Church-Lesson-09

THE FIRST-CENTURY CHURCH
Based on the Book, Acts of the Apostles

LESSON NINE

DAY ONE:

Chapter 18-cont., c. AD 54

Paul's Third Missionary Trip*

VS. 24-26�� While Paul was reporting to the elders in Antioch who had sent him to be a missionary, a man named ___________________ arrived in Ephesus.� He had a thorough knowledge of the ________________, but only knew the baptism of John the Baptist.� Who taught him in their home "the rest of the story"?� ________________________________ and __________________________________________.

VERSE 28�� How do we know he then became a Christian? ___ __________________________________________

Chapter 19

VS. 1-3�� When Paul arrived back in Ephesus, he found people who did not know there was a ___________ _________________________________.�

VERSE 4�� What was the difference in John's baptism and Jesus' baptism?� (For help, refer back to Acts 2:38, the first gospel sermon.) ______________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________

VERSE 6�� Once again, because the New Testament was not written yet, people sometimes needed external proofs.� In this case, they needed to see evidence there was a __________ ______________.� So Paul "laid his hands on them" (something the Apostles seem to have always done when imparting special spiritual gifts), and they did what?

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�� NOTE:� The word here for "tongues" in Greek is the same word glossaia as used to describe what the Apostles did on the Day of Pentecost at which time everyone heard in their own language (see Acts 2:4).

DAY TWO:

VS 8-10�� At first, Paul set up a class in the local synagogue which lasted ____________ months.� But when kicked out of there, he set up another on in a lecture hall that lasted ________ _____________________.�

VERSE 11�� Were the miracles performed by the twelve men who were received the Holy Spirit through Paul?� ________________________________

VERSE 19�� Eventually there was a big book burning, the value of the books coming to ___________ drachmas.

�� NOTE:� A drachmas was worth a day's wages.� That would be 137 years worth of wages burned in books that day.

VS. 24-27�� A silversmith named _________________________ complained Paul was ruining their business because he preached that the statues they made were _______________________________________________.

��

�� NOTE:� Artemis/Diana was the goddess of love.� In her great temple at Ephesus were thousands of prostitutes

�� through whom men "worshiped" this goddess.� Many people made pilgrimages to Ephesus to see her temple and obtain an authentic idol to take back home with them.

VS. 28-31�� A riot started and ________________ of Paul's companions were pushed into the ampitheatre, much like the colosseum in Rome.

�� b.�� Paul was talked out of going to the ampitheatre by

�� *

DAY THREE:

VERSE 32�� Why did the people think they were at the ampitheatre?� __________________________

VERSE 34�� For how long did they shout "Great is Artemis/Diana of the Ephesians"? ____________________________

VS. 35-41�� How was the city clerk able to break up the riot?� _________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________

Chapter 20, c. AD 57

VERSE 6�� After Paul escaped from Ephesus, he returned to Macedonia, the province in Greece.� Then he sailed from the city of _________________ and arrived at _________________.

�� NOTE:� This city was formerly called Troy, and is the center of the ancient story of Helen of Troy and the Trojan Horse.� In later years it became known as Constantinople, the first central city of Christianity under Constantine.� It was supposedly also the home town of the founder of the city of Rome.

VERSE 7�� What was the primary purpose of their assembly on the first day of the week?� TO _________________ _________________

�� b.�� What else did the early Christians do on the first day of the week?� (See 1 Corinthians 16:2) ______� __________________________________________

�� c.�� What of significance to the church had originally happened on the first day of the week?� (See Luke 24:1-7). __________________________________

�� d.�� Since no other day of the week was significant to the Christians, what other name did it finally go by?� (See Revelation 1:9-10).� _____________________

�� THOUGHT QUESTION:� In the Old Testament Law of Moses, God said, "Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy" (Deuteronomy 5:12-14).� Which Sabbath Day did he mean?� The early Christians "broke bread" on THE first day of the week.� Which first day of the week was it?

�

VS. 7-12�� During Paul's sermon, what happened to Eutychus?� __________________________________________

�� b.�� Who raised him from the dead?� An ordinary Christian or an Apostle?� _____________________

DAY FIVE:

VERSE 17�� Then Paul set sail for Jerusalem, and at a seaport, sent for the elders of the church in what city?� _________________________________

VS. 22-23�� Paul admitted to the elders he knew what awaited him in Jerusalem?

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VERSE 25�� In fact, Paul was convinced it would ultimately end in his _________________.

VERSE 28�� The elders were to do what and be what to the church?

�� *

VERSE 30�� Paul predicted the first heresy in the church.� It would come "from your own numbers."� Who was he talking to?� _______________________

�� NOTE:� The first heresy in the church occurred when elders of a congregation decided to pick one head elder of their congregation.� Then, elders of several congregations in a city decided to appoint one elder to be head over all the other elders in that city.� At this point, they decided to call this elder "Bishop," though "elder" and "bishop" refer to the same thing just as Member of Parliament and Senator means the same thing.� (For reading on this, refer to Eusebius' Ecclesiastic History written about 325 AD.� Paul in his letter to Titus explained that elders were to be appointed in every ____________ (Titus 1:5), not over several.

VS. 37-38�� When they prayed, everyone hugged and kissed Paul and ________________ because he said he'd never __________________________________________

���� NOTE:� Paul wrote the church in Ephesus a letter around AD 63 during his first imprisonment in Rome.� It is a fantastic letter explaining why the world was created and how we Christians fit in to the scheme of the spirit world.� In 6:12, Paul said our earthly struggle is not against flesh and blood, but powers of evil in spiritual places.

Chapter 21, c. AD 58

VERSE 4�� As Paul made his way to Jerusalem, his ship stopped in Tyre which is in today's Lebanon.� What did the disciples there tell Paul?� _______________________________________________________________

VERSE 8�� His ship finally stopped in Caesarea where he stayed with a friend, ______________, who was one of the original Seven.� What were the "Seven"?� (See Acts 6:5)� ______________________________________.

VERSE 9�� Philip's daughters did what? ___________________��

�� NOTE:� The word "prophecy" in Greek does not necessarily mean the future, though often a warning of future problems accompanied a commandment of God if that commandment was not heeded..�

�� The "gift of prophecy" �is listed in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10 as one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.� How were these gifts obtained?� Believe it or not, only from Apostles.� Paul, for instance, wrote the Romans (1:11) that he wanted to see them so he could impart some spiritual gift to them.� There is no one listed in the New Testament church who received a spiritual gift apart from the Apostles.

�� Thought Question:� Since the New Testament was not written at this time, why would prophecy be important to the first-century church?

VS. 12-13�� What did the people of Caesarea beg Paul to do? ______________________________

�� b.�� What did Paul reply? ________________________ __________________________________________

* Many more details of this missionary trip are in the lessons on the epistles/letters written by Paul.

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