Written by: Matt Summerfield – Crusaders

Acts 18 v 7-8
Paul left the synagogue and moved into the home of Titius Justus, next to the synagogue. This man worshipped God. Crispus was the leader of that synagogue, and he and all the people living in his house believed in the Lord. Many others in Corinth also listened to Paul and believed and were baptised.

Notes
John C. Maxwell, a well-respected guru on leadership, was once asked to summarise leadership in one simple word. He quickly replied, “Influence! Leadership is about influence!”

There’s no doubting at all that Paul was a great leader in the early church. He was passionately committed to seeing God’s Kingdom impact every man, woman and child with whom he came in contact. So when we read the above passage of scripture, we really see Paul’s influence coming into play.

Paul didn’t just want to tell people some good news; he wanted to influence them to such a degree that they would become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. And this wasn’t about manipulation; it was about God working through Paul in such a powerful way that people decided that they needed to give their lives to Christ and then become an influence to others. Consider, for example, the influence that Crispus had as a result of following Christ himself – his whole household believed!

Wouldn’t it be fantastic if God was able to work through us in such a great way that we would have a positive influence on others? That as people look at our lives, and the impact that Jesus has made, they are challenged to respond to Him for themselves.

If you’re up for that then there’s great news for you. God wants to work through you. His plan is for people to reach people. And He is able to thoroughly equip you for every good work and activity He wants you to do. So, commit yourself today to be a person of influence. A catalyst! Bring the hope and love of God to generations of people who need to hear it.

Acts 18 v 9-11
During the night, the Lord told Paul in a vision: “Don’t be afraid. Continue talking to people and don’t be quiet. I am with you, and no one will hurt you because many of my people are in this city.” Paul stayed there for a year and a half, teaching God’s word to the people.

Notes
Do you ever get times when you can’t get to sleep at night because you’re worrying what the future holds? Perhaps you’re going through a tough time and it seems like there is no light at the end of the tunnel. Giving up, or giving in, seems to be the only option.

I’m sure Paul felt like this loads of times. He was devoted to sharing his Christian faith with as many people as possible, but this came at a high price. He suffered loads of persecution, and he would have won no prizes in a popularity contest.

So perhaps on this particular evening, in the verses above, he was lying in bed thinking, “This is too hard! I might have to give up!” And as he was thinking this, God spoke to him in a dream: “Paul, don’t be afraid. I’m with you. So don’t give up. Whatever happens, don’t give up!”

As I look at my own life, I have to confess that there have been loads of times when I’ve thought about giving up. Being a Christian is so hard sometimes, and I’ve been a worrier by nature. Yet, I am so encouraged today that God still speaks the same message to me … and to you.

Whatever we’re going through, however hard life seems, we really don’t have to give up, and neither should we. The Bible tells us that God is for us, Jesus is with us, the Holy Spirit is in us, and angels are encamped all around us. That means we’re pretty safe and secure. No wonder God says, “Don’t be afraid.”

Worth remembering next time you can’t sleep…

Acts 18 v 12-13
When Gallio was the governor of the country of Southern Greece, some of the Jews came together against Paul and took him to the court. They said, “This man is teaching people to worship God in a way that is against our law.”

Notes
The Jews in Greece were pretty ticked. In fact, they were fuming. Why? Because Paul was going around the whole area telling people that they’d never get to Heaven by trying to be good and just following the Jewish law. They’d only get there by admitting that they mess up, accepting that Jesus died for their mistakes, and asking His forgiveness and His help in living life right.

And this was not what the Jews wanted to hear! They had God packaged quite nicely in a box, with clear rules about what they should and shouldn’t do – including how they were allowed to worship God. You can almost hear them cry out, “We’ve always done it this way – and we’ll never change!”

The problem with this is that you simply can’t put God in a box. He always wants to break out. And whilst I am thankful that God never changes (eg, He’ll never stop loving me, caring for me and wanting to be my brilliant Heavenly Dad), I also know that God loves to change stuff. He is the ultimate and supreme creator of change.

And He loves it when His people decide to break the mould and get creative too. So, great news! There is only one way to Heaven which is through knowing Jesus Christ, but there are loads of different ways to pray, worship, learn and grow with God.

So get creative! Be deliberately different. And when people say to you, “We’ve never done it that way before”, perhaps you should respectfully say, “Maybe it’s time for a change!”

Acts 18 v 14-17
Paul was about to say something, but Gallio spoke to the Jews, saying, “I would listen to you Jews if you were complaining about a crime or some wrong. But the things you are saying are only questions about words and names—arguments about your own law. So you must solve this problem yourselves. I don’t want to be a judge of these things.” And Gallio made them leave the court.
Then they all grabbed Sosthenes, the leader of the synagogue, and beat him there before the court. But this did not bother Gallio.

Notes
On initial reading of this passage you might be inclined to believe that Gallio, the Governor of Southern Greece, was quite sympathetic and supportive of Paul. Paul had been brought to Gallio at the request of the Jews who were complaining that he was telling people all about Jesus Christ and that the only way to get to know God was through believing that Christ died for their sins. They wanted Gallio to arrest Paul. Even better, to have him tortured or killed.

Gallio’s response was as blunt as it was surprising. He basically told them: “Paul has done nothing wrong as far as I can see. This is your problem – I don’t want to get involved.” Could it be that Gallio was being won over by the Christian message? Unfortunately not!

Just a moment after the Jews left his court, Gallio watched whilst those same Jews nearly beat another Christian, Sosthenes, to death. And he was equally not bothered by this.

Someone once said that the opposite of love is not hate but indifference - not feeling anything at all. This I fear was Gallio’s crime. He was indifferent. He just didn’t care either way.

With the amount of bad news that we are fed daily from our TV screens, we can very easily become indifferent to the pain and suffering of others. Yet, the Bible challenges us to get involved. It’s easy to sit on the sidelines and just watch whilst the world sends itself to Hell. Jesus could’ve done that – but He didn’t. He opted to come to earth and gave His life to save as many as would believe His message. We could never say He was indifferent. No, He fanatically loved people so much He died for them. What will we do?

Acts 18 v 18-21
Paul stayed with the believers for many more days. Then he left and sailed for Syria, with Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchrea Paul cut off his hair, because he had made a promise to God. Then they went to Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila. While Paul was there, he went into the synagogue and talked with the Jews. When they asked him to stay with them longer, he refused. But as he left, he said, “I will come back to you again if God wants me to.” And so he sailed away from Ephesus.

Notes
I bet Paul really would have liked to have stayed longer in Ephesus. He spent most of his life running from people and places who didn’t want him around. Yet, in Ephesus they begged him to stay with them. They loved him and the message he brought. So can you believe it when he refused to stay because he knew that God wanted him to go somewhere else?

I am always amazed at the complete obedience of Paul. God continually pushed him outside his comfort zone, asking him to do unbelievable things and go to strange and far-off places, and Paul always said yes. We never even read that he got mad at God (although I’m sure he did sometimes). When God told Paul to do something – he did it!

So while Paul told the folk at Ephesus that he personally hoped to see them again, he confirmed that it ultimately very much depended on whether God agreed.

I must confess that sometimes obedience is tough. Yet, I know that God demands obedience and he demands it for a very good reason. God loves me more than I’ll ever understand and I’m in no doubt that He wants the very best for me. 

Now, His way might not always be the easiest way, but it still is the best way. That’s why Jesus said, “I came to give you life - life in all its fullness” (John 10 v 10). 

So, next time you’re thinking about getting into an argument with God about something, He’s asked you to hold your tongue. Remember, He’s smarter than all of us put together and His motivation is His love for us. 

I think He knows what He’s doing … perhaps we should just take the plunge and get on with it!

Acts 18 v 22-23
When Paul landed at Caesarea, he went and gave greetings to the church in Jerusalem. After that, Paul went to Antioch. He stayed there for a while and then left and went through the regions of Galatia and Phrygia. He travelled from town to town in these regions, giving strength to all the followers.

Notes
A few years ago a guy called Gordon MacDonald wrote a book called “Ordering Your Private World”. It’s a really good book about managing your life with the right priorities. One of the primary principles of the book is the need to gain an understanding of whether in life you are “driven” or “called”. Being “called” is good because it means you are following what God has commanded you to do. Being “driven” is bad because your motivation might be off-centre and you might just drive yourself into an early grave.

Imagine asking Paul that question: “Paul, are you called or driven?”

I have to confess that I think he’d probably look at you if you were mad. Why? Because Paul was both called AND driven. He was absolutely called by God to preach the good news and build the early church. But he was positively fanatical about it. It consumed him with a passion that ultimately would lead to his own execution. He travelled thousands and thousands of miles throughout his life, from town to town, leading people to Christ and encouraging the church to reach its potential in transforming local communities. 

As I look at the life of Paul and his commitment to strengthening Christians, I feel personally challenged. How much am I willing to sacrifice my own agenda for the greater good of others? Are there things in life that are worth being fanatical about? Am I allowing the great purposes of God to consume me, and will I live for them every day? Tough questions! And I know that sometimes I’m going to fail or cop out. Yet, in my heart of hearts I know that there is something truly thrilling about totally committing myself to God’s great adventure. All aboard the roller-coaster!

Acts 18 v 24-26
A Jew named Apollos came to Ephesus. He was born in the city of Alexandria and was a good speaker who knew the Scriptures well. He had been taught about the way of the Lord and was always very excited when he spoke and taught the truth about Jesus. But the only baptism Apollos knew about was the baptism that John taught. Apollos began to speak very boldly in the synagogue, and when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him to their home and helped him better understand the way of God.

Notes
Apollos sounds like a pretty smart guy! He was a bold and exciting speaker. He really knew the Bible and was a good teacher. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him speaking in the synagogue, they were obviously impressed. Yet they didn’t just pass him by - they saw that he could actually be even better and committed themselves to further train and equip him to be the best that he could be.

As I reflect on this story, I’m reminded of a well-worn management slogan: “The good can become the enemy of the best”. Pretty clear what this means, I think. Basically, it reminds us that sometimes we settle for something that is good – but not the very best. Good is good enough, right? Wrong!

I like the fact in this story that whilst Apollos was already good at what he did, he was committed to being even better – in fact, the best that he could be. I think this is a good, healthy desire - not to beat ourselves up about how good or bad we might be at something, but to motivate ourselves to keep improving.

I really enjoy my job and I think I do it quite well. But I hope that I will be even better at it next year, and better still the year after. However good we might be at something, there is always more that we can learn. None of us has arrived!

So, why not commit yourself to be a lifetime learner, always looking to grow and develop in all aspects of your life. And, like Apollos, stay humble enough to accept help from others.


word-on-the-web uses the Scripture text taken from the Youth Bible, New Century Version (Anglicised Edition) copyright 1993 by Word Publishing Milton Keynes