FAITH QUEST

Workshop Leaders’ Bible Study

This workshop leader’s Bible study is a historical, theological, and contextual introduction to the Paul on the Road to Damascus rotation of Kirk of Kildaire’s Faith Quest workshop rotation program. It is intended to provide workshop leaders with:

· A historical context for understanding the Bible story.

· A Biblical context for reading and teaching the story.

· The theological basis for the concepts to be taught to the children.

In Kirk of Kildaire’s Faith Quest program, workshop leaders attend a one-hour Bible study two weeks prior to the start of a new rotation. This Bible study helps workshop leaders understand how the concepts to be taught to the children are derived from the Bible story and how the lessons in the rotation fit together to reinforce the concepts. It also provides an opportunity for the workshop leaders to grow in their own faith and understanding of the Bible.

It will be helpful to have a chalkboard, whiteboard, or flip chart for writing down questions or observations during the Bible study.

Note: This is not a comprehensive study of the text, but only a few notes to help provide context and background for workshop leaders. Consult titles cited in the reference list at the end of these notes for more information.

Scripture: Acts 9:1-20

Memory verse for this rotation:

“Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The past is forgotten, and everything is new.” II Corinthians 5:17 (CEV)

Concepts:

• We meet God through Jesus.
• Jesus changes people who accept him.
• When Jesus changes us, he calls us to do God’s work.
• Once Jesus changes us, the church teaches us how to be disciples.
• God can change enemies into friends.

Prayer Concerns & Prayer

· If workshop leaders do not know each other, give them an opportunity to introduce each other and say which workshop they will be leading.

· Begin the Bible study by praying for God’s guidance as teachers begin a new rotation.

Reading the text

Ask a workshop leader to read the text aloud. Since this rotation focuses on an entire chapter, you might want to divide the reading among three or four workshop leaders.

Ask the workshop leaders what questions came to mind as they heard the story or read it before the Bible study. Write down any questions that arise and will need to be answered during the Bible study.

Historical, Theological, and Biblical Contexts

ACTS

Overview

In the book of Acts we find the “story of the church’s beginnings” (Wall, 3). The book is considered to be the second volume following the Gospel of Luke and is attributed to the same author. Luke is believed to have been an educated Greek who may even have been a traveling companion of Paul’s. The book was most likely written sometime between 70 and 100 AD (Willimon, 1).

Genre

Acts has aspects of many genres – history, biography, homily and apology – and so “is best regarded under the general category of theological narrative” (Gaventa, 2056). Acts is a story that proclaims to its readers the mighty acts of God in the life of the church and in the life of Christ’s disciples.

Structure

In his commentary Will Willimon offers the following outline of Acts:

1:1-26 Prologue

2:1-9:43 Part One: Witness in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria

10:1-19:20 Part Two: Witness to the Gentiles

19:21-28:31 Part Three: The Final Journey

Themes

The theological themes of Acts are woven into a “master story about what God has done to bring salvation to the world.” The “themes are introduced into Acts by the story of the first Pentecostal outpouring of the Holy Spirit and are then developed within the rest of Acts” (Wall, 18). The following themes offer an outline of this master story:

• “God . . . has a plan of salvation disclosed in Israel’s scriptures” (Wall, 18). While elaborating on this idea Wall goes on to say that “Acts is underwritten by a faithful God who works through an empowered church to fulfill promises made both to Israel and to all ‘the families of the earth’ (3:25)” (18).
• “Jesus of Nazareth is God’s Messiah, the only Savior, who realizes God’s redemptive purpose as attested by his prophetic ministry and resurrection” (Wall, 20). God is sovereign and directs events to fulfill God’s plans for the world. Jesus is the One appointed by God to be the Savior who brings about these plans (Wall, 20).
• “All who repent and call upon the living Jesus will be saved, the Jew first and also the Gentile. . . . Indeed, the common identifying mark of all who belong to Jesus is their positive response to the saving call of God issued in the proclamation of the gospel and their reception of the Holy Spirit” (Wall, 21).
• “Those who repent and belong to the Lord Jesus Christ receive the Holy Spirit and are initiated into a community of goods” (Wall, 22). The Spirit empowers Jesus’ followers for their mission to the world. The community then “bears witness in the manner of its life together” to the experience of being saved in Christ and having received the Spirit (Wall, 23).
• “The community’s resurrection hope during the last days is for the return of Jesus and the promised season of universal restoration he will fulfill” (Wall, 24).

Acts 9:1-19a

Overview

An examination of the passages surrounding this story of Paul’s conversion reveals that the story “fits within a larger context of concern over dramatic conversions” (Willimon, 73). We are told of the conversions of Samaritans, Ethiopians, Saul, and Cornelius. There are three separate accounts of Saul/Paul’s conversion in Acts. The others are found in 22:3-16 and 26:4-23 and are recounted by Paul himself. According to Robert Wall “Acts is more interested in Saul’s calling than in his conversion, since it provides the impetus of his mission and the foundation of his future authority in the church (149).

Interesting Words/Phrases/Ideas

V. 1-2

• Saul/Paul (Hebrew/Latin) is the enemy of the church.
• The Way is probably the earliest name for the church (Willimon, 77).
• Damascus – A city about “135 miles to the north of Jerusalem. It was known for its former glory and for its role as strategic commercial center for the Roman Empire. Several important trade routes passed through Damascus, including the ‘Great North Road’ on which Saul was traveling.” Reportedly “home to a large population of Jews” (Wall, 150).

V. 3-4

• Saul’s vision has “several features often associated with divine appearances and commissions: light, falling to the ground, the use of the double vocative as in ‘Saul, Saul’” (Gaventa, 2074).
• “Saul, Saul” is reminiscent of God speaking to others in Scripture: Abraham (Gen 22:11), Jacob (Gen. 46:2), Moses (Exodus 3:4) (Willimon, 75).
• Persecute – if you persecute Jesus’ followers, you persecute Jesus
• Wall believes that Jesus’s intent in appearing to Saul was to reveal a plan. “The primary purpose of visionary episodes in Acts is not to convert non-believers – gospel preaching performs this role – but to commission prophets to missionary tasks” (150).

V. 5-6

• Lord – a greeting like sir, not as in The Lord
• Saul’s conversion is a call story – Jesus has a job for Saul and this job is the whole reason for this encounter and for the story being told to us. (verse 6 is a turning point (Willimon, 76)).
• Jesus is alive and appearing to Saul

V. 7

• The other people with Saul are confused by what is happening – they here the voice but see no one. Willimon points out that conversion is a personal experience that often leaves those around us confused and uncertain (76).

V. 8-9

• Saul is now weak and blind and must be led by others
• Saul fasts for three days. “Saul’s condition is physical confirmation that a vision occurred” and the ‘three days’ of abstinence nicely symbolizes Saul’s conversion to the resurrected Jesus” (Wall, 151).

V. 10-14

• Ananias is an ordinary disciple being used by God. He knows of Saul and fears him, yet does as he is instructed.

V. 15-16

• Saul is an instrument God has chosen for a specific mission (Willimon, 76-77)
• Saul will suffer personally in his role as missionary and prophet

V. 17-19a

• Ananias lays hands on Saul and calls him Brother. “Ananias’ gesture connotes the community’s confirmation of his salvation and vocation” (Wall, 152).
• Saul is baptized and receives the Holy Spirit. He regains his sight and strength.

Themes

How are the overall themes identified above addressed specifically in this passage?

• God has a plan of salvation disclosed in Israel’s scriptures: Paul is part of this plan and has a specific calling.
• “Jesus of Nazareth is God’s Messiah, the only Savior, who realizes God’s redemptive purpose as attested by his prophetic ministry and resurrection”: It is the Risen Jesus who appears to Paul.
• All who repent and call upon the living Jesus will be saved, the Jew first and also the Gentile: Paul turns to Jesus and accepts him – he does not convert from one religion to another (Wall, 149).
• Those who repent and belong to the Lord Jesus Christ receive the Holy Spirit and are initiated into a community of goods: Paul is met by Ananias, receives the Holy Spirit and begins an important mission.
• “The community’s resurrection hope during the last days is for the return of Jesus and the promised season of universal restoration he will fulfill”:

Workshop Summaries

Ask each workshop leader to summarize his or her workshop. As they do so, point out the concepts that each lesson reinforces. Ask workshop leaders if they have any questions about the logistics or practical application of their lesson.

Antioch Arcade: In Antioch Arcade the children will hear the story of Paul’s conversion as the ideas of change emphasized with a small science experiment. They will play a life-sized board game that will reinforce their knowledge of the story’s details. Finally, they will discuss the fact that Jesus changes us when we accept him and will focus on the concept of how the church teaches us to be disciples.

Apostles’ Playhouse: The children will learn about how Paul was changed on the inside by Jesus – he looked the same but believed and behaved in new ways. They will then explore through role playing ways that the church helps us do God’s work.

Creation Station: After hearing the story of Paul’s conversion, the children will create pastel pictures depicting the dramatic event. They will discuss how Paul was changed by his encounter with Jesus and how he became a friend of Jesus and the church instead of an enemy.

Good News: The children will draw journey maps that show paths that lead to Jesus as well as obstacles that take us away from him. They will talk about ways that their life or other’s lives might have been changed by God or by certain experiences.

Holywood: The children will review the lesson and the concepts by viewing a video that tells the story of Paul’s conversion. They will learn that Jesus can change people and that God calls us to use our talents to do good things.

Praising Puppets: The children will perform a play in which Paul is teaching others about his conversion experience while facing arrest. They will talk about how Jesus changes people who accept him and then prepares them to do work for God. They will learn about work that they can do themselves for God.

Review Questions

Return to the questions that were gathered at the start of the hour. Have they been answered? Are there any further questions about the Bible story or about the lessons?

Closing Prayer

Close the Bible study with a prayer.

References

Gaventa, Beverly Roberts. “Acts” The HarperCollins Study Bible NRSV.

Wayne A. Meeks et al. editors. (New York, HarperCollins Publishers, 1993).

Wall, Robert W. “Acts of the Apostles.” The New Interpreter’s Bible, vol. X. Leander Keck, et al. editors. (Nashville, Abingdon Press, 2002). (pp.3-36 and 146-155).

Willimon, William H. “Acts.” Interpretation. James Luther Mays, et al. editors. (Louisville, John Knox Press, 1988). (pp. 1-17 and 73-80).