Pastor Marty Tuesday, July 30, 2024 at 3:53PM On Sunday July 21, Evangelist Joe Pyott preached in the morning service. We apologize that the audio is not of sufficient quality to post. Thanks for your understanding.
Pastor Marty Saturday, July 27, 2024 at 8:55PM Acts 19:1-10. This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on July 14, 2024.
There is much controversy in the Church over the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, also called being filled with the Spirit.
I do believe that Pentecostals need to refrain from labeling ourselves as having the Spirit, and non-Pentecostals as not having the Spirit. As we will see in our story today, even being filled with the Holy Spirit is a work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of those who believe His testimony.
Think of it this way. In the days of John the Baptist, the Holy Spirit was leading people to believe his message, repent of their sins, and prepare for Messiah. However, that same Holy Spirit would lead them to embrace Jesus once John identified the Messiah for them. Yet, those who embraced Jesus as Messiah before the cross, would need to listen to the Holy Spirit’s testimony to embrace the message of the cross and a crucified Lord. They would then believe Christ and wait in the upper room until the Holy Spirit was poured out upon them.
All of this shows that the Holy Spirit was in their lives and working with them long before they were ever baptized in the Holy Spirit. This is the same dynamic with the men in our story today.
Let’s look at our passage.
It may be as much as a year since Paul had left Ephesus, promising that he would come to them again, God willing. He had spent only a number of days with them that first time. However, now he will spend over two years with them.
Let’s back up a bit and recognize that Paul had followed the original land route of the 2nd missionary journey, and even ended up at the same place where he could go into Asia, or go northwest towards Troas and Greece. The first time, we are told that the Holy Spirit forbade him from going into the province of Asia. This led to him going to Greece. Yet, this time, the Holy Spirit does not forbid him to do so. Paul drops down into Asia and ends up on the coast in Ephesus.
Now, Ephesus was no small town. It is estimated to have had a population of 150,000 to 250,000. It was a bustling city with people coming and going, whether by land routes or by the harbor.
Luke also gives us a side note. Paul ends up in Ephesus while Apollos was in Corinth. This gives us some background to the first letter to the Corinthians, in which, Paul speaks about the ministry of Apollos there. The letter of 1st Corinthians essentially lets us know that Paul was in Ephesus when he wrote it (see 1 Cor. 16:8).
As Paul comes into the city, we are told that he finds “some disciples.” The word “some” here emphasizes this particular group of around twelve disciples. They may or may not have been Ephesians, or have been in the city for very long. Yet, Paul just happened to run into them, probably while he was speaking to people in the marketplace.
In verse two, Paul also speaks of them believing. From this, it is questioned whether or not they are truly Christians. The word disciple as a qualifier is always used of Christians when it is alone. The same is true of believing. Yet, some look at verse 4 and give some kick-back to this. Why would Paul explain to them that John expected his disciples to believe on Jesus if they already did so?
I don’t think we really need to solve the mystery of whether they were only disciples of John, or that they had accepted Jesus as Messiah. Similar to Apollos from the last chapter, they believed John and perhaps knew Jesus as Messiah, but they were lacking the further work of Christ in his Apostles through the Holy Spirit.
We at least know that they are being led by the Holy Spirit, and now, He has intersected their path with a man who can give them further knowledge in Christ. They are disciples who are simply deficient in knowledge. Of course, we can all identify with that. They are in step with the Holy Spirit, and that led them to one of the Apostles so that they could be helped. This is the wonderful work of our heavenly Father through Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
We are not told what leads to Paul’s question, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” Does he suspect that they are not filled with the Holy Spirit? Or, is this a question that he used to quickly discover exactly what they know? We will not know until we ask him in the Kingdom of God.
I mentioned last week that there are some important distinctions between those who were simply disciples of John, and those who had become disciples of Jesus. Both understood that repentance was in order. Yet, once Jesus was revealed as Messiah, the disciples of John were intended to follow Him. By doing so, they would discover the further truths of the cross, resurrection, Spirit Baptism, and the bringing in of the Gentiles.
This brings us to the odd response of these disciples. The New King James Version translates it this way. “We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.” It sounds like they are saying that they weren’t even aware of the existence of the Holy Spirit, which is highly unlikely.
The original Greek is typical of conversations. We often say things while leaving out words because they are understood in the context. The Greek literally says, “We haven’t even heard that the Holy Spirit is…” Yes, His existence could be in view, but the context is speaking of the receiving of the Holy Spirit, not His existence. They are most likely saying that they hadn’t even heard that the Holy Spirit is to be received. Thus, they were unaware of the Day of Pentecost and the establishment of the Church.
Paul then begins to explain what they are lacking in verse four. John intended them to believe on Jesus as Messiah and be baptized in his name. This leads to them being water baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Their faith is no longer generally in a coming Messiah, but is specifically placed upon Jesus as the fulfillment of that promise.
Paul will, no doubt, connect them to other Christians within the city. It is clear that they hadn’t ran into Aquila or Priscilla. Otherwise, they would have instructed them in these things. These disciples would now be more useful to the Lord.
It appears that Paul lays his hands on them and prays for them after they were water baptized. When he did this, the Holy Spirit came upon them. This is a synonymous term with being “baptized with the Spirit,” or being “filled with the Spirit.” Here, we see that baptism in the Holy Spirit can happen at the same time as a person becoming a Christian. Sometimes it occurs days or months later, but this isn’t necessary. These disciples believe in Jesus, are water baptized, and then baptized in the Spirit within the same event. I would say that Spirit baptism is subsequent to their salvation, but not delayed at all.
Luke doesn’t always do this, but he lists some signs that were evidence that they had received the Holy Spirit. Of course, a person can know for themselves by the witness of the Holy Spirit within them. Yet, the Bible does speak of external signs that let others know that Spirit Baptism has happened. Peter witnessed Cornelius and the other Gentiles filled with the Spirit because something visible happened.
In this case, we are told that they spoke in tongues, and they prophesied. Most likely they were not saying what would happen in the future. Many people think of prophesy as always about future events. In Acts 2:11, those speaking in tongues were understood by the crowd that was from all around that part of the world. “We hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.” This apparently doesn’t happen here, but the prophesying (in the common language of that area) most likely is speaking about the works of God.
Christians should understand that God is doing a prophetic work through us, even when we aren’t a prophet within our church. When you share the Gospel with the lost, you are speaking on behalf of God an authoritative message from Him.
Now, there are some in the Church today who say that these signs and spiritual gifts are no longer in operation. They will say that they were only for the first century in order to lay a foundation for the Church. They then say that these things disappeared and that the Holy Spirit no longer does them. Of course, there is no Scripture that says this, though some may try to make one particular passage do so. Until Jesus comes back, we will be in this age where the gifts of the Spirit are necessary for God’s people. It reminds me of Paul’s argument in the book of Galatians. Having begun in the Spirit (with Spiritual gifts) will we now be perfected in the flesh (without them)?
I think that these are generally rejected out of fear. Fear that they seem strange, and also fear that they may lead to false prophecy and kooks. However, the answer to false prophecy is not to shut down all prophecy so that we can be safe. Think about it. You would be squelching the Holy Spirit so that you can be safe. That is not the way of Jesus, nor his apostles. The apostles taught people to be filled with the Holy Spirit so that they could know the spirit of those who came into their midst. They found out and called out any false prophets who ventured into their midst. The flock was safe because they had shepherds who were filled with the Holy Spirit and had spiritual gifts. They didn’t build a protective box around their lives and expect God to only work inside of it. They followed the Holy Spirit outside of the boxes of their traditions, and ideas of men. They didn’t perish in the wilderness of those who refuse to believe, but entered the promised land by faith and inherited. May God help us to grow up in Jesus, learn of him, and grow in the Spirit.
Paul then preaches in the synagogue over the course of three months. During this time, some grew hard to the Gospel while others embraced it by faith. We must always recognize this reality. When God is moving and filling people with the Holy Spirit, there are others who are being hardened by the truth. This is the sad truth of the Gospel. It is wonderful news to some, but to resist it is more damaging spiritually than if you had never heard it in the first place. Behold the severity and the goodness of God.
These disciples didn’t have to know everything because they believed in the God who supplies everything. In due time, the Father who knew their needs even before they did was bringing the solution to them.
Our world and our Republic have become very hard to the Gospel. However, even now, God is still working by His Holy Spirit to draw people to repentance and faith in Jesus. They may be hard, but hard people can go through hard things and be broken before God. He is still showing people the way of the cross. He is still filling people with the Holy Spirit and enabling them to say no to sin. He is still equipping people with spiritual gifts, including tongues and prophecy. He is still leading us to demonstrate the righteousness of Jesus to a world that is full of self-righteousness.
In the end, we will not do anything for Christ without the help of the Holy Spirit. May God help us to be led by the Holy Spirit in this day when people do what is right in their own eyes at best, and follow the deceiving spirits of this age at worst.
Pastor Marty Monday, July 8, 2024 at 1:55PM Acts 18:23-28. This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on July 7, 2024.
Our passage is split between the start of Paul’s third missionary journey and an introduction to Apollos. Apollos was to become a fellow minister. However, his story also coincides with a story we will look at next week. It has to do with people who have believed the message of John the Baptist, but have not heard the full teaching of the Apostles.
Let’s get into our passage.
Verse 23 tells us that Paul stayed at Antioch for “some time” before he went back out on the road. Some versions say that he “went over” the region of Galatia and Phrygia. To be clear, Paul went throughout these regions.
You will notice a nice thin line of his travel on maps of the journey, but that should be seen as an average direction of travel. We are not told how long he spent in each region and all of the towns he visited.
It is clear that Paul wants to connect with the churches that they had started during the prior missionary journeys. It is also possible that new ones had started through further evangelistic activity from those churches.
Paul feels a responsibility for them. He can make sure that their teaching is correct and hasn’t been corrupted. He can minister to them with the Gifts of the Holy Spirit that were prevalent in his ministry. He could also give wisdom, or a word of knowledge, for any issues they were facing.
Whether you start a church or not, may God put in us a heart to actively lead people to faith in Jesus. May he touch our heart with the same sense of responsibility to care for them like a spiritual father or mother. Christ has sent us to be a light. We may plant the seed of the Word of God, water seeds that others have planted, or even bring in a harvest of those who believe. All of this is the work of God that we need to keep focused upon.
In verse 24, Luke introduces Apollos. This is the same Apollos that Paul mentions in his letter, 1 Corinthians. This passage will give us the background to Apollos, but it is also important for another reason. This is the first of two stories that Luke shares regarding people who were following the teaching of John the Baptist, but had not received the full Gospel of Jesus (the second follows this in Acts 19:1-7). They seem to be focused on a repentant life and faith in Messiah.
It is good to live a repentant life. However, God intends us to then move into faith in Jesus and the work that he would do for our sins and the giving of the Holy Spirit. John himself told his disciples, “He [Jesus] must increase, but I must decrease.” John 3:30. We will come back to this point.
It is interesting that Apollos is going to travel to Corinth and be used of God to encourage the saints there. The letter of 1 Corinthians shows us that saved people still have mentalities and pathways of thinking that affect their actions. A division would develop in the church because some people were overly proud of Apollos versus Paul, and vice versa. This carnal mentality regarding the people God uses to bring the Gospel into our lives will be challenged by the Apostle Paul. But, let us look at who this Apollos was.
Apollos is a Jew who had been born in Alexandria. He most likely was impacted by John the Baptist’s ministry on a trip to Jerusalem, whether for a feast or otherwise. This would have been around 20 years earlier.
Luke also tells us that Apollos was an eloquent man. He had a knack for keeping a crowd interested in his speaking. This is one of the reasons some in Corinth seemed to like him better than Paul.
We are also told that Apollos was mighty in the Scriptures. Do you know how you become mighty in the Scriptures? You spend a lot of time studying them and being taught how they point towards Messiah. Christians should not be content to remain weak in the Scriptures. We need to study them to show ourselves approved of God.
Luke also says that he was “instructed in the way of the Lord.” Because of what is going to be said in a moment, the intention of this phrase must be pointed toward God’s will in general, as revealed by John the Baptist. They knew that the Messiah was now here. John had even identified Jesus as the One. So it seems likely that Apollos knew that Jesus was the Messiah, and yet had been killed. He may have also been familiar with some of the teachings of Christ, such as the Sermon on the Mount, etc.
Finally, Luke tells us that Apollos was fervent in spirit. The word has the sense of boiling with heat. Figuratively it refers to a person who is full of passion. There is a certain passion that comes from a living relationship with God’s Word and the leading of His Spirit.
This Apollos arrives in Ephesus. We are not aware of his full mission. Was it only ministry, or was it part business? Regardless, God was working to bring this man’s passion and desire to a greater understanding that had been made available in Jesus and his Apostles. Apollos is basically doing the same thing as Paul. He came to Ephesus and went to the synagogue to speak to the brethren about Repentance and faith in Jesus Messiah. This is where his ministry intersects with the ministry of the Apostle Paul.
Fervor is good, but it needs to be on a foundation of knowledge. When Aquila and Priscilla hear the teaching of Apollos, they recognize that he has some gaps in his knowledge.
They take him aside later in order to explain the Gospel of Jesus more accurately. It is good to note that they did not publicly rebuke him, or humiliate him in the synagogue. They didn’t do it in such a way as to make themselves look better. It is good to explain the way of Christ more accurately to people, but be careful that you do not smash the work of the Holy Spirit in them.
So what was it that Apollos was missing? We are only told this. “He knew only the baptism of John.” It appears that John’s preaching was mainly about repentance. It may also have included the identity of Jesus as Messiah, but we aren’t told that positively.
You see, Apollos is being faithful to the light that he has received from God. The Holy Spirit is working in his life to eventually bring him to the place where his knowledge gaps can be filled in, and this is the day. If we are hungry for God, then we will listen to “John the Baptist” when he comes preaching. We will even more listen to the Lord Jesus when he comes speaking. Most likely Apollos was unaware of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the command to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
He was also missing the understanding of water baptism as a means of identifying with Jesus. This identification is more than just his role as Messiah, but also the means by which he deals with our sins. Water Baptism speaks of dying to the flesh life and being raised up by the Spirit to live for Christ. This is the immediate symbol. However, it also points to a day when we will die and be buried in the ground. It testifies of our faith that the Lord Jesus will resurrect us on the day of Resurrection.
Paul and Apollos will not be at odds with one another. Paul will recognize how God brought Apollos to Corinth to help the church. It was worldly Christians who tried to exalt Apollos as an apostle that was greater than Paul. Is this true?
If we compare the two we see that God’s calling on Paul was indeed greater. Apollos was a man that was full of passion, but was also deficient in a full understanding of the Gospel of Christ. Paul on the other hand had been taught the Gospel by Jesus himself, and he had been preaching and establishing churches among the Gentiles for nearly 20 years at this point. Paul was not deficient in understanding in any means.
Do any of us lack understanding? If you feel like you lack understanding, then take heart. God is working in your life to intersect you with teaching and His Word. You most likely won’t have a vision of Jesus teaching you every night. However, he is being faithful to give you instruction every day by his Holy Spirit. If you need something, then God is working to bring you to it. Trust Him and keep faithful with what you do have.
As a caution, we don’t foolishly go to YouTube and swallow every teaching that we find there because we believe “God is leading us.” God may also be testing you to see if you will remain faithful to his sure proven words in the Bible. Be a Berean and search the Scriptures to make sure those things you are taught by others are really true. To know the Word is to know Jesus, and to know Jesus is to be a person who is in the Word. They are not separated. The written word is a picture of Jesus who is the Eternal Word that was with the Father in the beginning of all things.
I mentioned it earlier, but Apollos most likely didn’t know about Spirit Baptism either. He would have been aware of the Promise of the Father spoken of by the prophet Joel, but he clearly hadn’t been a part of the Jerusalem community as the Spirit was poured out and helped the Apostles to lay down the foundation of faith in Jesus.
At some point, Apollos desires to go over to Achaia. Corinth was the capital of that province, and in Acts 19:1, we are told that Apollos would be in that city. He is given a letter vouching for his legitimacy as a Gospel teacher. It was common for charlatans to come along teaching people for gain, whether wealth or fame. His ministry is now different because he was better instructed, and because he was teachable. He will now be more useful for Jesus.
When Apollos arrives in Corinth, we are told that he “greatly helped those who had believed through grace.” The help here is emphasized as his ability to use the Old Testament Scriptures to show Jews that Jesus is the Messiah that they had been waiting for. He would “refute” the Jews publicly who were not believing in Jesus.
Fervor and understanding need to be hand in hand. Don’t settle for fervor without accurate and thorough knowledge. To guarantee that this doesn’t happen, Become a person who receives teaching and studies the word of God for yourself. Don’t rely on the knowledge that others have of Jesus. Come to know Jesus for yourself.
Yet, we must not settle for understanding without fervor. We might point to the Pharisees, but in truth, their understanding was lacking. They read the Scriptures and memorized them, but the system of tradition drowned out the voice of the Spirit of God. To guarantee that this doesn’t happen, become a person of prayer. Prayer is where knowledge is hammered into a passion from the Holy Spirit. A real relationship with Jesus through prayer and studying the word will give the Holy Spirit the podium in your inner life. He will come in and help you in every way.
In God, good things require small actions over a long time. Faithfulness to the things of God is not loved by your flesh. Your flesh seeks to short-cut that process. Whether financially, professionally, in your marriage, or raising kids, no good work in these areas can be done in a mere 5 minutes. May God help us to see His faithfulness, and may we be inspired to a life of faithfulness ourselves so that we can make a difference in our families, communities, this Republic, and the world.
Email Article | Print Article | Share Article | tagged Fervor, Missions, Repentance, Understanding, Water Baptism Pastor Marty Tuesday, July 2, 2024 at 2:47PM Acts 18:12-22. This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on June 30, 2024.
In our passage today, Paul finishes his 2nd Missionary Journey, which has taken him through the central area of Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey) and throughout the coastal cities of Greece.
We pick up with him ministering in the Greek city of Corinth, where the Lord has told him not to fear because there are many in the city who belong to Him. Paul ends up ministering there for at least a year and a half. This is what sets up our story in verse 12.
Let’s look at our passage.
There is a reason why Paul spent longer in Corinth than he did in many other cities. It has nothing to do with God loving Corinth more than other cities. Part of it has to do with the receptivity of the people in the city. However, how many places did Paul not visit?
The good thing is that these cities generally became hubs of evangelism into the region around them. Paul isn’t the only one that can tell people about Jesus. Aren’t you thankful for that? Paul was faithful share the Good News of Jesus to others who would then become faithful in sharing such to new people. This was true within nations, regions, cities, and even within the lives of you ministers like Timothy and Luke.
There is a passage in 1 Thessalonians 1:8 where Paul is praising the church there for its faith and evangelism. He says that “from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place. Your faith toward God has gone out…”
We are not given a direct timeline, but we know that Paul, believers of the Jews and Gentile God-fearers had separated from the synagogue at some point. The church of Corinth essentially began in the house of a man named Titius Justus next to the synagogue. Even Crispus who was the synagogue ruler had believed and joined these followers of Messiah Jesus.
We eventually come to this scene where the leaders of the synagogue have brought Paul up on charges before the Roman Proconsul, Gallio. There charge is stated in verse 13. They accused him of persuading people to worship God against the law. It wasn’t against the law to worship God or the gods. However, the Romans did have a policy that only religions recognized by Caesar could be promoted. This was not about Romans approving of a religion, but rather about keeping control over disputes, uprisings, and unrest. They had recognized Judaism as a legitimate religion that had a certain amount of protection under Rome. Thus, the charge is about Paul starting a new religion.
This reminds me of China’s policy. There it is illegal to proselytize people to any religion. However, if a person asks you about your religion, then you are free (it is lawful for you) to speak about your religion to them. It is different, but in general, it is a similar control mechanism.
We are told that Paul begins to give his defense, but is interrupted by Gallio. Paul is not promoting a new religion. He actually represents all that the people of Israel had been praying for and preaching about for millennia, the coming of Messiah. This is just an in-house disagreement over who Messiah is. Yet, Gallio doesn’t give Paul a chance to defend himself.
Gallio points out that he would hear the case, if it had something to do with a wrong that Paul had done to them or some knowledge they had of a wicked crime that Paul had committed. However, he then warns that he is not interested in judging matters that have to do with words, names and Jewish law. Of course, this is all about Paul naming Jesus as the Messiah.
Now, it is very likely that Paul looks even more Jewish than the Corinthians Jews that are charging him with promoting an illegal religion. Paul didn’t quit being Jewish. He dressed like a first-century Jew; he talked like one. I believe that Gallio sees a group of Jews trying to charge another Jew that is clearly not from Corinth, i.e., he is actually from Judea. He either knows this is a squabble among Jews about Jewish things instinctively, i.e., from past experience, or he has information from others. Of course, their Jewishness is not the reason that there is a dispute between them and Paul. This is a problem for all people of every kind. We can be very creative in our ways of disputing with one another. Regardless, Gallio immediately sees that this is another one of those internal Jewish matters, and he is not interested in being dragged into it.
On one hand, these are proper words. The government of a people should have no part in judging, or controlling matters of faith. Of course, if our disputes over religion break into criminal activity- God forbid!- then government should intervene in regards to the criminal activity. Again, I will point to China as a place where Christians are told what they can teach and promote in their churches. This is inappropriate for any government, much less one that is atheistic.
On the other hand, I get the sense that this has nothing to do with Gallio trying to do the right thing and give justice. It seems that he is more annoyed with “these Jews and their squabbles.” Note that, just years prior, Claudius Caesar had made the Jews leave Rome because of disputes over a man named “Chrestus” (see last weeks sermon on this). Gallio has some knowledge about this rising dispute within Judaism that threatens the precious Pax Romana.
Let me put a finer point on this. The squabble is the result of God moving in this Corinthian synagogue and some of the Jews didn’t like it. Gallio is more like these Jews he is standing against than he would like to admit. Yes, from time to time, we see the Roman government helping to shield Paul from his fellow Jews. However, this very same Rome will eventually put Paul, Peter, and others to death. Rome didn’t like this move of God any more than some of the Jews in the synagogue. Rome executed Jesus who is the very essence of God’s move in His Church.
This is a spiritual dynamic. Those who are resisting the work of God are a hodge-podge of many powers, beliefs, and people. They don’t always like each other. It is a very dog-eat-dog arena. At this time, Rome is the top dog, and it is letting these Jews charging Paul know that it is in charge. So, let us not imagine that there is anything more going on here than exactly that.
We are then told that Gallio drives Paul’s accusers from the judgment seat, the bema seat (bay-muh). No doubt, this means he had some guards do so. They are driven from the place of presenting cases back into the area of spectators.
This is a human bema seat, and not even the highest one at that time. Any decision by Gallio can be appealed to Caesar by a Roman citizen. It is one thing to receive or not receive justice in the bema seats of this world. However, one day, we all will stand before the bema seat (the judgment seat) of Messiah Jesus. Paul reminded the Roman believers of this in Romans 14:10. “But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you view your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.” (LSB). Paul reminds them that both sides of any matter will stand before Jesus. What will he say of your squabble then?
Jesus warned us of judging one another. He didn’t say we shouldn’t judge because there is something inherently wrong with making judgments. Rather, he points out that we are going to receive the type of judgment we give to others, and that we will receive it in the measure (much or little) that we give to others. This is a shot across the bow of every human being from the One who will sit on the greatest bema seat ever raised up. Jesus warns us that he will give us what we gave to others. This ought to humble all of us, but it generally doesn’t. Most people give a “meh” over such statements and continue on judging others unfairly and harshly. The sad thing is that, when Jesus judges them, it will be harsh, but completely fair.
We have all failed in this. Can we be freed from that future judgment? Yes! The Holy Spirit brings stuff to our mind from time to time. It is called conviction. Conviction is not condemnation. Condemnation tells you all the ways you have failed and tells you that you can never get out of it. It motivates you to quit and go your own way. Condemnation is not from God. It is from the devil and our own soul. Conviction is different though it too starts with how we have failed. The Holy Spirit points out our failures so that we will feel sorrow, repent and put our faith in Jesus. When we confess that Jesus was right and turn to him for forgiveness, then he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). “God, I was so judgmental. Please forgive me because I don’t want to be that kind of person, much less be judged by Jesus when I stand before him.” Of course, the Holy Spirit will also lead you to tell people you are sorry for your harsh judgments. This is called works that are worthy of true repentance.
In 2 Corinthians 5:9-10, it says, “Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for [d]his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” (LSB). The point is that we are to do what we do to please Jesus. We must be less concerned about dragging others before courts in order to obtain justice, than we are about the day in which we will personally be judged by Jesus.
The amazing thing is that God created humans in such a way that we can be redeemed! No matter how broken you are, your life can be redeemed (has been redeemed by Jesus already) when you turn to him in faith.
The ruler of the synagogue, Sosthenes, is then beaten. The New King James Version mentions that this is done by “Greeks.” However, the word “Greeks” is not some of the ancient manuscripts. Scholars are left with trying to determine what was the original wording? The manuscripts that don’t have this word essentially say that “they all took Sosthenes…and beat him before the judgment seat.” So, is the emphasis upon the Greeks doing it, or was it a simple “they all?”
It seems most likely that the word Greeks was added rather than removed. There is no evidence that scribes were purposefully removing words from the original writings of Scriptures ever. So, how could they justify an addition? Sometimes a scribe would put an explanatory note in the margins of a manuscript. Later scribes who were copying the manuscript before it became too old to be useable would generally continue the note in the margin. However, some would put the word in the text, perhaps unsure as to why it was put in the margin or accepting it as inspired testimony from the past.
Why would a scribe feel the need to emphasize this was the Greeks doing this? The “they all” in the scene could be read as those who were on the plaintiff side. This would have Jewish people beating up a Jewish ruler in the court. This seems improbable, though we could suppose some sort of anger that they were made to look bad in public.
The Greek insertion, or marginal commentary, would help to make clear what was happening. Sosthenes is attacked by the Gentile observers as a public rebuke of bringing a frivolous case before the Proconsul.
This penchant for mob violence is a theme throughout the New Testament, but also in the testimony of history. Paul and the Christians are not on the side of beating up their accusers, and neither should we be. It is not good to be “in one accord” (v. 12) when we are doing evil because we will find it rebounding back at us (v. 17).
There is a possibility that this Sosthenes later became a Christian. First, we already know that Crispus, who also was a synagogue ruler, had become a Christian. Secondly, in 1 Corinthians 1:1, Paul mentions a fellow brother Sosthenes that is with him when he greets the Corinthian believers. I wonder if this beating at the hands of the Gentiles was used by Jesus to get Sosthenes attention? Regardless of whether this is the same Sosthenes or not, this is the kind of God we serve. In His mercy, God allows hurts and pains to come into our life because they soften us up to what His Holy Spirit is trying to say to us. In fact, Saul of Tarsus, Paul, came to know Jesus through an eye-damaging affair, and that was done by Jesus himself. God is not looking for reasons to reject us. He is faithful to work daily through the good things of life, and through the bad, to draw us into relationship with him, to repentance.
At this point the story turns and moves very rapidly. Paul is going back to his home church in Syrian Antioch. However, he takes time to go to Jerusalem first.
Verse 18 tells us that Paul “still remained a good while.” This can be interpreted two different ways. Verse 11 tells us that Paul stayed in Corinth for 1.5 years. Then, we had the event before Gallio, and then, we have the statement that Paul still remained a good while.
These can be seen as sequential. Paul was there for 18 months, and then, this charge before Gallio occurred. Following that, Paul still remained a good while. That last phrase is nebulous, but it would be interpreted to mean that Paul was most likely there for another 6 months to a year, for a total of 2 to 3 years.
However, verse 11 can be seen as a kind of thesis statement for the section that follows. Overall, Paul stayed there for 18 months. During that time, this event before Gallio occurred. Following it, Paul stayed there for a good long time, but still encapsulated within the year and a half.
Regardless of how long Paul stayed in the city, it is clear that Corinth was very open to the Gospel, even though it was a very sinful city. Sometimes people who are in the depths of sin are more open to the Gospel because they are daily suffering the bondage and ill-effects of it. We can’t always know the people or places that will be receptive to the Gospel. We can only be faithful to follow the leading of Jesus by the Holy Spirit.
Luke mentions hair being cut off in Cenchrea because of a vow. Cenchrea was a port city to the east of Corinth. Luke spends very little time on this, so neither will I. It seems to serve as the reason why Paul will later tell the Ephesians that he cannot stay with them, i.e., the vow requires him to go to Jerusalem within a certain time.
Some will try to say that it wasn’t Paul who made the vow. However, this is highly unlikely. All the other verbs are clearly telling us what Paul did. Even when it mentions Aquila, it does so in a prepositional phrase. It literally says that Paul took leave of the brethren and sailed for Syria with Priscilla and Aquila. The most natural way of reading the hair cutting (it is a participle) is that it is describing Paul.
Some immediately connect this to the Nazirite vow spoken of in the Old Testament. It involved not cutting the hair until the end of the vow, as well as not eating or drinking of the fruit of the grape vine, nor touching any dead body. However, a person could make a vow regarding their hair without it being a Nazirite vow. If it was a Nazirite vow, it begs the question as to why the hair was cut off in Cenchrea and not Jerusalem. A Nazarite vow requires that the hair be cut and offered up with a sacrifice at Jerusalem.
We really are missing too much information to be dogmatic about any of this. From time to time, Jews would make a vow to Yahweh. Typically, they were either consecrating themselves to a task, or there was something they were desiring from God. So, what is Paul doing?
Some are troubled by this as if a vow represents Paul hypocritically lapsing into Judaism. This is a nonsense argument. First of all, Paul’s teaching was not about getting rid of anything that looked like Jewish things. He was concerned that certain Jews were trying to require that Gentiles follow the requirements of the Jewish Law in order to be acceptable to Jesus.
Thus, Paul’s argument to Gentile Galatians is that they should not be circumcised. They are acceptable to Jesus by the spiritual circumcision of the Spirit, not of the flesh. He even warns them that they are in danger of cutting themselves off from Christ in such acts. However, we should not make the non sequitur conclusion that Paul would say the same thing to a Jewish Christian who had a new baby. “Whatever you do, don’t circumcise that baby or you will have nothing with Christ!” The church in Jerusalem was made up of a large majority of Jews. They still did Jewish things, dressed Jewish, went to the temple, etc. However, they were putting their faith in Jesus now.
Ask yourself, is making a vow to God a Jewish thing or a Christian thing, a law thing or a Spirit thing? It is clear that many people have made fleshly vows to God, thinking that they can manipulate Him, or impress Him into giving them what they want. If this is your purpose, then you will be unsuccessful. In fact, people have made foolish vows. We are warned about how we make our vows. We need to do so humbly and led by the Holy Spirit.
There is a holy place in our relationship with God where the Spirit of God moves upon our heart and we vow to put our cell phone away for a week, or social media usage. This is not a Christian thing or a Jewish thing. It is a person-having-a-relationship-with-God thing, a person who is having a real relationship with God. This is not something that everybody has to do. It is a personal thing that surfaces in the life of a person as they serve Jesus. This would have been Paul’s heart in the matter.
Next, we see that the ship makes a stop in Ephesus. It appears they are stopping for supplies, trade, or both. Paul took advantage of this to go to the synagogue and reason with the Jews and Gentiles who were there. It appears that the Ephesian synagogue was open to hearing more. They wanted him to stay longer, but he declined due to a timely need to go to Jerusalem, most likely having to do with his vow.
This may be why we are told that Priscilla and Aquila remain in Ephesus. They could continue their trade of tentmaking while helping the Ephesian believers to understand how the work of Christ fulfilled the Scriptures and what God wanted believers to do in this new era of Messiah.
However, Paul does promise to return to them, God willing. We do not need to turn this into a required ending to every sentence, but every servant of the Lord needs to have this humble attitude. Of course, God often works through our godly desires and intentions. However, He sometimes has a different plan than we do. Paul is not rejecting them by not staying. Rather, he is fulfilling something else between him and God. When that is satisfied, he will attempt to come back, but even that is dependent upon what the Lord allows or tells him to do.
We should note that the Gospel is not dependent upon any one person. Yes, Paul is the Apostle to the Gentiles, and God works powerfully through him among them. Yet, God’s sending of Paul to another place besides Ephesus does not limit what He can do there. Even people who are being led by the Holy Spirit need to remain humble about what they think is God’s will.
I should remind us that the Holy Spirit forbade Paul from going into the province of Asia, of which Ephesus was a major city, on the first missionary journey. Yet, he is now here speaking to the Ephesians about the Gospel. So, we see God’s timing without explanation. In chapter 19, God will allow Paul to come back and spend 2 years here on his third missionary journey. Thus, “God willing” is a phrase that recognizes the sovereignty of God in matters of direction and timing.
Paul boards the ship again and sails to the cost of Judea, landing at Caesarea. They travel from the coast up to Jerusalem. To give you an idea, the temple mount is about 2,428 feet above sea level.
Jerusalem is not mentioned by name here. Rather, it speaks of him greeting the church. No doubt, he also gives a description of his journey and what God was doing among the people of Greece.
Paul then goes down to Syrian Antioch (modern day Antakya Türkiye), his home church at this point. It is good to have a home, and a home church as a base of operations. It represents a safe place, a strengthening place, a re-energizing place, and a place of people who love and support us. He could share with them the results of their labor of financial support and prayers for him and his missionary group.
We might even think of that as we go out from our churches each week into our daily lives. We return again, whether at the end of the week or periodically throughout the week. It is meant to be a place of people being real and loving with one another. May we be a people who are quick to repent, quick to forgive, and quick to support God’s work in one another’s lives.
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