The Gospel in Acts (Paul's Ministry)

“These who have turned the world upside down have come here too.” Acts 17:6b

Justification by Faith (Not of Works)

God has a Plan (To Reverse The Curse)

Acts 1:8 “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Adams Sin - broken fellowship mended through the cross Gen 3:15 “And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.” (first gospel)

Division of Babel - nations of gentiles separated from God. Chose Israel. Now He is gathering through Missions Acts 1:8 Mt 28:19-20 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.”

Davidic Kingdom - King Jesus will sit on his throne in the Theocratic Kingdom. Lk 1:32 “He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.”

Redemption of the world system - The ground was cursed. There will be a new heaven and new earth Isa 65:17 ““For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former shall not be remembered or come to mind.” 2 Pe 3:13 “Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.” Rev 21:1 “Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea.”

Death Jesus conquered death by the resurrection - everlasting life 1 Cor 15:26 “The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.” Rev 20:14 “Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.”

Law Gal 3:13 “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”),” Grace instituted.

Promises - God will fulfill all the covenants and promises He has made that have been delayed by disobedience. 2 Cor 1:20 “For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.”

God Empowers His Plan

Acts 2:3 “Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them.”

Acts 2:6 “And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language.”

Gen 11:1-4 “Now the whole earth had one language and one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there. Then they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar. And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.””

Gen 11:5-9 “But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. And the Lord said, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city. Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.”

God’s Plan is Sure

Who was present at the demonstration of the Spirit?

The New King James Version Chapter 2

5 And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. 6 And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. 7 Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabs—we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.” 12 So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “Whatever could this mean?”

Paul’s ministry would take him to the ends of the earth - Spain Ro 15:24 “whenever I journey to Spain, I shall come to you. For I hope to see you on my journey, and to be helped on my way there by you, if first I may enjoy your company for a while.” Ro 15:28 “Therefore, when I have performed this and have sealed to them this fruit, I shall go by way of you to Spain.”

1 Clement 5:5-7

By reason of jealousy and strife Paul by his example pointed out the prize of patient endurance. 6 After that he had been seven times in bonds, had been driven into exile, had been stoned, had preached in the East and in the West, he won the noble renown which was the reward of his faith, 7 having taught righteousness unto the whole world and having reached the farthest bounds of the West; and when he had borne his testimony before the rulers, so he departed from the world and went unto the holy place, having been found a notable pattern of patient endurance.

Paul’s ministry helped fulfill the Great Commission - but he didn’t know about the true nature of the world.

God Uses Imperfect People to Accomplish His Perfect Plan

“The world has yet to see what God can do with a man fully consecrated to him. By God’s help, I aim to be that man.” D L Moody

Grace made perfect 1 Cor 15:10 “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.”

Grace Sufficient - 2 Corinthians 12:9

2 Cor 12:9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

God Uses the Foolishness of Preaching

Preaching 1 Cor 1:21 “For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.”

Teaching Acts 19:9 “But when some were hardened and did not believe, but spoke evil of the Way before the multitude, he departed from them and withdrew the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus.”

Declare Acts 20:27 “For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God.”

Testifying Acts 20:24 “But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.”

Convincing Acts 26:28 “Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.”

Persuading Acts 18:4 “And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded both Jews and Greeks.”

Proclaiming Acts 17:23 “for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you:”

The testimony of a changed life, “I don’t know about that, but I do know this.”

“The world has yet to see what God can do with a man fully consecrated to him. By God’s help, I aim to be that man.” D L Moody

Conclusion - Paul was a man so sold out to Jesus that he thought that he had to personally fulfill the Great Commission, to go into all the world. And in his time he did.