Paul now moves into Ephesus, a place of magic and cultish worship, and goes to work like he usually does, proclaiming to the Jews that the New Covenant is now in effect. Also as usual, when darkness is confronted with the Light, it causes a stir.
Priscilla and Aquila listen to a young man named Apollos speaking in the synagogue about Jesus, but the message was not quite complete. What he said was correct, but it wasn't complete – like stopping with Jesus' death and resurrection and leaving out the Holy Spirit. So they invited him over and explained "The Rest of the Story."
As Paul rolls into Corinth, we get a bit of a window into him being a little more human than we may have thought about him. He admits in 1 Corinthians that he came into town with weakness, fear, and much trembling. Yet, God meets him in that fear and offers him incredible comfort.
Paul and Silas visit two cities (Thessalonica and Berea) and receive two very different welcomes from the religious people in those areas. So the question remains – do we allow traditions and "that's the way we've always done it" to inform what's true? Or are we willing to question even our traditions, and search the scriptures for answers?
With the base of operations now at Lydia's house, Paul and Silas settle into a routine of prayer with the new believers. But this new church has stirred up some opposition – both spiritual and political. Paul and Silas end up beaten by rods and thrown in prison, where we find them worshiping in the middle of the night.
Paul and Silas head north to catch up with the new believers in Galatia and Phrygia. Then apparently, they decide to not go home yet, but keep going further west. But, in one of the strangest lines of Acts, the Holy Spirit said no to Asia, and no to Bithynia. Paul gets a vision about heading to Macedonia, and the crew springs into action.
In one of the strange texts of the book of Acts, one of the great duos of the Bible breaks up, and Paul seems to completely contradict himself with he decides to take Timothy with him.
The Jerusalem council writes a letter to send back to the Gentile believers in Antioch, and send it by the hands of Paul, Barnabas, Judas, and Silas. The Gentile believers were overjoyed when they received the letter, because it welcomed them as brothers and sisters in Christ!
After Paul and Barnabas return from their missions trip, they are met with a bit of hostility from local church leaders who say these new Gentile converts need to follow the laws of Moses if they want to belong to the church. Paul and Barnabas get into a heated argument with them, and they all agree to take this one to Jerusalem for some answers.
Vision Sunday Fall 2024 – What is the mission statement of the Church? What even IS the Church? River City belongs to a long line of people who gathered in local churches around the world, united by the Spirit of Jesus.