Acts
17:1-34 - Notice the importance of
the Scriptures for both public ministry - ‘reasoning with them from the
Scriptures’ and private devotion - ‘examining the Scriptures every day’
(2,11). We need the Word of the Lord on the Lord’s Day. We need the Word
of the Lord every day. God is not the ‘unknown God’. He has made
himself known to us. For many, He seems to be the ‘unknown God’. We must
seek to lead them beyond a vague awareness of ‘the God who made the
world’ to a real knowledge of Jesus Christ who died and rose again for
our salvation (24,3). When our faith is grounded in the Scriptures, we
will not think of God as the ‘unknown God’ about whom we can know very
little. We will make it our ambition ‘to know Christ and the power of
His resurrection’ (Philippians 3:10). ‘Let us press on to know the Lord’
(Hosea 6:3).
18:1-21 - It was not an easy situation at
Corinth. There were some who ‘opposed Paul and became abusive’ (6).
There was great pressure on Paul. He could have given up very easily. It
was God’s Word which kept Paul going (10). Paul did not collapse under
thee pressure - ‘he stayed a year and six months, teaching the Word of
God among them’ (11). At Ephesus, there were people who asked Paul ‘to
stay for a longer period’. He ‘declined’. Paul was moving on. He refused
to be shackled by the expectations of other people. The important thing
was ‘God’s will’. For us, there can be no standing still. We must move
on with God. We must not get ‘stuck in a rut’. Some say, ‘Everything
must remain the same. Nothing must change’. Paul had to ‘set sail from
Ephesus’. We must ‘launch out into the deep’ - at Jesus’ Word (20-21;
Luke 5:4-5).
18:22-19:22 - Apollos ‘taught accurately the
things concerning Jesus’. He needed to have ‘the way of God expounded
to him more accurately’ (24-26). There is always more to learn. We
should never adopt a ‘know-it-all’ attitude. In ‘two years’ of ministry,
‘God did’ great things through Paul (10-11). Paul was moving on. His
road led to ‘Rome’. It was a road, full of blessing - ‘The Word of the
Lord grew and prevailed mightily’ (20-21). Paul was on the move. God was
on the move. Wherever Paul went, there were opportunities to make
Christ known. Wherever he went, people were trusting Christ. Paul was
moving from place to place, bringing Christ to so many different people.
People were moving ‘from death to life’ (John 5:24). This is what drove
Paul on - Bringing more and more sinners to his Saviour!
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