So it's Acts chapter 18, 1-22, and it's page 1114 in the Red Bible.
After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth.
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 the Jews to leave Rome.
Paul went to see them, and because he was a tentmaker, as they were,
he stayed and worked with them.
Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade the Jews and Greeks.
When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia,
Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching,
testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ.
But when the Jews opposed Paul, he became abusive.
He shook out his clothes in protest and said to them,
Your blood be on your own heads. I am clear of my responsibility.
From now on, I will go to the Gentiles.
Then Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titus Justus,
a worshipper of God.
Crispus, the synagogue ruler, and his entire household believed in the Lord,
and many of the Corinthians who heard him believed and were baptized.
One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision,
Do not be afraid. Keep on speaking. Do not be silent.
For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you,
because I have many people in this city.
So Paul stayed for a year and a half,
a year and a half, and teaching them the word of God.
While Galileo was prontical of the Acacia,
the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him into court.
This man, they charged, is persuading the people to worship God
in ways contrary to the law.
Just as Paul was just about to speak,
Galileo said to the Jews,
If you Jews were making a complaint about some misdemeanor or serious crime,
it would be reasonable for me to listen to you.
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.
So he had them ejected from the court.
Then they all turned on Sosin, the synagogue ruler,
and beat them in front of the court.
But Galileo showed no concern whatsoever.
Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time.
He then left the brothers and sailed for Syria,
accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila.
Before he sailed, he had his hair cut off at Sancria
because of a vow he had taken.
They arrived at Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila.
And he himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews.
When they asked him to spend more time with them, he declined.
But as he left, he promised,
I will come back if it is God's will.
Then he set sail for Ephesus.
When he landed at Caesarea,
he went up and greeted the church,
and then he went down to Antioch.
Thanks, Louise.
There's some notes going around, if you'd like them,
and a pen,
if you want to take some notes.
Just a reminder that we do follow up
each of the Sunday morning Bible studies
on our Wednesday evening home groups
in our gospel communities.
We look through it a bit more in depth
and look through at some of the applications for our lives
and for us as a church.
So I encourage you to get involved in that.
So we're in Acts 18.
And, well, we're really going to focus on the first 17 verses.
God
Thank you.
Okay, well let's pray.
Father, you know how we find the Christian life hard.
Lord, you know how we find being a witness for you hard.
And therefore we pray that what we look at together from your word would encourage us, give us strength, give us confidence.
And it would help us to rest in you and in the work that you are doing.
So we pray that you would help us all.
Pour out your spirit on us.
Help me to be faithful, to speak clearly.
And we pray that we would all be people who are changed and built up as a result of what we hear and look at together.
In Jesus' name we pray.
Amen.
Men wanted for hazardous journey.
Small wages.
Bitter cold.
Long months of complete darkness.
Constant danger.
Safe return doubtful.
Honor and recognition in case of success.
You might have heard those words before.
It was an advert placed in a London newspaper by the great explorer Ernest Shackleton as he looked for his team to travel to the Antarctic.
Hazardous journey.
Small wages.
Bitter cold.
Well, gospel work is really no different for Paul.
Because for him it meant hazardous journeys, constant danger and safe return doubtful.
He's coming to the end of his second church planting expedition.
If you look there on the screen you'll see the map.
He's been sent out from his home church in Antioch.
And at the end of this section we saw in verse 22 he returns to his home church in Antioch.
But he's been directed by God through Turkey.
That's where it says Phrygia and Galatia.
Modern day Turkey where he's been planting churches.
But he's gone from there now into Europe, into Greece.
It's a two and a half year trip that would take him through five influential cities.
Each bringing its own challenge.
In Philippi he faced beatings and imprisonment.
In Thessalonica he had to hide from a rioting mob.
In fact we read in chapter 17 that the whole city ended in a riot.
And we're out to get him.
In Berea he had to run for his life as opposition increased and closed in.
In Athens what we looked at last week he faces loneliness as he ventures into this godless society without his team and he's ridiculed as a babbler.
And now in chapter 18 we read that after all of this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth.
It's no wonder then that when Paul would later write to these Christians, to this new church in Corinth, he would say this.
In fact aware of Paul's fear, look at verse 9.
Verse 9.
One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision.
Do not be afraid.
Keep on speaking.
Do not be silent.
For I am with you.
Now I know that many people became Christians in these cities.
There were lots of churches planted.
But sometimes I think we forget the fact that Paul was an ordinary human just like us.
He wasn't Superman.
His name wasn't Peter Parker.
His name was Paul.
He was tired.
He was lonely.
He was afraid.
He felt inadequate.
He felt he wanted to get away.
You see, being part of God's mission is like joining Ernest Shackleton on one of his expeditions.
Gospel work is always going to be hard work.
So how do we keep going in our Christian lives?
And how do we keep going in our gospel work in whatever context that may be?
Well, as we follow Paul on this final leg of his journey before he reaches his home family church,
we see how God sustains us and he will sustain his mission.
God sustains us and he sustains his mission.
First, there are the provision of God's people.
Look at verse 1 again.
And after this, Paul left Athens and he went to Corinth.
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 of the Jews to leave Rome.
Now, it was well known that the Jews often went rioting in Rome.
It was kind of a kick against the authorities.
I don't think Priscilla and Aquila were involved in that,
but just the Jews in general didn't like Roman rule.
In fact, they'd become such a headache to Claudius that he's kicked them all out of the city.
It was a form of ethnic cleansing.
So, politically speaking, we could say Priscilla and Aquila have become refugees.
They've got no home and they've got no work.
However, missionally speaking, from God's perspective,
they were God's provision to partner Paul in his gospel work.
So, verse 3, Paul went to see them, and because he was a tent maker,
that was his livelihood as they were, he stayed and worked with them.
It's literally he became partners with them.
Every Sabbath, he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade the Jews and the Greeks.
So, Paul, having arrived on his own after this,
all these trials of going through all these cities and arriving in this city on his own,
he's got partners with him now who've joined with him in the gospel.
In fact, when Paul would write to the Christians in Rome,
he would refer to Priscilla and Aquila as,
my fellow workers in Christ Jesus,
who risked their lives for me and for the churches.
Now, I think we understand what it is to be lonely and to be struggling.
And to find things hard.
We can find being a Christian in college or in our school really lonely.
Maybe we're the only Christian in our year.
We feel inadequate in our witness at work.
We maybe feel alone in that.
We maybe feel too weak to fight the daily battle of living a gospel life in a godless world.
And whatever context we find ourselves in,
being a witness, gospel work is always hard work.
And what we need is somebody like an Aquila or a Priscilla,
somebody who's going to get alongside us.
Well, God in his goodness has provided for us.
And the way he provides for us in each of our contexts is through the church,
through his people.
So the people that we are here with this morning
are God's provision for you and for me.
The people that you are sitting beside right now,
the person behind you,
are God's given partners to you.
They are God's gift to you.
They are your fellow workers,
people who are going to stick by you,
people who are going to walk with you
and enable you to keep going as a Christian
and people who are going to help you in the Christian ministry.
Now you may be here for all kinds of reasons.
You might have been raised and bought up here in Carragoline.
You might have moved here because of work.
You may be here because, well,
you got married to somebody who actually lives here.
You may simply have decided,
I just want a change in location.
But for whatever reason you have for being here,
please don't lose sight of the great big fact
that you are also here as part of God's provision
to support and encourage fellow believers
in their day-to-day gospel work.
You are not here by chance.
You are here as part of God's good design.
We are not just weekly attenders
turning up to a meeting on a Sunday morning.
We are partners in the gospel.
That's why we take time,
whether it's tea and coffee,
whether it's afterwards,
whether it's during the week,
to get alongside people.
Nick very helpfully said,
not prompted by me,
the reason why he looks for a church family,
I don't do things well on my own.
Well, you know what?
None of us do things well on our own.
We've got partners
to encourage us
and to support us.
So we are able to keep going in God's mission
because God in his goodness
has provided one another
to keep on in the mission he has called us to.
So first, he provides us with people.
Second, there is the power of God's Spirit.
Verse 5.
When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia,
so here now the team is getting bigger,
another sign of God's provision,
Paul devoted himself exclusively
to preaching,
to testifying to the Jews
that Jesus was the Christ.
So part of the partnership was
that these others would do all the work.
They would provide for Paul financially
so he could get on with his job.
But what kind of response was there
for Paul in his preaching?
Well, look at verse 6.
But when the Jews 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 clear of my responsibility.
From now on, I'm going to the Gentiles.
It was simply a closed door.
People didn't want to know.
They refused to accept
that Jesus Christ was God's saving King.
And so at this point in the account,
we're left wondering,
is there anybody in this city
who could possibly become a Christian?
They're opposing him.
They're against him.
And maybe you ask the same question.
What is it going to take for,
and you fill in the blank there
with the person that you know,
what will it take for
to become a Christian?
Whether it's somebody in your family
or somebody in your work
or one of your friends.
They just seem opposed.
They just don't seem interested.
Well, pause in this situation.
Well, go back, please,
to 1 Corinthians,
or go forwards, rather,
to 1 Corinthians.
Keep your finger in Acts 18.
and jump ahead,
Acts Romans,
1 Corinthians.
This is chapter 2
and verse 1.
This is Paul's letter
that he wrote
to these believers.
So I've already given the plot away.
People do become Christians
and he does write a letter to them.
But this is what he writes to them.
And he remembers
what it was like
when he first arrived there.
Chapter 2, verse 1.
When I came to you,
brothers and sisters,
I did not come
with eloquence
or superior wisdom
as I proclaimed to you
the testimony about God.
For I resolved to know
nothing while I was with you
except Jesus Christ
and him crucified.
I came to you
in weakness
and fear
and with much trembling.
My message
and my preaching
were not with wise
and persuasive words,
but with a demonstration
of the Spirit's power
so that your faith
might not rest
on men's wisdom
but on God's power.
You see,
it's not about
being a great speaker.
It's not about
us having the right answers.
It's not about
being clever
in our arguments,
as helpful
and as good
as all those things are.
It was simply for Paul
about proclaiming Christ
and depending
on the power
of God's Holy Spirit.
because this is
how God does
his work
in people
who are not yet
believers.
If we take
the Spirit of God
and here's a little
helpful phrase
it's on the screen there,
the Spirit of God
takes the Gospel
of God
and he works
that into
people's lives
helping them
to see,
helping them
who Christ is.
The Spirit of God
takes the Gospel
of God
and does the work
of God
in people's lives.
You and I
can't make anybody
become a Christian.
Paul couldn't make
anybody become a Christian.
Our responsibility
is to simply
be faithful
and to share
Christ
with others
as God
provides those
opportunities.
That's why Paul
would say,
go back to chapter
18 and verse 6,
he says,
your blood
be on your own
heads.
I'm clear
of my responsibility.
I've presented
Christ to you
and you don't
want to know.
We cannot be
responsible for
people's response
or their reaction.
We simply
bring Christ
living a Christ-like
life,
offering salvation,
warning of
judgment
and prayerfully
resting
in the Spirit
to take our lives,
to take our message
and to do the work
in people's lives.
It's not our job
to make people
believers.
So what happened
as Paul rested
in the power
of God's Spirit?
Well, look at
verse 7
of chapter 18.
He had faced
the opposition.
They didn't want
to know,
so Paul left
the synagogue
and he went
next door
to a house
of Titius Justice,
a worshipper
of God.
Here was somebody
who was interested
and look what
happens amazingly.
Crispus,
the synagogue
ruler,
here was the guy
who had been
opposed to Paul
and had kind of
been the leader
in it.
Well, he and
his entire family
believed in the Lord
and many of the
Corinthians who
heard him
believed
and were
baptized.
Paul's message
hadn't changed.
It just simply
shows us that
salvation is
God's work.
Sometimes it's
opening up
one door for
somebody,
somebody is closing
a door on
another.
together.
But it's
the Spirit
of God
taking the
Gospel of
God and
doing the
work of
God in
people's
lives.
It's God's
work.
So the
reason Paul
could keep
going,
the reason
we can keep
going when
we face
the opposition
is because
it's not
dependent on
us,
it's not
about our
power,
but it's
about the
power of
God's Spirit
opening up
people's eyes
to hear the
truth of
who Christ
is.
The third
thing that we
look at,
we see in
verses 9 to
10,
is that we
can keep
going because
of God's
promise.
Despite
people coming
to faith,
Paul was
still very
afraid about
speaking to
people.
I take
comfort from
that.
I'm glad
Paul was
afraid because
I'm pretty
scared too.
Gospel work
is always
hard work.
But look
what the
Lord has
to say.
Verse 9,
one night
the Lord
spoke to
Paul in
a vision,
do not
be afraid,
keep on
speaking,
do not
be silent,
for I am
with you,
no one
is going
to attack
you and
harm you
because I
have many
people in
the city,
meaning there's
lots of
people here
who are
going to
become
believers
in this
city.
Now while
this is a
promise,
and it is
a promise,
we have to
be very
careful that
we don't
claim too
much from
this promise.
So for
example,
in verse 10
it says,
God says to
Paul,
no one
is going
to attack
you and
harm you.
But have
a look at
chapter 20
verse 22.
A little
while after
this,
chapter 20
verse 22,
Paul says,
and now
compelled by
the Spirit
I am going
to Jerusalem,
not knowing
what will
happen to
me there,
I only
know that
in every
city the
Holy Spirit
warns me
that prison
and hardships
are facing
me.
So what
happened the
promise about
protection?
Well obviously
this promise
of protection
was quite
specific to
the city of
Corinth for
this time
that he was
going to be
there.
And the
promise that
he received
through the
vision was
nonetheless
very encouraging
for Paul.
It renewed
his confidence.
So verse 11,
Paul stayed
for a year
and a half
teaching them
the word
of God.
Now we've
got to try
and figure
out how
much is
this a
promise for
you and
I today.
We can't
just lift
promises and
things out of
context and
say oh this
is for me
as it was
then.
Well first
and foremost
this is a
promise for
Paul.
But I
think through
this promise
God is
revealing
universal truth
to his
people for
each and
every generation.
It's a
promise for
Paul but
in this
promise there
is truth
for us.
Let's read
verse 10
again.
He says
for I am
with you
no one is
going to
attack and
harm you
because I
have many
people in
this city.
Now the
principle
behind the
promise is
this.
God has
people whom
he will
save through
you and
he will
keep you
until they
are saved.
Did you
get that?
God has
people who
he is going
to save
through you
and he
will keep
you until
they are
saved.
Do you
believe that?
I find that
a huge
encouragement.
That means
that the
people we
are with,
people who
we work
with,
people who
we hang
out with,
the people
that we
live with
are not
coincidences.
The
relationships
that we
are in,
the people
that God
has given
to you in
those
circumstances
are those
who God
knows about
who already
in God's
plan has
them belonging
to God but
through you
they are going
to believe
in God.
So verse
9,
do not be
afraid,
keep on
speaking,
do not
be silent
for I
am with
you.
Now that
doesn't mean
the next
time we
meet a
friend or
a buddy
we say
to them
excuse me
are you
elect?
Are you
predestined?
Are you
chosen?
Because if
you are
I have
something to
tell you.
Well the
fact is
they don't
know and
they'll look
at you
fairly oddly
and the
reality is
we don't
know.
God does
and I'm
glad he
does.
It's his
business.
God is the
one who
knows and
he is the
one who
will ultimately
save and
that gives
us huge
encouragement
because it's
not about
us.
God has
those who
he will
save through
people like
you and
me and
he is going
to keep
us until
they are
saved.
That is
ultimately the
purpose of
why we are
here.
God is
going to
keep your
life.
He's going
to preserve
your life.
You will
not live
a day
longer or
a day
less until
God has
brought to
salvation all
those that
he wants to
save through
you.
That's how
he works.
We can't
plan this
out.
We can't
even fathom
it.
But it
gives us
great confidence
that God
will work
through people
like us
as he
pleases.
So we
can keep
on going
because of
the promise
of God's
word.
And then
the fourth
one is
we can
keep going
because of
God's
providence
over all
things.
Gospel
work is
hard work
and even
with all the
promises
opposition
continues.
verse 12.
While
Galio was
proconsul
of Achaia
the Jews
made a
united attack
on Paul
and brought
him into
court.
Now this
puts Paul
into a
serious
situation.
He knows
what Roman
rulers are
capable of
doing.
His own
friends Priscilla
and Aquila
had been
kicked out
of Rome.
He knows
fine well
what had
happened to
Jesus when
he had
faced a
Roman
court.
There is
no guarantee
that Paul
is going
to get
justice.
In fact
look at
the end
of this
account.
Look at
what this
judge is
like.
Verse 17.
At the
end of
this
situation
we're
told that
they all
turned on
Sosthenes
the synagogue
ruler and
they beat
him up.
They gave
him a good
kicking in
front of
the court.
Galio the
judge,
well he
showed no
concern
whatsoever.
He just
let them
get on
with it.
It seems
that he's
not bothered
what happens
to people
so long
as people
are happy
and he
kind of
keeps some
kind of
order and
the majority
of the
people are
happy,
it's all
okay.
He's not
the kind
of judge
you would
want at
this time.
So it's
really not
looking good
for Paul.
But then
verse 14,
just as
Paul was
about to
speak,
maybe he
had some
kind of
defence
lined up
as
something
he
could
say.
Well,
Galio
interrupted
and he
said to
the
Jews,
if you
Jews
were
making
a
complaint
about
some
misdemeanour
or serious
crime,
it would
be reasonable
for me
to listen
to you.
Well,
it's such a
contradiction
to his
character,
especially
when he
let Sosthenes
get beaten
up a little
while later.
Verse 15,
but since
it involves
questions about
words and
names of
your law,
well settle
the matters
yourselves.
I'm not
going to
judge on
these
things.
That's
theology,
that's
not my
department,
you look
after that.
Roman rule
it may be,
but God's
providence
is overruling
all of
this.
God has
his hand
on Paul's
life,
and God
has his
hand over
the rulers
of the
day.
And in
our life
and over
God's
mission,
he will
work all
things for
good to
what he
wants to
do.
And that's
what we
can take
from this
as we
venture out
into a
new week,
as we
keep going
as a
church
family to
be his
witness,
to be
involved
in his
mission.
We have
a God
who is
over
every
single
ruler,
over
every
single
event
and
circumstance.
We
don't
always
understand
what's
going on
or what's
happening,
but we
trust that
he is
in
control
and he
will work
all
things
for his
good.
Gospel
work
is hard
work.
We will
always face
obstacles.
We will
face
opposition.
And as
you go
into this
week,
whether
you're
going
into
school,
whether
to
college,
whether
you're
looking
after
your
children,
whether
to
work,
wherever
you find
yourself,
you will
feel weak.
You may
be afraid.
You may
be feel
lonely.
But God
will sustain
us.
He saw
Paul through
Corinth and
he will
sustain us
in our
mission as
we live
for him.
Let's pray
together.
Our
Father, we
confess that
we are
very often
afraid,
we're
very often
feeling lonely,
and we're
very often
feeling weak.
weak.
But we
thank you
that you
have provided
for us
one another,
so we
are not
alone.
Thank you
that you
have given
to us
the power
of your
Holy Spirit,
because we
are weak,
but it's
his power
at work
through us.
We thank
you that
you have
given us
the promises
of your
word,
so although
we feel
afraid going
into new
situations,
you have
your hand
over us,
and you
will keep
us to do
your work
that you
have called
us to.
And we
thank you
for your
rule over
all of our
lives,
over our
work,
over our
family,
over our
college,
and over
our friends.
we trust
you with
it all,
and we
praise you
that you
are a
good and
a great
God.
In
Jesus' name
we pray.
Amen.
Well, our
vision going
forward has
to be
here for
to be
a
hat.
Amen.