions, John Mark, decided to leave them and return home. Paul and Barnabas continued on to Antioch in Pisidia (not to be confused with Antioch in Syria, from which they began their mission). On the Sabbath there, Paul stood before the men at the synagogue and recounted events from Israelite history. Paul then testified of Jesus Christ as the promised Savior of Israel.

---Read Acts 13:26–34 silently, looking for what Paul taught about Jesus Christ.

• What did Paul want those at the synagogue to understand about Jesus Christ?

---Read Acts 13:38–39 aloud. Invite the class to follow along, looking for what blessing Paul taught we can receive through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

• What blessing can we receive because of Jesus Christ and His Atonement? (Using students’ words, write the following truth on the board: We can be forgiven of our sins and justified through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.)

---The word justified, as used in verse 39, means “to be pardoned [or forgiven] from punishment for sin and declared guiltless” (Guide to the Scriptures, “Justification, Justify,” scriptures.lds.org). When a person is justified through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, his or her relationship with God is again made right.

• How does the Atonement of Jesus Christ allow us to be justified from our sins?

---To help students understand the doctrine, invite a student to read aloud the following statement by Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:

“Jesus suffered and gave His life to atone for sin. The power of His Atonement can erase the effects of sin in us. When we repent, His atoning grace justifies and cleanses us (see 3 Nephi 27:16–20). It is as if we had not succumbed, as if we had not yielded to temptation” (“That They May Be One in Us,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2002, 71).

• What must we do to be forgiven of our sins and justified through the Atonement of Jesus Christ?
• Who are some people from the scriptures who were forgiven of their sins and justified through the Atonement of Jesus Christ? (Some examples could include Paul, Alma the Younger, and Enos.)

---Invite students to sing the first two verses of “I Stand All Amazed” (Hymns, no. 193). Encourage them to look as they sing for how the author of the hymn expressed his gratitude for the Savior’s Atonement and forgiveness.

---Invite students to answer the following question in their class notebooks or scripture study journals or on a piece of paper.

• What feelings do you have toward Jesus Christ when you think about how His Atonement makes it possible for you to be forgiven of your sins?

---After sufficient time, invite a few students to share what they wrote. Encourage students to follow any promptings they may have received from the Holy Ghost to help them receive forgiveness and justification through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

---Acts 13:40–43 says that following Paul’s sermon, many Gentiles asked Paul to teach again on the following Sabbath.

III. Acts 13:44–52  Paul and Barnabas preach boldly despite increased persecution

---On the next Sabbath day, nearly the entire city came to hear Paul and Barnabas teach the word of God (see Acts 13:44).

---Divide students into pairs and invite them to read Acts 13:44–52 together. Instruct one student in each pair to look for the attitudes and actions of the Jews and the other student to look for the attitudes and actions of the Gentiles as the people gathered to hear Paul and Barnabas. Encourage students to also read the Joseph Smith Translation in verse 48, footnote a. When students are finished reading, ask each pair of students to compare and contrast the actions and attitudes of the Jews with the actions and attitudes of the Gentiles.

• What blessings came to those who were willing to listen to Paul and his companions?

IV. Acts 14  Paul and Barnabas perform miracles as they preach the gospel amidst continued persecution

---Write the following question on the board: Why does the Lord allow good people to experience difficult trials?

---Look for a principle as we study Acts 14 that can help you understand one way to answer this question.

---Acts 14:1–21 describes some of the tribulations that Paul and Barnabas endured as they continued to preach. Invite a few students to read the following verses aloud, and ask the class to follow along, looking for the tribulations the missionaries faced.

1. Acts 14:1–2 (Unbelieving Jews stir up the Gentiles against Paul and Barnabas.)
2. Acts 14:8–18 (After Paul heals a crippled man, the people in Lystra think Paul and Barnabas are Greek gods and attempt to offer sacrifice to them.)
3. Acts 14:19–20 (Paul is stoned and revived.)

• What tribulations did Paul and Barnabas have to endure?
• What thoughts might you have had if you had been with Paul and Barnabas during these trials?

---Read Acts 14:22 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for what Paul taught about tribulation.

• What principle does Paul teach in this verse? (Students may use different words but should identify a principle similar to the following: As we faithfully pass through tribulation, we will be prepared to enter the celestial kingdom.)
• In what ways do you think faithfully enduring tribulation can prepare us for the celestial kingdom?

---Ask students to ponder blessings that have come to them or to people they know as they have faithfully passed through tribulation. Invite a few students to share their experiences. Remind students that they should not share experiences that are too sacred or private. Consider sharing your own personal experiences that can further illustrate this principle and testify of its truthfulness.

---Encourage students to ponder the truths they identified from Acts 13 and 14 and choose one that will help them most during trials. Provide a small note card or piece of paper for each student, and invite students to write the principle they chose on the card. Encourage students to post it somewhere they will see it often (a mirror, their school locker, and so on) to provide strength and encouragement when they face trials.

Commentary and Background Information

Acts 13:9. Saul becomes known as Paul

“[The Apostle Paul] was known in early life as Saul; his Latin name Paul is first mentioned at the beginning of his gentile ministry (Acts 13:9)” (Bible Dictionary, “Paul”).

Acts 13:51. “They shook off the dust of their feet”

Elder James E. Talmage of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles provided this explanation regarding shaking off the dust from one’s feet:

“To ceremonially shake the dust from one’s feet as a testimony against another was understood by the Jews to symbolize a cessation of fellowship and a renunciation of all responsibility for consequences that might follow. It became an ordinance of accusation and testimony by the Lord’s instructions to His apostles as cited in [Matthew 10:14]. In the current dispensation, the Lord has similarly directed His authorized servants to so testify against those who wilfully and maliciously oppose the truth when authoritatively presented” (Jesus the Christ, 3rd ed. [1916], 345; see also D&C 24:15; 75:18–22; 84:92–96). However, because of its serious nature, the practice of shaking off the dust from one’s feet should never be done except under the direction of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

Acts 14:22. “Through much tribulation”

Elder Robert D. Hales of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught the following about tribulation:

“There is meaning and purpose in our earthly challenges. … Each of us must go through certain experiences to become more like our Savior. In the school of mortality, the tutor is often pain and tribulation, but the lessons are meant to refine and bless us and strengthen us, not to destroy us” (“Faith through Tribulation Brings Peace and Joy,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2003, 17).

Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained the purposes of affliction in mortal life:

“There are many kinds of challenges. Some give us necessary experiences. Adverse results in this mortal life are not evidence of lack of faith or of an imperfection in our Father in Heaven’s overall plan. The refiner’s fire is real, and qualities of character and righteousness that are forged in the furnace of affliction perfect and purify us and prepare us to meet God” (“The Songs They Could Not Sing,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2011, 106).

Supplemental Teaching Idea

Acts 14:1–28. Video presentation—“The Refiner’s Fire”

In addition to asking students to share experiences of receiving blessings as they or people they know have faithfully passed through tribulation, you could show the video “The Refiner’s Fire” (5:02). This video is available on LDS.org.

Play

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Right margin extras:

Help students identify doctrines and principles

One purpose of the scriptures is to teach doctrines and principles of the gospel. Identifying doctrines and principles found in the scriptures is one of the Fundamentals of Gospel Teaching and Learning. Learning how to identify them takes thoughtful effort and practice. As doctrines and principles are identified, make sure they are clearly and simply stated to ensure these truths are clear in students’ minds.

Lesson 92: Acts 15

Introduction

Some Church members from Judea told Gentile converts in Antioch that they needed to be circumcised in order to be saved. Paul and Barnabas took the issue to the Apostles in Jerusalem. During an event called the Jerusalem conference (about A.D. 49–50), Peter testified that God would save faithful Jews and Gentiles, regardless of whether they had been circumcised. The Apostles sent letters to Church members explaining that circumcision was not necessary for salvation. Paul chose Silas as his missionary companion and embarked on his second mission.

I. Acts 15:1–29  Through inspired counsel, Peter and the other Apostles determine that circumcision is no longer required by the Lord

---Invite students to make a list on the board of several important decisions they need to make now and in the future.

• Whom do you talk to when you need to make important decisions? Why do you talk to them?
• Why is it wise to seek God’s help before making decisions?

---Look for truths as we study Acts 15 that can guide you when you seek to know God’s will for them.

---While Paul and Barnabas were visiting the Saints in Antioch, some Jews from Judea who had converted to Christianity made some claims about what Gentile converts needed to do to be saved.

---Read Acts 15:1 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for what these men from Judea claimed Gentile converts needed to do to be saved.

• What did these men claim that Gentile converts needed to do to be saved?

---As part of the covenant made with Abraham, God commanded that all males who entered into the covenant with Him be circumcised. “Circumcision was performed by cutting off the ‘flesh of the foreskin’ of male infants and adults alike” (Guide to the Scriptures, “Circumcision,” scriptures.lds.org). Circumcision was instituted as a token or reminder of the covenant the people made with God.

---Read Acts 15:2–3 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for what happened after Paul and Barnabas heard these men claim that the Gentile converts needed to be circumcised.

• According to verse 2, what happened when these men said that Church converts needed to be circumcised?
• What did the Church members in Antioch determine should be done?

---Read Acts 15:4–6 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for what happened when Paul and the others arrived in Jerusalem.

• After Paul and Barnabas related their experiences of sharing the gospel with the Gentiles, what did some of the converted Pharisees believe Gentile converts needed to do to be saved?
• According to verse 6, what did the Apostles and elders gather to do?

---Write the following questions on the board or provide them to students on a handout:

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Acts 15:7–11

1. Who stood up to speak?
2. What do you think Peter meant when he said that God “put no difference between us [the converted Jews] and them [the converted Gentiles]”?
3. What phrases in verses 8, 9, and 11 indicate that the Gentile converts did not need to be circumcised in order to be saved?

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---Divide the class into pairs. Invite students to read Acts 15:7–11 with their partners, looking for answers to the questions listed. Before they read, explain that the phrase “when there had been much disputing” in verse 7 means that the Apostles had vigorously debated the issue of circumcision.

---After sufficient time, invite a few students to report their responses to the class. After students respond to the first question, remind them that Peter was the senior Apostle on the earth and was, therefore, authorized to speak for the Lord.

• What is one way we can know the will of the Lord? (Students should identify a truth similar to the following: We can know the will of the Lord through His living prophets and apostles. Write this truth on the board.)
• What are some ways the living Apostles help us know the revelations they have received?

---Read Acts 15:12–15 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for how the multitude responded to Peter’s declaration that circumcision was not necessary for salvation.

• How did the multitude respond to Peter’s declaration?
• What did Paul and Barnabas do to confirm Peter’s declaration that the Gentiles did not need to be circumcised?
• According to verse 15, whose words did James say Peter’s (Simeon’s) declaration agreed with?

---You may want to explain that Peter presided at the conference, and it appears that James had a prominent role there as well. James was the half brother of Jesus Christ and the first bishop of the Church in Jerusalem. Acts 15:16–18 says that James quoted Amos 9:11–12 to show that Peter’s declaration agreed with the words of prophets, as recorded in the scriptures.

• Based on what James taught, what is another way we can know the will of the Lord? (Students may use different words but should identify a truth similar to the following: We can know the will of the Lord through studying the scriptures. Write this truth on the board.)

---Invite a student to read Acts 15:19–20 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for what James counseled that Church leaders do. Explain that the word sentence in verse 19 means a proposal or recommendation (see Bruce R. McConkie, Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3 vols. [1965–73], 2:143).

• What did James counsel that Church leaders do for the Gentiles? (James recommended that Church leaders “trouble them not” [verse 19], or not make living the gospel harder for the converted Gentiles, and not require them to perform the rituals of the law of Moses before joining the Church. In saying this, James was supporting the decision given earlier by Peter.)
• According to verse 20, what parts of the law of Moses did James think the Gentile converts still needed to keep? (Prohibitions against committing sexual sin, eating meats offered as sacrifices to idols, and eating blood.)

---Take turns reading aloud from Acts 15:22–27. Ask the class to follow along, looking for the council’s decision.

• What did the Apostles decide to do? (Send an epistle to the Church members declaring that circumcision was not required for salvation.)
• Why do you think the Apostles decided to send Church leaders like Paul and Silas to deliver the epistle? (Students may have various responses, but one reason is to verify that the declaration came through the united decision of the Apostles. Point out that the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles follow these same practices in our day to provide inspired guidance to Church members.)
• What truth can we learn from this account about how Church leaders receive inspiration about difficult problems? (After students respond, write the following truth on the board: By counseling together and seeking revelation from God, Church leaders receive inspiration about difficult problems.)

---To help students understand how this truth relates to the Church today, invite a student to read aloud the following statement by Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:

“These same patterns are followed today in the restored Church of Jesus Christ. The President of the Church may announce or interpret doctrines based on revelation to him (see, for example, D&C 138). Doctrinal exposition may also come through the combined council of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (see, for example, Official Declaration 2). Council deliberations will often include a weighing of canonized scriptures, the teachings of Church leaders, and past practice. But in the end, just as in the New Testament Church, the objective is not simply consensus among council members but revelation from God. It is a process involving both reason and faith for obtaining the mind and will of the Lord” (“The Doctrine of Christ,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2012, 88).

• Why do you think it is important for Church leaders to counsel together often when seeking revelation from God?

---Read Acts 15:28–29 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for what the Apostles and elders wrote in the epistle to the Church members.

• What did the Apostles and elders write in the epistle to the Church members?
• In verse 28, what does the phrase “to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things” mean? (The people did not need to obey any extra requirements that had come from people and not from God.)
• According to verse 28, how did the Apostles know God’s will regarding the requirements for the converted Gentiles?

Point out that the Holy Ghost inspired the Apostles as they counseled together. He also provided a confirming witness that their decision was correct.

• Based on how Church leaders knew the will of the Lord as recorded in verse 28, how can we know the will of the Lord? (Students may use different words, but make sure they understand that we can know the will of the Lord through the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. Write this truth on the board.)

---Invite students to look at the truths on the board.

• How can these truths help us when we need to make an important decision?
• According to these truths, what do we need to do in order to know the Lord’s will?
• When have you felt like you came to know the Lord’s will as you have followed these truths?

---Encourage students to study the words of modern prophets and the scriptures. Explain that as they do so, they can come to know the Lord’s will through the Holy Ghost when making important decisions.

II. Acts 15:30–41  Paul and others deliver the Apostles’ epistle to the members in Antioch

--Acts 15:30–41 says that several Church leaders delivered the Apostles’ epistle to the members of the Church in Antioch. After preaching in Antioch, Paul asked Barnabas to go with him to visit all the places where they had preached the gospel. Barnabas wanted to take Mark with them, but Paul refused. After some contention between the two Church leaders, Barnabas decided to take Mark with him, so Paul chose Silas as a mission companion and set out on his second mission. Explain that it is not considered a sin to disagree with others. However, instead of becoming contentious, we should seek to find solutions to our disagreements together. (We learn in 2 Timothy 4:11 that the problem between Paul and Mark was later resolved.)

---Conclude by testifying of the truths students identified in Acts 15.

Commentary and Background Information

Acts 15:6. “The apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter”

Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained how the Savior reveals His will to His prophets:

“How does the Savior reveal His will and doctrine to prophets, seers, and revelators? He may act by messenger or in His own person. He may speak by His own voice or by the voice of the Holy Spirit—a communication of Spirit to spirit that may be expressed in words or in feelings that convey understanding beyond words (see 1 Nephi 17:45; D&C 9:8). He may direct Himself to His servants individually or acting in council (see 3 Nephi 27:1–8)” (“The Doctrine of Christ,” Ensign or Liahona,May 2012, 87).

Acts 15:6–11. Peter declared the mind of the Lord after the Apostles counseled together

President Gordon B. Hinckley taught about the decisions of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:

“No decision emanates from the deliberations of the First Presidency and the Twelve without total unanimity among all concerned. At the outset in considering matters, there may be differences of opinion. These are to be expected. These men come from different backgrounds. They are men who think for themselves. But before a final decision is reached, there comes a unanimity of mind and voice.

“This is to be expected if the revealed word of the Lord is followed. Again I quote from the revelation:

“‘The decisions of these quorums, or either of them, are to be made in all righteousness, in holiness, and lowliness of heart, meekness and long suffering, and in faith, and virtue, and knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness and charity;

“‘Because the promise is, if these things abound in them they shall not be unfruitful in the knowledge of the Lord’ (D&C 107:30–31).

“I add by way of personal testimony that during the twenty years I served as a member of the Council of the Twelve and during the nearly thirteen years that I have served in the First Presidency, there has never been a major action taken where this procedure was not observed. I have seen differences of opinion presented in these deliberations. Out of this very process of men speaking their minds has come a sifting and winnowing of ideas and concepts. But I have never observed serious discord or personal enmity among my Brethren. I have, rather, observed a beautiful and remarkable thing—the coming together, under the directing influence of the Holy Spirit and under the power of revelation, of divergent views until there is total harmony and full agreement. Only then is implementation made. That, I testify, represents the spirit of revelation manifested again and again in directing this the Lord’s work” (“God Is at the Helm,” Ensign, May 1994, 54, 59).

Acts 15:20. “Things strangled, and from blood”

“Because the law of Moses prohibited the eating of blood (see Leviticus 3:17; 17:10–14; 19:26), James’s counsel to abstain from ‘things strangled, and from blood’ may have been meant to avoid giving offense to Jews and thus hindering missionary work among them” (New Testament Student Manual [Church Educational System manual, 2014], 309).

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Help students understand the meaning of doctrines and principles

Once students identify principles and doctrines in the scriptures, take time to discuss these truths in a way that will help students better understand them. During these discussions, encourage students to examine the relationship between the identified truths and other gospel principles. They should also identify ways to apply these truths in their lives.