Paul in Corinth | Pr Matthew Chang

You're listening to a message to go from acts Church. We hope this message

will light up your day. I just want to you know now it's ready.

May you know today someone you know say that you're not made the force

be with you. Oh today it's a maybif But yesterday was the Maid of

Fourth. But you know it's so fast. A one more month then we're

going to reach halfway through the next year, it's going to be twenty twenty

five. Already half a decade, half a decade going No, no,

how has your life being okay? Productive? Actually? When I came in,

I was thinking of a question to you, ask you guys. You

know, I and I thought about this very important question. What do you

want to do when you retire? What you want to do? Retire?

Anyone? Have you started thinking about retiring already? Some of you? It

is like, have you heard the term fire fire before? Have you heard

the term fire retrenchmn? Yeah? No, fire, there's an acronym for

fire. What does it mean? Huh fire sticker? Oh? Yes,

actually a histicker. Fire means what financially independent? Retired early? Oh now

you're like, oh, now I know what you're talking about. Yes,

yes, you know this person, this guy, this girl is on fire,

and it's like, oh fire, that's what everybody wants to do.

Right. Yeah, you know, I don't know about you, but it's

important to think about your retirement. You know, I'm not just saying talk

about a lot of people plan about their retirement because they can't work, you

know. You know, after a certain age, you know, your you

know, employment can becomes you know, he starts to wear off as well.

But more importantly, it's about your vision of retirement. And I talked

about it a lot. And I like to talk about retirement because when I

was young, my dad keep telling me about his plans for retirement. And

to some people when they are more financially secure and they'll talk, they will

talk about plans. Some people will avoid the subject of retirement because they are

not financially stable, their family is not as strong and just holding onto their

job is already a sticker ready, and so they don't look into it.

But I feel that either way, both both sideses actually can be can be

unhealthy if taken the own way. I can speak from one side when my

dad talks about retirement because he has all these things plan I want to go

and do travel, you know, do this and there with my mom.

And then my mom had Parkinson's disease, okay, pitch disease, and that

changed everything and he became grounded. And because of that, uh, you

know, he didn't know what to do with his life because he's start you

know, he didn't imagine his retirement will be caring for another person. So

some things you know in that you plan, but things you know having and

life can ground you down really hard, you know, the other side,

because of what you don't have in life as well, they look at into

the future with a lot of grief and a lot of bitter nurs as well,

and because of that, sometimes we don't have I hear people telling me

that, you know a lot of their parents wish that their son or their

daughter either work better, better jobs, or marry better, have better friends,

so that, you know, because they want to eat better, they

want to travel better, you know, the whole like they're just chasing that

retirement dream that they want and then they couldn't have as well, So both

of it is unhealthy. The Biblical way of retirement is having a view of

how your journey would end and what this life is about you get mean right,

It's neither. It's actually in the middle. And I started to have

this, you know, or at least someone sold a vision into me.

I sold, but they didn't intentionally talk about retirement with me. And all

the time I was only like twenty years old. What do you want to

talk about with a twenty years old about retirement? You know, you get

me, right. But I have a privilege of meeting people who are like

sixties seventies. You know, I saw what they did with their life,

and I come, I can't help, but you know, reflect on my

own family, other families and what I see, and I saw life,

you know, I saw more importantly adventure. You know. I always like

imagine our life to be no retirement, to be like Lord of the Rings.

You know, it's like Billboar beggings, one more adventure. I feel

like I'm ready for another adventure, you know, like billbo backings. You

know, after the Ring's gone, I'm ready for another one. Are you

ready? Are you ready for another adventure? I always wanted to know,

I want I don't want to go into the sunset, you know, just

like sitting down there, you know, either you know, don't know what

to do or no, just regretting. You want to go into the sunset,

you know, full of adventure. But you must understand you don't write

the adventure. God writes the adventure. You get me, God writes the

adventure. Give me right, and a lot of us we because of that.

I do, because you see on both sides, right, one party

is like trying to rot there write their own story. And then the part

someone is like not not happy with that chapter as well. But if we

will allow, they say, thank God. My retirement is a journey of

serving you. You know, I always tell you, I said, I

want to teach and preacher and serfer until the day I die. You get

me right. And I met people who are you know, I see like

Robert Homa be cooking young and I see, you know, people who are

much older serving in Christian fellowships, you know, sixty seventy, still picking

up young men, you know like me, you know, to bring into

their house and ministrying to them. I was like, that's how I want

to end my life. Because in what it's like a billboard beggings, you

know, adventure, you know, and today one I'm going to share with

you. It's an adventure. Okay, I'm going to continue on the Book

of X and we're coming to the end of our second trip. Okay,

this last chapter will end the second trip, but you will see our main

character, Paul getting a bit discouraged, you know, but yet in his

adventure there was you know, he just got on and then he sees God

comes into a city that is so unique, and he also comes into a

place where he meets very different people. You know, how may You're like,

you know when you go into retirement, now you want to continue meeting

new people, continue not just people, but hearing their stories. You're like,

Wow, God, I'm like eighty and you're still bringing people into my

life. You know. It's like so exciting rather than eighty and then like

nobody come and touch my life. You know what I mean. You're told

me to two different lives. You know, there's what you know, a

lot of the type of excitement, you know, so you know I'm gonna

see it, and I you know, the why I talk about retirement is

like, you know, I want to when you when you read the Book

of X and you read Paul's life and you read what God is providing leading

him into yes, I know that he mad. It was eventually mattered.

But his life, he lived a life that was so full of purpose,

so much full of adventure. There he wanted every day of his life to

be a page that God can write. You know, God can write,

continue to write, and it's like, wow, it's another venture. So

let's begin with a word. Prayer. Okay, come, let's pray.

Father. We acknowledge we are just the pages. You are the author.

And so Lord we Lord, we say that we know we don't know how

many pages it until the end. You know, nobody, nobody picks up

the book and you know, you know, rarely there counts, you know,

or they know how many pages are left. But Lord, we say

that, you know, it's not about how thick the book is. It's

about what it's written in there. And so Lord, we invite you to

be the author and the manager of our lives. Father, come right now,

even in this moment, be the author and be the word that speaks

and ministers into our lives. Father will give us a vision. Father,

not call into our past or present, but according to your foresight, Father,

go to your prophetic word, the Lord, that you will be able

to write these beautiful stories fa Loka into our lives. You know, we

believe that life is full of excitement and adventure in your hands. So be

with us and guide us with your presence in Jesus. Then we pray.

Hey man, So the last time that I stopped was an X chapter seventeen.

I'm not going to go too much into wait, but if you read

in the X chapter seventeen, we were where which city will we at?

Anybody want to recap? Which city? Will we at? Athens? So

quiet, nobody's like, oh, okay, well we're at Athens home.

We didn't know, okay. So in all the Athens where they met,

you know, Paul was preaching to a bunch of people, and you know

they brought him to the famous Aeropagers, you know where it's the assembly of

all the smartest, you know, intellectual people of the world. You know

that's bringing you to Oxford and to Harvard and let you, hey, can

you share a word there? And imagine if you were that person and not

speaking in Oxford and Harward, what would you speak? And Paul gave a

very powerful message, but he was not just giving a summon. He uh,

he actually addressed the history of the city and then there was an altar

and talking about the altar dedicated to the unknown God. And then if you

if you hear my message, there's a story about the unknown God about how

you know, the city was unable to deliver themselves from a pandemic, but

yet somehow there's this unknown God and based on these ships they were being sacrificed,

they was able to be redeemed. But instead of learning that, you

know, realizing that all the gods that they worshiped, whether it's the Greek

gods, where's the Roman gods? None of them could deliver them from the

epidemic. But there is an unknown force, a providential force. They're care

enough to save them. Rather than reaching out further than their God, rather

than reaching out than they are sin and then their unbelief to see who this

god is. Then what did they do? They went back to their own

ways. A city that was delivered from the pandemic never learned their lesson.

That was a story of Athens. What I'm saying, Yeah, a city

that never learned their lessence. You know, God Paul was saying that God

is all around, you know, he desires all men to reach out and

to grow for him, for he is not far from them, isn't it?

It was the desire. So things in your life are also happening for

the same reason, so that you will reach out and further and not go

back to your old ways. But Athens never learned that the unknown God remained

and unknown God. Something said, say, isn't it how many of you

run your life to black man and hanknown God remains and unknown God for centuries,

for decades? Maybe there're one. Sometimes in your life you may you

feel like maybe there is a you know, there is a divine force trying

to tell me something, but you miss the opportunity, and something unknown remains

unknown because you never reached out and seek such a powerful, eventilating message,

isn't it. So that's the lesson for Athens. And now we're gonna go

to another biggest city. Okay, we're gonna go to Corinth and Corinth Okay,

although not as you know. So what they call it, intellectually inspired

is a huge city. In fact, it's bigger than Athens in terms of

population as well huge. Some will say that it's even more rich because of

their trade, you know. But we're gonna learn learn something here. It's

a very corrupt city. And you know, actually you know has actually two

books or two letters reading writing about it, and you can actually learn a

lot about what they have to deal with, you know, a lot of

wrong. Not I I said wrong, very are opposing teaching all the way

from all the way from creation to the role of men and women in the

in the family, to the way they're dressed, to worship, to adultree

you know, all sorts of light there are so different from the Christian belief

as well, and so Paul had to come in and step into really you

know, divide, you know, draw a sharp line between what is right

and what is wrong among the believers as well. Okay, so let's read.

I'm gonna read here from verse one all the way to verse just let's

finish the whole thing until sixteen, okay, Okay, I'm reading here from

extra eighteen, verse one. Okay. So after these things, Paul departed

from Athens and went to Corinth, and he found a certain jew okay named

Aquilla born in Pontes, who had recently come from Italy. Ooh, with

his wife Priscilla. Because Claudius Claudius is the Roman emperor at that time,

okay, had commanded all the Jews to depart from Rome, and he came

to them. And the reason why, okay, let me potch just for

wow, so that you understand a bit here the reason why they had to

live because at that time there were Jews living in Rome as well, but

there was so like a disturbance in Rome. There was so great okay,

that Cordiers had to evict, you know, really literally evict all the Jews

from the city. And the reason why, okay, according to story,

I can't confirm, because they say that know, the reason why the Jews

started fighting among themselves because there was there were debate among the believers and the

number believers regarding this guy called Christus, you know, so they didn't know

who was Christus was They thought it was a guy, but very likely okay,

it was talking about Jesus Christ Christ being the Messiah, Okay, And

so the debate became so strong and they started fighting that it affected the local

people as well. And saw Claudius, you know, issued a decree to

evict everyone from Rome, and saw a lot of the Jews in Rome became

displaced, and they came down to it came to the east, and you

know, settled down in some of them in Corinth. Okay, so this

is one of the caves. Let's continue. And they said, and he

came to them verse tree. So because he was of the same trade.

Now what kind of trade we're talking about here? Paul had a trade.

Did you know that every father in Jewish history, in Jewish family, their

responsibility of a responsible father was to train their child their trade. Is the

reason why they must teach them a trade is so that they can survive.

Even if your son is a rabbi or a teacher, every rabbi is supposed

to expect to have one trade where they're a fisherman or a carpenter. In

this case, Paul's trade was what trade means, not not not online trading.

You know, we're not talking about Hey, no chinchinging. He made

money from tesla. You know I'm not talking about that. You know,

trade means profession. Okay, So here property and what was the professional Paul?

Tent maker? Okay, A close a close relation to it is also

leather working as well, leather working connected to tents okay. Allowed. And

actually the place that he came from, pass Us, Actually it was famous

for gold's hair that was used, and then they convert gold's hair into tent

making as well. So Paul was a tent maker and so we can surmart

and he says that they work from this. They he was of the same

trade, which is Aquila. So Aquila and Prisilla were also tent makers.

Okay, there were tan makers, and it says there he stayed with them

and worked for by occupation. There were tan makers. And he reasoned in

the synagogue every cyberth and persuaded both Jews and Grags. And you know,

some people say, you know, they you know, came out with two

guesses that they could have met. You know a lot times when you sell,

okay, normally in cities, right, normally they don't sell in shops.

They sell in streets. Normally the streets side is where they sell very

small. Only when I was, when I was, I can't mind that

there was a ruinside. I was visiting. The street is probably maybe like

about two chairs. So the main street was here and then two chairs,

and then there will be a small shop. The shops mostly will be will

belong to very expensive shops. But between two said one person would just set

up a very small corner and they sell. If you're more you're more rich,

you have two lots to very small lots, and you will sell.

And most of the time the streets okay, you know, like you suddenly

go one one road going to the left and go to the right. Comfus

is, most of the time is very square, one okay, and one

street all the time. Makers will sell from the same street. It's like

in Colorinda's chalklate line, you know what I mean. So the tent makers

would sit together as tandmakers, and the chances of them meeting each other is

very high. Okay, there is one possible possibility. The other possibility is

that they're probably met in the synagogues. So in the synagogues, the way

that they actually see it could be from two ways. The way the sitting

arrangement. Most of the time the front seats. You need to be invited

to be to be seated. That's why Paul was like, you know,

condemning some of the leaders are for inviting the rich people to see and telling

the poor to sit at the back. Ah, it's an invitation. The

other way they sit in the synagogues was by professions. So ten makers with

teen makers, you know, carpenter civic compenders. Okay, so there is

a possibility they're actually met by that case as well. Okay, so we

learned that they actually met, they hit it, they know, they connected,

and they became good friends. Okay. And he says that he reasoned

in the synagogue every Sabbath and persuaded both Jews and Greeks. Now verse five,

when Silas and Timothy had come from Macedonia, Paul was compelled by the

spirit and testified to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ. But when they

opposed him and blesspheem What does bless feed mean? Best femima? I told

you before, best femine not just talking saying bad things about person, you

know, bless feeding completely blest being is calling what is good bad and calling

what is bad good keeping simple, calling what God has called deemed to be

good bad, and calling one God is called evil to be good. Okay,

this is outright blessphemous. Ready, it's not twisting, it's completely wrong.

Ready, it's called bless feming already. Okay, so you know,

bless fema. It's sometimes you can be doubtful, you're you're you're you're you

are curious, or you know you reject, But to bless swim, it's

a totally different thing. When Jesus performed the world according to the Father,

to the power of the Father, or according to the power of the Holy

Spirit. And you say that this is not He raised this person, He

healed this person. By the name of Beel's book, there is called Blesspheming

and Senna. There is direct bless Feming. Okay. So they opposed him,

and they blessed fhem, you know. So they twisted his word and

calling good bad and bad evil. He showed his garments and said to them,

your blood upon your heads. I am clean. From now on,

I will only go to the I will go to the Gentiles. And he

departed from there and entered the house of a certain man named Justice, one

who worshiped God, and whose house was next door to the synagogue. I'm

leaving you, and told her the next door literally next door. Okay,

okay, Then Crispus, the ruler of the Synagogue, believe on the Lord.

Interesting, isn't the ruler of the believe on the log with all his

household, And many of the Corinthians hearing believed and were baptized. Okay,

so Paul was, you know, like he used to hear. Every city

he goes to, he goes to his fellow believers, people who are familiar,

who had the understanding of the Word, and he tried to reason with

them, persuade them with the Word, with the scriptures. But yet they

are so what they call it blinded, so what they call it, resistant

to it. But yet he met with a lot of success. Don the

neighbors believe, even the main you know, ruler from the single belief as

well. But Paul is on the end of his second ministry triat ready,

and he is getting tired, getting tired. You can tell he's getting tired

with his fellow brethrend ready again and again. You know, you bows about

you having the scripture, you bows about having the commandments. But yet when

I clearly point to you, why can't you believe? And the truth is,

we get we get tired, not just you know, the most hiring

thing is not doing the same thing, you know, the most hiring thing

is dealing with people you know, true or not true and not true.

And I some of you like depressed. It's not the word, it's the

people true not. It's the people that makes you tired. Why not when

you have child, just a kid, you know, But then after that

when they grow older they say keep saying they used to say yes, not

they say no, no, no. Then you're like, oh, it

makes you tired, isn't it? Even even the kids tired of hearing my

parents? Is there? You know? When you go to work, the

job is promising business tend sounds good. Meeting people by dealing with people tiring?

Is they dealing with boss dealing with workers who are this? You know,

both can be both sides also got fount dealing with customers who will give

you grief, dealing with you know, customers who will not pay you.

I know if someone there there was talking to someone for ABC or saying,

I know one customer who doesn't paid me for two years, you know,

and after that, I still want me to perform service for him, saying

you want me to pay you perform another service for me, then maybe I

will give you five percent of my payment. So you have to gravel and

beg for payment. Oh so this industry hard, no easy, It's tough.

Dealing with people is tiring, you know, exhausting and draining okay,

and Paul is he experienced this as well. And even sometimes you see,

you know, clear evidence of Hey, God is still at work, right,

he still feels drained. And that is why in verse nine and you'll

see what now, the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision.

Do not be afraid but speak. Do not be afraid but speak.

When you get tired, what happens we get fearful and you stop speaking.

Speak. It's not just about having energy, you know, speak is about

what having the truth in you prevail and comes out of you. A lot

of us have truth, but the truth doesn't prevail and comes forth. It's

like having a lot of see it but not planted. Well, we believe,

we believe, but you never speak. You got mean right? The

true believer, not just believe, will actually speak whatever before laughing, something

happened, plea, I say something, Correa like okay, made me conscious

terrible? You are okay? So what do I say something? Speak?

Okay? Okay? Anyways and so but it's but the Holy Spirit said,

do not be afraid but speak, and do not keep silent, for I

am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you. For

I have many people in this city. And then from there he says that,

and he continued there a year and six months teaching the word of God

among them. Wow, so what did you witness here? God recognizing that

Paul is tired, It's discourage okay, and God released a word and after

they are that's word and they start pumping new patrol. Now charge, your

new battery can last for one and a half years. How many of you

want the top battery? Men? Huh? God gives you a battery last

for one and a half year. One in the ministry, how many of

you? How am you're ready for charging? Okay? One and a half

years? You know that type of battery charging? Okay, I will speak.

I want to be afraid. And now I know that God is with

me. But not only you have me. I know that you have provided

for me. There are people in this town who believe as well. And

there are people who actually came and support as well. Okay. And it

says there, when Galio was pro counsul of Kaa, the Jews we want

to rose up against Paul and brought him to the judgment seat, saying this

fellow persuades men to worship God contrary to the law. And after one and

a half years, what did they do? They started heading enough people come

together, Okay, the enemies come together and said and try to to write,

to try to bring him down and judge him, and maybe puting to

death or put into prison. And when Paul was about to open his mouth,

Gallio said to the Jews, if it were a matter of wrongdoing or

wicked crimes, old Jews, there will be reason why I should bear with

you. But if it is a question of words and names and your own

law, look to it yourselves, for I do not want to be a

judge of such matters. And he drove them away from the judgment seed.

And then all the Greeks took Suddenness the ruler of the synagogue, and beat

him before the judgment seed. But Galileo took no notice of these things.

Now let's pause for a while. So what happens there? You know,

basically people rose up against him. So before Paul needs to defend himself,

what happens God defends for him. Isn't it After one and a half years

of believing and doing the right thing, isn't it God came true for him?

You don't have to go, go, go and defend yourself. I

will call before you. And then even if it's an unbelieve either you can,

even if it's unbelievable, even when your enemies come together, you know,

and their most peak and most powerful form, and you know, and

the avengeance comes falling upon you, I will be with you. And you

know, because of that, they have no case. You know, they

tried to do the same thing to Pour what they did to Jesus. Okay,

yeah, they they cannot take it. They must have a fall guy.

And they took these poor feathers on softenness, you know, and you

know, and all the rulers and beat him. And who was the one

who beat him? It was not the Jews, but it was the Greek.

The Jews brought him and the Greek was like, hey, you caused

so much trouble and you stir things between us, and you brought this to

this magistrate and the magistrate wouldn't even refuse to judge him. So basically,

the Greeks were blaming the Jews for all the uproad that was caused in Corinth.

You can mean, right, it's your own problem, but you're taking

it into the outside into the public. It's like your own family problem.

You make it a problem inside the church. Oh, mess very messy,

or drag everybody on. And so what did they do? They beat?

They do him, not to do that, visa, don't do that.

But they beat the guy, you know. But this guy Suddenness. Okay,

there is a debate whether this is the same guy who also became converted

that Paul wrote to. So I don't know. Maybe he is because they

quote the same name. Maybe he converted after the beating, Maybe he did

not. We don't know. Okay, there was a case, but no,

what can we learn as we close this sub chapter within choring itself?

Okay, so from Krinth, you see that Paul. Okay, he came

from Athens, not well received, discourage, and yet he comes to a

city that is actually worse than Athens. Okay. Corinth is huge. Corinth

is known for architecture. I don't know how many architects are here. I

know at least this one day ah. Corinth is known for their Corinthian columns

architecture as well. Rome is Rome for the Chorea, So there's a second

architecture as well. Okay, very famous for it okay, very popular for

it, but they are also known for what else. Actually, there is

actually progest that's not the right temple. Okay, that's actually the temple in

Ephesus. So there's another temple. Okay. I thought this was the one

known. This is I know because it's by the number of pillars, So

I wanted to be very sure that I don't put the wrong thing when I

put it up. But they realized that, you know, this is not

the temple that was double checking. Is I really checked? Okay, make

sure I put the right but this is not the one, okay. And

in corinth there are corinth His life Korean is like Vegas okay, Vegas rich.

Okay. They're god their stuff, but extremely immoral. And to call

you a Corinthians is call you the most morally debased. And you know,

no dejected person, they're no non morals one. Okay. It's well known,

okay, very very well known for immorality and debauchery. Okay. And

the reason why they are filled with so much of that, uh is because

what was it? Okay? They are known for bronze working, make a

lot of money. Okay. That's why even some of the a lot of

some of the famous doors are you know when you when you see Temper in

Jerusalem, there is a beautiful gate and you see the gate is beautiful.

The gate means like the door is probably like three or four times the signs

of this pillar and one another huge one. Can I've seen it before.

It's like and one side of the door they'll be written a story. And

I know one I saw was the story of Exodus. And then they show

one by one, you know, Moses, and it's beautiful. The carving

made of bronze, and a lot of it was actually made in Corinth.

Okay, very rich. Second one, uh, a lot of uh what

they call it pagan worship, the pagan worship. And I told you before

that a lot of the cities in Greek and in Rome they have what's that

word? They adopt a god. Okay, what's that word? Host?

Not the host, but they adopt a host where they the story of the

city comes from. Okay. So the Athens wild worship Athena and Corinth.

They actually worship two main ones. The goddess of Eprodity okay, and the

other one is the goddess of Diana. Am I correct? Just double check

I want to make sure that yes, Aphrodite, which is the goddess of

Venus, which is the goddess of beauty. Venus, man, I'm from

from Venus. Not true, okay, not true? Oh okay. And

then the other one is Artemis, okay, which is the goddess of In

Rome is Diana, which is the goddess of hunting. Diana is also known

of in the Greeks of a tility Ephrodity, and Venus is more like sensual,

okay. And so Afrodity was the main pagan, main god in Corinth.

And their temple uh is huge and tall, you know, up by

fifty meters up from the sea level. No, no strutted up you know

in the in the plane there. And legend says, legend, okay,

legend says they have up to one thousand priestess, and their priestess also have

a vocation which is holy prostitution. Mm hmmm, holy prostitution. And so

I can imagine it now, okay, it's called holy prostitution, okay.

And so, and they will dress a certain way and in mass and they

will dress a certain way. And the Greeks and the Romans have a different

view of men and male in this In this case, I can't. I'm

still researching and started studying all it. But the Greeks tend to submit to

men having total control and domination over the women, whereas in Rome that is

the flip other way. Okay, the women has a stronger say and even

teaching and even guiding the male. So we have patriarchal and matriarchal society in

both civilization and so when that's why when you're written in the Book of Corinthians,

right, Paul addresses what marriage about, how christ love the church,

and we just have home notes in it talking about order. A lot of

it is to cut through the pagan beliefs at that time that were what we

call that affecting our Christian belief It is called syncretism, synchronizing with the world,

synchronizing with the belief of Princess Diana or Princess Dinahola what the goddess of

Diana pregnant Princess Diana syncretisa all right, sorry, am my history messed up?

Radio or jumble already different era, jumble out already. So syncretism again,

Syncretism means synchronizing the church belief and whatever that is pure with what is

outside syncretism. Okay, they were sinking with it. So Paul has to

come and divide very clearly, why is right and wrong? What is the

biblical view of marriage? What is the order? What happened as well?

So a lot of it was in that context, okay, and so now

let's come back, come back, come back. Sorry, I direct your

guys made places and because of that, uh, we'll talk about the Eprodity,

the Temple of Everdity one thousand prostitutes, okay. And it was kind

of like they have a reason, religious reason they can actually go and then

you know, get their services. And whether you're a believer, you are

a singer, you are a husband, you know, everybody was getting services

and to do that as well. And it became a huge money okay for

the temple, huge money business is it's a whole industry itself for for for

for Corant as well. And so the people in Koring, including the juice

is from I started to behave like that is accepted ready and then came and

then give you an example when I'm not saying this place is. But when

I went up to the north in Malaysia to one of the states. I'm

not going to say the name. So there, you're not going to quote

me anything. I went there was I was doing a job, and I

think my in my audit years, I was not there to go to an

off offshore. Read okay, And so before I go to the off shore,

I stayed maybe like a two days in the town. And when I

first time I landed there. When I landed there and I and I sit

in the taxi and the guy, then the guy looked at me, okay,

boss, you know a way you want to go go into this out

there? Hey. Then he gave me his name card, you know,

I want to take me around. Then he say, hey, you want

to go to the border. I said, uh no, no, no,

I say why what was there to the border? God sing border,

happy happy border. You know know what I'm saying, you know, happy

happy border. I was like, oh the fellow god Bill groove, you

know, happy happy border, you know, happy people. It was like,

you know, I didn't say anything with famer and you know, happy

happy you know, happy happy borders, like oh happy border, you know.

And then you see like oh even you no, you say, people

who come up just the first thing they do especially you know, people who

go offshore, whether it's expats, whether it's the local people or even some

of from the different faith as it seems religious, but they all go so

you know, and they have that yeah, a lot because of that,

they have that second, third, fourth, and then all maybe like a

girlfriend, I don't know, who knows what you know from the other border

one. So okay, this is the norm, man, know, this

is what is accepted already. You know, it's kind of sad, you

know, isn't it? You know, to hear here is such a thing

a peace. Don't go and verify the things. I'm here because Pastor mad

and I said that. Now this is based on his preaching from Book of

X. I'm traveling up. No, I'm not going to Greece, but

I'm going to know some good some some some key place a place K Town,

K Town, K Town, going to K town town Fine. I

just decided, just joking, okay, okay, So you know it's it's

it's not easy, so discourage Paul so coming back. So a town that

is morally corrupt, Paul is discouraged. But yet he met, you know,

in this place he met also met a quilla and Priscilla, a couple

that you know is truly a blessing to him. Okay, they of the

same trade. But yet did you know that, you know, in Rome,

when I told you about there were some Christians there. The reason they

were there is because came all the way from Pentecosts. Okay, when Penticos

happened, there were believers who believe who spread up north as well. So

there was so called a church that was maybe not recognized it, but it

was happening in Rome before Paul even visited Rome. You know, Paul ragilarly

wrote the letter to Rome, not even visited there. You know. It's

quite amazing, you know, but God is moving providentially ahead of Paul,

and people like Aquilla and Priscilla was now there were a great encouragement to Paul.

So in Romans if you can turn me me and Romans sixteen, verse

three, we see here that Paul also mentions Priscilla and Aquilla. Here he

says, yeah, great, Priscilla and Aquilla, my fellow workers in Christ

Jesus who risked their own necks for my life, to whom not only I

give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles likewise greet the church

that is here there house, okay, and so they were very generous.

You see, that's why I talk about retirement. See yah, when you

continue the world with the Lord, God brings people into your life actually not

just retirement. I highly encourage, highly highly encouraged. Well, my greatest

recommendation is to go for missions. Please go on your missions when you you

know, when you're professional, live you Okay, fine, you want to

have your career plan, but I want you guys, you know, really

being on adventure. Go out, go for missions. You will meet priscillas

and a quillas, and later on you will meet Apolos, which I'm going

to talk about later on. Fascinating. You will meet people I love going

for missions and enjoy it. But go get out of your comfort zone.

You get me in right so that you will not be just thinking like,

oh, should I go Tokyo to go Japan again? I'm not saying wrong,

go to go to your Japan now, okay? Or should I go

your rope again? What cash I buy? It's just an endless cycle because

you keep trying to write your own narrative. But this is where God comes

in. You're sixty years or seven years old, anyone here, Your adventure

is just beginning. Here, adventure is just beginning. Some of your behavior

like seventy year old. Okay, I want to retire. Ex it sound

like you're expired. Ready, Come on, man, Yeah on fire?

Okay, good, good, very good. Okay, So be on fire.

Get out. You know this year, sign up for you know,

for a mission. Treet go but gassi it go somewhere and go with your

homes, go with you know, your church, go together. And I

tell you, you realize that the horizon is so big and so huge,

so many people you can learn, so many cultures, and more importantly,

you will see the hand of God working in your life. Okay, but

always go with the covering of the church. Very important. Next time,

I will take another time and just talk about this concept of covering. Okay,

so important in marriage, in missions, in the things we do,

so very very important. Let's move on, okay. Verse eighteen, So

subchapter, So what does it happen? So Paul returns to Antioch. What

is Antio again? Paul's sending church. Paul was sent from Antioch and he

goes back to Antio. What does that tell you? He's a person under

submission and authority. Whether he go through death, you know, you like

the near death experience, whether he has much success, he's always submitted.

He knows, he knows. He goes back to Antio, and he submits.

And no matter how good and how much he's, how zealous he was,

I tell you he probably like I could do more work in Esthence I

could do more work in coury. But he knows he must come back.

The Holy Spirit is always leading us to be submissive to one another. So

Paul returns to Antioch. Okay, so he says and verse eighteen. So

Paul remained a good while. Then he took leave of the brethren and sailed

for Syria, and Priscilla Aquila world with him. Okay, So they became

good pals, and he became journey pals. Okay. And he had his

hair cut off at Saint Krea, for he had taken a vow. Okay,

now let's pause that just for a while. So what did he do

here? He had his hair taken off there, and he has taken a

vow? What kind of vow? Well, must cut hair? One?

It's not marriage power marriage, But we don't cut hair. One. We

change rings on. Okay, but will be quite cool. Let's cut hair

together. Let's tie our hair together, Let's cut it. Who wants to

do that? He wants to do that? Now skidding? Okay, let's

tie hair and cut the hair. Okay, now, no, this vow

is what we call a NASA right vowel. Have me heard this before?

You know? And there's the right vowel? Okay, some of you will

probably heard this before. It's called as the right vowel. I'm not going

to go through it, but it's mentioned in numbers chapter six. Okay,

it's a vow It's a voluntary vowel. God doesn't commanding, but it says

there in number six. If you want to take a vowel, you can

do so as well. Okay, you can take a vow and the vowl

actually has a predetermined time. Okay. Anyone can do it. Both male

and female can do it. And there is the beginning of the vowel and

the end of the vowel a certain time. Okay, A lot of times.

I'm not sure. What I heard is that some of the Jews when

they are about to go back to Jerusalem. A lot of the Jews travel

back to Jerusalem for the Passover feast. Okay, So leading up to that

a lot of them will take up the vowel as well to sort of like

consecrate themselves leading up to that final day to do the passover as well.

So it's a very important thing to them. So Paul, who was a

preacher of the New Testament, still believes in the importance of the vowel as

well. So he took up this vowel, and which is including abstaining from

dreams, you know, anything from made from alcohol or vinegar, and also

his hair as well. Okay, so cutting off the hair. And so

when you walk into when you come into Jerusalem and into the temper, people

who observe you will know that you are taking that nazar right vowl as well,

and it's very customary to them. And that actually vow happened two times

in Paul's life, and the second time when he happens when he enters into

Jerusalem, he will be taken capture. Okay, this is where he will

be taken capture. Okay, He'll be taken capture and be delivered. They

want the Jews, really want to know, really want to kill him,

okay. So that was the last time he entered entered to the temple.

And before he entered the temple, he knew he suspected something was not gonna

happen to him. And actually all the way where he came down from Anti

coming down to Jerusalem, he was taking the vow. All the way,

the people was telling him, don't go to Jerusalem, don't go to Jerusalem.

No, it's like you can see your destiny painted in two chapters that,

but he still going. He was crying with it, and but he

was so determined that he has to go, because you know, the Holy

Spirit already foretold him already. And then even his brethren was telling him.

He said, cannot, but then he stayed with them. Eventually then they

agree, Okay, they released him. It's like he's going to his bye

bye already. Okay. So we will see that again later on in his

third missionary treat Okay, so yeah, let's go back to the scripture.

Everybody, Okay, so far I'm drawing, I'm about eighty percent here ready,

Okay, Now let's wait, where was I Okay? Verse nineteen,

and he came to Ephesus and left them there, but he himself entered the

synagogue and reason with the Jews. When they asked him to stay a longer

time with them, he did not consent, but to leave of them,

say, I must, by all means keep this coming face in Jerusalem,

like I told you. He was taking the Nazarite vow. Here has a

time. So even though he was doing good work and the people were encouraging

him to stay, like we love your preaching, we love you're teaching.

Your ministry is so good. But because of his vow and because his mind

was set to him, he must stay, stay today plan Okay. So

now there's a bit more context why he did that as well. Okay.

But he says, there, but I will return again to you God willing

and his self from Ephesus. Okay, you can maybe he can, uh

maybe, Okaya, let me finish this there. I'll show you the map

verse twenty two. And when he had landed on Ciceria okay, Okay.

Sicyria is south of Antiof, which is nearer to Jerusalem. Dy okay,

And they gone up and greeted the church, okay. Gone at means he

went down south to Sicyria, and he went up to Antioch Okay, his

home church okay, or his sending church. There he greeted the church then

and he went down to and he not sorry, my bad, my bad.

He went to Sicyria. There's a church in Cicerria there, and then

he went up okay, I know he said down, but actually it's up,

you know, whichever how you call it, to Antioch okay. And

after he had spent some time there, he departed and went over to the

region or Galicia and Parigia in order strengthening all the disciples, and then concludes

his second missionary trip. So can I have the slight up the map?

Okay? So if you can see you can you see? I know this

is looks like you know, a lot drawing. Can you see in the

middle there, uh, and the left side there Corinth Okay, So he'll

turn from Athens and the Corinth Coring is that little middle on the west side

there. Gay, they sell to Ephesus, and then from there straight he

went down to Sicyria. Cesarea is just north of Jerusalem, okay. And

then after that he went down there, he went to the room to greet

the church, and then we went up north to Antio. There is where

he finished ntil it's always the sending Church. That the main place there.

Okay. Now let's move on to the third part and I will close now

in the ministry of Apollos. Who is this guy Apollos? How many of

you know about Apollos. Apollos is not the kid. The kid can be

Okay, Apollo, You're like pastor w had to go there followed the gold

color, the chocolate inside and all like when you're young, it's like,

oh, so precious, you know. Now you're idiots, like, oh,

this is nothing. Man, I got cheated on and was spending one

ring on it every time, you know. So Apollos, Now he says,

here, now a certain Jew named Appaulaus born at Alexandria. Who knows

where Alexandria is? Which country? Okay? Okay? Who said I you?

Okay, good, okay, well done. You guys know your stuff.

Okay. It's a very important detail, Okay, Alexandria, because a

lot of things happened in Alexandria. Okay, well, I'll tell you shortly,

an eloquent man and mighty in the scripture came to Ephesus. This man

had been instructed in the way of the Lord. Okay, and being fervent

in spirit. He spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, though

he knew only the baptism of John. Okay. So this guy, he

says, there are a man instructor in the way of the Lord, means

he knows God's word. Okay. He's on fire, means he has the

evangelistic you know, spirit in him. He wants not just to know,

he wants to spread the word. Okay, he's on this mission. And

he spoke and thought accurately the things of the Love, but he only knew

the baptism of John. Means he does not know about the baptism of Christian.

So I mean he knows everything except for Jesus Christ. So he began

to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquilla and Priscilla hurt him, they

took him asign and explained to him the way of God more accurately. So

Aquila and Priscilla was there and they heard him speak. They were like,

yay, this guy is like wow, you know, so on fire.

But there's something missing. Okay. He's like, it's like, how to

sayer. It's like you will go to a buffet, you know, and

you saw the bread table. I never seen so much bread before in my

life, you know. And then you started taking your plate, and then

you put all the bread and all the deesel. Then someone come to you.

Stop in the name of love. Okay, don't eat the bread.

And he said, why, let me show you another corner. Then show

you all the sticks or the lobsters, all the crap, all the good

stuff. You know, Bro, Now you know what you're missing out.

You know why you feel your buffet, you feel if all the bread going.

I just came out. Decide the way you don't eat all these things?

You know? Away with the bread, okay, and I just yea,

the lobster and the steak you want. This is the real stuff,

you know. Okay, this I'm not saying this is a good example,

I said. Baptism of John's Great Baptism. John's teaching is good John.

What was John's role? John's role was to prepare the way Christ is coming

away. He was the sign of Elijah that God has given before the coming

of Christ. That's why people say, are you Elijah? Are you Elijah?

What what they looking for? Because the prophecy says, before Christ comes,

there the spirit of Elijah will come. Elijah will come. But they

were looking and looking ways Elijah. They're hoping the person of Elijah. But

it was the spirit of Elijah who arrived in the form of John the baptist.

Jesus Christ's himself said Elijah has come, but they could not sew him.

Okay, So Johnson was to prepare and to herald the way of Christ.

And if you want to know who's Christ is, if you don't not

see the miracles, if you cannot see the world, at least look to

John. John is the compass. Then John eventually said this, behold the

Lamb of God who has coming to man, paraphrasing, okay, you know,

take away the scenes of the world before he baptized Jesus in it.

So at that moment there was a pivotal moment of John his compassing Jesus Christ,

ring ring, ring, ring, ring, everybody, everybody looking to

him. He said this, I justify this is Christ. You know you

want me to baptize you. I'm not worthy to turn tie. No,

you should be baptizing me. So everybody, so he wants the compass.

He was the you know, the detector, and you know, so that

was John's road, but he was not the main ingredient. He was not

the main starf so apall Us had. You know, he ran fifty percent,

but not one hundred percent. Yeah, I mean right. So Aquilla

like, hey, this guy is just eating bread in a buffet. You

know, we need to show him the good stuff, you know, the

primary you know, the lobsters and the staff, you know, and don't

don't forget the deserts. So they told him about Jesus Christ and this guy,

Okay, you must understand he comes from Alexandria. Alexandria is if Athens

is Harvard, Alexandria will be like Boston. Mit, very smart people.

Alexandria has one of the greatest libraries in the world. In fact, the

first conversion of the Hebrew Old Testament to Septuisian sceptu Asian. Have you heard

this term septuvision before septu Asian version. Sceptu Asian means seventy seventy. It

means that there were actually seventy Greek people who actually converted the first Hebrew Old

Testament to classical Greek. Not modern Greek. Are classical Greek? Okay?

The competition in it was first copy that was used for a lot of Jews

who because at that time most people speak spoke Greek. So they took there

and they was able to allow people a lot of houses will be able to

understand or Synagodt's use that to teach as well, so step Tuigian version as

well. So a lot of libraries were there, and so we can understand

why a Paulos, who was a Jew, who had access to a whole

library. You know, he had a lot of good resume. You're right.

It's like, you know, some speaker come and you know, hey,

I come from you know this, I don't know, you know Westminster's,

you know, Bible School, and from this school you have a lot

of credential, you know, speaking you know, all the way. And

then someone, this tent maker come and tell me, hey, you're missing

out. How would you feel? How would you feel having a tent maker

come and tell you, hey, there's something motivate, come on, give

me a break. You know you want to tell me something. Isn't it

a bit prideful? But he was very very open and I can tell you

because of that, that is a great example of someone who is truly filled

with the Holy Spirit, because he will only believe because it came from the

Holy Spirit. He was humble in that he allowed the Holy Spirit to agree

with him this message of Christ in every manner. The Actually, if you

study the Old Testament, the whole Old Testament points to Jesus. Okay,

the entire Old Testament points to Jesus. The entire New Testament talks about how

Jesus fulfills all the Old Testament. You get me right, Old Testament,

New Testament. This fellow, this whole book points to Jesus, and this

whole book talks about Jesus is the full complete, fulfills everything. So on

this both part they are synergistic and they complete one another. So they are

both important. I know some people who say that I only read the New

Testament. We don't read the Old Testament. No, there's no house intended.

Okay, if you believe, because the past, the present, and

the future as well, okay everybody, okay. So so apoll Us was

you know, extremely open, and then when he heard the message even from

a simple tat maker and let the worker, he opened his heart and he

believed. Okay. And then they say, explain to the weather. And

then in Verse his ever, and when he desired to cross to a kaya,

the veteran wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him. Ah, so

you see how this whole fellowship is happening. They're seeing this guy. We

have never met this guy before, came all the way from southwest going up

there and started preaching. But yeah, he was so open. But and

because what he did was so so full of the spirit. When I said,

for oh, the spirit, his openness, his willingness, his courage,

and everything in line. The brethren who were also impureing her, also

tried to encourage and support his ministry as well. And this is how churches

should be operating, isn't it When you see someone doing and they are pure

most important must be pure or heart and full of the spirit, full of

courage and truth. We should be encouraging one another's ministry as well. And

that is part of our retirement plan, isn't it when you go to places,

Oh, maybe this you know, you know, we don't know.

It's difficult. Maybe I have to sleep on the floor. Maybe I have

to preach the people I don't know in a different language. Maybe I don't

know if I will get encouragement as well. But in here you see paulst

journey is field with many different people, many encouragement as well as meeting a

guy like Apollus, you know, in this in this place, and he's

learning new things, and he wants to do great things for the Lord as

well. And he Saysians and the brethren Rod exhorting the disciples to receive him

and encouraging people to be of the same mind. And when he arrived he

greatly helped those who have believed through grace, for he vigorously refuted the Jews

publicly showing from the scriptures that Jesus is there Christ. So I have a

scripture here, I'm not slight here the last night that I have here error,

which is more convergence in Ephesus. Okay, my bad, okay,

I pod it. So if you summariz is upright, you will see Paul

when he started off, started alone. But the work of God is greater

than all than all of us. And Paul along the way, God brings

a Quilla and Priscilla, a couple who was ejected literally evicted from Rome,

got no place, ended up in Vegas in Corintha, okay, and suddenly

they're buying selling things. Me Paul, a fellow worker, brought together divine

by the Holy Spirit. And now when they came to Ephesus, me another

guy, oh a p as well, came all the way, not from

Rome but from down south, all the way from Alexandria. A smart guy,

very good, but yet someone we could add value and he in turn

wild add more value to everyone as well. And you see, this is

a storia where the family begins. Powerful, isn't it. The family is

like whoa Our main character is no longer a main character anymore. Of course,

he's joined by other characters. But you see them, no know,

when they call it, are thriving in your life as well? You think

that you'll be just doing retirement and stick with the same people. No,

God is going to bring new friends to your life. God is gonna bring

new connections. You're going to be entering new houses and people will come into

your house as well. And it's like this continuous new adventure like Bilbo Baggins.

You know, So my question is are you ready for another adventure?

People? So cheesy, right, but it's true, isn't it. My

encouragement for you guys, see we gotta let we gotta really work together,

be encouraged as you study the word right, but let the world leave out

out of us. Okay, really leave out of us. This is I

God tell you. I mean something simple this year remaining of seven months in

twenty twenty four. What do you want to do? What a kind of

adventure? We still a mission tay to sign ups? You know, we

could still got ministry we can serve in you know what is God speaking to

you? So that? Oh man? No? Amen? Amen. We

hope you've been blessed by this message. For more information on our church,

please visit church org. We are also active on Facebook and Instagram. We're

believing that this week is going to be a good week, a hit for

you. God bless