Acts 18:18-19:21
Notes
Transcript
The Faithful Work of Ministry
The Faithful Work of Ministry
Good morning my friends, What a joy to see you all today.
There is not a better place to be, in fact this is the best place to be on the Lord’s day, in His house and with His people.
The joy of corporate worship is that we unite as one body, sharing in one voice praising the Lord our God in worship and praise. We bless and encourage one another.
Also, as the body we have the joy of coming to together and serving the Lord and each other.
We all are to engage in the faithful work of ministry that honors God, is obedient to his leading and reaches out to the world around us.
As we open the text today, we find the Apostle Paul working and serving the local churches while also seeking to establish new ones, calling people to faith and repentance in Jesus Christ.
That is our mission too.... And I know we are not Apostles, but by and through the power of the Holy Spirit we follow the Lord and seek to complete His work here and around our world.
So this morning we are going to finish chapter 18 and then move into the opening passage of Chapter 19 as we seek to understand the work Paul is doing and what is says to us today.
So, 3 thoughts for you today.
1. Fulfilling the Mission...
As we open the text, it is important to note that through the course of Paul’s ministry, we can see that he worked tirelessly to fulfill the mission God had called him too.
And when you look at Paul’s mission we can see two aspects of his mission. One, is taking the gospel to the world and Two, making sure these new believers were being equipped, growing and see these new believers become responsible citizens of the kingdom of God.
Lets open the text and see that the Apostle Paul is doing..
18 After this, Paul stayed many days longer and then took leave of the brothers and set sail for Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchreae he had cut his hair, for he was under a vow. 19 And they came to Ephesus, and he left them there, but he himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. 20 When they asked him to stay for a longer period, he declined. 21 But on taking leave of them he said, “I will return to you if God wills,” and he set sail from Ephesus.
22 When he had landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church, and then went down to Antioch. 23 After spending some time there, he departed and went from one place to the next through the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.
We know that Paul faced a tribunal earlier in the chapter but the Roman governor of the area threw the charges against the Christians out.
Now this certainly didn’t make the Jews happy..but nonetheless Paul stayed there a while and then left them setting sail for Syria, but Paul is not alone, Priscilla and Aquila are with him.
And they do a good work along the way.
Now there are a few things to note here along the way with these two faithful believers, Aquila and Priscilla.
First, they come to Ephesus there in verse 19. And it is here that Paul leaves this couple. But why? Honestly, they are a strong Christians, if you remember they were believers before coming into contact with Paul.
But coming to Ephesus, Paul leaves them there to work and serve, equipping, strengthening the church and helping edify believers.
Secondly, they work there with Paul and then after his departure, will serve to assist many. One such person is a young man why the name of Apollo.
Look at verses 24 to 26, Acts 18:24-26
24 Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, competent in the Scriptures. 25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord. And being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John. 26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.
So here is a believer, a Jew from Alexandria, who has been instructed in the ways of the Lord, but sadly not completely. For while without a doubt, he loves the Lord, He is a great apologist, speaking passionately about the things of God.
Sadly, he only knows the details of John’s baptism. So his knowledge is simple, it is incomplete. Thus verse 26, Priscilla and Aquila take him aside and instruct him about the things of God, more importantly the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus and the coming of the Holy Spirit.
So you see the work they are doing of ministry, instructing and helping the saints of God grow and mature in the faith.
And the same is true for Paul, he leaves where Priscilla and Aquila are ministering to people like Apollo. but Paul is traveling from place to place verse 23 says strengthening all the saints.
The word strengthening in Greek is Sterizo, it means to make upright, steadfast and immovable. Think of an older man, who is given a cane to help make him steady and steadfast.
So Paul and those with him seek to do these things. to make those of the church strong.
This my friends is our work of ministry. We are to make disciples and then disciple them, helping them to be like Jesus, to know him and grow them that they might not be tossed two and fro by every wind of doctrine.
Listen to what Paul said to those in Ephesus, in chapter 4, verse 14.
14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.
Friends I am reminded that we are called to complete the work of ministry. Our task is to see people saved and matured.
We need more Sunday school and or small groups to help us achieve this and see people complete in Christ.
Pray for our church to achieve this with the passion and strength of Paul.
2. His third Missionary Journey Begins...
The very next blessing is seeing the Apostle Paul begin his third missionary journey.
Remember, this started in Antioch, and he has come back to them in verse 22 a second time, ending his second journey and thus we see the beginning of his third.
And from there Paul sets out for the region of Galatia and Phrygia working to strengthening the disciples.
And now, if you look at chapter 19, we see that Paul passes through Corinth a second time, while Apollos was there.
Lets look at verses 1 to 7 Acts 19:1-7
1 And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. 2 And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” 3 And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John’s baptism.” 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.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying. 7 There were about twelve men in all.
As we have seen in this passage we find Paul passing by Corinth and some to Ephesus.
He found some disciples there at Ephesus, but they are not the disciples of the Lord Jesus, they are followers of John’s message, John the Baptist.
Remember that John was out preaching and teaching all through the country sides around Judea in Galilee. His message was an important one for its time before Jesus. The message was simply get ready, prepare your hearts. Repent and be baptized… One is coming...
And many followed, and some for what ever reason these did not encounter Jesus..
So what happened here, why haven’t they found Jesus?
It might be possible that at one time their families lived in the areas around Jerusalem, but moved away from those areas because of persecution or fear.
But no matter the reason, they are John’s disciples.
And Paul asks them if they had received the Holy Spirit, in which they replied no, they had not heard of the Holy Spirit.
This information would also tell us that they had not heard of the Holy Spirit’s entrance into the world at Pentecost.
So they have not heard of the Holy Spirit or Jesus and Paul asks them in whose Baptism did you participate and they indicated John’s.
It is here that Paul takes them from John’s ministry to that of Jesus. John’s ministry was to prepare the way for Jesus and Jesus, the Messiah had indeed come.
To be a true disciple of John was to confess Jesus, the one John heralded who was coming...
The real issue isn’t the baptism of John, the real issue is to know and respond to Jesus who calls all people to repentance and belief.
And upon hearing the message of Jesus they believed.
Look at verses 5-6 again Acts 19:5-6
5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying.
They believed and received the Holy Spirit. Now please don’t read a lot into the fact that Paul laid his hands on them and this happened. For them, at that moment it may have been to assure them they were indeed changed and had moved from John’s message to the Messiah.
But receiving the Spirit was very evident to them, in that they spoke in tongues and prophesied.
The true joy here is that this group of disciples were now on the right pathway, believers in the Lord Jesus, members of God’s kingdom.
The full joy here is that Paul continues to go, he continues to work and serve all for the glory of God.
He allows nothing to stop him. Jesus gave his all for Paul and Paul will give his very life for Jesus, the one who saved him and brought him into the Kingdom of God.
Let me ask you this… How often do we give our all?
Something to think about....
Now we come to the last thought for today as we walk through more of chapter 19.
3. Teaching and Casting out Demonic Practices..
As we begin to look at verse 11 and the following verses we see that Paul is going many great things, not works to glorify him, but it was miracles that helped authenticate the message as Paul preached Jesus.
Lets look at verses 11-12 Acts 19:11-12
11 And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them.
Looking at this text, Luke the writer of Paul’s life and work here uses the word extraordinary to describe the work God was doing through Paul...
Wow Not ordinary things, but EXTRA-ordinary, it was wonderful miracles. So what might we suspect is happening? I think it is just like the days of Jesus. The blind received their sight, the lame walked, the sick were healed and even the dead was raised.
It was a supernatural work that gloried God.
Now look at verse 12, so much is happening that when people see this, they brought handkerchiefs and aprons and they touched Paul and carried that away to the sick. And when they touched this different cloths that had come into contact with Paul, it says that diseases and evil spirits left these people.
Wow, This makes me think of the lady with the issue of blood for 12 years and do you remember her faith, she said if I could but touch the hem of his garment I would be healed...
Remember what happened? she touched the bottom of Jesus cloak and he was healed. By faith she was restored...
The very same type of thing is happening here.
Glory to God....
Now lets move on to the next thing we see happening, look at verses 13-17
13 Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” 14 Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. 15 But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” 16 And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. 17 And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled.
So what is happening here.. there were some Jews, Wandering itinerant Jewish men, those who go from place to place doing works of ministry . In particular these men are exorcists.
Those who cast or attempt to cast out evil spirits that have taken up residence in people’s lives.
And these people, even though they were Jewish knew there was power in the name of the Lord Jesus. In particular, there were 7 sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva.
And they were doing this, they were attempting to cast out evil or unclean spirits in the name of Jesus. And one day they happen to encounter a big bad demon...
And this unclean Spirit spoke up… As they were trying to cast it out, This unclean spirit spoke up and said to them these 7 sons.. Jesus I know… and Paul I recognize.. but just who are you.
It is like who in the world do you think you are… You are just men, you have no power over us. And then the fight is one
16 And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
This man who was possessed by an unclean spirit beat the day lights out of them, it was worse that taking back to your mamma. They managed to get away wounded, and naked..
Listen my friends, do not try to engage the evil ones in your own power… They are powerful.
This is why we do not play with weejee boards, This is why we don’t attempt to try and take with the dead. Listen you don’t know who are are talking too. They will lie to you, tell you things and deceive you in an attempt to work their way into your life.
The Bibles tells us that are only 2 forces in the Spiritual world, Angels and Demons… that the dead are either with the Lord or they are waiting, reserved in hell for their final day of Judgment.
Now look at this, verses 17-20 Acts 19:17-20
17 And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled. 18 Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. 19 And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. 20 So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.
All this became known in Ephesus, to both Jews and Greeks. Listen, news of the supernatural gets around.
My friends the Greco-Roman world put a great stock in magical practices, incarnations and spells, and so forth.
Fear fell on them, a good healthy fear do not do these things, and even some believers came bringing with them their books, and other items they used to practice these things..
Do you see what they did, they burned them.
They were evil, they were things that did not honor God nor serve him but instead served the evil one.
Listen my friends, think of this.... What we do have in our homes that do not need to be there?
Movies, music, other things that promote unhealthy and unrighteous acts...
We must live differently my friends,
And when we live differently, when we repent of our sin, when we live for Jesus, when He is exalted , we will then see lives changed, homes restored and the Lord glorified mightly.
Today, if there is sin in your life, confess it. If you have things in your home that does not glorify God, get rid of it. We keep saying we want revival, are we really seeking a life that glorifies God so that He can send revival.
Lets pray
