Broadcast Word: Lesson 15

Extraordinary

Does God still do miracles like those recorded in the book of Acts?

Well, Luke tells us in Acts 19:11, “God did extraordinary miracles through Paul.”  Paul has begun his third missionary journey.  He’s not opening any new churches that we know of, just retracing his steps throughout Asia Minor, Macedonia, and Greece.

We’re going to meet a new character in our ever-growing missionary group.  The man’s name is Apollos.  He turns out to be a great missionary and spends time in Corinth, Greece.

This journey proved to be a mixed bag—from severe troubles among his churches to joy expressed by the various congregations in their gift to the mother church in Jerusalem.  Paul probably wrote several of his letters while on this trip, including 1 and 2 Corinthians and Romans.

Read Acts 18:23-28

  • Where does Paul travel from his home base?
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  • What was Paul’s purpose?
    • Go to Galatians 1:6-9. What appears to be the problem?

Acts does not tell us about Paul’s stops until he gets to Ephesus. However, before Paul arrives at Ephesus to meet with the brothers there, a man named Apollos shows up from Alexandria, Egypt.

  • What does Luke tell us about the man?

Now the the power of the Holy Spirit, Apollos leaves for Corinth. What do the concluding verses in this section tell us about his stay in Corinth?

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Ephesus

Under the Romans, Ephesus thrived, reaching the pinnacle of its greatness during the first and second centuries of the Christian era. At the time of Paul, Ephesus was probably the fourth largest city in the world, with a population estimated at 250,000. During the reign of the emperor Hadrian, Ephesus was designated the capital of the Roman province of Asia. The grandeur of the ancient city is evident in the remains uncovered by archaeologists, including the ruins of the Artemision, the civic agora, the temple of Domitian, gymnasiums, public baths, a theater with seating for 24,000, a library, and the commercial agora, as well as several streets and private residences. Also discovered were the head and forearm of a colossal statue of the emperor Domitian. Today the Turkish town of Seljuk occupies the site of ancient Ephesus.

In addition, Ephesus is the site of one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World (Temple of Artemis). And St. John mentions Ephesus in his last of seven churches in Revelation.

Tyrannus

He was either the owner of the hall or a prominent philosopher associated with it. According to some Western texts, Paul preached from 11:00 until 4:00 p.m., the time of the afternoon break from work. If accurate, this tradition explains the availability of the hall (schools generally met in the morning) and the freedom of “all Asia” to hear Paul during their “siesta.”

Read Acts 19: 1-11 and 1 Corinthians 16:8

  • What does 1 Corinthians 16 passage tell us about the state of the church in Ephesus?
  • A new “twelve” is mentioned in verse seven. The Holy Spirit empowered them to prophesy (preach). After a short period in the synagogue, he abandoned that plan and went to the Gentiles. What forum did he use?
  • Paul and his disciples stayed there for two years. What was the result according to verse ten?
  • Verse eleven is quintessential in this section. “God did extraordinary miracles through Paul.” If miracles aren’t extraordinary in and of themselves, why do you think Luke adds this word? (Some might translate as “in abundance.”)

At various times during his third journey, he wrote several letters. Two of them were to the church at Corinth. The first letter was probably written prior to his arrival in Ephesus. 1 Corinthians 5 tells us that there were immoral people among them. Paul’s language is very terse. Go to 1 Corinthians 5:5. What does Paul suggest doing with this immoral brother?

1 Corinthians addresses multiple problems – divisions, sexual immorality, lawsuits among believers, marriage problems, drunkenness, and more. It was because of these multiple problems that Paul decided that he must revisit Corinth while on this trip.

Today

Paul’s trip has been very trying.  Problems in Galatia and Phrygia; Ephesus and Corinth.  While Paul had extraordinary successes for the Gospel, we know that he suffered much.  And more was waiting for him when he returned to Jerusalem.  Think about today’s missionaries.

  1. What types of troubles do they face?  Physical danger?  Psychological trauma?
  2. Can missionaries perform extraordinarily in light of troubles?

Let’s take a look at mission sites for our church.  The table can be in part completed by direct knowledge of specific mission issues, or knowledge of local or world events that may impact its challenges and efforts and/or accomplishments.

Area/Country Challenges Accomplishments