Week 4: The Uttermost; The World

Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Juda, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. Next Sunday will kick off Missions Week at Greater Waco Baptist Church. Week one, we talked about our Jerusalem, which is Waco to us. Week 2 we talked about our Judaea, or Texas. Week three we talked about, our Samaria or to us would be the United States. What do you think the uttermost means? Well, it is extreme; last in time or in place. What do you think the uttermost represents? It is our world; from the big cities to the smallest farm land. All of the people are important to God! One man of the Bible is named Paul. Paul is not an ordinary Christian. Before Paul accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Savior he killed Christians and liked it, but after Pauls conversion to Christianity he thought that He could not tell others about Jesus because people would be afraid of him. That was true, but I believe that God used his past to make him an even better witness. Paul witnessed so much that he went on missionary journeys. Now in the Bible times did they have cars? What about planes? What about horses or donkeys? Of course they had horses and donkeys during the Bible times. God created them! So when people went on journeys to anywhere they either had to walk, ride a donkey or horse, or they could ride a boat! (Included is a map of all 4 of Pauls missionary journeys, you may want to show it now.) Paul became a sold out Christian as you can see on the map. He made his way around. Did he go around the whole world? No, but he didnt limit himself to one area.

Acts 16:16-40
Read Acts 16:16-18 One day Paul and Silas were going to pray when a woman met them on the road. She had the evil spirit in her that helped her tell peoples fortunes. Do you know what a fortune is? It tells people their future. She followed them around saying These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation . After a few days of this, Paul got annoyed! Can you believe it! Someone in the Bible was annoyed! He was so annoyed that he cast the evil spirit out of the woman! I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he did. Read Acts 16:19-24 The girl's masters saw all the money they could make slip away. So what did they do? They got angry! They grabbed Paul and Silas and brought them to the magistrates, also known as the commanders of the army. They told the commanders these Jews are causing trouble and

teaching things that are against the Roman law! Now were Paul and Silas really causing trouble or teaching bad things? No, they were doing good things for the Lord, but it hurt a wicked business and so the owners go mad. The owners were getting a crowd riled up and so the magistrates tore off Paul and Silas clothes and began to beat them. When the magistrates or commanders finished beating them, they threw Paul and Silas into prison and shackled their feet and told the jailor to keep them from escaping! Read Acts 16:25-26 Were Paul and Silas griping and complaining? No, they were singing praises to God and praying loud enough so the other prisoners could hear them. Then suddenly an earthquake shook the ground. It was hard enough that the foundation of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loose. Read Acts 16:27-29 And the keeper of the prison woke out of his sleep, and saw that the prison doors were open! What was the jailor told when Paul and Silas were brought to the prison? Keep them from escaping! So lets pretend that we are the jailor, think really hard what you would do if, when you woke up in the middle of the night while watching the prisoners ALL of the cells were open! How would you feel? Scared, worried? Right! Well he surely was because he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, because he thought that the prisoners had been run away. But Paul cried with a loud voice, Dont hurt yourself because we are all here! Then jailor asked for a light, walked in trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, Read Acts 16:30-34 Were Paul and Silas in prison because they stole or killed? No, they cast out a demon! They were doing Gods work! Do you think that God was with them in prison? Well, of course He was! God sent the earthquake to open the doors, but everyone stayed because it was the right thing to do. In verse 30 it says, And brought them out, and sa id, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? The jailor obviously knew that there was something different about them between the singing and the staying! They answered, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. The jailor began to show Paul and Silas compassion by bringing them to his home and washing their wounds from the beating. While showing kindness, Paul and Silas spoke to the jailor and his household the things of the Lord and the entire household was saved! If Paul and Silas would have run off, this family would probably not have heard the good news, but God used their time in prison in a special way. Paul and Silas didnt just lead this family to the Lord, they also baptized them straightway or IMMEDIATELY!

Read Acts 16:35-40 The next morning the magistrates told the jailor to let Paul and Silas go. So the jailor told them to go in peace, but Paul was not too happy about the decision. They were beaten in public and now the commanders wanted them to leave in secret, but Paul wanted them to come and themselves to take them out. The serjeants or a body guard to the magistrates told these the magistrates: and they scared when they found out Paul and Silas were Romans. And the magistrates found them, and brought them out, and asked them to leave the city. In the end, Paul and Silas were able to leave prison after spending part of a night there. They were not necessarily angry about being in prison, but more concerned about how the commanders were treating them. Thinking back through our story today of Paul and Silas, do you think that it is always easy telling others about God? Many people were killed because they did what was right and preached the gospel. Read Matthew 28: 18-20 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. Does this verse say go, when you feel like it or when it is easy. No, God said to go, but that does not mean that we necessarily have to go across an ocean. We could just go across the street. This month we have learned that after we are saved we are told to GO! Pray today who God would have you tell His good news.

Questions:
What is a magistrate? A commander of the army What was wrong with the woman? She had an evil spirit What did the evil spirit help her do? Tell people their futures Were the people happy or mad that Paul cast out the demon? Mad What did the magistrates do to Paul and Silas first? They beat them After beating Paul and Silas, did they get to go? Or where were they sent? Prison What is a serjeant? A body guard to the magistrate Who can be a missionary? Anyone with Jesus in their heart can tell others about Jesus! How many times is the word missionary in the Bible? NONE What does missio mean in English? send What city of Samaria, did Jesus stop? Sychar What did Jesus stop at? The well What kind of water did Jesus offer the Samaritan woman? Living water

How many husbands did the Samaritan woman have in the past? 5 How many times is the word missionary found in the Bible? None How did Jesus teach? Through Parables and miracles

Activity:
Write letters to the missionaries of Missions week. I suggest having the boys write a note or draw something encouraging to the men; girls the same to the women. If there is time maybe allow them to write to the children, but I don't see that necessary. I want this to be something that the missionaries will appreciate. So allow the kids to make it a card or a note, but from the heart. Bellow I have basic information that you can share with the kids before they start their notes. Missionary family 1: The Blanchard Family One of the families that will be here during missions week is the Blanchard Family. God called Russel and Terri Blanchard to be missionaries and through His leading, they stepped out by faith in March 1999 on full-time deputation in Australia. Russel and Terri know God has called them to establish local Independent Baptist Churches in Australia. They trust Him for provision and His leadership every step of the way. Missionary family 2: The Hernandez Family The Hernandez family is another missionary family that will be joining us for missions week. I was born and raised in a Christian home, where I trusted Jesus as my Lord and Saviour before the age of 10. But as I grew older, I drifted away from my heavenly Father and wasted many years of my life on things of the world. When I left the Navy in January of 2007, I ended up in the town of Zachary, Louisiana where I began attending Grace Baptist Church. It was under the preaching and teaching of Brother Tom that my wife and I heard the Lor ds call to missions for our family in June 2008. Since then, we have been preparing for the work that God had called us to. In July 2011, God revealed to us that He wanted us to go to Thailand. Looking back at our lives, we can see how God has prepared us for the work He has called us to in Thailand!