Acts 18:1-23

Please take out your copy of God's Word and turn to Acts chapter 18.

Acts 18 · chapter mention

! Acts chapter 18.

Acts 18 · chapter mention

Acts chapter 18 in our text for this morning will be verses 1-23.

Acts 18 · chapter mention

! This is Luke's second narrative account of Jesus' life.

His first is the Gospel according to Luke, which is about Jesus' earthly ministry.

His second is the book we're studying this morning and have been for quite some time,

often called the Acts of the Apostles, which I like to call the Acts of the Risen and Ascended Jesus.

It was written that we might witness the working of Jesus by the agency of the Holy Spirit in the lives of His church.

In today's text, we will note the conclusion of the Apostle Paul's second missionary journey.

But first we're going to see his arrival and ministry in the city of Corinth.

He has traveled now down through Macedonia.

He's in Europe now.

From Philippi to Thessalonica and then to Berea.

He has been beaten and imprisoned.

He has escaped a mob riot and he has been chased out of the region.

He has gone further south to Athens where he sees gospel fruit, but it seems not much.

And in verse 1 of chapter 18, Luke records for us,

after this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth.

Corinth was on the land bridge that connects the Peloponnesian Peninsula with mainland Greece.

I'd encourage you to look at that.

You may even have a map in the back of your copy of God's Word that would show you this little island,

this little bridge, this little land bridge between the two.

Not an island, a land bridge.

It was, therefore, in a very strategic location as the city of Corinth had two ports,

one on the east coast, the other on the west.

In order to save a 200-mile journey around the peninsula,

many ships were taken out at one port, and I found this so fascinating as an aside,

and rolled on logs for four miles through the city to be put in the other port.

This was easier.

This was more efficient than sailing all the way around the peninsula.

Also of interesting note, in AD 67, so beyond the time of our text today,

Nero began a canal that was not completed until 1893.

Now if you look at a modern map, you'll see a canal that cuts across that land bridge.

The town of Corinth was a transient town.

Lots of sailors, lots of tradesmen,

very little stability in the town,

and as such it was full of vice.

What comes to my mind when I think of Corinth is

what happens in Corinth stays in Corinth.

People coming and going all the time and living licentiously as a result.

1,500 feet above the city of Corinth was the Acropolis,

where the temple of Aphrodite was.

Each evening the temple's 1,000 priestesses,

who were ritual prostitutes,

would descend the mountain into the city for the quote-unquote worship of Aphrodite.

Corinth surpassed other Greek cities in wickedness,

and that's saying a lot.

It actually became the phrase,

to Corinthianize,

was common in this day,

which meant to practice whoredom,

to Corinthianize.

It was a dark and depressing city.

And we find Paul there discouraged.

As he reflects upon his time in Corinth,

when writing to the church there in 1 Corinthians 2.3,

he says,

and I was with you in weakness,

and in fear,

and much trembling.

I was not encouraged,

I was discouraged when I came to you.

Do you ever feel discouraged in your faith?

Has your labor in the gospel ever been or felt fruitless?

I know that our common discouragement shared amongst our church

comes because we see so many people come,

but then also so many people go.

Those of us who stay here can often feel discouraged

as we send people out.

But beloved, this should not be so.

We are positioned in a place,

in a unique way,

to minister far and wide the Word of the Lord.

We have seen this across the past eight years.

We gather and go each week here in this area.

And we gather in Dahlonega.

And we go to the ends of the earth.

Is that an encouraging reality?

Or a discouraging one?

Saying goodbye to people that we love

will always be bittersweet.

It should never not be.

Have some element of bitter to it.

It's hard to say goodbye

to people that we know and love

and share our lives with.

But I contend with you today

that it ultimately ought to be sweet.

It ought to be an encouragement

to our souls to see people sent forth.

And this is going to get tested.

It's been tested in the past.

We've sent a lot of people out from this place.

I noted to you last week

that if you take our start date,

we just honestly,

we kind of picked a random date.

When do we actually exist as we exist?

We said January 1 of 2009.

And you come to the present day,

there are only six people

who are original members of our church

that have had an uninterrupted time here.

Only six.

Across eight years.

And that's not been because of turmoil.

And I know a lot of you are fresh

and new to the life of our church.

We've had a very good and growing congregation.

We haven't had massive upheavals and upsets.

And all of a sudden,

we're one number

and then we're half that number

because people got upset

and got in clubs

and took off.

We've never had any kind of controversy like that.

But people have come

and they have been trained up,

we hope, by grace.

And then they've gone.

Gone off to other places.

We've seen people go all over the world.

We've seen people spread across the southeast.

Last year,

we had the great blessing

of starting another church

in Oakwood, Georgia.

And I don't know about you guys,

but when we get together all together

at things like the picnic yesterday,

I feel that loss a little more.

Like I recognize how much I miss

some of those people

when I see them again.

Like, ah,

it was so good

when I got to see you every week

and now it seems to be only

a couple times a year.

We recently sent out

Ash and Janine Harris.

Ash took a job

in Boone, North Carolina.

I mentioned earlier,

Oziama,

Obele,

going to Brazil soon.

Kirby and Leanna White

are going to soon be leaving

in just a couple of weeks,

going to Washington State

where Kirby is from.

Michael and Lauren Shealy

are moving.

He's being commissioned

and stationed.

They're moving to Columbus, Georgia.

Daniel and Carly Walker

are going back to Madison County

at least for a season.

We don't know how long

at this point,

but they will be gone

for a bit of time.

And Phillip and Natalie Akins

are going to Canton

for jobs there.

And I may have missed somebody.

I really tried not to,

but I may have missed

someone who will be leaving us

probably for good.

There are countless others.

College students,

many of you are going to be gone

after this Sunday.

And the summer will be

a little bit more quiet

without you here

and you will be missed.

I'm becoming further

and further convinced

that faithful gospel ministry

leaves much room

for discouragement.

But,

I want to be encouraged

in the midst

of faithful gospel ministry.

So join me in our text

for today

to that end.

That is where we're aiming

to be encouraged

in the midst

of faithful gospel ministry.

Beloved,

this is God's word to us.

It was written for His glory

and for our good.

And we would all do well

to listen to it

in order to believe

its promises

and obey its commands.

Begin reading in verse 1.

After this,

Paul left Athens

and went to Corinth.

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.

And because he was

of the same trade,

he stayed with them

and worked,

for they were tent makers

by trade.

And he reasoned

in the synagogue

every Sabbath

and tried to persuade

Jews and Greeks.

When Silas and Timothy

arrived from Macedonia,

Paul was occupied

with the word,

testifying to the Jews

that the Christ

was Jesus.

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.

And he left there

and went to the house

of a man named Titius Justice,

a worshiper of God.

His house was next door

to the synagogue.

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.

And the Lord said to Paul

one night in a vision,

Do not be afraid,

but go on speaking

and do not be silent,

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.

And he stayed a year

and six months

teaching the word of God

among them.

But when Galio

was proconsul of Achaia,

the Jews made a united attack

on Paul

and brought him

before the tribunal,

saying,

this man is persuading people

to worship God

contrary to the law.

But when Paul

was about to open his mouth,

Galio said to the Jews,

If it were a matter

of wrongdoing

or vicious crime,

O Jews,

I would have reason

to accept your complaint.

But since it is a matter

of questions

about words and names

and your own law,

see to it yourselves.

I refuse to be a judge

of these things.

And he drove them

from the tribunal.

And they all seized

Sosthenes,

the ruler of the synagogue,

and beat him

in front of the tribunal.

But Galio paid no attention

to any of this.

After this,

Paul stayed many days longer

and then took leave

of the brothers

and set sail for Syria

and with him

Priscilla and Aquila.

At Kincray,

he had cut his hair

for he was under a vow.

And they came to Ephesus

and he left them there,

but he himself

went into the synagogue

and reasoned

with the Jews.

When they asked him

to stay for a longer period,

he declined.

But on taking leave of them,

he said,

I will return to you

if God wills.

And he set sail

from Ephesus.

When he had landed

at Caesarea,

he went up

and greeted the church

and then went down

to Antioch.

After spending

some time there,

he departed

and went from one place

to the next

through the region

of Galatia

and Phrygia,

strengthening

all the disciples.

Now,

that is a lot of text,

right?

And the information

comes at us

almost in a rapid-fire sense.

And so,

I understand

if you're already going

why

verses 1-23.

So it's my hope

to wrap it together

for you

thematically

by helping us

consider

five ways

that God

encourages

the souls

of His discouraged

servants.

Five ways

that God

encourages

the souls

of His

discouraged

servants.

And I'm going

to give those

five to you

and then we'll

take them

one at a time.

So number one,

God encourages

the souls

of His

discouraged

servants

number one

with new

partners.

Number two

with provision.

Number three

with His

presence.

Number four

with protection.

I guess they all

start with P's.

Number five,

with purpose.

In so many ways

I'm not a good

Baptist,

but in that way

I am.

I like to

alliterate.

So firstly,

God encourages

the souls

of His

discouraged

servants

with new

partners.

We see Him

in this new

city

by Himself.

He does not

have

Silas and

Timothy.

His missionary

band has been

split up for

various

circumstances.

And we find

Him by

Himself,

but He

seeks out,

it would

seem,

He finds

a Jew

named

Aquila,

a native of

Pontus,

and his

wife

Priscilla.

And He

joins

Himself

to them.

They are

also

tent makers

by trade

and He

stays with

them and

He works

with them.

And the

Bible does not

tell us of

the conversion

of Aquila

and Priscilla,

but they

were likely

already

Christians

at this

point,

having come

from the

church that

already existed

in Rome.

We can

fail as we

study Acts

to remember

that the

Gospel was

not just

going forth

into the

world on a

single front.

It wasn't

just Paul

and his

missionary

band that

was preaching

the good

news of

Jesus Christ.

But followers

of Jesus

Christ were

doing what

followers of

Jesus Christ

do.

They were

taking the

message of

God's saving

work to

all people.

Luke's

narrative is

primarily about

the Apostle

Paul's ministry

as it should

be and as it

serves us

well, but the

Gospel is

going forth.

And so it's

likely that this

couple have

already become

part of the

church in

Rome before

ever meeting

Paul.

Likely.

We don't

know for

sure, but

likely.

And God

in His

gracious

providence

brings new

partners in

the Gospel

to Corinth

ahead of

Paul.

Catch that.

Before Paul

ever gets

there, Aquila

and Priscilla

are there.

Brought there,

partners of the

same trade,

they give him

a place to

stay,

they give

him a

livelihood

upon his

arrival.

And the

way in which

they arrive

there, Luke

records for

us because of

the command

of Claudius

that all

the Jews

had to leave

Rome.

That decree

is mentioned

here in this

text and

one other

place in

all recorded

history by

a Roman

historian named

Suetonus,

I think,

who wrote

70 years

after the

fact the

following.

As the

Jews were

indulging in

constant

riots at

the instigation

of

Crestus,

Claudius

banished them

from Rome.

It's just one

sentence,

this one

mention of

this thing

that happened

by this

Roman historian

Suetonus.

Now,

the word

he uses

here,

Crestus,

a name,

a formal

name,

Crestus,

is just

one letter

variation from

the Latin

for Christ

Christus.

So many

presume that

what was

happening in

Rome was

because of

the preaching

of the

gospel,

Jews were

doing what

so many

Jews seem

to do

in this

day.

They were

getting

furious

about the

preaching

of the

good news

of Jesus

Christ and

were rioting

as a result.

And what

Suetonus

has understood

some years

later,

hearing the

telling,

he keeps

hearing this

name,

that there

was a

man there

that was

causing

all of

this.

Now,

that is

still

possible.

There was

actually a

guy named

Crestus

causing the

Jews to

riot in

Rome.

But I

think more

likely,

he just

made a

mistake in

the hearing

of the

word and

recorded it

as

Crestus.

So,

probably,

the Jews

are in an

uproar all

the time

because of

the preaching

of the

good news

of Jesus

Christ.

And Claudius

sends them

away from

Rome.

And that's

how

Aquila and

Priscilla find

themselves in

Corinth to

become new

partners in

gospel ministry

with Paul.

And they also

become partners

with them in

their living

situation and

in their

livelihood.

The text

says that they

are tent

makers.

If you're

familiar with

the life of

Paul,

you've probably

heard him

spoken of as

a tent

maker,

we can

tend to

use that

term of

bivocational

ministers,

that they're

tent makers,

they do some

other work to

earn their

livelihood than

just preaching

the gospel.

But interestingly,

the Greek word

used for

tent makers

could also

refer to

leather

workers.

It could

also be

leather

workers.

And I

always had

this picture

in my

mind of

Paul with

canvas,

sewing canvas

tents,

but tents in

this day were

made from

animal skin.

They were

made from

leather.

So likely

they made

tents,

but they

also may

have made

many other

things.

Maybe in

Corinth all

the rage

was to

have an

original

Priscilla

purse.

A Paul

belt,

something like

that.

But this is

the work

that they're

doing when

they're

there.

You'll also

note that

Priscilla and

Aquila go

with him.

So verse

18,

after a year

and a half

and in

this trial,

Paul stays

many days

longer.

Luke records,

we don't know

exactly how

long,

but many

days longer

than he

takes leave

of the

brothers and

sets sails

for Syria

and with

him go

Priscilla

and Aquila.

And then in

verse 19,

when they

come to

Ephesus,

he leaves

them there

and along

with Apollos,

they become

the beginning

of the church

there at

Ephesus.

So they

become partners

with him,

new partners

with him

in gospel

ministry.

Beloved,

this is

God's

church.

It belongs

to him.

Christ's

family church

at Dahlonega

is his.

And if you

are a follower

of Jesus Christ,

you are

God's

children.

And he

will not

leave us

alone.

Partners in

ministry

will go.

They will.

I think

if we're

doing

faithful

ministry,

if we're

looking out

to the

world,

partners in

ministry

will go.

But they

will also

come.

They will

also come.

We have

new opportunity

for new

relationship

and new

investment.

And those

who come

are of great

benefit to

us in

that way.

Paul writes

to the

Philippian

church in

chapter 1

verses 3

through 5

of Philippians.

I thank

my God

in all

my remembrance

of you.

Always in

every prayer

of mine

for you

all making

my prayer

with joy.

Why?

Because of

your partnership

in the

gospel.

From the

first day

when he

came to

them,

when they

became

believers,

until

now.

And so

here's Paul

from a

distance

writing a

letter to

the

Philippian

church,

thanking

God,

praising

him for

the

partnership

they

still

had.

So God

encourages

the souls

of his

discouraged

servants

with new

partners.

Secondly,

he does

so with

provision,

and just

as a

side

alliterated

point,

with provision

from old

partners.

believers.

We see

in the

first part

of verse

5 that

Silas and

Timothy

arrive from

Macedonia.

You may

recall that

when Paul

was in

Athens,

he was

waiting for

Silas and

Timothy to

rejoin him

as he had

left them in

Berea with

orders to

come to

him as

soon as

possible.

That's

what he

was there

doing,

and then

as Paul

does,

as he's

waiting,

he went

about

preaching

the good

news of

Christ.

You can

see Acts

17,

15,

and 16

about that.

Now Luke

does not

record for

us that

Silas and

Timothy ever

found Paul

in Athens,

but many

have suggested

that they

did and

were sent

back into

Macedonia so

they would

have gone

north once

again to

Paul before

they joined

him in

Corinth.

So he

meets up

with them

in Athens,

he sends

them back

out,

he goes

on to

Corinth,

and then

they later

rejoin him.

I tend

to agree,

and here's

why.

In 1 Thessalonians

1 Thessalonians 3:1

3,

verses 1 and

2,

Paul writes,

Therefore,

when we

could bear

it no

longer,

we were

willing to

be left

behind at

Athens

alone,

and we

sent

Timothy,

our brother

and God's

co-worker in

the gospel of

Christ,

to establish

and exhort

you in

your faith.

So I

think,

therefore,

when we

could bear

it no

longer,

as Paul

and Silas

and Timothy,

and then

we were

willing to

be left

behind at

Athens

alone,

as Paul

and Silas,

because they

sent Timothy

to the

Thessalonians.

Are you

catching that?

So at

very least

we can

see that

it's

probable,

it's very

likely,

that Timothy

left them

in Athens,

and then Silas

may have

also been

sent

somewhere.

But either

way,

they come

and they

find him.

They find

him coming

from Macedonia,

they find

him.

And when

they find

him,

midway

through

verse 5,

Luke

records,

in the

ESV,

Paul was

occupied

with the

Word,

testifying to

the Jews

that the

Christ

was

Jesus.

So we've

seen him

earlier in

the text,

right?

He seems

to be

working

during the

week and

attending

the synagogue

on the

weekends,

on the

Sabbath,

our

Saturday.

But here,

Paul's

occupied with

the Word.

Acts 18.5

in the

NASB

translation

says this,

but when

Silas and

Timothy came

down from

Macedonia,

Paul began

devoting

himself

completely

to the

Word.

And I

think that's

a better

rendering of

the middle

part of

verse 5.

That is to

say,

when Silas

and Timothy

came and

joined Paul,

he began

to be

occupied,

meaning,

he spent

all week

long.

He was

able to

set aside

tent making

for the

sake of

spending

more time

in gospel

proclamation.

A bit

of a

proof to

this,

2 Corinthians

11.9

And when

I was

with you,

this is

Paul,

when I

was with

you and

was in

need,

I did

not burden

anyone,

for the

brothers who

came from

Macedonia

supplied my

need.

I think

he's

referring to

Silas and

Timothy when

they come

from

Macedonia,

so I

refrained

and will

refrain from

burdening you

in any way.

So they

bring this

provision to

him which

enables him

to no longer

be a tent

maker but

to devote

himself fully

to gospel

proclamation,

at least for

this frame

of his

ministry.

God

provides

for his

own.

God cares

for his

people and

this should

greatly

encourage our

souls.

God

cares,

beloved,

about every

tiny little

detail of

your little

life.

In

Matthew

Matthew 10:29

chapter 10

verse 29,

Jesus says,

as recorded

by Matthew,

are not

two sparrows

sold for a

penny,

and not

one of

them will

fall to

the ground

apart from

your father.

So even

this very

cheap bird,

which would

have been

the poor

person's

sacrifice at

the temple,

two sparrows

sold for a

penny are

precious in

God's sight,

and yet we're

more precious

than those

two sparrows.

Luke,

however,

records the

same speaking

by Jesus.

in this

way,

Luke

Luke 12:6

chapter 12

verse 6,

are not

five sparrows

sold for

two pennies,

and not

one of

them is

forgotten

before God.

So in

one text we

see that

two sparrows

are sold

for a

penny,

and in

another text

we've got

five for

two pennies,

which seems

to confuse

the price

of sparrows.

I suggest

to you

that if you

were a poor

person and

you went to

the temple

and you

bought four

for two

pennies,

they threw

in an odd

sparrow.

And beloved,

you and I

are the odd

sparrow.

God cares

for us.

So God

encourages the

souls of His

discouraged

servants with

new partners

and with

provision

coming by

the hand of

old partners.

And He also,

and most

importantly,

encourages the

souls of His

discouraged

servants with

His presence.

With His

presence.

Paul seems

to be so

discouraged at

this point that

God visits

him in a

vision.

In a very

special way,

he comes

alongside

Paul in a

vision in

verse 9.

And he says,

do not be

afraid, but

go on speaking

and do not

be silent,

why?

For I

am with

you.

For I am

with you.

Jesus made

this very

promise to

the apostles

in Matthew

Matthew 28:18–20

chapter 28,

verses 18

through 20.

And Jesus

came and

said to

them,

all authority

in heaven and

on earth has

been given

to me.

Go therefore

and make

disciples of

all nations,

baptizing them

in the name

of the Father

and of the

Son and of the

Holy Spirit,

teaching them

to observe

all that I

have commanded

you.

There's the

great commission,

the command

given to all

followers of

Jesus Christ,

and he ends

it this way,

and behold,

I am with

you always

to the end

of the age.

And we do

not want to

forget that

that wonderful

promise at the

end of verse

20 is coupled

with Jesus'

proclamation at

the beginning of

verse 18.

all authority

in heaven and

on earth has

been given

to me.

So we have

the all-powerful

ascended Jesus

Christ with

us always.

How is it that

God's presence

is with us?

Jesus, who is

God, says to

the apostles,

I am with you

always.

And to Paul,

for I am

with you.

And he says

the same to

all his people.

But how?

How?

How is this

accomplished?

Right?

How is the

presence of

Christ experienced

by his people?

In 2 Corinthians

13-14, Paul

writes this to

the Corinthian

believers,

the grace of

the Lord Jesus

Christ and the

love of God

and the

fellowship of

the Holy Spirit

be with you

all.

This is a

classic

Trinitarian

text where we

see all of

the persons of

the Godhead

in a single

verse.

But today,

note the

phrase,

be with you.

How is it?

How is it

that all of

these aspects

of who God

is,

is with us?

It's by the

fellowship of

the Holy Spirit.

If you are a

follower of Jesus

Christ,

if you are

regenerate,

you are such

because the

very Spirit of

God dwells

within you.

and He uses

a tool to

accomplish His

purposes in

our life.

It's His

Word.

I cannot say

it to you

enough.

I will not

grow tired of

saying,

God's Word

is authoritative.

It's powerful.

It's inerrant.

It is sufficient

for our living.

We live in an

age where the

Word of God is

being altogether

thrown out.

I have met

across the past

couple of weeks

people who

profess to

follow Jesus

Christ who

have no

familiarity with

the Bible

whatsoever.

Just in

talking with

them about

what the

Gospel even

is.

Regular

attenders of

churches in

our area that

have no

idea.

I attended

a meeting of

our association

of churches

this past

week that

lasted three

and a half

hours and the

Bible was not

referenced once.

a group of

pastors,

me and the

Association of

Missionaries,

the only ones

with Bibles on

our table ready

to use them.

And as a note,

I didn't get a

chance.

I was asked to

pray so I packed

a lot of

scripture into my

prayer at the

end.

Altogether in

some cases,

just entirely

dismissed it.

But beloved,

if we want to

experience the

presence of God,

the Spirit of

God is with us

and He's going

to use the

Word to help

us to do

so.

And I hope

as a Christian

you have spent

time in God's

Word, that you

have been changed

by it and that

you have felt

that presence

in it.

God speaks to

me through

His Word.

As I take it

up and as I

read it, I see

and savor His

goodness.

He speaks

into me.

The Bible

reads me,

exposes my

sinfulness,

leads me in

obedience.

obedience.

I can be

close to

God because

I have

His Word.

Martin Lloyd

Jones said

this, and I

just wanted to

include, I

put this on

your bulletin,

Andy, thank

you for making

it fit, because

this is often

the way I feel

as I meet

with God in

His Word.

Analogy by

the great

Dr. Lloyd

Jones, a man

and his little

child are walking

down the road and

they are walking

hand in hand.

And the child

knows that he

is the child of

his father and

he knows that his

father loves him

and he rejoices in

that and he is

happy in it.

There is no

uncertainty about

it all, but

suddenly the

father, moved

by some impulse,

takes hold of

the child and

picks him up,

carries him in

his arm,

kisses him,

embraces him,

showers his love

upon him, and

then he puts

him down again

and they go on

walking together.

We need that

experience and

it is waiting for

us by the power

of the Spirit

in His Word.

Take it up and

read.

Whoever comes

and whoever

goes,

Jesus is with

us and Jesus

is enough.

God encourages

the souls of

His discouraged

servants with

new partners,

with provision,

with His

presence,

and with

protection.

In the same

vision,

middle part of

verse 10,

Jesus says

to Paul,

and no one

will attack you

to harm you.

Luke tells us

that Paul is

able to

minister for a

year and a

half without

harm, which is a

pretty astounding

thing in the

ministry of Paul.

That does not

mean that Paul

didn't experience

conflict.

He has set up

camp, and I love

that he did,

right next door to

the synagogue.

The Jews didn't

want to hear him

anymore.

He said,

I'm going to go

to the Gentiles,

and he went

right next door to

the synagogue

itself.

I am confident

that across this

year and a half,

people just didn't

go, yeah,

yeah, Paul,

let's ignore him

for a while.

They are still

upset at him,

but he does not

receive harm.

And Luke records

a specific conflict

for our benefit.

This story about

Galio and the

Jews bringing Paul

before Galio is

to make that

point.

Like, Jesus made

a promise to him

that he wouldn't

be harmed and

kept that promise,

and here's an

occasion that that

happened.

So, Galio was

the proconsul of

Achaia, young in

that position,

some have

supposed the

Jews made a

united attack on

Paul because

Galio was young.

They knew they

didn't have a

legitimate claim

against Paul,

and so they

thought that they

could wrap him

up in a power

trip and get him

to deliver some

kind of judgment

against Paul.

And the charge

they brought,

verse 13,

is this man is

persuading people

to worship God

contrary to the

law.

And other

times,

the trial

and execution

of our Lord

and Savior,

Rome got

involved in a

way Rome

should not

have gotten

involved.

But by God's

providence,

they did,

and in this

case,

by God's

providence,

they didn't.

Galio stayed

out of it.

If we're a

matter of

wrongdoing or

vicious crime,

oh Jews,

I would have

reason to

accept your

complaint.

But he

dismisses it

rather.

By God's

grace,

Galio issues

a summary

judgment and

just throws

the case

out.

From his

perspective,

the issue

was merely

an issue

of semantics.

Clearly

not.

Paul is

saying the

one way

to worship

the true

and living

God is

through the

personal work

of Jesus

Christ.

It wasn't

just a matter

of semantics,

but from

Galio's

perspective,

it was.

Eh,

the God

of the Jews.

Worship

him however

you want

to.

He viewed

their charge

as a

theological

debate and

not as a

matter of

judicial

concern.

I love

that Luke

records for

us as

Paul stands

trial so

many times.

We're going

to see a

lot of

Paul standing

trial in

the coming

chapters of

Acts.

But in

verse 14,