Blessings In Disguise

WOW, we have been out of the building for almost 2 months now. I don’t know about you, but I have missed our church space!!!

I am totally wowed and blessed by the Middle School allowing us to use this facility at no charge, except to pay the custodians!!! A tremendous building.

Originally we were supposed to be moving back in about 2 weeks!

UGH!!!

We are nowhere near that due to some delays with remediation and some plan changes. HOWEVER - that does not mean God is not in control!!!

There may be a few more inconveniences coming up being in the school, we might not be back to our cushy and cheerful building all newly renovated just yet, but that does not mean that God does not have a plan where we are!!!

Sometimes our blessings come in disguise!! Sometimes the conflicts, changes, delays, etc all come with purpose!!!

Purpose that we do not see, but that God knows!

In the book of Acts we see that Paul takes three separate missionary journeys.

On Paul’s second missionary tour God forbid him to go to Ephesus and routed him a different way — we spoke of that a couple of months back.

However, on his third missionary tour - God brought Paul to Ephesus.

Now Paul’s “MO” (mode of operation) was to go to the synagogues and hold services there and conduct his church establishment often beginning with the Jews and people of faith in those places -

However, in Ephesus he made the Jews mad and they kicked him out...

Guess where Paul had to start the church there????

A SCHOOL!!!! that is right — a school!!!

Turn with me to :

Acts 19:8–12 NLT

8 Then Paul went to the synagogue and preached boldly for the next three months, arguing persuasively about the Kingdom of God. 9 But some became stubborn, rejecting his message and publicly speaking against the Way. So Paul left the synagogue and took the believers with him. Then he held daily discussions at the lecture hall of Tyrannus. 10 This went on for the next two years, so that people throughout the province of Asia—both Jews and Greeks—heard the word of the Lord. 11 God gave Paul the power to perform unusual miracles. 12 When handkerchiefs or aprons that had merely touched his skin were placed on sick people, they were healed of their diseases, and evil spirits were expelled.

This passage is so often skimmed over, but there is a lot we can gather from this experience Paul had!

His normal doors and means of doing what he did was closed off to him, but that would be a blessing in disguise - he would take to meeting in a lecture hall...

LECTURE HALL OF TYRANNUS

We are told that Paul held church services in the “lecture hall of Tyrannus”. The Greek word for “lecture” is transposed into English spelling as “schole” or school as we pronounce it.

Paul moved his meetings to what was a public school or lecture hall.

We are told that Paul held church services in the “lecture hall of Tyrannus”. The Greek word for “lecture” is transposed into English spelling as “schole” or school as we pronounce it. Paul moved his meetings to what was a public school or lecture hall. Did you notice how Luke summarized their experience in the school? He said God did EXTRAORDINARY things there!

Did you notice how Luke mentions their experience in the school?

He said God did EXTRAORDINARY things there!

How many want to believe that although we have to extend our time in this school - God may just have some extraordinary things to do????

1. Effectiveness Doesn’t Require the Ideal

Sometimes it’s tempting to think that we need an “ideal situation” to be really effective. We think our effectiveness is contingent upon the items on our list entitled, “idea situation”. We might be tempted to think we need

 A building to be an effective church

 A facility that represents the ideal needs

In our lives we often wait for the ideal home, or job, or car, or bank account, or even spouse

Often we don’t even try to do something until we feel that we have these ideals put into place...

I’m not arguing that the ideal things are wrong or even something we should not pursue.

I am just saying that we don’t need the “ideal situation” to be effective!

Acts 19:9–11 NLT

9 But some became stubborn, rejecting his message and publicly speaking against the Way. So Paul left the synagogue and took the believers with him. Then he held daily discussions at the lecture hall of Tyrannus. 10 This went on for the next two years, so that people throughout the province of Asia—both Jews and Greeks—heard the word of the Lord. 11 God gave Paul the power to perform unusual miracles.

Paul spent two (2) years in this school in Ephesus. This time ended up being one of the most productive seasons of his ministry.

Paul spent two (2) years in this school in Ephesus. This time ended up being one of the most productive seasons of his ministry. What does this short paragraph tell us happened?

A. God did a miraculous work

 People were healed

 Evil was evicted from people’s lives

 People were delivered from things they were in bondage too (demon possession and addictions)

B. God did a meaningful work.

We are told in verse 9 that the people who followed Paul to the school were “disciples”. That tells us that

Paul was not only bringing people to Christ, but he was maturing them in their faith.

Paul was not only bringing people to Christ, but he was maturing them in their faith.

 Discipleship and maturing believers.

 Other churches were planted around the area (Colossae, Hierapolis, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea).

 Paul wrote 1 Corinthians to the Corinthians that gives us teaching on (food, idols, Lord’s supper, spiritual gifts, conflict resolution)

 Visitors from other churches came seeking his advice

 They sent out missionaries like Timothy and Erastus to outlying locations

I am not saying we will be doing all of that in the next couple of months, but I am saying that we have an opportune time for God to use us in this place and location. In some ways - all the students returning to school and their parents are going to see that there is a church in the Middle School - what if we prayed that surrounding our stuff and from our name being present that a great awakening would occur in hearts and draw people in!!!

C. God did an influential work.

The impact they had upon their community while in the school was amazing.

“This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.” ()

We know from the book of Revelation that churches were planted in the surrounding area in places we have no record of Paul being at.

Places like

 Colossae

 Hierapolis

 Smyrna

 Pergamum

 Thyatira

 Sardis

 Philadelphia

 Laodicea

It was while they were meeting in a school that this church had such an effective and powerful impact upon their community.

God can do the same thing through us meeting here!

Aren’t you thankful that God is not limited by our ideals???? AMEN!

2. Limitations Don’t Limit God

There is another surprising truth that emerges from this story.

Although we may appear to be inconvenienced by our limitations, God isn’t!

We are told that Paul held church services in the “lecture hall of Tyrannus”.

Acts 19:9 NLT

9 But some became stubborn, rejecting his message and publicly speaking against the Way. So Paul left the synagogue and took the believers with him. Then he held daily discussions at the lecture hall of Tyrannus.

The fact that this lecture hall is mentioned sheds interesting light upon the teaching situation God used.

The Greek word for “lecture” is transposed into English spelling as “schole” or school as we pronounce it.

Let’s look at three human limitations this location presented.

Paul moved his meetings to what was a public school or lecture hall. The fact that this lecture hall is mentioned sheds interesting light upon the teaching situation God used. So let’s look at three human limitations this location presented.

A. It was an impractical limitation

Lecturers or philosophers took a break in the schedule during the hottest part of the day between 11 am and 2 pm. The public schools or lecture halls were made available to outside groups like Paul’s at this time because of availability and that no one else wanted to be there at that time.

B. It was an inconvenient limitation

Some of the oldest translations of the Bible imply that Paul taught between the hours of 11 am and 2 pm each day.

That was also the lunch and siesta time.

Those attending would have had to be willing to sacrifice lunch and siesta.

One historian said that there were more people asleep at 1PM in Ephesus than there were at 1 AM.

IT WAS AN INCONVENIENT TIME OF DAY!!!

In a day where convenience is EVERYTHING - we fear inconveniencing people would only make for loss or struggle - but not when God steps in!

C. It was an uninviting limitation.

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C. It was an uninviting limitation.

The Bible tells us that this lecture hall was known as the “Hall of Tyrannus”. That name is translated into the English as “Tyrant” or “Hall of the Tyrant”.

We don’t know if the name refers to the temperament or nickname of the teacher or even the owner of the building.

But the name was not exactly the most inviting place to hold a church service.

Not exactly the best thing to identify your location. ( I remember one church when I started there they met in a school that said “Home of the Green Demons” as you entered!

Most churches like to associate their location with something positive like “across the street from Orchard Shopping Center or near Safeway.

However Paul’s location had some challenges.

It would be like us doing a mailer, “Destiny Church meets every Sunday at...

 “Judgmental Hall” or “Terrorist Point”.

 “Hitler Memorial Auditorium” or “Stalin Pavilion”

 “Domineering Dorm” or “School of Dictatorship”

Church growth experts and marketing agencies are constantly telling us what we have to do to make the church inviting to visitors.

But what is amazing to me is that our Bible says “God did amazing things there” despite the fact that their location was IMPRACTICAL, INCONVENIENT AND UNINVITING.

We need to remember that this school setting might not be ideal, but all and any limitations we may think of does not limit God.

It may just be a place where God wants to do something so outside our realm of normal that we will be stunned!

Just like in our lives when God does not give us our ideals, or makes things seem impractical, inconvenient or uninviting - He may just have other plans and blessings we were not expecting!

3. The Temporary Can Transform

I hope we would start to expect a little more out of this temporary time here and not settle for mediocrity.

Do you believe that God may just want to do something through this time?? When we started, I felt in my spirit that God had a plan for us in the school....

We have had some great services, but I think there is more --- Let’s not limit our expectations of what God wants to do!!!

Acts 19:11–12 NLT

11 God gave Paul the power to perform unusual miracles. 12 When handkerchiefs or aprons that had merely touched his skin were placed on sick people, they were healed of their diseases, and evil spirits were expelled.

Acts 19

“God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them. ()

Ok, let’s remember who is writing these words.

The book of Acts was written by a doctor, whose name was Luke.

The word phrase that Dr. Luke used for “extraordinary miracles” is interesting.

The phrase means “miracles not of the ordinary kind”.

That’s like saying,

 That’s a very rare Haley’s comet

 That’s an unusual dinosaur

 That is a very rare million dollar bill

A miracle in itself is not ordinary!!!

Luke tells us that what they experienced at that school made other miracles look ordinary!

We must remember that this is a doctor describing the phenomenon of physical healing. He describes them as “special miracles” or “unique” miracles.

The word used is a compilation of two words meaning “not” “ordinary”. There was evidently something extraordinary about what was happening in this school.

HALEYS COMET DINOSAUR MILLION $ BILL

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A. The ordinary was transformed.

 The word “handkerchief” was referring to a sweat rag that Paul would have worn on his head to absorb the sweat in the heat of the day.

 The apron would have been the cloth around his waist that he wore as a tent maker to support his ministry in the day.

These two ordinary things were used in supernatural ways to convey miraculous power that could not be imagined.

God used ordinary things in extraordinary ways IN A SCHOOL!

These things DID NOT happen at the synagogues he taught at...

B. Lives were transformed.

The Greek says the diseases “departed” from them.

The word phrase is unique to this passage and implies people being “released or set free” from something that bound them.

The fact that Luke the doctor wrote Acts sheds light upon why he was so impressed.

Luke’s phrase implies that all kinds of sickness were healed without a specialist or doctor!

Today we might say it this way,

 People were healed without doctors

PEOPLE HEALED WIITHOUT A SPECIALIST

 Marriages were restored without counselor

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 Addictions were broken without rehabilitation programs

 People were healed without doctors  Marriages were restored without counselor  Addictions were broken without rehabilitation programs  Depression was cured without medication

 Depression was cured without medication

C. Perspectives were transformed.

The emphasis is upon what God is doing through Paul at this setting.

The focus is on God and Paul and the school as an instrument.

 God can be glorified through us here

 God can use is as a channel to do extraordinary things here.

 God can use us not matter what place or venue we may be in.

God does NOT need a church building to do great things “through us”.

Likewise - in your lives - God can use the unexpected change, the inconvenience, etc to bring blessing that was not foreseen!!!

CONCLUSION

Let’s not lower our expectations of God just because our building is not finished.

Let’s also realize that God is limited by this school.

Let’s begin expecting for something powerful to happen over the next two months we are still here!

and let’s realize even in our own personal lives that sometimes BLESSINGS COME IN DISGUISE!

God has already started doing amazing things here

 New people are being added to our church family

 We are re-eestablishing ourselves in our community - showing those around us we are here!!!

 God still wants to do extraordinary things here.

Expect a lot from God , Be patient, Engage, and be part of what God is doing!

It is more critical now than ever that we engage as a church community --- LIFE GROUPS --- MAKE IT A PRIORITY TO GO TO ONE THIS MONTH!!!

We will be kicking off some other things soon - as we engage, volunteer, take part we are investing not into the physical building, but the spiritual building of people God is building in this place.

In our inconvenience and maybe discomfort let God unite us to do more, commit more, PRAY MORE, GIVE MORE, and SHOW UP MORE. We need everyone to help in the process!!! WILL YOU!??