Jews, Gentiles and Christians
Teachers
Lesson Summary
The class began by recalling last week’s discussion on the tension between Jews and Gentiles, emphasizing that God’s design was never separation but unity. Lori Sutton used the metaphor of Jesus as a bright morning star whose light spreads everywhere, and she linked this imagery to the apostolic mission given before Jesus’ ascension. She highlighted key New Testament figures—Stephen, Peter, Philip, the Ethiopian eunuch, Barnabas, and Saul—showing how each became a conduit of Christ’s light, leading to the expansion of the gospel beyond Jewish borders. Focusing on Acts 11, the teacher explained how the believers in Antioch, a mixed community of Jews and Gentiles, were first labeled “Christians” (Acts 11:26), symbolizing a new, shared identity that transcended ethnic labels. The lesson reinforced that this union was not merely historical but continues today, as every follower of Jesus shares the family name “Christian.” The class closed with an invitation to apply the lesson by becoming a light in our own contexts, encouraging comments and further discussion. The overarching message was that through Christ’s universal love, the dividing walls between peoples are torn down, forming one body—Christians—called to shine His light around the globe.
Key Scriptures
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
And when they had gathered together, they were devoted to prayer. And the church in Jerusalem was in the midst of the Samaritans, and the gospel was proclaimed in Samaria, and the Lord was with them, and the church was in the wilderness. And the disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.