Grace Abounds
 
Acts 19:9-10 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. 
 
GOD graciously gave Paul three months to teach the gospel in the Ephesus synagogue. This was much more time and opportunity than Paul had experienced in other synagogues.
   When the Lord allowed the opposition to resist Paul, he then granted the apostle two years to teach in the lecture hall of Tyrannus! The Spirit’s favor gave the Christians a wonderful, sustained opportunity to watch the church grow. The Spirit sent many to hear the truth. All the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.  
   Asia was a province in Rome on the west coast of modern day Turkey; it was not then the name of a continent as it is now. And “all” refers to a significant number of people from Ephesus and surrounding communities.
   We can assume Paul was not the only evangelist. Priscilla and Aquila would likely have been among his disciples. We learn also Timothy was there. The Spirit would have gifted other new Christians to eagerly expand the gospel in Asia in the same life-changing ways he had done in Jerusalem:
 
Acts 19:11-12 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.
 
God rewarded Paul’s faithful service and favored Ephesus with a remarkable expression of his grace. Through extraordinary miracles people experienced God’s very personal, restoring touch. Perhaps this is one reason all in Asia came. Luke had reported God’s power demonstration eight other times: under the apostles’ (two times), Peter’s (three times), Paul and Barnabas’, Stephen’s and Philip’s ministries. Now Paul once again knew the joy of watching resurrect dead souls. Demonic possession is both spiritual and physical affliction. God’s grace saved his creation from Satan’s power.
   But there is one person here God did not heal. The apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 12:8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take a (thorn in my flesh) away from me. Was God’s grace with Paul? The apostle said it was. He continued: 2 Corinthians 12:9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”  Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  
   Paul could have been jealous of the healed and angry at God. But he knew Jesus had changed him from death to life. He loved his Savior. Thus, his weakness was a different form of God’s grace to help him trust God’s eternal love for him. God’s grace is, indeed, sufficient to take us into heaven forever.

Acts 19:8 Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God.
 
FOR three months in a synagogue Paul argued persuasively about the kingdom of God. We would say that he spoke with great conviction about the truth that Jesus is the Christ. Let’s consider briefly what Paul would have said as he told the Jews about the kingdom of God.
   Paul would have declared the kingdom of God is God’s purpose for the world. The LORD first spoke this purpose to Satan in Genesis 3:15 And there will be war between you and the woman and between your seed and her seed: by him will your head be crushed and by you his foot will be wounded. (Basic Bible English)
   This is the promise of Satan’s total defeat and the Savior’s complete victory. From that day, God has been moving events to establish a new Paradise for redeemed mankind.
   Paul would have taught that God then chose Abraham as the seed of an earthly nation that would illustrate Paradise. He would have explained that the Exodus account confirms the evidence of God’s mighty power. Even as the Jews often rejected God’s commands, our Lord faithfully took them to his planned Promised Land. But even then, the Jews disobeyed and did not fully receive God’s promises to possess the earthly kingdom.
   Still Paul would have pointed out that God’s prophets promised the eternal kingdom and its ruler. Isaiah 40:3 A voice of one calling: “In the desert prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. 5 And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
   As Paul continued his persuasion, he would have given evidence of Isaiah’s prophecy come true. One day in the Jordan River the Spirit used the prophet John to anoint Jesus of Nazareth. Soon thereafter the King announced his kingdom on earth. Matthew 4:23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the Kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. This is the good news of righteousness, peace, and joy revealed from heaven into the world.
   The most difficult point in the argument would be to convince the Jews that the King was crucified. He was dead and buried. He rose again. Paul would have persuaded the Jews with the evidence of Jesus’ resurrection with the apostles’ testimony and his own encounter with Jesus! He knew Jesus is alive because Jesus changed his life. And with that testimony, Paul could quickly reason that Jesus is enthroned in heaven as ruler over all things: Luke 24:51 While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. From his throne he is coming again. Luke 21:27 At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.  
   God planned his kingdom to come, his will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. The kingdom has come and is here. The kingdom is also future when God’s promises are completely fulfilled.  Revelation 11:15b “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever.” 

Acts 19:1-7 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.
 
ONCE again Luke was very brief with Paul’s travels. When Luke writes Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus, we can learn from other sources, including Colossians 4:13, that Paul ministered in Colosse, Laodicea and Hierapolis. We mention this because the church in Colosse later received Paul’s letter to the Colossians. And Laodicea is one of the seven churches to whom Jesus wrote (Revelation 3:14-19) In Colosee and Laodicea Paul planted churches that would help us learn of Jesus’ love, grace and truth.
   Another church we learn from is Ephesus. Priscilla, Aquila and Apollos have been to Ephesus. And now Paul will work from here for about three years. Paul’s letters, Ephesians and 1 and 2 Timothy, tell us Ephesus was a diverse church having strong periods of ministry and also many challenges to Christian unity as churches often do.
   Paul met disciples who had not heard of the Holy Spirit. These were men who, like Apollos, had received John the Baptist’s baptism of repentance. But they had not been taught of the Holy Spirit’s baptism to faith in Jesus. They were in the same step of their journey as the apostles had been before the Spirit anointed them at Pentecost.
   In response Paul taught them the full gospel. The Spirit then gifted these men to speak in tongues. This means they spoke in a foreign tongue they could not normally speak.
   Because of this and the apostles speaking in tongues at Pentecost, some teach that one is not a true Christian until he speaks in tongues. This is a severely limited view of salvation by grace through faith. The purpose of tongues – as well as the gifts of healing, preaching, teaching, etc. – was to overcome unbelief. Acts teaches us the Spirit does not follow any set pattern. He came into believers before baptism, at the time of or after baptism and by the laying on of apostolic hands.
   Yes, the Holy Spirit does indwell true believers. Romans 8:9 You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But we must remember the Spirit’s gifts are many. He anoints people to particular gifts and ministries for God’s purposes. Our purpose, in turn, is to faithfully respond to the LORD God’s gift to eternal life.  

Acts 18:27-28 When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. On arriving, 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 Christ.
 
YEARS after this when Paul was near the end of his life, he wrote these powerful words to Timothy, who then was a pastor at Ephesus: 2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. Scripture knowledge is your Spirit-powered equipment to do God’s work.
   Apollos was equipped. His academic work in Alexandria, Egypt, and his gospel lessons under Priscilla and Aquila were bearing fruit. Apollos vigorously used what he had learned to be a great help to confirm and strengthen the new believers in Corinth. With a strong faith, true knowledge and determined purpose, Apollos debated the Jews to prove from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ.
   Consider how Apollos was similar to Paul. Both men were well-educated Jews. In each man the Spirit added to their knowledge of the Old Testament to know those Scriptures pointed to Jesus. Both men defended Jesus against the Jews’ persistent, forceful attempts to silence the gospel.
    Do you see what has happened in the early church? Jesus first appointed Paul to  his ministry and taught Paul to know Jesus is the Christ. Paul then taught Priscilla and Aquilla. This couple next taught Apollos. Paul taught as Jesus did, vigorously defending the kingdom of God against all persecution. Priscilla and Aquila preached as Paul. Apollos continued through Aquila’s and Priscilla’s mentoring. Vigorous mentors make vigorous preachers and teachers. Moving the gospel forward requires definite, forceful action. Complacency is not in a true Christian’s character.
   Your faith in Jesus requires a vigorous response, doesn’t it? The Bible tells us that In the moments, the days and the weeks after you confess, “Jesus is my Lord. He is my Savior.” evil begins his passionate assault against your faith. The Bible illustrates Satan’s methods as he quickly assaults Adam and Eve (Genesis 3). Adam and Eve weakly submitted to Satan’s promised pleasure above God’s life-giving commands. For thousands of years the devil then systematically attacked God’s people, flawed with pride, doubt and needless fears.
   Then Satan confronted Jesus immediately after the Spirit anoints Jesus to his ministry (Matthew 3, Luke 3). The Son of God strongly completed his ministry in the Spirit’s power, vigorously defending and fulfilling the Scriptures.  
   From Jesus, to the apostles, to anointed teachers, the gospel has come to you. It is your turn to be vigorous for the Good News.
    
 
  
 

Acts 18:24-26 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.
 
APOLLOS arrived in Ephesus from Alexandria, Egypt, after Paul had left and before he returned. This timing helps us understand that God was placing his church into the hands of a growing number of trained, accomplished teachers. Obviously Paul and the other apostles could not sustain an increasing workload. The church needed more teachers and preachers. Aquila and Priscilla are developing into those leaders. Apollos has joined them.
   God had been preparing Apollos for ministry. Alexandria was the great learning center of the ancient world. Its vast library is estimated to have from 40,000 to 400,000 scrolls! Yes, that is a significant range, but consider even 40,000 hand-written scrolls teaching ad revealing theology, history, astronomy, biology, philosophy and mathematics! How much knowledge is that?
   But most importantly some of those scrolls contained the Law of Moses, the prophets and Hebrew history. Essentially, much of the Old Testament was there along with added scrolls on the Jews’ history and culture. Luke tells us Apollos understood God had moved the Jews’ history to Jesus. Without having directly heard the gospel, Apollos was very close to knowing it.
   Apollos wanted to teach what he knew, so he spoke boldly in the synagogue. That’s good, right? But when Priscilla and Aquila heard Apollos speak, they realized he needed to know and receive the full gospel. So they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.
   This is the church. Jesus had taught Paul that the prophets pointed to him. Paul had instructed Priscilla and Aquila. They taught Apollos. Each of Jesus’ appointed teachers was a good servant to learn the full gospel truth. Each responded to God’s call to consistently advance the gospel. 

Acts 18:19-22 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 and greeted the church and then went down to Antioch.
 
WHEN Paul left Corinth he concluded what is known as Paul’s Second Missionary Journey. As he traveled toward Caesarea, Paul left Aquila and Priscilla to remain in Ephesus. Apparently Paul wanted them to develop a fellowship of believers who will look to them as trusted leaders.
   When Paul landed at Caesarea, he was back in Israel, about 70 miles – 115 kilometers – from Jerusalem. Some believe Paul was moving quickly to celebrate the Passover in Jerusalem. But Luke does not tell us Paul went to Jerusalem.
   Instead, Luke launches Acts next section - Paul’s Third Missionary Journey with the simple statement: then he went down to Antioch. This was a significant journey of 440 miles – 710 kilometers – from Caesarea. We refer to this distance to help you understand Paul’s determination to minister to the dispersed Jews and the Gentiles of the Roman world. We must remember very primitive transportation required a good deal of time and energy. Plus one was susceptible to many safety and health threats. Upon arrival in Antioch, Paul continued his work:
 
Acts 18:23 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.
 
Paul and Barnabas had spent a good amount of time in Antioch. It must have been encouraging to see the churches there growing and people learning the gospel. Perhaps this was a respite from a ministry of trial and confrontation. Paul had friends there, and he would have found comfort and strength to continue his work. He returned, also, to Galatia and Phrygia. Paul, Silas and Timothy had worked here before the Spirit called them to Philippi. Paul returns to strengthen the churches with a deeper understanding of the Scriptures and of God’s amazing salvation by grace through faith. The Galatian culture had a long history of division and warfare between three main tribes. To have people united in Christ with such antagonistic backgrounds was obviously a significant challenge. We can hear what Paul taught of Jesus’ sacrifice when we read his epistles.
   Meanwhile Priscilla and Aquila were faithfully holding the truth, responding to opportunities to develop more leaders. Active leaders activate a church. 

Acts 18:18 Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time. Then he left the brothers and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. Before he sailed, he had his hair cut off at Cenchrea because of a vow he had taken.
 
AFTER 18 months in Corinth,  Paul left for Syria. He had come from that general area on his way to Philippi. Apparently the Holy Spirit directed him to return there, so Paul could begin more new churches and strengthen others that had been meeting for years.
   Priscilla and Aquila had become much more than Paul’s tentmaking partners. He later referred to them in  Romans 16:3 Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus. Fellow workers are close companions who do the same work together. Priscilla and Aquila would become effective church building pastors and teachers. It was time for the tentmakers to be disciple makers. 
   This is God’s way. As the Holy Spirit grows Jesus’ church, he continually chooses many people to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up. (Ephesians 4:11-12) Each work we do for Jesus is about serving him to build his church.
   As Paul departed Corinth, he stopped in Cenchrea, a southern port of Corinth, to get his hair cut off because of a vow he had taken. Was this at the end or beginning of a vow? It seems that Paul’s knowledge of God would deter him from taking a vow that required an external sign such as a full head of hair and beard or no hair at all. Isn’t a vow – a promise – to God from the heart good enough? Consider that when you confess your salvation in public, you are speaking a vow. Your purpose is to exhibit the Lord’s love and grace as you live into Jesus’ commands. Your promise and confession require only the outward sign of a godly life.
   Perhaps Paul had engaged in the Nazirite – meaning “separation” – vow that required, among other restrictions, no razor to hair and beard (Numbers 6:4). The vow could be as long as a person desired. Perhaps Paul committed himself to remain separate from Corinth’s many temptations. Sometimes external signs help us to remain faithful to God against a particular threat.
   Is a cross our sign today? Do you wear a cross on your clothes or have a cross in your home? If you do, may it be your reminder of your vow to follow the Crucified, Resurrected, Ascended One.
   Paul gave us a good way to live into our vow to God: Colossians 3:17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.   

Acts 18:12-16 While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him into court. 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 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. 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 had them ejected from the court.
 
PAUL, Silas and Timothy are still in Corinth in the region of Achaia. Luke’s focus on Paul affirms his standing as one of Jesus’ specially-anointed apostles and early church leaders. His epistles gained greater impact as the early church learned of Paul’s triumph over personal struggles and the Jews’ and Rome’s persecution.
   Paul may have been very surprised when Gallo, the Roman governor, defended him. When the Jews charged that Paul was persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to the law, they accused Paul of breaking a Roman law. Rome did not permit the teaching and spreading of any new religion. The Jews charged Paul was preaching a new religion.
   But Gallo ruled Paul’s teachings were “about words and names and your own law.” In Gallo’s opinion Paul was teaching about Judaism. Paul, then, was not preaching a new religion. Under Roman law Paul could continue.
   Often in our courts we have judges’ rulings that create a precedent for similar cases in the future. Gallo’s judgment in favor of Paul set a precedent to allow Jesus’ gospel to be openly taught throughout  Achaia.
   Gallo told the Jews they needed to resolve the issues within their own culture. We’ll see this again when Paul stands before Rome’s governors who see no fault in him. How sad to see it is God’s own people who restrict and persecute the Lord’s apostles. How often have misguided leaders of Jesus’ church persecuted Jesus’ true Church?
   Rome’s relationship with Christ and his followers was not a simple acceptance or rejection. Jesus’ ministry included healing Roman Centurions’ servants and relatives. Pilate, too, saw Jesus as the Jews’ problem. If Pilate had possessed moral strength he would not  have condemned Jesus. Acts has reported magistrates sentence Paul, Barnabas and Silas to jail and to be beaten. These same rulers also released the evangelists. Later certain Roman emperors, especially Nero, gravely persecuted Christians because they saw Jesus’ followers as a threat to their authority and supremacy.
   The Christian life mirrors this cycle of acceptance and rejection. We experience people who are interested in and excited to understand more about Jesus. Often we encounter people who don’t care and even reject us outright. All of us live in cultures that both confirm and reject Jesus. Our response is to always remain faithful to the gospel, as Paul, Silas, Timothy and so very many more true evangelists have done for generations.
     

Acts 18:7-8 Then Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. 8 Crispus, the synagogue ruler, and his entire household believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard him believed and were baptized.
 
SOMETIMES you need to move only a short distance to find the place God wants you to be. Paul had told the Jews in the synagogue v 6 I will go to the Gentiles. And he literally did go next door to a Gentile named Titus Justus. And Crispus, the synagogue ruler, had surely heard Paul’s preaching in his synagogue. It took one more time in Titus’s home for Crispus to hear and believe. As his entire family came to faith, others also believed.
   God often will choose one or two people in an area to be the source of influence for a new church. Titus Justus and Crispus were those people in Corinth. Paul then had freedom to teach the gospel. The church at Corinth began. How appropriate it is for a new church in a pagan city to begin with a Jewish man and a Gentile man. It illustrates God’s salvation plan for the world. Entering into his world that did not know him, God first appointed Israel to bless the nations. Then he sent the apostles to the Gentiles. The entire world began to know Jesus.
   Paul’s struggles were very difficult. Yet, the LORD’s reward was constant. The LORD had given Paul a harvest in Corinth just as he had in nearly every city Paul had ministered. We know God’s will is to establish and expand his church.
   Church planting was Paul’s and the other apostles’ purpose. Our Lord Jesus taught he does not send us to empty fields but to the harvest. “I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.” (John 4:35b)
   Still it takes work to cultivate a harvest. Weeds, poor soil and poor weather can hinder a crop. Doubt, fear and weariness can hinder an evangelist. That’s why God personally spoke to Paul to encourage his work:
 
Acts 18:9 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.”
 
God warned Paul of still greater attempts to oppose him. The Lord willed Paul to remain firm in Corinth.  Paul could trust were many in the city God would use to protect him.   Our faith journey demands we trust God in all circumstances, doesn’t it? Opposition and challenges are constant. Our Lord speaks strength, “Do not be afraid.” (Luke 12:4) to confirm his promise, “I am with you always.” (Matthew 28:20) As often as Paul experienced God’s personal intervention, he would still need to fearlessly expect Jesus’ Spirit to be with him each step of his perilous, faithful journey. Paul knew where God wanted him for the immediate present. So Paul stayed for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God. (Acts 18:11) 

Acts 18:6 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 will go to the Gentiles.”
 
PAUL knew what would happen in the synagogue. Some would believe. Many would not. Some unbelievers would react violently to the gospel preaching. He would turn his preaching to the Gentiles. Still, he always entered any new synagogue he encountered. He knew his passion and his purpose: Romans 1:16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.
   Paul taught. Many Jews rejected the gospel. So Paul shook out his clothes in protest. In this he demonstrated an Israeli tradition to shake the dust from their sandals or feet when they returned from a Gentile country. It symbolized their rejection of Gentile customs and gods. In essence, too, he obeyed Jesus’ command when he sent the first 12 disciples to administer the gospel. He told them to reject unbelievers and opposition: Matthew 10:14 If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town. Jesus knew they would encounter opposition. He told them how to respond to it.
   From Jesus’ instructions to Paul’s experiences, we learn a Bible truth: Many will reject God’s Word. We see this in the constant conflicts on many levels. But we can think that with just a bit more effort, “That person will receive Jesus.” This may not be true. Yes, we must make an effort to help people know Jesus. And we also must know when to shake the dust of their unbelief from our spiritual clothes and move forward. It is useless to continue planting a field when there is no rain.
   Paul must have been very tired of the Jews’ hateful response to Jesus. If a pastor today preached, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am clear of my responsibility.” his church would criticize and perhaps even remove him from the pulpit. The human heart does not want responsibility for its sin.
   But perhaps this is Paul’s prayerful desire for the Jews. Listen to his heart in Romans 9:3 For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race. Paul grieved for his people, willing to enter hell for their salvation! He longed for the Jews to wake up and understand their souls are in mortal danger.
   Paul was an inspired, chosen teacher, preacher, evangelist and counselor. He had a very close, personal relationship with Jesus. With absolute confidence, he spoke Jesus’ absolute warning. Frustrated with them, he still loved them enough to speak this one last warning. Perhaps some ears would finally hear the truth and be saved.
   Paul had done his work in the synagogue; it was time to tell the Jews in Corinth, “From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” The Spirit had a new field for the apostle to plant,