Putting the House in order Looking at Acts 19: 1-21 Setting up the church at Ephesus

Paul’s hit-list of cities Philippi, Berea, Athens…. Corinth…. Ephesus: one of the biggest cities in the empire He stays for three years He wins a widespread audience for his preaching He displays the power of God in his miracles He starts a potent church. Setting up the church at Ephesus

1. Finding the right time (18:21f) Paul first visited Ephesus on his way through (Not many ships went straight from Corinth to Israel’s main port at Maritime Caesarea). He visited the synagogue (as usual) to “reason with the Jews” (Acts 18:19). This time, nothing goes wrong. In fact, in a blessed reversal, “they asked him to spend more time with them.” But Paul declined. He had to keep moving. Yet as he left, he promised, “I will come back if it is God’s will” (Acts 18:20-21). He leaves a team…. Setting up the church at Ephesus

2. Setting up the first team First, Paul’s good friends Priscilla and Aquila stayed there. They had been with Paul daily for over a year, so they had, and soon needed, a strong grasp of biblical theology. Second, a Jewish Christian named Apollos arrived. Acts says that “he was a learned man, with a through knowledge of the Scriptures. He spoke with great fervour and taught about Jesus accurately” (Acts 18:24-25). He was a great asset to the cause. Setting up the church at Ephesus

3. Correcting a serious mistake Shortly after he returned, Paul met twelve disciples of John. Somehow – we don’t know how – he detected that something was amiss. So he started to ask questions: “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”“No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” Or, “If there is a Holy Spirit we have not heard of it.” “Then what baptism did you receive?” “John’s baptism,” they replied. Now, you can’t be a Christian without the Spirit (John 3:5, 24; 4:13, Romans 8:9). These “disciples” believe in God and in John, but they don’t yet believe in Christ…. Setting up the church at Ephesus

Yes, but this is exception rather than the “norm” A 2 stage experience? Yes, but this is exception rather than the “norm” Salvation has ESSENTIAL components: Repentance Faith Baptism/ public witness Holy Spirit Setting up the church at Ephesus

A few essential things Sort out your team Get your teaching right Emphasise the Spirit Setting up the church at Ephesus

4. Reason and faith – what dialogue can and cannot do (Acts 19:8-10) First, Paul went to the synagogue, but, this is the one where they had asked Paul to stay longer, so things are different this time. Notice the features of Paul’s time in this synagogue: It lasted a long time – three months. People seem receptive. Paul spoke boldly. He held nothing back. He discussed or debated and persuaded. There was an open exchange of ideas. Yet it had a direction. He persuaded people “about the Kingdom of God.” Eventually, some proved obstinate. They reviled the Way, so Paul had to move on. And as he left, he took many Jews and many Gentiles with him. Setting up the church at Ephesus

Talking is not enough A place….. Paul found a suitable place to teach: in “the lecture hall of Tyrannus” (which must have been a nickname). A time….. Still, however tyrannical a teacher was, none held class during the heat of the day. So Paul claimed the space when most Ephesians took a siesta. A season….Two years of daily teaching! A huge effect….every kind of person heard, from all over the surrounding area… But TALKING IS NOT ENOUGH Setting up the church at Ephesus

5. Demonstrating the power of God (19:11-16) Paul performed singular miracles in the name of Christ. Everyone saw that the miracles were extraordinary. To be sure, the miracles arrest our attention and even seem strange. The handkerchiefs and aprons, presumably from his tent-making, even had healing power. What do these wonders mean? The signs validate the words and the words explain the signs… Setting up the church at Ephesus

Misusing the miraculous The case of the “wandering Jewish exorcists”. They tried to call on Jesus’ name to deliver people from evil powers.Apparently this worked for a little while. But soon one resisted. It said, “Jesus I know and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” Then the man who had the evil spirit pounced on them, overpowered them, beat them and sent them away, wounded and with clothes shredded. So the misuse of Jesus’ name stopped, but the story spread. And people had to think of Jesus in new ways. Setting up the church at Ephesus

6. Confessing our sins (19:17-20) “Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus were seized with fear and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed their evil deeds” (Acts 19:17-18). They saw the power of Paul’s God, but more than that, they gave up their gods. Ephesus was famous for its fascination with magic and incantations and so the people who turned to Christ proved it in a dramatic way by burning, not selling, their magic scrolls, You destroy them lest they enslave someone else. To turn to Christ is to turn away from evil. Setting up the church at Ephesus

So we see a house in order… We praise God for his work then and we ask that he continue it in us. We will never repeat exactly what happened at Ephesus. Yet, the elements in Ephesus all speak to us: The Lord begins or multiplies his work in his time – not ours. He calls a team of leaders – nothing great can be done by one person. He corrects mistakes and gets the house in order. His people share the bedrock experiences: repentance, faith, baptism, Spirit. We proclaim Jesus and his Kingdom. In this we are unabashed. But we also reason with everyone who wants to talk to us. The Lord demonstrates his power as he chooses and changes lives Setting up the church at Ephesus