Friday, December 25, 2015

WEEKLY SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
An international Sunday school lesson commentary
For Sunday December 27, 2015

Over 91,000 readers worldwide
larrydalexander.blogspot.com

JESUS WARNS CHRISTIAN LEADERS ABOUT PRIDE AND HYPOCRISY
(GOD loves a humble spirit)
(Matthew 23:2-13 & Mark 12:38-44)

  The, relatively small group of religious leaders, who were known as the “Pharisees”, were the authoritative interpreters of Scriptures, before JESUS came to earth in the first century A.D. In fact, they were a group dedicated and committed to the strictest of interpretation of the Mosaic Law, and, to the made-up “Oral Laws” that they themselves personally, apart from GOD, also imposed upon the people of Israel.
    In reality, these counterfeit religious leaders had no GOD-given right to give authoritative teaching to anyone, however, they had long ago created for themselves a theological position in the Church at Judea, and were now respected by all as the highest men of GOD that could be found anywhere in all of Israel.
    In Matthew 23, taking up at verse 1, we see clearly that JESUS is not at all supportive of the Pharisee’s claim of being of the highest order of teaching authority, as HE uses a bit of “irony” to make HIS point. Here HE tells a crowd of people in Jerusalem, including HIS OWN disciples, to listen to these religious leaders and be careful not to do what they do, nor follow their examples. Even when they teach correctly, they don’t tend to do what they teach themselves. In fact, JESUS says, they crush people with their impossible religious demands, and then, never lift a finger to help ease the burden. In other words JESUS is saying here, that, the Pharisees teachings serve to shackle their congregation, rather than to set them free (Vs.1-4).
    In the modern Church we see, perhaps, the majority of pastors doing almost everything for show. They drive the finest cars, wear the most expensive clothes, wine and dine the prettiest secretaries and aids (male and female), hobnob with their peers in the finest hotels and vacation spots, under the guise of having church related conferences, and all the while, they lavish in all the attention they get as being “celebrity” preachers, and being referred to as great men of GOD. In reality, most of them don’t even have an elementary understanding of the true meaning of CHRIST and the Scriptures HE represents.
    They also love to be called “Spiritual Father” and here in this passage JESUS warns that we address no one here on earth as Spiritual Father, for only GOD in Heaven can be a true Christian’s Spiritual Father (v.9). HE also warns us not to let anyone call us “Master”, for only HE, the MESSIAH, is our master (v.10). Even the greatest among us is only a servant of the FATHER in Heaven and CHRIST JESUS. And all those who try to exalt themselves, instead of the GOD they serve, will be humbled. However, those who humble themselves under GOD will ultimately be exalted by GOD (Vs.11-12).
    In addition, in John Mark’s Gospel (Mark 12:38-44) JESUS makes us aware of an even more sinful behavior by Church leaders who exalt themselves. In verses 40-44, JESUS tells us that these leaders shamelessly cheat widows out of their property and then use “human ingenuity”, usually hiding behind Scriptures, to cover up, or keep people from realizing the kind of wolves they really are.    
    Counterfeit Church leaders can easily be spotted because they will generally fear and respect powerful men more than they do GOD, WHOM they can’t see. In fact, more often than not, these leaders don’t really even believe there is a GOD WHO can punish them for their evil deeds in the first place. They would much rather emulate their peers and other church leaders who, by hook or crook, have a large church following and financial success, than to learn about the ways of the only wise GOD, and seek to emulate the life of CHRIST JESUS, even in front the people they claim to shepherd.
    These leaders do not seek to save the souls, even of the members of their own congregation, who have been, for too long, separated from GOD by their sinful lifestyles. Instead, they are only seeking to separate the congregation from their wallets and purses, and could care less about their salvation, or the salvation of their children, who come after them.
    In the Greek, the word used for “hypocrite” (v.13) is “hupocrates” (hoop-ok-ra-tace), and it is used in the Gospel of Matthew 16 of the 26 times that it is used in the New Testament. It describes “one who acts with calculation to impress those around him”. In the religious sense, it is one who focuses his attention on the external aspects of religion, and totally neglects the more, deeper, internal, and eternal aspects of love, and having a heart for GOD and their fellow man.
    Hypocrites tend to use a lot of shallow “church talk”, often reciting well-known verses of Scriptures in order to appear knowledgeable about the Word of GOD, but in reality, they only use this spiritual vernacular to conceal their evil and corrupt intentions and motives. Here JESUS warns the Church, then and now, to be aware of such hypocrites, and HE warns those hypocrites to beware of HIS strong judgment that will be pending on those who attempt to make a mockery of the “Body of CHRIST” before the world, that it is commanded and commissioned, to seek out, and, to save.
   

A Sunday school lesson by,
Larry D. Alexander   
   
           



                                 
LARRY D. ALEXANDER- Official Website





Friday, December 18, 2015

WEEKLY SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
An international Sunday school lesson commentary
For Sunday December 20, 2015

Over 91,000 readers worldwide
larrydalexander.blogspot.com

DEDICATION OF THE FIRST BORN
(JESUS presented in the temple)
(Luke 2:21-35)

   The Jews had a saying that, in the birth of every child there are three parents, the father, the mother, and the HOLY SPIRIT of GOD. They believed that no child could be born without the SPIRIT. I believe that too. And it may well be that Old and New Testament stories of child birth are little more than just lovely and poetic ways of saying, that, whether our child is born of a high calling or not, the HOLY SPIRIT of GOD is operative in that child’s birth in a very special way. And for men, while it may not make life easier, child birth has always been what makes men great. And as for women, the paradox of child birth represents, perhaps, the greatest pain, that is followed immediately by the greatest joy, she will ever have to experience in life.
    In Luke chapter 2, taking up at verse 21, we see that eight days after JESUS was born, HE was circumcised according to the Jewish Rite, and covenant with GOD. Baby JESUS’ name had already been given to HIM by the archangel Gabriel before HE was even conceived by the Virgin Mary (Luke 1:31).
    When it was time for the “Purification Offering”, which, according to Law is one month after the birth of a first son (Exodus 13:2 & 12), Joseph and Mary took Baby JESUS to Jerusalem to dedicate HIM to the LORD. The Law of Moses requires that if a woman’s first child is a male, he must be presented to the LORD GOD of Israel at a purification and baby dedication ceremony at the temple. The parents must also bring, either a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons as a sacrifice offering to the LORD.
    There was a righteous and devout man of GOD named Simeon, who was filled with the HOLY SPIRIT, and who had waited patiently on the LORD for many years, just so he could see the MESSIAH WHO would come to rescue Israel, and indeed, the whole world, from the grip of their own sin. The HOLY SPIRIT had already revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the MESSIAH with his own eyes.
    On the day that Mary and Joseph came to the temple, the HOLY SPIRIT led Simeon there so that GOD’s promise would be fulfilled. Simeon took Baby JESUS into his arms and praised GOD, and proclaimed the words of Scripture contained in Luke 2:29-32, that have came to be known as “The Nunc Dimittis” from the Latin Vulgate, which is interpreted, “Now let me depart”. There Simeon declares;

“LORD, now I can die in peace! As YOU promised me, I have seen the SAVIOR YOU have given to all people. HE is a light to reveal GOD to the nations, and HE is the glory of YOUR people Israel!” (NLT)

    Joseph and Mary, of course, were amazed at what Simeon had proclaimed about their SON, JESUS. Simeon then blessed the couple and further said to Mary,

“This CHILD will be rejected by many in Israel, and it will be their undoing. But HE will be the greatest joy to many others. Thus, the deepest thoughts of many will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul”

    Here the Prophet Simeon is informing Mary that she would be emotionally torn by the coming opposition to her SON JESUS, by both the professed Church, and by the World. JESUS would later manifest HIMSELF as the very source of our salvation, and that salvation would be extended, not only to the Jews, but to the Gentiles of the world also. JESUS would come to be known as “the SAVIOR of the whole world”, and not just the world of HIS earthly generation. HIS salvation offer would also extend to every generation, past present, and future, who would ever live, in the history of this world.

A Sunday school lesson by,
Larry D. Alexander





                                 
LARRY D. ALEXANDER- Official Website




Friday, December 11, 2015

WEEKLY SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
An international Sunday school lesson commentary
For Sunday December 13, 2015

Over 90,000 readers worldwide
larrydalexander.blogspot.com

ACCEPTABLE WORSHIP AND OFFERINGS
(Giving acceptable sacrifices to GOD)
(Leviticus 22:17-33)

   In the book of the prophet Malachi, the LORD sent a message to HIS servant to give to the people of Israel who were disrespecting HIM through their unacceptable, inferior offerings of sacrifice to HIM. In Malachi 1, verse 8 the LORD asks, “When you give blind animals as sacrifices, isn’t that wrong? And isn’t it wrong to offer animals that are crippled and diseased? Try giving gifts like that to your governor, and see how pleased he is!” (NLT)
    Here in Leviticus 22, taking up at verse 17 the LORD tells Moses to give Aaron and his sons and all the Israelites, including the foreigners who lived among them, these instructions regarding their offerings of sacrifices to HIM. “If you offer a whole burnt offering to the LORD, whether to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering it will be accepted only if it is a male animal with no physical defects. It may be either a bull, a ram, or a male goat. Do not bring an animal with physical defects, because it won’t be accepted on your behalf” (NLT).
    This passage is regarding personal disqualifications and limitations for any individuals who may wish to bring a burnt offering or fellowship offering to the LORD. Here the people are told that the giving of any defective animal, or a female animal, for sacrifice to the LORD, is prohibited. It is explained in terms that are very similar to those which prohibited physically impaired priests from serving in the inner sanctum of the temple. The only exception where a defected animal can be used is in the event of a “freewill offering”.
    The book of Leviticus is a book of instructions for the worship of the Almighty GOD, our FATHER in Heaven. HE is a perfect Holy GOD WHO, in Old Testament times, demanded only perfect, unblemished animal sacrifices from HIS followers in worship services. And because perfect animals would bring top dollar if sold in the marketplace, or for breeding, that made them more precious to the owner and thereby, their perfection, and having to part with such an asset, showed a heart that really and truly valued GOD above their possessions.  
    By defining what is unacceptable in the Old Testament system of animal sacrifice, the LORD seeks to help us to better understand the true nature of worship itself. Here in Leviticus 22, we learn that neither physically and spiritually defected priests, nor animal sacrifices with defects, were acceptable to the LORD during sacrificial services.
    Acceptable worship is worship that is approved by GOD HIMSELF, not by us. We are not allowed to worship GOD any way we please, but rather, we must worship HIM in ways that are pleasing to HIM. Acceptable worship by us must recognize the true greatness of GOD, and honor GOD at all times. We must bring our very best to GOD, and also, be our very best for GOD. Showing absolute reverence for GOD in our worship is essential if we want our worship to be accepted by GOD.  
    King David had the right attitude when he stated in 2 Samuel 24:24 that he would not sacrifice burnt offerings to the LORD that cost him nothing. Any person or priest who has respect for himself, and high reverence for GOD, will not attempt to worship GOD in ways that don’t meet GOD’s own requirements and standards as they are laid out in Old Testament or New Testament Scriptures.
    It does our spiritual life much damage when we leave the altar carrying a false assurance of forgiveness, because we fail to understand the importance of how we are to extend our worship and praise to GOD in HIS sanctuary. As Christians, who have reached an age of accountability, we are responsible to know and understand just what GOD wants from us, and, expects of us.
    When we fulfill our duties to GOD in worship, we must take care not to be heartless or uncaring in the way we use what GOD has blessed us with for worship, or provided us with for a sacrificial offering to HIM (v.28). The way we treat the things GOD has blessed us with, eventually becomes the way we treat each other as people, made in the spiritual image of GOD HIMSELF.

A Sunday school lesson by,
Larry D. Alexander





                                 
LARRY D. ALEXANDER- Official Website





Friday, December 4, 2015

WEEKLY SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
An international Sunday school lesson commentary
For Sunday December 6, 2015

Over 90,000 readers worldwide
larrydalexander.blogspot.com

THE LORD’S DAY
(Keeping the Sabbath as a response to GOD’s holiness)
(Exodus 20:8-11 & 31:12-18)

  “Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your GOD. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day HE rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy” (Exodus 20:8-11 – NLT).

   The fourth commandment of the Decalogue (Ten Commandments), which is stated above, was put into place by GOD as a way of providing a solemn day of worship to HIMSELF as creator of the world we live in. Man was to schedule his work in six-day increments, and on the seventh day, he is commanded by GOD to rest from his weekly labors. However, this was not to be a day of lazing around in inactivity, but rather, it was to be a day of spiritual enrichment and refreshment, through paying homage to GOD, by way of religious observances, study, and praise. And to show how serious GOD is toward this commandment, HE placed a death sentence on any one who violated it.
    The “Sabbath Day” was also to be holy, or “set apart” from all other days as a reminder of how the Israelites were forced to work seven days while in slavery in Egypt, and over time, became disinterested in giving honor to GOD on any day of the week whatsoever. They, for the most part, were tired, and were being compelled and brainwashed by their oppressors to forget their GOD, the real GOD, and instead, began showing respect, reverence, and worship for the false gods of Egypt.   
    In the present “Church Age” most denominations observe the Sabbath on Sunday because of JESUS’ resurrection (New Testament), which occurred on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7). However, Seventh Day Adventist for example still base their Sabbath on Saturday, which is based on GOD’s creating of the universe in six days, and then resting on the seventh day (Old Testament). Both perspectives are OK, and fall within the parameters of being obedient to GOD’s fourth command.
    The fourth commandment is the only one that is not repeated verbatim in the New Testament, even though the apostles themselves established Sunday, the first day of the week, as Sabbath of the Christian Church, and their day for worship services and observances. However, the idea of having six days of work and one day of rest was introduced by GOD HIMSELF following the creation (Genesis 2:2-3), and all mankind is commanded to refrain from working on the seventh day here in Exodus 20.
    Throughout Old Testament Scripture man is also reminded by GOD to respect the observance of the Sabbath Day law. The name “Sabbath” derives its origins from the Hebrew root word “shabath” (shaw-bath) which means “rest”. However, it not only suggests physical rest, but also an “inner rest” that restores man’s spirit by contemplating and meditating on the LORD and HIS goodness.
    In Exodus 31:12-18 we are reminded by GOD again to keep the Sabbath Day command, as the Lord there gave these instructions to Moses: 

“Tell the people of Israel: Be careful to keep MY Sabbath day, for the Sabbath is a sign of the covenant between ME and you from generation to generation. It is given so you may know that I AM the Lord, WHO makes you holy. You must keep the Sabbath day, for it is a holy day for you. Anyone who desecrates it must be put to death; anyone who works on that day will be cut off from the community. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day must be a Sabbath day of complete rest, a holy day dedicated to the Lord. Anyone who works on the Sabbath must be put to death. The people of Israel must keep the Sabbath day by observing it from generation to generation. This is a covenant obligation for all time. It is a permanent sign of MY covenant with the people of Israel. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day HE stopped working and was refreshed” (NLT).
   
    When the Lord finished speaking with Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant, written by the finger of GOD. The Sabbath is a celebration and a reminder of Israel’s pledge of allegiance to GOD, and that GOD is Israel’s only GOD.
    And finally, there are three acts of GOD that are associated with the Sabbath;

·         Creation: The creation story.
·         Redemption: The Sabbath is a symbol of GOD’s covenant relationship with Israel that is rooted in HIS miraculous delivery of Israel from slavery in Egypt.
·         Covenant Ties: The Sabbath is a reminder of the bond between GOD and Israel which is in the law that was miraculously delivered the people through Moses.

Observing the Sabbath will always stand as an expression of our love and obedience to GOD. Today, because of our greed, bad financial decisions, envy of our neighbor, etc., it is one of most disrespected commands of all the Decalogue. Sin and irresponsibility in our lives causes us to have to work a tremendous amount of overtime to keep up with the unnecessary financial burden we put on ourselves to satisfy our greed, and to keep up with the Joneses.
    GOD established the Sabbath for us to stop our daily routine and recognize HIM as the source of all of our blessings and strength. The Sabbath Day concept precedes the origins of the Jews, and therefore, must be respected by anyone, Jew or Gentile, who chooses to worship and follow the GOD, WHO created all things. And so, to ignore the Sabbath amounts to ignoring GOD HIMSELF, WHO created the Sabbath, both, for HIM, and for the good of all mankind.

A Sunday school lesson by,
Larry D. Alexander





                                 
LARRY D. ALEXANDER- Official Website



Friday, November 27, 2015




  WEEKLY SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
An international Sunday school lesson commentary
For Sunday November 29, 2015

Over 90,000 readers worldwide
larrydalexander.blogspot.com

TEACHING GOD’S WORD
(Working for the LORD is a way of life for those who believe)
(Acts 18)

   Throughout the Book of Acts, Luke introduces us to many characters that were instrumental in the development and establishment of the early Church. Here in Acts 18 we are introduced to two more of those wonderful workers who helped shape the Christian Church movement in its infancy during the first century. They became two of the Apostle Paul’s closest friends, and their names were Priscilla and Aguila. They were the husband and wife team who quite literally birthed in the “House Church” concept of early Christianity.
    Now we all know that Paul was a Rabbi, but what many don’t know is, that, in addition to being a Rabbi, Paul was also a tentmaker, and this is something that he had in common with his friends, Priscilla and Aquila. They met while Paul visited Corinth during his second missionary journey, and he lived and worked with the couple during his stay there. And so the three of them, each, being missionaries for CHRIST was just another of their common threads.   
    But perhaps, we will not find a more fascinating couple in all of Scripture, than Priscilla and Aquila. They were a very bold and defiant pair who stood against the antichrist elements that often reared its ugly head throughout the Roman Empire in the first century, mostly in the person of the Emperor Claudius, or later, the Emperor Nero.
    Most Christian Church services in those days, both teaching and worship, were held in private homes, because, at the time, no purely Christian Church temples could be openly constructed. At that time, it was very dangerous to be a follower of CHRIST, or, an “Adherent of the Way”, as they were called then, and Christian worshipers would have to meet in secret locations to preserve their own lives, and to continue to teach the Word to willing listeners.
    Priscilla and Aquila were also a curiously nomadic pair, as they were found wandering and moving from place to place throughout the Roman Empire. In the Book of Acts, we first find them in Rome (Acts 18:2), where they were ejected by the Emperor Claudius, as he sought to expel all Jews from Italy, in and around A.D. 52. Then, we find them in Corinth, where they first met Paul, and had him as a house quest, during his second missionary journey (Acts 18:1-3).
    Next, we see them in Ephesus (Acts 18:24-28), where they had traveled with Paul from Corinth. There, we find them instructing a Jewish scholar named Apollos, in the ways of GOD more accurately, educating him about the impact of CHRIST JESUS on humanity. Apollos, who was already well versed about CHRIST and baptism with water, needed to be informed about baptism with the HOLY SPIRIT.
    In Romans 16:3-5, Paul sends greetings to this intriguing couple who had made their way back to Rome, and had opened up, yet another House Church in their home there. Also, in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, written a couple of years earlier, he informed us that they were back in Corinth, where they were operating, still another House Church, from their home (1 Corinthians 16:19). And then finally, in Paul’s second letter to Timothy, his last known written communication, he tells us that Priscilla and Aquila have set up house, once again, in the large port city of Ephesus (2 Timothy 4:19).
    However, it doesn’t really seem to matter, where, we find this intriguing couple, whenever, and wherever we do run across them, we always seem to find their home to be a place of Christian fellowship and service. Every home, in essence, should be a Christian Church, a place where, perhaps, JESUS could come any time to stay for a while. And for Priscilla and Aquila, wherever we find them, their home always seemed to radiate Christian friendship, fellowship, and love.
    Oftentimes we humanly look at home as being a place where we go to shut the world out. However, we need to always remember that, equally, our homes should be a place with an open door (Romans 12:13 & 1 Peter 4:9). We should always keep in mind that, an open door, along with an open heart, and an open hand, are three of the key characteristics in the Christian Faith.
    And so, we can see that, despite Priscilla and Aquila having appeared to always have lived a nomadic life, for them, working for the LORD in this manner, was a way of life. “Upon this rock (concept), I will build MY Church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it”. That is what JESUS said to Peter in Matthew 16:18 (KJV).
    And, even though, we, as Christians, may never organize our churches in the same way, nor, may never worship GOD in the same way, and we in fact, may never even believe in precisely the same things about Christianity. However, “Christian unity”, can and will, transcend all these differences, and bring GOD’s people together in fellowship and love.
    It is the kind of unity that JESUS prayed about in John 17, and, the kind of unity that Paul wrote about, to the Churches in all of his doctrinal letters. It is a unity, not born, of bricks and mortar, but rather, it is a unity of personal relationships, not unlike the one we’ve already seen between the FATHER and the SON, as an example to us, for all times.

A Sunday school lesson by,
Larry D. Alexander





                                 
LARRY D. ALEXANDER- Official Website



 


Friday, November 20, 2015

WEEKLY SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
An international Sunday school lesson commentary
For Sunday November 22, 2015

Over 89,000 readers worldwide
larrydalexander.blogspot.com

TURNING THE WORLD UPSIDE DOWN
(Teaching and learning Scriptures leads us to joy in the LORD)
(Acts 17)

   Thessalonica was a city of some 200,000 residents that was located about 100 miles from Caesarea Philippi, along the major stretch of Roman highway known as the “Egnatian Way”. In fact, the main street through Thessalonica was actually a part of that road.  This bustling city had a very large Jewish population, and also, had a Jewish synagogue there that was used for their worship services.
    After having to leave Caesarea Philippi under duress, Paul, Silas, and Timothy made this long journey to Thessalonica, and began to look for other opportunities to preach JESUS. Whenever Paul arrived in a city that contained a Jewish synagogue, he would always go there first, to preach to the congregation that was already there worshiping. This occasion was no different, and, keeping in line with that custom, he went into the synagogue and taught about JESUS for three Sabbaths in a row.   
    Many of the Jews who worshiped under the banner of “Judaism”, and the “GOD-fearers”, those Greek men and women who worshiped the GOD of Israel, as a result of Paul’s and Silas’ preaching, were immediately drawn to the Christian doctrine and were converted to include CHRIST in their worship.
    This angered the, already jealous, Jewish leaders, and they, as a result, went out into the streets and stirred up a mob of unsavory fellows to strike against Paul and Silas. They attacked the house of Jason, the person, whom Paul and Silas were residing with while in Thessalonica, but did not find them. Not being able to find Paul and Silas, they dragged Jason out, along with some other believers instead. Jason and the others were then charged with treason, and later released after posting bail.
    That same night, Paul and Silas left town and headed for Berea, about 60 miles away. There, they found the people of Berea a lot more receptive to their message. In fact, they became avid listeners, and also, searched the Scriptures each day to prove the correctness of Paul and Silas’ teachings.
    After seeing the truth of the men’s teachings, many in Berea were converted to Christianity, including some prominent Gentile men and women of the city. However, when the Jews in Thessalonica got wind of Paul and Silas’ success in Berea, some of them went there immediately to stir up trouble. The believers in Berea came to Paul’s aid and escorted him to Athens. He left Silas and Timothy there in Berea under the protection of some of those believers. When he arrived in Athens, Paul sent the escorts back with a message for Silas and Timothy to join him there as soon as possible.
    While waiting in Athens for the arrival of Silas and Timothy, Paul became deeply disturbed by all the idols that he saw throughout the city of Athens. He then went into the synagogue to debate with the Jews and the GOD-fearing Gentiles, and he spoke daily in the public square to all who happened to be there, and were willing to listen.
    While speaking in the town square one day, he got an opportunity to debate with some of the “Epicureans” and “Stoics”, who were two of the main religious philosophical groups in town. The Epicureans were a group that believed that everything happened by chance, and that the gods cared nothing about this distant world of ours. They believed that when a person dies, that was it, and nothing else would happen after that. They also believed that a man’s pleasure in life should be his ultimate objective.
    The Stoics, on the other hand, believed that everything was God, both spirit, and matter, and, that every person had a small piece of that spirit in them. They believed that that spirit would return to God once a person died. The Stoics also believed that, periodically, the world would be destroyed by fire, and then, GOD would start all over again, repeating the same cycle.
    And so, when Paul told them about JESUS, they scoffed at him and tried to dismiss him as a babbler who had picked up some strange ideas, or, foreign religion. They then took Paul down to the Council at “Areopagus”, or “Mars Hill” to stand before their Council, and to tell them more about his strange doctrine (Acts 17:19).
    In verse 22, we find Paul standing in the midst the Areopagus, where he is about to deliver a brilliant six-point sermon to this idol worshiping, superstitious group of pagans. Here in verse 22, as expressed in the original Greek, the word Paul uses for “superstitious” is “deisidaimonesteros” (dice-ee-dahee-mon-es-ter-os), and “it describes one who is religiously superstitious, or much more paranoid than others, and in fact, actually, faithless”.
    While walking along in Athens, Paul had noticed an altar that was inscribed with the words, “To the unknown GOD”. He then brilliantly uses this altar as a base, or beginning point for his sermon (verse 23). In order to make his teaching the most effective, a great teacher always finds a way to meet the person or people where they are in their thinking.
Here Paul decided to meet the Council where they were in their thinking, and so he uses their own “alter to an unknown god” to show them the GOD of Heaven, WHOM they did not know.
    Paul’s first point is that GOD is the CREATOR, not the “created” like their idols are (verse 24). Paul’s second point is that GOD is the “GREAT PROVIDER” (verse 25).  Thirdly Paul says, that, not only is GOD the “CREATOR” of man, GOD is also the “ORCHESTRATOR and CONTROLLER”, of all men’s lives (verse 26).
    Paul’s fourth point illustrates how GOD has placed a hunger and thirst inside of each of us, innately from birth, and the only way to satisfy that hunger or thirst, is by seeking, and ultimately finding HIM. He tells them that even their own respected poet says that “We are the offspring” of this unknown GOD, and so, if that is true, we shouldn’t think of this GOD as an idol designed by craftsmen. It is in HIM that we live and move and exist, and it is only for HIS purpose, that we were ever created in the first place (verse 27-28).
    The Fifth and final point Paul raises to the group is that, GOD will no longer overlook our ignorance in building idols, and HE has set a day of judgment for all men. Paul closes out his speech by telling them about JESUS, WHOM, GOD has appointed to be that judge. Furthermore, GOD has shown every one of us just WHO that MAN is by raising CHRIST JESUS from the dead.
    When they heard Paul speak of the resurrection, some laughed, but still, there were others who wanted to hear more. And some even joined him and became believers that day. One of those who joined, a man named Dionysius, had been a member of the very Areopagus that Paul was preaching to that day. And so you see, Paul had brilliantly used their own monument to the unknown god, to show them the real GOD, WHOM they did not know.
    For Paul, Silas, Timothy, and Luke, and even Barnabas and John Mark, who had gone in the other direction, the “Christian Journey” was filled with ups and downs, assaults and persecutions, people who listened, and those who mocked, those who joined the struggle, and those who dropped out due to their love of the things of this world.
    It is still that way now, all along anyone’s Christian journey, and it was that very same way for CHRIST, WHO showed us how it was to be done. We must continue to move along on our Christian journey and never waver from the trials and tribulations that we encounter. And we must always remember that we do not set out on this journey alone, but rather, we are always accompanied by, and equipped with, the power of THE ALMIGHTY GOD, through JESUS CHRIST, and the HOLY SPIRIT. 

A Sunday school lesson by,
Larry D. Alexander





                                 
LARRY D. ALEXANDER- Official Website






Friday, November 13, 2015

WEEKLY SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
An international Sunday school lesson commentary
For Sunday November 15, 2015

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FROM DERBY TO PHILIPPI
(Taking the Gospel across social and cultural barriers)
(Acts 16:1-15)

   Acts 16:1-15 chronicles the story of the beginning of the Apostle Paul’s second missionary journey, which for the first time, would lead him into Europe. Along with Silas, and later, Timothy and Luke, Paul travels into the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia, which, at that time (around A.D. 50), was a province of the Roman Empire. The men had persistently tried to go north, deeper into the peninsula of Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey), but the SPIRIT OF JESUS, by way of some unexplained methods, had not allowed them to enter at that time.
    With the issue of the basis of “Gentile inclusion into the Church” now officially settled at the Acts 15 council, Paul, sets out with Silas, who had replaced Barnabas on this second missionary journey. Paul and Barnabas had split after a disagreement concerning Barnabas’ cousin John Mark. Paul had become disappointed with John Mark, because he abandoned them on their first missionary journey, while at Perga of Pamphylia (Acts 13:13).
    Barnabas and John Mark had already set sail for Barnabas’ homeland, the island of Cyprus, to begin working their second missionary trip there. Meanwhile, Paul and Silas make their first stop in Derbe, and then, move on to Lystra, the home of Timothy, where Paul had preached on the first missionary journey, and was stoned by an angry mob and left for dead.
    The people of Lystra had thought that Paul and Barnabas were the Greek gods “Hermes” and “Zeus” after they had healed a cripple man there in their city. However, some Jews came down later from Antioch and Iconium, and they turned the people against Paul and Barnabas, causing them to have to flee to Derbe (Acts 14:8-19).
    While in Lystra, they meet the young Disciple Timothy, whose mother was a Jewish believer, but whose father was a Greek. Timothy was well respected by the believers in both Lystra and Iconium, and so Paul asked him to join them on their mission. Out of respect for the opinion of the Jews in that area who knew Timothy’s father was a Greek, Paul arranged for Timothy to be circumcised before they left. The three men then traveled from town to town explaining the decision made by the Apostles and Elders at Jerusalem during the Acts 15 council, that, “Gentiles did not have to be circumcised to become Christians”.
    Next, Paul, Silas, and Timothy traveled through the area of Phrygia and Galatia, as the HOLY SPIRIT still would not let them go any farther into Asia Minor, at that time. They traveled instead, on to Mysia, and again, tried to go north, this time, into Bithynia, however, the SPIRIT OF JESUS compelled them, instead, into the city of Troas. It is here that the author of GOD, Luke, joins the journey, and it is also there that GOD shows Paul a vision, telling him to go to Macedonia (Europe) and preach the Gospel there.
    So they boarded a boat and sailed from Troas to the island of Samothrace. There they spent the night, and, the following day, they sailed on and landed in the port city of Neapolis. They then went to the neighboring major city of Philippi, a Roman colony at that time, in the district of Macedonia, and there, they abided for three days.
    On the Sabbath, they went down to the riverbank, where the people who were worshipers of GOD met to pray. They sat down to talk to some of the women who had come together there. One of them, Lydia of Thyatira, who was a merchant of expensive purple cloth, and a devout worshiper of GOD, listened intently and opened up her heart to what Paul and his companions were saying about CHRIST.
    Lydia soon accepted what Paul and his crew were saying about CHRIST, and she was baptized, along with other members of her family. Lydia then insisted that Paul and his entourage come to her house as her special guests. She and her family had, that day, become the first Europeans in recorded Scripture to accept CHRIST into their lives, and this was truly a cause for celebration.
    And so we see, at a time when it seemed that all doors were being shut to Paul and his companions, it turns out that GOD, in HIS infinite wisdom, had something much greater in store for those who were willing to work according to HIS will. It must have seemed strange to Paul, being blocked from the Roman province of Asia by the HOLY SPIRIT, but no one can ever know and understand the eternal plan of GOD. Ironically, as history would have it, Asia Minor would become the place that was to contain all of the recipients of the letters to the seven churches mentioned in the Book of Revelation by the Apostle John.
    Paul and his entourage were then compelled to go the route of Alexander the great, a pagan king, whom GOD had used some 400 years earlier to spread the Greek language and culture all over world. HE had, by doing so set the stage for the writing of the New Testament, of which Paul himself would be its most prolific writer. The world had also already seen the translation of the Old Testament Hebrew Scriptures, into what then had became, the universal Greek language of the “Septuagint” (the Greek version of the Old Testament) at Alexandria over 200 years earlier.
    Paul, Silas, Luke, and Timothy all believed in the sovereignty of GOD over all things, and we can see, quite vividly, throughout the Book of Acts, just how that belief impacted their everyday life and travels. And as for the Thyatiran woman, Lydia, and her family, they, in a very special sense, had become immortalized through their faith and belief in CHRIST. They will forever be remembered as being the first European family to accept our LORD and SAVIOR. And her first act as a Christian was, ironically, to invite other Christian people into her home. It is the kind of human action that CHRIST had just a few years earlier, commanded us to perform.
    Before we can offer our love, charity, and ministry to people who come into our Church, we must first be able to offer that same love, charity, and ministry to people who come into our homes. Oftentimes we look at home as a place where we go to shut the world out, but equally, it should be a place with an open door. The effectiveness of our ministry at church is always predicated upon the life we live at home. The way to a changed home, church, job, and life, has always been, through a changed heart.

A Sunday school lesson by,
Larry D. Alexander





                                 
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