Acts 16; 18 Paul's 2nd Mission

4 cities that Paul visited whom he later wrote epistles to:

·         Philippi

·         Thessalonica

·         Ephesus

·         Corinth

Acts 16:6-10; 18: 9-11 How the Holy Ghost directed Paul and his companions

            In chapter 16 Paul and his companion were traveling through Galatia and in verse 6 it says: “…were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia.” The Holy Ghost directed them by telling them not to preach in that area. In the next verse the spirit says the same thing to them and directs them to keep going. Verse 7 says: “…they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the spirit suffered them not.” After that Paul had a vision in which he was directed where to go and preach God’s message. The Holy Ghost guided them by giving him a vision and they followed what the vision said. In chapter 18 the Lord speaks to Paul again through a vision and tells him in verse 9: “…Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace.” And verse 10: “For I am with thee…” The Lord directed Paul to teach His word to these people. 

How the Holy Ghost has directed my missionary efforts

            In high school I had many opportunities to share the gospel with my friends and many of the times I did this by inviting them to seminary or mutual activities. I was also given a unique opportunity to share my home with 2 foreign exchange students while I was in high school and we were always sharing the gospel with them by bringing them to church and bringing them to seminary with me. The spirit most often worked through me as I paid attention to the tender mercies in my life. In my later high school years those tender mercies became a huge part of my testimony. I would post them on facebook all the time and that was one way I was able to share one aspect of the gospel with whoever read my posts online. I was able to set an example for others to be able to recognize those tender mercies in their lives as well. I often got compliments from others for posting the things I did and they would thank me for my optimism. I didn’t post them for that reason but I was glad it made a difference. Those are some of the ways that the Holy Ghost has directed my missionary efforts. I think in my life now I could be more directed by the spirit by giving more service to others, specifically by doing my visiting teaching. My husband and I just moved into a new ward so we will be getting new assignments soon. Visiting teaching is an excellent way for me to be directed by the spirit and to be a missionary to other women by uplifting them in their time of need.

Acts 16:9-33, How Paul was able to preach the gospel so effectively:

·         He acted on promptings

·         He kept  a positive attitude

·         Trusted in the Lord

·         Prayed to the Lord for guidance and comfort

·         Sang praises unto God

·         Worked miracles (ex: cast the devil spirit out of the woman)

Questions:

1.      In what ways did Paul turn his experiences into missionary opportunities?

Paul was so excellent at staying calm and having faith. Instead of crying out “Woe is me” every time something went wrong he found a way to make a positive out of a negative. When they were thrown in jail they ended up teaching the jailor and baptizing him. He turned his experiences into missionary opportunities by keeping the spirit with him and continuing to rely on the Lord’s spirit and guidance. 

2.      What can you learn from  Paul’s missionary experiences?

I think from Paul’s missionary experiences I learned how much it pays off to really be patient and to stay faithful through the hard times. Paul didn’t let the bad things that happened keep him down.

3.      How is the Jailor an example of a true convert?

The jailor is an example of a true convert because he saw the power that these men had and he wanted to know more. He asked them specifically how he could be saved and then listened to their message and was baptized. He was truly converted. 

4.      How does Mosiah 4:9-10 expand your understanding of Acts 17: 30-31?

These verses expand more on the process of repentance saying that we need to ask with sincerity of heart and then do these things. It gives more detail about what you should base your testimony on. It talks about how we need to make sure we believe in God and believe that he is the creator of all things in heaven and on earth and that he has all the wisdom. 

5.      What can you do now to better prepare yourself to share the gospel, whether as a full-time missionary or as a member?

Something that I can do now to better prepare myself to share the gospel is to keep studying the scriptures and to really learn what the scriptures are saying. I can also prepare by listening to the upcoming talks at General Conference and then going back and studying them again once they are online or printed in the Ensign magazine.