study Women Teachers of the : Priscilla, of the , and By Gretchen Willis When heard preach in Bible the synagogue, they recognized his accurate, but Intro: For whatever was written in earlier times incomplete, knowledge of God. How did they con- was written for our instruction, so that through per- front him about the knowledge he lacked? severance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope (Romans 15:4 TNIV). Our Lord For sharing or personal reflection: How and when and Savior commands us to go and do you share the Gospel with others? What is your make disciples of all nations, teaching them to response to people who do not have a full under- obey the Lord’s commandments. Let’s take a look standing of Jesus and the Gospel? at women who were an integral part of spreading the Gospel in the early days of the church. Lois & Eunice Opening Prayer: Lord, You are the source of all Read :5–7, 3:14–15. knowledge and truth. Open our hearts to Your Lois and Eunice, though mentioned only briefly Word so that we may grow in wisdom and strength. in Scripture, served God by passing on His teach- Protect us from worldly influence and show us the ings to Timothy, their grandson and son. That true path of righteousness. We ask all of this in Jesus’ boy would grow to become a man who spread the Name. Amen. Gospel throughout as the spiritual son and Warm-Up: Why do you participate in Bible study? protégée of the apostle Paul. For Christian fellowship? Acquisition of biblical Read :1. What do we learn about the faith knowledge? Spiritual growth? How does learning beliefs of Eunice and her husband? How would God’s Word enhance your life? this affect the way Eunice taught her son about the Scriptures? Priscilla How long had Eunice and Lois been teaching their Read Acts 18:1–28. son/grandson the Scriptures? Living in a city like Corinth would probably not In what ways have you personally passed along nurture the faith of a new believer in Christ. It was God’s Word to younger generations? a city where people worshipped many gods, espe- cially Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love. How- For sharing or personal reflection: Talk about a time ever, God chose to put Priscilla and her husband, when you teamed up with another believer to share Aquila, in the church of Corinth to spread the Gos- the Gospel with others. Can you recall a time at pel of Jesus. And it was there, during their ministry, school, at work, in your family, or in the commu- that they met Paul. This was an event that would nity when you were yoked together with an unbe- change their lives and shape them into the mission- liever and not supported by others around you? aries God knew they would be. How did you respond? What occupation did Priscilla and her husband Closing: Sing or say together: “Christ Be My Aquila share in common with Paul? Leader” [LSB 861, LW 365] or “Now Thank We All How long did Paul stay in Corinth with Priscilla Our God” [LSB 895, LW 443, TLH 36] and Aquila? When it was time to leave Corinth, Paul traveled to Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. After their arrival in Ephesus, Paul left Pris- Gretchen Willis previously served on the board of the South- cilla and Aquila to preach to Jews in the synagogue ern Illinois District LWML as the coordinator of Young and other towns. What does this say about his con- Women’s Representatives. She currently is a member of Grace fidence in Priscilla and Aquila? Lutheran Church in Arlington, Texas. Married to Ryan Wil- lis, LCMS Chaplain at the Federal Correctional Institute in When Apollos arrived in Ephesus, he preached boldly Ft. Worth, Gretchen has four young children and enjoys all in the synagogue. What do we know about Apollos? the blessings that come along with a full family.

LUTHERAN WOMAN’S QUARTERLY – p a g e 22 – WINTER 2008