Knowing When To Move On
Text: Acts 18:1-17
Introduction
1. Illustration: One of the great challenges of witnessing is knowing when to move on. There will be some people that simply will not listen no matter what we say to them. Even if we use the most creative means, consistently show them the love of Christ, and pray for them daily, their hearts may still remain as hard as stone. So what do we do? I remember a time in my first pastorate when there were some people in the church who were treating myself and my family is a very disrespectful manner. We had a congregational meeting with the Presbyter, who at that time was Mike Massey, who recently went to be with the Lord. The meeting was not pretty! It consisted of one side of the church standing up and complaining about me, and someone from the other side standing up and sticking up for me. This went on for an hour and a half (to me it seemed an eternity). At the conclusion of the meeting, Mike put his arms around me and said, "Mark, if the Holy Spirit hasn’t changed them, you and I aren’t going to." It was some of the best advice that I was ever given in my nearly 20 years of ministry. Sometimes we just have to move on! That’s what Paul did here in Acts 18, they wouldn’t listen to his message, so he decided to move on. He made the decision to go to the Gentiles who would listen.
2. When situations like this occur we need to remember...
A. Sometimes You Have To Let Go
B. All Of The Time You Have To Be Fearless
C. All Of The Time God Will Keep His Promises
3. Let's stand together as we read Acts 18:1-17
Proposition: One thing we should remember in ministry is that God is in control.
Transition: As hard as it seems...
I. Sometimes You Have To Let Go (1-6).
A. Shook The Dust Off
1. If you recall, last week we talked about how to minister to people who don't hold the Bible in the same high regard that we do. And we should do all that we can to reach as many people with the Gospel as possible. However, we will occasionally run into people who are so hard hearted that it is impossible to reach them. So then what do we do?
2. We see the answer to this in our text this morning. It begins with, "Then Paul left Athens and went to Corinth."
A. Let's begin with a little background on Corinth.
B. CORINTH WAS SITUATED on the Isthmus of Corinth, the narrow neck of land that joins central Greece to the Peloponnese, the peninsula that forms the southern part of mainland Greece.
C. It had two harbors, one on the east of the isthmus and the other on the west, and it had a three-and-one-half-mile long railroad of wooden logs over which ships were dragged from one harbor to the other. The main north-south land routes also converged here.
D. Thus, Corinth became a prosperous city, having the feel of an economic "boom town."
E. It was the center for the worship of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, and had a temple with a thousand sacred prostitutes. From the fifth century B.C. on, the verb "to corinthianize" meant to be sexually immoral.
F. Paul reports that he came to Corinth "in weakness and fear, and with much trembling" (1 Cor. 2:3). This is understandable considering the pain he had endured in his last few stops.
G. Despite the divine call to Macedonia, he had been driven out of all three Macedonian cities in which he ministered.
H. From Athens he "was dismissed with polite contempt rather than being violently driven out." Paul may not have anticipated encountering much receptivity to his message in Corinth because of its prosperity and reputation for immorality.
I. But he stayed here for over a year and a half and saw the founding of "a large and gifted, if volatile, church."
J. Renowned Bible scholar F.F. Bruce writes, "It is plain from his two letters to the Corinthians that the church which he planted there caused him many a headache; it was turbulent and unruly, but it was undoubtedly alive, and remains so to this day" (Fernando, NIV Application Commentary, The – Acts, 490).
3. Ok, now that we have a little foundation on the city itself, let's see what happens to Paul there. At first it was very positive, as Luke tells us, "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. 3 Paul lived and worked with them, for they were tentmakers just as he was. 4 Each Sabbath found Paul at the synagogue, trying to convince the Jews and Greeks alike."
A. IN CORINTH PAUL, without his companions Silas and Timothy, was blessed with the acquaintance of Aquila and Priscilla, who had recently been expelled from Rome along with other Jews (v. 2).
B. We cannot be sure whether this husband and wife were already Christians, though most scholars have assumed they were, especially since Paul went to live with them.
C. Like Paul, they were "tentmakers," and they soon became business partners. What exactly is meant by the term tentmaker is disputed.
D. Tents in those days were either made of leather or of cilicium, a cloth of woven goat's hair named after Paul's native province Cilicia.
E. Paul worked on tents during the week (v. 3), probably doing some personal witnessing along the way, and had a more public ministry in the synagogue every Sabbath (v. 4).
F. This ministry is described in familiar words: "reasoned" (dialegomai) and "trying to persuade" (peitho).
G. Acts 18:4 (ESV)
4 And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and tried to persuade Jews and Greeks.
i. Reasoned: to argue about differences of opinion - 'to argue, to dispute, argument
Johannes P. Louw and Eugene A. Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Symantic Domains, (33.446-33.454)".
ii. tried to persuade: to convince someone to believe something and to act on the basis of what is recommended (Johannes P. Louw and Eugene A. Nida, 423).
H. In every new city Paul visited, he looked for a bridgehead from which he could launch his ministry. Here it was his trade and his contacts in the synagogue (Fernando, 491).
4. Now Paul is reunited with Silas and Timothy. Luke tells us, "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."
A. While Paul was doing this work, his colleagues Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia with great news of how the church there was thriving under persecution.
B. They probably brought gifts from Macedonia for support of his work, and as a result he was able to devote "spent all his time preaching" (v. 5b).
C. While this probably means that he gave up his tent making to go into full-time evangelism, the word translated "spent all his time" (synecho) can also be translated "began to be engrossed," which may suggest that the arrival of his colleagues with such good news acted as a shot in the arm to Paul and thus propelled him into more intense ministry.
D. Paul's proclamation is described as "testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ" (v. 5c).
E. The word translated "testified" (diamartyromai) appears fifteen times in the New Testament (nine in Acts); it is usually translated "warn" or "testify" and has been defined as "to make a serious declaration on the basis of presumed personal knowledge."
F. It reminds us that while evangelism is a joyous privilege, it is also an awesome responsibility (Fernando,491).
5. But, not everything was good in Corinth for Paul and his friends. Luke tells us in v. 6, "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.”
A. Verse 6 further illustrates a sense of the seriousness of the message as it describes Paul's response when the Jews became abusive (blasphemeo): "He shook out his clothes in protest" of their blasphemous attitude and as an expression of his exemption from further responsibility for them (Fernando, 492).
B. This was too much for Paul. So he "shook out his clothes" against them as a sign that he was rejecting their blasphemy.
C. Then he declared that their "blood be on [their] own heads," that is, that they would be responsible for the judgment God would send on them. He had warned them, and he was clear of his responsibility.
D. They would understand, of course, that he was referring to the responsibility God put on Ezekiel to warn the people.
E. Ezekiel 3:18-19 (NLT)
If I warn the wicked, saying, ‘You are under the penalty of death,’ but you fail to deliver the warning, they will die in their sins. And I will hold you responsible for their deaths. 19 If you warn them and they refuse to repent and keep on sinning, they will die in their sins. But you will have saved yourself because you obeyed me.
F. Paul had done his part with respect to warning the Jews. From now on (in Corinth) he would "go to the Gentiles"(Horton, Acts: A Logion Press Commentary, 306).
B. Time To Move On
1. Illustration: Remember when I talked about the struggles we had at that first church. Well our last Sunday at the church was on the Sunday before Christmas. Those that loved us came to the parsonage and helped us load the U-Haul. On the way out of town, I stopped at the edge of town, got out of the truck, shock the snow off of my feet, got back in the truck and moved on down the road.
2. When people refuse to soften their hard hearts you need to move on.
A. Matthew 7:6 (NLT)
“Don’t waste what is holy on people who are unholy. Don’t throw your pearls to pigs! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you.
B. That doesn't mean that you stop praying for them.
C. That doesn't mean that you stop loving them.
D. But it does mean that you stop beating a dead horse.
E. It does mean that you stop wasting your efforts on people who will not listen.
F. Move on to those that will listen, will soften their hearts, will open their minds to the grace of God.
Transition: Sometimes you have to move on, but...
II. All The Time You Need To Be Fearless (7-11).
A. Don't Be Afraid
1. Paul moved on from the Jews in Corinth, but he boldly went after the Gentiles.
2. Vv. 7-8 read, "Then he left and went to the home of Titius Justus, a Gentile who worshiped God and lived next door to the synagogue. 8 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."
A. Leaving the synagogue, Paul went to the home of Titius Justus, which became the center of the young church in Corinth (v. 7) and was probably where its first house church met.
B. Romans 16:23 refers to Gaius, who provided hospitality for the whole church in Corinth, but Gaius may be another name of Titius.
C. If Gaius provided hospitality to the whole church, he must have had a big house, which meant he was wealthy.
D. The Corinthian letters indicate that the church in Corinth had a few wealthy "urban élites," but that the majority of the members were "at the lower end of the socioeconomic lad-der."
E. Recently there has been much discussion on the social composition of the Corinthian church. It seems that the few wealthy members of the congregation exercised "an influence all out of proportion to their numbers" (Fernando, 492).
F. In addition to the open door provided by Titius, the conversion of "Crispus, the synagogue ruler" (v. 8), must have done much to encourage Paul in his disappointment over his rejection by his kinsmen, the Jews.
G. We note here again that we have an instance of a whole household coming to Christ (Fernando, 492).
3. As if Paul needed any encouragement to be bold, Luke tells us, "One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision and told him, “Don’t be afraid! Speak out! Don’t be silent! 10 For I am with you, and no one will attack and harm you, for many people in this city belong to me.” 11 So Paul stayed there for the next year and a half, teaching the word of God."
A. The Lord confirmed to Paul that he had done the right thing: In a night vision Jesus told Paul not to be afraid.
B. The form of the Greek used here indicates Paul was beginning to fear that he would have to leave Corinth as he had so many other cities when persecution began.
C. But Jesus told him that he should "keep on speaking" the Word in Corinth and "not be silent."
D. The Lord was with him, as He had promised His disciples He would be (Matt. 28:20).
E. He promised further that He would not allow anyone to attack him or harm him in Corinth, for He had "many people in this city." That is, many would yet come to Jesus and become part of the true people of God (Horton, 307-308).
F. The use of laos for the prospective Corinthian believers is the usual designation for Israel as the people of God.
G. This shows that now the people of God "embraces all believers without distinction, Gentiles as well as Jews."
H. As a result of these encouraging signs, Paul stayed in Corinth "for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God" (v. 11) (Fernando, 493).
B. Holy Boldness
1. Illustration: Any student of history knows former Soviet Union Premier Joseph Stalin as a brutal tyrant who was responsible for murdering over 8 million of his own people. What many people don't realize is that at one point in his life he was studying to be a Russian Orthodox priest. At his funeral his wife took a Bible and placed it under his hands in the casket as if to say, "you knew the truth!" Now that took boldness!
2. Let's pray to the Lord for holy boldness!
A. Acts 4:29 (NLT)
And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word.
B. Lord give us boldness against opposition.
C. Lord give us boldness to answer the tough questions.
D. Lord give us the boldness to reach out to those who need to hear.
E. Lord give us the boldness to reach this neighborhood!
Transition: The reason we can be bold is we know...
III. All The Time God Will Keep His Promise (12-17).
A. They Accused Paul
1. I don't honestly feel that God is angered or offended when we say, "prove it to me!" Because even if we don't ask him to God is going to prove himself and keep his promises.
2. We can see this in Paul's experience in Corinth. In vv. 12-13 Luke tells us, "But when Gallio became governor of Achaia, some Jews rose up together against Paul and brought him before the governor for judgment. 13 They accused Paul of “persuading people to worship God in ways that are contrary to our law.”
A. LUKE DOES NOT describe Paul's relatively long ministry in Corinth in much detail. His emphasis is on the response to Christianity of the proconsul Gallio, who was a well-known figure in the Roman empire.
B. His proconsulship of Achaia is attested in an inscription found in Delphi dated around A.D. 52 and in the writings of his famous brother, the Stoic philosopher Seneca.
C. His positive response toward Christianity was a key building block in the church's case for a positive legal standing in the Roman empire.
D. The Jews brought Paul to Gallio, charging him with "persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to the law" (v. 13).
E. The reason behind making this charge was to show that Christianity was not truly Jewish and therefore could not be included with Judaism or claim protection under Roman law (Fernando, 493).
3. However, here is where we see God keep his promise to Paul; look at vv, 14-16, "But just as Paul started to make his defense, Gallio turned to Paul’s accusers and said, “Listen, you Jews, if this were a case involving some wrongdoing or a serious crime, I would have a reason to accept your case. 15 But since it is merely a question of words and names and your Jewish law, take care of it yourselves. I refuse to judge such matters.” 16 And he threw them out of the courtroom."
A. Gallio did not even give time for Paul to speak. Rather, he said that what Paul was doing was not a crime for him to judge; it was instead a matter of Jewish law, and he was not going to tackle issues pertaining to their theology (vv. 14-15).
B. Gallio had sufficient insight to realize that no crime or wicked act of immorality was involved (Horton, 309).
C. The ejection of the Jews from the court (v. 16) resulted in the ruler of the synagogue being beaten by the people (not Christians, we hope!).
D. Unfortunately, Gallio did not interfere to stop the beating (v. 17) (Fernando, 493).
E. But the point here was that Paul didn't even have to defend himself, Gallio did it for him, or should we say God did it for him as he was prompted by the Holy Spirit.
F. God kept his promise to Paul and no harm whatsoever came to him.
B. I Will Never Leave You
1. Illustration: One such story happened in 1968. A whole village in South Vietnam experienced a miracle of Divine intervention and protection. Under cover of darkness a Viet Cong soldier, one of a battalion of over one thousand in the area came to the village and warned, "Tomorrow is your day. So if you need to get out of this village get out now" It turned out that most of this village were Christian. They met together and decided that they were greatly outnumbered but that indeed Christ was their defender; The whole village agreed that they would turn to Jesus in prayer. Fervently they sang and prayed. Then at dusk they could see the enemy moving toward the edge of the village, The Lord filled their hearts with peace and they continued to sing. Shots began to ring out, but as soon as they started they stopped. All night the villagers prayed! Then in the morning it was obvious that the enemy had scattered. Several days later some of the Viet Cong were captured by advancing forces, and brought to the village as prisoners. When asked what had happened, they replied. "As we began to shot the village was surrounded by beings dressed in shining white, as we shot at them they just increased in brightness and advanced toward us, they wouldn’t fall. So we ran and didn’t stop. God caused them to be blown off like smoke and to melt like wax in the fire! He was the greatest weapon on that day!
2. God will keep his promise to protect you and keep you safe.
A. Psalm 91:1-5 (NLT)
Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 This I declare about the LORD: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him. 3 For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease. 4 He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection. 5 Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day.
B. He has promised to be wih us to the end of the age.
C. He has promised to never leave us or forsake us.
D. He has promised to meet all our needs according to his riches.
E. He has promised to protect us.
F. He has promised to heal our diseases.
G. Psalm 91:15-16 (NLT)
When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. 16 I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation.”
Conclusion
1. When situations like this occur we need to remember...
A. Sometimes You Have To Let Go
B. All Of The Time You Have To Be Fearless
C. All Of The Time God Will Keep His Promises
2. Do you have someone in your life you need to let go and trust God for?
3. Do you need to pray to God for holy boldness?
4. Do you trust God to keep his promises?
