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Acts 19:8-20 Power In The Name

"Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven..." That is what Jesus taught the disciples to pray. And that is indeed our prayer today. Christ’s followers long for the day when the kingdom of God is fully consummated in a new heavens and new earth, where there is no more sin, suffering, sickness, death, or evil. When everything will be as God intended in the garden of Eden forever. And as God moves miraculously in the book of Acts, we have seen that kingdom breaking into reality as diseases are healed and evil spirits are cast out. The kingdom of God is advancing in the gospel’s spread and all the effects of the fall flee before it.

As we study Acts 19:8-20, we see power of Jesus’ name as the gospel continues going forth conquering the domain of darkness. In this passage, Paul stays in Ephesus for over two years preaching and teaching in a single location and God uses him to reach the entire Roman province of Asia. But also we find a very strange occurrence of miracles here, even for the context of Acts. God brings healing and deliverance from evil spirits through the handkerchiefs and aprons of the Apostle Paul. Even Luke calls these "extraordinary" miracles.

Through these "extraordinary" miracles and the preaching of Paul, the name of Jesus is infamous in the city of Ephesus. So much so that some professional Jewish exorcists begin using the name of Jesus in their business as a magic formula to wield His power over spirits. And when you compare these two scenes together, you see the power of Jesus name. Seven exorcists are overpowered by a single man with an evil spirit as the domain of darkness reigns over fallen man. Parroting Jesus’ name offers no help for those who don’t know Jesus. But, so great is our King and the gospel of His kingdom that in His name, an inanimate napkin conquers the darkness of this world. The power of Jesus name is such that even the most feeble of instruments is used mightily for His kingdom. His strength is made perfect in our weakness. And His kingdom has come in power in our hearts.

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Acts 19:1-7 Almost Disciples

Sunday we will examine the first seven verses of Acts 19. These verses are infamous for being misused as proof-texts by many different groups. One need only read through Acts 19:1-7 to understand how various theological groups hang their hat on this passage. In the text, Paul runs into some "disciples" as he returns to Ephesus. Paul asks if they received the Spirit when they believed. They reveal that they are actually disciples of John the Baptist and Paul tells them of the fulfillment of John’s ministry in the gospel of Jesus. These disciples of John received the gospel and are Baptized into the name of Jesus. Yet it isn’t until Paul lays his hands on them that the Holy Spirit falls on them and they begin speaking in tongues and prophesying. 

Sunday we will address the many questions concerning this passage. Why does the Holy Spirit delay coming until Paul lays his hands on them? Why does Paul ask about their baptism? What does it mean to be baptized in Jesus’ name? Why do we see tongues and prophesying happen again? As we study the passage we will seek clarity on all these questions, but this text is also the word of God for the church today, so the most important question we will answer is, "What is the Spirit saying to us in this text, and how must we respond?"

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Acts 18:18-28 Lives Devoted

Acts 18:1-17 showed us the encouragement Jesus provided the weary and fearful Paul in Corinth. Jesus came to Paul telling him not to be afraid and gave him promises of Christ’s presence and protection. Jesus fulfilled His promise as Paul stood before the Roman proconsul in Corinth and was set free. In the second half of chapter 18, Paul begins the return journey to his home church of Antioch. But as Luke transitions from Paul’s second missionary journey to his third, we get a glimpse of a cross section of faithful disciple-makers in the early church.

Of course Luke continues to show us Paul, who has devoted himself to the Lord and separated himself for Christ’s service. But as he begins the third journey on his way to Ephesus, we find him going back through the same territory he visited on the first two journeys. It would have been much quicker and easier to sail back to Ephesus, but Paul was just as devoted to strengthening the believers (i.e. making disciples) as he was planting churches.

That is par for the course where Paul is concerned. We have seen that before. But we are also shown that investing in making disciples was also the practice of Priscilla and Aquila, as they come along side a man named Apollos and explain the way of God to him more accurately. And then Apollos himself goes to Corinth to help the church there. From the sending out of Paul, we see a cascading wave of new disciples, becoming disciple-makers, who become disciple-makers. Investing ourselves in making disciples is the calling Jesus gave to every believer. As we devote ourselves to the service of Christ, we find that first our lives must be devoted to Him, and then to the mission He has given to make disciples.

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Acts 17:16-34 God's Worldview

Sunday we will examine Paul’s preaching in the city of Athens. Athens was the intellectual center of the ancient world. It was the city of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. It was a city of grand architecture and philosophy. As Paul encounters the city of Athens, he is struck by how much the city’s culture is immersed in idolatry. And as he reasons with people in the synagogues and in the marketplace, he is quickly noticed by the city’s philosophers and academics. The intellectual elite in Athens come from a completely different worldview than Paul and the Jews, so as Paul preaches at the Areopagus, he does not quote from the Old Testament. However, he does preach the bible’s message in a way the Athenians can understand. He presents the biblical worldview in a way that answers all mankind’s greatest needs. Regardless of what culture, nation, or philosophical worldview a person comes from, we all ask the same questions. Why am I here? Who am I in this world? Who is God and what does He want from me?

These questions are answered differently by differing religions, philosophies, and cultures, but in Acts 17:16-34, Luke presents Paul’s sermon (answering these questions) as the only answers to these fundamental questions that is true, glorifying to God, and satisfying the soul. All other worldviews are empty and can only promise what they cannot deliver. The gospel for the Athenians is the same gospel for the Jews - and for you today. It shows us who our God is and what our purpose is in this world.

Acts 17:1-15 The Authority of Scripture

After Paul and Silas leave Philippi, they head to Thessalonica and then Berea. Luke contrasts the Jewish populations in these two cities by how they respond to the authority of the Scriptures. As Paul, the faithful witness opens the Hebrew Scriptures and proves that all the Bible points to Jesus’ death and resurrection, the Thessalonians rebel against what God’s word says. Though they were members of the synagogue, studied the scriptures every sabbath, and no doubt believed in the authority of the scriptures, they would not submit themselves to the message and command of those scriptures. They incite a mob to hunt the missionaries down and attack any who are associated with them. They hate the true message of God’s word so much that they chase Paul and Silas to Berea and stir up a mob against them there also. 

But on the opposite end of the spectrum, we are shown the Jews in Berea. Luke says that they were more noble than the Thessalonican Jews, even though they were not believers in Christ until Paul evangelized them. They were more noble because they loved the word of God and were eager to receive it. And yet, they were also not gullible. They didn’t just take Paul’s word. They examined the scriptures daily to see if what Paul was telling them was true. They studied the scriptures themselves because they were eager for the word of God, not necessarily the word of Paul. And when they found that Paul’s message was proven in God’s word, they submitted themselves to the word of God and believed the gospel. 

Several applications stand out in this text which we will flesh out on Sunday. Especially as Christians, we should have an eager hunger for God’s word. It indeed is the food of our souls for we don’t live by bread alone. If we are not hungry for God’s word, something is wrong. But we must also examine it for ourselves and place no authority above it. Anyone can twist a single verse or a section and invest their own meaning into it and teach something that doesn’t come from the meaning of the text. Every word uttered from the pulpit of First Baptist Church Mulvane should be tested, examined, and scrutinized by God’s word. And when the message of God’s word is clear from the text itself, then like the Bereans, we must submit to its authority and live according to its truth. 

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Acts 16:6-15 When God Changes Our Plan

Once again, I am continually amazed that God has us in the perfect text we need to hear this week. It has been hard not to question and try to understand God’s purpose and plan regarding the results of Kansas’ amendment vote. But even if this momentous even hadn’t taken place, there are always times in the believers life when we don’t understand what God is doing and can’t see His purposes in the events of our lives. We are often faced with the reality that our plans are not always God’s plans. Paul and Silas face this as they head out on the second missionary journey. In Acts 16:6-15, they attempt to evangelize portions of the Roman province of Asia and Bithynia, and both times God closes the door to them. God has a plan for their journey and He funnels them right where he wants them to go. But I wonder what they thought when those doors shut.

This Sunday we will see that God leads His people to accomplish His purposes (not necessarily our purposes). We will see what it looks like to follow Jesus when we have a direct call and also when we have no idea what to do next. We will remind ourselves from the text that God is in control of His mission. He is in control of all things. When he shuts doors on our efforts, there is a reason and a purpose. And though we often don’t see the big picture, we walk by faith.

Paul and the missionary team are not allowed to evangelize in Asia or Bithynia. Instead they are brought all the way across the Aegean to the edge of Europe in Philippi, so that one woman named Lydia may have her heart opened by the Lord through the gospel. We must follow God’s plan for it is only His power that saves and glorifies Himself by changing hearts.

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Acts 15:36-16:5 Discord Among Disciples

Sunday’s passage is quite ironic in the context of chapter 15. Paul and Barnabas were instrumental in opposing false teaching that could have divided the church between Jew and Gentile. They stood against those teaching that Gentiles must be circumcised and hold to the law of Moses to be saved. When the church leaders met, they affirmed that God saves by grace alone through faith in Jesus Christ. They affirmed this because God’s work proved it, and God’s word proclaimed it. Now the churches in Jerusalem, Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia are unified in the gospel. The Apostles also sent a letter asking the Gentiles to abstain from certain practices that would offend the Jewish Christian’s consciences. Now, the church was unified in love for one another as well. A great victory for the body of Christ has been achieved. But in the very next section, Luke records a division among the two disciples that helped bring this unity.

Paul and Barnabas have a disagreement that divides them and sends them to serve separately. They did not disagree on God’s truth, the gospel, Christ’s mission, or weighty theological matters. Their personality differences led them to argue about who should be on their mission team. As we examine this conflict and its effect on the mission, we find that discord and even heated disagreement is possible among godly believers. It is possible among those who’s hearts are focused on Christ and His mission. It is possible among the closest of companions who have risked their lives together for Jesus and suffered persecution together for the gospel. If it can happen among these men, it can happen among any disciples...and it often does. How should we react when secondary disagreements such as these escalate to a heated discord? Who was right in Paul and Barnabas’ disagreement? These are the questions we will wrestle with Sunday. I hope you can join us.

Acts 15:22-35 United In Truth & Love

Although we are focusing on Acts 15:22-35 this Sunday, I would encourage you to read verses 1-35 in order to remind yourself of the context. We will be jumping back into the middle of what is commonly known as the Jerusalem Council. Last week we saw the reason for this meeting. Men had come into the church in Antioch and began teaching that Gentiles must be circumcised in addition to trusting in Jesus to be saved. Paul and Barnabas stood against these teachers and the question was taken up by the elders and apostles in Jerusalem. Our focus in verses 1-21 was the church’s refusal to compromise the gospel. Peter, Paul and Barnabas all spoke up. Then James showed that God foretold the saving of the Gentiles in His word. The church decides to stand on the word and work of God, refusing to add anything as a requirement for salvation. The Gentiles are saved in the same way that Jews are, by grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone. 

Sunday we will read the letter that is sent back to Antioch. In it we again see the church stand firm in the gospel of grace, disavowing those who teach contrary, but we also find that "requirements" (or essentials) are asked of the Gentiles. While the church in Jerusalem affirms that salvation is through faith alone and the Gentiles need not become Jews, they can also no longer participate in the pagan worship practices and festivities common in that day. They also recognize that the churches in Antioch, Pamphyilia, Cilicia, and Galatia are made up of Jewish believers as well as Gentiles. In order to preserve unity and table fellowship in churches composed of Jews and Gentiles, they ask the Gentiles to abstain from certain foods to retain unity with Jewish believers. Here we see two sides of unity in the body of Christ. First there can be no unity without the truth of the gospel. Some things are too important to be compromised for the sake of unity. But likewise, love for Christ must compel to walk in holiness and in unity with one another. If this means we sacrifice some foods, drinks, activities, or traditions for the sake of the mission to others, we must do so. 

1 Co. 9:19-23 "19 For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. 20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. 21 To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. 23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings."

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Acts 14:21-28 Being A Great Commission Disciple

This Sunday, we will finish the final leg of Paul and Barnabas’ first missionary journey. Acts 14:21-28 shows us their route home and describes the missions activities they did along the way. Through chapter 13 - 14 we have seen them preach the gospel in the synagogues and the cities, to Jews and to Gentiles, and even to pagans with no knowledge of the Jewish Messiah or promises. They had been run out of several cities, caused quite a division in the cities, and had almost been worshiped as pagan gods. They had been persecuted and reviled. They had been chased by their opponents from city to city, and Paul had been stoned so severely that he was thought to have died. As we pick up in the city of Derbe (v.21) they continue to preach and make disciples because that is what Great Commission disciples do - they evangelize. But then they turn back to head home to their own church in Syrian Antioch. And on their way home, they retrace their steps to all the cities they had just visited. Not only was this dangerous because by now they were well known and hated by a great number of people in each city, but this was also the long way around to reach their home church in Antioch. Why would they risk it? Why would they backtrack out of their way to these dangerous places. They did so because their mission was to make disciples, not just converts. They returned to strengthen the disciples who were converted on their first trip through the area. They went back to encourage them to continue in the faith despite all the persecution and tribulation they would experience. They went back because they were following Jesus’ Great Commission, not only baptizing all nations, but teaching them to observe everything Jesus had commanded. They went back to organize the local churches there because that is God’s ordained instrument for disciples to grow and to make other disciples.

And when Paul and Barnabas finally get back home to Antioch, we see that even these great men of God knew the importance of being involved with their local home church. They stayed with there a long time and reported on their mission because it was also the church’s mission. The church in Antioch had sent them, ordained them, recognized the call of the Holy Spirit on them for the mission.

The passage demonstrates to us the importance of not only evangelizing but also investing in the growth of disciples. It shows us the importance of the local church for growing disciples to make disciples. Jesus’ call to us today is the same. Make disciples - evangelize the lost - baptize them - and come along side them to teach them TO OBSERVE everything Jesus has commanded. Simply, to help one another follow Jesus. I hope we will be a church who’s heart beats for Christ in the commission He has given.

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