Text: Acts 18:24-19:7, Title: Really Close, Date/Place: NRBC, 1/11/09, AM
A. Opening illustration: tell about riding down 2nd Street and long-necking at the new bookstore and almost hitting that car in front of me as I eased into the turn lane without looking
B. Background to passage: Paul has completed his stay in Corinth, having been their a year and a half. He left for Ephesus with Pricilla and Aquila. Then even though the church in Ephesus wants him to stay, he leaves for Caesarea promising to return of God wills, and leaving Pricilla and Aquila behind. He landed in Caesarea, went up to Jerusalem to greet the church, then headed for his home church at Antioch. This 1500 mile journey is summed up in six verses—makes you wonder what else the Apostle did that we will never hear of. Then with missionary blood running through his veins, he is off again to strengthen the disciples in Asia. But meanwhile back at the ranch, Luke gives us a little interlude where Aquila and Pricilla meet a man named Apollos, and then Luke jumps back to Paul in Ephesus with a group of John’s disciples. These two occurrences are part of the transitional nature of the book of Acts, and in both cases people are really close to the kingdom of God, but not quite there. But there are some really interesting and helpful things to note about these two situations.
C. Main thought: the text will show two situations with people who are really close to the kingdom
A. Really close w/biblical knowledge (v. 24-28)
1. Luke probably includes this scenario because this is the only time that Alexandria, Egypt is found in the book of Acts. And it was such an important site for the early church. Also Apollos would be crucial to the ministry of the Apostle later. Some even think that he is the author Hebrews. But before we deal with Apollos’s eternity (over which there is considerable debate), let’s look at some things that we be helpful to us, even coming from one who is not yet a Christian. Remember that we are dealing with a very unique time of transition from OT to NT eras, so the conclusions that we draw here might not be so equally applicable in our setting. Luke explains that he is a great bible teacher, even teaching things about Jesus. Three qualities make him a good bible teacher: eloquence (skill), mighty in the scriptures (knowledge), and fervent in spirit (passion). Explore those some. He also had an evangelistic and missionary heart in him. Remember that the reason this little cameo of Apollos is here is because of his usefulness to the church.
2. Illustration: "Eternal life in the future tense is eternity in heaven with God. Eternal life in the present tense is knowing God personally now. Eternal life in the present breaks through limitations and experiences the best that life can offer. Many Christians miss that. We do our duty as believers, but no passion drives us; no power enables us. Sometimes our very busyness for God masks the emptiness we still experience. And we feel guilty for being Christian and having those feelings. "But when we encounter God as He is, our lives are irrevocably transformed. As we craft our lives to better know Him, we move from religion to relationship, from duty to passion, from frustration to power." Two longstanding church members were in a boat fishing with a new Christian. Fishing is a great time for conversation and each was proclaiming his fervent faith and devotion to God. As they were discussing their faith, one’s hat blew into the water. So he stood up, calmly stepped onto the water, walked over to his hat, picked it up off the water, and walked backed to the boat.
3. Now, in our day, one cannot be a great bible teacher without clearly teaching a repent and believe in Jesus message. But in those days it was possible. How do we evaluate, improve preaching and teaching? Preaching is not simply about passing judgment upon certain behaviors; not about simply giving out information; not about simply crafting a well-sounding monologue. It is the passionate declaration of truth empowered by the Spirit and the belief in the authority of the word and the worth of the Treasure proclaimed. The church in our day is much in need of preachers and teachers and bible study leaders who fit this description. And many in the church have very little concept of what good preaching really is. In fact I would suggest that the church is in need of many people who are not necessarily teachers to exhibit these qualities. How the church could use those who really use their education and speaking capabilities to engage the lost and edify the church! How the church could use those who are so full of the bible that scripture just seems to pour forth in every conversation! Men and women and youth that see their duty and responsibility to know the bible so as not to be persuaded by arguments, temptations, liberalism, or legalism. How the church could use an influx of passion for Christ! This is something that we should all pray for. That apathy, complacency, laziness, dullness, sleepiness, and unconcern be enviscerated from our midst!
B. Really close w/religious life (v. 1-7)
1. It is really not that strange to find disciples of John still floating around nearly 25 years after his death. Church historians noted this phenomenon until the second century. These were disciples of John who had probably heard him preach about a coming Messiah, but never had realized who the Messiah was. They would have known about the Spirit, but only in an OT way. Much like Apollos, these were very religious Jews who heard John’s message, were baptized for repentance, and continued to meet together. These were not Pharisees or scribes, they were devout, faithful Jews awaiting the Messiah. So they kept up their religious practices. They kept up the teachings of John the Baptist. They maintained a pure and holy lifestyle. They were GOOD people. In fact there are things that we can learn from them. They were seekers of truth! They were learners and disciples. They were faithful in their meeting, even 25 years after John’s death. They were community oriented and meet regularly for fellowship. They were still following a leader that had been dead for 25 years—that’s commitment to following the shepherd!
2. Illustration: ask the question: why do we have mission studies? Or Sunday School? Or men’s, women’s, college, or youth classes and ministries? LIVING DANGEROUSLY Living dangerously. That was one of many themes in Brennan Manning’s superb book The Signature of Jesus. Manning presents a radical alternative to the normal everyday, ho-hum, “comfort zone” mentality lived out by so many “so-called Christians.” His final statement in the book: The Signature of Jesus is offered to Christians who want to live by faith and not by mere “religion,” for those who recognize that many of the burning theological issues in the church today are neither burning nor theological, [for those] who see Christianity neither as a moral code or a belief system but a love affair, who have not forgotten that they are followers of a crucified Christ, who know that following Him means living dangerously, who want to live the gospel without compromise, who have no greater desire than to have His signature written on the pages of their lives. “IT IS ONE OF THE SUPREME HANDICAPS OF THE CHURCH THAT IN IT THERE ARE SO MANY DISTANT FOLLOWERS OF JESUS CHRIST AND SO FEW REAL DISCIPLES. ALL OF THIS SIMPLY DUE TO THE COST INVOLVED WITH DISCIPLESHIP”
3. How the church could use more members who are truly disciples (learners, followers, seekers of truth). We are so used to a cultural Christian atmosphere of nominal Christianity, that it doesn’t even bother us anymore that many of our people only come when it is convenient, when nothing else comes up that day. When no family is in or some other engagement is not planned. Where are the days when all that stuff takes a second place to Christ and His bride, not because you have to to fill your covenant, but because you want Jesus more that your relatives to be happy! It doesn’t bother us that regular attendance is once of month. We see nothing wrong with having a standard for membership so low that as long as you come once a year, we won’t remove your name. It is no big surprise to us when nobody shows up for ministry events except for the ones they are in charge of…that nobody shows up for committee meetings. And worse yet, when we notice those that stop coming, we don’t make any real effort to reclaim them!
C. Close doesn’t count (v. 25-26, 4-5)
1. The word “disciple” and the word “believe” are used many time for people that aren’t necessarily believers in Christ. The commentators all differ, but the plain sense of the text seems to indicate that both these two situation deal with people who have followed John the Baptist to varying degrees, and are being faithful to that teaching but only know the baptism of John. They have never put their faith and trust in Christ and repented from sin, and been baptized in Jesus’ name. This was the case of all those who put their faith in Jesus in the early church. They got baptized in water and the Holy Spirit. Apollos came up short in knowledge/theology, failing to realize that one needed to be born again and put his personal faith in Jesus, not just teach about him as messiah. The group of John’s disciples fell short in knowledge, but Paul discerned this by their experience. His question was whether or not they received the Spirit. So not only did they fall short on knowledge, but they fell short on experience. And it wasn’t because their lives did not reflect separation, religion, or goodness; it was because the Spirit had not baptized them into the kingdom.
2. 2 Tim 3:5,
3. Illustration: the whole George Bush, Dean Bush, and thorn bush illustration, tell about Jennifer MacDonald’s 12 year old girl that she is concerned about her motives for her profession of faith, My main concern is simple: due to the continued degradation of evangelicalism’s view of Scripture---reflected not only in the hallowed halls of academia, but in the pews of the "mega churches" that have slopped some religion on unrepentant sinners and assured them of heaven, leaving their reprobate worldview unchallenged and intact
4. You can know a lot of things about Jesus, and not know Jesus. This is a danger for those of us who grew up in church. Jesus and church was all some of us knew, and so it was the thing to do. There are scholars galore who know much of the scriptures, but not its Author personally. And my fear is that decisional regeneration within the SBC has bequeathed us many in our churches that know a little scripture, and know a little religion, and walked the little aisle, and said the little prayer, but don’t know Jesus. They don’t walk with Him, don’t experience Him, don’t have their lives constantly transformed by Him, don’t long for Him, don’t love Him, but keep up a good routine. And it is not as though they are intentionally deceiving others, they really believe they are OK. You see salvation is of the Lord, it is not simply a decision. God saves, and we do not have him over a barrel because we prayed a magic prayer that is never found in scripture. Everyone wants to go to heaven, nobody wants to go to hell, but Jesus said that we must love Christ, not just fear hell. Yes we must believe, and yes we must repent, but it is the Spirit that blows were it wants, and opens hearts, and covers with the blood, and causes us to be born again. So the questions to ask are not do you go to church, have you been baptized, do you live a good life, do you have a religious routine, did you pray that prayer! We ask have you been born again? Have you personally sold out everything for the Treasure in the field? Has the Spirit of God fallen upon you? Is their evidence of His working daily in you? Do you fellowship with Jesus, long for Him, desire Him? Do you love Christ and treasure Him more than anything in this world?
A. Closing illustration: Tyler Anderson’s testimony
B. Recap
C. Invitation to commitment
Additional Notes
• Is Christ Exalted, Magnified, Honored, and Glorified?
