Lesson Notes

Introduction

• Studying the Book of Acts to see how the Holy Spirit empowered and propelled the early church out into a hostile world that it turned “upside down”
• I pray that will happen again now and that we’ll be part of it!
• We’ll survey Paul’s 2nd Missionary journey, a trip clearly directed by God’s Spirit!

Ministry in Macedonia

Read Acts 16

• Paul has begun his 2nd missionary journey, this time with Silas, who’d traveled with him from Jerusalem to Antioch after the Jerusalem Council
• They expected to primarily re-visit the churches established previously
• Verses 1-5 – Back to Derbe and Lystra (where Paul was nearly stoned to death)
  • Introduced to Timothy – son of a Jewish Christian woman and Gentile man
  • Verse 3 – Paul wanted to bring Timothy along, but out of sensitivity for Jewish people in the places they would visit, he had Timothy circumcised
  • Why? After all, Christians don’t have to become Jews!
  • Christian liberty and the advance of the gospel. We’re free to do many things in Christ, but if the exercise of our freedom becomes a hindrance to the advance of the gospel or the faith of less mature Christians, then any Christian should set down that freedom joyfully (see Romans 14-15)
  • Paul’s strategy begins in synagogues and Timothy needed to be able to enter
  • Timothy goes on to become an incredibly important person in the early church – Paul’s “fixer” carrying his messages, checking in, and fixing troubled churches
  • Verse 4 – An important part of their journey – sharing the Jerusalem Council letter with all the churches
  • Verse 5 – Churches were strengthened in their faith and increased
    • One of these familiar transition verses – because it’s about to get exciting!
• Verses 6-10
  • Paul, Silas, and Timothy are trying to go along and do their thing, but everywhere they want to visit, the Holy Spirit blocks them
    • They revisit Phyrgia and Galatia, but can’t preach in new territory in Asia
    • Verse 9 -The Macedonian call  a vision summoning them to Macedonia
    • This is their first move into Europe – clear and dramatic direction from the Holy Spirit
    • Some think the call to get involved in missions should always look dramatic like this – but Paul and the others were already ON mission
    • They were obeying God and He redirected them
    • dWe usually get our clearest call when we’re ALREADY serving on mission for God – don’t wait for your wake up call, wake up, then anticipate the call to change course
    • My call to preach didn’t come as I sat passively in the seats here at LRBC – it came as I was already serving in different capacities and growing and becoming sensitive and obedient to God’s leading
    • Paul is an exception; God usually calls those who’ve already demonstrably begun to yield all aspects of their life to Him.
    • Everyone is called to be engaged in some way in missions and on mission – don’t wait for your personal Macedonian call
    • Verse 10 – “we” – it seems Luke has joined the team
• Verse 12 – they arrive in Philippi, their first stop in Europe. There is no synagogue, so they go looking for the place where the tiny Jewish/God-fearing population gathers to pray.
• Verse 13 – they begin talking to women gathered by the riverside – that’s counter-cultural
• Verse 14 – Lydia, a seller of expensive purple dyed items – God opened her to really hear
  • That’s a great prayer to pray for others – that God would open their heart to listen
  • In this case it means she accepted Christ
  • Verse 15 -she and her household were baptized and she hosted the team in her home
• Acts 16: 16-24
  • An interesting spiritual story – a slave girl was possessed by a demon and she followed them around loudly telling the truth about them in verse 17
  • Verse 18 – Paul got annoyed and cast out the demon in the name of Jesus Christ
  • Her owners made money from her demonic possession and were angry, having them beaten without the process required for Roman citizens
• Acts 16: 25-34
  • A mighty display of God’s power so that the jailer and his household would believe in Jesus!
  • Verse 25 – Paul and Silas are doing evangelism while in jail – singing and praying as other prisoners listened
  • Verse 26 – God intervenes to free everyone – doors opened, chains unfastened.
    • Rather than seek freedom, they share Christ!
  • Verse 27 – The jailer, assuming they escaped, prepared to commit suicide when Paul stops him
  • Verses 30-31 – “What must I do to be saved?” — Believe!!!
  • Verse 32 – they explain Christ to him and his household and they were all baptized.
  • That morning, the local officials try to send them away, but Paul demands an apology for beating and imprisoning them without a hearing
  • Verse 40 – they visit Lydia and the rest of the church, encourage them, and leave

The Journey to Athens

Read Acts 17

• They journey 94 miles to Thessalonica, the provincial capital where they only stay briefly
  • Paul preached on three Saturdays in the synagogue
  • He may have preached longer away from the synagogue, but we don’t get the impression they are there very long
  • Verse 4 – a good response among Jews, God-fearing Gentiles, and wealthy women
  • A group of Jewish leaders start a riot, dragging local Christians before authorities
  • Verse 6 – “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also”
  • It’s time to go – but if you read 1 and 2 Thessalonians, you discover that this church planted and tended for only a short time grew strong!
  • Because it’s the Spirit Who really establishes and builds the church, not clever church planters, pastors, or members
• They head out to Berea, 50 miles away
  • These people studied the Scripture carefully to verify what Paul was teaching
  • It’s wonderful for us to be discerning! Don’t let a slick preacher fool you!
  • Verse 12 – many of them therefore believed – because they confirmed what Paul taught in Scripture
  • Verse 13 – Jews from Thessalonica came and stirred up trouble and Paul left Silas and Timothy behind there and then asked them to join him in Athens
    • It seems they were most concerned about Paul, so the others could stay and continue the ministry for awhile
    • After they join Paul in Athens, he’ll send them back to check on these new churches – after he leaves Athens for Corinth, they’ll join him there and he’ll write the letters to the Thessalonians
• Read Acts 17: 16-21
  • While waiting, Paul was deeply troubled by all the statues of Greek and other foreign gods and goddesses.
  • Verse 16 – his spirit was provoked and he began debating in the synagogues and in the marketplace with the local philosophers, rhetoricians, and talkers
  • Verse 18 – the dominant schools of philosophy at the time were Epicurean and Stoic and to them, Paul was very, very strange sounding
    • They’re coming from a completely different worldview
    • This is a good lesson for us in a post-Christian society – we must tailor our presentation to where people are and what they understand
    • They’re willing to listen – mostly because they like to debate things
    • They bring him to the Areopagus on Mars Hill, near the Parthenon
• Paul gives an excellent speech that begins where he does with Gentiles – explaining the existence of the One True God
  • He famously bridges from their context – an altar dedicated to the unknown god
  • He explains God’s nature and independence – needing nothing from humans
  • He works through God’s nearness, the command to repent, and coming judgment by Jesus who was raised from the dead
• Read Acts 17: 32-34
  • Paul’s presentation was interrupted at the idea of resurrection – a good reminder to us as we struggle at times in our own gospel presentations
  • Some mocked, some wanted to chit-chat unproductively about it more
  • A few believed and became Christians, but this wasn’t a particularly fruitful place

Corinth

Read Acts 18

• Paul left Athens, went to Corinth, which was a major city, where he met up with Aquila and Priscilla who were Jews kicked out of Rome by Emperor Claudius
• Verse 3- they stayed and worked together as tentmakers
• Verse 4 – regular preaching in the synagogue
• As usual, he wore out his welcome in the synagogue and turned to focus on Gentiles
• Verse 8 – many Corinthians believed and were baptized – this is the church Paul writes letters to – diverse mix of Jews and Gentiles
• Verse 9 – Another message from God – earlier it was the summons to come, now it’s the invitation to stay for a long time – 18 months
  • Don’t be afraid – keep preaching, I am with you
  • God has many in the city who will respond to the gospel
• Verse 12 – Jewish leaders brought Paul before the proconsul arguing a violation of Roman law – 51 or 52 AD
• Verse 14 – Gallio rejected their charges
• Read Acts 18: 18-23
  • Verse 18 – Paul headed back to Antioch via various cities
  • At Ephesus he left Priscilla and Aquila to minister
  • He preached, but didn’t stay long – on his next trip he’ll stay for a couple of years
  • Verse 22 – he arrived at Caesaria, then went to antioch
  • Verse 23 – He stayed there awhile before beginning his 3rd missionary journey

Next Week: Ends of the Earthy: Paul’s Journey to Caesar (Acts 21-28)