Pastor Don Stubbs, from The Branch Church in New Philadelphia/Baltic Ohio joins us, and walks us through 2 Corinthians 5. What starts with walking by faith and not by sight, becomes "we try to persuade people", "for the love of Christ compels us."
Paul has a situation in Corinth where a man had sinned against someone in the church. He lets them know the sin isn't just against him, but against everyone. He begged them to deal with the situation so the man could be restored. He also encouraged them to forgive him, so that Satan didn't get a foothold in the church.
Safely on the island of Malta, Paul finds himself welcomed and treated like a god by the local people after he was bitten by a snake and didn't die. Paul didn't get caught up in his own plans – he served the people of Malta, and God provided for his needs.
As Paul stands trial before Governor Festus and King Agrippa, he recounts his conversion story one last time in the book of Acts, including details that he hadn't mentioned before – namely, the specific call of Jesus on his life: to be a servant who turns on the lights in people's stories, and leads them to repentance and faith.
Paul was nearly beaten to death by the Jerusalem mob, and as he is being taken away for questioning by the Roman soldiers, he asks if he might speak to the crowd who hates him. They oblige, and Paul gives his testimony to the crowd, recalling what Jesus did for him on the road to Damascus.
It's the beginning of the end for Paul as he is arrested in Jerusalem. He'll never be a free man again. And the people who have stirred up the crowd and demanded his arrest (and tried to kill him) are the Jews from Asia – the very people he had just spend the last several years trying to win to the gospel.
Paul reaches Jerusalem with his Gentile posse, and they meet up with James and the Jesus Jews. The groups shouldn't get along on paper, but the Holy Spirit-filled, Gospel-driven, Jesus-centered church shows a kind of unity, generosity, and welcome that should be the mark of every church.
Paul says in chapter 20 that he's compelled by the Spirit to go to Jerusalem. In every city he visits, people tell him through the Spirit, that he's going to face persecution. People even tell him "The Spirit says don't go!" But Paul pushes on, going to Jerusalem anyway. So are the other disciples false prophets? Is Paul disobeying the Spirit by pressing on? Or is it that "prophecy" in the New Testament has a little definition than it did in the OT?
As Paul says goodbye to the Ephesian elders, he leaves them with much encouragement and even a few warnings about what they can expect once he has moved on.
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.