Matthew Mark Luke John Acts 18
it is like a yearbook for the first church in the city of Corinth
what would you put in your yearbook today?
God accomplishes his plan through ordinary people
Acts 18:1 Paul left Athens and went to Corinth.
Acts 18:2 There he became acquainted with a Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, who had recently arrived from Italy with his wife, Priscilla. They had left Italy when Claudius Caesar deported all Jews from Rome.
total upheaval of their lives
God uses everyday people with everyday problems and everyday situations to carry forward the greatest hope in the world
Acts 18:3-4 Paul lived and worked with them, for they were tentmakers just as he was. Each Sabbath found Paul at the synagogue, trying to convince the Jews and Greeks alike.
Acts 18:5-6 And after Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul spent all his time preaching the word. He testified to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah. But when they opposed and insulted him, Paul shook the dust from his clothes and said, “Your blood is upon your own heads— I am innocent. From now on I will go preach to the Gentiles.”
Acts 20:26-27 I declare today that I have been faithful. If anyone suffers eternal death, it’s not my fault, for I didn’t shrink from declaring all that God wants you to know.
Jonah 2:9 Salvation belongs to the LORD
Preached to Jews & gentiles so that they would follow Jesus. Paul’s yearbook Preached to Jews & gentiles so that they would follow Jesus.
Acts 18:7-8 Then he left and went to the home of Titius Justus, a Gentile who worshiped God and lived next door to the synagogue. Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, and everyone in his household believed in the Lord. Many others in Corinth also heard Paul, became believers, and were baptized.
Titius & Crispis’s yearbook gave up reputation risked his career to follow Jesus
Acts 18:7-8 Then he left and went to the home of Titius Justus, a Gentile who worshiped God and lived next door to the synagogue. Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, and everyone in his household believed in the Lord. Many others in Corinth also heard Paul, became believers, and were baptized.
God is doing extraordinary things through everyday people
Acts 18:9-11 One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision and told him, “Don’t be afraid! Speak out! Don’t be silent! For I am with you, and no one will attack and harm you, for many people in this city belong to me.” So Paul stayed there for the next year and a half, teaching the word of God.
1 Corinthians 2:1-5
there are no extraordinary people; just everyday people that God does extraordinary things through
His plan: make disciples. His tools: you and me.
Trading our plan for God’s plan Our yearbook Trading our plan for God’s plan
Living out God’s plan You are investing your life into others, not yourself
make disciples of all nations
2 Timothy 2:2 You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.
how you are remembered is directly related to who & what you invested your time & energy into
Living out God’s plan You are investing your life into others, not yourself You find security in Christ, not in your plan
Acts 18:9-10 One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision and told him, “Don’t be afraid! Speak out! Don’t be silent! For I am with you, and no one will attack and harm you, for many people in this city belong to me.”
I am with you = presence No one will harm you = security
Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Ephesians 1:13 And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago.
Romans 8:35, 38-39 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.
Romans 8:35, 38-39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
seeking security running from God’s presence
The safest place for you is with me
Living out God’s plan You are investing your life into others, not yourself You find security in Christ, not in your plan You are risking enough to need God’s help
Acts 18:9-10 One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision and told him, “Don’t be afraid! Speak out! Don’t be silent! For I am with you, and no one will attack and harm you, for many people in this city belong to me.”
God is with us God will protect us God calls us to action [CLICK] each line
Gideon 32,000 10,000 300 [CLICK] each number
The greatest days the best days of faith are ahead not behind
God saved you from something God saved you for something
Our task | job | role in the world… …is not to maintain our purity, but to rescue the world from its difficulties & to improve it as we can.
Our task | job | role in the world… …is to make shalom, to help the world flourish, to take what God has given us & to make something of it. …is not to take what God has entrusted to us & then return it him at the end of days nicely intact, congratulating ourselves on how clean our hands have remained all the while.
Our task | job | role in the world… …is not to take what God has entrusted to us & then return it him at the end of days nicely intact, congratulating ourselves on how clean our hands have remained all the while.
many do not believe the gospel not because it isn’t true but because it seems trivial to Christians