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The Sabbath School

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Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Dec 16, 1897

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 23, No. 49.

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The Sabbath School

International Series.

LESSON II.—SABBATH, JANUARY 8, 1898.

THE CONFERENCE AT JERUSALEM.

Lesson Scripture, Acts 14:23 to 15:12, R. V.
23 "And when they had appointed for them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them 24 to the Lord, on whom they had believed. And they passed 25 through Pisidia, and came to Pamphylia. And when they had 26 spoken the Word in Perga, they went down to Attalia; and thence they sailed to Antioch, from whence they had been committed to the grace of God for the work which they had fulfilled. And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all things that God had done with them, and how that he had opened a door of faith unto 28 the Gentiles. And they tarried no little time with the disciples.
1 "And certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, saying, Except ye be circumcised after the custom of 2 Moses, ye can not be saved. And when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and questioning with them, the brethren appointed that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders 3 about this question. They therefore, being brought on their way by the church, passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the Gentiles; and they 4 caused great joy unto all the brethren. And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church and the apostles and the elders, and they rehearsed all things that God 5 had done with them. But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees who believed, saying, It is needful to circumcise them, and to charge them to keep the law of Moses.
6 "And the apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider of this matter. And when there had been much questioning, Peter rose up, and said unto them,
"Brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear 8 the Word of the Gospel, and believe. And God, which knoweth 9 the heart, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; and he made no distinction between us 10 and them, cleansing their hearts by faith. Now therefore why 11 tempt ye God, that ye should put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? But we believe that we shall be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in like manner as they.
12 "And all the multitude kept silence; and they hearkened unto Barnabas and Paul rehearsing what signs and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles by them."

QUESTIONS.

1. Name in their order the places in which Paul and Barnabas labored after they were sent out together, up to the point where the last lesson left them.
2. What did they do for every congregation of believers? In whose care did they leave them? Acts 14:23.
3. Describe the course which the apostles took back to Antioch. Verses 24-26.
4. What testimony is given to the faithfulness of their labors? Verse 26.
5. When they arrived in Antioch, what did they do? Verse 27.
6. Where did they continue to labor? Verse 28.
7. Who came to Antioch while Paul and Barnabas were there? From what place did they come? What did they begin to teach the brethren? Chapter 15:1.
8. How did Paul and Barnabas regard their teaching? What did the brethren finally decide? Verse 2.
9. What is said of the journey to Jerusalem? What did the apostles do on the way? With what result? Verse 3.
10. How were they received at Jerusalem? What did they do there? Verse 4.
11. Who offered objections? What did they say was necessary? Verse 5.
12. What did the apostles and elders therefore do? Verse 6.
13. What was the nature of the meeting at the first? Who afterwards gave important testimony? To what did Peter first refer? For what had God a long time before chosen Peter? Verse 7.
14. What did God do as the Gentiles believed? What had he given them? Verse 8.
15. How had God treated the Gentiles as compared with the Jews? (What does God know which caused him to treat them thus? Verse 8.) What did he do for their hearts? How did he purify them? Verse 9.
16. What question did Peter therefore put to the assembly? In what way could they tempt God? Verse 10.
17. What did Peter say that he believed would be accomplished by the grace of God? Verse 11.
18. To whom did the assembly then give attention? What did Barnabas and Paul declare? Verse 12.

NOTES AND QUESTIONS.

1. "Certain men came down from Judea." Were these brethren representatives of the believers in Judea? See verse 24, especially in the Revised Version. What kind of men were they? Compare Gal. 2:4. What did these false brethren say was necessary? For what purpose did they claim that circumcision was necessary? Were they preaching salvation by faith or by works? What were they in reality teaching and doing? Gal. 1:6, 7; 2:4. "Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them." Why was this? Gal. 2:5.
2. The brethren "determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem." Was it in consequence of this decision of the brethren that Paul went up to Jerusalem at this time? See Gal. 2:2. Who was one of the brethren who accompanied Paul? Gal. 2:1.
3. As they went they declared "the conversion of the Gentiles; and they caused great joy unto all the brethren." Note that instead of dwelling on the new opposition that had arisen, they proclaimed "good tidings of great joy." "God, which knoweth the hearts, . . . put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith." What can we learn from this as to the nature of the controversy? What all-important question was involved?