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That's connectwithskip.com. Now, let's get into today's teaching from Pastor Skip Heitzig. Now notice these words in verse 4 and 5, reasoned, persuaded, and testify.
You know what that tells me? That primarily, principally, Paul was a communicator. That was his gift.
That was his calling. He was a teacher and a preacher. That is, he explained and reasoned truth to people so they could grow, and he proclaimed or preached the Gospel to them. And by the way, that is what a pastor ought to be, primarily. A pastor-teacher, a preacher-teacher, one who knows the Word, knows doctrine, and teaches people, and persuades them, and instructs them, and testifies. And one of the things that alerts me in every new generation of preachers is how subtly some skew away from teaching the Bible.
And I told you before, I asked J. Vernon McGee, one of my all-time heroes who's been in heaven for years, died in the 80s. One of the last churches he spoke at was our church. And I said, Dr. McGee, why don't more pastors teach the Bible? And he said, because they're lazy. I've said that a lot, but I just love saying it the way he said it.
That lazy. And churches have become more pep rallies than what they ought to be, prep rallies, where you prepare people to live life. And how do you prepare somebody to live life? Not just exhort them, come on, praise, come on, worship, come on, God is good. But show them how, instruct them how, teach them how, proclaim, teach, instruct, persuade, reason, testify. But, verse 6, now when you do that, you can expect some fireworks.
If you're going to be testifying that Jesus is the Christ in the synagogue, this is to be expected. But when they opposed him and blasphemed, right, this happens everywhere Paul goes, right? Some believe, some don't. And those that don't believe pretty rabidly, pretty hostilely. Those who believe, believe. But those who don't, don't with vengeance. So they opposed him, and they blasphemed. And so notice what Paul does.
This is very interesting. This guy's a firecracker. So it says, he shook his garments. Can you imagine him doing that? Shaking his garments and saying, your blood be upon your own heads.
I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles. Whoa! And that was quite a day in the synagogue. They never remember a Sabbath like that before. Now he's using an Old Testament terminology, an Old Testament phrase. Your blood be upon your own heads. That's used a few times in the Old Testament.
It speaks of you bear the responsibility for your own actions. Ezekiel speaks about not testifying to a generation, and that generation's blood being on your heads, he says to the prophets. You remember the Jews who said, crucify him, crucify him. And they said, his blood be upon us and our children. The Jews cried, who cried, crucify him before Pontius Pilate. So Paul shakes his garments.
An interesting gesture. You know that when Jews would leave Gentile territories, they would shake the dust off their sandals. They would just, you know, beat their sandals against a rock before crossing the line into Jewish territory, making the statement, I don't want to bring your Gentile dust to Jewish holy ground. And so Jesus said, shake the dust off your feet if they don't receive you, right? Now shaking the garment off in the synagogue is sort of giving that idea back to them. You guys shake the dust off your sandals because you don't want to defile Jewish territory. I'm shaking this Jewish dust off my garment so that I don't bring your defilement anywhere else. I'm going to the Gentiles, he says. He probably started a riot that day.
From now on, I'm going to the Gentiles. And he departed from there and entered the house of a certain man named Justice. Pause on that name because people in those days had three names. And he is probably the same guy mentioned in 1 Corinthians as Gaius. Gaius, tedious Justice.
His name shows up in a few different places, but here it's just called Justice. So they entered the house of Justice, one who worshiped God, whose house was next door to the synagogue. So, you know, it's like, quick, get out of the synagogue, go into that guy's house.
Can I give you a principle? It will happen no matter what. If you testify that Jesus is the Christ, like Paul did, and he got hostility, if you do that, you will get hostility, right? Jesus promised that.
He said he was going to beat you, your family is going to hate you. If you really embrace me and live wholeheartedly for me, you're not going to get along with people in the world, in the world system. If you're really living the Christian life, there's going to be opposition. Or if I could even boil it down to more of an irreducible minimum, discipleship, like this, or apostleship, if you will, like Paul does here, apostleship will bring hardship. Discipleship brings hardship, or apostleship brings hardship.
Those two ships sail together. If you are sent out, that means that's apostleship. If you say, I'm going to let God use me and be sent out, I'm going to tell people at work, at school, in my family, when I go on vacation, in the store, I'm going to be a vocal witness, that's apostleship, I'm going to get sent out. The other ship that will sail with you is hardship.
You're going to get flack. If you want everybody to like you all the time, don't witness. In fact, don't be a Christian.
If you're okay with not everybody loving you, but you want just the love of God and the family of God is enough for you, be a Christian with all of your heart, because going to heaven is always better than going to hell. But, apostleship brings hardship. I was so excited to move to Albuquerque and start a church, I just couldn't wait, it was so good.
You know, I'm a 20-some-year-old kid, so naive, my wife and I are married, this is going to be awesome. First year we start the church, a group of witches band together to pray our demise. A whole set of different covens got together. I heard this by, there was like a witchcraft convention in town, and they heard about us and the growth of this Bible study into a church, so they were all grouping together to, I don't know who they're praying to, the devil, to see our church fail.
God takes that stuff very seriously, as you know. Then, a few years later, a group of Satanists called the church and made threatening phone calls to our secretaries. I finally got the ringleader on the phone, he said he was a Satanist, there's people take this very seriously about our church with evangelism, you're out winning souls to your religion, and he said, we're going to come and burn your building down to the ground. And I remember my reaction on the phone, I laughed at him, and he didn't like that, he goes, why are you laughing? I said, well, I'm laughing because our building is largely metal.
And you know, before we had this kind of drywall skin on, it was just a metal skin and a metal frame, and there wasn't much else to it. So I laughed, I said, it's going to take something to get this thing to burn. He didn't like that, I said, will you meet with me? He decided he would do that, I met with him over here at a local restaurant just down the street, and in a couple hours, led him to Christ. I had him come over to the church, and I said, now I believe you're saved, and I believe you want to be an honorable man, and the first thing I want you to do is come over to our church office and apologize to all the secretaries that you made those threatening calls to. He said, I'll do it.
So he's next door, boy, I'm really taking my time here. Out of the synagogue, into the house of justice, one who worshiped God, whose house was next door to the synagogue. Then Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, does that name sound familiar to you? When Paul writes 1 Corinthians, he said, when I was with you, I didn't baptize anybody there in Corinth, except Crispus and Gaius, and the household of Stephanas. They're the only ones I remember baptizing, because here's why he said, Christ didn't send me to baptize. He sent me to preach the gospel, not in the wisdom of words, but in the power of God.
Now I have a question for you. If Paul believed in baptismal regeneration, the doctrine that says you have to be baptized to be saved, do you think he could have written those words in 1 Corinthians? Christ didn't send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel? If he believed that you have to be baptized in order to go to heaven, he would have said, I baptize everybody and their pets, because I believe the only way you can get to heaven is by baptism, for Christ did send me to baptize.
That's not what he wrote. He believed in baptism. He did baptize people, but in Corinth he only baptized a few. But one of them is named Crispus, and he, according to verse 8, was at one time the ruler of the Jewish synagogue. He believed on the Lord with all his household.
There it is again. He and his family believed and were saved, and Paul baptized him. And many of the Corinthians hearing believed and were baptized. You're listening to Connect with Skip Heitzig. Before we get back to Skip's teaching, we want to help you understand what real peace looks like so you can experience it in your own life. That's why we want to send you a copy of Unleashing Peace, Experiencing God's Shalom in Your Pursuit of Happiness by Jeremiah J. Johnston. This resource is our thanks for your gift of at least $50 today to help share solid biblical teaching with more people around the world through Connect with Skip Heitzig.
Go to connectwithskip.com slash offer or call 800-922-1888 and request your copy when you give at least $50 today to reach people around the world through Connect with Skip Heitzig. Let's continue with today's teaching with Pastor Skip. Now, I believe something happened, something came to a head between verse 8 and verse 9. And that's because of the vision, the appearance, the words that Jesus has to give Paul here at Corinth. I mentioned he was weary, right? Verse 9 says, The Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision. Here's the words of Jesus, Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent.
For I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you, for I have many people in this city. Paul was weary. Paul was weak.
Paul had been alone in Athens. He came to Corinth, mostly alone except for Luke. He was weary. He was fearful. You say, Skip, are you making this up? How do you know that? Because in 1 Corinthians chapter 2, he said this to the Corinthians, When I was with you, I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling.
So that makes sense, right? If I say Paul was fearful, Paul was weak, he admitted that. I trembled, I was weak, I was afraid.
Why was that? Well, keep in mind the events that have happened to him so far. No man of Macedonia, few women, one lady responds, he gets beaten up, a few people respond, but that's not like a robust start in Macedonia. Then he goes over to Thessalonica, and he preaches there, and some believe, but largely the Jews disbelieve, and they riot against him, and they persecute him, and drive him out of town. So he goes to Berea, and he goes to the city of Thessalonica, goes to Berea, and he has some success, and he loves them, because they're more noble-minded than the Thessalonians, because they listen to what Paul says out of Jewish Old Testament Scripture, then search the Scriptures daily to see if these things are so. But by the time that happens, the Thessalonians hear that he has gone to Berea, the angry Jews leave Thessalonica, persecute him in Berea, so he has to leave Berea. Then he goes to Athens, his spirit is provoked within him, remember what says that? He looks at all the idols in that city. He preaches, not much success, a little bit, a notable Areopagite gets saved.
That's notable, that's important, but it wasn't like mega fruit. Now he's in Corinth, a very sinful, debauched city. He's weary, he's weak, and in fact, he may have been physically ill, like he had been in Galatia, and he admitted that as well.
So all of that is playing against him, and he's weary. And one of the reasons he is weary is perhaps, again, you know, when you go through the book of Acts like this, it really helps to have read, or to read after this, 1 Corinthians or 2 Corinthians, you'll get an idea. He says, when I preach the Gospel to you, the Gospel is a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Greeks. That's what he says to the Corinthians. The Jews were stumbled by a Messiah who dies. Their Messiah is a hero, he's not going to die on a cross.
That stumbled them. To the Greeks, the idea of a dead, resurrected Savior was the word in Greek, moron, foolishness. It means you're a moron.
You've got to be an absolute moron to believe that. So he is getting pushback, resistance. He's getting weary.
Maybe he thinks, I'm leaving town. This is not a great second missionary journey. You might read good in the Bible, but it doesn't feel good.
I'm tapping out. So at just the right time, the Lord comes and encourages him. And he says, do not be afraid. Now, last time I checked, you don't need to say that to somebody unless they are afraid.
You don't tell somebody who's very confident, type A, everything's going to go good. I'm positive. Don't be afraid.
Don't worry, I'm not. That's absolute redundant. It's unnecessary, meaningless words. You only say that to people who are afraid. So angels show up to people, they get afraid. The angel first says, don't be afraid. So Paul was afraid, and he said, I was with you in fear.
He's weary. Don't be afraid, but speak. Don't stop speaking. But speak and do not keep silent.
Now, in verse 10, he makes three promises to him. Here's why you should be bold, Paul. Here's why you should not be silent, Paul. Here's why you should keep talking, Paul. Number one, I promise you, I promise you, I promise you, one, I promise you my presence.
He says, verse 10, for I am with you. When you're alone and somebody comes with you, it's quite an encouragement. When a friend is there with you, chaplains know what this is. When I say the ministry of presence, you just show up. You don't even have to say anything profound.
You just show up, and you just sit with that person in grief, and your presence will encourage them. Jesus said, I promise you my presence, I am with you. What did Jesus say before he ascended? Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. One of the names of the Messiah is Immanuel, which means God is with us. One of my favorite scriptures, Isaiah chapter 41, verse 10, be fear not, for I am with you. Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you. I will uphold you by my righteous right hand.
I'm with you. I promise you my presence. Second, I promise you my protection, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you. Well, that's great to hear, because he's probably afraid. There's been threats against his life.
I've had threats against my life on a number of occasions. Jesus said, I'm with you, and I'll protect you. Now, let me just be quick to say, that's great promise. It is not a blanket promise. It is not a promise God will always give you all the time.
How do I know this? Because God didn't protect Paul when he was in Lystra, and he got beat up, and they thought he was dead. They stoned him with a blanket promise.
They stoned him with rocks, and they thought he was a dead man. The Lord will not protect Paul at the end of his life when he gets beheaded on the Ostian way in Rome for his faith. But for this moment, at this time, God says, I'll protect you. Jesus said, I'll protect you. No one's going to hurt you.
Just talk. I'm not done with you yet, Paul. Don't be afraid. I'm with you. I'll protect you. I promise you my plan, I am with you.
No one will attack you to hurt you. Watch this, for I have many people in this city. Really? Last time I checked, there's not many.
I'm kind of it, and I met this couple who got booted out of Rome. They're two and three. Oh yeah, Timothy showed up. Silas, okay, that makes five.
I have many people in this city. What does that mean? He's speaking about unbelievers who are Christians in the making. They're on the way to become Christians. God is speaking. Jesus is speaking out of his foreknowledge and election. He has chosen many in that city for salvation.
Now they're not saved yet, but they will be. But you need to keep speaking for that to happen. You keep speaking, and they'll believe. I have many people in this city. I'm believing for Easter that God has many people, more people in this city who will come to that sunrise service and then to services afterwards who are essentially God's people.
Maybe not yet, but they will be. And he calls before it happens. He speaks out like it's done.
It's done. The Bible says God knows those who are his. He's speaking in his foreknowledge and with his election. I have many people in this city. You talk, Paul.
They're going to get saved. Could be your family members. You invite them.
Could be your friends. You invite them. Don't come alone. Bring a friend. Bring an unbelieving friend.
Give them an opportunity to hear the words of the gospel. Many in Corinth would believe for I have many people in this city. Now when you get to the book of Romans chapter 16, he writes Romans from the city of Corinth. And as he's writing, he's naming many believers by name, eight of them by name in Corinth. In that chapter alone, he greets many more who are in Rome that he says say hi to them for me. But he mentions eight believers by name in Corinth. But he says greetings from, listen to this phrase, the whole church.
So many people in that city will be saved and comprised of the whole church eventually, as Paul writes to them. And he continued there a year and six months teaching the word of God among them. So 18 months longer than he's been anywhere else so far on a missionary journey. It will not be his longest stint. His longest stint will be in the city of Ephesus, but the second longest stint in any given town is here in Corinth. He's there 18 months from the fall of A.D. 50 to the spring of A.D. 52.
If I'm placing it correctly, that's around the time the 18 months that he spent in Corinth. So he is there. Why? Because Jesus told him, don't shut up, keep talking.
There's many people in this city. So he's waiting around for the fruit and he saw the fruit. Now, I mentioned Aquila and Priscilla, and I'm over time, but should I tell you why?
Okay, so Aquila the husband, Priscilla the wife, usually, though he's mentioned here as Aquila and then Priscilla, usually more times than not, Priscilla is mentioned first, not Aquila. Why? There are a couple of reasons. Somebody might say, well, you know, he was henpecked, but that's probably not the reason. Probably the reason is, A, he was Jewish and she was not Jewish, that is, she was a Gentile, and she was a Gentile who was a prominent Gentile, one who was a prominent Gentile in Rome. So she was a woman of Gentile status, and because she was known so well, her name comes first. That's a possibility. The other possibility is that they were both Jewish, but she was more spiritual in that family than he was. She was more involved in the church, she knew the Word more, she had exhibited faith and good works, and she was just known in a spiritual context more so, so that in the context of the writings of Luke to the churches, in churches, in churches, in churches, in churches, in the churches, in church history, she is mentioned first. Which one is which? I absolutely have no idea.
It's one or the other, we're not told, so where scripture is silent, we are silent. But I just thought I'd throw that out. Thanks for listening to Connect with Skip Heitzig. We hope you've been strengthened in your walk with Jesus by today's program. Before we let you go, we want to remind you about this month's resource that will help you experience God's Shalom in life's busiest seasons.
Unleashing Peace by Jeremiah Johnston is our thanks for your support of Connect with Skip Heitzig today. Request your copy when you give $50 or more. Call 800-922-1888.
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