Reaching Our World
Text: Acts 18:22-28
Intro: [Play Evan Almighty clip- Change the world- don’t know where to start]
Have you ever been in a situation where you just didn’t quite have what it took to do what needed to be done? I usually think of examples from sports. I think back to times when I couldn’t quite tackle the ball carrier, or couldn’t make it one more yard across the goal line. I couldn’t make the last second half court shot. I couldn’t hit the pitcher’s sliding curve ball to save my life. We all come up short sometimes.
-Well, sometimes we come up short when it comes to doing what God wants us to do. However, He has promised to help us and has provided everything that we will ever need to be effective for Him. He can show us where to start and will help us all along the way. That leads us to the main point of the message.
Prop: God invites us to join Him in His passion to reach this world. He wants us in the game, and He promises to give us everything we need to succeed.
Interrogative: How can we be part of fulfilling the greatest desire of God’s heart – reaching lost people with the good news of forgiveness?
TS: Let’s look at 3 elements of God’s plan to reach this world as found in Acts 18.
I. God Wants to Use the Local Church to Reach Our World (Acts 18:22-23)
22 When he landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church and then went down to Antioch. 23 After spending some time in Antioch, Paul set out from there and traveled from place to place throughout the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.
-Why did the Apostle Paul care so much about churches? He invested his life in establishing and strengthening churches all around the Middle East. Did he build and strengthen churches so they could become a political force to reckon with? Was it so he could boast about how many people were in church each Saturday or Sunday? No! Paul cared about the local church because Jesus cared about it and it belonged to Jesus! Jesus used the illustration of husband and wife to express the relationship between the church and Himself.
-Ephesians 5:25-27 says that husbands should love their wives in the same way that Christ loves the church. “…Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.”
-Jesus came up with the idea of the church- not man! It is God’s idea. Furthermore, it is God’s plan through which to get His message of love out to the world, and to provide a place for them to belong and to grow. Acts 2:42-47 tells us what the early church was like, and what resulted from believers being the church together. As they shared their lives and shared their faith, Acts 2:47 says that “the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” Why were they being saved? Because the people who were part of the church were telling others about Jesus, and living a life that verified their words!
-Bill Hybels states that the local church is the hope of mankind.
-If that is so, (and I believe it is) how supportive are we of the local church (and I don’t mean just our church)? Don’t speak ill of another church in town if they are trying to reach people with the good news about Jesus! Applaud them and support them – at least in prayer and in what you say to others about them. They are part of us, and we are part of them.
-How supportive are you of your own church? What are you doing to help make this an Acts 2 church? Acts 2:42 “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” There was unity and lots of time spent together. They shared resources as needs arose. There were times of worship, fellowship in each other’s homes, meals together, and lots of love and laughter. What was the result? “The Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”
-Don’t try to bypass the local church if you care about people coming to know Jesus and growing in Him. Well, along the same lines, what does God want us to do as individuals? Where do we begin?
II. God Wants Us to Use What We Have to Reach Our World (Acts 18:24-26a)
24 Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. 25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. 26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue.
-We don’t know a lot about Apollos. We don’t actually hear from him personally in Scripture that we know of. Some cast a wild guess that he wrote Hebrews, but since the author of Hebrews never identifies himself, it is hard to say. Here’s what we do know. Apollos was a Jew from Alexandria. He was well educated, and knew the OT Scriptures very well. He was a great speaker and was apparently well-received in Corinth. At the time of Acts 18, Apollos was a follower of Jesus, although he had probably never met Him in the flesh.
-We’re not sure how he heard about Jesus, but v.25 says that he had been instructed in the way of the Lord. Somebody had explained to Him that Jesus was the Messiah and Apollos found confirmation of that in the Old Testament Scriptures. He spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John.
-If you look ahead to Acts 19, you will find Paul explaining that the baptism of John was a baptism of repentance that pointed ahead to Jesus. The men Paul was talking to apparently did not know about Jesus, because after they heard Paul, they were baptized in the name of Jesus. Apollos, on the other hand, knew a lot about Jesus and probably had been baptized in His name. However, something was missing that we will talk about in the next point.
-For now, Apollos was doing all he knew to do for the Lord. Being a gifted speaker and student of the Scriptures, he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately. He even began to speak boldly about Jesus in the synagogue. Apollos used the gifts God had given him and started sharing the good news about Jesus with all of his heart!
-Folks, most of us probably would not compare to Apollos when it comes to our speak-ing ability or biblical understanding. However, we all have gifts that we can begin to use. What can you do? What can you do well? Can you cook? Then cook a nice meal and take it to someone in need. Can you clean? Offer to help someone who needs help cleaning their home. Share the love of Jesus with them by doing what you do well. Can you grow a garden? Use your green thumb and do a little produce evangelism. Can you sing or play a musical instrument? Sing to the Lord, but look for other opportunities to bless someone with your talents. Visit nursing homes or shut-ins and invite them to sing with you. The list could go on and on. Some of you can build, fix cars, trim trees, mow grass, go shopping for or with someone, baby sit, pray for others, bake cookies or bread, give out free hotdogs at the Stampede parade, etc.
-God wants us to use what we have to change our world and tell people the good news about Jesus. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? The task is beyond us in many ways. That is why the Lord wants to give us some help. What do we need that will make us better at using our gifts and sharing the good news about Jesus? Let’s take a look.
III. God Wants to Better Equip Us to Reach Our World (Acts 18:26b-28)
When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.
27 When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. On arriving, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. 28 For he vigorously refuted the Jews in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.
-What was inadequate about Apollos’ understanding of Jesus and the way of God? V.25 tells us that he taught about Jesus accurately. What’s the problem? If you’ve got Jesus right, then you’ve got everything right. Don’t you? Well, the best clue we have is found in the last few words of v.25: “he knew only the baptism of John.”
-How many baptisms are there, and what do they all mean? Well, Acts shows us 2 primary baptisms. Look at Acts 1:5 “For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." Then, in Acts 11:16, Peter tells the Jerusalem church leaders, “Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ’John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’”
-Now, as we’ve already pointed out from Acts 19, Paul explains that John’s baptism in water was all about repentance – turning away from sin and coming clean with God. However, there is another baptism that does something else for us.
-Jesus told them in Acts 1:8 what this other baptism was for. First, Jesus said in v. 5, “John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." Then in v.8, He said, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
-Now, let’s look at how that was fulfilled in Acts 2:1-4: “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.”
-After this, Peter stood up and started speaking boldly about Jesus and then he told the people what they needed to do to get right with God and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit: Acts 2:38 “Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
-Sometime later, several believers were filled with the HS again, so they could boldly and effectively tell others about Jesus. Acts 4:31 “After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.” This kind of thing happened repeatedly throughout the book of Acts. In Acts 8, Peter and John placed their hands on people in Samaria, and they received the Holy Spirit. In Acts 9, the apostle Paul became a follower of Christ, and Ananias laid hands on him and said, "Brother Saul, the Lord-- Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here-- has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit." 18 Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized.” In Acts 10, Peter goes to Cornelius’ house and while he is still talking to them, the Holy Spirit comes on them all and they speak in tongues. And finally, in Acts 19, the 12 men from Ephesus were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.”
-What message is the Lord trying to get across to us through Luke, the writer of Acts? Perhaps God wants us to know that we really need His help if we are going to effectively reach people with the good news about Jesus. Help is not only on the way, it is here! The help you’ve been praying for is only a breath away. If you will just seek the Lord and ask Him to fill you with His HS, so you can help reach your world, He will be more than happy to oblige you. If you have identified with Christ through repentance and by calling on Him for help, and if you are keeping your heart right before God, there is no reason that I can find in the Bible for God to exclude you from the baptism in the Holy Spirit.
-There are some obvious things that can keep people from receiving the baptism in the HS. One of those is disobedience. Acts 5:32 says that God gives the Holy Spirit to those who obey him. Another hindrance is having ulterior motives. Acts 8:18-19 “When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money 19 and said, "Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit." Simon did not receive the HS, and may have lost out with God completely – if the historical record is accurate. A third and very common obstacle to being baptized in the HS is fear. Yet, God assures us that He will not give us anything that is harmful to us. Luke 11:13 “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
-How did the baptism in the HS affect Apollos? Well, we have no great detail, but from what I see in the language, he became much more effective in talking about Jesus. Vv. 25-26 show that he had fervor (excitement), he had accuracy, and he had boldness. Wasn’t that enough? Well, vv. 27-28 show that he became a great help to those who by grace had believed. 28 For he vigorously refuted the Jews in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ. The difference is that there was greater power, greater precision, and greater effectiveness. The HS led him and helped him as he ministered. Sometimes we might have the right words, but the wrong timing. That is just one of the things the HS can help us with.
Conclusion: So, what do we do with all this information? God wants to use the local church to reach people. That means we need to remember that we each play an important part in contributing to the health & effectiveness of the church. God also wants to use our individual gifts to reach people. Start with what you have right where you are. There is something you can begin to do that will show people how much God loves them. And lastly, ask the Lord to baptize you with His Holy Spirit so you can have great power, boldness, and effectiveness in reaching others with God’s love and truth. If you have called on the Lord and repented, that is great! That is what John’s baptism was all about. However, there is another baptism that will empower you to be a more effective witness for Christ. Do you feel inadequate? I think we all do at times. Being filled with the Holy Spirit will give us what we need to better reach our world.
-If you need to be filled with the Holy Spirit today, I’d like us to spend some time asking the Lord to do that. I can’t make it happen, but God can – if you are willing. It is His desire and His plan to give you what you need to serve Him better.
-Before we do that, maybe someone is here who is not right with God. Maybe you’ve done things that you know are wrong, but you’ve never dealt with them yet. Today, if you will ask the Lord to forgive you and become the leader of your life, He will do it! I’d love to pray with you, if you’d like and help you make things right with God. I’m going to invite people to come to the front and pray. If you want to make things right with God today, why don’t you join the others who are coming to pray?
-So, everyone who either wants to be filled with the Holy Spirit or needs strength or encouragement, please come and spend some time talking to God. If you’d like someone to pray for you, please let me know, or ask another person to pray for you.
