Acts: Transforming Our World for Christ Lesson Scripture: Acts 18:24-28; 19:1-5

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1 May 4, 2014 Acts: Transforming Our World for Christ Lesson Scripture: Acts 18:24-28; 19:1-5 Memory Verse He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. After Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him home and explained the way of God to him more accurately. Acts 18:26 Dig Deeper? You can do additional reading on Acts 18 and 19 using the Intervarsity Commentary at: Step by Step through the Week Monday: Read Acts 18:1-23 Acts in Context After his short stay in Athens, Paul moved west to Corinth and experienced a season of relative peace; in fact, Paul stayed in Corinth for over a year: preaching, evangelizing, and making tents (as a source of income) with his new Christian friends from Rome, Priscilla and Aquila. Many came to believe in Jesus Christ through Paul s ministry in Corinth; however, he also experienced sharp resistance from the Jews. Their rejection of Paul s message prompted the apostle to abandon his outreach to the Jews and devote his ministry from that point forward to the Gentiles. The Holy Spirit encouraged Paul to continue his ministry in Corinth, even in the face of opposition. On one occasion, the Jews hauled Paul into a Roman court for preaching against their faith, but their accusations were dismissed. After 18 months in Corinth, Paul and his team left for a short stay in Ephesus and then returned to their home base in Antioch. Tuesday: Begin your week of study by praying that the Holy Spirit would reveal God s truth to you and provide the wisdom you will need to obey God s word. Read and meditate on Acts 18. What words, phrases, or ideas stand out to you? What truth(s) could the Lord be revealing to you? Reread the passage. What is God teaching you about our responsibility to be witnesses of the gospel of Jesus Christ?

2 Reread the passage. What do you need to be praying for based on the truth God has revealed to you? Wednesday: Read Acts 18. If possible, read the passage in two or three different versions of the Bible. Multiple versions are available at Observe: Acts 18:24-26 Locate references to Apollos in this passage; what words or phrases describe Apollos? Who are Priscilla and Aquila? Review 18:1-4 if needed. How did they help Apollos? Examine: Acts 18:24-26 WAS APOLLOS A TRUE BELIEVER? When Luke relates that Apollos knew only about John s baptism, some read this as an implication that he was not an authentic follower of Jesus Christ, even though he knew much about Christ and taught people about Him. Others see Apollos as a baby Christian in need of discipleship. MacArthur takes the former view: Now, see, here is a man who accepted all the way of the Lord in the Old Testament, accepted the ministry of John the Baptist, saw that John pointed to Jesus and said, Behold the lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world," and he believed that Jesus was the Messiah. You say then, "Why wasn't he a Christian?" He didn't know anything but the baptism of John. He didn't know the baptism of the Holy Spirit. He didn't know the baptism in water that follows faith. Kent describes him as moving toward faith: Before the encounter with Aquila and Priscilla, it is best to regard Apollos in the same class as OT saints. They too hoped for salvation in Messiah and had not rejected him. The entire Book of Acts depicts the transition from Judaism to Christianity. It is not surprising, therefore, to find imperfect forms of faith during those epochal days. However, Constable believes another possibility is that Apollos was a New Testament Christian who had not yet learned as much as Priscilla and Aquila had about their faith. The baptism of John was a response to repentance: a cleansing of sin. New Testament baptism follows repentance, but also symbolizes a new relationship of faith in Jesus Christ and participation in His death (dead Apollos may not have stepped over that line of faith, or perhaps he had and did not fully realize the implications of his baptism. Either way, Priscilla and Aquila were there to humbly and graciously disciple him into a new way of thinking. If baptism is a symbol, why was it important for Apollos to under the difference between John s baptism and Christian baptism?

3 Apply: Acts 18:24-26 What are some things about the Christian faith that new believers are likely to misunderstand without someone to help them? Thursday: Read Acts 18. If possible, read the passage from a different version of the Bible. Observe: Acts 18:27-28 How did Apollos do the same thing Priscilla and Aquila had done for him? What phrase indicates Apollos now understood the right way to salvation? What was Apollos now able to do that he was not doing before his training with Priscilla and Aquila? Examine: Acts 18:27-28 MESSIAH IN THE OLD TESTAMENT: There are many Old Testament prophecies that found their ultimate fulfillment in the new Testament, with the coming of Jesus Christ. The following are those that are considered the clearest and most important. Regarding Jesus birth Isaiah 7:14: Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. Isaiah 9:6: For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Micah 5:2: But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times. Concerning Jesus' ministry and death Zechariah 9:9: Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. Psalm 22:16-18: Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me. They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing. Likely the clearest prophecy about Jesus is the entire 53rd chapter of Isaiah. Isaiah 53:3-7 is especially unmistakable: He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed The seventy sevens prophecy in Daniel chapter 9 predicted the precise date that Jesus, the Messiah, would be cut off. Isaiah 50:6 accurately describes the beating that Jesus endured. Zechariah 12:10 predicts the piercing of the Messiah, which occurred after Jesus died on the cross. (Michael Houdmann, gotquestions.org)

4 Why did the Jews not recognize Jesus was the fulfillment of their own Scripture? Apply: Acts 18:27-28 If the Holy Spirit is the one who draws people to Christ, why do we need to be equipped to defend and explain our faith to unbelievers? Pray that the Holy Spirit would work in the lives of people you know who need the Lord. Friday: Read Acts 18. If possible, read the passage from a different version of the Bible. Observe: Acts 19:1-5 What does the text say about the disciples Paul encountered? How does Paul describe the baptism of John? How did the Holy Spirit demonstrate His power through the disciples? Examine: Acts 19:1-5 JOHN THE BAPTIST: Most everyone, believer and non-believer alike, has heard of John the Baptist. John s coming was foretold over 700 years before he was born by another prophet, Isaiah. Little is actually known of John, although we do know that John was a Levite. John was the son of Zechariah, a temple priest of the lineage of Abijah, while John s mother Elizabeth was from the lineage of Aaron (Luke 1:5). John was also related to Jesus as their mothers were cousins (Luke 1:36). John lived a rugged life in the mountainous area of Judea, between the city of Jerusalem and the Dead Sea. It is written that he wore clothes made out of camel s hair with a leather belt around his waist. His diet was a simple one locusts and wild honey (Matt 3:4). John s ministry grew in popularity, as recounted in Matthew 3:5-6: People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. We also see that he spoke very boldly to the religious leaders of the day, the Pharisees and the Sadducees, calling them a brood of vipers and warning them not to rely on their Jewish lineage for salvation, but to repent and bear fruit in keeping with repentance (Matt 3:7-10). While his ministry was gaining strength, John s message was gaining popularity. In fact, it became so popular that many people may have thought that he was the Messiah. This assuredly was not his intent as he had a clear vision for what he was called to do. John 3:28 tells us, You yourselves can testify that I said, 'I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of him.' His message was simple and direct: Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near (Matt 3:2). He willingly gave up the spotlight to Jesus saying, He must become greater; I must become less (John 3:30). Jesus came from Galilee to be baptized by John in the river Jordan. John rightly recognized that the sinless Son of God needed no baptism of repentance and that he was certainly not worthy to

5 baptize his own Savior. But Jesus answered his concern by requesting baptism to fulfill all righteousness meaning that He was identifying Himself with sinners for whom He would ultimately sacrifice Himself, thereby securing all righteousness for them (2 Cor 5:21). (Adapted from Michael Houdmann, gotquestions.org) Read Luke 3:1-7. How did John s ministry prepare the way for Jesus? Apply: Acts 19:1-5 What problems occur when new Christians are not discipled? How are you actively discipling someone now?