Acts 18:23-19:10 – Teachable
How much
access does God have to your heart? Paul gave God full access to his heart, mind
and life. He had a heart for evangelism
and discipleship. He began his third
missionary journey to Galatia and Phrygia.
His goal was to strengthen all the disciples. Who do you need to strengthen?
While there a
Jew named Apollos came to Ephesus.
Apollos was very knowledgeable of scriptures and spoke with great fervor
and taught about Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John. Priscilla and Aquila heard him and invited
him to their home. There they explained
to him the way of God more adequately.
Being inspired and encouraged by them, Apollos went to Achaia to help
prove the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.
Paul went to
Ephesus and saw something was missing with some of the disciples. They had been baptized by John the Baptist for
the forgiveness of sins, but they didn’t know the rest of story about
Jesus. John taught about the coming of
the Messiah, but perhaps they hadn’t heard He had in fact come. They needed to trust and have faith in Him
for salvation. They had not been born-again
and baptized by the Holy Spirit. Paul
re-baptized them. When he laid his hands
on them, the Holy Spirit came on them. The
Holy Spirit comes one time only and never leaves us. Baptism is just an outward sign of an inward
conversion.
Principle: God’s
word transforms a teachable heart.
How teachable
are you? They were open
to new truths about God. The Bible is
timeless truth. We can’t help others go
any further in their faith, if we haven’t gone further. Are you willing to invest in someone else? Maybe they know a little, but need to know
more. Knowing more could change the
course of their life.
Acts 19:11-41 – Sacrificial
Paul taught in
Ephesus boldly in the synagogue for three months. Some refused to believe and became obstinate
so he left and went to Asia. Paul was
empowered to heal and performed miracles in the name of Jesus. When the people in Ephesus heard, many then
believed.
Some of the Jews
tried to drive out evil spirits in the name of Jesus. One was Sceva, a Jewish chief priest. An evil spirit said to him, “Jesus I know and
I know Paul, but who are you?” Then the man
with the evil spirits jumped on them all and gave them a beating. This shows us
that we should not mess around with evil or the occult. We can’t drive out evil spirits without
Jesus.
Only Jesus has
the power to drive out demons. Paul demonstrated
God’s power right in the middle of Satan’s mist. Satan’s uses counterfeit acts and he knows
the unsaved don’t know the difference. When
this became known in Ephesus, the people were fearful and the name of the Lord
Jesus was held in high honor. Many who
believed and confessed their evil deeds openly.
What do you
have that you need to confess?
A silversmith
named Demetrius who made idols called the other silversmiths together. He was concerned that Paul’s teachings would
convince people to not worship the idols they made and of course they would
lose money. He told them that Paul said
they were no gods at all and that Artemis, Greek goddess of fertility would be
discredited and people would be robbed of her divine majesty. Most of the people assembled together didn’t
even know why they were there. They just
jumped on the bandwagon. (Acts 19:32). When they heard this, there was a riot.
People even
today like getting involved in protests.
Why do they do this?
Usually it’s because of some injustice.
It can be contagious and ordinary people can get swept up and do things
they wouldn’t normally do like shouting, shoving, breaking things and even
looting. It can be very dangerous. Maybe it’s entertainment for them or and
something to do. Evil was at work here,
but so was God. Thankfully, God worked
through the city clerk who calmed the crowd down and sent everyone home. God had preserved His work and His people
again.
Principle: A
teachable heart will sacrificially obey God’s word.
When evil
clashes with good, God always wins. What
do you need to sacrificially do to live up to God’s word? God knows your secrets and so does
Satan. Sometimes it’s not easy to
recognize idols today. They could be an
idea, an organization, pleasure, work, ministry, family, etc. It’s anything you focus and count on instead
of God. If you need to be secretive
about it, it’s an idol. A teachable
heart will obey God even at a great sacrifice.
Acts 20:1-12 – Attentive
Paul knew it was
time to leave, but before he left he sent for the disciples, encouraged them
and said goodbye. He traveled to Greece
and stayed 3 months. He continued
traveling and preached wherever he went.
Then in Troas he preached and taught up into the night. There must have been many people there
listening to Paul speak. A man named Eutychus
was on the 3rd floor window seat listening to Paul and fell sound asleep and
fell to the ground dead. Paul rushed to
him and God allowed him to resurrect Eutychus.
Paul didn’t scold him, but showed compassion. Eutychus means fortunate. The people probably now thought Paul is for
real and trusted him. This solidified
Paul’s authority.
Principle: A teachable heart lives attentive to God’s
people and God’s word.
How are you
to people around you who are hurting - to their hearts?
How prepared
are you to hear God’s voice or Word?
What will you
do to make time with your creator?
What are you
ready to put aside – cell phone, computer, household chores?
Where do you
sit in church?
Do you sit in
the back so you can get out quickly or up front so you won’t be distracted?
You know what
needs to be removed so you can concentrate when spending time in His Word.
Acts 20:13-21:15 Compelled
Then Paul left
Ephesus, he said farewell to the elders.
He described his ministry and told he served the Lord with great
humility and with tears. He knew hard days
were ahead, but he walked toward them. The
Holy Spirit warned him of the hardships to come. He knew he may not ever see them again so he
gives instructions and warnings to the elders.
They are responsible to keep watch over the church and be on guard. A pastor’s role is to fed the flock and teach
the scripture. If not, people won’t
change. So many have been taught by
savage wolves. These wolves get started
in the church. People don’t know it’s
not the truth. So stay alert and
remember God’s Word. God’s Word is our
tool to live by. They are to work hard and help the weak. “It it more blessed
to give than to receive.” – (Acts
20:35)
Paul was
compelled to go back to Jerusalem. Remember
Jerusalem is where Stephen was stoned and Paul was there helping to stone
him. Now there is Paul back there again.
Principle: A
teachable heart lives compelled by God’s Spirit and truth for His purposes.
We get courage
by getting in the game not sitting on the bench. Paul was compelled by God’s Spirit and was
given complete access. Are you living
compelled by this world or God’s Spirit?
Paul’s school of suffering has changed many lives.
Join me here
next week for our study 1 Corinthians
1-4 -- I encourage you to trust in
Jesus.
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