IMPORTANT: God loves to use faithful, common people to accomplish His work and to influence and reach even the most unreachable people for His glory! “The Great Commission is not an option to be considered; it is a command to be obeyed.” – Hudson Taylor (1832-1905; British missionary to China, founder of China Inland Mission) We continued our expositional study of Acts today in chapter 18 verses 19 through 28. The outline for the message was: 1. Paul came to EPHESUS and left Aquila and Priscilla there while he returned to Jerusalem and Antioch before beginning his 3rd missionary journey through Galatia to Ephesus. 18:19-23 NOTE #1: Paul must have left Silas and Timothy in Corinth and only had Aquila and Priscilla with him for we see him leaving the couple in Ephesus while he went alone into the synagogue. This is quite an interesting story as it would appear that unlike in other cities, the Jews and those in the synagogue actually wanted him to stay and continue. But, as we read in 18:18, Paul had vowed a vow and shorn his head in Cenchrea and greatly desired to get to Jerusalem to keep the feast that was coming. What do we take from this? Has Paul lost his head and is now desiring to keep the ceremonial law or is there something else happening here? You have to know Paul and what he said to those in Corinth and Rome that he had a great desire to see the Jews get saved. He said to the Jews he became a Jew that he might lead them to saving faith. This is what Paul was doing. The feast in Jerusalem meant that many Jews were headed back there and so it was going to be an opportunity no doubt for the gospel. Maybe he was encouraged by the two rulers of the synagogue who got saved in Corinth (Crispus and Sosthenes) and now with Jews in Ephesus desiring to hear more he is all the more zealous to go preach to his fellow countrymen that they might be saved! After all that though, we do not hear much of the trip as we only know that when he had “gone up, and saluted the church” at Jerusalem, he went to Antioch. How the church at Antioch must have been encouraged by their favorite missionary!! Maybe he even gave them a copy of the letters he had sent to Thessalonica for them to KEEP for safe keeping – they sure did that! 2. While stationed in Ephesus, Aquila and Priscilla were used by God to INSTRUCT a certain, lost Jew named Apollos from Alexandria in the way of God more perfectly. 18:24-28 NOTE #2: Praise God that He has given us His inspired and preserved holy words in a holy Book that we can hold in our hands and trust every word!! The Bible says that although Apollos was an eloquent man and mighty in the scriptures and instructed in the way of the Lord and fervent in the spirit and though he spake and taught diligently…he ONLY KNEW THE BAPTISM OF JOHN!! And, although that was truth for a different time, it was NOT the truth that was to lead a person to salvation and eternal life at his time!! How then could he have been saved, if he was NOT preaching the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ and His resurrection for justification?!? He was surely NOT! He was preaching repentance and baptism as a means to get right with God – based on his learning from the school at Alexandria, Egypt!! Well I got news for you – that is what the Church of Christ pastors and Christian Church pastors and many other pastors are preaching on the planet TODAY!!! Apollos was preaching false doctrine as it were from Alexandria, Egypt. And yet, the scholars of today want us to believe that Alexandria, Egypt and not Antioch, Syria was the place where God worked so mightily in church history and gave us our Bible!! NO WAY!! What a reminder for us that although men might be eloquent, although men might be mighty in the scriptures, although men might be fervent in the spirit and charismatic in personality, and although men might be instructed in what appears to be the “Bible” it DOES NOT MEAN A THING IF THEY ARE NOT PREACHING THE LORD JESUS CHRIST AS THE ONLY MEANS OF SALVATION AND TO ESCAPE THE JUDGMENT AND WRATH TO COME OF ALMIGHTY GOD AND THE LORD JESUS CHRIST!! This puts Apollos at that time in the same camp as Rick Warren, Bill Hybels, Joel Olsteen, the Emgerging False Church and all the rest of the FALSE TEACHERS – who are really WOLVES in sheep’s clothing who make merchandise of God’s church through their fair speeches and clever essays and musical performances!! Now, this story has a miraculous and beautiful ending, however. Because…we see that God used a faithful common couple of believers to instruct Apollos in the Lord Jesus Christ and His resurrection and His command to preach the gospel to every creature…and the best news is that although Apollos was all of those things described, he was wise enough to humble himself and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ!! Wow! What God can do with a man or woman that is sold out for him! Apollos would become a great preacher for the Lord Jesus Christ because he was willing to humble himself and listen to the truth from two, common people with the holy Bible truth! You can listen to the message online under the Messages tab or click on this link… believethebible.org/acts-series/ May the Lamb that was slain receive the reward of His suffering! In Christ alone, Pastor Doug
Posted on: Mon, 12 May 2014 14:08:33 +0000
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