Paul's 3rd Journey
Notes
Transcript
Iron Sharpening Iron
Iron Sharpening Iron
And having spent some time there, he left and passed successively through the Galatian region and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.
Now a Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by birth, an eloquent man, came to Ephesus; and he was mighty in the Scriptures.
This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he was speaking and teaching accurately the things concerning Jesus, being acquainted only with the baptism of John;
and he began to speak out 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.
And when he wanted to go across to Achaia, the brethren encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him; and when he had arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace,
for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, demonstrating by the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.
Apollos
Born in Alexandria, Egypt
Egyptian, Greek culture, Hellenistic Jew
A Hellenistic Jew was a Jewish person living in the ancient Mediterranean world who spoke Greek and blended traditional Jewish faith with Greek culture
Eloquent. Educated Man.
Mighty in the Scriptures
Instructed in the way of the Lord
Fervent in spirit
Speaking and teaching accurately the things concerning Jesus.
But only knew of John’s baptism
Bold in the synagogue
Received instruction from other believers
Wanted to travel and spread the gospel (Evangelistic)
Great helper of those who believed (Discipleship)
Powerful Apologist (Apologist)
Iron sharpens iron,
So one man sharpens another.
Priscilla and Aquila. An example of ironing sharpening iron. Uplifting. Encouraging. Gently correcting. That is what discipleship is all about. Adn that is what we should be engaged in.
Discipleship 101
It happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the upper country and came to Ephesus, and found some disciples.
He said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said to him, “No, we have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.”
And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” And they said, “Into John’s baptism.”
Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus.”
When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking with tongues and prophesying.
There were in all about twelve men.
Two instances of two sets of people who knew of Johns baptism, but not Jesus’
Apollos
The disciples at Ephesus
There is debate about whether Apollos is saved before he meets Priscilla and Aquila. I’m not here to speak on that. I will tell you this. If he wasn’t saved before...he was definitively saved after he met them.
The disciples may not have been completely saved either.
People can have a hint of the truth and not have the entire thing.
People can have a head knowledge of Jesus and not a heart knowledge.
People can appear to be right with the Lord and yet be miles apart.
Our job is to go and make disciples. Disciples who follow the correct path, the correct course. Disciples who are complete in Jesus.
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Three fold.
Make disciples (Evangelize people)
Baptise them (Make sure they are saved)
Teach them (Disciple them, walk with them through their sanctification journey)
Teach them the way.
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
Know When to Run.
And he entered the synagogue and continued speaking out boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God.
But when some were becoming hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of the Way before the people, he withdrew from them and took away the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus.
This took place for two years, so that all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.
That old Kenny Rogers song “The Gambler” speaks to this.… “Know when to hold em, know when to fold em, know when to walk away, and know when to run.”
Paul took the diciples away from this situation. He ran. He removed them from this conflict. The conflict was people were speaking evil of the WAY.
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
If you speak evil of this...you are speaking evil of the gospel
And you cannot speak evil of the gospel.
