Read, study, pray and listen to the the Word as we enter

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Wesley Morris
5 years ago
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As we look at each chapter, let s remember that our mission is to love God and love people.

2 It s been such a journey of faith and hope and challenge for the early church as we ve studied Acts. What we will find as we continue is that those challenges will not and have not quit. Taking the Gospel requires dedication and a servant s heart. As we look at each chapter, let s remember that our mission is to love God and love people. That message comes through loud and clear as we walk through the lives and perspectives of these disciples and followers of Christ. Read, study, pray and listen to the the Word as we enter from the book of Acts. We will take a bird s eye view of the big picture but also the little pieces that make up the mission. Perspective... it can mean to look so get ready, open your eyes and see. Introduction

3 Here in the United States we have the freedom to teach, preach, share the Gospel message. Yet, little by little that freedom is being chipped away. Never should we rest on the freedoms we have because at any time those can be changed. We have seen it happening slowly before our eyes. The Ten Commandments have been ripped off walls. Schools have been told they can t have prayer before events. Coaches have lost jobs because they have had their teams pray after a game. Individuals in government offices have been told to do things that violate their Christian beliefs. We can t think for one minute that we will always be able to teach, preach and share openly. The window for doing that could be closing and it could even be slammed shut. That should tell us the urgency of sharing while we can. It happened to the Jews in Rome. Under Roman rule, in the early first century, people could follow their own religion. The Jews could attend the synagogue and observe their Holy days. They could follow their practices and beliefs, until leaders who were not so tolerant came into power. That s what happened when Claudius took command. He ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. Imagine that. Rome had been the home of many Jewish people. Suddenly it was against the law to live in Rome if you were a Jew. They had no choice. They had to leave. Paul went to Corinth in Greece where he met Aquila and Priscilla. Corinth was still under Roman rule but those forced to leave Rome could settle there. Priscilla and Aquila were two of those Roman exiles. They were tent makers and because Paul knew that trade, he stayed with them. Claudius, the leader at that time, was a confusing leader. In some cities he protected the rights of people to follow their own beliefs, but in Rome he exiled the Jews. This man Claudius married multiple times. One of the wives had a son who would later become the leader of the Roman Empire. This son was Nero. He would be one who would torture and execute many Christians. Paul would one day stand before him. Those were dangerous days. Page 2 Week 1

4 We want to say this again. Not everyone we talk to about the Lord is going to receive the Gospel. Some people will just not accept it. They might even get angry for talking with them. But that doesn t mean we shouldn t try to tell people. Our job is to share. The results are not our job. Statistics show that it takes an average of seven encounters with the Gospel before a person receives it. That means some will take shorter amounts of time and some will take much longer. When we share we may be the very first one who has ever opened up the Gospel to someone. But we also may be the last voice someone ever hears. Again, our job is to share, but it is up to each person individually to accept Christ. Silas and Timothy arrived in Corinth to join Paul. Paul was preaching the Word, but the audience didn t accept it. In fact those Jews opposed him and reviled him. Paul knew the time had come to devote his efforts to the Gentiles. He went to a man s house by the name of Titius Justus who lived next door to the synagogue. The ruler of the synagogue, Crispus, believed in the Lord. Others heard Paul and believed. The Lord spoke to Paul and told him not to be silent, but to keep on sharing. His audience had changed but not his message and many were becoming believers. Paul stayed for a year and a half, teaching and preaching. Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you Week 1 Page 3

5 The persecution of the church is increasing throughout the world. Many believers are imprisoned, tortured or martyred for their faith. We must pray for those around the world who are experiencing trials and tests even this very day. God loves it when we share the Gospel but satan hates it and is doing everything he can to silence us. So as we have a voice let s use it to preach, teach, share and pray. Paul had begun to share with the Gentiles in Corinth. But even that didn t stop the attacks. The Jews united and rose up against him and took him to the tribunal, the court system. They started with an accusation, This man is persuading people to worship God contrary to the law. Gallio had become the proconsul of the government there. The Jews thought they could get legal satisfaction by taking Paul to court. Gallio wanted no part of this. He told the Jews to see to it themselves. He was not going to be a judge over matters of names, words and Jewish law. He drove them out of the tribunal. So what did they do? They turned into a mob because they were so angry. They couldn t get Paul, so they turned on one of their own. They seized Sosthenes, the leader of the synagogue, and beat him right there in front of the tribunal. They were furious with Paul, but Sosthenes was collateral damage. And what did that do to him? While we can t know for sure, we do know that Sosthenes shows up again in Scripture. Paul sent a greeting to the church in Corinth and we can read that in 1 Corinthians 1, Paul called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes Our brother Sosthenes at some point this leader of the synagogue, beaten by the angry Jewish mob, became a believer. If satan thinks for one moment that his persecution of the church destroys it, he is so very wrong. God s church, whether persecuted, underground, imprisoned, or operating in relative freedom, is alive and well. And the gates of hell cannot and will not prevail against it. Page 4 Week 1

6 Paul was on mission. His goal was to see people come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. He knew Christ and wanted to make Him known throughout the world. He spoke wherever he was. To city after city Paul went preaching, teaching, encouraging, strengthening. It was not always easy. It was not always popular, but it was his mission. What is our mission? What is it that God wants for us? Jesus told the disciples just moments before He was taken to heaven, Go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel to the whole creation Jesus told that to His disciples. Are we His disciples? If the answer to that is, Yes, then we have a mission. Know Christ and make Him known. It may not always be easy. It may not always be popular. But it is our mission. Week 1 Page 5

7 Are you an expert in all of the Scripture? Do you know and understand every bit of it? Or for you, is there yet more to learn, more to know? If we re honest, we know that there isn t one of us who gets it all. It doesn t matter if we are new to Christianity or if we have been believers and students of the Word for decades. There is more to learn, more to know. God s word is deeper and more complex than our abilities to exhaust its treasure. We can t know it all, but we can keep learning. We can study and search our Bible every day to learn something new, see something we have never seen before. It is a treasure hunt like no other, because the Bible is a Treasure like no other. A Jew named Apollos came to Ephesus. He began to teach and preach. He was eloquent and competent in the Scriptures. But he didn t know it all. Priscilla and Aquila were there and they took him aside to teach him more. He listened. He grew. He found a deeper walk with the Lord. Attending small groups, going to Bible classes, listening to messages, studying at home, all help us to learn. We can listen and grow. We can have a deeper walk with the Lord, so we in turn can go, like Apollos, to teach others. Page 6 Week 1

8 Paul found that there were disciples in Ephesus. As they spoke together he learned that they had received John s baptism. But the message of the Gospel was new to them. So they listened intently and as soon as they heard, they responded. What a beautiful example of obedience and a challenge to us. When we re studying we need to pay attention! These disciples heard the good news and immediately let it change them. It s one of the most valuable tools when we are studying. God always has something to say, but we must be listening. When we pay attention our lives are impacted. Our lives can be changed. Studying and praying go together. It s a lot like breathing. You take a breath in as you read and then as you breathe out, you pray. It s a conversation. They listened and responded. What would happen today if we determined to pay attention and respond? Pray about it. Week 2 Page 7

9 Our text tells us that God was doing extraordinary miracles and He was using Paul s hands to accomplish them. What a joy and privilege! Paul got to be the hands while God was working. Can you imagine his excitement as he saw God work by having handkerchiefs placed on the sick? Diseases were healed with the touch of a cloth. It wasn t because of Paul, it was because of God. He was doing miraculous things and Paul got to share in it. When someone comes to Christ, it s not our great witnessing technique, it s the Holy Spirit s call and we get to be a part of it. When prayers are answered, it s not because our words are so beautiful or special, it s because He has lifted the veil and has allowed us to be in His presence to ask. He works and we get to see it. It s a lot like viewing the beauty and strength of the ocean. The power is there. The glory is there, but we get to join its majesty because we are right in the middle of it. Paul got to see a piece of cloth placed on those suffering and see God move. When Jesus calls us to share in His ministry it is one of the most humbling, grateful moments in life. He has chosen us to work with Him. Why? Because He loves for us to be right there with Him. He offers us His fellowship and is thrilled when we join Him. He offers us His presence and embraces us as we take one step toward Him. Don t wait to join Him today. Page 8 Week 2

10 Sometimes people want the results but not the relationship. They want peace in their lives. They want power. They want the gift but not the Giver. There were seven sons of a high priest who walked into that trap. They saw the miracles and took a short cut. They used the words but not the heart. They heard what had been said and saw what God had done, but didn t bother to make His acquaintance. They loved seeing the miracles but never saw the Master. These seven sons wanted the same kind of Holy Spirit fire that they saw in Paul, but you can t have the fire if you don t have the Spirit. It happens today. People take on the talk, but not the walk. They look for the hand of God, but not the heart of God. He wants a relationship with us. He wants us to find our life in Him. It s so much more than what He does; it is who He is. When we come to Him and give Him our lives, He walks us through both miracles and misery. He is with us in tears and joy. He responds to us in our needs, but allows us to experience being needy. It s a gift when we weep, not just when we laugh. It s a gift when we re poor, not just when we have plenty. We need the Giver, not just the gift. Week 2 Page 9

11 The Gospel message is loving and compelling. It speaks to us of freedom, life change and a fresh start. It s received with so much joy by many people but it s completely rejected by others. Why? The passage today introduces us to Demetrius, a silversmith, who made his living creating statues of a goddess named Artemis. At the time this was a huge business. The worship of this statue dominated the area. A temple, that was considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World, drove and controlled life in Ephesus. The text tells us that Paul s Gospel message brought no little disturbance to this city where these statues brought no little business. Paul was bringing the truth that salvation comes from a living Savior named Jesus Christ, not a silver statue named Artemis. Demetrius was losing business and influence. He called together the other artisans. His temper flared. If Paul s message was embraced by the city, their names would be disparaged, their wealth would erode, and the magnificence of the great temple would disintegrate. He wanted something done. Very often the message of the Gospel draws a line in the sand. A life that has worshipped popularity, power, prominence when confronted with the call to follow Jesus has a choice. Confession, repentance and service lead to a life change. It is the offer of eternal life but for some the price seems too high. It did for Demetrius. It did for his companions. They wanted their business of silver to survive and thrive. They embraced that, but missed the streets of gold. Page 10 Week 2

12 For nearly two hours the cry rang out in Ephesus, Great is Artemis of the Ephesians! Great is Artemis of the Ephesians! The entire city was swept up with a confusion that drove them into the theater. They dragged two of Paul s companions with them. Most of the mob had no idea who these men were or why they were there. They shouted and screamed but didn t know why. That is a mob mentality. It usually has no basis for understanding the real problem and certainly has no basis for a real solution. Most often, the reality of a mob is that the louder it screams, the less truth it contains. After two hours of screaming, this mob finally listened to the voice of reason from their city clerk. He pointed out that Paul and his companions had done nothing blasphemous or sacrilegious against their goddess. He counseled them to take the proper channels if there was a valid concern. And then he dismissed them and they went home. Two hours of mob rule, a few minutes of the voice of reason when they were finally ready to listen. Hmmmm... There are always so many take aways from a passage of Scripture, but here is one of them: Just because a whole city seems to be against you, just because people are screaming, don t falter. Loud voices don t always mean real truth. They might just mean loud voices. Truth can be spoken in a whisper. Week 2 Page 11

13 An uproar had ensued. Chaos swirled. It happened then. It happens now. Sharing truth often causes divisions. Today on a global scale, there are those who try to stamp out truth and cause uproars. In Paul s time it was the same thing. But it did not deter Paul from his mission. He had been called by the Living God to take the Gospel. We have been called by the Living God to take the Gospel. The uproar did not silence Paul and it must not silence our voices either. Paul went to Macedonia, to Greece, back to Macedonia and to Troas. Paul went to share. Where is it that God is calling each of us? Be aware that as we share, the reaction might be an uproar. But that doesn t in any way change the mission, because the mission is The Great Commission. Page 12 Week 3

14 Most preachers strive to be men who pray, shepherd, teach, challenge, evangelize, disciple. But none would like to be remembered for putting their audiences to sleep. Yet if someone falls asleep during the message, we can know that the pastor is in good company. It happened to Paul, one of the greatest preachers who ever lived. Wherever Paul went, he shared. He spoke to encourage and to teach. People gathered. One Sunday Paul was preaching. It was late into the night as he shared with the crowd. The lamps burned, sending a smoky scent into the air. The upper room was filled with people. Most likely the heat from the lamps and the crowd caused a warmth to prevail. The only space to sit for a young man named Eutychus was in a window. Paul talked. The young man listened. Paul spoke longer, the young man grew weary. Paul continued and the young man fell into a deep sleep. He was in a window and fell asleep. He was in a window and then fell. It was three stories up. When the crowd reached him, he was declared dead. Three stories is a very far distance to fall head long onto the ground. When Paul reached him, he picked him up in his arms. They had said he was dead, but Paul knew more. Do not be alarmed, for his life is in him. And so it was. You know, falling asleep, falling from a third story window, falling to his death seems like a pretty good excuse for leaving the church service. But Eutychus didn t. He and Paul went back to the upper room, where Paul s teaching continued. Paul ate and broke bread with the listeners as they talked until morning. When morning arrived, Paul left and the comforted family took the boy home alive. Turns out, God can even use falling asleep in church to perform a miracle. What an amazing night. Week 3 Page 13

15 There is a doctrine that sometimes we hear preached. It is said that when we come to Christ our lives will be blessed with great wealth, great health, great ease. Is that true? While we can absolutely say that God blesses, we have to come to an understanding of what real blessing is. The real blessing as we follow Christ is knowing Christ. Knowing His peace, His joy, His leadership in our lives is true blessing. In John 16:33, He is the one who said we would have tribulation in the world. But He also said we are to be encouraged because He has overcome the world. To believe that coming to Christ gives us a sort of debit card for financial gain or a medical card that gets us a clean bill of health, or a life filled with great comfort is not in line with what we see in the lives of the followers of Christ from the Bible. From place to place Paul preached. In Miletus Paul called for the elders from Ephesus to come. He shared with them how he had preached to both Jews and Greeks. But Paul knew that God had called him back to Jerusalem and the Holy Spirit had told him what was waiting imprisonment and afflictions. Paul was a follower of Christ and what he faced was nothing close to great wealth, great health and great ease. He was facing persecution for the cause of Christ. So here is the question: if we knew God had called us to face affliction and prison, would we go? Page 14 Week 3

16 Paul knew what was ahead. It would be imprisonment. It would be affliction. He knew, but still he went. Why would he head toward persecution? Because the Lord had said to go and obedience to Christ is far better than any wealth or physical comfort. The early church faced hard things. Leaders, both religious and governmental, were against Christianity. They wanted it stamped out. Killing, beating, persecution on every level awaited many of the Christians during those early days. And yet the church grew, because they knew that following Christ was worth it. Paul cautioned of other things to come. Fierce wolves would enter, not sparing the flock. He told them that men would rise up speaking twisted things to draw away the disciples. He warned them to be alert. And so it is today in the last days. Fierce wolves are constantly trying to infiltrate and steal away the flock. Men rise up speaking twisted things that look and sound so good that surely they could be true. And yet just like the twisted lie satan told Eve that she would not die, satan is still spewing lies that will lead to death. He cloaks his lies in enough words that sound good, so the deception is covered. We too need to be alert. We must know the Word of God. It is the plumb line from which we must measure and if we don t know it, then deception can be right around the corner. Week 3 Page 15

17 It is more blessed to give then to receive. Paul shared that he worked hard with his own hands to take care of not only his needs but also to help others. Giving to bless those in need was not only necessary, it came with a blessing. It was Jesus words that told them giving was more blessed. As we look at our lives what resources do we hold in our hands that could be used as a blessing? Maybe it s money that we can give to the work of the ministry. Maybe we also have the resource of time. We could use that time to bless a widow who needs her grass mowed, or to help at church, or to prepare a lesson, or work in the nursery, or spring clean the church kitchen, or fix a meal, or visit a shut-in, or Paul had taught, shared, given and then he did one of the most important things he could do. He prayed. The crowd wept. Paul was leaving and the people knew that this side of heaven they would never see him again. It broke their hearts. All of us face partings, where we know that this side of heaven we will not see the person again. Usually that comes when our loved ones die. It is heart breaking. But that is why making the decision to follow Christ is more important than any other decision we can make. Eternity is a very long time. But we can know when we lay that dear loved one to rest we will see them again. Page 16 Week 3

18 WORSHIPEXPERIENCE S U N D A Y BETHELWORSHIP...9 & 11 BETHELKiDZ!...9 & 11 SENIORADULTS... 10:30 W E D N E S D A Y BETHELMIDWEEK...6:30 STUDENTLIFE...6:30 COLLEGELIFE...8: follow us

PAUL'S THIRD MISSIONARY JOURNEY. Acts 18:23-20:38 Key Verse: 20:32

PAUL'S THIRD MISSIONARY JOURNEY Acts 18:23-20:38 Key Verse: 20:32 "Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified."