Faithfulness Despite Fear & Trembling

Transcript

GR 1621
11/13/2011
Faithfulness Despite Fear & Trembling
Acts 18:1-17
Gil Rugh

We’re going to Acts chapter 18 in your bibles. Acts and the 18th Chapter. We’re reminded as we’ve seen these who have been baptized this evening, that what is recorded in the book of Acts continues down to our day, as God graciously brings salvation to a lost world. Salvation, now primarily being bestowed upon Gentiles. Some Jews are being saved, but these are days where the work of God in salvation is focused in the Gentile world.

We’re following the apostle Paul’s travels. Again in Acts 13, we’re reminded that following the apostle Paul in his travels would have been a difficult, draining ministry. The ministry is hard work. Remember when Paul writes to Timothy, he reminds him, it’s hard work. Don’t let the gift that God’s given you burn low. Stir up the gift. It’s not for the faint hearted. Endure hardship like a good soldier.

It’s easy for us as we study a book like Acts to think, “well, Paul was exception, He was an apostle. I’m just an average Christian.” There is no such thing as just an average Christian. How can you be the servant of the living God and just be average? We’re all different, we have different areas of focus in the areas that God has given us. But all of us have the same responsibility. The same accountability. As the young people shared with us, having that yearning, burning passion for the Lord in what we do. It’s evidenced in the apostle Paul. Takes faithful endurance, day after day, to keep on in being faithful to the Lord.

There’s going to be times of disappointment, there are going to be times of discouragement, even as we look into Paul’s ministry in Corinth. We’re going to find out that there was a time when he was afraid. When he felt almost overwhelmed. But he kept on doing what God had called him to do. That’s the success of his ministry. As he faithfully continued in the ministry of God, God did the work that only God can do.

Paul is on his second missionary journey. This is a trip that started out in Antioch of Syria, but the ministry really focuses on how God used Paul, when He brought him into the land of Greece. Paul journeyed a long way, and then he came ultimately to Philippi, by God’s direction and ministered the word of God in Philippi. Then he went to the Thessalonians to minister the word. Then he went to Berea and ministered the word. Then he went to Athens and ministered the word of God. In each of these areas we’re told people were saved.

But in each of these areas there are difficulties that had to be confronted. Churches are established in Philippi we know, in Thessalonica, while there is no further record of a church in Berea, we know that people received the word. We assume a church was established there. We know about Philippi and Thessalonica, because Paul later wrote letters back to these churches. Letters that would have been shared with other churches perhaps not mentioned, like the church at Berea. People were saved, but overall it’s been a difficult ministry. In Philippi, Paul was beaten and imprisoned. In Thessalonica, he had to leave because of opposition. In Berea, he had to ultimately leave because of problems and opposition. In Athens, there were people that responded but generally people mocked him, made fun of him and so on.

We open chapter 18, “After these things he left Athens and went to Corinth.” Now, when Paul had come to Athens, he had left his traveling companions behind. But they evidently joined him in Athens, but Luke doesn’t record that. Luke summarizes what is going on. You get an idea of that summary, because his time in Athens would have been relatively brief. In Corinth, we’re told he was there a year and a half. But the amount of space that Luke gives to the ministry in Corinth is no more than the amount of space he gives to the much shorter ministry in Athens. Just a reminder that under the direction of the Spirit, Luke is selectively recording events. Evidently Timothy and Silas had joined Paul in Athens and then Paul sent them back from Athens into Macedonia.

Turn over to Paul’s first message to the Thessalonians, chapter 3. Paul’s talked about their response to the gospel. The challenges he had in ministry at Thessalonica. When you come down to chapter 3, he’s concerned about the Thessalonians. Remember opposition had been stirred up against Paul, so he left and moved on to Berea. But he’s concerned for these that have been left behind in Thessalonica, this is their home. They’ve become believers. So he says in verse 1, “Therefore when we could endure it no longer, we thought it best to be left behind at Athens alone.”

What you have in Acts, you might think that Paul came to Athens, he had left Timothy and Silas behind, he came to Athens and then went on to Corinth, and then Timothy and Silas joined him. But here we find out, Verse 2 “and we sent Timothy, our brother and God’s fellow worker in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you s to your faith, so that no man may be disturbed by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we have been destined for this.” He sent Timothy back, particularly to Thessalonica, but evidently he sent Silas back as well. Probably to Philippi, we’ll note that a little bit later as we move on in our study.

Paul says here, there’s a hint he was left behind in Athens alone. Well Silas was his prime traveling companion, and remember Timothy was selected to accompany them. Paul says he’s left behind in Athens alone. He evidently sent both back. He mentions Timothy because, Timothy was specifically sent back to Thessalonica to check on them.

Come back to Acts 18, we’ll be coming back to the letter to the Thessalonians later. We pick up in Acts chapter 18. We left chapter 17, Paul had preached the gospel at Mars Hills, as we’re familiar with it, and the response at the end of chapter 17:32, “some began to sneer, others said we’ll hear you again, but there was some who believed” in verse 34. No indication that there were large numbers, but there were several who had become believers. “After these things, he left Athens and went to Corinth.” Traveled about 50 miles west for Athens and he’ll come to Corinth. He’s going to come here with the events that have taken place, his ministry in Greece has been hard. As we look back and read the history, the things that stick in our minds and that stand out are, people were saved all along the way, how wonderful. You understand it has been a hard ministry for Paul. People have been saved, but there has been strong opposition.

Turn over to 1 Corinthians 2. Paul writes this letter to the Corinthians, later we’re going to have his initial visit in Chapter 18. But he tells us something of what was going on in his life as he came to Corinth. 1 Corinthians 2:1, “And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God.” Notice he’s coming to an intellectual center, but he didn’t come to try to display the intellectual superiority of Christianity. He didn’t come to this center where they admired the good speaker, the public speaker the orator. He didn’t come to display some kind of oratory superiority. Verse 2: ”For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”

Paul, where he is going, no matter what the setting, whether he’s going to Jews in the synagogue or Gentiles outside the synagogue, He has the message, “Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” He’s coming to an intellectual center, I determined to come with one message, “Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” He just left Athens, there was mocking there, the message of the resurrection of Jesus Christ didn’t sit well with the Greeks. We try to think well, you have to know the people you’re going to minister to. You have to know the message you have, that you’re going to give to the people you’re going to minister to. Paul’s approach. “I determined to know nothing among you, but Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” In chapter 1, he knows that the Greeks sought for wisdom. But I didn’t come to try to display a superiority of wisdom, I determined to know nothing among you but Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Verse 3, “I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling.”

We think that Paul wasn’t impacted. He came and he was afraid, he was fearful, he was trembling. Here I am to another city, a new city, never been here before, but I know what the pattern in Greece has been. Started out in Philippi, being beaten and in prison. Continued on, Thessalonica, Berea, Athens, trouble, trouble, trouble, opposition. “I was with you in weakness.” I’m not able to do this. You’re overwhelmed with your sense of weakness. He’s afraid, he’s fearful, trembling, much trembling. Amazing! The Apostle Paul, we think, oh well, you have to have courage. You have to have confidence, you have to have boldness. You have to go out there with assurance.

It’s not the way Paul comes to Corinth. “I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling.” Verse 4, “And my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom.” The effectiveness of my ministry wasn’t in my presentation, it wasn’t in my display of intellectual ability. The ability to overwhelm the Greeks arguments. It was a demonstration of the Spirit and of power. That’s the only explanation for it. It was the work of God. I was in weakness, I was afraid, I was trembling greatly. My message, my preaching, there was nothing in the oratory, nothing in the intellectual approach, but it demonstrated the Spirit’s presence and the power that comes with the word of God and the work of the Spirit. Verse 5, “that your faith should no rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.” Remarkable!

If you were told tomorrow morning that you were to go down and address the professors at the University, would you be awake all night? Would you be afraid? That’s not bad, Paul was. Would you be trembling at the thought? Yes. Would you be thinking, how am I going to demonstrate that I have the intellectual ability to address them? No, you don’t want to think that. It would be intimidating, it’s what drives us to our knees, right? We say, Lord, I can’t do this. But you can. I don’t know what to say, other than to tell them that Jesus Christ, your Son came to be the savior. The problem in the intellectual centers of the world is the same as the problems in the uneducated slums of the world. They need a savior. The wisest men, the most educated people and those who are the least intellectual, they all need the same thing. Paul’s power, is the power of God.

That ought to challenge us, remind us, anywhere we go, no matter of who we’re dealing with. So much of what is addressed to the church, is that you have to have a target audience. But we learn this from the world. We don’t have a product that we’re selling, we have a Savior that we’re representing. We’re telling them the truth that comes from God. The Spirit of God can take the truth of God and with His power, do what only He can do, transform a life.

Come back to Acts 18. Corinth, 50 miles west of Athens. It’s the leading political and commercial center in Greece at this time. It has a population estimated to be about 200,000, roughly around the size of our city. It had reached it’s peak power in the 7th century before Christ. Even as Paul comes here, he comes to a relatively new city. None of the important buildings in the city of Corinth, were more than a hundred years old. It’s a relatively new city with an ancient history.

What happened is, in 146 BC, Corinth made a great mistake. It revolted against Rome. Remember we looked into Daniel, the Roman Empire, pictured as an empire of iron, pictured as a beast that destroys all that opposes it. That’s what happens. Lucius Muumuus, in case you want a new name for your children, not Lucius, but Muumuus would be a new one. He came to put down the revolt. Every adult male in the city was killed, total destruction of the men. All the women and children were sold into slavery and the city was leveled. The buildings are all destroyed. Demonstrating, the Romans at that time, 146 BC, are demonstrating that revolt will not be tolerated. The consequences are not worth taking the chance. That’s what they’re demonstrating. That was in 146. Then in 44 BC, Julius Caesar had the city rebuilt and gave it the status of a Roman colony. As Paul comes to it, around 51 AD, it’s a relative new city.

When you think of the history of Greece, this is a new city, newly built. A prosperous city, it quickly became a prosperous commercial success. It became the political center of the province of Acacia, in southern Greece. Was not only a city that was the center of wealth and power, it was the center of corruption and immorality. To Corinthianize, meant to be sexually immoral. The name gave, just like we talk about Sodom and Gomorrah, to Corinthianize somebody, was to corrupt them sexually. It was a sexually immoral place, a godless center. It was a city that had numerus gods. The worship of these gods could become corrupt. The worship of Aphrodite, the goddess of love, on the top of the Acropolis and the immorality associated with that. The Acropolis was 1900 feet above the city. There the temple for Aphrodite was located. At the foot of the Acropolis there was another temple to another goddess. A city permeated with immorality. You can see how intimidating, you come here with a city saturated with pagan worship and the corruption that comes with that.

At the same time, you have a city of wealth and influence. Here comes Paul, by himself, because he sent Timothy and Silas back into Macedonia. Any wonder he came with fear and trembling? Paul’s not wondering, what do I do here? He knows what he has to do here. That’s what brings fear and trembling, and a sense of his weakness. He’s not here for a vacation. He’s not here for some R & R. He’s here for one purpose, to proclaim “Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” He’s coming to Corinth and he’s traveled that 50 miles, he knows what he has to do. He knows he has one purpose in coming to Corinth. He realizes how overwhelming the task is. Only God can make the ministry there effective.

He comes to the city and he finds a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, over by the Black Sea, the region of Bithynia, we’ve looked at on the map. He was a native of Pontus, he had been living in Italy, but he had recently come from Italy with his wife, to take up residence in Corinth. Verse 2 “And he found a certain Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, having recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. He came to them, and because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them and they were working; for by trade they were tent-makers.” Priscilla and Aquila or Prisca and Aquila. Here they are, Paul meets them here in Corinth. They came to Corinth because Claudius, Roman Emperor, in 49 AD, some of these things help us to date where we are in Acts. 49AD, Claudius became so frustrated with the Jews in the turmoil that was being created (Plutonius and other writers refer to this) over a man called Christos, talking about Christ. The Jews were creating so much turmoil in the city over Christos, Christ, Claudius got so upset with it all, he just gave a decree that all the Jews had to leave.

So Priscilla and Aquila have to come to Corinth. Isn’t it interesting, seems like trouble. Priscilla and Aquila have to leave Rome because Claudius has given the decree that all the Jews have to leave, but they come here and, the work of God, always the schedule is just on time. Never too early, never too late, right on time. Here they are in Corinth and who happens to be coming to Corinth, but Paul. What’s Paul’s trade? What Paul has to do when he comes to Corinth, he has to find a way to pay the bills. He has to eat. He has to have a place to live. The everyday cares of life are there for Paul. He’s not an independently wealthy man. He comes, he finds them, we’re not told how he finds them. We’re told he finds a Jew named Aquila, with his wife, they’ve come recently to Corinth. He was of the same trade. He stayed with them. They were by trade, tent makers, or perhaps more broadly, leather workers, involved in aspects of that, including tent making. Now Paul has a place to stay. Evidently they are believers before Paul meets them, because there’s no record of them being converted under Paul’s ministry.

We know there’s a church in Rome, Paul writes a letter to the Romans. Somewhere along the way, they have heard the gospel, believed it, evidently are believing Jews. Perhaps they were part of the turmoil there, because the unbelieving Jews would have been opposed to the message of Christ that was being presented by believing Jews. You get this kind of turmoil. Now, Paul shares the trade, so he’s going to stay with them. They can share together in the work and the selling of the work that they do. They’ll be involved with Paul now, in the key times. They will leave Corinth with him, go to Ephesus, they’ll be mentioned in other letters. We’ve seen they were mentioned at the end of the letter to the Romans, in Timothy, become faithful workers with Paul in the ministry of the gospel.

Verse 4, what’s Paul doing? “And he was reasoning in the synagogue every Sabbath and trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.” What else is he doing? Through the week he is primarily tied up working long hours at his trade to support himself. You’ll see that in a moment. But on Saturdays, you’ll find him in the synagogue presenting the gospel, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks. In the synagogue, we’ve noted, these would be non Jews, the Greeks, who have become converts to Judaism, not full proselytes, necessarily, but they join the Jews for worship. They have come to believe in the God of the Jews. That is what Paul is doing on the weekends.

Verse 5 “But when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia,” there is the indication we read in Thessalonians, that Paul had sent Timothy to Thessalonica, but here we realize that Timothy and Silas had both been in Macedonia. Now they’ve come to Corinth. We learned in Thessalonians, Paul had sent them from Athens, so they had evidently joined him in Athens, now they rejoin him in Corinth. “But when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul began devoting himself completely to the word, solemnly testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ.” He began to devote himself completely, meant that he didn’t have to be absorbed in his trade of tent making or leather working anymore. Why? Because these men bring gifts to him from Thessalonica and from Philippi. When Paul was present, remember, carrying the gospel to a region, he didn’t accept support. That’s going on here in Corinth, he supports himself. When he’s left that region, the believers there sometimes do contribute to his support in other places, so there’s no question that he came there as a huckster, just another traveling teacher, trying to get money. He does accept gifts later.

Come back to 1 Thessalonians again. We read the first part of 1 Thessalonians 3, where he sent them there. Then verse 4 “For indeed when we were with you, we kept telling you in advance that we were going to suffer affliction; and so it came to pass, as you know. For this reason, when I could endure it no longer, I also sent to find out about your faith, for fear that the tempter might have tempted you, and our labor should be in vain.” He’s concerned, did they stay with it. Characteristic of true believers is, they stay with it. But he’s concerned, perhaps they’re profession of faith wouldn’t have been genuine, and they would have abandoned that testimony after Paul left.

Verse 6 “But now Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us good news of your faith and love, and that you always think kindly of us, longing to see us just as we also long to see you, for this reason, brethren, in all our distress and affliction we were comforted about you through your faith.” It would seem, in this kind of context, they may have sent a contribution to Paul, to help him, so he could be free from that burden of working. Come to Philippians 4, remember this is written back to Philippi where Paul first visited, in light of Timothy going to Thessalonica, assuming Silas probably went all the way back to Philippi.

Here we’re told, verse 15 “And you yourselves also know, Philippians, that at the first preaching of the gospel, after I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you alone; for even in Thessalonica you sent a gift more than once for my needs. Not that I seek the gift itself, but I seek for the profit which increases to your account. But I have received everything in full, and have an abundance; I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent.”

Here he’s in prison later in Rome and they’ve sent another gift. So this pattern of them sending gifts, when you come back to Acts 18 and he says that when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, they would have been visiting the churches there, Thessalonica and Philippi and Berea evidently, he’s freed from the responsibility of supporting himself.

Come to 2 Corinthians 11, Paul refers to the fact that he didn’t accept money from the people in Corinth, while he was ministering there. Verse 7 “Or did I commit a sin in humbling myself that you might be exalted, because I preached the gospel of God to
you without charge? I robbed other churches, taking wages from them to serve you.”

So in effect, someone else was paying , so that I could have that kind of ministry to you. The principle he establishes in his letters to the Corinthians was that those who were benefiting from the ministry, should support the ministry. Paul made a pattern when he came to these cities for the first time, of not accepting that. The normal pattern in ministry to believers is, they will support that ministry. But you Corinthians, I didn’t take money from you.

Another indication, he’s received his support there from other churches. Verse 9 “and when I was present with you and was in need, I was not a burden to anyone, for when the brethren came from Macedonia, they fully supplied my need, and in everything I kept myself from being a burden to you, and will continue to do so.” You can see the criticisms and the attacks that have come to Paul, from even in the church at Corinth. Now he can say, my hands are clean on that, nobody can accuse me of being a huckster, in it for the money, because you didn’t give me any. Other churches supported me, but you didn’t, so remove that criticism. You see Macedonia churches did, during his ministry in Corinth.

Alright, come back to Acts 18. Paul is ministering and testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. Verse 6 “And when they resisted and blasphemed, he shook out his garments and said to them, ‘your blood be upon your own heads!’ I am clean. From now on I shall go to the Gentiles.” Your blood be on your own heads, I am clean, why? Because he has given them the message, he’s fulfilled the responsibility.

In our study, earlier today, we looked a little bit in Ezekiel 33, if you want to come there quickly. Here, God speaks with Ezekiel, and he is the watchman. The watchman for the city. When the watchman see’s the enemy coming, he’s to warn the city. If he warns the city, and they don’t get ready, the watchman has fulfilled his duty. If he see’s the enemy coming and he doesn’t warn them, the enemy will come and destroy the city, but the watchman is accountable for dereliction of duty, if you will. Verse 2 “Son of man, speak to the sons of your people, and say to them, ‘If I bring a sword upon a land, and the people of the land take one man from among them and make him their watchman; and he sees the sword coming upon the land, and he blows on the trumpet and warns the people, then he who hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, and a sword comes and takes him away, his blood will be on his own head.” He’d been warned. The watchman is not responsible for that death.

Verse 5 “He heard the sound of the trumpet, but did not take warning; his blood will be on himself. But had he taken warning, he would have delivered his life.” Important here what God is saying. It applies to us today, as Paul applies it to himself.

Verse 6 “But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and a sword comes and takes a person from them, he is taken away in his iniquity.” In other words, he’s still responsible, for he bears the consequence. “But his blood I will require from the watchman’s hand. Now as for you, son of man, I have appointed you a watchman for the house of Israel; so you will hear a message from My mouth, and give them warning from Me. When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you shall surely die,’ and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity,” he’s guilty, “but his blood I will require from your hand.” You are guilty before me, for failing to tell him, give him the warning I told you to give to him. “But if you on your part warn a wicked man to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, he will die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your life.”

So, that expression, that’s used in the picture of the watchman, in those first six verses, “his blood, I will require from the watchman hand, his blood will be on his own head.” That’s what Paul picks up here when he tells the Jews in Acts 18, “Your blood be on your own head, I am clean.” Why? He’s God’s watchman. Any Jew familiar with the Old Testament would recognize Ezekiel, the watchman, and the warning there. “I have given you warning of God’s judgement, of the only salvation from judgement. When the wrath of God comes on you, it’s totally on you. I have been freed, I have fulfilled my responsibility.” You note here, the watchman is not responsible for the response of the people. The watchman is responsible for giving the message, the warning.

We get so confused. We think, “well, I’m responsible, they have to believe, if they don’t believe, then it’s worthless.” No! When you share the gospel, something of eternal importance has happened. One, a lost soul has heard the message of God’s salvation. But for you personally, you have been freed from responsibility for that person. If a person hears and doesn’t believe, something of eternal importance has happened, because I have been freed from accountability for his condition. If he does respond, praise the Lord! You note, the watchman has one responsibility. If we keep that, that helps us in sharing and talking to people, recognizing what God holds us accountable for.

Back in Acts 18:7 “And he departed from there and went to the house of a certain man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God,” this is striking, “whose house was next to the synagogue.” Well, the Jews are stirred up. Paul says, alright, you’ve heard the message, you’ve had your chance, I’ve warned you. What you do with the message now is in your hands. From now on, I go to the Gentiles.

It doesn’t mean from here on until forever, because Paul will follow the pattern of still telling the Jews. But now, here in Corinth, his ministry turns more to the Gentiles. Where does he go? He goes next door. You think, well, let’s get to the other side of the city, away from the synagogue, so that we’re not constantly stirring the pot. He goes next door. Evidently to one who has responded to the gospel as Paul has brought it to them at the synagogue, because he’s a worshiper of God. He would have been one of those Greeks, joined with the Jews in the synagogue.

Talk about rubbing salt into the wound. You have the convert, and you’re going next door to his house. Those who come to the synagogue are saying, what’s going on at the house of Titius Justus? Paul is telling them about the messiah of Israel, who died and was raised from the dead. Paul doesn’t have the good sense he was born with, but he is here to what? Give out the message, to people who don’t want to hear it, and people who do receive it. His responsibility is, give out the message. Verse 8 “And Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, believed in the Lord with all his household.” Wow! Next door to the synagogue, and here you have one of the leaders of the synagogue, who are converted. “and many of the Corinthians when they heard were believing and being baptized.” You saw young people being baptized earlier. That’s the pattern, they believe and they’re baptized. They stand for Christ.

Verse 9 “The Lord said to Paul in the night by a vision, ‘Do not be afraid any longer.’” Paul is doing what he ought to do, when he’s afraid and much trembling. We think he’s cut from a different cloth. When we get afraid and tremble, we think, I can’t do it. You know the difference? Paul did it, even when he was afraid. Even if he was trembling, even when it seems he’s overwhelmed by his own weakness. The Lord comes to Paul in a night vision and says, don’t be afraid any longer, keep on speaking, don’t be silent. The pressure is on Paul, perhaps he’s wondering, maybe it’s time to move on, maybe I ought to stop, maybe what’s going to be done here is done.

God continues in verse 10 “for I am with you and no man will attack you in order to harm you, for I have many people in this city.” You see the sovereignty of God? Paul was put under special protection. Where was this in Philippi when he’s beaten and thrown into prison? Well it’s here now. God wants him to have an extensive ministry. It was God’s will for Paul to keep moving on, but here’s a place to stay. You ought to have this underlined in your bible, “for I have many people in this city.” The sovereignty of God in it. The sovereignty of God in bringing the message of salvation.

Come over to 2 Timothy 2, Paul’s last letter, he’s in prison awaiting execution. His ministry has come to it’s end. “’I am already being poured out’ he says, ‘I have finished the course, I’ve kept the faith.’” 2 Timothy 2:10 “For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory.” We carry the gospel out so that those the God has chosen might hear and believe. Those who He has not chosen will continue in their stubborn rebellion.

Paul had a perspective, here at the end of his life. At the end of his ministry, he tells us what he did, I endured everything, so that the elect could hear the gospel and believe and be the recipients of eternal glory. That’s what we’re doing; we’re not going to reach the whole city, the whole country, the whole world. We’re going out to carry the gospel, so that from among rebellious sinners, those that God has chosen to put His saving grace upon, will respond and be saved.

Turn to Titus 1:1 “Paul, a bond-servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of those chosen of God.” It didn’t discourage Paul, didn’t keep him from saying, I beg you, in Christ’s name, be reconciled to God. Or keep him from a passionate presentation of the gospel to everyone he confronted. It didn’t keep him from saying that his heart’s burden for Israel, is they might be saved. I would be willing to be lost if it could bring about their salvation. No carelessness, no indifference, but the passion to carry out the work that God would do through him.

Back to Acts 18:11 “And he settled there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia,” that’s the southern province, Macedonia, northern part of Greece, Achaia the southern part of where Greece is, “while Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him before the judgment seat, saying, ‘This man persuades men to worship God contrary to the law.’” They bring a charge before Gallio. He’s the Roman representative in the city. He’s the proconsul, he’s in charge of this region of Greece for the Romans. Important here, we can limit the time here to a year, because Gallio was only proconsul, we know this from extra biblical writings, was only proconsul of Achaia, from July of 51 AD to June of 52 AD, a one year period of time. We even know from what month to what month. This is the time where Paul is before him, it’s the most fixed date we have in the book of Acts. Limited right to the year, here of where Paul is in Corinth, in that year from July of 51 to June of 52. He got a fever and that’s why his proconsul was so short. He had to leave because of health reasons.

Interesting, we know quite a bit about this man, because he comes from a distinguished family. His brother is Senica, same name as the Father who is somewhat well known. Senica the philosopher, stoic philosopher, politician, a dramatist, he was also the tutor of Nero in his youth. He continued in that relationship with Nero for some time. In 65 AD, Nero will force him to commit suicide, along with another brother of Gallio. So, we know quite a bit about Gallio, from secular history, because of the prominence of the family. Here, in this period of time, Paul appears before him. The Jews bring charge. Claudius, the same one who had the Jews leave Rome, did give a decree that the Jews were a legal religion.

Now what the Jews are accusing Paul with, before Gallio is, that Paul is functioning contrary to their religion, so he’s out of bounds. He’s a Jew, but he is causing trouble among the Jews. Gallio’s response is interesting, verse 14 “But when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews,” Paul never gets a chance to present the gospel, here is Gallio with a opportunity, God sovereignly works, Gallio won’t get to hear the gospel. Other leaders do, put Paul never gets the chance to speak before Gallio. “Gallio said to the Jews, if it were a matter of wrong or of vicious crime, O Jews, it would be reasonable for me to put up with you.” This strong anti Semitism runs through this family and among Romans generally. Like there is in the world, like we’ve talked about.

Verse 15 “but if there are questions about words and names and your own law, look after it yourselves; I am unwilling to be a judge of these matters.” He has to accept the fact that Caesar has said, the Jews are a recognized religion and they can worship. Gallio said, this is just a disagreement among Jews. I’m the Roman ruler here, I don’t have to get dragged into your inter-Jewish conflicts. If it were something about wrong behavior, improper conduct, violation of Roman law, then I’d pass judgement on it. So, get out of here, is basically is what he does.

Verse 16 “And he drove them away from the judgement seat. And they all took hold of Sosthenes, the leader of the synagogue.” We also already saw Crispus, it was earlier in Acts, we saw plural leadership in the synagogues, and that’s evidently the case here. “they took him and began beating him in front of the judgment seat.” We don’t know if Sosthenes has become a believer, or what the issue is here, the point here is, Gallio doesn’t care. What you Jews do to one another is up to you. I’m not getting involved. Paul doesn’t have to declare Roman citizenship, the action here, because of the level of a proconsul, would have bearing on other places.

Like our court rulings, here, Gallio, is ruling, is that what Paul is teaching is not in conflict with Roman law. There is a cover for Paul here. He’s going to be in Corinth for a while and then leave. You see something of the ministry of Paul, is a summary ministry, but has great impact. Two letters will be written to this church which will impress upon us. This is a church that is filled with problems, but God’s grace has brought salvation to the lost. Praise God for Paul’s faithfulness.

We’ve heard testimonies tonight, people will say, people were faithful in talking to them, in sharing with them and manifesting lives that have been changed by the gospel. What a privilege, let’s pray together.

Thank You Lord for the apostle Paul. Lord the credit does not go to Paul, but it goes to You, a God of grace, who saved Paul, and placed him in the ministry and trusted him with the gospel. Lord we appreciate his faithfulness to the call that he received from You. We are challenged, we are reminded, in our weakness, in our frailty, with our fears, even when we’re trembling, we’ve been entrusted with the gospel, which is powerful for salvation. Not because we are powerful, not because we are great communicators, but because we are mouth pieces, used by the Holy Spirit, to tell people the message that is powerful for salvation of souls. Use us to that end, in the days and the weeks before us. As we are spread through out the city, we have contacts, to various settings, may we seek forth, even in our fear, the message that has been entrusted to us. We pray in Christ’s name, Amen.