Acts 22-23 - Trial of The Century (notes)

Acts 23 - Trial of The Century

Paul

• Goes before the Sanhedrin and is cross examined.
• Acts as his own defense attorney.
• Talks about the fact that he lived his life with a clear conscience before God.

The high priest

Ananias has Paul hit in the mouth and Paul responds with God will strike you, you white-washed wall! How dare you sit there judging me by the Law and give orders for me to be struck, which is clearly contrary to the Law?

Paul

• Realizes what he had just said.
• 4 Those who stood by said, do you mean to insult God’s High Priest? 5 But Paul said, my brothers, I did not know that he was the High Priest, for it is written: you shall not speak evil of the ruler of your people.

Paul Knew

• The Law because some believe that he was once a member of the supreme court of Israel.
• Legal tactics, so he knew how to work within the legal system at the time.
• Understood that by defending himself legally he had a better chance of making it to Rome. 

Paul

•  Also knew the differences between the Sadducees and the Pharisees. The Sadducees didn’t believe in the resurrection nor in angels or spirits. The Pharisees did.
• Speaks out. I am a Pharisee, the son of Pharisees. It is for my hope in the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial!

This Caused tension between the Pharisees & Sadducees. The Pharisees spoke out. 9b We find nothing wrong with this man! Suppose some angel or spirit has really spoken to him? 10 As the tension mounted the colonel began to fear that Paul would be torn to pieces between them. He therefore ordered his soldiers to come down and rescue him from them and bring him back to the barracks.

Jesus

• Appeared to Paul and encouraged him. Take heart--for just as you have witnessed boldly for me in Jerusalem so you must give your witness to me in Rome. V. 11
• There was a group (Over 40 men) of radical Jews who made a vow & went on a hunger strike until they killed Paul.
• These men went before the chief priests & elders and told them tell the Colonel to bring Paul, that they want to examine his case more closely. They will ambush him on the way.

Paul had a nephew who found out about the plot and told Paul about it. Paul told one of the centurions to take his nephew to the commander (Colonel). He did and the Colonel told one of the centurions to get 200 soldiers, 70 horsemen and two hundred spearmen and take Paul to Felix the governor.  The colonel wrote a letter to Felix.

The Contents of The Letter

Claudius Lysias sends greeting to his excellency the governor Felix. This man had been seized by the Jews and was on the point of being murdered by them when I arrived with my troops and rescued him, since I had discovered that he was a Roman citizen. Wishing to find out what the accusation was that they were making against him, I had him brought down to their Sanhedrin. There I discovered he was being accused over questions of their laws, and that there was no charge against him which deserved either death or imprisonment. Now, however, that I have received private information of a plot against his life, I have sent him to you without delay. At the same time I have notified his accusers that they must make their charges against him in your presence.

The Soldiers took Paul, riding through the night and brought him to Antipatis. The next day they returned to the barracks, leaving the horsemen to guard Paul. Then they went to Caesarea after delivering the letter to the governor, they handed Paul over to Felix. After the governor reads the letter he questioned Paul and asked what province he was from. Paul told him that he was from Cilicia. The governor told Paul that he would hear the case as soon as the accusers got there. Then he had Paul kept in Herod’s palace.

What We Can Learn From These Events In Paul’s Life:

1. Paul knew God was in control.
2. Paul knew his rights.
3. Paul used his brain.
4. Paul knew he had a destiny. 

Acts 22-23 - Trial of The Century

Acts 22-23 - Trial of The Century this message was given on 11-25-12

Acts 21 - The Heart of A Hero ***Guest Speaker***

***Guest Speaker, Jonathan Garcia Spoke Today 11-18-12***

Acts 20 - A Long Trip Toward The Jerusalem Jail (notes)

Acts 20 - A Long Trip Toward The Jerusalem Jail

In The Last Chapters

Luke gives very little information about missiology, church planting or power ministries. He deals with the arrest and trails of Paul. In this respect Luke concludes Acts much like he concludes the Gospel of Luke.

Paul Spends

Much of his time in custody but that is where he writes. Lets look at what Paul accomplished in the City of Ephesus.

1. Paul wrote the first letter to the Corinthians.
2. Timothy succeeded Paul in Ephesus. Paul wrote 1st & 2nd Tim. to Timothy while in Ephesus. (I Tim. 1:3)
3. John the Apostle later took up residence in Ephesus & wrote 1st, 2nd and 3rd John from Ephesus as well as the Gospel of John. It is possible that Paul had Timothy & John as professors in the Seminary of Tyrannus at Ephesus.
4. Paul planned his future there.

Paul

Visited the established churches in Achaia (which included the capital of Corinth) & Macedonia (which included Philippi, Thessalonica & Berea) which was important for Paul. Paul wanted to go to Rome because of the churches that were planted there by other leaders. It was only a stopping point because he really wanted to go to Spain.

Some Believe

That Paul stayed in Philippi for a year and a half. He didn't have to work but stayed with Luke and Lydia. He did not have to work his normal job of tent making. He also wrote 2 Corinthians while there.

The Difference

Romans 15:22-24

And that is why it has taken me so long to finally get around to coming to you. But now that there is no more pioneering work to be done in these parts, and since I have looked forward to seeing you for many years, I’m planning my visit. I’m headed for Spain, and expect to stop off on the way to enjoy a good visit with you, and eventually have you send me off with God’s blessing.

(The Message)

When Paul

• Left Philippi, it is likely that Timothy and Erastus accompanied him to Corinth. Whether he had also visited churches in Thessalonica and Berea while in Macedonia we don’t know. Paul then goes to Troas to preach and found an open door to the Gospel there.
• Paul then sets out to Macedonia to the city of Philippi where he had sent Timothy and Erastus.

We Learn From

The second letter to the Corinthians that Paul was on way to Corinth to raise funds for the church in Jerusalem.

Principles About Fund Raising

1. Let Christians know what other followers are doing. 2 Cor. 8:3
2. Giving is like sowing seed. 2 Cor. 9:6-8
3. Giving causes joy. 2 Cor. 9:7

Paul

• Then goes to Macedonia, to Philippi and holds a regional leadership meeting. Seven people from a variety of churches gathered to take the offering to Jerusalem. The seven continued on to Troas while Paul and Luke stayed in Philippimn,
• On his way to Jerusalem Paul wanted to conduct a leadership training seminar for the pastors of the churches in Ephesus.

In Corinth

• Society itself promoted sexual immorality. At the time of Paul to Corinthianize meant to fornicate.
• Paul wrote 1st & 2nd Thessalonians in Corinth.
• Paul wrote the letter to the Romans six years later from Corinth.
• God gave the Apostle Paul some of the most powerful revelations to the church.
• God added to the ministry team of Paul and they worked together spreading the Gospel to the Roman Empire & beyond.

Greek words Paul used in his leadership seminar:

1. Elders, presbyteros - The Presbyterian church.
2. Overseers, episkopos, bishops - Those who supervise a number of pastors, the Episcopal church.
3. Shepherds, poimen -  Those who care for the sheep, Pastor.
4. Deacons, decones - Helpers under the pastors.

House Churches

• Were the norm for almost 400 years until Constantine began erecting the first Christian Basilicas.
• Peter Wagner says that there could have been over 200 house churches in Ephesus at the time Paul gave this seminar.
• It was a one day six hour seminar.

What The Seminar Taught:

1. Striving for a servant’s heart. 20:17-21
2. Counting the cost of discipleship. 20:22-24
3. Guarding against counterfeits. 20:25-31
4. Turning the church over to nationals. 20:32-35

What God Is Saying To Us Today?

Acts 20 - A Long Trip Toward The Jerusalem Jail

Acts 20 - A Long Trip Toward The Jerusalem Jail this message was given on 11-11-12

Acts 19 - Fight To Win (notes)

Acts 19 - Fight To Win

We talked recently about the power of the Holy Spirit.

Today we will talk about a power encounter that happened in Ephesus

Ephesus was one of most pagan cities in the Roman world. The temple to Diana (Greek) or Artemis (Roman) was one of the ancient seven wonders of the World. The fetishes that were made in the city were used all over the Empire as a means of connecting people with the demonic realm. People could actually get possessed as a result of this means of contact.

We Also Saw

• How the men who met with Paul were baptized in the Holy Spirit when Paul laid hands on the people who were there in the beginning of that Church of Ephesus.
• Paul then goes to the Jewish quarter and for three months convinces many of the Jews that Jesus is the Christ. He also makes disciples of many of the leaders of the community but not all of them believed but rose against the way (Christianity).

Paul 

• Leaves this group and took those who did believe and went to a local school whose director was a man named Tyrannus. This lasted for two years and the ministry there was so effective that all the Jews and Greeks living in that province heard the Word of God. This school was open from 11 AM to 4 PM. And Paul was a guest speaker for that time.
• Did extraordinary miracles by the power of the Holy Spirit so that handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick and their illnesses were cured and evil spirits left them.

The Demonic And Greed

• In Ephesus Paul had to deal with the demonic influence through paganism and the greed of the people who were making money from the distribution of the fetishes.
• Greed is still very much alive in today’s culture of materialism.

Paul is used by the Lord to see mighty miracles that even handkerchiefs or aprons that touched Paul were taken to sick people and they were healed and even evil spirits would come out of them.

Miracles are still happening today and God wants this to be part of our life as individuals and as a church.

The Seven Sons of Sceva

• Are an example of what happens when people who do not have the power of God try to cast out demons.
• The demon knew Jesus and Paul but did not know them and he jumped them and beat them up.
• This caused the name of Jesus to be held in high honor. Many brought their sorcery books and burned them publicly and it was worth much money.
• 20 In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power.

Now

21 After all this had happened, Paul decided to go to Jerusalem, passing through Macedonia and Achaia. “After I have been there, he said, must visit Rome also. 22 He sent two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, while he stayed in the province of Asia a little longer.

A Silversmith

• Named Demetrius complains about the way his business was hurt by the revival in Ephesus. The people of Ephesus was stirred but the city clerk quieted the crowd. He goes to the defense of the Christians and tells those involved to take it to court.
• The city clerk did not want them to be charged with rioting. They calmed down and then he dismissed the assembly.

What can we learn from what happened in this situation?

1. In every revival there will be opposition stirred by the demonic realm.
2. We have power over sickness and the demonic realm.
3. We can see this happen here if we are desire God to move in our church and in our community.

Acts 19 - Fight To Win

Acts 19 - Fight To Win this message was given on 11-4-12