SERIES: “LESSONS FROM THE EARLY CHURCH”
TEXT: ACTS 18:12-23
TITLE: “WORDS OF IMPORTANCE”
INTRODUCTION: A. We live in a society where what we say is not intended to be what we mean
1. Several years ago, this phenomenon was given the title the “politic of meaning”
--We say whatever sounds good at the time and then “spin” it in a different
direction at a later date if not popular
2. Here’s a statement that accurately describes this particular thing: “I know that you
understand what you think I said. But, I am not sure you realize that what you
heard is not what I meant.”
B. Those who believe that what we say is not important need to hear what the Word of
God says concerning this subject:
1. Mt. 12:36-37
2. Col. 3:17
C. Yet, no matter how hard we try or how accurate we try to be, sometimes we just get
misunderstood
-- In the days when you couldn’t count on a public facility to have indoor
plumbing, an English woman was planning a trip to Germany. She was registered
to stay in a guest house owned by the local schoolmaster and his wife.
The English woman was concerned, however, about whether or not the guest
house contained a “W.C.” (In England, a bathroom is commonly referred to as the
“W.C.”, which stands for “water closet.”) So she wrote the German schoolmaster a
letter, inquiring about the location of the “W.C.”
The schoolmaster was not a fluent speaker of English so he asked the local
parish priest if he knew the meaning of “W.C.” Together they pondered possible
meanings of the two letters and finally decided that the lady must be referring to a
wayside chapel. They concluded that the lady wanted to know if there was a
wayside chapel somewhere near the house. The schoolmaster wrote the following
reply:
My Dear Madam:
I take great pleasure in informing you that the W.C. is situated nine miles from
the house in the center of a beautiful grove of pine trees surrounded by lovely
grounds. It is capable of holding 229 people and it is open on Sundays and
Thursdays only. As there are a great number of people expected during the summer
months, I suggest that you come early, although usually there is plenty of standing
room. This is an unfortunate situation, especially if you are in the habit of going
regularly.
It may be of interest to you to know that my daughter was married in the W.C.
and it was there that she met her husband. I can remember the rush for seats. Why,
there were ten people to every seat usually occupied by one. It was wonderful to
see the expressions on their faces.
You will be glad to hear that a good number of people bring their lunch and
make a day of it, while others wait until the last minute and arrive just on time. I
would especially recommend your ladyship to go on Thursdays when there is an
organ accompaniment. The acoustics are excellent and even the mot delicate sound
can be heard everywhere.
The newest addition to the W.C. is a bell, which rings every time a person
enters. A bazaar is to be held to provide plush seats for all since the people eel it is
long needed. My wife has been ill and so she hasn’t been able to go recently. It has
been almost a year since she went last which naturally pains her very much.
I shall be delighted to reserve the best seat for you, where you shall be seen by
all. In fact, I look forward to escorting you there myself.
With kindest regards,
The schoolmaster
D. Let’s study the words of our text this evening so we don’t get confused.
I. WORDS OF PROTEST
--Acts 18:12-13 – “While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought
him into court. “This man,” they charged, “is persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to
the law.”
A. We’ve picked up where we left off last Sunday evening
1. The apostle Paul is in Corinth – the most wicked of cities in the Roman Empire
a. It was an important city for commerce so all kinds of people lived in Corinth
b. It was also had a huge pagan temple to Aphrodite: goddess of love and sexuality
--The temple was worked by a thousand pagan priests and priestesses who were little more than
temple prostitutes
c. Paul was afraid and worried about the work of the gospel there in Corinth but God came to him
directly with words of comfort, strength, and encouragement
--Paul stayed in Corinth longer than any other place except for Ephesus – a year and a half
2. As in other places, the Jews became upset with Paul and the preaching of Jesus as the Christ
a. They challenged and objected to his presence there in the city
b. As in other places, they tried to bring false charges against him before the proconsul Gallio
--The Jews charged that Paul and the other Christians were an illegal religion under Roman law
c. In the Roman empire, certain religions were allowed to function along with the pagan gods of Rome
and emperor worship
1). They were known as religio licita or legal religions. Anything not covered in this group were
considered religio illicita or illegal religions
2). The “legal religions” had to be registered with the Roman authorities and provide an idol to be
placed with the Roman idols.
3). The only legal religion that was not required to do this were the Jews
--Since Christianity was considered a branch of Judaism, they were covered under the status of
Judaism
B. The Jews were even more upset because they could not silence Paul out of the power of argument
--The apostle Paul could out-debate any of the Jewish leaders
1. The Jewish leaders tried all the conventional arguments, yet Paul could bury their arguments with the
truth of the gospel
2. I would even say that the Jewish leaders tried any argument they could think of – no matter how
absurd or how emotional
3. Yet, Paul stood firm and made his defense from the scriptures and no one could break his testimony
4. There are all kinds of people who have weak arguments because they hold no moral authority and are
trying to silence the preaching of the truth
--Yet, if we stand firm, God’s Word will always win the day in the end
II. WORDS OF THE PROCONSUL
--Acts 18:14-17 – Just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio said to the Jews, “If you Jews were making a
complaint about some misdemeanor or serious crime, it would be reasonable for me to listen to you. But
since it involves questions about words and names and your own law–settle the matter yourselves. I will
not be a judge of such things.” So he had them ejected from the court. Then they all turned on
Sosthenes the synagogue ruler and beat him in front of the court. But Gallio showed no concern whatever.
A. Gallio – was a direct administrator of this area during the reign of Nero
1. He was considered the exact opposite of the emperor he served
--fairly even-tempered, fairly reasonable, and an able administrator
2. Gallio understood the false charges for what they were – a chance for the Jewish leaders to rid
themselves of a thorn in the side
3. He told them that he understood their problem to be a matter for them to settle among themselves and
that he was staying out of it.
B. Sadly, we have a lot of governmental and judicial leaders in our nation that have chosen sides
--A lot of them choosing sides that are opposed to God’s Word and are hostile to Christianity
1. They’ve bought into the lies propagated by people who want to silence Christians
2. Some of them are actively seeing ways to help stamp out the word of God and the people of God
III. WORDS OF PROCLAMATION
--Acts 18:18-19 – Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time. Then he left the brothers and sailed for Syria,
accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. Before he sailed, he had his hair cut off at Cenchrea because of a
vow he had taken. They arrived at Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila. He himself went into
the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews.
A. Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half and boldly continued to tell others about Jesus
1. He didn’t allow the working of people opposed to the Gospel to turn him from doing the work he
came to do
2. Too many times, we wring our hands and moan that the world is getting the best of us
--It’s time for the church to worry the world again like in the Book of Acts and not allow the world to
worry the church
B. Paul eventually leaves Corinth and goes to Ephesus
1. While there, he personally tackles taking the Gospel to the Hews
2. Here in Ephesus, they don’t want him to leave; they want him to stay longer
C. Many congregations have forgotten what it is to be proclaimers of the Gospel
1. “Proclamation” – “to make known publicly
2. Instead, we’ve formed a new cult – “Jehovah’s Bystanders”
IV. WORDS OF PROMISE
A. There was a promise to God
--In the Acts 18:18b, we see the mention of a vow taken by the apostle Paul
1. Called a Nazarite vow
--could be done permanently (like Samson) or for a temporary period
2. Temporary period was done for the purpose of thanking God
a. Done for 30 days
b. Withdrawal from common pursuits, abstention from meat and wine, let hair and beard grow
c. At end of 30 days, hair and beard cut off and offered to God as a saacrifice
3. Paul wanted to give thanks to God for the blessings in Corinth – a lengthy stay, protection, and a
good number of converts
B. In Acts 18:20-21, we see a promise made to the Ephesians
--When they asked him to spend more time with them, he declined. But as he left, he promised, “I will
come back if it is God’s will.” Then he set sail from Ephesus
1. Those who heard Paul’s preaching and teaching wanted him to stay longer and teach them some
more
2. Paul’s promise: If it’s God’s will, I will come back.
a. Paul leaves Ephesus to head back to Antioch in Syria – the congregation that had sent him and
Silas out on this particular missionary journey
b. Ephesus one of the first Paul visited on his third missionary journey
3. Paul was a man of THE WORD and a man of HIS WORD
a. The two go together.
b. You can’t be a person who doesn’t keep their promises and be under the authority of God’s word.
V. WORDS OF PROGRESS
--Acts 18:22 – When he landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church and then went down to
Antioch.
A. Caesarea was the important seaport for Jerusalem
1. Notice the wording of the verse: “…he went UP and greeted the church and then went DOWN to
Antioch
a. To the Jews, you always went “up” to Jerusalem
--two reasons: on a large hill and its status as the City of God
b. The church he greeted was the church in Jerusalem
2. Then he went DOWN to Antioch
--He went back to the congregation who had sponsored his missionary journey and gave a report of
everything that had happened.
B. Congregations that ordain ministers and missionaries need to expect periodic reports on their service
1. I believe the Bible teaches that the sending congregation is responsible to ensure that this person set
apart for a certain service is being a good representative of the body of Christ.
2. Most congregations fail miserably in responsibility
CONCLUSION: A. If you were to make a report of what God was doing through you, what kind of a report
would it be?
1. Would it take some time to go into the details?
2. Would it be short?
a. Nothing much to report?
b. If there’s nothing much to report, then you haven’t made yourself available for God
to do something through
c. As you’ve heard me say many times before and will hear me say many times
again: God doesn’t want your capability. He just wants your availability. If you
give Him your availability, He’ll provide the capability for whatever He wants you
to do.
B. Several years back, there was a Peanuts cartoon strip where Charlie Brown tells Lucy
about his birdhouse project: “Well, I’m a lousy carpenter. I can’t nail straight. I can’t
saw straight, and I always split the wood. I’m nervous, I lack self-confidence, I’m
stupid, I have poor taste, and absolutely no sense of design.” And then in the last
frame he concludes, “So all things considered, it’s coming along just fine.”
1. I could make the same report about my life: “I’m a sinner. What I know God
wants me to do, sometimes I just can’t get it done. What I know God doesn’t want
me to do, sometimes I do it anyway. But I’ve placed my faith and trust in Jesus and
His blood washes my sins away. So, all things considered, it’s coming along just
fine.”
2. Can you make that same report concerning your life this morning?
a. Has Jesus washed your sins away?
b. Are you trusting in what He can do through you?
