Good morning church! it is a wonderful thing to be in the House of the Lord again this morning. It is a wonderful thing to be here with you, God’s people.
This morning we are going to take a look at Acts Chapter 18. We jump into this chapter in the middle of Paul’s second missionary journey and we see beginning of his third missionary trip. I want to point out some things in this chapter that we can directly apply to our lives here today in the 21st century. Several things that directly apply to our lives in how we work, how we live, and how we practice our faith on a daily basis.
I love that phrase. ‘On a daily basis.’ When you hear Christians say that phrase, ‘On a daily basis,’ often times they mean on Sundays only! Or Especially on Sundays, when I am with my christian friends, where they can see me! What I am talking about is Monday through Sunday living. What we are going to talk about is Monday through Sunday living, living and acting like the Local New Testament Church that Paul was preaching to the masses on his missionary journeys across Asia Minor.
I was struggling to come up with the perfect introduction and illustration for this sermon. Chuck and Ricka and Bob and Allison helped me out yesterday afternoon.
Yesterday afternoon went sort of like this… We All went over to Chuck and Ricka’s House to make some Apple Cider. I have never done this before, new experience for me.
The way we did it was extremely unique, I never would have imagined doing it this way. We went over, to Chuck and Ricka’s House. We met and went inside their house, sat around their dining room table. Talked about the Lord, sang some hymns, prayed a little, and after a few hours, the apples rolled right into the kitchen, jumped into a press, squished themselves, and poured themselves right into some containers.
Then we grabbed the containers, took some photos, put them up on Social Media and Said, “Praise Jesus,” Then we went home thankful. It was such a great day!
Now some of you are doubting me retelling of these events, as so you should be.... Why would I tell a story like this.
Because I think Being obedient to Christ and making disciples is a lot like Making Apple Cider! I will explain more as we go along.
Let’s look at our passage.
**Scripture:** Acts 18:1-28
Again, I am not going to read the entire chapter. You have your Bibles, I encourage you to read the entire chapter on your own.
Last week we left Paul in Athens. This week we see him traveling from Athens and arriving Corinth. He had a pretty tough time in Athens. I think just by normal human nature, he was probably hoping for a break in Corinth! Let’s look at the first three verses of chapter 18.
Acts 18:1–3
ESV
1 After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth.
2 And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. And he went to see them,
3 and because he was of the same trade he stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade.
As Andre read a little earlier, we are called to be the salt and the light of this world. Jesus told us to Go and make Disciples. We have a Heavenly mandate, a glorious purpose.
More often than not, that means we must Meld our Mission with the Mundane.
Let me put it another way. We must
Combine our Career with our Calling
Paul was a tentmaker by trade. This probably meant he was really good at working with leather and leather strips which was required to make tents in the style that was used in that age.
He met up with Aquilla and Priscilla, who were also tent makers and they went into business together. They were also converts, a married couple who had accepted Jesus as the Messiah after hearing the teachings of Paul.
The thing I want you to see here is that our lives inside the church and our lives outside the church are not supposed to be two separate lives. Our work and our faith are not separate aspects of our lives. They should be one and the same. What do you do with your faith while you are at work? Do you toss it aside? Do you hide it? Do you use it as a shield? Or do you treat it as the gift it is and share it?
Paul, Aquilla, and Pricilla used their Work to accomplish their God given, Christ filled, Holy Spirit powered missions. They infused their daily 9-5 with the mission of evangelism and making disciples.
Here is a question,
“How can our everyday jobs serve as platforms for evangelism?”
Now back to my Apples…
No, we didn’t start apple cider making in the dining room… Actually when I showed up, Chuck and Ricka and friends were already out by the apple trees. They were setting up the equipment we needed. They had buckets, a cider press, some rakes, and empty jugs and jars.
Two points. Making Cider, Evangelism, and Making Disciples require work. They don’t just happen! They don’t make themselves!
We have to Go where the Apples are! We need to be prepared, have the right tools! But most importantly we have to leave our homes, our dining rooms, our living rooms, and our churches and go where the apples are. We have to go where the lost are. we have to go to where they work, where they shop, and where they play.
It is foolish to think that they will just roll into the kitchen. It is foolish to think they will just come into church on their own. We must go to them. Paul understood this. That is what Acts is all about!
When we live this way, just like Paul. We will always face trouble. Paul did! But we must be Relentless in Resilience. Look at Acts 18:5-10
Acts 18:5–10
ESV
5 When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with the word, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus.
6 And when they opposed and reviled him, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”
7 And he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. His house was next door to the synagogue.
8 Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized.
9 And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent,
10 for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.”
When faced with difficulties or with fear we must
Confront Challenges with Courage
As is usually the case when doing what God wants you to do, Paul faced opposition while sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ to jewish people in the synagogue. He faced the opposition head on. He overcame his fears, worked through his inhibitions, He persevered!
When I ask people who call themselves Christians, “Do you share your faith with others? Do you share the Gospel with others?” Do you know the most common response?
“Well, no. I am afraid. I am afraid I will not know what to say. I am afraid that I will be embarrassed. I am afraid that I will be made to look foolish. I am afraid that I will be asked a question that I don’t know the answer to. I am afraid that I will lose my job, my friends, that my family will not talk to me any more...”
Paul said ‘no’ to fear. He was facing ridicule, public shaming, beatings and even death. But He said no to fear. He confronted the challenge.
He didn’t waste his time on those who rejected Christ, he went and found those who would listen and shared the message of salvation with them.
The result? Crispus, the RULER of the Synagogue came to saving knowledge of Jesus Christ! WoW! That is what Courage does. Our courage comes from the power of the Holy Spirit. If you are a believer you have that power in you! Question is, do you use it?
Our power comes from the Word of God! Do you read it? Paul heard the words of Jesus and was encouraged and kept right on preaching.
When you are making cider, it isn’t enough to just go hang out by the apples. You have to engage the apples. You have to go where they are and pick them. Some are lying on the ground, easy to pick up and place in a bucket. Some are on low branches, you can pick them or give the branch a shake and they will fall right off.
But some are way up high in the tree. Some of them are hanging on to their branch for dear life! You might have to climb up into the tree to get those apples. That can be scary!
I don’t really love heights. I hate ladders! I don’t really love climbing trees. Could be because my sister pushed me out of a tree and broke my arm....
But if you are going to make cider, you might have to climb a tree! You might have to say no to fear and get on up there! I learned yesterday that the best, biggest, most beautiful apples are up at the top where they are hard to get! Imagine if fear kept us on the ground and out of reach of those beautiful apples. Chuck would not have been happy!
God is not happy with us when refuse to use His Word and His Holy Spirit to conquer our fears and engage the Lost.
Once we have engaged our communities in our places of work, in our families, in our friend circles, and wherever else God has us. Once we have confronted our fears and shown courage, God will give us fruit. He will give us converts.
When that happens, we have to decide on what to do next! Look Acts 18:24-28
Acts 18:24–28
ESV
24 Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, competent in the Scriptures.
25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord. And being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John.
26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.
27 And when he wished to cross to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him. When he arrived, he greatly helped those who through grace had believed,
28 for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus.
Apollos was a disciple of John the Baptist. He knew of John’s teachings, but not of Jesus’ or of Paul’s.
Paul had spent a lot of time with Aquilla and Pricilla. He had devoted significant time to their training. He was invested in Deepening their Discipleship. Because he spent that time with them, investing in them, and teaching them… They were ready when the ran into Apollos.
Apollos had incomplete and therefore faulty doctrine! He was teaching half truths and presenting an incomplete Gospel. There is no hope, no salvation in an incomplete Gospel.
I love how gentle and kind Aquilla and Pricilla addressed the situation. They took him aside and corrected him and instructed him. They didn't make a spectacle of him. They didn't ridicule him. They didn’t kick him out of the church! They corrected him.
I also love that Apollos was teachable. He listened to the kind instruction he was offered. Perhaps because of the way it was offered.
Discipleship is important. We not just in the business of sharing the Gospel. We are in the business of Making Disciples! That means discipleship. We must
Cultivate Continuing Discipleship
We have discipleship programs here at Baptist Fellowship. We have our Sunday School classes. We have out midweek Bible Studies. We have Youth Group. And we have out 101-401 Discipleship classes that we offer as well. We are a disciple making church.
But you need to be making disciples too! Aquilla and Pricilla didn't refer Apollos to Paul. They didn't wait for Timothy or Silas. They took on themselves to teach Apollos what He needed to know. Which means they knew what he needed to know! Would you? Are you ready? Have you Studied? Do you know God’s Word?
To put this into Apple Terms… I am glad I had Chuck and Phil and Ricka and Sue to show me that to do. How to get the apples, what to do with the apples. How to put them in the press, how to filter the juice and store it. They literally discipled me in the ways of Apple Cider!
Aquilla and Pricilla did this for Apollos. And because they did, Apollos became an emboldened profitable member of the early church. He spoke boldly, was loved by all the church, and learned how to help and disciple others, and became a master at explaining the Scriptures to believers and unbelievers alike!
We need to live our lives like Paul, Aquilla, Pricilla, and Apollos. They had the right priorities. They understood that true happiness and fulfillment came from Pursuing Purpose Over Profit. In other words, we need to
Cherish Calling over Coin
Our subjects in chapter 18 clearly placed priority of the Gospel over their trade, their pocketbooks, their friendships, or even their own safety. Prioritizing our spiritual purposes over material gains, will ensure our career serves our spiritual mission. It should never be the other way around.
Though tentmaking was Paul’s trade, he was always clear about his primary calling—spreading the Gospel.
It is very important for us to balance the pursuit of our careers and financial stability with the realization that our ultimate purpose is vastly more important than material success. So ask yourself,
“How can my vocation serve a higher calling?”
Now I could go on and on with more apple illustrations. But I am not going to. I am going to close with a quote from a minister in Scotland from last century.
George MacLeod wrote: "I simply argue that the cross be raised again at the center of the market place as well as on the steeple of the church. I am recovering the claim that Jesus was not crucified in a cathedral between two candles, but on a cross between two thieves; on a town garbage heap; on a cross roads so cosmopolitan that they had to write his title in Hebrew and Latin and Greek; at the kind of place where cynics talk smut, and thieves curse, and soldiers gamble. Because that is where he died and that is what he died about. And that is where Christians should be and what Christians should be about."
We need to stop expecting the Apples to come rolling in our doors and go out do the hard work of collecting them.
Matthew 9:37–38
ESV
37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few;
38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
You know, I do not think Jesus meant, while you sit in your padded seat in your heated church building, pray that God would send someone else to get the harvest. I think he meant, as you are going, as your are harvesting, ask for more laborers to help. Perhaps the reason he isn't sending more is that we are not being faithful in what He has given us to harvest ourselves.
Let’s go get some apples!
Let’s Pray.
