Lesson 31 - And So Churches Were Established in the Faith

Purpose
To help class members learn from Paul’s teachings about how to share the gospel and how to live as Saints.

Read, ponder, and pray about the following scriptures:

a. Acts 15:36–41; 16; 17:1–15; 18:1–22. After the dispute over Gentile converts and the law of Moses is resolved, Paul and Barnabas prepare for their second missionary journey. They disagree over a missionary companion and decide to separate. Paul takes Silas and Timothy and begins missionary labors in Macedonia and Greece. They are frequently persecuted but convert many people.

b. Acts 17:16–34. Paul visits Athens and sees the whole city taken in idolatry. He testifies to the Athenian philosophers and preaches on Mars’ Hill about the nature of God, the unity of people as offspring of God, and the Resurrection.

c. 1 Thessalonians and 2 Thessalonians. Paul writes two letters to the Saints in Thessalonica, a city in Macedonia. He counsels them about sharing the gospel, preparing for the Second Coming, and living as Saints.

2. Additional reading: 1 Corinthians 2:4–5, 10–13; Bible Dictionary, “Pauline Epistles: Epistles to the Thessalonians,” 743.

Lesson

1. Paul, Silas, and Timothy preach throughout Macedonia and Greece.

Read Acts 15:36–41; 16; 17:1–15; 18:1–22. Read selected verses. The book of Acts was written by Luke. He apparently traveled with Paul on some of Paul’s missionary journeys, because he often uses the word we when referring to the actions of Paul and his missionary companions (Acts 16:10).

• During his second missionary journey, Paul preached in many Macedonian and Greek cities, including Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, Corinth, and Athens. (Point out these cities on the map.) How did the Spirit direct Paul and his companions during the journey? (See Acts 16:6–10; 18:9–11.) How has the Spirit directed your efforts to serve the Lord?

• The scriptures record that Lydia heard and believed Paul’s words because the Lord had opened her heart (Acts 16:14–15). Why is an “open heart” necessary for conversion to the gospel? (See Mosiah 2:9; D&C 64:34.) Think about experiences when the Lord has opened your heart (or the heart of someone you know) to the gospel.

• Why were Paul and his companions imprisoned in Philippi? (See Acts 16:16–24.) How were they freed? (See Acts 16:25–26.) How did they use this experience as a missionary opportunity? (See Acts 16:27–34.) What are some other examples, from Church history or your own life, where good has come out of persecution?

• What did Paul teach the people in Thessalonica when he spent three Sabbaths in the synagogue with them? (See Acts 17:1–3.) What were the results of Paul’s teachings in Thessalonica? (See Acts 17:4–10.)

• How did the people in the synagogue in Berea receive Paul’s teachings? (See Acts 17:10–12.) How can we develop a “readiness of mind” for learning the gospel?

2. Paul preaches on Mars’ Hill to the Athenian philosophers.

Read selected verses from Acts 17:16–34. Explain that after Paul left Berea, he came to Athens, which was then a center of world culture. Philosophers there viewed God as an abstract being or power, rather than as the literal Father of our spirits. They worshiped God’s creations rather than God himself. They replaced revelation with reason and debate, valuing the wisdom of men more than the truths of God.

• The philosophers in Athens “spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing” (Acts 17:21). How is this tendency evident today? What dangers could there be in always seeking “some new thing”?

• What did Paul teach the Athenians about God? (See Acts 17:22–31; see also the Joseph Smith Translation of Acts 17:27 in footnote 27b.) Why is it important to know that “we are [God’s] offspring”? (Acts 17:28). How does an understanding of God’s true nature and his role as our Father help us love and worship him?

• Paul countered the philosophers’ reason and logic with a sincere witness of God, our Father. In teaching the gospel, why is a sincere testimony more convincing than logic and reason? (See 1 Corinthians 2:4–5, 10–13.)

• Why did the philosophers listen to Paul? (See Acts 17:18–21.) How do you think this motive affected their response to Paul’s message? (See Acts 17:32–33.) How can we prepare ourselves to hear and understand the words of Church leaders?

3. Paul writes letters of counsel to the Saints in Thessalonica.

Read and discuss selected verses from 1 Thessalonians and 2 Thessalonians.

• Paul was concerned about the Saints in Thessalonica but was unable to return to visit them, so he sent Timothy (1 Thessalonians 2:17–18; 3:1–2, 5–7). After Timothy’s return, Paul wrote two letters giving counsel and encouragement to the Thessalonian Saints. What can we learn from Paul’s efforts in behalf of new members of the Church?

• What does Paul teach in 1 Thessalonians 1:5 and 1 Thessalonians 2:2–12 about how to teach the gospel to others? (List class members’ responses on the chalkboard.) How has following these principles helped you teach the gospel?

• What concerns of the Thessalonian Saints are reflected in Paul’s explanations of the Second Coming? (See 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18; 5:1–3.) What did Paul tell the Thessalonians would happen before the Second Coming? (See 2 Thessalonians 2:1–4.) How was this prophecy fulfilled? (See D&C 1:15–16; 112:23; Joseph Smith—History 1:19.)

• What did Paul tell the Thessalonian Saints they should do to prepare for the Second Coming? (See 1 Thessalonians 5:4–8.) What should we do to prepare for the Second Coming?

• What counsel did Paul give the Thessalonians about living as Saints? (See 1 Thessalonians 4:9–12; 5:11–22.) List responses. As the Spirit directs, ponder some of the points of counsel you have listed. Think about how we can more fully follow the counsel and how we are blessed as we do so.

Conclusion

We bear witness of the truths Paul taught about the qualities that successful missionaries and compassionate Latter-day Saints should possess. Seek to develop these qualities so they can help prepare yourselves and others for the Lord’s Second Coming.