Series — Paul’s Second Missionary Journey — Sermon 6 — As One Journey Ends, Another Begins — Life On The Road & Lessons Learned

Introduction

Good morning Church!

It’s good to see each and every one of you who have come out to join us this morning.

Today, if you have your Bible’s with you, I’d ask you to go ahead and be turning to the Book of Acts and we will be finishing up with the final 10 Verses of Chapter 18.

We will pick up where we left off last week with Paul and Priscilla and Aquila leaving Corinth and sailing towards Paul’s home in Syria.

We will pick up with this crew of three stopping in Ephesus for a brief moment in time before Paul heads on home to give the Church in Jerusalem an update and then returns to his home Church in Syrian Antioch.

In today’s message, we will see Paul’s second missionary journey come to an end and his third missionary journey begin.

As we see Paul’s third missionary journey begin, we will see a mission inside of a mission.

Paul begins his third journey with a goal in mind; a goal which will keep him busy for the next almost two and a half to three years!

Not only will we see Paul set out on his third missionary journey but we will also meet a new Missionary named Apollos set out on his own missionary journey to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world.

The title I have given to today’s message is...As One Journey Ends, Another Begins — Life On The Road & Lessons Learned.

And the goal I pray for today’s message is that we will see two men with a desire to share the good news of Jesus with as many people as possible and that we will, through their desire, gain a desire of our own to share the good news of our Lord Jesus Christ with as many people as we can with what short amount of time we are given.

With every ticktock of the clock that’s a second we will never get back and so the thought today is this…how can I make the most of my time sharing Jesus with as many people as possible with the time I have left.

With that being said, if you have your Bible’s turned to Acts 18:18 would you say, Amen.

The Return Home — (Vs. 18-22)

Paul’s Vow — Vs. 18

William Barclay — When a Jew particularly wanted to thank God for some blessing, he took the Nazirite vow (Numbers 6:1–21). If that vow was carried out in full, it meant that for thirty days he neither ate meat nor drank wine; and he allowed his hair to grow. At the end of the thirty days, he made certain offerings in the Temple; his hair was cut and burned on the altar as an offering to God. No doubt Paul was thinking of all God’s goodness to him in Corinth and took this vow to show his gratitude.

And he came to Ephesus — (Vs. 19a)

John Phillips — At that time Ephesus was the most important commercial city in all of Asia Minor. It stood between two mountain chains near the mouth of the lovely river that runs through a ravine cutting into a plateau. Major arterial highways radiated out from Ephesus, reaching all across the great peninsula. As all roads in the world led to Rome, so all roads in Asia Minor led to Ephesus and on to the Aegean Sea. Its harbor, however, required constant dredging because it tended to silt up from the sediment carried into it by the river.

The strategic location of Ephesus guaranteed its political importance. It was naturally, therefore, the capital of the Roman province of Asia. In Paul’s day, it was a free Greek city, allowed to have its own senate and civic government. It was also a magisterial seat.

Its chief pride, however, was the temple of Diana (Artemis), which was famed as one of the seven wonders of the world. The life of Ephesus revolved around the shrewd Greek traders who made their home there, and around those engaged in the idolatrous worship and magical art connected with the temple. There was, in addition, a considerable Jewish colony at Ephesus, which enjoyed religious liberties and privileges confirmed to them by the Emperor Augustus.

The Revisiting of the Churches — (Vs. 23)

John Phillips — Paul’s brief furlough was over. His restless spirit was under pressure. Others could relax and regale one another with the gossip of the hour, but he had a burning message to preach. Others might get wrapped up in sports, but he was too busy running the race; others might invest time and talent in making money, but he was determined to spend and be spent for Christ; others might take their ease and be at rest, but he could only see the outstretched arms, the empty hearts, the longing souls of millions upon millions of people dying in their sins, never having heard once the joyful sound: “Jesus saves!” Paul might indeed have felt the need for home, but once there he at once felt the need to get back to the field again.

Strengthening — Greek (epistērizō) — means “to make to lean upon”…a prop, support

Paul’s main goal of this third missionary journey was to edify, to build up, to give the gospel which he had shared with them in the first two journeys a deeper meaning; to help them understand with a deeper meaning the foundation upon which they were building.

It’s at this point in Paul’s third missionary journey that Dr. Luke takes a break from Paul the missionary to turn our attention to another missionary who is entering the mission field.

Look with me if you will on down at Verse 24 as we see...

The Arrival of Apollos — (Vs. 24-25c)

Who is that man?

Apollos was a Jew.

He was from Alexandria.

John Phillips — Alexandria, situated on the Nile delta in Egypt, was the second largest city in the Roman Empire. It was famous for its lighthouse on the narrow island of Pharos, for its museum, and for its library, which ultimately contained 700,000 volumes. There was a large Jewish colony in the city. In New Testament times Jews made up about one-third of the population of the city. It was at Alexandria that the Hebrew Scriptures were translated into the Greek Septuagint version.

He was an “eloquent man.”

“Eloquent” — Greek (logios) — has two meanings both of which we will see exuded in Apollos through the next few verses.

First, it means to speak convincingly.

Second, it means to be learned.

Apollos was both! Coming from Alexandria, there was no doubt that Apollos was a learned man. And as we will see here in a moment he was also very good at speaking as well!

He had such a way with words that they struck a chord.

They made sense to people.

They took a thought and made it reality.

He was able to take scripture and bring it to light as few people are and because of these great gifts, he was a mighty force for the Kingdom of God!

Which brings us to the next point. Not only was He a Jew from Alexandria, one of the greatest scholarly cities of the world, but he was eloquent and then the Bible says he was also...

He was “mighty in the scriptures.”

The word “mighty” used here is the Greek word (dynatos) and it means competent, or an expert.

John Phillips — The same word “mighty” (dunatos) is used by the Holy Spirit to describe Moses (Acts 7:22).

Acts 7:22 KJV 1900

22 And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds.

Somewhere along the line Apollos had been brought in touch with the gospel, had become a believer, and his great talents and abilities were placed wholeheartedly at the command of the Lord.

His travels brought him to Ephesus, where he found that the gospel seeds had already been planted by Paul. He at once began to water the ground (1 Cor. 3:6) and soon God would give the increase.

Just in this one verse we have gained great insight into who this new missionary is but that’s not all! The next verse tells us a lot more about Apollos and what kind of fellow he really was.

He was “instructed in the way of the Lord.”

Apollos was a believer. In Alexandria he had learned of Jesus but hearing was not enough!

He was a learner!

The basics of Christianity and who Christ was was not enough for Apollos. He wanted to know all that he possibly could about this man who died so that he might live!

And therefore he studied the scriptures. He asked questions undoubtedly of other believers he came in contact with. He gained as much wisdom as possible about this man whom he had decided to put all his faith and trust it!

And as I began to read this, I thought what a picture of what every Christian ought to be doing, amen!

We should all be studying the scriptures looking for our Lord; Learning about our Lord; Loathing for more and more of the one who died to save our souls!

Those of us who have been born again this morning, need to have the same sort of desire that this man Apollos had for his Lord!

When was the last time you had a hunger to learn more about Jesus?

You had a desire to pick up your Bible and just search the scriptures to try and find something you didn’t know about him?

Apollos was instructed in the way of the Lord but much of it was undoubtedly due to who he was in his core which was a learner.

Apollos was like a sponge soaking up all he could about his Savior and we need to take a page out of his book and apply to our own lives today!

And because he was mighty in the scriptures and because he was instructed in the way of the Lord, I believe this lead to the next thing we see about Apollos.

He was “fervent in the Spirit.”

The word “fervent” used here is the Greek word (zeō) and it’s literal meaning is “to boil”. It means to show enthusiasm!

Here was man that was on fire for God!

The Holy Spirit inside of him had reached a boiling point and he was so filled with the Spirit of God that he had to share this good news with someone!

Yet again, we see a picture that ought to be applied to our own lives.

If we will get in the word like Apollos, the Holy Spirit of God will get to moving in us and before you know it, your Spirit will reach a boiling point just like ole Apollos here and you’ll have no other option but to tell someone about Jesus!

And then the Bible tells us that...

He “spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord.”

What exactly does this mean?

It means Apollos didn’t allow his excitement to overcome him to the point of teaching something just for the sake of teaching but that word “diligently” used here is the Greek word (akribōs) and it means “accurately, implying care and adequateness”.

Apollos made sure to not allow his emotions to get him out of sorts and teach something on a whim. He taught the scripture accurately with great care to ensure he was explaining what he knew to the best of his ability!

Yet another lesson we can learn from our dear friend Apollo here.

It’s great to be on fire for God. It’s great to have a zeal and a fervor to share the gospel....just make sure you’re not discounting the gospel by teaching something wrongly for the sake of teaching or sharing.

If you’re not careful, you can do more harm than good if you don’t speak and teach it aright.

Now, with that being said, don’t let that detour your from sharing the good news of Jesus because as we will see next here, even Apollo who was mighty in scripture had some learning to do himself!

Look on down with me at...

The Advising of Apollos — (Vs. 25d-26)

Now some would possibly look down on Apollo’s teaching here but the man did the best he could with the information he had.

He was not aware of the believers baptism. All he knew was the baptism of John.

Now, some of you may be asking what the difference is so let’s take a moment to dive a little deeper into exactly what the difference is.

Chuck Swindoll — John’s ministry had profound and far-reaching implications in its own right, even before the arrival of the Messiah. He had become known for giving the Jewish rite of water baptism a new application. Normally, Gentile proselytes were baptized as the final stage of their conversion to Judaism, after intense training in the Hebrew language and the Law of Moses, a rigorous examination, and then circumcision.

Many desired to be right with God, so they came to John to be baptized. But John taught these people that the Messiah would come with a greater baptism. John promised, “As for me, I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the latchet of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Luke 3:16).

Jewish baptism was a rite in which a new convert to Judaism was ceremonially immersed in water as a symbol of once-for-all cleansing from sin before entering the Hebrew covenant community.

It was intended for Gentile proselytes, not Jews already born into God’s covenant with Abraham. So John gave the rite of proselyte baptism a new application when he called Jews to a baptism of repentance.

In effect, he was saying, “Because of your sin, you are outside of Abraham’s covenant with God. You must repent like a Gentile and come to God as if for the first time.” As a result, earnest Jews came in droves!

Nevertheless, John admitted that his baptism was merely symbolic and quickly turned the discussion away from water baptism—which itself pointed to the Messiah—toward the One he had come to announce. After all, he was merely a witness to the truth, not the source of truth. He was only the lampstand, not the light.

Romans 6:3–10 KJV 1900

3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: 6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. 7 For he that is dead is freed from sin. 8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: 9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. 10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.

Colossians 2:12 KJV 1900

12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.

So, now that we have a better understanding of the difference between the baptism of John and the believer’s baptism, look what happens next.

Acts 18:26 NLT

26 When Priscilla and Aquila heard him preaching boldly in the synagogue, they took him aside and explained the way of God even more accurately.

There was a new fellow in Church this particular Sunday and when asked to speak he begins to preach and man he’s preaching hard!

He’s telling the people about Jesus. He’s taking scripture from the prophets and explaining how that the Messiah they spoke of was this one and same Jesus of Nazareth and how that He had given His life for all who would call upon His name. He’s clearing up questions that others may have had.

And Aquila and Priscilla are probably like, “Who is this fellow? He’s doing a great job!”

And then, all of a sudden, he begins preaching the baptism of John and not Jesus and Aquila and Priscilla look at each other and are like… “uhm that’s not right!”

But notice what happens here and how they approach the situation.

They don’t stand up in the middle of the synagogue and make a scene. They don’t call him out in front of everyone.

After the service was over and everyone was dismissed, they took Apollos aside and the NLT says, “they explained the way of God even more accurately.”

They said, “Hey Apollos, that was some great preaching there buddy! Why don’t you come home with us and have a meal. We’d love to discuss the sermon today a little more with you!”

And then they took the opportunity to speak with him about the misunderstanding between his preaching the baptism of John and the believers baptism.

And here’s the most important part that we don’t need to miss.

Apollos could have gotten angry. He could have declined the conversation. He could have been prideful and said, “you know what, I appreciate your perspective but I’m right.”

But he didn’t. Apollos had a teachable spirit.

This also goes back to what we learned about him earlier that he was naturally a learner at heart.

Apollos wasn’t naive enough to think that he knew everything. I’m sure he was open to learning the way of God more perfectly and so when Aquila and Priscilla approached him and explained the difference, Apollo was probably more thankful than anything for the help!

John Phillips — Thus, by combining truth with tact, Aquila and Priscilla made a firm friend and helped to equip an able servant of God better for the work of the ministry.

As I got to thinking about this specific section I couldn’t help but to think how we all need to have teachable spirits.

If someone corrects us we shouldn’t get angry about it. Now, we should verify what we are being told with scripture and make sure it lines up but if it does and we can see where we might be wrong, be teachable.

Now that we’ve seen The Advising of Apollos, let’s finish this morning out by looking at…The Advocating of Apollos to Achaia.

The Advocating of Apollos to Achaia — (Vs. 27-28)

Apollos had won the hearts of the Brethren in Ephesus and when he felt led to go to Achaia it was the Church who stepped up and sent letters to Church in Achaia to welcome Apollos with open arms.

And I love how the Bible says here that Apollos was “a great benefit to those who had believed.”

Isn’t that what we should all strive to be in our Churches?

A great benefit to those Brothers and Sisters around us?

God used Apollos mightily in Achaia the Bible says to dispute with the Jews and prove to them that Jesus was the Messiah.

Later Paul would speak of Apollos stating that Paul had planted, Apollos had watered but it was God who gave the increase.

After returning to Ephesus and speaking with Aquila and Priscilla about this fellow who had been preaching in his absence, there’s no doubt Paul held Apollos in high regard and respected his work for the Kingdom of God.

It’s not every day you find someone willing to do what Paul and Apollos did; pick up and leave everything for the cause of Christ.

Therefore Paul had great respect for Apollos.

Close

And as we come to a close today I want us to think about these two men and the selfless attitude by which they lived their lives and I want us to see the lives they lived, sold out for the cause of Christ.

And here’s the even deeper part I pray gets settled on your hearts this morning.

So many believers today I feel don’t share the gospel like they should because they are afraid of making a mistake or saying something to someone and not having the answer.

Apollos here even didn’t have all the answers but he had a willing spirit and what I want you to know this morning is that if you will just have a willing spirit, God will take care of the rest.

Go back to Verse 19 real quick.

Acts 18:19 NLT

19 They stopped first at the port of Ephesus, where Paul left the others behind. While he was there, he went to the synagogue to reason with the Jews.

God knew Apollos would be in Ephesus. God sent him there. God also knew that Apollos needed a deeper understanding of God’s word and therefore he placed two great, admirable Christians in Aquila and Priscilla there as well.

He knew they would take this fellow, full of fire and fervor and help him in his walk with God.

They proved to be great instruments themselves in the part of God’s Kingdom work.

So, don’t allow your thought of not having all the answers keep you from sharing what Jesus has done for you to a lost and dying world.

Use the opportunities, take the opportunities God gives you each and every day to share the gospel of Jesus in whatever situation you find yourself in.

And trust that God will lead you!

The Bible says in...

Luke 12:11–12 NLT

11 “And when you are brought to trial in the synagogues and before rulers and authorities, don’t worry about how to defend yourself or what to say, 12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what needs to be said.”

God knew what Apollos needed and He knows what you need to!

And just as He provided for Apollos, He can/will provide for you.

You just have to be like Apollos and have a desire to learn; a desire to grow in God’s Word; a desire to grow closer to God; a desire to know as much about your Savior as you possibly can; and a desire to share the good news of Jesus with others.

If you will be teachable, God will place people in your life that will teach you.

He will place people in your life who will help you understand the Word more perfectly.

You just have to be willing to trust in God to provide.

Are you willing to do that this morning?

Are you willing to turn your life over to God absolutely, totally, completely, to be used how He sees fit to further the Kingdom?

If so, God will use you in a mighty way just as He did Apollos right here.

I don’t know your hearts this morning but God does.

As we give an invitation here in a moment, what is God calling you to do?

Who is God calling you to speak to?

Whatever it is that God’s calling you to do, remember this…He doesn’t call the equipped, He equips the called and that’s evident in the story here before us today.

Whatever it is God is calling you to do for His Kingdom, as we give the invitation, won’t you come and ask God for help; for guidance; for open doors; for confidence; for obedience to follow His lead?

The altar is open. Come while He waits for you!