Sermon Outline for Acts 21:1-26

October 25, 2009

First Church of the Brethren

H. Kevin Derr

Acts 21:1-26

“Arrested in Jerusalem”

¹ After we had torn ourselves away from them, we put out to sea and sailed straight to Kos. The next day we went to Rhodes and from there to Patara. ² We found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, went on board and set sail. ³ After sighting Cyprus and passing to the south of it, we sailed on to Syria. We landed at Tyre, where our ship was to unload its cargo. ⁴ We sought out the disciples there and stayed with them seven days. Through the Spirit they urged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem. ⁵ When it was time to leave, we left and continued on our way. All of them, including wives and children, accompanied us out of the city, and there on the beach we knelt to pray. ⁶ After saying good-by to each other, we went aboard the ship, and they returned home.

⁷ We continued our voyage from Tyre and landed at Ptolemais, where we greeted the believers and stayed with them for a day. ⁸ Leaving the next day, we reached Caesarea and stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven. ⁹ He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied.

¹⁰ After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. ¹¹ Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.’ ”

¹² When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. ¹³ Then Paul answered, “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” ¹⁴ When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up and said, “The Lord’s will be done.”

¹⁵ After this, we started on our way up to Jerusalem. ¹⁶ Some of the disciples from Caesarea accompanied us and brought us to the home of Mnason, where we were to stay. He was a man from Cyprus and one of the early disciples.

¹⁷ When we arrived at Jerusalem, the believers received us warmly. ¹⁸ The next day Paul and the rest of us went to see James, and all the elders were present. ¹⁹ Paul greeted them and reported in detail what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.

²⁰ When they heard this, they praised God. Then they said to Paul: “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law. ²¹ They have been informed that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn away from Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or live according to our customs. ²² What shall we do? They will certainly hear that you have come, ²³ so do what we tell you. There are four men with us who have made a vow. ²⁴ Take these men, join in their purification rites and pay their expenses, so that they can have their heads shaved. Then everyone will know there is no truth in these reports about you, but that you yourself are living in obedience to the law. ²⁵ As for the Gentile believers, we have written to them our decision that they should abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality.”

²⁶ The next day Paul took the men and purified himself along with them. Then he went to the temple to give notice of the date when the days of purification would end and the offering would be made for each of them.

Prayer:

1. The narrative at this point makes several jumps in geography, moving quickly from place to place, and while travel at this time involved a great deal more than it does now, it is still present and addressed.
   1. Looking at the first six verses, we see a lot of cities and travel, with not a great deal of content.  Luke writes, ¹ After we had torn ourselves away from them, we put out to sea and sailed straight to Kos. The next day we went to Rhodes and from there to Patara. ² We found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, went on board and set sail. ³ After sighting Cyprus and passing to the south of it, we sailed on to Syria. We landed at Tyre, where our ship was to unload its cargo. ⁴ We sought out the disciples there and stayed with them seven days. Through the Spirit they urged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem. ⁵ When it was time to leave, we left and continued on our way. All of them, including wives and children, accompanied us out of the city, and there on the beach we knelt to pray. ⁶ After saying good-by to each other, we went aboard the ship, and they returned home.
   2. We leave the Ephesian elders and move onto new stops, from Troas to Kos, from Kos to Rhodes, from Rhodes to Patara and then to Phoenicia to Syria.
      1. i.      They landed at Tyre and spent seven days with the disciples who lived at Tyre, and they warned Paul not to go to Jerusalem.
      2. ii.      The whole Christian community at Tyre walked with them out of the city, they gathered on the beach for prayer, Paul and his company got on board the ship, the local believers went home.
         1. They took time to pray together at their departure, it is an example of how prayer was understood in the community.
         2. It was not limited to special places or times, nor was it ritualized to the point that it could not be spontaneous and applied at any point prayer was needed or desired.
   3. The journey continues, and we find new connections with the earliest believers.  Luke writes, ⁷ We continued our voyage from Tyre and landed at Ptolemais, where we greeted the believers and stayed with them for a day. ⁸ Leaving the next day, we reached Caesarea and stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven. ⁹ He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied.
      1. i.      From Tyre to Ptolemais with time for gathering the church and spending time with them.
      2. ii.      The following day the group is on to Caesarea, here they stay with Phillip the evangelist
         1. Phillip as you recall was one of the seven deacons chosen in Jerusalem to care for the needs of the church.
            1. Philip the Evangelist appears several times in the Acts of the Apostles. He was one of the Seven Deacons chosen to care for the poor of the Christian community in Jerusalem (Acts 6). He preached and performed miracles in Samaria, converted Simon Magus, and met and baptized the Ethiopian eunuch in Gaza, traditionally marking the start of the Ethiopian Church (Acts 8). Later
            2. Philip, is well rooted in the followers of Christ Jesus, and he welcomes Paul and his company into his home.
         2. Philip also has four daughters who are prophets
            1. It would seem that he and his household are committed to Christ
            2. As was noted in the 2^nd chapter of Acts, God had poured out his spirit on all flesh, both male and female.  This would clearly be seen as an indication of this reality.
   4. Now, Paul and his company are staying with Philip and his family, when a prophetic message comes to Paul from a prophet we have seen before.  ¹⁰ After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. ¹¹ Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.’ ”
      1. i.      Agabus the prophet:  Agabus was an early follower of Jesus who is named in the Acts of the Apostles as a prophet. He is traditionally remembered as one of the Seventy Disciples described in Luke 10:1-24. According to Acts 11:27-28, he was one of a group of prophets who came to Antioch from Jerusalem, while there he predicted a severe famine that the author says came under the reign of the Roman Emperor Claudius; this is identified with events that happened in AD 45. Agabus is revered as a saint in most branches of Christianity. The Roman Catholic Church celebrates his feast day on February 13, while the Orthodox Church celebrates it on March 8. According to Christian tradition he died a martyr in Antioch.
      2. ii.      Agabus came down to Caesarea from Judah is not telling direction, north and south but rather elevation, going from the Judean Hill country down to the coast is a major change in elevation, so it is going down to Caesarea.
         1. Agabus comes to Paul, takes off Paul’s belt and then ties his own feet and hands.  This is a symbolic action of the prophet, we often find OT prophets doing such things to send a message.
         2. Agabus also gives the meaning of this action, “the Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and hand him over to the gentiles.”
            1. In other words, going to Jerusalem is going to be dangerous trip, one that will not leave Paul free to make his own travel plans.
            2. Again, this is not new information; we knew that Paul anticipated prison and even death in connection with a trip to Jerusalem.  Yet his primary goal is to fulfill his calling to preach the good news.
      3. iii.      So, Paul is again warned of what will happen.  The church does not want him to go, it would seem God is warning, and yet, his calling to complete the task given to him by God drives him to Jerusalem.
2. II. The believers at Caesarea attempt to dissuade Paul from going to Jerusalem.  He goes with a purpose, to bring the gift of the gentile churches to the saints in Jerusalem, and perhaps even to ensure that the gentiles are accepted as part of the community as well.  God has given him a task and his only goal is to see it through.  Luke speaks of it this way, ¹² When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. ¹³ Then Paul answered, “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” ¹⁴ When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up and said, “The Lord’s will be done.”
   1. The believers plead with Paul not to go
      1. i.      Paul says “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart?”
         1. Paul clearly understands this trip to Jerusalem is part and parcel of his calling.
         2. He is willing not only to be bound in Jerusalem, but also to die for the Lord’s name.
            1. It would not make him the first martyr, but he is clearly willing to join their company.
            2. He is committed to doing this, and not even the pleading of some of his closest friends and an esteemed member of the church will push him from this calling.
      2. ii.      The crowd comes to understand all of this as the Lord’s will
   2. This begins the journey toward Rome, but it begins here, with the trip to Jerusalem.
      1. i.      Luke writes, ¹⁵ After this, we started on our way up to Jerusalem. ¹⁶ Some of the disciples from Caesarea accompanied us and brought us to the home of Mnason, where we were to stay. He was a man from Cyprus and one of the early disciples.
         1. Again, we find Paul lodging with some of the early believers who live outside of Jerusalem.  Clearly one of the items that this trip coveys is that the faithful, the church have accepted Paul and his mission to the Gentiles, and in doing so accepted gentile believers as part of the church.
   3. c. The trip concludes with a visit to James the brother of Jesus, and here too Paul is welcomed.  Luke recounts the events like this, ¹⁷ When we arrived at Jerusalem, the believers received us warmly. ¹⁸ The next day Paul and the rest of us went to see James, and all the elders were present. ¹⁹ Paul greeted them and reported in detail what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.
      1. i.      Paul and his company are warmly welcomed
         1. They go to see James and all the Elders at Jerusalem
            1. Paul greeted them and reported what God had been doing among the Gentiles through his ministry
            2. They’ve been received, welcomed warmly and so has Paul’s report of his activities.
      2. ii. It is from this point that we begin to see the tensions that are present in Jerusalem.  Luke records the response of the church at Jerusalem.  ²⁰ When they heard this, they praised God. Then they said to Paul: “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law. ²¹ They have been informed that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn away from Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or live according to our customs. ²² What shall we do? They will certainly hear that you have come, ²³ so do what we tell you. There are four men with us who have made a vow. ²⁴ Take these men, join in their purification rites and pay their expenses, so that they can have their heads shaved. Then everyone will know there is no truth in these reports about you, but that you yourself are living in obedience to the law. ²⁵ As for the Gentile believers, we have written to them our decision that they should abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality.”
         1. Their first reaction is to Praise God, a typical response to good news and they are happy that the good news of Jesus is spreading among the gentiles.
         2. The church has been growing in Jewish circles as well.  There are more Jewish believers as well.
            1. The good news about Jesus is spreading in both Jewish and Gentile circles.
            2. The Jewish believers are still zealous for the Law, because the law pointed them to Christ.
               1. i.      There is also a rumor spreading about Paul, one that is not true.
               2. ii.      Among the zealous Jewish there is the notion that Paul is telling Jews in the Diaspora that they no longer need to follow the ways of their ancestors, no longer pay head to the Law.
         3. The plan to deal with this problem is to display that Paul himself is still living in obedience to the customs and practices of Judaism.
            1. So, James and the Elders instruct Paul to take four men and go join in their purification rites
            2. The thinking is that this will send the message that Paul is not only practicing the customs but teaching them as well.
            3. At the same time they, the elders will explain that Gentile believers must do some very specific things as well.
               1. i.      Abstain from food sacrificed to idols
               2. ii.      From blood
               3. iii.      From the meat of strangled animals
               4. iv.      From sexual immorality
         4. The trouble is not from an external source, but from zealous Jews within the church.  Zealous Jews outside the church would not be concerned about what Gentile followers of Jesus are to do, but they would be concerned about what Paul was teaching in the synagogue.  It might be well understood that the troubles in some of the cities Paul stayed had been reported in Jerusalem.
   4. Paul is in agreement with this plan or if he is not, he clearly submitted to the wishes of the leadership of the church.  Luke writes, ²⁶ The next day Paul took the men and purified himself along with them. Then he went to the temple to give notice of the date when the days of purification would end and the offering would be made for each of them.

“Farewells”

Sunday, October 18, 2009

First Church of the Brethren

H. Kevin Derr

Acts 20:1-37

“Farewells”

¹ When the uproar had ended, Paul sent for the disciples and, after encouraging them, said good-by and set out for Macedonia. ² He traveled through that area, speaking many words of encouragement to the people, and finally arrived in Greece, ³ where he stayed three months. Because some Jews had plotted against him just as he was about to sail for Syria, he decided to go back through Macedonia. ⁴ He was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy also, and Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia. ⁵ These men went on ahead and waited for us at Troas. ⁶ But we sailed from Philippi after the Festival of Unleavened Bread, and five days later joined the others at Troas, where we stayed seven days.

⁷ On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. ⁸ There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting. ⁹ Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. ¹⁰ Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “He’s alive!” ¹¹ Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left. ¹² The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted.

¹³ We went on ahead to the ship and sailed for Assos, where we were going to take Paul aboard. He had made this arrangement because he was going there on foot. ¹⁴ When he met us at Assos, we took him aboard and went on to Mitylene. ¹⁵ The next day we set sail from there and arrived off Chios. The day after that we crossed over to Samos, and on the following day arrived at Miletus. ¹⁶ Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus to avoid spending time in the province of Asia, for he was in a hurry to reach Jerusalem, if possible, by the day of Pentecost.

¹⁷ From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church. ¹⁸ When they arrived, he said to them: “You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia. ¹⁹ I served the Lord with great humility and with tears and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of the Jews. ²⁰ You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. ²¹ I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.

²² “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. ²³ I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. ²⁴ However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.

²⁵ “Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. ²⁶ Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of everyone. ²⁷ For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. ²⁸ Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. ²⁹ I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. ³⁰ Even from your own number some will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. ³¹ So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.

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. ³³ I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing. ³⁴ You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. ³⁵ In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”

³⁶ When Paul had finished speaking, he knelt down with all of them and prayed. ³⁷ They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him.

Prayer:

1. As we continue, Paul’s journey is taking us through Europe and Asia Minor, and this area on the eastern end of the Mediterranean is very much part of the Hellenized world that was the legacy of Alexander.  We are likely close to the time of Easter, but notice the time of the year is still set according to the Jewish feasts, the feast of Unleavened Bread, part of the Passover celebration.  We are in the year 51 or 52 AD and we begin with the after effects of the near riot at Ephesus.
   1. Luke writes, ¹ When the uproar had ended, Paul sent for the disciples and, after encouraging them, said good-by and set out for Macedonia. ² He traveled through that area, speaking many words of encouragement to the people, and finally arrived in Greece, ³ where he stayed three months. Because some Jews had plotted against him just as he was about to sail for Syria, he decided to go back through Macedonia. ⁴ He was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy also, and Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia. ⁵ These men went on ahead and waited for us at Troas. ⁶ But we sailed from Philippi after the Festival of Unleavened Bread, and five days later joined the others at Troas, where we stayed seven days.
   2. The riot is over and Paul is already making plans:
      1. i.      He sends for the disciples, offers some encouragement and sets out for Macedonia.
         1. He stopped and encouraged believers along the way and was accompanied by a group of disciples, we know only of men, but there may well have been women traveling with him also.
            1. Now why does he have a group of people traveling with him?  He is teaching and training the disciples
               1. i.      He is in one sense simply following the example of Jesus.
               2. ii.      One part of the company set out for Troas
               3. iii.      The second part group from Philippi after the feast of Unleavened Bread.
                  1. It is important to note, they are still counting time in terms of Jewish feasts
                  2. These men in may ways regard themselves as Jewish, not separate from the Jews.
   3. In this you will note that we find the church practicing some of the things we continue to do to this day.  We also see a practice that harkens back to the prophets of Old.  Luke writes ⁷ On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. ⁸ There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting. ⁹ Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. ¹⁰ Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “He’s alive!” ¹¹ Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left. ¹² The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted.
      1. i.      On the first day of the week, on Sunday.  By this time it had become a common practice for the followers of Jesus to gather on the first day of the week.
         1. This was also a special occasion, Paul was there along with a contingent of fellow believers and it was a day of teaching and preaching along with the breaking of bread
         2. There we find to more common elements with the modern church, a time of preaching or teaching as well as communion.
            1. The breaking of bread takes on a more than just a fellowship mean here, it is beginnings of what we understand as communion.
            2. Now Paul and his party would be leaving the next morning, so he planned on speaking late, at this point it was midnight or later.
               1. i.      It was then that Eutychus, fell out of the window he was sitting in and died.
               2. ii.      Now, before we blame Paul for a less than exciting sermon, this time of preaching, communion and fellowship may well have been going on since before dawn.
               3. iii.      Eutychus was appropriately tired.
                  1. When they got to him, he was dead, he fell from a third story window.
                  2. At this point Paul covers Eutychus’ body with his own, an odd reaction don’t you thing?
                     1. Remember the story of Elijah and the Widow of Zerpath from 1 Kings 17?

¹⁷ Some time later the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. He grew worse and worse, and finally stopped breathing. ¹⁸ She said to Elijah, “What do you have against me, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son?”

¹⁹ “Give me your son,” Elijah replied. He took him from her arms, carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his bed. ²⁰ Then he cried out to the LORD, “LORD my God, have you brought tragedy even on this widow I am staying with, by causing her son to die?” ²¹ Then he stretched himself out on the boy three times and cried out to the LORD, “LORD my God, let this boy’s life return to him!”

²² The LORD heard Elijah’s cry, and the boy’s life returned to him, and he lived. ²³ Elijah picked up the child and carried him down from the room into the house. He gave him to his mother and said, “Look, your son is alive!”

²⁴ Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the LORD from your mouth is the truth.”

1. There are some clear similarities between these stories, and Paul would have known this account.
2. iv.      The disciples again break bread after Eutychus is restored to life.  In a clear sense, it may be to reassure that Eutychus is really alive, and they can see him eating and drinking.  On the other hand would be a better response to experiencing such a miracle?
3. The next passage picks up a little more of the groups travel plans.  Luke writes  ¹³ We went on ahead to the ship and sailed for Assos, where we were going to take Paul aboard. He had made this arrangement because he was going there on foot. ¹⁴ When he met us at Assos, we took him aboard and went on to Mitylene . ¹⁵ The next day we set sail from there and arrived off Chios. The day after that we crossed over to Samos, and on the following day arrived at Miletus. ¹⁶ Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus to avoid spending time in the province of Asia, for he was in a hurry to reach Jerusalem, if possible, by the day of Pentecost.
   1. i.      All of this expresses not only the where we were question, but it points us directly at the issue that is driving Paul
      1. He wants to make Jerusalem before Pentecost.  There are roughly 50 days between Passover and Pentecost.  Pentecost was a major festival in Jerusalem; pilgrims came from all over the world to be there.
      2. On top of this is it also an important day in the history of the followers of Jesus, because it marks the coming of the Holy Spirit.
      3. ii.      We begin to see the development of the Christian calendar here also, celebrating communion at the feast of the Unleavened Bread, and being in Jerusalem for Pentecost.
      4. iii.      In other words we see the formation of many of the basic Church festivals being formed.
         1. Was it common for Jewish Christians to return to Jerusalem for Pentecost?
         2. At what point did the gentile believers begin to observe Pentecost?
4. Paul begins to explain his reasons for going to Jerusalem to the Believers at Miletus.  Luke recounts Paul’s words, ¹⁷ From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church. ¹⁸ When they arrived, he said to them: “You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia. ¹⁹ I served the Lord with great humility and with tears and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of the Jews. ²⁰ You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. ²¹ I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.
   1. At Miletus Paul speaks to the Ephesians Elders
      1. i.      He has them recall how he lived with them
         1. He served the Lord with humility and with tears
         2. He was tested  by plots from Jews and Gentiles
         3. He did not hesitate to preach
         4. He taught publically and in homes, doing whatever he could to help the church in Asia
         5. He made it plain to both Jews and Greeks that everyone must turn to God in repentance and put their faith in Christ Jesus.
      2. ii.      In one regard it seems that Paul is saying, I’ve done what I could with you, I’ve done my part faithfully, and now I must go on to what is in store for me
   2. We also get the impression that Paul sees his life taking a difficult turn.  Paul tells these elders that something is going to happen to him.      ²² “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. ²³ I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. ²⁴ However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.
      1. i.      He says, I am compelled by the Spirit, the Holy Spirit, to go to Jerusalem
         1. He has concern about going to Jerusalem
            1. Will the gift he carries be accepted by the church in Jerusalem?
            2. Will the Jews in Jerusalem, his former colleagues, seek his death as they have in other cities?
         2. He is prepared for prison and hardship, he says the “The Holy Spirit has warned me this is coming in every city.”
      2. ii.      Paul has come to the point of having one goal, to finish the task he has been called to do, to testify to the good news of God’s grace, even if it means his life is forfeit.
         1. There is a resolve in his language, a sense of concern, but ultimately his desire is to do the will of God.
            1. He is clear on his task and calling, and now sets aside any thing that my hinder that goal.
            2. If only our sense of calling were as clear, if only we were as determined to see it through
         2. Paul’s goal is now the completion of his God given task
   3. Paul is saying goodbye to people he loves, to people he has worked with, to people he has poured his life into, all to bring them to a deep and abiding relationship with God the Father through the Son, our Lord.  He tells them, ²⁵ “Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. ²⁶ Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of everyone. ²⁷ For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. ²⁸ Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. ²⁹ I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. ³⁰ Even from your own number some will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. ³¹ So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.
      1. i.      Paul is saying, after this we will never see each other again, this is the end.
         1. I did my part, I told you about Jesus and the whole will of God, no one can hold me accountable for the blood of anyone
            1. He shared the gospel freely with both Jews and Greeks and did not withhold the good news from anyone.
            2. He has discharged his duty
         2. He then calls them to take responsibility for the people in their charge
            1. He tells them, to be shepherds of God’s church
            2. It is precious, he bought it with his own blood
         3. There are trials and tests coming, the church will be attacked from without and within, be ready
      2. ii.      Protect and care for the church, as Jesus said to Peter, feed me sheep
      3. iii.      My part is done, now yours begins in truth

1. III. Paul then blesses them and gives them a final charge:  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. ³³ I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing. ³⁴ You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. ³⁵ In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”
   1. “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”
      1. i.      He then says, follow my example
         1. Don’t covet anyone’s silver or gold or clothing
         2. Work hard, provide for your own needs and for the needs of the weak
         3. Know that as Jesus said, “it is more blessed to give than receive.”
      2. ii.      Then they prayed together, wept together and prepared for what was to come.  Luke recounts it like this, ³⁶ When Paul had finished speaking, he knelt down with all of them and prayed. ³⁷ They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him.

The Trinity: The first in a series of newsletter articles

One of the central doctrines of the church is that of the Trinity. It is central to our theology and our practice, and yet at the same time I believe it is one of the most misunderstood and least comprehended doctrines of the church. In the next few articles I hope to broaden our understanding and appreciation of the Trinity. I pray that this will be both helpful and edifying for you, and an exercise that will deepen your faith and commitment to our Lord and God. We will begin our examination of the doctrine of the Trinity we will look at the Biblical Background of this doctrine.

It is important to state at the outset the term Trinity does not appear in the scriptures, neither New or Old Testament. However, there are some very specific things that inform our understanding of the Trinity found in both the Old and New Testaments. One of the key understandings of the Trinity, one God revealed in three persons, is that God is one and that there is only one God. The Old Testament clearly assumes the unity of God, that there is one God and only one God. The Old Testament informs our understanding of the monotheistic nature of our faith and theology. This primary attribute of God is the reason that we do not have three gods in our theology, and while it may have been simpler to develop a theology that has three gods but it would have indicated that Christianity is not connected to the God of the Old Testament, and that Jesus and his disciples could not have remained Jewish in any sense.

The New Testament holds to the unity of God and while it does not explicitly state the Trinity, it is alluded to on many occasions. While affirming the understanding of one God, the New testament presents the formula for the Trinity and it does so in numerous locations. The come it two primary formats the twofold and threefold patterns The twofold or Binitarian formulas are found in the following: Romans 8:11, 2 Corinthians 4:14, Galatians 1:1, Ephesians 1:20, 1 Timothy 1:2, 1 Peter 1:21 and 2 John 1:13. Galatians 1:1-2a gives a nice understanding of the twofold pattern. Paul writes, “1Paul, an apostle—sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— 2and all the brothers with me.”

The threefold or Trinitarian formulas are also displayed in the New Testament. The following passages will show this threefold pattern: Matthew 28:19, 1 Corinthians 6:11, 1 Corinthians 12:4ff, Galatians 3:11-14, Hebrews 10:29 and 1 Peter 1:2. Matthew 28:18-20 may well be one of the best known of these threefold patterns. The apostle recounts the words of Jesus, “18Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Clearly both patterns exist in the writings of the New Testaments, arguments about which is the older, which is the earliest format are much bigger that which was written first, this is because within the Gospel of Matthew, for example, there are traditions that predate the earliest of Paul’s letters. It is fair to say that both two fold and three fold patterns are present early in the Christian tradition, and there is good evidence that Jesus himself gave us the patter of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

What we do not find in the New Testament  is a fully developed doctrine of the Trinity. This doctrinal development will come as the church continues to mature and wrestle with the revelation of God in three persons, and yet retain the unity of One God.

“What a Riot”

October 11, 2009

First Church of the Brethren

H. Kevin Derr

Acts 19:1-41

“That was a Riot”

¹ While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples ² and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”
They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

³ So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?”
“John’s baptism,” they replied.

⁴ Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” ⁵ On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. ⁶ When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. ⁷ There were about twelve men in all.

⁸ Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. ⁹ But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. ¹⁰ This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.

¹¹ God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, ¹² so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.

¹³ Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” ¹⁴ Seven sons of Sceva , a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. ¹⁵ [One day] the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” ¹⁶ Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.

¹⁷ When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. ¹⁸ Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done. ¹⁹ A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas.  ²⁰ In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power.

²¹ After all this had happened, Paul decided to go to Jerusalem, passing through Macedonia and Achaia. “After I have been there,” he said, “I must visit Rome also.” ²² He sent two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, while he stayed in the province of Asia a little longer.

²³ About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way. ²⁴ A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in no little business for the skilled workers there. ²⁵ He called them together, along with the workers in related trades, and said: “You know, my friends, that we receive a good income from this business. ²⁶ And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. He says that gods made by human hands are no gods at all. ²⁷ There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited; and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty.”

²⁸ When they heard this, they were furious and began shouting: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” ²⁹ Soon the whole city was in an uproar. The people seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia, and all of them rushed together into the theater. ³⁰ Paul wanted to appear before the crowd, but the disciples would not let him. ³¹ Even some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, sent him a message begging him not to venture into the theater.

³² The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another. Most of the people did not even know why they were there. ³³ The Jews in the crowd pushed Alexander to the front, and they shouted instructions to him. He motioned for silence in order to make a defense before the people. ³⁴ But when they realized he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”

³⁵ The city clerk quieted the crowd and said: “People of Ephesus, doesn’t all the world know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image, which fell from heaven? ³⁶ Therefore, since these facts are undeniable, you ought to calm down and not do anything rash. ³⁷ You have brought these men here, though they have neither robbed temples nor blasphemed our goddess. ³⁸ If, then, Demetrius and his associates have a grievance against anybody, the courts are open and there are proconsuls. They can press charges. ³⁹ If there is anything further you want to bring up, it must be settled in a legal assembly. ⁴⁰ As it is, we are in danger of being charged with rioting because of what happened today. In that case we would not be able to account for this commotion, since there is no reason for it.” ⁴¹ After he had said this, he dismissed the assembly.

Prayer

1. I. The network of believers is developing in the area beyond Palestine, and there are new believers in smaller towns, and in some cases no one even knew these believers were there.  Luke explains some of this for us: ¹ While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples ² and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”
   They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”  ³ So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?”
   “John’s baptism,” they replied.     ⁴ Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” ⁵ On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. ⁶ When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. ⁷ There were about twelve men in all.
   1. Apollos is working in Corinth, and apparently doing a fine job by all accounts, Paul does not feel that he needs to return there to supervise what is taking place; rather he feels the freedom to expand the ministry, so he goes to Ephesus.
      1. i.      Here at Ephesus he runs into a group of believers, disciples.
         1. He does not call them Jews or disciples of John, but we assume from the text he is encountering followers of Jesus.
         2. He asks them, “Did you receive the holy Spirit when you believed?”
            1. There answer is no! They were unaware of the Holy Spirit.
            2. Paul’s next question is what baptism did you receive?
               1. i.      John’s baptism is their answer, now the baptism of Jesus
               2. ii.      So we see two things here.  John’s ministry is tied to Jesus’ ministry
                  1. John is entitled the “forerunner” in patristic literature; he is the pioneer who prepared the way for Jesus, even Jesus’ baptism.
                  2. In Orthodox iconography Jesus is often depicted with John to his left and Mary to his right.
      2. ii.      John’s baptism, Paul tells them was one of repentance, but Jesus’ is different.  Repentance rightly proceeds baptism, but a baptism of repentance is not the same thing as becoming a citizen in the kingdom of heaven.
         1. Paul explained Jesus as the Messiah more fully and twelve people were baptized, and they received the Holy Spirit when Paul laid his hands on them.
            1. This was evidenced by them speaking in tongues and prophesying
            2. The kingdom grew, these men wanted to hear.
   2. b. This is not the end of Paul’s work in Ephesus, rather it is just the beginning.  Here he first speaks to existing disciples, then to Jews and finally to gentiles.  Luke depicts it like this, ⁸ Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. ⁹ But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. ¹⁰ This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.
      1. i.      Paul in the synagogue, doing one of the things he did best, speaking, persuading, debating with those of his own people.  This went on for three months.  I would say that three months of speaking in the synagogue is not a bad effort.
         1. It ends because some of those present become obstinate, they refused to believe, they spoke ill of following Jesus.
         2. As a result Paul left the synagogue, no point in throwing effort after foolishness, he understood when to disengage
      2. ii.      The disciples, presumably those twelve and any others who came to believe in the synagogue moved the conversation to the Lecture hall of Tyrannus.
         1. For two years they met daily in this hall.
            1. There is a great deal of commitment being expressed by these disciples
            2. What would it take to get us to a lecture hall every day for two years?
               1. i.      These people were serious about learning how to follow Jesus
               2. ii.      It may be here that we find the point of failure in much of modern Christianity, especially western Christianity
                  1. We assume we know how to do it
                  2. We do not take the notion of learning how to do it very seriously
                  3. We would be hard pressed to find people willing to make a two year commitment.
2. II. We take a step away from Paul to looking to what is going on in the local synagogue.  This is what we find, ¹³ Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” ¹⁴ Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. ¹⁵ [One day] the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” ¹⁶ Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.
   1. In the broader Jewish community, typically the followers of Jesus were simply seen as another faction or sect of Judaism.  So, you will find a great degree of cross over.
      1. i.      Here is one example, there were some Jewish exorcists who tried to invoke the name of Jesus to do an exorcism.
         1. Specifically it was like this “In the name of Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out!”
         2. They had become aware of Jesus, and that his name was associated with power and authority, likely they had not personally heard Paul preach, but rather what people had said.
            1. In this case there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish priest of some note, clearly not the chief priest in Jerusalem, but most likely a priest of some note and authority.
            2. It may be that he was a leading priest who was deposed or forced to leave Jerusalem.
               1. i.      We find his sons in Ephesus working as exorcists
               2. ii.      It may well be how they supported themselves
      2. ii.      As we can see the name of Jesus is not one to be used lightly nor without the authority to do so.
         1. These men were not followers of Jesus, they were not disciples
         2. They attempted to cast out a demon by saying, “In the name of Jesus whom Paul preaches…’
            1. They had no personal tie to Jesus, they just attempted to us his name
            2. The end result is that it goes badly for them
               1. i.      The demon does not recognize them as followers of Jesus, as those who have the right to us his name.
               2. ii.      The demon said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but I don’t know you…
               3. iii.      And as a result they end up with a rather sever beating, they all left bloody and naked, shamed.
      3. iii.      The evil spirit did not see them as those with authority to use the name of Jesus, it was in their hands powerless and useless, because they were not of Jesus, they had not become part of the body of Christ.  They were powerless in this case.
   2. b. This story does not end here, in fact it continues in some rather specific ways.  The immediate aftermath was that the name of Jesus was highly regarded, but it was not employed by just anyone.  ¹⁷ When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. ¹⁸ Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done. ¹⁹ A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas.  ²⁰ In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power.
      1. i.      There was a great deal of fear associated with this event, both in the Jewish community and in the gentile community.  Everyone approached the name of Jesus with respect.
         1. There were many who came to believe and they confessed their sin, it would seem before baptism
         2. Among those who came were a group of magicians, enchanters, and the like.  They brought their scrolls of spells and incantations and burned them publically , the estimated value of these scrolls was 50,000 drachmas, a drachma was about a days wages.  One man working for about 137 years, or so.
      2. ii.      They do this publically to send a message, the power we thought we were chasing after was false, or the price for that power was to high.
         1. Magic was assumed in the ancient world, for good or ill.
         2. We may immediately assume that this was a group of gentiles, but it may well have included the seven sons of Sceva, among other Jewish exorcists and magicians
         3. Underlying this is about power, their power and tools were unable to stop this single man possessed by an evil spirit.
   3. Paul seems to be content with what has taken place in Ephesus, so he prepares to head back to Jerusalem.  Luke tells us, ²¹ After all this had happened, Paul decided to go to Jerusalem, passing through Macedonia and Achaia. “After I have been there,” he said, “I must visit Rome also.” ²² He sent two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, while he stayed in the province of Asia a little longer.
      1. i.      We find Paul’s travel plans and the work that he assigns to his helpers.
      2. ii.      But underlying this we also see the reason for the writing of his letter to the Romans, it is in preparation for a visit to the city of Rome and then on to Spain.
3. Big troubles over little statues, trouble in Ephesus begins after Paul leaves.  ²³ About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way. ²⁴ A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in no little business for the skilled workers there. ²⁵ He called them together, along with the workers in related trades, and said: “You know, my friends, that we receive a good income from this business. ²⁶ And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. He says that gods made by human hands are no gods at all. ²⁷ There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited; and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty.”
   1. The followers of Jesus are caught in a bad place.  It seems that the primary trouble stems from a few silver smiths who made idols of Artemis, who’s chief temple was in Ephesus, and people came to the temple, bought idols and it was a rather lucrative business for the local silver smiths and their related craftsmen.
      1. i.      Here’s the problem, this fellow Paul spoke well, and converted a number of our former clients, we can’t let this go on.  Let’s nip it in the bud before we find ourselves out of work.
      2. ii.      Now Demetrius cites a few grievances against Paul
         1. Paul says that gods made by human hands are not gods at all.  To us it seems reasonable, but to these men it was blasphemy, and it hit them where it counts, in the wallet.
         2. He notes two dangers:
            1. Our trade will loose its good name
            2. The temple and the goddess  herself may be discredited
            3. And by they way she will be robbed of  her divine majesty…. too
   2. b. Well, the crowds become agitated and upset.  I don’t know how much it takes to get a crowd ready to riot, but I suspect that it is very little.  Luke tells us more of the situation, ²⁸ When they heard this, they were furious and began shouting: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” ²⁹ Soon the whole city was in an uproar. The people seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia, and all of them rushed together into the theater. ³⁰ Paul wanted to appear before the crowd, but the disciples would not let him. ³¹ Even some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, sent him a message begging him not to venture into the theater.
      1. i.      So, we have mod, a group of people ready to riot.  Another civil disturbance because of Paul’s work.  You might think he would start to feel that people didn’t like him.
         1. Some of the mob seized some believers, some of the way, Gaius and Aristarchus, and then they all rushed to the theater.
            1. I don’t know if the turned over cars or city busses or anything, maybe light some trash cans on fire
      2. ii.      Now Paul wanted to talk to the crowd, but the disciples would not let him, even some of the officials of the province attempted to dissuade him from speaking to the crowd
         1. I suspect they felt it would be like throwing gasoline on the fire
         2. They didn’t want Paul there.
   3. c. I suspect that behind this there was a great deal of unaddressed issues in the city that were being drug into this occasion.  There was no spokesperson for the whole group; it seems that the one who began the riot lost control of what was happening.  This is what we see, ³² The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another. Most of the people did not even know why they were there. ³³ The Jews in the crowd pushed Alexander to the front, and they shouted instructions to him. He motioned for silence in order to make a defense before the people. ³⁴ But when they realized he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
      1. i.      Alexander, a Jew is pushed to the front to speak, he tried to speak, but the crowd did not respond well to a monotheist, I suppose suggesting someone who was not going to acknowledge the divinity of Artemis would not be well received.
      2. ii.      The crowd is a mob in the true sense of the word, there is no control, no direction, just a bunch of angry men.
4. IV. All of this ends in little.  The city officials dismiss the whole notion and send the people home.  It is a nice speech ³⁵ The city clerk quieted the crowd and said: “People of Ephesus, doesn’t all the world know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image, which fell from heaven? ³⁶ Therefore, since these facts are undeniable, you ought to calm down and not do anything rash. ³⁷ You have brought these men here, though they have neither robbed temples nor blasphemed our goddess. ³⁸ If, then, Demetrius and his associates have a grievance against anybody, the courts are open and there are proconsuls. They can press charges. ³⁹ If there is anything further you want to bring up, it must be settled in a legal assembly. ⁴⁰ As it is, we are in danger of being charged with rioting because of what happened today. In that case we would not be able to account for this commotion, since there is no reason for it.” ⁴¹ After he had said this, he dismissed the assembly.
   1. The Christians did noting illegal
      1. i.      Those who began the whole mess are welcomed to come and file charges at the courts, but there is nothing of robbery, theft or blasphemy, so there are no legal charges
      2. ii.      It may be that Demetrius saw the direction of things, that one God would prevail, a God with no need of Idols and he felt his future was bleak in that world
   2. The city officials find no fault with the believers

October 4, 2009

First Church of the Brethren

Love Feast

Gathering

Gathering Music:

“Come into his Presence”

“Create In Me a Clean Heart”

“Make Me a Servant”

Scripture Reading: Romans 12:9-21

⁹ Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. ¹⁰ Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. ¹¹ Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. ¹² Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. ¹³ Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. ¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. ¹⁶ Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not think you are superior.

¹⁷ Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. ¹⁸ If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. ¹⁹ Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. ²⁰ On the contrary:
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”

²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Invocation

Welcome

The Service of the Word

Scripture Reading:  Acts 18:1-28

¹ After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. ² There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, ³ and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them. ⁴ Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.

⁵ When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah. ⁶ But when they opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent of it. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”

⁷ Then Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. ⁸ Crispus, the synagogue leader, and his entire household believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard Paul believed and were baptized.

⁹ One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. ¹⁰ For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.” ¹¹ So Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God.

¹² While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews of Corinth made a united attack on Paul and brought him to the place of judgment. ¹³ “This man,” they charged, “is persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to the law.”

¹⁴ Just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio said to them, “If you Jews were making a complaint about some misdemeanor or serious crime, it would be reasonable for me to listen to you. ¹⁵ But since it involves questions about words and names and your own law—settle the matter yourselves. I will not be a judge of such things.” ¹⁶ So he drove them off. ¹⁷ Then the crowd there turned on Sosthenes the synagogue leader and beat him in front of the proconsul; and Gallio showed no concern whatever.

¹⁸ Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time. Then he left the believers and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. Before he sailed, he had his hair cut off at Cenchreae because of a vow he had taken. ¹⁹ They arrived at Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila. He himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. ²⁰ When they asked him to spend more time with them, he declined. ²¹ But as he left, he promised, “I will come back if it is God’s will.” Then he set sail from Ephesus. ²² When he landed at Caesarea, he went up to Jerusalem and greeted the church and then went down to Antioch.

²³ After spending some time in Antioch, Paul set out from there and traveled from place to place throughout the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.

²⁴ Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. ²⁵ He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. ²⁶ He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.

²⁷ When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the believers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. When he arrived, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. ²⁸ For he vigorously refuted the Jews in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah.

Hymn of Praise:  “Will You Let Me Be Your Servant”                                             # 307

Message: “Corinth with Friends”

1. Our text today begins with Paul in Corinth, He is alone, this companions have not joined him yet, but he is still about the work of an evangelist, speaking first to Jews and then to Gentiles.
   1. Luke tells the account in this fashion:  ¹ After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. ² There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, ³ and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them. ⁴ Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.
      1. i.      Our text is set in the reign on the emperor Claudius.  This is Claudius Nero Germanicus born in 10 BC and died in 54 A.D.  He reigned as emperor from 41-54 A.D.  He was the third emperor of the Julio-Claudian  dynasty.
      2. ii.      He also expelled the Jews from Rome in 49 AD, so we can reasonably assume that Paul’s trip to Corinth is in 49 at the earliest or in 50.  The ironic issue here is that the Jews were expelled from Rome because of a disturbance in the Christian community about Jesus.  The Roman author Suetonius wrote, “Since the Jews constantly made disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus, he [Emperor Claudius] expelled them from Rome” (Suetonius, Life of Claudius, 25:4; Acts 18:2).
      3. iii.      Aquila and Pricilla came to Corinth because they were expelled from Rome with the other Jews, both followers of Jesus and not.
         1. Paul met Aquila of Pontus there and they began working together making tents, because this was the trade of both men.
         2. On the Sabbath when Paul was free from tent making, he began to speak in the synagogue, reasoning with those there attempting to persuade them that Jesus was the Messiah.  This was true of both Jews and God-fearing Greeks who were there.
      4. iv.      It would seem that when the party arrives from Macedonia, Paul shifts his work habits.  Luke tells us, ⁵When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah. ⁶ But when they opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent of it. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”
         1. Paul stops tent making when Silas and Timothy arrive in Corinth.  It may be because Silas and Timothy come with financial support for the mission from believers in Macedonia, or because they could now work to support the mission
         2. Paul begins to devote himself fully to preaching
            1. This would be a proclamation of the teaching of the apostles, or the Kyrigma
               1. i.      Paul is specifically preaching to the Jews and God-fearers in the city
               2. ii.      His focus is on those who are ethnically and religiously Jewish
               3. Some portion of the Jewish population opposed Paul, and became abusive to him.  Luke does not tell us if it was physically or verbally
               4. So Paul declares that he is finished with trying to reach his fellow Jews.  He says this symbolically by shaking out his clothes, shaking the dust of them off of his cloths, as Jesus instructed the disciples to do.  And he also does this verbally, “Your blood be on your own heads”.  Essentially saying, the long term effects of your decision are not my responsibility but your own.
         3. 3. To further make the point, Paul also physically leaves the synagogue.  ⁷Then Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. ⁸ Crispus, the synagogue leader, and his entire household believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard Paul believed and were baptized.
            1. Paul leaves the synagogue and goes to the home of a Greek God-fearer, Titius Justus.  There the Synagogue leader Crispus and his household were baptized.
            2. Additionally many of those who heard Paul preach both Jew and gentile believed and were baptized.
2. I imagine that Paul is excited about the progress that has been made, but at the same time is concerned about the threat against him.  He’s been forced out of at least two cities by those who opposed him and the message of the gospel.  It was at this time that Paul has vision. Remember that dreams and visions play an important role in the book of Acts, all the major characters have them, most have not been as significant as Peter’s on the roof tope, but they are import for those who have them.  Luke tells us of Paul’s vision in Corinth.  ⁹ One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. ¹⁰ For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.” ¹¹ So Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God.
   1. This is essentially a vision that brings a clear sense of support and encouragement for Paul.
      1. i.      The Lord indicates clearly that he is not in danger here in Corinth
         1. God says, I have many people in the city
         2. No one will attack and harm you, some may attack, but they will not harm.
         3. Because of this, Paul ends up staying in Corinth for a year and a half.
            1. Now why is he here that long?
               1. i.      Perhaps because Corinth was the Las Vegas of the ancient world.  It was a place known for being immoral.
               2. ii.      If the church takes root in the capital of immorality, and people’s lives are transformed, what will people say of the faith, they will speak positively.
   2. Some time after the vision that Paul has, an attack comes.  ¹² While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews of Corinth made a united attack on Paul and brought him to the place of judgment. ¹³ “This man,” they charged, “is persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to the law.” ¹⁴ Just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio said to them, “If you Jews were making a complaint about some misdemeanor or serious crime, it would be reasonable for me to listen to you. ¹⁵ But since it involves questions about words and names and your own law—settle the matter yourselves. I will not be a judge of such things.” ¹⁶ So he drove them off. ¹⁷ Then the crowd there turned on Sosthenes the synagogue leader and beat him in front of the proconsul; and Gallio showed no concern whatever.
      1. i.      Luke enables us to date the time period of the events and he does so by giving us the name of the proconsul of the region.    Gallio was proconsul of Achaia from July 1, 51 AD to July 1, 52 AD
         1. This is also confirmed by archeological discovers of inscriptions dated to 52 AD.
         2. So, we can establish this in time, by the known dates of Gallio’s work as proconsul
      2. ii.      The Jews of Corinth brought Paul before Gallio at the place of judgment on religious charges.
         1. They stated that “Paul is persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to the Law”
            1. They did not accuse Paul of doing things in violation of the Roman law.
               1. i.      Because he had not done so.
               2. ii.      Jews were exempt from offering sacrifice to the emperor
               3. iii.      They were excluded from some taxes because they paid the temple tax
               4. iv.      So, things that would have been unlawful for Romans, are not so for Jews
               5. So they bring a charge against Paul on religious grounds
                  1. i.      These are not property issues, but issues of how to observe the faith as a Jew
      3. iii.      Now before Paul has a chance to speak, Gallio says, “If you Jews were making a complaint about some misdemeanor or serious crime, it would be reasonable for me to listen to you. ¹⁵ But since it involves questions about words and names and your own law—settle the matter yourselves. I will not be a judge of such things.”
         1. This may be one of the first examples of the separation of Church and State
            1. And while it may seem odd for us to take religious issues to the state, in the ancient world most people did not conceive of a separation between church and state, so it made sense for them to do this
            2. I would assume had this been a standard Roman religious, Gallio would have become involved.
         2. The crowd also felt like this was a waste of time, or so it seems because they beat Sosthenes the synagogue leader right in front of Gallio and he did nothing about it
            1. I wonder how a crowd beating someone who is accused of bringing a frivols law suite would affect our court system today?  I am not advocating this, but it does give one pause.
3. This sets up Paul’s stay in Corinth, he does not need to leave.  The crowd is on his side or at least not on the side of his opponents.  Luke writes, ¹⁸ Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time. Then he left the believers and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. Before he sailed, he had his hair cut off at Cenchreae because of a vow he had taken. ¹⁹ They arrived at Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila. He himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. ²⁰ When they asked him to spend more time with them, he declined. ²¹ But as he left, he promised, “I will come back if it is God’s will.” Then he set sail from Ephesus. ²² When he landed at Caesarea, he went up to Jerusalem and greeted the church and then went down to Antioch.
   1. After his time in Corinth, which seems to have been longer than any of his other stays, he sets off for Syria, accompanied by Pricilla and Aquila.
      1. i.      It seems that at some point in the trip Paul had taken the vows of a Nazarite.
         1. Like an Old Testament prophet, he does not cut his hair nor his beard, he does not partake of wine or strong drink
         2. A summary of the Nazarite vows follow, He shall separate himself from wine and similar drink; he shall drink neither vinegar made from wine nor vinegar made from similar drink; neither shall he drink any grape juice, nor eat fresh grapes or raisins. All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is produced by the grapevine, from seed to skin. All the days of the vow of his separation no razor shall come upon his head; until the days are fulfilled for which he separated himself to the Lord, he shall be holy. Then he shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow. All the days that he separates himself to the Lord he shall not go near a dead body. He shall not make himself unclean even for his father or his mother, for his brother or his sister, when they die, because his separation to God is on his head. All the days of his separation he shall be holy to the Lord.
      2. ii.      Known biblical nazarites, There were several remarkable Nazirites in the Bible: Samson (Judges 13:5), John the Baptist (Luke 1:15), and Paul (Acts 18:18); the vow was certainly open to women, but we have no Biblical example of a woman taking the vow, except for Manoah’s wife during her pregnancy with Samson (Judges 13:4).
      3. iii.      Why would Paul take a Nazarite’s vows?  To reach a Jewish population in exile.  To the Jew first and then to the Gentile.  Paul said that to those under the law be became as one under the law.
   2. Paul left Priscilla an Aquila in Ephesus, where he went into the synagogue alone and reasoned with them.  The believers there asked him to stay, but he left, promising to return if it was the Lord’s will and then went on to Jerusalem and then down to Antioch.
      1. i. Paul moves on from Antioch, as Luke tells us, ²³ After spending some time in Antioch, Paul set out from there and traveled from place to place throughout the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.
   3. Pricilla and Aquila in Ephesus come to know a new preacher and teacher out speaking the name of Jesus, Apollos. ²⁴ Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. ²⁵ He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. ²⁶ He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.
      1. i. Apollos, a native of the cultural and educational center of Alexandria comes to Ephesus
         1. 1. He has a good knowledge of the scriptures
         2. 2. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord
         3. 3. He spoke well and with great enthusiasm
         4. 4. However he had some gapes in his understanding
            1. a. He only know of the baptism of John, a baptism of repentance
            2. b. We can ask if he know of the baptism of Jesus or if the baptism of Jesus was equated with the baptism of John.
            3. c. Clearly he did not know of the baptism of the Holy Spirit
      2. ii. Pricilla and Aquila who it would seem have been believers for sometime, they were believers in Rome before Paul was on his first missionary trip.  They may have been in Jerusalem on Pentecost. 
         1. 1. They are mature believers, Apollos is not a mature believer, well educated yes, well spoken yes, brave and willing yes.  But not fully instructed in the way of the Lord
         2. 2. Pricilla and Aquila invite them into their home and explained to him in more depth the way of the Lord.
   4. d. Apollos is a well loved and genuine believer.  He is not an apostle, but he is an evangelist and willing to engage people so that they will become followers of Jesus.  Luke writes of him: ²⁷ When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the believers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. When he arrived, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. ²⁸ For he vigorously refuted the Jews in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah
      1. i. He has the support of the church, letters of reference and encouragement
      2. ii. He is an able speaker and persuader
      3. iii. He is a good example of what some early believers were called to do

Pastoral Prayer

The Response:

The Offering

Offertory Thought:

²⁹ “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. ³⁰ And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ ³¹ So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. ³² Fill up, then, the measure of the sin of your ancestors!

Offertory Music

Doxology

Prayer of Blessing

The Sharing of our Faith

Time for Confession

Hymn of Meditation:  “Gracious Spirit, Dwell With Me”                 # 507

Blessings & Burdens

The People’s Prayer & The Lord’s Prayer

The Feetwashing:

Scripture Reading: John 13:1-7

¹ It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

² The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. ³ Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; ⁴ so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. ⁵ After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

Remarks Concerning the Feetwashing

We come today seeking a deeper and more substantial encounter with the Living God.  We understand that God has revealed himself to humanity in the person of  the Father, and then more completely in the person of Jesus Christ, the Son and now in an ongoing experience of the indwelling of the person of the Holy Ghost.  We understand God as Father, Son and Holy Ghost, One God in three persons.  Today, we reenact the ancient Jewish custom of washing feet.  We may ask how is it that we encounter the Triune God in his action of washing feet.  It is not so much the action of washing feet, but what Jesus did as he washed the feet of his disciples.

Washing feet is an ancient custom of welcome and hospitality.  It was practiced by the lowest of servants in the household, but it was never the role of the master of the household.  Here we find Jesus taking the role of the least of servants, the first becoming last.  But, why does he do this?  He could have simply told one of his disciples to wash feet, they may have objected, but they would have eventually complied.  So, what is it that Jesus is attempting to tell us here?  It is obviously not about simply washing the feet of guests.  There is a greater lesson wrapped up in the mystery of washing feet.

It is important for us to realize this at the outset; it is first of all not about dirty feet.

The disciples no doubt had dirty feet, but for us today dust clad toes are not the issue.  For us as it was for the first disciples of Jesus, this is about you and I becoming mature followers of Jesus.  The washing of feet in reality points us toward the transformation of our minds and our characters; it is about becoming Christ-like.

It would seem that the next obvious question would be, what does washing feet have to do with being like Jesus?  Dallas Willard writes, “The ultimate freedom we have as human beings is the power to select what we will allow our minds to dwell upon.  We are not totally free in this respect.  But we do have great freedom here, and even though, “dead in our trespasses and sins,” we still have the ability to and responsibility to try to retain God in our knowledge- if only in an inadequate and halting manner^[1].”  When we begin to ponder why it is that Jesus washed his disciple’s feet, rather than selecting the one to do the washing, we begin to enter into the world of motivations and issues of character.  When we strive to be Christ-like we do not seek to dress like Jesus, nor do we seek to match voice and inflection as an impersonator would.  What we seek to do is to have our character formed so that it will reflect the character of Jesus.

What do we learn of Jesus’ character as we consider the account of Jesus washing his disciple’s feet?   On numerous occasions we have heard this account, and it does not even seem odd to us that Jesus would do such a thing, rather it seems opposite, it seems normal.  Yet, for someone of Jesus’ standing in his culture this was not only unorthodox but entirely scandalous.  We have the Master washing the feet of his disciples, what does that tell us?  We must be cautious here, because we have a tendency entrap people, even Jesus, in the box of our expectations.  And if we are honest we will realize most of our disappointments come not from flaws in other people, but when people do not meet our anticipated expectations.  This is an excellent opportunity to raise the question, “What do we expect from Jesus?” Typically, we expect very little.  Our culture relegates Jesus to an oath, an anthropological cult star or some irrelevant and unneeded figure from our superstitious past.

If our expectations are similar to those of the world, we will spend little effort attempting to think and act in a manner that will reflect Jesus life or teaching.  If we think Jesus is irreverent to what we do and how we do it, we will not attempt to incorporate Jesus teaching into our thought patterns.  Here we find the heart of the matter!  What do we expect of Jesus and how have wee sought to incorporate his example into our lives?

If we are to imitate Jesus, we have to know Jesus.  It may sound an odd, but you cannot imitate some you do not know.  In a similar fashion, if we are not convinced that his life and teaching have something to offer the world in which we live, we will not seek to know Jesus.  We must be convinced that Jesus has some contribution to make to all of our daily activities; otherwise, we will relegate Jesus to a corner of our lives.  The washing of feet by Jesus becomes not only a call to service, but a call to live in a fashion that displays Jesus to the world.  In the end, washing feet is not about water and basins, but about minds and living.  Are we willing to live in a fashion that says to the world, Jesus is relevant to all that I do.  Then we are prepared to enter into the water and be cleansed as we were on the day of our baptism, if not then we are simply practicing an ancient custom with no impact of the modern world.

Hymn of Reflection: “Have thy own way” # 504 (Vs. 1 & 2)

The Feetwashing

The Agape Meal

Scripture Reading: John 15:9-17

⁹ “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. ¹⁰ If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. ¹¹ I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. ¹² My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. ¹³ Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. ¹⁴ You are my friends if you do what I command. ¹⁵ I no longer call you servants, because servants do not know their master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. ¹⁶ You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. ¹⁷ This is my command: Love each other.

Remarks Concerning the Meal

Are there points that our culture has something good to offer the world?  Yes, of course it does.  We, through all our busy days and myriad commitments, we still value gathering at a table and enjoying one an others company.   We value friends, family and relationships.  We foster community in a number of ways, some of which reflect our biblical values.  There is in truth a great deal to be pleased with in our culture.   At the same time there is a great deal that should give us pause.  And then there are elements of our culture that are destructive and abusive.

There are a few points that we as Christians can connect with our culture.  One of these points is found in the common example of a shared meal.  This is example is common in human history, and is a potent connection between our faith and culture.  Our culture understands the table as a place for friendship and family and it is an example that is within grasp of most people.  We can also see that it is an experience we often reserve those for people we care for and love.  While there are the occasional business lunches and the like, there is something special about a meal with close friends, with loved ones, with family.  That is what this meal is about as well, a meal with loved ones.  I did not say with those we like, with those we get along with, with those who are perfect, but with those we love.

There are those in our family that we love, but don’t always like.  Those we love the most have often been the ones who have hurt us the most as well.  Yet we continue to hold them close and to welcome them to the table.  Consider what Jesus did, he invited his disciples to the table, be that only the twelve or many more, it does not matter.  Of those we know to be present, there is Judas who will betray Jesus and there is Peter who will deny Jesus, not once but three times.

Even if Jesus didn’t know what they were about to do, these are not the first times that these two disciples have fallen short of what Jesus desired for them and from them.  He knew their character, their tendencies, and their habits of mind.  Yet, he wants them to be present, to share at the table for this last supper.

We are here together.  None of us are perfect, without fault or without sin.  Yet, Jesus welcomes all of us to his table, but what of how we feel about each other, and even others who are followers of Jesus.  Do we welcome them to the table of the Lord?  Do we forgive as Jesus has forgiven?  Do we put on the character of Jesus?  Do we eat with them as Jesus eats with us?

Blessing for the Meal

The Fellowship Meal

Hymn of Fellowship: “Blessed Be the Tie That Binds” # 421 (Vs. 1 & 2)

The Eucharist

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 53:1-6

¹ Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?  ² He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground.  He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. ³ He was despised and rejected by others, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. ⁴ Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. ⁵ But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.  We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him     the iniquity of us all.

Remarks Concerning the Bread & Cup

We come now to a memorial, a remembrance of Jesus life, his death and his resurrection.  The bread and the cup are more than just symbols that remind us of Jesus, they are agents of grace and hope.  They remind us of Jesus, they call us to live in a way that is faithful to his life, his teaching and his revelation of God to us, and it anticipates our own resurrection.

These elements, the bread and the wine draw us to the Cross of Christ, to remember his body broken, beaten, torn and lifeless.  They call us to remember his blood spilt out on the ground of Jerusalem and on the cross of Calvary.   They call us bear witness to Jesus death and invite us to crucify the sinful person who dwells in our flesh.  At the same time it speaks of hope, the hope of a life lived in a Christlike fashion, knowing full well that our lives too may be demanded of us, just as Jesus’ life was demanded of him.  It is a reminder to take up our crosses and to follow Jesus every moment of every day.  It is also a reminder of what follows death, and that is resurrection, life in the presence of the Living God.

While at present, these elements seem to be nothing more than bread and juice of grapes, yet they hold great promise if we are willing to follow after Jesus, the Son of Man, and the Son of God.  If you too hear the call to life in the way of Jesus, if your heart desires to find full life in Christ Jesus, prepare to partake of the Lord’s Supper.

Hymn:  “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” # 259 (V. 1)

The Invitation

If you have felt again to day the call of Christ, if your heart and mind are free of conflict, with God or your neighbor, and if you desire to life the life that Christ Jesus has called you to live, then come into a more intimate relationship with God the Father through Jesus Christ the Son, let the Holy Spirit guide you now and come to the table of the Lord and partake in the Bread and the Wine.

Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 11:23-24

²³ For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, ²⁴ and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

Prayer of Blessing

Declaration of Faith

“The bread which we break is the communion of the body of Christ”

Partaking of the Bread

Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 11:25-26

²⁵ In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” ²⁶ For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

Prayer of Blessing

Declaration of Faith

“The cup which we bless is the communion of the blood of Christ”

Partaking of the Cup

The Sending

Moments of Silent Meditation

Hymn of Thanksgiving “Great is thy faithfulness” # 327

Closing Prayer & Benediction

Postlude

---

[1] Willard, D.  2002.  “Renovation of the heart: Putting on the Character of Christ.”  NavPress.  Colorado Springs, Co.

“Corinth with Friends”

Biblical Text  Acts 18:1-28

1 After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. 2 There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, 3 and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them. 4 Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks. 5 When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah. 6 But when they opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent of it. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” 7 Then Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. 8 Crispus, the synagogue leader, and his entire household believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard Paul believed and were baptized. 9 One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. 10 For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.” 11 So Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God. 12 While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews of Corinth made a united attack on Paul and brought him to the place of judgment. 13 “This man,” they charged, “is persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to the law.” 14 Just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio said to them, “If you Jews were making a complaint about some misdemeanor or serious crime, it would be reasonable for me to listen to you. 15 But since it involves questions about words and names and your own law—settle the matter yourselves. I will not be a judge of such things.” 16 So he drove them off. 17 Then the crowd there turned on Sosthenes the synagogue leader and beat him in front of the proconsul; and Gallio showed no concern whatever. 18 Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time. Then he left the believers and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. Before he sailed, he had his hair cut off at Cenchreae because of a vow he had taken. 19 They arrived at Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila. He himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. 20 When they asked him to spend more time with them, he declined. 21 But as he left, he promised, “I will come back if it is God’s will.” Then he set sail from Ephesus. 22 When he landed at Caesarea, he went up to Jerusalem and greeted the church and then went down to Antioch. 23 After spending some time in Antioch, Paul set out from there and traveled from place to place throughout the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples. 24 Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. 25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. 26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately. 27 When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the believers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. When he arrived, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. 28 For he vigorously refuted the Jews in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah

I. Our text today begins with Paul in Corinth, He is alone, this companions have not joined him yet, but he is still about the work of an evangelist, speaking first to Jews and then to Gentiles.

a. Luke tells the account in this fashion: 1 After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. 2 There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, 3 and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them. 4 Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.

i. Our text is set in the reign on the emperor Claudius. This is Claudius Nero Germanicus born in 10 BC and died in 54 A.D. He reigned as emperor from 41-54 A.D. He was the third emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty.

ii. He also expelled the Jews from Rome in 49 AD, so we can reasonably assume that Paul’s trip to Corinth is in 49 at the earliest or in 50. The ironic issue here is that the Jews were expelled from Rome because of a disturbance in the Christian community about Jesus. The Roman author Suetonius wrote, “Since the Jews constantly made disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus, he [Emperor Claudius] expelled them from Rome” (Suetonius, Life of Claudius, 25:4; Acts 18:2).

iii. Aquila and Pricilla came to Corinth because they were expelled from Rome with the other Jews, both followers of Jesus and not.

1. Paul met Aquila of Pontus there and they began working together making tents, because this was the trade of both men.

2. On the Sabbath when Paul was free from tent making, he began to speak in the synagogue, reasoning with those there attempting to persuade them that Jesus was the Messiah. This was true of both Jews and God-fearing Greeks who were there.

iv. It would seem that when the party arrives from Macedonia, Paul shifts his work habits. Luke tells us, 5When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah. 6 But when they opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent of it. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”

1. Paul stops tent making when Silas and Timothy arrive in Corinth. It may be because Silas and Timothy come with financial support for the mission from believers in Macedonia, or because they could now work to support the mission

2. Paul begins to devote himself fully to preaching a. This would be a proclamation of the teaching of the apostles, or the Kyrigma

i. Paul is specifically preaching to the Jews and God-fearers in the city

ii. His focus is on those who are ethnically and religiously Jewish

b. Some portion of the Jewish population opposed Paul, and became abusive to him. Luke does not tell us if it was physically or verbally c. So Paul declares that he is finished with trying to reach his fellow Jews. He says this symbolically by shaking out his clothes, shaking the dust of them off of his cloths, as Jesus instructed the disciples to do. And he also does this verbally, “Your blood be on your own heads”. Essentially saying, the long term effects of your decision are not my responsibility but your own.

3. To further make the point, Paul also physically leaves the synagogue. 7Then Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. 8 Crispus, the synagogue leader, and his entire household believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard Paul believed and were baptized.

a. Paul leaves the synagogue and goes to the home of a Greek God-fearer, Titius Justus. There the Synagogue leader Crispus and his household were baptized.

b. Additionally many of those who heard Paul preach both Jew and gentile believed and were baptized.

II. I imagine that Paul is excited about the progress that has been made, but at the same time is concerned about the threat against him. He’s been forced out of at least two cities by those who opposed him and the message of the gospel. It was at this time that Paul has vision. Remember that dreams and visions play an important role in the book of Acts, all the major characters have them, most have not been as significant as Peter’s on the roof tope, but they are import for those who have them. Luke tells us of Paul’s vision in Corinth. 9 One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. 10 For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.” 11 So Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God.

a. This is essentially a vision that brings a clear sense of support and encouragement for Paul. i. The Lord indicates clearly that he is not in danger here in Corinth

1. God says, I have many people in the city

2. No one will attack and harm you, some may attack, but they will not harm.

3. Because of this, Paul ends up staying in Corinth for a year and a half. a. Now why is he here that long? i. Perhaps because Corinth was the Las Vegas of the ancient world. It was a place known for being immoral. ii. If the church takes root in the capital of immorality, and people’s lives are transformed, what will people say of the faith, they will speak positively.

b. Some time after the vision that Paul has, an attack comes. 12 While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews of Corinth made a united attack on Paul and brought him to the place of judgment. 13 “This man,” they charged, “is persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to the law.” 14 Just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio said to them, “If you Jews were making a complaint about some misdemeanor or serious crime, it would be reasonable for me to listen to you. 15 But since it involves questions about words and names and your own law—settle the matter yourselves. I will not be a judge of such things.” 16 So he drove them off. 17 Then the crowd there turned on Sosthenes the synagogue leader and beat him in front of the proconsul; and Gallio showed no concern whatever.

i. Luke enables us to date the time period of the events and he does so by giving us the name of the proconsul of the region. Gallio was proconsul of Achaia from July 1, 51 AD to July 1, 52 AD

1. This is also confirmed by archeological discovers of inscriptions dated to 52 AD.

2. So, we can establish this in time, by the known dates of Gallio’s work as proconsul

ii. The Jews of Corinth brought Paul before Gallio at the place of judgment on religious charges.

1. They stated that “Paul is persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to the Law” a. They did not accuse Paul of doing things in violation of the Roman law.

i. Because he had not done so.

ii. Jews were exempt from offering sacrifice to the emperor

iii. They were excluded from some taxes because they paid the temple tax

iv. So, things that would have been unlawful for Romans, are not so for Jews

b. So they bring a charge against Paul on religious grounds

i. These are not property issues, but issues of how to observe the faith as a Jew

iii. Now before Paul has a chance to speak, Gallio says, “If you Jews were making a complaint about some misdemeanor or serious crime, it would be reasonable for me to listen to you. 15 But since it involves questions about words and names and your own law—settle the matter yourselves. I will not be a judge of such things.”

1. This may be one of the first examples of the separation of Church and State a. And while it may seem odd for us to take religious issues to the state, in the ancient world most people did not conceive of a separation between church and state, so it made sense for them to do this

b. I would assume had this been a standard Roman religious, Gallio would have become involved.

2. The crowd also felt like this was a waste of time, or so it seems because they beat Sosthenes the synagogue leader right in front of Gallio and he did nothing about it

a. I wonder how a crowd beating someone who is accused of bringing a frivols law suite would affect our court system today? I am not advocating this, but it does give one pause.

III. This sets up Paul’s stay in Corinth, he does not need to leave. The crowd is on his side or at least not on the side of his opponents. Luke writes, 18 Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time. Then he left the believers and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. Before he sailed, he had his hair cut off at Cenchreae because of a vow he had taken. 19 They arrived at Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila. He himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. 20 When they asked him to spend more time with them, he declined. 21 But as he left, he promised, “I will come back if it is God’s will.” Then he set sail from Ephesus. 22 When he landed at Caesarea, he went up to Jerusalem and greeted the church and then went down to Antioch.

a. After his time in Corinth, which seems to have been longer than any of his other stays, he sets off for Syria, accompanied by Pricilla and Aquila.

i. It seems that at some point in the trip Paul had taken the vows of a Nazarite.

1. Like an Old Testament prophet, he does not cut his hair nor his beard, he does not partake of wine or strong drink 2. A summary of the Nazarite vows follow, He shall separate himself from wine and similar drink; he shall drink neither vinegar made from wine nor vinegar made from similar drink; neither shall he drink any grape juice, nor eat fresh grapes or raisins. All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is produced by the grapevine, from seed to skin. All the days of the vow of his separation no razor shall come upon his head; until the days are fulfilled for which he separated himself to the LORD, he shall be holy. Then he shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow. All the days that he separates himself to the LORD he shall not go near a dead body. He shall not make himself unclean even for his father or his mother, for his brother or his sister, when they die, because his separation to God is on his head. All the days of his separation he shall be holy to the LORD.

i. Known biblical nazarites, There were several remarkable Nazirites in the Bible: Samson (Judges 13:5), John the Baptist (Luke 1:15), and Paul (Acts 18:18); the vow was certainly open to women, but we have no Biblical example of a woman taking the vow, except for Manoah’s wife during her pregnancy with Samson (Judges 13:4).

iii. Why would Paul take a Nazarite’s vows? To reach a Jewish population in exile. To the Jew first and then to the Gentile. Paul said that to those under the law be became as one under the law.

b. Paul left Priscilla an Aquila in Ephesus, where he went into the synagogue alone and reasoned with them. The believers there asked him to stay, but he left, promising to return if it was the Lord’s will and then went on to Jerusalem and then down to Antioch.

i. Paul moves on from Antioch, as Luke tells us, 23 After spending some time in Antioch, Paul set out from there and traveled from place to place throughout the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples. c. Pricilla and Aquila in Ephesus come to know a new preacher and teacher out speaking the name of Jesus, Apollos. 24 Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. 25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. 26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.

i. Apollos, a native of the cultural and educational center of Alexandria comes to Ephesus

1. He has a good knowledge of the scriptures

2. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord

3. He spoke well and with great enthusiasm

4. However he had some gapes in his understanding

a. He only know of the baptism of John, a baptism of repentance

b. We can ask if he know of the baptism of Jesus or if the baptism of Jesus was equated with the baptism of John.

c. Clearly he did not know of the baptism of the Holy Spirit

ii. Pricilla and Aquila who it would seem have been believers for sometime, they were  in Rome before Paul was on his first missionary trip. They may have been in Jerusalem on Pentecost.

1. They are mature believers, Apollos is not a mature believer, well educated yes, well spoken yes, brave and willing yes. But not fully instructed in the way of the Lord

2. Pricilla and Aquila invite them into their home and explained to him in more depth the way of the Lord.

d. Apollos is a well loved and genuine believer. He is not an apostle, but he is an evangelist and willing to engage people so that they will become followers of Jesus. Luke writes of him: 27 When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the believers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. When he arrived, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. 28 For he vigorously refuted the Jews in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah

i. He has the support of the church, letters of reference and encouragement

ii. He is an able speaker and persuader

iii. He is a good example of what some early believers were called to do