2023-04-30 Spreading the Word

SPREADING THE WORD (Acts 19:1-10) April 30, 2023 Read Acts 19:1-10 - The 30-minute Battle of New Orleans propelled Andrew Jackson to the presidency. He defeated a much larger British army with 250 casualties to 2,000. But no one should have died that day. The war was over. A peace treaty was signed 15 days earlier on Dec 24, 1814. That news had not reached NO. Lack of truth was costly that day. Lack of truth is always costly. Relativism aside, we know intuitively truth matters. It matters whether you pay your taxes on time. It matters whether the tumor is cancerous. It matters whether you got the bonus. Truth matters - certainly when it comes to eternal truth outside our physical existence. That truth matters most of all. Jesus told Pilate at trial, Jn 18:37b: "For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world - to bear witness to the truth." What truth is that? The gospel, that "The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Mrk 10:45). That truth in light of man's helplessness to reach God on his own - that truth matters most of all. So when we read Acts 19:10b: "all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord", we can cheer along with Paul and Luke. The truth of the Word of God was making inroads into the heart of the Roman empire. And that matters. But how did that happen amid a world of philosophical confusion and theological pluralism? How did Paul impact his world with God's truth? Three things stand out, each addressing a different attitude toward truth! I. We Must Correct Those Who Confuse Truth After a tough, 1500-mile walk, Paul reaches Ephesus. P&A show him the thriving ministry there, and tell him of Apollos who is now off to Corinth. Paul also "found some disciples." Followers of Christ? Not in this case. The word "disciple" (μαθητής) simply means "learner" or "follower." Usually used of Christ-followers, the Bible does speak of others having disciples. In Jn 9:28 some Jews claim to be disciples of Moses. Lu 5:33 refers to disciples of the Pharisees and John Baptist. Here we have disciples of John. They had come under John's ministry, been baptized and moved on. So, they were stuck in a time warp, of sorts. Jesus had come and gone in the meantime, but in that day of spotty communication, they still saw John as their champion. Now, Paul questions: "Did you receive the HS when you believed?" Some take it Paul assumes they've believed in Jesus but lack a 2nd blessing of the HS. But that is not Paul's intent. Both verbs (receive and believe) are aorist tense; simultaneous action. Paul knows you can't believe in Jesus without receiving the HS, and you can't receive the HS without believing in Jesus. They are 2 parts of the same gift of God. If one is missing, both are missing. That's what his question reveals. They've not believed in Jesus, whom they don't know, and, so, have not received the HS. Jesus Himself said: Jn 7:37b-38: "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'" This is spiritual thirst for forgiveness and new life. And the living waters? Jn 7:39: "Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified." Jesus is revealing those who believe in him will also receive the HS. "Believe" is aorist completed action; "Receive" is pres inf. The meaning is clear. When one believes in Jesus, he simultaneously receives the HS permanently. That didn't happen until Jesus was glorified (died and rose again). But then the HS came in unmistakable fashion at Pentecost, and every believer in Christ since has simultaneously received the gift of the HS. So, I Cor 6:19: "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?" And I Cor 12:13: "For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body . . . and all were made to drink of one Spirit." That's a direct reference to Jesus' promise that all who believe in Him would receive the HS. Even the Corinthians, who were still visiting prostitutes, having internal quarrels, abusing the Lord's Table - even they were, "all were made to drink of one Spirit." Rom 8:9b: "Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him." All of this is the background to Paul's question. Did you receive the HS when you believed? If you don't have the HS -- you don't have Jesus. Their faith is deficient. They are stuck in the OT - OT saints, but not Xns, lacking truth about Christ. Their response is telling: 2b) "And they said, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." They are as open as a newborn babe. "We don't even know there is a HS." This can't mean they know nothing of the HS. He is not dominant in the OT, but He is there often. And they had John's own words: Lu 3:16: "I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire." They'd heard, but didn't know what it all meant. They knew nothing of Pentecost. They knew nothing of any baptism other than John's They even seem to have known very little of Jesus. Like Rip Van Winkle, they are awakening to new realities that have so far passed them by. So, Paul filled in the gaps to correct misconceptions, misunderstandings, misapplications. Lu gives the short version: 4)And Paul said, "John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus." He's saying, "Glad you received John's baptism. But that looked forward to something greater -- to Messiah. He's come! He's Jesus of Nazareth." As Paul preached, their hearts responded in faith to Jesus. As their first act of obedience to their new Lord, they were baptized in His name, just as Jesus commanded. Faith led to obedience. But then Paul did something out of the ordinary. 6 And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying." Some take this as a sign that the HS always comes as a kind of 2nd blessings after salvation. But it cannot be that. All the passages we've already seen set the stage for the normative pattern for this age. So, what is this? This is one more accommodation to the transitional nature of this period of time, patterned after 3 we've seen before. At Pentecost, the Spirit came visibly in tongues of fire and a gift of languages. In Samaria, the people believe, but the HS is withheld until Peter and John come. Then the HS comes on them certifying they are one with the church in Jerusalem - Jews and half-breeds together in one body. The same happens in Acts 10 when the first Gentiles are added, only on that occasion the speaking in other languages comes first, in the middle of Peter's sermon, and baptism follows. That was not normal as seen by Peter's report back in Jerusalem: Acts 11:15: "As I began to speak, the HS fell on them just as on us at the beginning." This was not the norm, but it showed it's the same gospel, same HS, same body of Christ for every believer. And now it's happened in Ephesus showing these OT saints are also included in the body of Christ. So, a key to spreading the Word is correcting those confused about truth. In our own world, such confusion is rampant - whether denial of God's existence, teaching good works for salvation, confusion over spiritual gifts or other issues. Peter says we are "always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect" (I Pet 3:15). That requires that we constantly be learning ourselves, doesn't it? The better we know the Word ourselves, the more able we can correct error that is holding back truth. II. We Must Circumvent Those Who Confute Truth After correcting the confusion of John's disciples, 8 And he entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. Like always to the Jews - here's the OT Messiah; here's Jesus. This time he got 3 full months without a riot, something of a record for Paul! But it couldn't last: "some became stubborn and continued in unbelief." Not as hostile as others, still they began "speaking evil of the Way before the congregation." "The Way" = believers! Paul used to imprison those "belonging to the Way" (Acts 9:2). The term probably derived from the claim that Jesus is the Way. Here, those opposing Paul "became stubborn" - σκληρύνω - literally hardened. The verb is imperfect, meaning this took place over time. With each rejection, their heart grew a little harder. It became a little easier to deny truth the next time and the next until there was no pull toward Christ at all - only hostile rejection. This is how sin always gets a stranglehold on us. Our conscience is pricked the first time we cheat on our taxes, steal time away from work, sneak a peek at porn, exaggerate the truth to a potential customer. We feel the guilt. But with repetition, the conscience is seared, the heart is sucked in. Each time is easier until the heart is hardened against God's truth. Heb 3:7-8a: "Therefore, as the HS says, Today, if you hear his voice, 8) do not harden your hearts." Heb 3:13: don't be "hardened by the deceitfulness of sin." Each step away makes it harder to turn. Eventually God steps in. Rom 9:18: "So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills." That is a frightening verse meant to warn us. Heb 2:3a: "How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?" And the answer is, We won't. This was Pharaoh's fate, hardening his heart, until God confirmed it. Persistent rejection leads to permanent rejection. Permanently hardened hearts. So, Paul 9b) "withdrew from them." Paul moved on to more fertile ground like he'd done in Pisidian Antioch: Acts 13:51 "shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium." Just what Jesus told His disciples to do. Lu 9:5 "And wherever they do not receive you, when you leave that town shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them." It's like God told Noah prior to the flood: Gen 6:3a: "My Spirit shall not strive with man forever." Opportunity will soon close. Like the door to the ark was closed by God Himself, the invitation to salvation will eventually close. When the mocking gets too great; the opposition so intense, it's time to move on, not in judgment but in warning. Jesus said, Mt 7:6b: "Do not throw your pearls before pigs." We don't give up easily, but when the rejection persists, it may be time to move on, to see where else God has for us to spread the Word. III. We Must Cultivate Those Who Cherish Truth Paul moved on. 9b) He "took the disciples with him, reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrannus." We don't know much about Tyrannus, tho his name appears in other documents in Ephesus. He may have owned a school. His name means Tyrant - a nickname imposed by students, perhaps. Some things never change. Other documents indicate Paul had the hall between 11:00 am and 4:00 pm -- a kind of siesta time in Asia. He worked in the morning at tent-making, then taught his disciples in the afternoon. He was persistent - cultivating - those who cherished the truth. I love truth-seekers, and so did Paul. He was doing what he later told Timothy: II Tim 2:2: "And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also." Four generations of disciples. Paul, then Timothy, then faithful men, then others that they teach. That is the model for discipleship. One teaching another, who teaches another, who passes it to another. Cultivating, growing, encouraging, teaching the truth. And look at the result. 10 This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks." That's amazing Without ever leaving Ephesus, God used Paul to evangelize the whole province of Asia. How? Well, as Paul taught those who cherished the truth, they shared it with others who in turn shared with others as they went about their business. Soon Colossae, Laodicea and Hierapolis were evangelized. Perhaps all 7 churches of Rev 2-3 began as those who cherished the truth passed it on to others who passed it on to others - and so the Word spread. Conc - Recall how Jesus told Pilate, "I have come into the world - to bear witness to the truth." From heaven to earth to tell us something we could not otherwise know. But we weren't there with Jesus. Is His truth lost to us? Oh no! Jn 14:26: the HS "will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you." Jn 16:13a: "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth." What the apostles knew, we have in the Word in our hands. Now, it's our job to spread that Word. John Mac tells of preaching in FL once when a man, a 5th generation JW came up. His father was head of JWs in FL and this man was training local leaders. But he'd heard John on the radio preaching Jesus is God. Offended, he turned it off, but curiosity (the HS!) grabbed him. He turned it back on and listened every day for a week. It wasn't long before he found himself praying, "If you, Jehovah, indeed came into this world in the form of Jesus Christ, if that's really true, would you let the light break on my heart?" He soon repented and came to faith in Jesus Christ. Within six months, his father, mother, wife, and three sons - all Jehovah's Witnesses - were saved. The Word is the authority the Spirit uses to dispel confusion and change lives. Let's know it, share it, gather other believers and spread it. May God help us. Let's pray. 7