THE GOSPEL COMES TO CORINTH Acts 18 THE

THE GOSPEL COMES TO CORINTH Acts 18

THE GOSPEL COMES TO CORINTH Which character in our lesson is most like you – • Paul - disciple • Priscilla or Aquila –hosts for Paul • Silas – Paul’s partner • Timothy – Paul’s young partner • Gallio - Proconsul • Sosthenes – ruler of synagogue • Apollos – good speaker, limited knowledge

THE GOSPEL COMES TO CORINTH Do you feel that you are living just a “common” life?

THE GOSPEL COMES TO CORINTH • Illustration – Young Neighbor Boy’s Perspective

THE GOSPEL COMES TO CORINTH • America’s favorite ice cream is EDY’S

THE GOSPEL COMES TO CORINTH • America’s favorite ice cream is EDY’S • If Bud were an ice cream, perhaps he would be vanilla • But, he would be EDY’s VANILLA

THE GOSPEL COMES TO CORINTH • What influenced you to become a Christian or check out Christianity?

THE GOSPEL COMES TO CORINTH • What influenced you to become a Christian or check out Christianity? • Perhaps the overwhelming majority of you were influenced by people who were quite normal? • Nothing spectacular, just average people who invited you to church?

THE GOSPEL COMES TO CORINTH • We are not all called to do (in the eyes of others) great things for God • Most of us are called to do average things for God • Priscilla and Aquila were average people with average gifts, skills and abilities, nevertheless

THE GOSPEL COMES TO CORINTH • We are not all called to do (in the eyes of others) great things for God • Most of us are called to do average things for God • Priscilla and Aquila were average people with average gifts, skills and abilities, nevertheless They lived an uncommon life

THE GOSPEL COMES TO CORINTH • Being a godly person does not necessarily mean we should be a spiritual hero storming the gates of hell • It is not “what” we do that makes our common life uncommon, but rather for “whom” we do it

THE GOSPEL COMES TO CORINTH • In many ways, Bud from our illustration was like Priscilla and Aquila • They were what you might call average people, but they lived an uncommon life

THE GOSPEL COMES TO CORINTH • Has an idea formed along the way that we are all called to do great things for God? • The godlier we become, the more we will be transformed into spiritual heroes, serving God and raising up dozens of others to do the same?

THE GOSPEL COMES TO CORINTH • Does this not sound good? • It is motivational – as long as you are a type-A personality with strong leadership gifting who dreams big dreams • But what if you are like Bud in our illustration, or Priscilla or Aquila? • What if you have never dreamed of turning your world upside down for God? • What if your idea of a great life is a quiet life?

THE GOSPEL COMES TO CORINTH • Is there something seriously wrong with your spirituality? • Do Christian leaders think something is wrong with Christians who have a low drive to make an impact? • Do leaders tend to project their spiritual gifts and passion onto others, establishing a benchmark? • Anyone who does not share the same passions and visions must not know God very well – or must not be listening to what God is saying to them?

THE GOSPEL COMES TO CORINTH • Or, could it be that is how God made you, and all the leader types will have to learn to deal with? • Why are Priscilla and Aquila mentioned several times in the Book of Acts? • If we look at their accomplishments, we would consider them unremarkable

THE GOSPEL COMES TO CORINTH • On one hand, we can say that Priscilla and Aquila fail to match up with our image of what a sold-out, on-fire Christian should look like • To most folks, they appear as average folks, tent makers, not a lot of drive, not a lot of accomplishments

THE GOSPEL COMES TO CORINTH • On the other hand, when it comes to character, relationships, integrity, and service, they present us with one of the most Christ-like examples of Scripture • Could our definition of a sold-out Christian be seriously flawed? • Can people be average and still please God?

THE GOSPEL COMES TO CORINTH • What if God did not intend for everyone to be turned into a leader passionately charging the gates of hell? • Could God be pleased with simple folks who loved God, loved their family and friends, and then died without ever doing anything outstandingly significant? • Could they be vanilla ice cream, perhaps an Edy’s Vanilla?

THE GOSPEL COMES TO CORINTH • Perhaps a closer look will convince us that the answer to these questions is “YES” • Perhaps average is an option, and a God-pleasing option • It has to be – think about it • If it is not possible to be average or below average and please God, we have a problem • Whatever we are measuring, half of us will always have to be on the wrong side of average

THE GOSPEL COMES TO CORINTH • A note of caution • Some may think that this smacks of devaluing the power of God, ignoring the great needs of our world, and neglecting the anointing of the Holy Spirit • How can a Spirit-filled and Spirit-led person remain average or worse below average? • Why would anyone want to settle for anything less than a high-impact significance?

THE GOSPEL COMES TO CORINTH • But the fact is, our aversion to average comes more out of our culture than out of Scripture • Keep in mind that we are not talking about cold and lukewarm Christians who practice a casual spirituality and open handed disobedience to God

THE GOSPEL COMES TO CORINTH • • We are talking about wonderful people of integrity and commitment to Christ • They worship • They connect • They serve They simply do not register much on the intensity impact meter – and never will

THE GOSPEL COMES TO CORINTH • God pleasing spirituality may or may not go hand in hand with hard charging spiritual leadership • If we have questions, we only need to check out the stories of King Saul and Samson • Both were powerful leaders of God’s people, but neither seemed to be consistently a man of integrity and character

THE GOSPEL COMES TO CORINTH • When we look at the reality of life as a first-century Christian, has our leadership bias blinded us? • Do we assume that Timothy, Titus, Silas and the rest of Paul’s missionary partners represented normal, standard Christian behavior during the first century? • Have we paid close attention to what they did and every bit of instruction and advice Paul gave them?

THE GOSPEL COMES TO CORINTH • If we look at all these thing, we may miss the obvious • Timothy and Titus were not normal, standard Christians • They were rare and unusual • They were the next generation of church leaders

THE GOSPEL COMES TO CORINTH • The vast majority of people under Paul’s ministry, who worshipped, connected and served in churches that Paul started, never became leaders or joined Paul on a missionary trip • Most were farmers and merchants, mothers and fathers, sons and daughters who quietly lived out changed lives for Christ

THE GOSPEL COMES TO CORINTH • They were cobblers who stopped visiting temple prostitutes in the city of Corinth • They were merchants who became scrupulously honest in their business dealings • They were farmers who treated their wives and children with love and respect that was unknown in the pagan Roman world of the first century

THE GOSPEL COMES TO CORINTH • They may not have started a church from scratch • They may not have spent hours in study and solitude • They may not have courageously preached on a street corner, but

THE GOSPEL COMES TO CORINTH • They may not have started a church from scratch • They may not have spent hours in study and solitude • They may not have courageously preached on a street corner, but • They did finish well, still loving and following Jesus • In God’s eyes, they were vanilla ice cream, but they were EDY’S Vanilla Ice Cream

THE GOSPEL COMES TO CORINTH Let’s look at what the text of today’s lesson show us about the EDY’S Vanilla aspects of Priscilla and Aquila

THE GOSPEL COMES TO CORINTH • EDY’S Vanilla Hospitality • Acts 18: 1 -3 • Priscilla and Aquila met Paul in Corinth during his second missionary journey • They had just been expelled from Rome by Emperor Claudius’s decree against Jews • Their home was as movable as the tents they made to support themselves

THE GOSPEL COMES TO CORINTH • EDY’S Vanilla Hospitality • They opened their home to Paul, and he joined them in tent making • This common interest in tent making first brought Paul together with this couple • They quickly formed a firm and lifelong friendship • Paul lived with Priscilla and Aquila for a long time • He shared with them all his spiritual wisdom and they soaked it up like a sponge

THE GOSPEL COMES TO CORINTH • EDY’S Vanilla Hospitality • Notice what Paul states in 1 Corinthians 16: 19: “…Aquila and Priscilla together with the church in their house, send you hearty greetings in the Lord. ” • The Christian home is still one of the best tools for spreading the gospel • Do guests find Christ in your home?

THE GOSPEL COMES TO CORINTH • Radio Illustration

THE GOSPEL COMES TO CORINTH

THE GOSPEL COMES TO CORINTH • Radio became a student manager of the team, and continued in that capacity • Today he is still an honorary team manager for the T. L. Hanna football team – he attends all games • At a recent luncheon honoring an outstanding athlete of the week, both Coach Jones and Radio attended

THE GOSPEL COMES TO CORINTH

THE GOSPEL COMES TO CORINTH • Jesus sometimes made much of simple gestures, like giving a cup of cold water to someone • This scene dramatizes the significant impact of a small act of kindness • Hospitality, the extending of ourselves to others, is often the beginning of life-changing relationships • We should never underestimate the power of being a friend – it is the heart and soul of the uncommon life

THE GOSPEL COMES TO CORINTH • EDY’S Vanilla Influence • Acts 18: 26 • Priscilla and Aquila made the most of their spiritual education • They listened carefully to sermons and evaluated what they heard • When they heard Apollos speak, they were impressed by his ability, but realized that his information was not complete

THE GOSPEL COMES TO CORINTH • EDY’S Vanilla Influence • Instead of open confrontation, the couple quietly invited Apollos to their home and shared with him what he needed to know • Until then, Apollos had only John the Baptist’s message about Christ • Priscilla and Aquila told him about Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection and the reality of God’s indwelling Spirit

THE GOSPEL COMES TO CORINTH • EDY’S Vanilla Influence Priscilla and Aquila show that you can influence people in positions of leadership without being the leader yourself

THE GOSPEL COMES TO CORINTH • EDY’S Vanilla Loyalty • Acts 18: 18 -19 • Paul stayed in Corinth for some time • Then he left the brothers and sailed for Syria accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila • Paul later comments in Romans 16: 3 -4 for readers to greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus. They risked their lives for me. Not only I, but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them.

THE GOSPEL COMES TO CORINTH • EDY’S Vanilla Graciousness • Paul later in 2 Timothy 4: 19 greets Priscilla and Aquila • In our age when the focus is mostly on what happens between husband wife, Aquila and Priscilla are an example of what can happen through husband wife • Their effectiveness together speaks about their relationship to each other • Their hospitality opened the doorway of salvation to many

THE GOSPEL COMES TO CORINTH • EDY’S Vanilla Graciousness • In fact, over time, it was the tent makers Aquila and Priscilla, the cobblers, the merchants, the farmers in Corinth who turned the ancient world upside down, just as much as the missionaries going from town to town • Both were needed • Someone had to spread the Word, and someone had to stay behind and live it out

THE GOSPEL COMES TO CORINTH • Today, we have focused on the lives of Priscilla and Aquila, using an illustration by a neighbor of Bud Villers • They were indeed EDY’S Vanilla • The lived lives of obedience to God with grace and dignity • All they did was love and know God – model a quiet life without hypocrisy and they bore the spiritual fruit to prove it • They were not just Christians, but Spiritual Giants

THE GOSPEL COMES TO CORINTH • In the end, the cure for the common life is not about us

THE GOSPEL COMES TO CORINTH • In the end, the cure for the common life is not about us • It is not even what we do, but rather for whom we do it

THE GOSPEL COMES TO CORINTH • In the end, the cure for the common life is not about us • It is not even what we do, but rather for whom we do it A life lived for Christ is UNCOMMON

THE GOSPEL COMES TO CORINTH Will you live an UNCOMMON life?