Lesson Notes By Weeks and Term - Primary 6

WEEK 4&5

SUBJECT: CHRISTIAN RELIGIOUS STUDIES

TERM: 1^ST TERM

CLASS: PRIMARY 6

TOPIC: Paul’s mission

Performance objectives

At the end of this lesson, pupils should be able to:

1 discuss how Paul and Barnabas were selected by the Holy Spirit for missionary work.

2 list the various places Paul preached.

3 name the two major groups of people to whom Paul preached.

4 discuss the importance of missionary work.

Guide to Bible passages

Acts 13:1-3; 51; 14:5-21; 18:1-17.

BUILDING BACKGROUND/CONNECTION TO PRIOR KNOWLEDGE: Pupils are familiar with the topic in their previous classes.

CONTENT OF THE LESSON  

How Paul and Barnabas were selected for missionary work

There was a church at Antioch in Syria. Antioch was the headquarters of Gentile Christians. The believers were first called Christians there.

In the church at Antioch, there were prophets and teachers. Their names were Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who was a member of the court of Herod the Tetrach, and Paul.

One day, while the members were worshipping and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ Then after fasting and praying, the members laid hands on Paul and Barnabas and sent them forth for the work of evangelism. Evangelism among the Gentiles was the work the Holy Spirit said he had called them to do.

Places Paul preached and the people he preached to

When Paul and Barnabas were sent forth, they went to the seaport of Antioch called Seleucia. From the seaport, they sailed to the island of Cyprus.

They started their first missionary work on the Island of Cyprus. The first place Paul and Barnabas preached was called Salamis, on the island of

Cyprus. They also preached at Paphos and probably some other places on the same island. From Paphos, they sailed to Perga in Pamphylia. At Perga, the young man that was with them, called John Mark, left them and went back home to Jerusalem. John Mark was a cousin of Barnabas. From Perga, they went to Antioch of Pisidia.

At Antioch, on a Sabbath day, they preached to both the Jews and the Gentiles in a synagogue. They were asked to come and preach again on the next Sabbath. But the Jews there became jealous when Paul and Barnabas went back. They turned the people against them. As a result, Paul and Barnabas were driven out of the place, but they shook off the dust on their feet as a testimony against the people.

Paul and Barnabas left Antioch and went to Iconium where they preached to both Jews and Gentiles. They converted many people but the Jews from Pisidian Antioch came there and turned the people’s mind against them.

Again, Paul and Barnabas had to leave Iconium for Lystra which was a completely pagan society. At Lystra, there was a man that was crippled from birth. When Paul was preaching, the lame man was listening attentively. Paul healed the man in Jesus’ name.

The people of Lystra saw the miracle that Paul had performed and thought that Paul and Barnabas were gods. They therefore shouted in Lycaonian (their native language) that the gods had come down to them in the likeness of men. They called Barnabas Zeus and Paul Hermes. Paul was called Hermes because he was the chief speaker. The people of Lystra then started trooping to the temple of Zeus with oxen which they had decorated. They were going to sacrifice these to Paul and Barnabas as gods. Paul and Barnabas saw them and rushed out to stop them, telling them that they were not gods but men like them. Paul and Barnabas told them that they had come to Lystra to stop them from worshipping idols, and to turn them to the worship of the living God.

They told the people that it was the living God who created Heaven and Paul and Barnabas in a ship with other people on the way to the Island of Cyprus

Earth and all the things in them that made them have fruitful seasons, through which they had food to eat.

With great difficulty, they succeeded in stopping the people from making sacrifice to them. They converted many Lystrans to Christianity.

Later, the Jews from Pisidian Antioch and Iconium also came to Lystra and turned the people’s mind against Paul and Barnabas. The Lystrans changed and started attacking the missionaries. They stoned Paul and left him outside the city thinking that he was dead. Paul and Barnabas stopping the sacrifice them!

Those who had become believers at Lystra came and helped Paul. They took him back to the city. The next day, Paul and Barnabas went to Derbe. At Derbe they preached the word of God and converted many people. Paul and Barnabas did not have any problem or opposition at Derbe. Paul’s first missionary journey ended at Derbe. Then from Derbe they went back to Antioch in Syria, their headquarters, passing through all the places they had visited. Paul left unconscious outside the city of Lystra

The second missionary journey

After the first missionary journey, Paul started his second missionary journey. Paul was no longer with Barnabas. He was with Silas.

When they left Antioch in Syria for the second missionary work, the first place they preached was Philippi. Philippi was the capital of Macedonia in Europe. The last place they visited during the second journey was Ephesus.

As we have said, their second missionary work started at Philippi. From Philippi, they went to Thessalonica. From Thessalonica, they went to Beroea, then to Athens. From Athens they went to Corinth. At Corinth, Paul met a man called Aquila and his wife, Priscilla. They were Jews that came from Italy in Rome. Aquila and his wife had left Italy because Emperor Claudius had commanded all Jews in Rome to leave. Paul stayed with Aquila and his wife because he even found out that they were tent-makers like him. Paul had learnt tent-making, even though he was a lawyer. Paul refused to practise law after he became a Christian.

He was supporting himself with the money he was getting from tent-making, so that he would not depend on the people he was converting for his survival. Paul was making tents anytime he was not busy with missionary work.

The first time, during Paul’s stay at Corinth, he preached to both the Jews and the Gentiles in the synagogue every Sabbath day. He preached to them about Jesus as the Saviour and the Messiah of mankind.

At a stage, they rejected Paul’s teaching in the synagogue. Paul therefore started using the house of Titus Justus to preach. Titus Justus was a believer in God and his house was next door to the synagogue.

Even though Paul’s preaching was rejected in the synagogue, the ruler of the synagogue called Crispus had become a believer and also many of the Corinthians.

One night, Paul heard the Lord say to him in a vision, ‘Do not be afraid to speak and do not be silent for I am with you, and no man shall attack you or harm you, for I have many people in this city.’ Paul stayed at Corinth for a year and six months preaching. Later, there was a new leadership at Corinth. Gallio became the proconsul of Achaia, the capital of Corinth. At that time, the Jews went to him and lied against Paul. They said that Paul was teaching them to worship God in a way that was against their law.

When Paul was about to speak, to defend himself, Gallio said to the Jews that he was not interested in their case since it was not a criminal offence.

He therefore dismissed them. Out of anger and frustration, the Jews held Sosthenes who was the new ruler of the synagogue. They started beating him in front of the court or the tribunal but Gallio ignored them.

When Paul eventually finished preaching at Corinth, he went with Silas to Ephesus and preached there briefly. There, they ended the second missionary journey and went back to Antioch of Syria, their headquarters.

Paul also went on a third missionary journey

The importance of missionary work

There are different people in some places who have not known Christ. Some of them might not have had the opportunity of hearing the gospel message. It is through missionary work that they would know about Christ and become believers.

There are also some people the gospel has been preached to, but the

Devil is making them harden their minds. They would need to be followed up through missionary work to get them converted.

Some people had received Christ and later happened to backslide. It is through evangelical work that they would have to be turned back to

Christ.

Missionary work therefore involves going everywhere and preaching to different people to convert them to Christianity.

Moral lessons

1 It is our duty as believers to preach the gospel to people who have not received Christ.

2 While spreading the gospel, we should preach to everybody we come across and go everywhere we can.

3 Missionary work sometimes can make a person suffer or be persecuted, but we should not let such a thing discourage us.

4 In missionary work, we should pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION

1 discuss how Paul and Barnabas were selected by the Holy Spirit for missionary work.

2 list the various places Paul preached.

3 name the two major groups of people to whom Paul preached.

4 discuss the importance of missionary work

WRAP-UP (CONCLUSION)

Teacher goes over the topic once again to enhance better understanding

Exercise

1 Describe how Paul and Barnabas were selected for the missionary

work.

2 Mention some places Paul and Barnabas preached and were opposed

by the Jews.

3 What two things did the Lord tell Paul at Corinth to encourage him?

4 In one sentence state the importance of missionary work