Acts 19  Paul's third missionary journey took Paul through some of the places where churches had been established.  He encouraged and strengthened the believers all through the region of Galatia which would include Derbe, Lystra, Iconium.  He also traveled through the region called Phrygia in Asia Minor. This would include the cities of Laodicea, Colossae, Philadelphia, Thyatira, Sardis and Ephesus. 

In Ephesus, Paul found some "disciples".  These 12 men had been baptized with "John's baptism".  They had not heard of the Holy Spirit.  Paul taught them and the Holy Spirit came on them powerfully so that they "began speaking in tongues and prophesying."  Paul spent 3 months speaking in the synagogue in Ephesus and then about 2 years in Ephesus teaching in the "school of Tyrannus."  Verse 9 tells us that Paul "took away" or separated the disciples from those who rejected the gospel of Jesus Christ.  What an education the believers got to receive there!

The Lord worked through that group of believers so much that "all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks."  The Lord also did many miracles there through Paul. Even handkerchiefs or aprons that Paul touched were taken to the sick and they were healed! Evil spirits were also being cast out in the Name of Jesus.  

When some Jewish exorcists tried to use the name of Jesus saying, "I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches." the demons responded with, "I recognize Jesus, and I know about Paul, but who are you?" Then the man who had the evil spirit attacked and overpowered the men attempting to do what only God can do.  

God was also working in the lives of the many people in Ephesus who were involved in magic practices.  They would confess their practices, burn their books, and magnify the name of Jesus.  

"So the word of the Lord was growing mightily and prevailing." (v 20) 

One more thing that happened in Ephesus as the Lord was at work building his church : the craftsmen who made silver shrines to Artemis, the goddess whose temple was located in Ephesus, became upset that their businesses were seeing less profit as people turned away from the false religion to the One True God. They caused a riot that "filled" the city. When it was finally calmed down by the "town clerk" everyone was sent away.  After this, Paul departed for Macedonia. 

Father in heaven, may the word of the Lord grow mightily and prevail in our cities and towns today.  Send Your Holy Spirit with power to anoint Your followers.. to bring healing and deliverance to those in need. Open the eyes of  people to recognize the evil of magic and false gods so that they repent and come to know Jesus Christ the Lord.. Purify Your church and teach us Your Word so that we come out from worldly and wicked influences and be strengthened in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior. Let Your Kingdom come and Your will be done on earth.. in us.. as it is in heaven. We ask all these things in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen. 

 Acts 18 Paul left Athens and traveled to Corinth.  This is where he meets Aquila and Priscilla who had come from Rome. These three worked together making tents for a while until Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia. Then, "Paul began devoting himself completely to the word, solemnly testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ." (v5)  

It is never made clear whether Aquila and Priscilla were Christians before they met Paul or after, but they ended up traveling with him to Ephesus where they continued to serve the Lord.  Paul had a fruitful ministry in Corinth, staying a year and six months as directed by the Lord.  "Do not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent; for I am with you, and no man will attack you in order to harm you for I have many people in this city." ( v9-10)  Paul's message for Jesus was rejected by many Jews so Paul ministered to the Gentiles in Corinth with some exceptions. One mentioned by name is Crispus, the leader of the synagogue and his household who believed and were baptized.

Eventually the Jews tried to stir up trouble for Paul, bringing him before Gallio, the proconsul of Achaia, but he refused to listen and drove them all away from the judgement seat.  Paul, along with Aquila and Priscilla.. and probably Timothy and Silas, all sailed to Syria and came to Ephesus.  Paul didn't stay long at Ephesus on this occasion, probably because he had taken a vow and needed to go to Jerusalem. Aquila and Priscilla were joined by Apollos in Ephesus where they taught him "the way of God more accurately." 

Apollos was led back to Achaia and worked in Corinth. Paul considered Apollos a brother in the Lord and spoke about him as a partner in the church in Corinth, "I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth."  He warned the church not to cause division by claiming either himself, Apollos, or Peter as their spiritual father.. but to recognize them as servants of the Lord. ".. So then let no one boast in men. For all things belong to you whether of Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come; all things belong to you, and you belong to Christ; and Christ belongs to God." (I Corinthians 3:21-23) 

Father in heaven, thank You for those who have come into our lives to share the Good News of Jesus Christ to each of us. Thank You for those who have "watered" us.. encouraging us in faith and truth.  Thank You for those who have added what we have missed so that we may walk in Your ways "more accurately".  Thank You for the power of Your Spirit moving in the lives of men and women so that Your church continues to grow.  Lead us in Your paths and be glorified in Your church today we pray. In Jesus' name we come - for we belong to Him alone and He belongs to You. Hallelujah and Amen! 

 Acts 17:16-34  As Paul waited for the rest of his team in Athens he noticed all of the idols in the city.  He was "provoked" by all that he saw.  Paul went to the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews and the "God-fearing Gentiles", plus he went into the market place and spoke to anyone who would listen.  Athens was a place where "Epicurean and Stoic philosophers" and others liked to spend their time debating and talking about anything and everything, so they wanted to hear what Paul was talking about. 

Side note: Epicurean philosophy was founded  about 300 years BC.  The main teaching was that the highest good is a life that pursues pleasure ( not excessive, but only as far as absence of pain and anxiety).  The object of one's life is to be untroubled, free from fear, and free from physical discomfort.  Sounds ok until you look at their view of God. They do not believe in a Creator or in One who cares about human beings. Epicurus said, "Death is nothing to us, since when we are, death has not come, and when death has come, we are not."

Stoicism is considered a practical philosophy and is still prevalent today. It also began about 300 years before Christ.  The main idea is that a person can live a good, happy life by cultivating wisdom, courage, justice, and self-discipline. A core principal is to focus on the things that you can control ( your own thoughts, choices.. ) and not obsess over the things you can't control (other people, the weather, the past).  They also teach that virtue is the highest good; defining wisdom as knowing what really matters; courage as doing what is right even when it is hard; justice as treating others fairly; and temperance as using self-restraint.  An early Stoic, Seneca, stated that it is not that we have a short time to live but that we waste a great deal of it. Again, the greatest problem with Stoicism is how they view God. They believe that God is not a separate person but is the universe itself and the natural order of all things.

Paul was invited to the Areopagus to tell more about what he was teaching. Paul's message is well worth reading for yourself. ( verses 23-31)   He begins by pointing out an altar that he had seen inscribed by the words "To An Unknown God".  Paul then begins to teach the Truth about the God of Israel.  He then said, "Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all everywhere should repent."  He spoke about the coming judgement that would be administered by Jesus Christ.. the One who was appointed and proven to be worthy by His resurrection from the dead. 

It is the resurrection that stumped these philosophers. Some wanted to hear more. Some turned away. But.. some believed and were saved. Two are named in verse 34, Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris.

Father in heaven, we know that the wisdom of man is far below even the foolishness of God, for it does not take into account the greatness of Who You are.  We want only to live in Your Spirit Who is Wise and who comes to guide us into all Truth.  Help us to rest in You alone, God our Creator, our Savior, and our King forever.  Take our minds and thoughts and bring them into conformity with Your will we pray.  Thank You Jesus for  bringing us to repentance and surrender to the One True God. Be glorified in us this day. Amen, 

 Acts 17 Paul, Silas, and Timothy traveled from Philippi around the coast, through Amphipolis and Apollonia, to Thessalonica.  Paul spent three Sabbaths at the Jewish synagogue there "explaining and giving evidence that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying 'This Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you is the Christ.' "  Some of the Jews, along with some Greek men and women, became believers.  But.. jealous Jews stirred up trouble and started a riot.. dragging Jason, a man who had welcomed Paul into his home, in front of the city authorities.  After this, the "brethren" sent Paul and Silas away by night. 

Paul and Silas end up in Berea.. "now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily, to see whether these things were so. Many of them therefore believed, along with a number of prominent Greek women and men,"  Once again trouble comes and Paul is sent away, leaving Silas and Timothy behind this time. Paul is "conducted" to Athens where he waits for Silas and Timothy to join him. 

Several things come to my attention through this passage.  First, I notice again how Paul is moved from place to place... not by his own will.. but as the Lord uses his circumstances to move him.  In these two cities Paul is moved because of troubles caused by the Jews. This seems to be common to Paul's life and ministry.. and he just goes where he is led.. finding people everywhere who will listen and believe the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  The second thing I notice is how the Lord reaches "leading" and "prominent" women, as well as men,  bringing them into the Church.  God was building a church throughout  Macedonia, the country which we now call Greece, choosing and calling women and men, Jews and Greeks, rich and poor.. revealing His impartiality and grace to all! 

Paul writes 2 letters to Thessalonica, but Berea is not really mentioned again.  A man from Berea does accompany Paul during his third missionary journey, but that is the last that is mentioned. The first letter to Thessalonica is thought to be Paul's first letter ever written to a church.  Paul opens that letter with these encouraging words, "We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers; constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love,  and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father." ( 1st Thessalonians 1:2-3)

Father in heaven, we thank You for the way You move us.. like Paul.. from place to place according to Your plan and purpose.  It's not always comfortable to be moved or conducted.. or led away from where we want to be.. but we know that You are good and You have good plans for us!  Help us to also be willing to go where You send us. We are also thankful for the way You build Your church .. calling men and women of many nations, regardless of status or influence.. regardless of wealth or poverty.. You fit us together into one body where Your Holy Spirit lives. Father, bless Your church around the world today.. deliver us from evil and from the evil one we pray.. Let Your Kingdom come and Your will be done in us! In Jesus' name. Amen,

 Acts 16 Paul and Silas went to Lystra.. the same city that at first wanted to worship Paul, thinking he was the god Hermes.. and then ended up stoning him and leaving him for dead.  In Lystra, Paul found Timothy, a believer, who's mother was Jewish and father was Greek.  Paul wanted Timothy to go with them and he decided it would be good for him to be circumcised "because of the Jews".  

As they went back to the cities where churches had been established they shared the directives of the elders in Jerusalem and encouraged the believers. "So the churches were being strengthened in the faith, and were increasing in number daily."

In verses 6-12 we  learn that Paul was redirected from the path he wanted to take.. north to Bithynia.. and moved west until they came to Troas on the coast of the Aegean Sea. Here is where Paul has the vision of a man from Macedonia saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." Paul acted immediately to secure passage to Macedonia, "concluding that God called us to preach the gospel to them." ( v10) 

The team landed in a town called Neapolis. It is this seaport that God chose to use as a gateway for the gospel of Jesus Christ to enter Europe! So thankful that He sent Paul westward! Ten miles from Neopolis was the Roman city of Philippi. Paul and his fellow disciples stayed there "for some days."  It is here at the riverside that Paul meets Lydia.. the very first convert in Europe. 

Philippi is also the place that Paul delivered a slave girl from a "spirit of divination"; where he and Silas were arrested, beaten, and placed in prison; where he and Silas sang hymns at midnight; where an earthquake freed them from their shackles; where the jailer and his family ended up being saved; and where Paul insisted that the magistrates publicly release him and Silas because they were Roman citizens and had been treated illegally. 

Lydia, "a seller of purple fabrics",  and the jailer, who's name we are not told.. were the first members of this church in Philippi.. coming to faith through the message preached by Paul.  We know from Paul's letter to Philippi that Paul continued to have a great love for this church. He wrote, " I have you in my heart..." (Phil. 1:7) 

Father in heaven, Your plan is always perfect and even when problems, persecution, and prison try to stop your servants.. You prevail!  All praise and glory belongs to You, our Great and Loving God.  Thank You for leading Paul to Europe.. for the letters that he wrote for the churches.. for they still are Your words that strengthen our faith and encourage us in our walk with the Lord Jesus.  The church and even the town of Philippi may be no more.. but Your word will never pass away!  Thank You Lord. Give us ears to hear and hearts to obey all that You have taught us.. fill us with Your Spirit we pray, in Jesus' name. Amen. 

 Acts 15 Dissension- strife, controversy, insurrection...  A group of men came from Judea.. not sent from the apostles or elders.. to take a stand on the issue of circumcision for those Gentiles who were claiming to be Christ followers.  This issue was so important that the church sent Paul and Barnabas, along with some others to Jerusalem to bring it before the apostles and elders in the church. 

Both sides were presented.  Much discussion and investigation took place. The debate ended when Peter spoke up, reminding everyone about what God had done.. "Brethren, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. and God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith."  

Peter continued with this great statement, "But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are." 

God, Himself, affirmed the salvation of uncircumcised Gentiles by giving them the Holy Spirit. Both Jews and Gentiles are saved in the same way.. by faith in the grace of the Lord Jesus!  It was true then and is still the Truth.  So thankful for the grace of Jesus Christ that has brought us into the Kingdom of God!

It is James who has the final word.  "Therefore it is in my judgment that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles.. "  They only asked that the Gentiles "abstain from things sacrificed to idols, and from things strangled and from blood and from fornication."  These would be moral or ethical issues that would keep the Gentiles free from the cultural idolatry and also  keep them from offending the Jewish believers. 

Dissension, of a more personal level, came when Paul and Barnabas disagreed about taking Mark along on a second missionary journey.  It was resolved by Barnabas taking Mark with him to Cyprus and Paul taking along Silas back to Syria and Cilicia. Both groups went with the same purpose, to strengthen and encourage the churches. God was at work.. and He is still at work today! He leads His servants to the people who need encouragement and strength.. He leads His servants to preach the gospel of the Lord Jesus.. so others will come to have faith in the grace of the Lord Jesus unto salvation! 

Father, when there is dissension.. may we learn to handle it like the church did back in that day.. listening, debating, and looking to what You have made clear by Your Spirit and the Word of God. Bring unity in Your church so that the message of the Gospel is not made a burden, but a great joy in the grace that You have poured out on us all. Our faith is in the Lord Jesus Christ, sent to be our Savior and King forever. We praise and worship You with thankful hearts. Help us to be conformed by Your Spirit and transformed by Your Word to the glory of Your Holy Name.  It is in the name of Jesus we pray. Amen. 

 Acts 13:44-14:28   The second Sabbath day in Antioch (Pisidian)  brought the "whole city" out to hear Paul and Barnabas preach the Word of God. They spoke boldly, but the Jews were jealous and began contradicting the Word.  Paul rebuked them and proclaimed that they would now turn to the Gentiles. "And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the Word of the Lord; and as many as had been appointed to eternal life  believed." 

The Jews stirred up trouble and the Gentiles rejoiced. Paul and Barnabas were driven out of the city, but the believers were "filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit". 

Paul and Barnabas went to Iconium where they spoke again and many believed. Then the Jews stirred up trouble... even while God continued to work in Paul and Barnabas, giving them boldness to speak the Word and "bearing witness to the word of His grace, granting that signs and wonders be done by their hands." 

Again Paul and Barnabas were persecuted and moved on to Lystra. Here, Paul saw a man who was lame from birth.. "when he had fixed his gaze upon him, and had seen that he had faith to be made well, said with a loud voice, 'Stand upright on your feet' '.    The man jumped up and walked! This miracle had unintended consequences as the people proclaimed Paul and Barnabas to be gods. They had to convince the people to not offer sacrifices to them! 

But, then along came the Jews from Antioch and Iconium.. stirring up problems.. so much so that the same people who wanted to worship Paul.. now "dragged him out of the city" and stoned him.  They thought he was dead, but Paul arose and went back into the city..  They then made their way back to Lystra and Iconium.. and back to Antioch.  They continued preaching.. they encouraged the believers.. they set up elders.. they prayed and fasted with them. And finally, they returned back to Antioch and reported to the church all that had happened. 

Paul taught the believers that "Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God."  He lived it before them and encouraged them to "continue in the faith".  Then he "commended them to the Lord."

Father in heaven, thank You for establishing the Church.. thank You for leaders and teachers who boldly preach the Word of God..and for the joy that men and women share when they come to believe in Jesus Christ the Lord.  Fill Your church with Your Spirit and help us to persevere in persecution and trouble.  I thank you for the word "commended" used in this passage. We, as believers, have been placed before You, presented to You, and entrusted into Your charge.. the Lord Jesus has brought us into Your Kingdom and we have become Your children and servants.  Thank You for those who have obeyed You and brought to us the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Thank You for appointing us to eternal life and giving us faith to believe for salvation and for healing.  We seek Your Presence today, Lord God. Lead us nearer and nearer into Your Love we pray, in Jesus' name. Amen.