Greeting Members and Friends
It time once again for our weekly Sunday School preview so thanks for joining me and welcome back. The Winter Quarter entitled “Faith In Action” explores faith as both belief and action. The December unit in the Quarter is entitled “The Early Church Proclaims Faith in Christ” and it reveals what the early leaders proclaimed about living our faith in Christ. This Sunday’s lesson is entitled “Faith to Persevere”.
Perseverance is the ability to continue with a mission, goal or task in the face of resistance. Perseverance is another key component of faith. Perseverance does not allow believers to give up and abandon their faith despite many factors that may encourage them to do so. As we said last week, since we walk by faith and not by sight, it is important to have the ability to continue on even when we can’t see the next step or phase of our journey. Today’s lesson allows us to see perseverance in action as Paul and Barnabas encounter stiff resistance to their efforts to preach and teach the gospel of Jesus Christ on their first missionary journey. The resistance proved too much for Mark as he departed and left them to return to Antioch.
Prior to coming to Lystra, they had been run out of two cities for preaching and teaching the gospel. When they arrived in the next city called Lystra, Paul encountered a man who had been lame since birth who Paul discerned had faith to be healed. When the people saw that Paul had led this man to his healing, they thought Paul and Barnabas were gods and were about to make a sacrifice for them. But they quickly explained to them that they were mere men and that this man was healed to help them turn away from idols and believe in the living God.
After that, Jews from the previous cities who were responsible for running the apostles out of those cities came to Lystra and nearly stoned Paul to death leaving him for dead outside the city. But Paul recovered and he and Barnabas went to another city and preached there. Then they went back to all the places they had gone to encourage those who had believed not to give up and then they returned to Antioch where they had started. So, despite being met with hostility, they persevered from town to town and city to city until their journey was completed.
Our journey won’t be completed until we draw out last breath on this earth. “Be faithful until death” the Lord says and He will give us a crown of life. This type of faithfulness requires determined perseverance to never give up and never quit. You can get a better understanding of this lesson by reading the daily SS readings found in your SS book which can also be accessed through our website and mobile app. Well, that’s all for this week’s preview. Be sure to join us in Sunday School this week for a fuller discussion of this lesson and the general topic of Faith In Action. So, until then
Grace and peace
Pastor Jordan
